“This aura…” A look of disbelief filled his eyes as Yun Shan suddenly stood up, muttering to himself, “How could this be? This boy is actually still alive…”
After his mutters, Yun Shan seemed to have suddenly remembered something, his face changed abruptly, and with a flash, he vanished like a phantom from the secret chamber where he was cultivating. When he sensed the burst of that aura earlier, it was clearly coming from the capital. And at this moment… there were a large force of the Yun clan dispatched within the capital!
In the grand hall of the Yun Clan, chaos reigned. Various voices of commotion and panic melded together, swirling about, causing headaches and confusion.
When Yun Shan’s figure appeared in the grand hall with a flash, he frowned at the chaotic scene. In a stern voice, he bellowed, “All quiet! This level of chaos is indecent!”
Upon seeing Yun Shan who had suddenly appeared, the noisy chatter in the hall gradually faded, and after a moment, complete silence prevailed.
Seeing the hall restored to silence, Yun Shan gave a cold snort and seated himself at the head, saying, “What has happened? Do we have any news on Yun Du and the others?”
At Yun Shan’s question, an elder below hurriedly rushed over, his face pale as he said in a trembling voice, “Reporting to the Sect Leader, the soul tokens of Elder Yun Fu and three other elders shattered unexpectedly, and the soul tokens of Elder Yun Sha and others became extremely dim; it is clear that they’ve been seriously injured!”
With those words, nearly everyone in the hall, including Yun Shan, had their faces twitch violently. The powerful ones sent to the capital were half of the Yun Clan’s strength, and everyone here was confident that besides the Yun Clan, no other power in the Jia Ma Empire could withstand them. But now, the reality before them was like a slap to their faces, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
“Elder Yun Chai, are you sure you did not see wrongly?” After a brief moment of silence, a dry laughter echoed in the hall.
“I wish I did,” Elder Yun Chai forced a smile. He flipped his hand, and a pile of shattered jade tokens appeared on the table. Seeing these familiar tokens, those who were doubtful before had their faces turn gloomy.
“How can this be possible? There were two Battle Emperor and seven Dou Wang! Is there any power in the capital that could defeat them? The Mi-te family perhaps?”
“Could it be that the three families and the royal family united?” One person’s sudden remark made many nod in agreement. It seemed that this speculation was the most reliable.
“If they dare to provoke our Yun Clan, then please, Sect Leader, order the three families and the royal family to be eradicated from the Jia Ma Empire!”
“Right, Sect Leader! Such provocation cannot be tolerated by the Yun Clan! We must make them pay with blood!”
Yun Shan’s face was grim as he looked at the furious elders and officials. Moments later, he slammed his palm down on the table, startling everyone, their fearful gazes turning to him, unsure why he was so enraged.
“It wasn’t some damned union of the three families!” Yun Shan, standing up from his chair, said in a cold voice, “It’s that Xiao family brat, Xiao Yan, who returned!”
“Xiao family?” At this, everyone was stunned, looking confused. A small Xiao family, barely surviving, could not possibly possess the power to defeat such a large formation of the Yun Clan.
Seeing their bewilderment, Yun Shan’s anger burned even hotter. Just as he was about to lash out again, a shout of surprise echoed through the hall.
“Could it be Xiao Yan?”
“Xiao Yan?” The name stirred up memories that had been hidden for three years. Three years ago, that young man, less than twenty, had single-handedly gone up against the entire Yun Clan, though he was ultimately driven from the Jia Ma Empire, yet that fierce and ruthless youth had left a profound impression on many in the Yun Clan.
Three years of silence made everyone gradually forget that name and the youth. But today, the mention of the name brought back that scene three years ago, slowly appearing in everyone’s minds…
“That brat, wasn’t he dead?”
After a prolonged shock, someone muttered in disbelief.
“Who told you he was dead?” Yun Shan glared coldly at everyone, “I felt his aura earlier, it seems he’s returned. Perhaps Yun Du and the others met him.”
“Even if Elder Yun Du met him, it’s impossible to have such casualties, right? They had two Battle Emperor and seven Dou Wang… even facing three or four Battle Emperor, it’s impossible to be defeated so quickly! Could Xiao Yan have already reached the rank of Battle Sect in just three years?”
An elder voiced his doubts, ending with a tinge of ridicule in his tone.
“Although he might not have broken through to Battle Sect, from the aura alone, he’s at least at the level of Battle Emperor.”
This made Yun Shan’s eyelids twitch. A Battle Emperor… With his own strength, he knew well that, although Xiao Yan was formidable back then, his true power was at most a Dou Shix or Dou Ling. But now, in just three short years, the brat had reached Battle Emperor? Such speed… was terrifying!
As soon as Yun Shan finished speaking, a wave of commotion swept through the hall. Even the elder who spoke earlier was stunned; reaching Battle Emperor in three years… such cultivation talent could only be described as horrifying. Letting that brat go was indeed the most regrettable decision.
In three years, he could reach Battle Emperor; if given another three, it would be unimaginable. Thinking of this, even Yun Shan, with all his experience, couldn’t help but feel a chill.
Taking a deep breath, Yun Shan’s eyes lowered, and a wave of uncontrollable killing intent surged through him. This brat must be eliminated; otherwise, he would become a massive problem. Perhaps, as those people speculated, the Yun Clan would be completely destroyed by him.
“Brat, you managed to escape back then, consider yourself lucky. But this time, since you’ve delivered yourself, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
“Sect Leader, what should we do now? Should we send a team to rescue Elder Yun Du and the others?”
In the hall, someone finally thought of those on the brink of life and death—Yun Du and the rest.
Yun Shan deliberated for a moment, just about to nod, when Elder Yun Chai, who monitored the soul tokens, suddenly paled and rasped, “I fear it’s too late… their soul tokens are… all shattered.”
His words caused horror and dizziness. Two Battle Emperor and seven Dou Wang, wiped out in just a few hours. Such a loss was devastating, even for the Yun Clan.
“That bastard, way too ruthless!” The hall was filled with angry curses, though they forgot their own lack of mercy when dealing with the Xiao family.
Despite the heavy losses, Yun Shan’s face, unusually, remained calm. He waved his hand expressionlessly, silencing the commotion. After a moment, he said indifferently, “No need to send anyone to the capital. That brat will come to us. So, we’ll wait quietly.”
Everyone was taken aback by Yun Shan’s words, but though unwilling, they dared not defy him and assented respectfully.
“Command: As of now, the Cloud Rending Mountain enters maximum alert. Any intruders are to be executed on sight!”
“Yes!” Everyone shivered at the cold murderous intent in Yun Shan’s voice and quickly complied, hastily exiting the hall upon his gesture.
As everyone left, the grand hall once more fell silent.
“Ha ha, how is it? I told you the other day, Xiao Yan is making waves in the Black Corner Region. It looks like this time, the Yun Clan is in big trouble…”
After a long silence, a swirl of black mist emerged from the shadows, a strange laugh resonating through the hall.
Yun Shan’s face twitched, a malicious gleam in his eyes. “Just a brat. Even if he’s now a Battle Emperor, I can still crush him. Once I capture him, I’ll make him wish he was never born!”
“I don’t care about your grudge. Since he’s back, the majority of the Xiao family is now gathered. No need to seek him out in the Black Corner Region.”
The black mist swirled, the voice continuing, “Rumors say that Xiao Yan harbors the soul of the Drug Respected Dan Chen. He killed a Dou Wang with just Dou Shix strength, likely due to Dan Chen’s help. Next time, leave Dan Chen to me, and you just capture Xiao Yan.”
Yun Shan nodded, his face twisted with malice. “Rest assured, I’ll cripple his Dou Qi first, then hand him over to you…”
“We can hope, but let me remind you, do not underestimate him, or the outcome might be very grim…”
The black mist swirled, another strange laugh echoing before it mysteriously dissipated, leaving behind a sinister and sneering Yun Shan.
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