Gazing at the courtyard where the mercenaries were gathering, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and, before everyone’s eyes, slowly walked in. “Sorry, I’m here to kick the place!” “Boy, you have guts!” Seeing Xiao Yan’s arrogant behavior, Mu She, enraged but laughing, waved his hand. From a hidden door, a heavy black gate shot out and slammed shut, blocking the exit completely. As the gate fell, more and more wolf-head mercenaries poured out of the courtyard, surrounding Xiao Yan with menacing expressions, their weapons gleaming coldly under the sunlight.
Looking around at the dozens of mercenaries, Xiao Yan shook his head as if in exasperation. “Don’t expect me to play any one-on-one games with you. I will only use the safest method to thoroughly eliminate you!” Staring at Xiao Yan, Mu She sneered.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Mu She, being the leader of a group, was indeed not a fool who knew only brute force. If he were in the same situation, he would also not opt for a fair fight. There was no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. No matter how despicable the methods, as long as they achieved the goal, they were the best. The victor reigns, the loser perishes; Xiao Yan had a deep understanding of this principle.
“Attack, kill him!” Without further ado, Mu She pointed at Xiao Yan, his voice filled with murderous intent.
At the order of their leader, the mercenaries tightened their grips on their weapons and roared in unison, fiercely attacking Xiao Yan.
Standing on the steps, Mu She watched the calm figure of the young man surrounded by the mercenaries, clenching his fists tightly. “No matter what, you must die today!”
Just as the mercenaries were closing in on Xiao Yan, a sharp eagle cry echoed from the sky. A huge shadow swooped down, sprinkling a large amount of white powder, which soon covered the courtyard like a descending cloud.
“Never mind that, kill him first!” Frowning at the sudden change, Mu She barked.
Heeding his command, the initially panicked mercenaries charged at Xiao Yan again, now within reach.
Facing the mercenaries from all directions, Xiao Yan looked up at the descending white powder. He took a deep breath and finally made his move. Sinking his feet slightly, he gripped the Black Heavy Scale Ruler tightly with his right hand.
With a low shout, the black ruler shot out from his palm, circling around him once. The first few mercenaries to approach were struck, spitting blood and flying backward.
“Boom!” The black ruler stabbed into the hard ground, creating several cracks spreading rapidly from the point of impact. Holding the Black Heavy Scale Ruler, Xiao Yan suddenly aimed his left palm at the sky. A fierce suction force immediately drew the descending white powder into the courtyard. As the powder began to fall, Xiao Yan’s left palm shook, sending the white powder back at the incoming mercenaries.
“Cough, cough…” The white powder, like a blinding storm, swept out from Xiao Yan, causing all the engulfed mercenaries to cough violently.
“There’s something strange about the dust! Retreat!” The dust, pushed by Xiao Yan, quickly reached Mu She. After inhaling some, his face changed, and he shouted urgently.
Hearing his command, the floundering mercenaries hurried to retreat. But after moving a dozen steps, they began to fall one by one. Only a few of the stronger ones managed to wobble and take cover in the courtyard.
Seeing only a few emerge from the dust, Mu She’s face darkened. With a violent wave of his sleeve, a powerful gust of wind appeared, blowing the approaching dust away.
As the dust dissipated, the mercenaries collapsed, groaning in pain.
Seeing that the mercenaries were not in mortal danger, Mu She sighed with relief but glared at Xiao Yan. “Little brat, you used poison!”
“If you can rely on numbers, why can’t I use poison?” Smiling, Xiao Yan looked at the remaining mercenaries.
Smiling, Xiao Yan carried the heavy ruler and took two steps forward. But as he landed the second step, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
One of the groaning mercenaries suddenly leaped up, wielding a sharp longsword with a thin layer of fighting spirit, stabbing viciously at Xiao Yan’s abdomen.
Facing the sudden attack, Xiao Yan showed no panic. He drove the Black Heavy Scale Ruler forcefully into the ground, shielding himself and easily deflecting the sword strike.
“Clang!” The sword clashed with the ruler, sparks flying, but leaving no mark on the black ruler.
The ambush failed, and the attacker, using the sword’s recoil, quickly retreated.
“Do you think you can leave after ambushing me?” Sensing the attacker’s retreat, Xiao Yan chuckled, his foot stamping the ground. His body shot out, and in a moment, he was only half a meter away from the attacker.
Their gazes met, and Xiao Yan’s lips curled into a sneer, recognizing the attacker as his old nemesis, Mu Li.
Mu Li, his face dark, gazed at the nearby Xiao Yan, a hint of panic in his eyes. During the earlier powder descent, he had pretended to be poisoned while close to Xiao Yan. But he hadn’t expected his disguise to be seen through.
“Li, be careful!” The sudden change alarmed Mu She on the platform, especially when he saw that the attacker was his son. “It’s too late!” Grinning at the retreating Mu Li, Xiao Yan stamped the ground again, his body appearing in front of Mu Li. With the heavy ruler, he smashed it against Mu Li’s chest.
The intense pressure from the ruler caused Mu Li’s face to change, and he thought, “This guy is really a Nine-Star Fighter now?”
Biting his teeth, Mu Li, fully enveloped in Xiao Yan’s attack, poured his fighting spirit into his longsword and thrust it towards Xiao Yan’s chest.
“Boom!” The ruler hit Mu Li’s chest, making him spit blood and fly backward, slamming into a wooden pole. Dazed, he fainted.
The longsword, imbued with fierce energy, pierced Xiao Yan’s chest, causing him to take a small step back.
In the sky, Xiao Xian, on the eagle’s back, screamed in shock. Just as she was about to send the blue eagle to rescue, Xiao Yan raised his hand, waving her off.
Looking at the sword in his chest, Xiao Yan pulled it out casually, noticing no blood on the tip. “Yun Zhi’s inner armor truly has a monstrous defense,” he thought, admiringly, then discarded the sword, eyeing the unconscious Mu Li.
“Li!” Mu She, stunned, jumped down and shook his son, relieved to find he was still alive. Handing Mu Li to some mercenaries, he picked up a steel spear, glaring at Xiao Yan with icy hatred. “No matter what, you must die today!”
“Seems like you’ve said this before,” Xiao Yan replied, looking at the carried-off Mu Li. Earlier, the ruler’s strike had penetrated Mu Li’s body, destroying his fighting spirit vortex. Even if he recovered, he would be a cripple. Such a harsh move, though cruel, was necessary. Their relationship was beyond reconciliation. The mountain cave ambush and the subsequent pursuit had nearly killed him. If captured, death would be a luxury. Thus, he dealt with enemies, especially those with a hostile history, with no mercy.
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