At the sound echoing across the square, Xiao Yan’s foot, which was about to step down the stairs, suddenly paused. He stood with his back to the square, taking a long, deep breath, and his fists, hidden in his sleeves, tightened slightly. On the giant tree, Hai Bo Dong’s brows also furrowed, and his gaze swept toward the center of the square. There, Yun Leng and the others seemed to have rather strange expressions on their faces.
“Damn it, could it be… he’s recognized?” Hai Bo Dong muttered softly, as his powerful Dou Qi quietly began to circulate within him.
On the square, as Yun Leng’s voice faded, the gazes of everyone once again focused on the slender figure that was about to descend the stairs. Nalan Yanran wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and with a complex look, she glanced at Xiao Yan’s back. She then turned to Yun Leng and the others, saying, “Elder, in today’s match, I admit that my skills were inferior…”
“Yan Ran, this is not because of the match. Please step aside for a moment,” Yun Leng waved his hand, but his expression was unexpectedly serious.
Seeing Yun Leng’s expression, Nalan Yanran was momentarily stunned. After a slight hesitation, she nodded and, dragging her injured body, slowly moved to the side. The disciples of the Yun Clan who were there hurriedly made room for her.
“What’s going on?” On the giant tree, Fa Ma and the others were bewildered by the sudden turn of events. They looked at each other, all with puzzled expressions.
“Could it be that Yun Leng, having lost the match, wants to force the other party to stay?” Jia Xing Tian asked with a laugh.
“He wouldn’t dare do something so foolish that would damage the reputation of the Yun Clan,” Fa Ma shook his head and, turning to look at Hai Bo Dong behind him, asked curiously, “Old Hai, what’s wrong?”
Because Fa Ma was an alchemist, his soul perception was much stronger than Jia Xing Tian’s, allowing him to sense the sudden surge of Dou Qi within Hai Bo Dong.
“Nothing,” Hai Bo Dong replied, shaking his head. His gaze, however, remained fixed on Xiao Yan’s back. If his identity were exposed today, it would be very troublesome.
In the square, after Yun Leng’s words, silence fell, and only countless confused gazes watched the motionless figure. Yun Leng’s eyes fixed on the slender back, and faint Dou Qi began to gather in his palms. If Xiao Yan made any move to escape, he would immediately stop him.
The quiet square was filled with a heavy and eerie atmosphere. After a moment of silence, the stone-like figure finally moved slightly, and as it did, Yun Leng’s eyes narrowed, and his body leaned forward, like a hawk ready to pounce on its prey.
“Elder Yun Leng, what is the matter?” A sudden, calm voice broke the silence of the square, and also caused Yun Leng’s leaning body to stiffen.
Countless gazes shifted, now all focused on Yun Leng. Most of the Yun Clan disciples, except for a few, did not understand why Yun Leng would suddenly stop Xiao Yan at this time.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yun Leng slowly rose to his feet, his gaze cold and sharp as he stared at Xiao Yan, and said in a low voice, “Mr. Xiao Yan, have you heard of the death of our Yun Clan’s outer disciple, Mo Cheng, a few months ago?”
As soon as Yun Leng spoke, a murmur of discussion arose in the square. Mo Cheng held a high position in the Yun Clan, and due to his outstanding social skills, he had good relations within the clan. His death had caused quite a stir, and the enforcement team had even gone to Yan City to investigate. However, they found very little, only that two extremely powerful mysterious individuals had appeared and killed Mo Cheng.
But there was little information about those two mysterious figures, so the death of Mo Cheng remained a thorn in the hearts of some of the elders who had been close to him.
However, bringing up this matter now seemed out of place. Could it be that Yun Leng thought Xiao Yan was the one who killed Mo Cheng? The thought amused many people. After all, Mo Cheng had been a Dou Ling for many years, while Xiao Yan was at most a Dou Shi. The gap between them was like the distance between heaven and earth. How could Xiao Yan be involved in this matter?
Ignoring the murmurs in the square, Yun Leng continued to stare intently at Xiao Yan, waiting for his response. Xiao Yan’s hand in his sleeve trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, and slowly turned around, facing the vast square and the countless Yun Clan disciples. His voice, as light as a breeze, echoed across the square, “Elder Yun Leng, what do you mean? Do you think I killed Mo Cheng?”
“Is that so…” Yun Leng chuckled, pointing to Ge Ye beside him, and said in a deep voice, “Yan Ran and Ge Ye were present at Mo Cheng’s birthday celebration. Ge Ye even fought with the mysterious individual and saw his face, though it was a quick glance, so it was somewhat blurry. But just now, he confirmed that the mysterious individual… is you, Xiao Yan!”
His eyes widening, Yun Leng roared fiercely. Silence! A dead silence!
The atmosphere in the massive square seemed to freeze. Everyone’s expressions were frozen, and their dazed eyes stared at Yun Leng, whose face was filled with grimness. Their minds, which had been working, slowly stopped functioning under the impact of this bombshell.
On the giant tree, Fa Ma and Jia Xing Tian were also stunned by Yun Leng’s words. Jia Xing Tian had personally gone to Yan City at the time, so he knew that the mysterious individual who killed Mo Cheng was no less powerful than himself.
If Xiao Yan was the one who killed Mo Cheng, did that mean his true strength was on par with theirs? A young man, barely out of his teens, a Battle Emperor? It was impossible, even if he had started cultivating in his mother’s womb.
They exchanged glances, their brows deeply furrowed. Although the idea that Xiao Yan was the mysterious individual was ridiculous, their experience was far greater than that of the Yun Clan disciples. Would Yun Leng, in his position, say such absurd things without reason? Or did he have real evidence proving that Xiao Yan was the one who killed Mo Cheng?
If it were true, then… this young man, Xiao Yan, would be too terrifying, wouldn’t he?
Behind the perplexed Fa Ma and Jia Xing Tian, Nalan Jie and Mu Chen were also in a state of shock. Yun Leng’s words had hit them hard. If what he said was true, did that mean the power Xiao Yan had displayed today was only a fraction of his true strength?
In the frozen atmosphere, Xiao Yan raised his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over the square. Every dazed face was etched in his eyes. After a while, his gaze landed on Nalan Yanran, whose face was still in shock. He suddenly smiled and turned to Yun Leng, saying, “Elder Yun Leng, I am deeply sorry for the death of your Mo Cheng. But that doesn’t mean you can slander me at will. Everyone knows that Mo Cheng was a Dou Ling, and the mysterious individual who killed him was extremely efficient. From this, we can see that the latter’s strength must be at least at the Dou Wang level… Do you really think I have that kind of strength? If so, isn’t that too flattering?”
“And the evidence you mentioned is based solely on Ge Ye’s testimony. Is that enough to convict me of killing Mo Cheng? That seems a bit too ridiculous, doesn’t it?”
Yun Leng, staring coldly at the smiling Xiao Yan, knew he would defend himself. To be honest, if it weren’t for Ge Ye’s assurance, even he wouldn’t be sure that Xiao Yan was the mysterious individual. The gap between them was like the distance between heaven and earth. How could they be connected?
Sighing internally, thinking of Ge Ye’s earlier, unfeigned fear, he felt a little more certain. His gaze suddenly turned to Nalan Yan Ran, and he said in a low voice, “Yan Ran, you were there that day. Although you didn’t see the mysterious individual’s face, you must have noticed something about his figure or some special features, right?”
Yun Leng’s words immediately drew everyone’s attention to Nalan Yanran, whose face was still pale, including Xiao Yan standing at the edge of the square.
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Nalan Yanran, whose mind was still in a fog, was taken aback. She slowly turned her head, her eyes fixed on Xiao Yan’s indifferent face, and then her gaze moved up and down his body, examining him carefully.
As Nalan Yanran’s gaze swept over him, everyone on the square held their breaths. Although Nalan Yanran’s words might not be decisive, they would certainly increase suspicion toward Xiao Yan.
The atmosphere in the square was once again silent. After a long while, Nalan Yanran retracted her gaze, shook her head, and said slowly, “Elder, the mysterious individual wore a loose robe that covered his actual figure, so I couldn’t identify him…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but Yun Leng and the others’ expressions turned somewhat ugly.
“Wait, I remember! The mysterious individual used a terrifying white flame when he killed Mo Cheng!” Ge Ye, his face flushed, shouted sharply.
At Ge Ye’s shout, the faces of Fa Ma, Jia Xing Tian, and Nalan Jie changed abruptly. They suddenly remembered that during the Alchemy Conference, Xiao Yan had also used a mysterious white flame.
At that moment, a wave of dread enveloped everyone’s hearts. At that moment, Xiao Yan’s face slowly darkened.
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