At this moment, the atmosphere in the Xiao Family hall was so oppressive it was hard to breathe:
The candle flames flickered unstably.
Xiao Li's Dark Iron Axe carried tremendous force as it smashed viciously into the bluestone floor.
Sparks flew in every direction, just like everyone's emotions at this moment:
Chaotic and furious!
Xiao Ding's expression was as grim as iron as he swept his gaze across the room:
"Seven days ago, an outside force appeared in Stone Mo City."
His voice was low and hoarse.
His eyes never left the sand table.
He stared at the marker where Qing Lin had vanished:
"They called themselves the Iron Mo Mercenary Group and suddenly stationed themselves in the southern district."
Xiao Ding's fingertip slowly traced across the sand table:
"And this mercenary group is extremely powerful."
He frowned slightly:
"They have three Da Dou Shi, as well as more than a dozen Dou Shi."
Xiao Yi Xian pressed her lips together and spoke softly:
"Qing Lin has the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. Therefore, the person who captured her must also be a Dou Ling."
She paused, organizing her thoughts:
"There were many shattered scales at the place where she disappeared."
"And on the very day she vanished, this mercenary group..."
"...also happened to appear at the place where she disappeared."
"This matter may be connected to them!"
Xiao Yi Xian's voice trembled slightly, her watery worry spreading outward:
"Qing Lin has always been obedient and sensible. She is kind-hearted and has never made enemies."
"Qing Lin is only a little girl. There is no profit in kidnapping her."
"The only thing they could covet is Qing Lin herself."
"But the only thing she possesses is that special constitution."
Xiao Yan remained silent, never speaking:
If Qing Lin's constitution were exposed, it would certainly draw greedy eyes.
But he had already displayed strength at the Dou Ling level, perhaps even beyond it.
By all reason, those old fools of the Mo Family should have known what was at stake.
Yet they still dared to make a move.
It seemed they had been dogs for the Misty Cloud Sect for too long.
They had learned to flaunt their master's power and no longer placed a Dou Ling—or even a Dou Wang—in their eyes!
In that case, there was no need for the Mo Family to continue existing:
"Bang!"
Xiao Yan suddenly shattered the Sandalwood Table with a single palm strike.
The deafening sound echoed through the main hall as Gilded Flame burst from his palm.
Blazing fire rose in his pupils:
"Big Brother, Second Brother, tell me where their base is."
His voice was low and icy, filled with undisguised killing intent.
As he turned, the Crimson Flame dancing in his eyes scorched marks into the wall:
Southern Alley, Desert City:
A thick stench of blood drifted from the Iron Mo Mercenary Group's base.
The gates to the compound were tightly shut.
The scent of wine and meat, mixed with the laughter of burly men, seeped through the cracks in the gates!
"Boom!"
Xiao Yan raised his foot and kicked out fiercely!
A sonic boom erupted!
The crisp sound of shattering was exceptionally piercing.
Relying on his formidable Dou Wang cultivation, Xiao Yan barely caught the fragments of conversation coming from inside the courtyard:
"Hahaha, this mission was far too easy."
A rough laugh carried over from the front courtyard:
"Just assisting the Great Elder earned us such a generous reward."
"Wait, who's there?!"
Xiao Yan's face darkened as Crimson Gold Fire Wings spread ten zhang wide.
They glittered brilliantly beneath the sunlight, scorching and dazzling!
"Boom!"
His entire body shot into the air as tangible shockwaves exploded outward!
Dou Wang Pressure crushed down like a collapsing sky!
The overwhelming pressure instantly blanketed the entire compound.
Like an invisible mountain, it pressed everyone until they could barely breathe:
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of knees striking the ground rang out without end.
A one-eyed burly man who had been drinking instantly fell to his knees.
The Glazed Wine Goblet beneath him exploded into fragments, wine spilling across the ground and releasing a pungent smell.
His face was filled with terror, his eyes wide as bells as he cried out trembling:
"What's going on?!"
"D-Dou Wang?!"
"Where is she?"
Xiao Yan's calm voice rang out as he clenched the air.
A powerful suction force erupted instantly, like an invisible giant hand!
It tightly seized the three Da Dou Shi, fire chains coiling around their bodies.
Scorching flames flickered atop the chains as though they would never be extinguished:
The scar-faced man on the left spoke in terror:
"My lord, my lord, is there some misunder—"
His voice was filled with fear and pleading as his body struggled constantly against the flaming chains.
The muscles on his face twisted into a knot, his eyes brimming with despair.
Before he could finish, Kirin Devouring Heaven Flame bored into his seven orifices and reduced him to ashes in an instant!
He turned to ash in an instant, without even letting out a scream.
Though the flames were incomparably scorching, bone-piercing coldness at that moment—
Crawled up the spines of everyone in the courtyard!
The dwarf on the right struggled madly and shrieked:
"My lord, I'll talk! Are you here for that little girl?"
"Yan City's Mo Family elders need the Jade-eyed Three-flower Pupils for experiments!"
As he shouted, he tore open his clothes, revealing the Ink Snake Tattoo on his chest:
"Miss Qing Lin was taken back to the Mo Family yesterday."
"I have told you everything truthfully. Please spare—"
"Very good."
Xiao Yan's voice was icy, devoid of even a trace of warmth.
His fingertip tapped lightly:
"Ahhh!!"
The remaining two turned into flying ash amid miserable screams.
Their shrill screams echoed through the air.
As Xiao Yan turned around, Fire Rain poured down from the sky.
Like burning meteors, it carried destructive power.
"Rumble!"
Piercing explosions rang out continuously. Flames swept through the area, and the entire mercenary base was instantly reduced to nothing!
The seventeen Dou Shi became charred corpses before they could even draw their blades.
Their bodies were instantly swallowed by the Fire Rain, leaving behind only blackened traces.
Flames surged into the heavens, illuminating the skies over all of Desert City.
One day later, Yan City's noon market was bustling with noise. The streets were packed with crowds.
Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Hai Bodong appeared in the middle of the street.
They walked toward the manor at the very center of the city.
"Argh!"
The commotion behind them suddenly erupted.
A Golden Silk Sedan Chair charged recklessly forward, overturning fruit stalls and scattering produce across the ground.
A young woman lifted the sedan curtain and lashed her jade-inlaid horsewhip at an elderly woman who had fallen:
"Lowly commoner, how dare you block this young lady's path?"
The arrogance and disdain in her gaze were wholly undisguised.
Purple Poison Silk suddenly wrapped around the whip's tip,
Xiao Yi Xian turned around, anger in her voice:
"Bullying commoners. What an impressive display of authority."
A water vat by the street suddenly exploded, and poisonous mist condensed into a datura flower that enveloped the sedan chair!
The poisonous mist gave off a pungent scent that made people dizzy upon inhaling it.
The shape of the datura flower flickered indistinctly within the poisonous fog.
"Impudent!"
Four Dou Shi guards drew their swords and lunged forward:
"Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!"
But Hai Bodong's Ice Prisms nailed them to the wall.
The Ice Prisms gleamed with cold light, pinning them firmly in place and leaving them unable to move.
Mo Linglin's Jade Hairpin suddenly glowed with an eerie light:
"How dare you injure my Mo Family guards!"
"Where did you little thieves come from? Do you know that my Mo Family—"
"Boom!"
The Heavy Black Ruler slammed into the bluestone floor, making the entire street tremble.
The surrounding townsfolk had long since fled from sight as flames ignited beneath his feet.
Xiao Yan spoke softly:
"The Mo Family?"
"Nothing more than a dog of the Misty Cloud Sect!"
"What?"
"As a dog, did you manage to develop a sense of superiority for yourself?"
The instant it transformed into rain and fell:
Flames swept...
Before you continue