Word Count: 2965 Words
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Xiao Yan gave a careless flick of his hand, and a ribbon of Dou Qi surged forth. It was the Dou Qi of a 6-star Dou Saint, driven by a God Class Qi Method. Even this offhand strike carried enough force to shake mountains and churn the seas.
"Grug! Grug! Grug!!"
The Yao Clan members coughed up blood one after another and were flung backward. Yao Wangui, a 4-star Dou Saint, had thrown up a defensive Dou Technique that absorbed the brunt of the impact. Without it, every last one of them would likely have burst into a cloud of blood mist on the spot.
Of course, the bigger reason was that Xiao Yan had not truly been angry. Had he lost his temper, not even the Yao Clan's Clan Head could have saved them.
"S-Six-star Dou Saint! Could it be... you've refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?!" Yao Wangui clutched his chest where he had collapsed on the ground and stared up at Xiao Yan, horror written across his face. He did not even bother to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and that alone revealed the state of his mind.
A 6-star Dou Saint!!
More than two years ago in the Demon Flame Space, Xiao Yan had been formidable, yet still only an initial 3-star Dou Saint. Yao Wangui had been no match for him back then, but here, on Yao Clan ground, he had believed he had nothing to fear.
Yet the moment Xiao Yan struck, he had unleashed the Dou Qi cultivation of an initial 6-star Dou Saint.
Three stars in less than three years! And these were not ordinary stars, but stars at the Dou Saint level! It was a gulf Yao Wangui could never cross, not if he cultivated for the rest of his life.
For an ordinary 3-star Dou Saint, reaching 6-star demanded a thousand years of accumulation and bitter cultivation. A 3-star Dou Saint usually practiced nothing better than a Low Tian Class Qi Method, and possessing an Intermediate Tian Class one was already a great stroke of fortune.
Xiao Yan, however, had climbed one star per year. That should have been impossible. Not even taking a Tier 9 Golden Pill could produce such results. The only possible explanation was that Xiao Yan had refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame!
Among the Dou God Clans, it was no secret that Xiao Yan cultivated a miraculous Qi Method capable of fusing Heavenly Flames. Back in the Demon Flame Space, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had possessed the strength of a peak 5-star Dou Saint. If Xiao Yan had completely refined it and absorbed all of its Heavenly Flame energy, reaching 6-star was indeed possible!
"Six-star Dou Saint?!!" Cries broke out among the passengers who had ridden the giant bird alongside Xiao Yan.
The terrifying aura that had swept out across the plaza sent shock surging into the eyes of many experts. When they looked at that young figure now, reverence crept into their gazes. Strength of this caliber ranked at the very top tier even within an ancient clan like the Yao Clan.
"Elder Yao Wangui said Xiao Yan refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame? Didn't he just escape from the Demon Flame Space?!"
"Heavens... by the Dou God! He didn't escape at all! He refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and came back loaded with spoils!!"
"Xiao Yan... Clan Head of the Xiao Clan. He's the head of a Dou God Clan..."
Everyone knew Xiao Yan had made it out of the Demon Flame Space, yet no one had imagined he might have refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Everyone had seen its might with their own eyes. Forget swallowing it into the body to refine it; merely defeating it would have been hard enough.
And so everyone had simply assumed he had fled for his life!
Xiao Yan brushed the dust from his robe and cast a cold glance at Yao Wangui, whom he had just sent flying. He spoke flatly. "Did all that alchemy cook your brain? I am the Clan Head of the Xiao Clan, a Dou God Clan, and every Dou God Clan has acknowledged our status. What does a mere Yao Clan elder like you amount to?"
The retort left Yao Wangui choking, blood surging into his throat, yet he could not summon a single word in rebuttal. He had always believed the Xiao Clan had reclaimed its place among the Dou God Clans only through Xiao Yan's marriage alliance with Xun Er, which had secured the Gu Clan's backing.
In Yao Wangui's mind, the Xiao Clan was strong, but it relied entirely on Xiao Chen, a lone 5-star Dou Saint. It remained a long way from being a true Dou God Clan. The Yao Clan might be the weakest of the Dou God Clans, yet it still boasted several 5-star Dou Saints, the 6-star Yao Wanhuo, and Clan Head Yao Dan at 7-star. Its strength far exceeded the Yan Alliance's.
Naturally, he had dismissed the Yan Alliance as nothing more than a faction with a Gu Clan prince consort at its head, and he had looked down on Xiao Yan accordingly.
Only in this moment did they realize the Xiao Clan's overall strength was not much weaker than the Yao Clan's at all!
Xiao Yan was a 6-star Dou Saint who possessed the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Only Clan Head Yao Dan could contend with strength like that, and even Grand Elder Yao Wanhuo fell far short. Nor could anyone forget that Xiao Yan also had Xing Tian.
Xiao Yan had not been climbing toward a higher branch. He and Xun Er were a match of equals!
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. He turned toward the two disciples whose tongues he had severed for their insolence, icy killing intent threading his voice. "You two insulted my Master, and with those words you disgraced your own Yao Clan. Are you trying to start a war with my Yan Alliance?"
His frigid voice carried across the entire plaza. A chill that pierced to the depths of the soul crept from the soles of every Yao Clan disciple's feet straight to the crowns of their heads.
Xiao Yan did not seem to be joking!
With the Yan Alliance's present strength, defeating the Yao Clan was not beyond its reach. The alliance among the Lei, Yan, and Yao Clans existed for self-preservation above all. If Xiao Yan truly flew into a rage and declared war on the Yao Clan, the clan would most likely shove Yao Wangui out to die to quell his anger.
The Yao Clan could not afford to offend a Yan Alliance with Xiao Yan in it! Too many threads ran through that man's hands!
Yao Wangui's expression shifted between rage and dread. Xiao Yan's casual blow had already left him badly hurt, and he did not doubt for an instant that in a real fight, a single High Tian Class Dou Technique would blast him into bloody mist. Not even the immortals could save him then.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The eruption of a 6-star Dou Saint's Dou Qi had directly alarmed many of the Yao Clan's experts. The sky filled with the shriek of splitting wind, and one figure after another appeared above the plaza. Below them, blood spattered the ground and numerous Yao Clan disciples lay gravely wounded. The two worst off had lost not only their tongues, but part of their souls as well. They would likely never utter a sound again for the rest of their lives.
The newcomers froze in shock at the gruesome scene, and then fury twisted their faces. Whatever had happened here, these were still members of the Yao Clan. Having them beaten into such a state right at the clan's own doorstep was a blatant slap to the Yao Clan's face.
"Elder Wangui, what happened?" Shock and anger mingled in their voices as their gazes turned toward the wounded elder.
Yao Wangui's spirits soared at the sight of the figures overhead, and he shouted at once, "Elders, you've come at just the right time! This Xiao Yan is utterly lawless! He dared to strike viciously at our clansmen inside the Yao Clan itself! Seize him with me at once! Otherwise, in front of all these guests, our Yao Clan will lose all face!"
"Xiao Yan? The Clan Head of the Xiao Clan?"
"Wasn't he only a 3-star Dou Saint two years ago? How is he at 6-star now?!"
The elders in the sky exclaimed in alarm at Yao Wangui's shout. Clearly, Xiao Yan's name was no stranger to them, and their eyes went straight to him. When they realized the terrifying aura was radiating from inside his body, the astonishment in their eyes deepened considerably.
"Xiao Yan," called an old man in yellow robes from the sky, his expression somewhat grim, "your Xiao Clan and my Yao Clan were on fairly good terms in years past. What you've done today goes a little too far."
"Respect others, and they will respect you. Insult others, and they will insult you in return. Right now, I have yet to see anything resembling those 'fairly good terms' from Elder Yao Wangui." Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his hands clasped behind his back. The crowd of Yao Clan elders hovering overhead did not unsettle him in the slightest.
Disdain curled his lip as he looked down at Yao Wangui. "Yao Wangui, the seed you sowed back then has borne fruit today. Sooner or later, your foolish arrogance was always going to make you taste its bitter fruit."
"Xiao Yan, what more do you want?!"
Yao Wangui's face turned cold, and his voice cracked out harshly. He had a sharp eye of his own. Though Xiao Yan had struck their clansmen ruthlessly earlier, he had spared their lives. In his heart, Yao Wangui took that as proof that Xiao Yan still feared the Yao Clan, and now that reinforcements stood at his back, his courage swelled once more.
"Since I inherited Yao Chen's legacy, it is only right that I raise a grave for him now that I have come to the Yao Clan. Go to my Master's grave, kowtow, and admit your wrongs, and we will call this matter settled," Xiao Yan said, looking at Yao Wangui with an easy, unruffled expression.
Strictly speaking, Yao Wangui could not be called the murderer who had killed Yao Chen, yet the man was thoroughly detestable in his own right.
Yao Wangui's pupils contracted, and then a sinister smile spread across his face. His status stood who knew how many levels above Yao Chen's. He himself had passed the sentence expelling Yao Chen from the clan back then, and Yao Chen was already dead besides. Kneel before that man's grave and kowtow to admit his wrongs? Impossible!
"Xiao Yan, perhaps Elder Wangui was at fault in this matter, but to be fair, so were you. You have already injured Elder Yao Wangui, so your anger should be vented by now. Why not have both sides take a step back and let the matter drop here?" one of the Yao Clan elders said with a frown. He knew Yao Wangui's temperament well; getting him to apologize would be next to impossible.
Moreover, Xiao Yan's heavy hand had left the Yao Clan elders displeased. Had they not been wary of Xiao Yan's strength and the Yan Alliance behind him, they would not have bothered wasting words with him now.
Xiao Yan only smiled at Yao Wangui's emboldened defiance. Then he turned around to leave the Yao Realm, looking for all the world like he had no intention of attending the Medicinal Ceremony!
"When I, Xiao Yan, do things, I value harmony above all else. I never force anyone to do anything," his calm voice rang out. Then his tone took a sharp turn. "I was invited to attend the Medicinal Ceremony hosted by the Yao Clan, yet your clan's Grand Elder Yao Wangui insulted me and refused to apologize. Therefore, I, Xiao Yan, in my capacity as Clan Head of the Xiao Clan and one of the founders of the Yan Alliance..."
"...hereby declare war on your Yao Clan on behalf of the Yan Alliance."
Hiss!!!!!!
Every heart in the plaza gave a violent lurch!
You call this valuing harmony???
You actually mean it!
For a moment, the Yao Clan elders who had rushed over stood dumbfounded, their minds refusing to turn.
He was going to declare war on their Yao Clan over this???
Even the yellow-robed elder who had just spoken, a 5-star Dou Saint, froze on the spot. A cold shudder ran through his entire body. Only in this instant did it hit him that Xiao Yan truly had the power to do it!!
This black-robed young man with the mild, amiable face had come alone, yet his standing was unimaginably high. Behind him stood the largest organization on the Dou Qi Continent! Wherever his words pointed, the swords of the entire Yan Alliance would follow!
"Y-you... Xiao Yan, Clan Head Xiao, wait a moment!"
No one could really blame the Yao Clan elders for failing to react in time. Xiao Yan had only recently announced the Xiao Clan's return to the Dou God Clans, and only today had they learned that his strength had reached 6-star Dou Saint and that he had refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
Someone they had assumed to be weak had abruptly turned into a colossus they could not afford to provoke. The contrast was so jarring that none of the Yao Clan elders had been able to keep up.
Who could have imagined that a young man in his thirties was already a supreme figure on par with their own Clan Head?!
In the eyes of these thousand-year-old Dou Saint monsters, thirty-odd years was no different from infancy. A single slightly longer seclusion could easily last thirty years!
Xiao Yan acted as though he had heard nothing. With a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial passage whose exit connected straight to the way out of the Yao Realm. From the look of him, he was dead set on going back and declaring war on the Yao Clan.
Yao Wangui's scalp went numb, and a tremor ran through his body. Only right now did it hit him that Yao Chen's disciple had grown powerful enough to decide his future with a single casual remark. Not even the Yao Clan could protect him!
"Sigh... Xiao Yan, Clan Head Xiao, please calm your anger."
Xiao Yan was about to turn and leave, with half a foot already inside the spatial passage, when an aged voice boomed across the sky. To everyone's surprise, a vast bank of fire-clouds surged down from the mountain peak at breakneck speed. Within it, a red-haired old man came hurtling through the air.
Like Xiao Yan, he possessed the strength of a 6-star Dou Saint.
"It's Elder Wanhuo!"
Exclamations rose across the plaza at the sight of the red-haired old man. No one had expected even this figure to be alarmed into coming out.
Beyond a doubt, the newcomer was Yao Wanhuo, the second strongest expert of the Yao Clan and the man representing the clan in this Medicinal Ceremony.
Xiao Yan halted at Yao Wanhuo's call, though his front foot remained inside the spatial passage without drawing back.
Seeing that neither soft words nor hard ones moved Xiao Yan, Yao Wanhuo felt bitter helplessness in his heart. The Dou God Clans currently stood in a three-way balance, and every clan wanted to win over the Yan Alliance.
It would have been bad enough for Yao Wangui not to court him, yet the fool had gone and shoved him toward the Yao Clan's enemies instead. There was truly something wrong with his head!
With dark undercurrents churning everywhere right now, a neutral force like the Yan Alliance was the last faction anyone should offend. Once the balance broke, no one knew what would happen.
Xiao Yan had clearly seized on that exact point, knowing the Yao Clan's hands were tied.
The Yao Clan had probably never dreamed that one day someone would declare war on them and leave them powerless to do a thing about it.
"Yao Wangui! As the elder in charge of the clan's punishments, treating an honored guest this way disgraces the clan's reputation!" Yao Wanhuo barked in a deep voice. His meaning was plain enough to hear. He intended to sacrifice Yao Wangui, turn a big matter into a small one, and make the small one disappear.
After all, it was only kowtowing and admitting fault. It cost no money and required no fighting. It was far too good a bargain.
Of course, the main reason was that Xiao Yan's present strength left even Yao Wanhuo deeply shaken. Both of them were 6-star Dou Saints, yet Yao Wanhuo knew full well that he would not last ten exchanges at Xiao Yan's hands.
This young man must not be offended under any circumstances!
"I... Elder Wanhuo..." Yao Wangui still wanted to say something, but one look at Yao Wanhuo's cold, sharp gaze told him everything. If the choice came down to protecting his so-called dignity or offending Xiao Yan, not a single member of the clan would choose his dignity.
Only after hearing Yao Wanhuo's words did Xiao Yan draw back his foot and close the spatial passage. He turned to face Elder Yao Wanhuo and cupped his hands in salute. "Elder Yao Wanhuo, I have long heard your great name. Meeting you today, you truly are as fair and upright as the rumors say. It is the Yao Clan's good fortune to have you."