When Gu Yuan heard Xun'er mention Xiao Yan, he thought for a moment before realizing who she was talking about, and then he probed with his senses.
Under his immense Soul Power, even though Yao Chen had concealed himself, Gu Yuan still discovered some traces. However, he could only determine from these traces that Xiao Yan had encountered a soul body.
As the Soul Clan's old opponent of a Thousand Years, he had some understanding of soul bodies, so he wasn't particularly surprised. He just considered it Xiao Yan's good fortune to have met one.
If that soul body hadn't been Yao Chen, it would have been impossible to hide from Gu Yuan's probing, and he would have been found long ago.
Although Yao Chen's Soul Power was somewhat inferior to Gu Yuan's, they were ultimately on the same level. Gu Yuan couldn't find him based solely on those traces.
Despite this, inside the Storage Ring, Yao Chen still couldn't understand why such a powerful expert would descend upon the small Wutan City.
He didn't even dare to warn Xiao Yan and directly cut off contact. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly, fearing that Gu Yuan would detect him with just a breath and cause unnecessary trouble.
He didn't recognize Gu Yuan. Even with his reputation in the Central Plains during his lifetime, and even though he himself came from a Dou Di Clan, he only knew that the little girl had an extraordinary background, but he never expected it to be this significant!
He also didn't expect this small Wutan City to be so special, with one abnormal event after another occurring here, and now, such a terrifying existence had personally arrived.
Although he didn't recognize Gu Yuan, he could clearly perceive Gu Yuan's power. Among the many forces on the Continent, there were only a handful of people with this level of Strength. He was certain that Gu Yuan must be from one of the other Dou Di Clans!
"Could there be some secret here? Xiao? Could it be that Xiao?"
This thought suddenly popped into Yao Chen's mind, and he couldn't suppress it no matter what.
Over the past few Thousand Years, very few Peak Nine Star experts had appeared on the Continent, and Xiao Xuan of the Xiao Clan was one of them. Even though a Thousand Years had passed, there were still records of these few individuals in various Clans.
Even though he had been expelled from the Medicine Clan, he still knew that a Thousand Years ago, the Dou Di Clans were collectively known as the Eight Ancient Clans, and among them, there happened to be a Clan with the surname Xiao!
That Xiao Xuan, whom all the Clans had to treat with caution, came from the Xiao Clan.
Thinking of this, he became curious about this small family where even the strongest person was only at the Dou Spirit Realm.
"But that doesn't make sense. If it's really that Xiao surname, how could the Soul Clan let their Legacy continue?"
The conflict between the Xiao Clan and the Soul Clan was no secret to the few Clans. Yao Chen remembered that the Clan's records stated that the Soul Clan launched a full-scale attack, the Xiao Realm was shattered, and the Xiao Clan was annihilated. He didn't believe that with the Soul Clan's capabilities, they wouldn't have discovered the remnants of the Xiao Family.
Then Yao Chen thought of the terrifying Soul Power from earlier, which was definitely at the Emperor Realm. Emperor Realm Soul was absolutely rare on this Continent; perhaps only those two Clans would have existences of this level. He couldn't help but speculate:
"Hmm, could it be that this person is from the Gu Clan? Although the records say the relationship between the Xiao and Gu Clans wasn't very close, it definitely wasn't bad. Did they step in to protect the Xiao Family?"
Yao Chen's Doubt was destined to go unanswered. After probing, Gu Yuan didn't find anything else besides knowing that Xiao Yan had encountered a soul body.
He just assumed that the soul body had left after recovering and didn't even consider the possibility that the person was an Emperor Realm Soul.
"He's doing very well. I didn't expect the Xiao Family could still produce a Genius of this level. Alas..."
Gu Yuan gave Xun'er a definite answer, and then as if remembering something, he sighed softly, looking troubled, and muttered to himself:
"I wonder if that guy Xiao Xuan regrets it? If he were still alive, with his ability, a kid with this kind of Talent could definitely become a Dou Sheng. As for now, it's difficult..."
Xun'er didn't know that her father was thinking of the Old Pal who gave him Great Pressure when he was alive and whom he missed after he died. After hearing that Xiao Yan was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief, but her face remained calm as she nodded lightly. Then she changed the subject and asked about another matter:
"Father, what was that soul body you just mentioned?"
Gu Yuan briefly explained, saying:
"Generally speaking, when Soul Power reaches a certain level, even if the Physical Body is damaged, one can exist as a soul body. Some powerful Alchemists can even exert considerable Strength using only Soul Power. Of course, those are only a few. Without the protection of a Physical Body, it's difficult for Soul Power to last long. Most soul bodies can only barely survive and eventually completely dissipate."
Xun'er wasn't interested in these things. What she wanted to know was whether that soul body had any ill will towards Xiao Yan, but she couldn't ask directly. So she pretended to be confused and took the opportunity to bring up the Soul Clan:
"Could he be related to the Soul Clan?"
Hearing her question, a cold glint flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes. The Soul Clan's understanding of Soul was indeed incomparable to his; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Xun'er away.
Although he didn't sense the unique aura of a Soul Clan member in the dispersed Soul, he didn't dare to be overly confident. He began to ponder. If it was truly a Soul Clan member, it might no longer be safe for Xun'er to stay here.
He looked at Xun'er and stated his opinion:
"Xun'er, I originally planned to bring you back to the Clan after you broke through to Dou Sect, but now the Soul Clan might know of your existence. It's no longer safe here. You should return to the Clan."
Xun'er didn't expect that her casual remark would make Gu Yuan want to take her back. How could she be willing? But she didn't say much, just retorted:
"Is it safe in the Clan? If it were safe in the Clan, why would Father send me here?"
She had memories from her childhood and naturally remembered being severely injured by someone in the Clan, almost dying.
Gu Yuan opened his mouth but said nothing. Even now, he still couldn't guarantee that there were no Soul Clan members left in the Clan. Moreover, even if there were truly no Soul Clan members, Xun'er wasn't absolutely safe. Greed moves hearts; how many people would be willing to see something that originally belonged to them suddenly taken away?
Although Xun'er's question stumped him, he didn't give up the idea of taking her away. He didn't offer a forced explanation, only saying:
"This time, I, your father, will personally be your Path Protector and ensure your safety."
Xun'er shook her head and said:
"Father, you are being too concerned. With your Strength, what difference does it make whether we are in the Ancient Realm or here? Right now, it's just Father's speculation, but if I go back, I will truly enter the Soul Clan's sights."
Gu Yuan heard Xun'er's words and thought for a moment, realizing that it seemed to be true. The Soul Power here didn't resemble that of the Soul Clan members, and it had already left. If it were the Soul Clan, they would have likely shown up by now.
And just as Xun'er said, with his ability, it wasn't difficult to instantly arrive by Xun'er's side. It really didn't make much difference where they were.
"If Father is truly worried, why not give the Soul Clan something to do so they are preoccupied? Don't worry, it won't take long for me to break through to Dou Sect."
Seeing that Gu Yuan's Will to take her away wasn't strong, Xun'er continued to analyze, just to buy herself and Xiao Yan a little more Time.
She actually knew that staying here forever was unrealistic; she would have to go back someday. But not now. She was afraid that if she left, Xiao Yan would forget her.
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