Staring at the black-robed young man who was slowly approaching with a increasingly icy smile, Yun Fan took a deep breath, gripping his deep blue longsword tightly. The combat energy within him surged like a flood. As the combat energy coursed through him, his shock and fear diminished. His gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, his mind whirring with thoughts. “This boy’s return to the Jia Ma Empire will definitely include revenge against the Yunlan Sect. I must inform the sect of this information; otherwise, we will be caught unprepared in the future.” As he mulled over his thoughts, Yun Fan turned to his pale-faced companion, Meng Li, and whispered hurriedly, “Wait for me to hold him off, then seize the chance to leave and inform the sect leader about Xiao Yan’s return!”
Without waiting for Meng Li’s response, his shoulder trembled, revealing a pair of light blue combat wings. He lightly tapped the ground, and his figure transformed into a blurry shadow, rushing towards Xiao Yan with a fierce sword aura.
“Be careful!” Seeing Yun Fan’s sudden action, Mu Tie’s heart tightened, and he hastily called out. But by the time the warning left his lips, he realized that the young man before them was no longer the cornered youth from those days.
Xiao Yan turned to smile at Mu Tie. A green flame suddenly appeared in his slender palm. He lifted his eyes, seeing the rapidly approaching sword, and a faint silver light flickered on his feet.
“Chi!”
The deep blue longsword, enveloped in a fierce sword energy, tore through the air, heading straight for Xiao Yan’s chest with a frigid gale. As everyone’s gazes converged, Yun Fan shouted, “Go!”
Meng Li, who had been prepared, heard the shout and forcefully stomped the ground, launching himself like a cannonball, darting out towards the city lord’s mansion.
“Trying to leave?” Hearing the sound of Meng Li’s wind-breaking escape, Xiao Yan sneered. He extended his left hand in the direction of Meng Li, grasping forcefully, and a powerful suction force erupted from his palm.
Under this force, a fierce wind howled through the courtyard, even the massive stones shuddered, and some trees snapped in half. Meng Li, who was fleeing, suddenly stopped mid-air, and his body started retreating rapidly, struggling futilely.
“Hah!” As Xiao Yan pulled Meng Li back, Yun Fan’s longsword slipped from his hand, turning into a deep blue light, stabbing ferociously at Xiao Yan’s chest. After the sword left his hand, his wings flapped rapidly, and he shot into the air, turning to flee.
“Bait, huh…” Yun Fan’s sudden retreat surprised Xiao Yan. This old guy was indeed cunning. His previous words about letting Meng Li go first were to distract him.
Lin Yan, Zi Yan, and others, who had been watching leisurely, wanted to act as Yun Fan fled. Xiao Yan’s laughter, however, stopped them. “Let me handle it.”
With Xiao Yan’s laughter, the previously retreating Meng Li suddenly halted in the sky. An instant later, a powerful push force surged from Xiao Yan’s palm, slamming solidly into Meng Li’s back. Under this force, Meng Li’s face paled, and he spat out a mouthful of red blood.
A wave of his hand caused the space to ripple, and an invisible force slammed Meng Li against the wall before he fell heavily to the ground, unconscious and battered.
As Meng Li fell, Xiao Yan vanished from the courtyard, and Mu Tie’s eyes nearly popped out. This speed, too, was terrifying!
Xiao Yan’s form disappeared, and a faint thunder rolled through the courtyard. Moments later, a sharp sound of wind splitting the air came from the sky, and a figure fell messily, creating a cloud of dust.
“Only a Three Star Dou Wang. If you could escape in front of me, how could I settle the score with Yun Shan?” A light laugh echoed, and everyone looked up to see the young man with the heavy ruler, flapping his emerald fire wings, floating in the air, his cold gaze on the fallen figure.
In the courtyard, the smoke gradually dissipated, revealing Yun Fan’s pale and blood-streaked face, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief. The brief battle had left him severely injured, and he was in awe of Xiao Yan’s strength.
“Xiao Yan, if you kill me, Sect Leader Yun Shan will not spare you! Last time, you were lucky to escape, but now, luck won’t save you!” Yun Fan glanced at the unconscious Meng Li, and blustered, though his voice betrayed his fear.
Xiao Yan smiled mockingly, shaking his head and dismissing the threats. He snapped his fingers, and an emerald flame appeared in his palm, immediately raising the surrounding temperature.
“The Yunlan Sect destroyed my Xiao Family. I will repay these debts tenfold. In the future, any Yunlan member I meet, I will kill, including that old dog Yun Shan.”
The green flame touched Yun Fan, engulfing him in flames. Severely injured, he couldn’t resist, and his body exploded into black ashes with a dull thud.
Looking at the pile of black ashes, the entire courtyard fell silent. Though the sun was high, Mu Tie and the others felt icy cold, their hearts sinking. A mighty Dou Wang had been reduced to nothing in an instant.
Waving his sleeve, a gust of wind blew away the ashes, and Xiao Yan’s emerald fire wings slowly faded. Silver light flashed under his feet, and he reappeared like a specter in the courtyard.
“Big Brother Mu Tie, it’s been three years. How have you been?”
As Xiao Yan’s feet touched the ground, his cold expression melted, replaced by a warm smile. However, after the previous scene, no one would think he was anything but ruthless.
Mu Tie’s face showed a forced smile, quite ugly. He rubbed his face, then sighed, “You… are you really Xiao Yan?”
Xiao Yan chuckled, “In the Jia Ma Empire, who else would dare call themselves Xiao Yan?”
Mu Tie nodded awkwardly, realizing that Xiao Yan’s name had become a forbidden word in the empire, hated deeply by the large sect.
“Big Brother Mu Tie, thank you for your help back then.”
Xiao Yan walked towards Mu Tie, smiling. The guards beside him tensed, seeing the young man’s earlier actions.
Dismissing the guards, Mu Tie finally processed what had happened. It was real, not a dream. Yet, it seemed too unbelievable.
“Brother Xiao Yan, I received a message from my family to help you if I could. Even with your strength back then, leaving Ghost Town was not hard. My little help didn’t mean much.”
Xiao Yan smiled, remembering the favor, “I will remember the Mu family.”
Pointing outside, he continued, “Sorry, I might have been too rough. You might need to clean up outside.”
Mu Tie smelled the lingering blood and knew the man was no longer the naive youth. This time, the Yunlan Sect would face a greater upheaval because of him.
“Brother Xiao Yan, thank you for today. Otherwise, Meng Li’s trickery might have succeeded.”
Xiao Yan waved, crossing his fingers, “I’ve been away from the Jia Ma Empire for three years. Can you tell me about the current situation, Big Brother Mu Tie?”
Sighing, Mu Tie replied, “The empire has seen many troubles, all stirred by the Yunlan Sect. It’s a long story. If you’re not in a hurry, let me explain.”
Xiao Yan pondered, then agreed, needing to understand the situation upon his return.
“In that case, I’ll trouble you, Big Brother Mu Tie.”
Overjoyed, Mu Tie quickly invited him in. He knew that Xiao Yan’s return, if spread, would cause a great stir in the empire.
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