Clashing with the Misty Cloud Sect!

Ao Qing remained impassive, while Yun Yun felt somewhat uneasy. The strength of the person before her was unknown, and he did not seem to be pretending.

It was strange that Ao Qing was asking about the Xiao Clan. Logically, the Xiao Clan should have had no connection whatsoever to the man before her. What if he intended to seek revenge against them? Her young disciple, Nalan Yanran, could be considered half a member of the Xiao Clan, so she could not help but ask further.

Yun Yun's questioning displeased Ao Qing. Though he wanted to avoid causing too much of a stir, he was still a true Dou Saint! The strong could not be insulted. Anyone who possessed strength would change.

"Heh, Sect Leader Yun Yun, regarding the Xiao Clan, I advise the Misty Cloud Sect to cooperate properly. Otherwise, my anger will not be so easily appeased. As a friendly reminder, before saying anything, you should first consider whether you can bear the consequences!"

Yun Yun was so angry she nearly laughed.

"Your Excellency, this is the territory of my Misty Cloud Sect. If you wish to act so recklessly here, perhaps you should think things through first!"

"Then my apologies. I do not believe I need to explain anything to your Misty Cloud Sect. The weak are not worth another word from me."

"Bah! You brazen madman, how dare you act so wildly on the territory of my Misty Cloud Sect? Watch me capture you!"

With that, Yun Yun did not bother to gauge Ao Qing's strength and directly struck at him with her palm. However, she still retained a measure of reason and held back some of her power.

Ao Qing was somewhat surprised as well. He had merely spoken the truth. But since it had already happened, it was no great matter to him.

As Yun Yun raised her hand to attack, Ao Qing extended a slender index finger and lightly tapped forward. Vast Dou Qi immediately prevented Yun Yun from advancing even an inch. The gap between them was simply too great—so great that Ao Qing did not even need to use a Dou Technique to toy with Yun Yun at his fingertips.

Fortunately, Ao Qing had no peculiar tastes, nor was he like those Soul Clan members who enjoyed devouring souls. Otherwise, Yun Yun would have had no chance of survival.

Seeing that she could not even get close to Ao Qing, Yun Yun was deeply shocked. Even a Dou Huang would not be able to handle her so effortlessly. In other words, the man before her was at least a Dou Zong!

While the two were exchanging blows, the others in the Misty Cloud Sect noticed. Yun Shan and the Misty Cloud Sect experts above the Dou Wang realm swiftly flew over. They were equally stunned that this seemingly young man possessed such terrifying strength.

However, they had no intention of stopping there. Their sect leader was being bullied, so naturally they had to help her regain face!

"Why has Your Excellency attacked the Sect Leader of my Misty Cloud Sect?"

Though Yun Shan was wary of Ao Qing, he could not simply stand by and watch someone bully his sect leader.

"Oh? I attacked your Misty Cloud Sect's leader? Clearly, this little girl is just hot-tempered and unable to distinguish right from wrong. But since you claim that I have acted against your Misty Cloud Sect, then today I shall indeed have some fun with you. Do not disappoint me, Misty Cloud Sect!"

Ao Qing had no patience for their nonsense. Besides, he had not actually done anything to Yun Yun. It was not as though he had done it on purpose. Was it really necessary?

Upon hearing Ao Qing's words, everyone in the Misty Cloud Sect was consumed by rage. They surrounded Ao Qing layer upon layer.

"Since Your Excellency insists on becoming an enemy of my Misty Cloud Sect, then today, my Misty Cloud Sect shall make you pay the price you deserve!"

After saying this, Yun Shan shouted, "Disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect, heed my command! Form the Cloud Mist Sun-Covering Grand Formation!"

"Yes!"

The many disciples immediately began forming the formation.

"With this? Even Ling Ying, at Peak Dou Huang, could break it. You think such a petty trick can trap me? What wishful thinking. Still, I have nothing better to do, so I'll play with you for a while!"

With that, Ao Qing watched as the Misty Cloud Sect completed the formation.

"Extreme Wind! Meteor Kill!"

Yun Shan personally attacked, displaying his Peak Dou Huang strength without reservation as he charged at Ao Qing!

"Does your Misty Cloud Sect not have any other Dou Techniques?" Ao Qing mocked. After all, this move of the Misty Cloud Sect was famously well-known.

Ao Qing did not take Yun Shan's attack seriously, but neither did he toy with him. There was simply no need.

Ao Qing merely curled his five fingers into a claw. With a single Dragon Claw Hand, he sent Yun Shan flying backward, smashing through numerous Misty Cloud Sect buildings along the way. Then he reached a claw toward the sky, and the formation assembled by the crowd shattered into fragments in an instant.

After suffering the backlash from the formation's destruction, countless Misty Cloud Sect disciples spat blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

"Is this the strength of your Misty Cloud Sect?"

Ao Qing remained expressionless as he calmly looked over the Misty Cloud Sect members.

At that moment, Yun Yun was supporting Yun Shan as they struggled to stand. Seeing the sect's disciples so badly injured because of her, Yun Yun felt terrible.

She glared furiously at Ao Qing, biting her lips until drops of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth to the ground.

"Does Your Excellency enjoy bullying the weak with strength? You have injured so many disciples of my sect! Do you have no shame at all?"

Ao Qing showed no reaction to Yun Yun's words. He merely swept his gaze around the area.

"Sect Leader Yun Yun, it seems you were the one who attacked me first. As for them, I have already shown mercy. Otherwise, all you would see now would be a pile of corpses! As for what you said about bullying the weak with strength, what is wrong with that? This world has always been one where the strong prey upon the weak. Do you truly think they were merely playing around just now? If I had not been the stronger one today, my fate would likely have been even more miserable than theirs! So, in a sense, I have already been merciful enough."

"You brazen madman! If you had not looked down on my Misty Cloud Sect first, would I have attacked you? And..." Yun Yun's face turned livid, but the words at the corner of her lips stopped there.

Ao Qing thought about it. It did seem to be true. However, the strong were never wrong. The ones at fault were always the weak! Weakness itself was the original sin! A faintly wicked smile curled onto Ao Qing's lips.

"So what?"

Hearing Ao Qing's utterly indifferent words, Yun Yun was finally defeated. Moral pressure did not work in the Dou Qi Continent. It could not even stir the slightest ripple in Ao Qing's emotions.

At that moment, Yun Yun possessed a tragic sort of beauty. She gave a bitter smile.

"Then may I ask whether Your Excellency can spare my Misty Cloud Sect today?"

"You are begging for mercy? Interesting. Though I, Ao Qing, am not a good man, I am not some utterly vile monster either. Haven't you noticed that I have not taken the life of a single person from your Misty Cloud Sect today?"

Despite Ao Qing's terrifying aura earlier, his control over his strength had been extraordinarily precise. He had broken the Misty Cloud Sect's formation, rendered them incapable of resisting, and yet not a single person had died. Such control was also the result of six years of cultivation.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yun hurriedly checked the injuries of the many Misty Cloud Sect disciples. She found that they had merely been temporarily drained of strength and suffered no serious harm. After resting for a few days, they would recover completely.

Looking at Ao Qing, who still wore no expression, Yun Yun's tense heart finally relaxed somewhat.

By then, Yun Shan had recovered as well. Supported by the Misty Cloud Sect Elders, he trembled as he made his way before Ao Qing.

"Senior! What happened today was the fault of my Misty Cloud Sect. I hope Senior can put aside past grievances and spare my Misty Cloud Sect."

"You are Yun Shan? No wonder you are so unlucky."

Hearing Ao Qing's inexplicable words, Yun Shan was utterly confused. Since when had he become unlucky? How did he not know that?

In the original story, Yun Shan had been quite tragic. He had finally broken through to the Dou Zong realm, only to perish before he could enjoy himself for long. It could only be said that cooperating with the Soul Hall was no different from seeking the skin of a tiger.

"It is not impossible for me to spare your Misty Cloud Sect today. However, you must agree to one condition of mine. If you can agree to it, your Misty Cloud Sect may even flourish in the future, and the chances of you, Yun Shan, breaking through to Dou Zong will greatly increase. It all depends on your choice."

After speaking, Ao Qing did not forget to cast Yun Yun and Yun Shan a meaningful glance. When Yun Yun sensed the aggressive gaze in his eyes, she could not help but wonder, Could this guy be planning to... me? She sucked in a sharp breath.

At that thought, Yun Yun's expression became unnatural once more.

However, she was overthinking it. Ao Qing's request was simple: from now on, the Misty Cloud Sect had to obey his arrangements, so that he could plan for the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade.

As the saying went, even a mighty dragon could not suppress a local snake. The Misty Cloud Sect had existed in the Jia Ma Empire for many years. Whether in terms of intelligence networks or influence, it could bring Ao Qing many conveniences.

Of course, Ao Qing was not a mighty dragon. He was a true dragon!

Subduing them as his own force would greatly benefit Ao Qing's next move.

Thus, Ao Qing intended to make this demand. Naturally, the Misty Cloud Sect had no room to resist. Circumstances left them no choice; it was no longer their place to decide.

Yun Yun, Yun Shan, and the Misty Cloud Sect Elders all understood the situation. They waited for Ao Qing to continue.