Chapter Five: The Ancestor’s Intervention—Forging the Great Emperor’s Edict

Inside the ancestral hall of the Xiao family, when a towering figure enveloped in golden light, radiating a terrifying majesty, appeared, Xiao Qingtian and all the clan members were filled with overwhelming emotion.

The ancestor of the Xiao family, the Great Emperor Xiao Xuan, still existed in the world!

“Xiao Qingtian, the thirty-eighth head of the Xiao family, pays respects to Great Ancestor Xiao Xuan!”

Xiao Qingtian bowed deeply, his heart swelling with boundless joy. With the ancestor still alive, the future of the Xiao family was hopeful!

“Descendants of the Xiao family, we pay respects to Great Ancestor Xiao Xuan!”

Following Xiao Qingtian’s example, the other clan members also knelt, their eyes full of excitement and reverence.

After all, this was the Great Emperor Xiao Xuan from a hundred thousand years ago, a formidable being who once swept across the Eight Desolaces!

“Great Ancestor Xiao Xuan…”

Xiao Jinyu also slowly bowed, her eyes flickering with curiosity.

She had only ever glimpsed the name Xiao Xuan in the ancient texts of the Xiao family. Those few words conveyed an invincible aura that lingered in her memory. In her heart, the image of Xiao Xuan surpassed that of any other emperor-level existence.

Xiao Jinyu was unsure whether this was the embellishment of the family records or the truth itself. But now, with Xiao Xuan’s appearance, she felt a sense of relief. Since the ancestor still lived, the Xiao family’s predicament was no longer insurmountable.

“Who can tell me what has transpired?”

Xiao Xuan’s gaze settled on the kneeling Xiao Qingtian, his voice steady.

“Great Ancestor, the situation is as follows…”

Xiao Qingtian quickly recounted the origins of their current plight and the difficulties the Xiao family faced.

“Such audacity! A mere quasi-Emperor is but a large ant in my eyes, yet dares to pressure the Xiao family. Who gave him such courage?”

Xiao Xuan’s eyes grew colder as Xiao Qingtian spoke.

A quasi-Emperor? In his era, such beings were not even worthy of his acknowledgment.

Over the years, he had slain countless quasi-Emperor-level foreign demons—if not ten thousand, then at least eight thousand.

Yet, despite his fury, Xiao Xuan understood the present predicament of the Xiao family. When he fought the alien demons, he had taken nearly all the emperor-level resources, leaving little foundation for the family. Without emperor-level roots, the decline of the Xiao family was inevitable.

But when he left, he had entrusted other imperial clans to look after the Xiao family. Where are those emperors now?

“When I departed from the Celestial Profound Continent, I asked the imperial clans to watch over the Xiao family in my absence. Now that the Xiao family is in trouble, where are they?”

Xiao Qingtian and the elders exchanged glances.

At that moment, a young member of the Xiao family could no longer hold back his complaint: “Great Ancestor! The family head has already sent for aid, but not a single imperial clan is willing to help us!”

No imperial clan would stand up for the Xiao family? A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Xiao Xuan’s eyes.

“Have you contacted the Tuoba, Wu, and Dugu families?” Xiao Xuan asked.

After all, these imperial clans had promised him a hundred thousand years ago that they would look after the Xiao family in times of decline.

“We have, but there was no response…”

Xiao Qingtian answered in a low voice.

“Good, very good.”

Xiao Xuan’s murderous intent nearly solidified. He was certain that these imperial clans had broken their promises.

He had fought the alien demons for a hundred thousand years to protect the beings of the Celestial Profound Continent. Yet those imperial clans, who had once obeyed his every command, now turned a blind eye to the Xiao family’s crisis!

A wave of bitterness surged in Xiao Xuan’s heart. A century of guardianship repaid with betrayal!

Soon, this bitterness transformed into boundless rage. Since the imperial clans no longer followed the rules, Xiao Xuan would no longer be courteous. He would abandon the defense of the Abyssal Rift and return to the Xiao family. As long as he could protect the Xiao family, he cared little for the fate of humanity.

“I understand the situation, but it will take some time for me to return from beyond the Celestial Profound Continent. This ancient summoning talisman can only bring a fragment of my consciousness here; it cannot manifest my power.”

Xiao Xuan’s voice carried a hint of helplessness.

What?

Upon hearing this, the hope in Xiao Qingtian and the others’ hearts instantly dimmed.

Some time? How long?

By then, the Xiao family might no longer exist!

The return of the ancestor might only be to gather their remains!

What could they do? Not just Xiao Qingtian, but all the Xiao clan felt helpless.

Seeing their silence, Xiao Xuan continued, “Though this fragment of my spirit cannot display my emperor’s might, I can leave you something. Before my true form returns, this shall be enough to protect you.”

With that, Xiao Xuan waved his hand, and an ordinary talisman paper floated before him. He raised a finger and casually inscribed upon it.

What was the great ancestor doing? Were they writing a plea for help? Or to scare off the Azure Flame Martial Emperor? The Xiao family watched in confusion.

But the next moment, Xiao Qingtian and the others were stunned.

As Xiao Xuan inscribed the talisman, a powerful imperial aura emanated from it. The once ordinary paper seemed to transform into an imperial weapon, radiating boundless light and swirling with sacred truth.

Watching the talisman’s transformation, Xiao Xuan revealed a faint smile.

He was not writing a plea for help. As a great emperor, he needed no aid from anyone.

What he was creating was a true imperial decree.

With this imperial decree, the Xiao family would be protected until his true form returned.

Though this fragment of Xiao Xuan’s consciousness could not unleash the full power of a great emperor, his profound insight into the laws of heaven and earth was extraordinary.

“Boom!”

Relying on his understanding of the Dao, Xiao Xuan easily summoned the power of heaven and earth, effortlessly crafting a genuine imperial decree.

Soon, a wave of terrifying energy surged like a tidal wave, spreading throughout the ancestral hall and beyond.

The originally plain talisman suddenly displayed an imperial fluctuation, ancient characters appearing upon it, exuding an overwhelming aura of terror.

Xiao Xuan closed the imperial decree, and the fearsome energy dissipated instantly, as if it had never existed. Calmly, he said, “With this imperial decree, a mere quasi-Emperor is but an ant. Even if a quasi-Emperor personally descends, they cannot move the Xiao family.”

Glancing at the nearly spent summoning talisman, he tossed the imperial decree to Xiao Qingtian with a calm tone: “In two days, I shall return to this Celestial Profound Continent and settle the old grudges one by one.”

Xiao Qingtian stepped forward swiftly and respectfully caught the talisman. As the summoning talisman burned out, Xiao Xuan’s figure gradually became transparent and finally vanished from the ancestral hall, as if he had never appeared.

After Xiao Xuan departed, Xiao Qingtian felt the talisman’s weight like Mount Tai in his hand. It was no longer an ordinary talisman but a true imperial decree. The decree seemed to possess a spirit; even closed, it radiated a solemn and sacred aura like a supreme deity dwelling in the heavens, inviolable.

“Is this the supreme realm of the great emperor?” Xiao Qingtian could not help but marvel. A mere talisman, once inscribed by the ancestor, transformed into a supreme divine artifact, transcending the mundane world.

“Legend says that great emperors can turn decay into miracles. Even ordinary objects, when touched by imperial aura, can be reborn as sacred relics. The ancients did not deceive us,” an elder of the Xiao family sighed.

“Enough talk. Use this imperial decree to rescue the Supreme Elder!” another elder urged.

“Jinyu, you go. Use this imperial decree to drive away our formidable enemies for the Xiao family!” Xiao Qingtian said solemnly to Xiao Jinyu.

“Me?” Xiao Jinyu was surprised, not expecting the clan leader to choose her.

But she quickly understood Xiao Qingtian’s intention. The Azure Flame Martial Emperor’s pressure on the Xiao family was ostensibly for her, wanting her to become the concubine of the Martial Emperor’s son.

Now, with her holding the imperial decree to repel the enemy, she was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

You want to deal with the younger generation of the Xiao family, to annihilate us and oppress us severely?

Now, with just one of our juniors stepping forward, you will fail and lose face!

“I’m going right away!” Without hesitation, Xiao Jinyu took the imperial decree from Xiao Qingtian and swiftly left the ancestral hall, prepared to rescue the Supreme Elder.