In the grand hall, a mad killing intent seeped from Xiao Yan’s body. Everyone stopped their actions in fear, staring at the grotesque face before them, not daring to make a sound. “Young Clan Leader… those three mysterious individuals, are they from the Yunlan Sect?” The First Elder whispered, his face slightly grim.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan forcefully suppressed the killing intent in his heart, nodding slightly. His voice was cold and sinister, “Since she mentioned that you have residual energy left by Yun Leng, then it must be true. Moreover, shortly after I left the Yunlan Sect, my clan was attacked by such a strong person. How could the Yunlan Sect possibly be uninvolved?”
“What does the Young Clan Leader plan to do?” He laughed bitterly, feeling helpless in the face of such a powerful force as the Yunlan Sect.
“I said, he must die this time,” Nalan Jie stated flatly.
Sighing, the First Elder looked at Xiao Yan, whose face was filled with killing intent. After a moment of silence, he said, “Young Clan Leader, although I don’t know the status of that mysterious individual within the Yunlan Sect, judging by his strength, it must not be low, right?”
“Besides the Sect Master and a few others, his status in the Yunlan Sect is probably the highest.”
“Indeed…” Shaking his head, the First Elder pondered, “Previously, when the Young Clan Leader fought the Yunlan Sect, it was because of the three-year agreement. During that time, it did not cause too much harm to the higher-ups of the Yunlan Sect. Therefore, the Yunlan Sect is not extremely hateful towards you. But if you kill that mysterious strong individual this time, the relationship between both sides will be completely unsolvable.”
“Is the First Elder suggesting that I ignore my father’s life or death?” Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed, his voice somewhat dark.
“The Young Clan Leader misunderstands me,” the First Elder sighed, “I just want to tell the Young Clan Leader that if you really kill that mysterious individual, then the relationship between the Xiao Clan and the Yunlan Sect will thoroughly deteriorate…”
“Last time, due to the three-year agreement with your Nalan Yanran, they were at a disadvantage and did not act much against the Xiao Clan. Of course, the unexpected change involving the three mysterious strong individuals from the Yunlan Sect caught everyone off guard. But if you kill that highly placed mysterious strong individual from the Yunlan Sect, I’m afraid the Yunlan Sect will truly take action against the Xiao Clan.”
“Say these things, not to stop the Young Clan Leader from saving the Clan Leader, but to let the Young Clan Leader take on the role of temporary Clan Leader. To find a thorough solution to avoid an unavoidable conflict with the Yunlan Sect while rescuing the Clan Leader, and to preserve the bloodline of the Xiao Clan. This family has cost the Clan Leader a great deal. I believe the Young Clan Leader does not wish for it to wither away?”
The gloom on his face gradually faded, and Xiao Yan nodded. The words of the First Elder were not without reason. The current Xiao Clan and the Yunlan Sect were not on the same level of power. If the other side wanted to destroy the Xiao Clan, it would be extremely easy. If he killed Yun Leng, it would surely provoke the Yunlan Sect, and the Xiao Clan would be hard-pressed to escape involvement. Therefore, if he wanted to go to the Yunlan Sect to find his father, he must first think of a way out for the Xiao Clan.
Silently sitting back in the chair, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, his fingers gently tapping on the table. Seeing the silent Xiao Yan, everyone in the hall also maintained their silence, their gazes fixed on the black-robed youth. His every move was connected to the safety of the entire clan.
His tapping fingers suddenly stopped, and Xiao Yan opened his eyes, his gaze slowly sweeping over some of the clansmen around him. Finally, it rested on the faces of the three Elders, his tone resolute: “No matter what, I will definitely find my father, even if the price is completely infuriating the Yunlan Sect.”
The three Elders exchanged glances, then looked at Xiao Yan, speaking slowly, “What about the Xiao Clan?”
“The Xiao Clan is the lifeblood of my father and grandfather. I will not let it wither away.” Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, suddenly standing up, his gaze fixed on the three Elders, his voice solemn, “Do my words still count in the current Xiao Clan?”
“Yes!” The faces of the three Elders stiffened for a moment, and they spoke in unison, their faces serious. At this moment, only the Xiao Yan in front of them had the ability to pull the Xiao Clan out of the mire.
“And what about you?” Xiao Yan turned abruptly, looking at the clansmen standing at the entrance.
“At the Young Clan Leader’s command!” The iron-blooded methods of previously eliminating Galley Bi and others had already firmly established Xiao Yan’s position in the Xiao Clan, which was unshakable. Hearing his command, the clansmen immediately roared, their faces flushed. They also knew that in this critical moment, the young man who was once considered a waste of the Xiao Clan was their only savior.
“Good.” Nodding and roaring, Xiao Yan turned and walked to the seat where his father used to sit, sitting down with a flick of his robe. His gaze swept the room, and he said, “I plan to move the Xiao Clan out of Udan City!”
These words caused a commotion in the hall. The Xiao Clan had no less than ten markets in Udan City, and the value of these markets combined was a substantial sum of money. Leaving like this would result in a significant loss?
With a light wave of his hand, the commotion in the hall gradually subsided. Xiao Yan said solemnly, “Everyone should know that the disappearance of the Clan Leader is related to the Yunlan Sect. Although the Yunlan Sect is powerful, do we, the Xiao Clan, simply let them bully us? If this gets out, won’t people mock us for lacking backbone?”
“Tell me, should we rescue the Clan Leader and offend the Yunlan Sect, or stay like turtles in Udan City, letting people scorn us? What do you choose?!”
Xiao Yan’s eyes widened, and he roared fiercely.
“Rescue the Clan Leader, the Xiao Clan is not a turtle!” A young, innocent voice suddenly rang out from the entrance. Xiao Qing’s small head squeezed out, her face flushed with excitement, waving her small fists, and shouting loudly.
“Right, rescue the Clan Leader, we don’t want to be turtles.” Several more young voices chimed in, and a crowd surged at the entrance, as over a dozen children, no more than twelve or thirteen years old, squeezed in, shouting loudly.
“Damn it, what’s so special about the Yunlan Sect? Our Xiao Clan has never provoked them, yet they destroyed our home and almost caused our annihilation. Young Clan Leader, I’ll follow your lead!” A burly Xiao clansman, seeing the righteous anger of the younger generation, felt a surge of hot blood in his heart. Unable to resist, he took a step forward, his face flushed, and shouted.
“Exactly, Young Clan Leader, we all follow your lead!” With the first one leading, the other Xiao clansmen responded, their faces red, fists clenched, and shouting. The repeated humiliation recently had become unbearable, and now that the Xiao Clan finally had a backbone, they no longer wanted to repeat that humiliation, even if the price was to provoke the most powerful force in the Empire.
“Haha, Young Clan Leader, since the clansmen are willing to follow you, then speak your plan,” the First Elder said, turning to Xiao Yan with a smile.
“I plan to send the clansmen out of Udan City in batches, then have them go to the eastern provinces of the Empire, where the Yunlan Sect’s power is relatively weak. My two brothers, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, are also rapidly expanding there. I want to secretly send the clansmen to them, thus avoiding the threat of the Yunlan Sect to our Xiao Clan,” Xiao Yan said slowly.
“Go to the eastern provinces of the Empire?” The First Elder was taken aback and hesitated, “So far?”
“The eastern provinces are near the Tagor Desert. Only there, the Yunlan Sect’s power is somewhat weak. In other places, it would be too easy to be exposed. In the future, our relationship with the Yunlan Sect will likely be extremely bad, so we must prepare,” Xiao Yan explained.
“From now on, First Elder, start organizing everything in the Xiao Clan. Take all the assets that can be moved. As for the dozen or so markets, I will have the Mi Teler Auction House manage them, and we will split the profits. With my relationship with the Mi Teler Family, we don’t have to worry about them leaking our movements,” Xiao Yan instructed.
The Elder nodded, accepting the order, and hesitated, “When do we start leaving?”
“There’s no time to waste. Start leaving in batches tonight. The families and weaker members of the clan will go first, and must be escorted by capable clansmen along the way. Remember our rendezvous point, Shi Mo City in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire. When you get there, look for the Mo Tie Mercenary Group.”
“Also, in the next couple of days, I will lead a group to clean up the remnants of the Galleys and Aubbas in the city, to divert attention. The complicated task of leaving in batches will need to be handled by the three Elders.”
“Yes!” The three Elders responded in unison.
“And…” In the hall, Xiao Yan sat in the main seat, his face serious as he issued commands methodically. His calmness in the face of the approaching storm made some of the older clan members feel a bit dazed. Was this still the quiet and reserved young man from before?
Compared to the older clan members, Xiao Qing and the younger ones looked at Xiao Yan with admiration. Under his command, the Xiao Clan, which had been in a panic, was once again brimming with vitality and fighting spirit.
The Queen Medusa sat quietly on a chair, holding a warm teacup with her slender hands, sipping casually. Occasionally, her eyes glanced at Xiao Yan, a hint of surprise flashing in them. It hadn’t been long, but he had already completely stabilized this scattered clan. This ability and mindset far exceeded ordinary people, no wonder even in the desert, even the Dan King Gu He had been tricked by this guy.
After the last clan member received their orders and retreated, Xiao Yan looked at the empty hall, exhaling deeply, and downed his tea, moistening his dry throat.
“Yunlan Sect… Yun Leng, wait for me. As soon as I settle the Xiao Clan, I will come back. This time, I will show no mercy.”
Holding the teacup lightly, a fierce expression once again appeared on Xiao Yan’s face. With a shake of his hand, the teacup shattered!
After Xiao Yan issued his commands, the Xiao Clan began to act. By the time it was dark, ten teams of lightly armed men appeared on the spacious square. After Xiao Yan’s strict review, these ten lightly armed teams were reinforced with some of the stronger clan members. Then, under the cover of night, they began to disperse, slipping out of the Xiao Clan one by one. They would regroup outside the city and then head toward the eastern part of the Empire separately.
As the sky gradually brightened, the Xiao Clan’s families had evacuated nearly half.
In the early morning, Xiao Yan stood on a pavilion, overlooking the entire courtyard. After a while, he looked up at the morning sun, a hint of coldness flashing across his face. He suddenly turned and descended the stairs.
Walking down the pavilion, over a hundred Xiao Clan men, already armed, stood in the square. They seemed to know what was going to happen today, their bodies exuding a fierce aura like tigers descending from the mountain.
“Destroy all remaining forces of the Galleys and Aubbas today!”
Xiao Yan, carrying the massive black heavy ruler, walked out of the square, his cold voice making the blood of the Xiao Clan boil. In recent days, countless clan members had been assassinated by the Galleys and Aubbas. Now was the time for revenge.
The quiet Udan City was stunned by the sudden surge of killing intent. The pedestrians on the streets looked in shock at the flood of people pouring out of the Xiao Clan, the cold and ruthless killing intent emanating from them making everyone shiver.
“What does the Xiao Clan plan to do?” Some passersby muttered, watching the flood of people surging through the streets.
“That… the leader, so young… looks familiar too,” some longtime residents of Udan City said, puzzled.
“That ruler… so big,” a young voice suddenly chimed in. Then, the whole street fell into a deathly silence.
“Is that Xiao Yan from the Xiao Clan?!” After a moment of silence, the shocked voices finally broke the stillness. In recent times, the story of Xiao Yan’s battle with the Yunlan Sect had been heard by almost everyone in Udan City, and Xiao Yan’s unique large ruler had become his trademark.
“This time, the Galleys and Aubbas are in for a big misfortune…” Some people who were aware of the recent situation in Udan City, after a moment of shock, suddenly understood and shook their heads sympathetically.
As these people expected, the flood of the Xiao Clan directly rushed to the markets of the Galleys and Aubbas, destroying all defenses instantly. Any who dared to resist were met with gleaming blades.
Led by Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan, like a flood, destroyed the markets they passed, and the guards of the Galleys and Aubbas were almost completely wiped out. Wherever the flood passed, the markets were shattered, and chaos reigned. The Xiao Clan, in the harshest manner, avenged the suppression and humiliation inflicted by the two families…
Without effective command from the Clan Leader, the two families offered no meaningful resistance. Therefore, in just a few hours, the markets and underground casinos of the two families in Udan City were completely destroyed. This time, the two families were truly finished.
The entire Udan City was drawn to the sight of the suddenly erupting Xiao Clan, the overwhelming killing intent making them realize that the Xiao Clan was indeed enraged.
However, as the entire city’s gaze focused on the moving Xiao Clan, in another part of the Xiao residence, the families had already completely evacuated.
The destruction continued from dawn until dusk. As everyone was stunned by the Xiao Clan’s actions, they did not notice that the originally large number of destruction teams had significantly decreased…
As the sun set, the day-long destruction finally ended. The Xiao Clan’s main force, covered in blood, laughed maniacally as they returned to the courtyard. The heavy gate slammed shut, blocking the curious gazes.
On the square, dozens of Xiao Clan men, their bodies exuding a fierce aura, sat on the ground, laughing and talking, celebrating their victory. Today might be the most satisfying day for them in the past two years.
Although the Xiao Clan was once a powerful force, the Clan Leader had to consider the bigger picture and did not have this kind of courage. However, Xiao Yan possessed it entirely.
Footsteps slowly sounded from outside the square. Xiao Yan, dressed in a clean robe, smiled as he stepped onto the square.
“Young Clan Leader.” Seeing Xiao Yan, the dozens of Xiao Clan men immediately stood up, their eyes filled with fervor, shouting. Today, Xiao Yan’s wild tactics had almost conquered all the Xiao Clan warriors.
Smiling, Xiao Yan climbed onto a high platform, his gaze sweeping over the brightly lit Xiao Clan. No outsider knew that, in fact, only these dozens of people remained in the house.
“Young Clan Leader, the clan’s cultivation techniques, combat skills, and assets have been thoroughly organized. Haha, thanks to the Young Clan Leader’s reputation, the Mi Teler Auction House even lent us eight spatial rings, which solved a lot of our problems,” the First Elder said with a smile.
“Mm.” Nodding in satisfaction, Xiao Yan gazed down at the Xiao Clan warriors on the square and said, “Everyone, tonight, you will also start to leave Udan City in groups and meet at the designated location. When the time comes, travel in groups to Shi Mo City. Once there, our Xiao Clan will have a new beginning.”
“Young Clan Leader, what about you?” The First Elder suddenly asked.
As the First Elder’s words fell, everyone’s gaze fell on Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan smiled softly, his handsome face showing a faintly fierce expression, “Me? I will go and take that old bastard’s life.”
Pausing for a moment, the First Elder looked at Xiao Yan’s face. After a long while, he slowly bowed. Following him, the iron-willed warriors of the Xiao Clan, who had just undergone a bloody trial, also bent their straight backs.
“Young Clan Leader, we will wait for you in Shi Mo City.”
“It’s time. Let’s go.” Xiao Yan nodded lightly, looked up at the moon, and waved his hand.
“Young Clan Leader, take care.” Dozens of Xiao Clan warriors shouted in unison, then turned and dispersed, disappearing into the dark shadows. Under the pitch-black night sky, figures moved like ants, silently leaving Udan City.
Standing on the high platform, Xiao Yan looked at the quiet courtyard, exhaling softly, and murmured, “Yun Leng, this is all your doing… this time, even Yun Tian cannot protect you.”
Slowly extending his hands from his sleeves, flames rose from his slender palms. Moments later, another hand, covered in white flames, quietly spread…
Under the night sky, the green and white flames intertwined, dancing seductively.
On a pavilion, the Queen Medusa watched the two-colored flames rising from Xiao Yan’s hands, her small, red lips slightly open, her eyes showing seriousness for the first time.
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