Chapter 1180: Little Ancestor
Xiang Shaoyun faced the dozens of people in the hall calmly, showing no fear.
"Are you really Xiang Dingtian?" asked an old man.
Xiang Shaoyun looked at him and replied, "Yes and no."
"What does that mean?" asked the old man.
"Xiang Dingtian is my previous life. In this life, I am a descendant from a branch family, Xiang Shaoyun," he confessed.
"So you're the reincarnation of Xiang Dingtian?" asked a different old man in astonishment.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded, "Yes."
"How do you prove that?"
"My battle robe and my saber."
"That's not enough."
"I'll talk about the clan. Our first patriarch used to be a scholar attendant and had taken a long time to rise in power. The second patriarch had succeeded the throne after the first patriarch went missing for three years—"
"You're only talking about our history. Tell us about Xiang Dingtian instead. Give us direct proof."
"I, Xiang Dingtian, have been well-versed with all sorts of books since I was six. At seven, I started condensing my astral energy. At ten, I entered the Transformation Realm. I was already at the Skysoar Realm before adulthood. My rise was smooth, and I broke through all records of the clan repeatedly. At eighteen, I killed nine powerful Demon Kings, tamed my mount, Black Nimbus, and proclaimed myself the Overlord. I aimed to lead our Xiang Army and pacify the world, making us the number one clan under the sky..."
The more Xiang Shaoyun spoke, the more spirited he became. Even he himself felt proud of his past life. Someone so powerful should naturally have the ambition to dominate the world. When the people present heard Xiang Shaoyun speaking about Xiang Dingtian in great detail, they firmly started believing that he was really their ancestor.
Of course, Xiang Shaoyun's performance from two days ago had also helped greatly in convincing them. It was as though Xiang Dingtian had taken possession of his body. His terrifying strength at the time couldn't be explained otherwise.
"He really is Ancestor Xiang Dingtian reincarnated!" cried out one of the old men. He knelt down toward Xiang Shaoyun, acknowledging that Xiang Shaoyun was really the ancestor. With the old man on his knees, the others were left with no choice but to get on their knees as well.
Only Xiang Youjing continued questioning, "You claim to be the reincarnation of Xiang Dingtian. Tell me then, what position did my father Xiang Feidong hold in the clan back then? And what was his cultivation level?"
Xiang Shaoyun threw him a glance and said, "Your father was a peak Heaven Battling Realm cultivator, only a step away from the Rebirth Realm. He was the deputy commander of the Xiang Army and was equally famous as the five greatest generals under my command. I remember he had a daughter called Xiang Zuoying as well. She must be your little sister?"
Xiang Youjing's expression changed. He had no choice but to believe that Xiang Shaoyun was telling the truth. His little sister had passed away thousands of years ago because she hadn't been able to reach the Heaven Battling Realm. Without the additional lifespan of the new cultivation realm, she had passed away. As time passed, few people still remembered her. Even many of the old fellows present had forgotten about her. Since Xiang Shaoyun knew about his little sister, there was no doubt that he was Xiang Dingtian's reincarnation.
"Ancestor," greeted Xiang Youjing as he knelt down.
After finding out that his father had fought to the death for the clan instead of dying to Xiang Dingtian's scheme, his hatred toward Xiang Dingtian had dropped considerably.
Xiang Shaoyun said, "You should address me as uncle. I am from your father's generation. In fact, he's my cousin."
"U-Uncle," Xiang Youjing called out with great difficulty.
Sure, Xiang Shaoyun was Xiang Dingtian's reincarnation, but he was also currently a young descendent of a branch family.
Xiang Shaoyun said to everyone, "You may all rise. In the future, just address me as Xiang Shaoyun. Xiang Dingtian is already a part of history."
Everyone stood up and looked at him with complicated expressions, not knowing what to say. Regardless of the controversy surrounding Xiang Dingtian, he was still one of the strongest experts to have ever emerged from their clan. Thus, he deserved their reverence. However, this reincarnation of his was also their junior, so the seniority seemed to have gone to a complete mess.
One of the old men said cautiously, "Ancestor, we can't allow the seniority to sink into chaos. But since you have reincarnated, we will have the juniors of the clan address you as the little ancestor from now on. As for us, we will address you as the Overlord. What do you think? You are the Overlord, after all."
A different person voiced his agreement, "Yes, yes, we'll address you as the Overlord while the others can address you as the little ancestor. This is the aptest solution for the issue of seniority."
Nobody dared to disagree, and they voiced their agreement one after another.
"Little ancestor? That's a good idea," said Xiang Shaoyun as he rubbed his chin.
He was more than qualified to be the clan's little ancestor. Of course, he was also completely surprised that he could so easily obtain the clan's acknowledgment. Nevertheless, it was still great that things had developed this way. It saved him a lot of trouble.
Next, he spent some time getting to know these Heaven Battling Realm experts. Xiang Youjing was in charge of introducing everyone to him. He no longer held any hatred for Xiang Shaoyun. Rather, he even felt a slight sense of closeness.
After all, this was his uncle, someone from his father's generation. Furthermore, Xiang Shaoyun knew his father well. In a way, Xiang Youjing's emotions for his father had played a role in changing his opinion of Xiang Shaoyun.
One ought to know that almost everyone from that generation had passed away. Very few people who knew about the events back then were still alive. However, a certain person still couldn’t fully accept Xiang Shaoyun.
He was Xiang Yangxuan, someone who had newly risen in power in the clan. He was Xiang Yangzhan's cousin. Looking at Xiang Shaoyun, he said, "I don't believe a single word you said."
Instantly, the temperature of the hall seemed to have dropped. Since most of them had already acknowledged Xiang Shaoyun's identity, it was quite surprising that someone would still dare to voice a different opinion.
"Yangxuan, what nonsense are you speaking? Apologize to the Overlord!" berated one of the old men.
"I am speaking the truth. I do not believe he is Ancestor Xiang Dingtian's reincarnation," said Xiang Yangxuan confidently.
"What proof do you have?" asked someone.
Xiang Shaoyun also looked at him curiously. He could feel a clear sense of hostility coming from Xiang Yangxuan.
"Without a doubt, he knows everything about the ancestor. But I think he has probably inherited the ancestor's inheritance by fluke due to the Xiang Clan bloodline flowing in him. If anyone else from our clan had met the same encounter, they could have also obtained all that knowledge about the ancestor. Therefore, he is definitely pretending to be the ancestor. He is insulting our ancestor! A junior like this deserves execution!" said Xiang Yangxuan with a sharp look in his eyes.
He even unleashed his Heaven Battling Realm's aura and sent it crashing down on Xiang Shaoyun.