Chapter 1167: Xiang Clan Territory
Conquering the Xiang Clan? The thought had never crossed Xiang Shaoyun's mind. Even after regaining some of his past life's memories, he still never considered having anything to do with the Xiang Clan.
In his past life, he was the one who had brought the Xiang Clan to the very peak of the dominion. Ultimately, he was encircled by numerous experts from all over the world. The Xiang Clan had been implicated as well. Because of that, some of the people within the clan went against him and tried to put a leash on his surging ambitions.
In this life, he and his father had separated from the clan. Thus, he definitely didn't have a good opinion of them. Therefore, conquering the clan sounded like music to his ears. In any case, they had already set their eyes on him, so he couldn't avoid them anymore.
"Fine. I'll conquer the Xiang Clan!" said Xiang Shaoyun with a nod.
In many ways, he was already linked to the Xiang Clan. It was impossible for him to fully separate from them. In that case, he might as well put them under his control once again.
"Good. I don't have much time left. Tell me where you want to go, and I'll give you a lift," said the gravekeeper elder.
This was only a clone, so he wouldn't be able to protect Xiang Shaoyun for long. In fact, he had already stayed far longer than any Heaven Battling Realm expert could.
"It has probably been around two days since I was kidnapped. My people are probably still in the Desert of Despair. Can you take me back there, master? They must be worried sick," said Xiang Shaoyun after thinking for a bit.
The gravekeeper elder nodded, grabbed Xiang Shaoyun, and tore space open before traveling to the Desert of Despair. Once again, Xiang Shaoyun experienced moving at an incredible speed, and it filled his heart with yearning toward gaining such strength. In his past life, he had been able to do the same. Alas, he was still too weak in this life.
After an indeterminate amount of time, they arrived at the Desert of Despair. With the gravekeeper elder's powerful senses, he was able to quickly pinpoint the 49 riders.
The 49 riders were in complete chaos. Ever since Xiang Shaoyun went missing, they were at a loss. They had been searching for him everywhere. However, the kidnapper was too powerful. They knew how unlikely it was to retrieve him.
"The young sect master is gone. I doubt we can find him. What should we do now?" said someone gloomily.
"Don't even think of returning without finding him," said someone sternly.
"The young sect master is fine. He's back," said First Gold, the group's leader.
Sure enough, the moment he spoke, Xiang Shaoyun appeared not far away. The gravekeeper elder did not show himself. He was not someone just anyone could meet.
The 49 riders rushed over and saluted Xiang Shaoyun, "Young sect master."
"Rise. You guys must have been worried. I'm fine. Let's go back," said Xiang Shaoyun with a gratified look.
It was already very commendable of them to not scatter during his absence.
"Boss, are you really fine?" asked Money as he rushed forward.
Xiang Shaoyun replied, "I'm good. Let's leave first."
The group resumed their journey back to the sect. Along the way, they did not encounter any other situations. Xiang Shaoyun was constantly thinking of ways he could take over the Xiang Clan.
Back then, the Xiang Clan was pushed to the brink of destruction. However, a long time had passed, and they had secretly developed in seclusion, so they had probably recovered considerably. They were probably no weaker than a tier-8 organization and were most definitely stronger than the Ziling Sect.
Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun was the clan's strongest expert in his previous life. With that identity, he had a certain level of understanding of the clan. So long as he had enough strength, he could easily take it over.
Somewhere in the Western Desert was a hidden location protected by a spatial formation. This was a place that was hard to discover even if one was standing right before it.
It was also an ancient city dotted with towering buildings. The architecture of the buildings was somewhat different from modern buildings, looking rather old-fashioned. They looked more like antiques, giving off the feeling they had weathered a long passage of time.
The city was sparsely populated, but every single person had extraordinary strength. Some beasts were also living alongside the humans in harmony. As a whole, the city looked privately owned.
The city had thick ambient lightning energy, to the point even the sky seemed to have a light purple glow, presenting a rather peculiar sight. Gathered within a majestic hall were several Heaven Battling Realm experts. Some looked extremely old, some looked like they were at the prime of their lives, and some looked like youngsters.
One of the older ones heavily struck the ground with his staff, displaying his unhappiness. The others kept silent, their expressions ashen.
"Have all of you turned mute? Didn't you promise that nothing bad would happen? Why had Xiang Zong's jade slip cracked?" demanded the old man who was roaring like a furious lion.
A middle-aged man in a golden dragon outfit replied, "We all know how strong Xiang Zong is. He can even defeat an opponent a stage higher than him. Only someone above the Great Saint Realm can kill him. I believe this is probably the Holy Hall's trap."
"What the hell can the Holy Hall do? They have hidden in their shell for so many years. What gives them the confidence to become our enemy? Are they tired of living?" said the old man furiously.
"Based on the report, the Holy Hall's master has already taken that step. Also, their first elder's strength is also immeasurably deep. Unless we invite the ancestor to personally make a move, we really can't do anything to them," said someone else.
"The Holy Hall might be the most likely culprit, but someone else might be behind this. I think we should investigate this properly before doing anything," suggested someone.
"That's not hard. We can find Xiang Zong's place of death with his blood essence and recreate the scene of his death with a blood sacrifice technique," said a middle-aged man.
"You will take charge of this. Find out the truth of his death at all costs. We must avenge him," commanded the old man.
"How about the kid slightly related to us?" asked the middle-aged man.
"I already had someone investigate him. He is probably the descendant of one of our branch families. Many years ago, a child called Xiang Yangzhan left the clan and established his own family. I will send someone to take them back into the clan. We will understand the truth after summoning him back," said the old man.
"Xiang Yangzhan? That is fifth brother's son, right? Back when something happened to fifth brother, the child blamed us for not saving him. Thus, he left us. At the time, nobody cared about him. Surprisingly, in only 100 years, he was able to grow into a considerably powerful person," said someone with a sigh.