Chapter Four: I am Emperor Xiao Xuan, a descendant of the Xiao clan. Why have you summoned me?

Inside the ancestral hall of the Xiao family, as Xiao Qingtian finished speaking, the attention of the clansmen was drawn to the half-talisman standing in the bronze tripod incense burner.

This half-talisman, ancient and weathered, was pitch black. After Xiao Qingtian ignited it, wisps of smoke curled gently from its tip. It appeared entirely unremarkable, yet it was said to be capable of summoning the ancestor of the Xiao family—the legendary Emperor Xiao Xuan. The clansmen were filled with doubt, but following Xiao Qingtian's instructions, they knelt and began to pray in silence. Regardless of the outcome, it was a case of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive.

Watching the clansmen begin their prayers, Xiao Qingtian sighed inwardly. The belief that this half-talisman could summon Emperor Xiao Xuan was a secret passed down orally by successive patriarchs. In truth, even Xiao Qingtian could not be certain if it were real; perhaps it was merely a legend woven by some ancestor to comfort their descendants. He had never revealed this secret before because he was unsure of its authenticity. But now, with even the life of the Supreme Elder hanging by a thread, Xiao Qingtian understood that he had to try, even if there was only a sliver of hope.

However, as he looked at the smoking talisman, he felt a deep sense of unease. Fifty thousand years ago, a previous patriarch had once ignited this talisman to test its authenticity, but it had yielded no result even after half of it had burned away. Terrified, that patriarch had extinguished the flame, leaving the talisman in its current, incomplete state. Even if it could truly summon Ancestor Xiao Xuan, a hundred thousand years had passed since his era. Even for an Emperor, a lifespan exceeding fifty thousand years was rare. Was Ancestor Xiao Xuan even still alive?

Xiao Qingtian’s mind was in turmoil, but he could only kowtow respectfully, praying that their ancestor might sense the call of his descendants. As everyone bowed their heads, a faint golden light shot forth from the talisman, instantly leaving the Xiao estate and vanishing into the unknown distance. The light was so minuscule that not a single member of the Xiao family noticed it.

...

Far beyond the Tianxuan Continent, deep within the Heavenly Abyss, Xiao Xuan sat cross-legged, as still as a meditative monk. He had been sitting there for nearly ten thousand years. Since that earth-shattering battle ten millennia ago, where he had slain two Dark Sovereigns from the foreign realm, his name had commanded awe across the land. Over these ten thousand years, the foreign realm had been cowed, and no one had dared to challenge him again.

Yet, Xiao Xuan knew that this decade of peace did not mean the foreign realm had abandoned its ambition to invade the Tianxuan Continent. They were merely waiting—waiting for the perfect opportunity. The day he, the Guardian of the Heavenly Abyss, fell, would be the moment the foreign armies launched their full-scale assault.

"Though I am aged, I still have one final battle left in me!"

Xiao Xuan swept a cold glance over the million-strong army of the foreign realm standing in battle formation across the Abyss, then closed his eyes to rest, preparing for the final struggle of his life. After this battle, he would fall, but the million-strong army would accompany him to his grave.

"Hm? What is this..."

Suddenly, Xiao Xuan’s expression shifted. He caught a scent of smoke from an ignited ancient talisman, and phantom voices echoed in his ears.

"Ancestor Xiao Xuan..."
"The Xiao family is in peril..."

Hearing the fragmented voices, Xiao Xuan was stunned. Could it be the "Summoning Talisman" he had left for the Xiao family before his departure a hundred thousand years ago? A surge of emotion stirred within him. He had never expected that after ten millennia, the talisman could still be lit, meaning the Xiao family’s lineage had not been severed and still existed on the Tianxuan Continent.

What alarmed him, however, was that he had explicitly instructed them never to ignite the talisman unless the family faced total annihilation. That it was lit now suggested they had reached a life-or-death crisis. The voices in his ears confirmed his fears.

"Ancestor Xiao Xuan, please descend!"
"Ancestor, if you do not return, the Xiao family will be wiped out!"
"Please, save us from this calamity!"

As the prayers grew clearer, Xiao Xuan’s gaze turned icy. In his time, the Xiao family had been the supreme Imperial clan of the Tianxuan Continent. Even after his ten-thousand-year absence, their status should have been unshakeable. Who on earth was bold enough to attempt the extermination of his entire kin?

As his eyes frosted over, the Imperial sword resting across his knees seemed to sense his emotions, letting out a murderous hum. A faint, cold brilliance, like a river of stars flowing backward, erupted from the blade, shattering the firmament of the foreign realm for a hundred thousand miles!

The sudden display caused chaos among the million-strong foreign army. Countless demons subconsciously retreated, their eyes filled with terror and panic as they stared toward the Heavenly Abyss. That god of slaughter had not moved in nearly ten thousand years; what could have provoked him? Was he about to launch a preemptive strike into the foreign realm?!

Xiao Xuan, however, paid no mind to their panic. Upon hearing the cries of his descendants, he sank a thread of his consciousness into the void, following the mystical tether toward the source of the summons. The distance between the Heavenly Abyss and the Tianxuan Continent was immense; even with his power, it would take days of travel to return. But this half-talisman was a divine object he had found in the Sea of Buried Demons, capable of bridging the vast distance between two points instantly. Using the burning talisman as a conduit, he could project a fraction of his consciousness back to the Xiao family to see what was happening.

...

Inside the ancestral hall, the half-talisman burned rapidly. After only ten breaths, half of it was already consumed. Was it truly useless? Watching the talisman show no sign of response, Xiao Qingtian sighed, his heart sinking to the depths. The other clansmen also wore expressions of disappointment and despair. Was it truly useless to pray to the ancestor? Had he truly fallen?

As the oppressive atmosphere settled over the hall, Xiao Qingtian gritted his teeth, preparing to console the others. But at that very moment, a sudden change occurred.

The remaining half of the talisman erupted with incomparable golden radiance! A majestic figure, towering and grand, bathed in endless golden light, crossed the river of time and appeared within the Xiao family ancestral hall. The mere aura radiating from this figure was so terrifying that it felt as if the very heavens were trembling.

"I am Emperor Xiao Xuan."
"Descendants, why have you summoned me?"