Chapter 15: Execution
"Thank you, Elder Guang, for your assistance," Xiao Yan said with a faint nod. "This favor, I, Xiao Yan, will remember."
"Haha, there's no need for such gratitude, Your Highness," Guang Punishment Saint replied modestly, though his normally cold face bloomed into a pleased smile.
As an individual who had lived for centuries, Guang cared little about the lives of a few commoners. However, if those lives earned him a favor from the clan's Emperor's Son, it was a trade well worth making.
"Elder Guang, since the evidence is irrefutable, you should be able to carry out justice directly, correct?" Xiao Yan inquired.
"Indeed, Your Highness," Guang Punishment Saint replied with a smile. "Shall we proceed to the Lu Branch's territory to deliver justice?"
"Then I'll trouble you to assist me once more," Xiao Yan said with a cold smile as his Dou Qi Wings spread open. With a swift motion, he soared toward the mountain of the Lu Branch.
The Lu Branch resided adjacent to Xiao Lin's lineage, separated by the White Jade Mountain. Their clan grounds were farther away, but for a group of cultivators, the journey only took about ten minutes.
"Xiao Jiande! Get out here!" Xiao Yan roared, his voice amplified by Dou Qi, reverberating across the entire mountain.
"What's going on?" Many of the Lu Branch's members looked up in confusion.
Although Xiao Jiande wasn't well regarded for his personality, his status as a grandson of a family elder afforded him a high standing.
"That voice... It's that damned Xiao Yan!" In one of the courtyards, Xiao Jiande's expression shifted. Then, a trace of delight appeared on his face.
"Heh, I didn't expect this brat to lose his cool so quickly and come knocking at my door," he thought gleefully, immediately flying out of his quarters.
Xiao Yan's shout was public and brazen. This wasn't just a personal vendetta anymore it was an open challenge to the Lu Branch itself. The implications were clear: Xiao Yan had insulted the entire branch.
Xiao Jiande couldn't have been happier. This would bring their entire branch into the conflict.
"Xiao Yan! What are you doing here?" Xiao Jiande asked, feigning anger.
"Did you send people to destroy Seven Spirit Village?" Xiao Yan asked, his voice calm and steady, but the icy undertone made Xiao Jiande's heart clench.
For a moment, Xiao Jiande felt a flicker of unease under Xiao Yan's piercing gaze. But he quickly regained his composure, putting on a mocking smile.
"Seven Spirit Village? Oh, are you talking about that backwater place those two oxen brothers came from?" Xiao Jiande asked with feigned ignorance, a taunting grin spreading across his face.
"Heh." Xiao Yan responded with a cold chuckle and retrieved a Memory Crystal from his storage ring. With a surge of Dou Qi, the crystal activated, projecting a vivid image into the air.
The scenes of destruction at Seven Spirit Village, including the two masked Dou Huangs spreading powder, played out clearly for all to see.
"These two men, surely you know them?" Xiao Yan asked, his voice laced with venom.
By now, many Lu Branch members had gathered in the sky, drawn by the commotion. Seeing the crystal's projection, murmurs and gasps spread among the onlookers.
Xiao Jiande's face paled momentarily, but he quickly forced a sneer.
"They're both masked, Xiao Yan. How could I possibly recognize them? Don't try to frame me with such baseless accusations!"
"Frame you?" Xiao Yan's cold gaze swept over Xiao Jiande. "I suppose we'll have to take you to the Punishment Hall to find out if I'm framing you or not."
Before Xiao Jiande could respond, Xiao Yan's figure disappeared like a phantom, reappearing inches away from him.
"You dare attack me in my own territory?!" Xiao Jiande roared in panic, summoning his Dou Qi Wings and attempting to flee.
But before he could escape, another figure intervened a hand materializing to meet Xiao Yan's strike.
Boom!
The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Xiao Yan was forced back ten steps, while the intervening figure, a three star Dou Zong, was knocked back twenty.
The man looked at Xiao Yan with disbelief.
"A Dou Huang managed to overpower me?"
"Xiao Yan, you may be a genius from the Xiao Lin lineage, but don't think you can run rampant in the Lu Branch's territory!" the man sneered, clearly one of Xiao Jiande's elder cousins.
"This is none of your business. Step aside!" Xiao Yan's voice was frigid, his intent unmistakable.
"You're arrogant!" the young man snapped, angered by Xiao Yan's attitude. Just as he was about to make a move, an elderly voice rang out:
"Stop."
A purple robed elder appeared at the forefront of the crowd, his arrival so sudden that no one noticed when he had gotten there.
"Grandfather!" Xiao Jiande's eyes lit up with delight as he saw the elder. Turning to Xiao Yan, his expression turned smug and taunting.
"Grandfather, this brat has come to our branch's territory to cause trouble over some petty personal grudge! If he's here to hit me, he's also slapping you in the face!"
"Useless fool, always stirring up trouble," the elder snapped, giving Xiao Jiande a sharp glare. He then turned his attention to Xiao Yan.
"Young man," he began in a stern voice, "whatever my grandson may have done to offend you, coming to our branch's territory to make a scene is an insult to us. If you can't give me a proper explanation, even if your grandfather is a Dou Sheng, you'll still have to face punishment!"
"An explanation?" Xiao Yan sneered. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the Memory Crystal again, projecting the incriminating footage in the air.
"Old man, you've raised quite the grandson. Since he can't deal with me, he targets a group of helpless commoners instead. Today, I've come to cause trouble right in front of your Lu Branch just to cripple this scumbag!"
"Impudent!" Several younger members of the Lu Branch roared in fury. The purple robed elder's face grew darker, his expression thunderous.
"You insolent junior!" the elder spat. "No matter your identity or talent, I will teach you respect for your elders!"
With that, he moved. His figure flickered, and his skeletal hand, sharp as an eagle's claw, reached for Xiao Yan.
But to his surprise, Xiao Yan showed no panic. In fact, there was a faint trace of mockery in his eyes.
The next moment, a glowing hand emerged from Xiao Yan's side, intercepting the elder's claw.
Clap!
The two hands clashed lightly, but the purple robed elder's face immediately flushed red. He staggered backward, retreating a hundred feet before coughing up blood.
"When did a mere Dou Zun gain the audacity to disrespect our clan's Emperor's Son?"
A cold voice echoed through the air. Emerging from the spatial rift beside Xiao Yan was Guang Punishment Saint, clad in his signature black robes. His piercing gaze swept over the Lu Branch's mountain range as he spoke:
"Xiao Lu, the Emperor's Son has arrived. Do you not intend to greet him?"
"Emperor's Son? Xiao Yan?" The younger members of the Lu Branch, including Xiao Jiande, looked bewildered. Xiao Jiande's face shifted from confusion to shock.
The purple robed elder, however, turned pale.
Following Guang Punishment Saint's words, another elder quickly flew out from the mountain. His expression was grave as he approached.
"Xiao Lu greets the Emperor's Son," the elder said, his voice carrying a mix of respect and complexity as his gaze fell upon Xiao Yan's youthful face.
The words "Emperor's Son" coming from their branch head left the Lu Branch's members utterly stunned. The rumors of the clan's newly appointed Emperor's Son had circulated recently, but no one had expected it to be such a young Dou Huang.
Hearing this, Xiao Jiande's face turned ashen.
"Xiao Lu Branch Head," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile, "I intend to deal with a few of the clan's troublemakers. Do you have any objections?"
"The Emperor's Son personally dealing with clan troublemakers? How could I object?" Xiao Lu's expression twitched, but he dared not voice any disapproval.
If Xiao Yan had already been at the level of the other two Emperor's Sons, who were both Nine Star Dou Shengs, he would likely have been forced to kneel in submission by now.
"Very well," Xiao Yan said with a slight nod before turning to Guang Punishment Saint.
"Elder Guang, I'll leave the sentencing to you."
Xiao Yan's calm smile sent a chill down Xiao Jiande's spine. To him, it was the smile of a devil.
(Chapter End)
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