The Suppression

The strange phenomenon at the Xiao Clan instantly alarmed every cultivator in Wutan City.

Although most Novice Village residents had no idea what it meant, that didn't stop them from coming to watch.

Before long, large numbers of strangers had gathered in the streets and buildings around the Xiao Clan.

Some who considered themselves especially capable even tried to sneak inside and investigate.

Most of them, however, were caught by the Xiao Clan elders and promptly hung up outside the main gate.

"Everyone here must have heard that our Xiao Clan was fortunate enough to earn the favor of an alchemist."

Xiao Zhan stood at the Xiao Clan's main gate and spoke loudly.

With the help of his Wind Attribute Dou Qi, his voice carried over the din of the large crowd gathered around the Xiao Clan.

As a result, almost everyone heard what Xiao Zhan said.

The noisy street fell silent in an instant.

"I see you've already guessed. That's right, this phenomenon is the result of that alchemist refining a pill."

Xiao Zhan looked perfectly serious as he spouted nonsense.

Back when the Xiao Clan still had a Dou Wang, it had also spent time in the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire. Naturally, the clan knew that pill refinement accompanied by strange phenomena would also produce an unusual pill fragrance.

He'd said this only to sow doubt in the minds of those unsure of the truth.

Even if it reduced the number of enemies by less than a tenth, that would still be a gain.

"This is a critical moment in the pill refinement. If anyone tries to force their way in again, don't blame the Xiao Clan for showing no mercy."

By the end, a murderous aura had naturally spread from Xiao Zhan.

It was as if he were reminding everyone present that he wasn't joking.

"Heh, we're merely curious what kind of pill could cause such a phenomenon. Clan Head Xiao, there's no need to get so worked up."

Ya Fei, the person in charge of the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City, stepped forward and took over the conversation.

Given her background in the Mittel Family, she knew Xiao Zhan had been talking nonsense.

But the Second-Rank Alchemist at the auction house had already confirmed that the alchemist in the Xiao Clan was likely above the fifth rank.

A fifth-rank alchemist, both for his personal strength and for his terrifying influence, was not someone Wutan City could afford to provoke.

So it wouldn't hurt to do the Xiao Clan—and the alchemist behind them—a favor.

"That's not something we could know."

Xiao Zhan replied with an inscrutable expression.

"I heard that the alchemist also took Xiao Yan as his disciple. Perhaps he's refining a pill for that lucky boy?"

The Xiao Clan Great Elder wore the sly look of a treacherous old schemer with ease.

"I wonder what kind of good fortune he stumbled into to earn such special treatment."

The second elder's face was full of jealousy and loathing.

"Hmph. If those resources went to someone else, who knows how many outstanding juniors could be raised?"

The third elder said bitterly.

"You..."

Xiao Zhan turned around and stared at the Xiao Clan elders in shock, as if he hadn't expected betrayal from his own family.

"It seems your third young master's physical condition can finally be resolved. Ya Fei would like to offer her congratulations in advance, Clan Head Xiao."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ya Fei's mouth.

These old gentlemen from the Xiao Clan really were interesting.

"So that's how it is. Then let us congratulate Clan Head Xiao as well."

Congratulations rang out from somewhere in the crowd.

No one watching could tell where the speaker had come from.

Xiao Zhan glared fiercely at the three elders.

They merely snorted and turned away, each refusing to pay him any attention.

"Forget it. Since you've seen through it, I'll be frank. That person really is taking action today to resolve my son's physical condition."

Xiao Zhan let out a long sigh.

His helpless expression carried a hint of joy, as if confirming what had just been said.

"Such happy news, and Clan Head Xiao wanted to keep it a secret? Isn't that a little disrespectful to everyone here?"

The person who had first offered congratulations spoke again.

"Alas, that was my fault."

Xiao Zhan sighed once more. A hint of hesitation passed through his eyes, as if he were considering how to handle the situation.

The crowd's heckling grew louder and louder, until Xiao Zhan finally made up his mind.

He addressed everyone with an expression of deep pain.

"In that case, everything sold at the Xiao Clan Market today will be ten percent off. Consider it my way of sharing the joy with you all."

"Clan Head Xiao is generous!"

The uneven chorus of voices rang out, and then people in the crowd began heading toward the Xiao Clan Market.

Once a few people had set off, the others naturally followed.

After all, the excitement belonged to someone else, but the Xiao Clan's discount was a benefit they could actually enjoy.

The crowd's discussion began to shift, and the tense atmosphere gradually returned to normal.

But just as the Xiao Clan members were breathing a sigh of relief, a voice suddenly called out from the crowd:

"Don't be fooled by their act."

Before the Xiao Clan members could react, another voice came from a different direction.

"When a high-grade pill appears, its fragrance always spills out from the Medicine Cauldron. Look at what's happening at the Xiao Clan, heh."

The second voice had barely fallen silent when a third spoke up.

"Maybe some high-grade treasure has appeared, and the Xiao Clan is making up stories to mislead everyone so they can keep it for themselves."

The three voices came from different directions, but their turn-by-turn delivery made it clear they had planned this in advance.

The crowd, which had been moving away, came to an abrupt halt.

After thinking it over, quite a few people still decided to head to the Xiao Clan Market.

But Wutan City lay fairly close to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and its location meant there was no shortage of desperadoes willing to gamble their lives.

Quite a few had hidden nearby, waiting to see how things unfolded before taking a chance.

"Friends from the Jialie Clan, what nonsense are you talking about?"

A barely perceptible killing intent flashed deep in Xiao Zhan's eyes.

"Clan Head Xiao, you need evidence before making accusations. I'm right here."

The Jialie Clan's patriarch, Jia Liebi, stepped out from a direction different from the three voices, wearing a kindly smile.

"Heh. Who else could it be?"

Xiao Zhan spoke to Jia Liebi with open disdain.

"Who in Wutan City doesn't know about the feud between your clan and mine? If you're hoping to incite others to attack the Xiao Clan, you'll have to find another time to daydream."

"I haven't said a single word. Don't you think you're being a little unreasonable, Clan Head Xiao?"

Jia Liebi did his best to distance himself from the matter.

His goal this time was to leave the Xiao Clan looking incompetent in the eyes of the alchemist collecting the treasure. He wasn't looking to get himself killed.

For the sake of this treasure, that alchemist had first offered the Xiao Clan large quantities of First Grade pills to win them over, then had them buy up medicinal ingredients in bulk, leading the other factions to misjudge his true strength.

That was more than enough to show how much the treasure mattered to him.

If they really ruined his plan, it wouldn't just be the Xiao Clan in danger. The Jialie Clan would probably be doomed too.

An alchemist capable of supplying such large quantities of high-quality First Grade pills was likely among the top ten in the Jia Ma Empire.

The consequences of truly angering him might be more than all of Wutan City could bear.

So the Jialie Clan had no choice but to incite others to make a move.

When the desperate men tried to break into the Xiao Clan, the Jialie Clan would even help drive them back.

The clan members mixed into the crowd would make sure they never reached the alchemist's location.

At the same time, they would personally deal with the three men responsible for inciting the crowd.

That would completely clear the Jialie Clan of suspicion.

Even after making all these preparations, Jia Liebi still felt uneasy.

But the Xiao Clan had already driven the Jialie Clan to the brink. They had no other choice.

"Heh. You know perfectly well what you're thinking."

Xiao Zhan couldn't be bothered to argue with Jia Liebi.

"I won't say anything more. I'll just remind you of this: the influence of a high-level alchemist is beyond anything people like us can imagine."

"Exactly. Everyone should think carefully about what they can and can't afford to do."

Jia Liebi stood firmly at Xiao Zhan's side.

Yet the two men's words did little to deter those watching from the shadows.

Anyone capable of making a rational decision had already gone to the Xiao Clan Market to take advantage of the deal while the two men argued.

Aside from the odd onlooker, the only people still here were gamblers with clear goals.

The only difference was that some were aiming for a treasure that might exist, while others were more practical and had their eyes on the large number of pills the Xiao Clan had received from the alchemist.

Time passed little by little.

As it went on, the phenomenon in the sky grew more and more intense.

The gamblers gradually grew restless.

But they all understood how dangerous it would be to make a move, so they tried to goad one another into acting, hoping to trick a few people into testing the waters for them.

The cannon fodder, however, weren't so easily fooled.

Everyone knew that the first to strike would become the Xiao Clan's main target.

Anyone who didn't die on the spot would have to be remarkably capable, and the idea of actually getting anything out of it was practically a fantasy.

The crowd remained locked in a stalemate.

Then, at a certain moment, the phenomenon in the sky seemed to reach its peak and began to weaken, little by little.

A few of the gamblers could wait no longer.

They darted out from nearby buildings and charged straight toward the Xiao Clan compound.

The moment someone took the lead, the rest followed.

In an instant, a massive wave of people surged toward the Xiao Clan like a flood.

Even Xiao Zhan and several elders joined forces and killed a number of the leaders, but they still couldn't stop the frenzied crowd.

The other Xiao Clan members also attacked, fighting bravely against the intruders.

People from the Mittel Auction House, the Aoba Clan, and the Jialie Clan all stepped in to help the Xiao Clan hold them back.

But far too many people had been drawn by the phenomenon.

They all surged forward at almost the same moment, leaving the defenders unable to stop them.

A sizable number used other people as shields and made it into the Xiao Clan compound.

Although guards and Xiao Clan members intercepted most of them soon after they entered, a few still managed to slip through and push deeper into the compound.

Chaos broke out.

"I didn't expect to see a scene like this as soon as I came out of seclusion."

The soft yet powerful sigh sounded in everyone's hearts. They instinctively stopped attacking and looked around.

"Up in the sky!"

A terrified cry rang out, accompanied by the clatter of weapons hitting the ground.

Everyone looked up.

By then, the phenomenon in the sky had almost completely faded, making the black-robed figure with pale fire wings on his back all the more conspicuous.

"That's actually a Dou Wang..."

Jia Liebi couldn't stop himself from trembling.

How could it be a Dou Wang?

Even Pill King Gu He, the Jia Ma Empire's foremost alchemist, was only a Dou Wang.

The black-robed man snapped his fingers.

Ice-blue Dou Qi appeared around him, then transformed into countless fine raindrops that fell toward the ground.

The raindrops bypassed every defender and struck the intruders with perfect precision.

In the next instant, lifelike ice statues stood across the ground.

Order returned to the Xiao Clan compound once more.

Then the black-robed man landed in front of Xiao Zhan and the others.

"Greetings, Senior."

Everyone respectfully bowed to the black-robed man.

"Clan Head Xiao, there's no need to be so formal. I'm your son's Senior Brother, so by seniority, I'm actually a generation below you."

The black-robed man helped Xiao Zhan to his feet, and him alone.

"I wouldn't dare presume."

Xiao Zhan didn't dare accept that claim.

"I'm only telling the truth."

The black-robed man paid no attention to Xiao Zhan's thoughts.

In any case, he'd said it for the people around them to hear.

"This is a high-grade Xuan Tier fire-type cultivation technique. Please accept it, Clan Head."

The black-robed man took out a scroll and tossed it to Xiao Zhan.

"My master originally sent me to protect his two newest disciples while he was away. I didn't expect to experience an Epiphany and make a major breakthrough in my cultivation, even triggering such a phenomenon and disturbing your household. Please forgive me."

He explained—or rather, invented—an account of what had happened.

"My Xiao Clan's guards failed to protect you properly. How could I accept such a grand gift?"

Xiao Zhan was very tempted, but he held out both hands and returned the cultivation technique.

"It's merely an ordinary technique I casually created in my spare time. It's no grand gift."

The black-robed man waved his hand dismissively.

"If the clan leader won't accept it, does that mean he looks down on my gift?"

After things had gone this far, Xiao Zhan felt that refusing would be rather rude.

He could only thank the man repeatedly before accepting the scroll.

"And what about these people? They were the ones who brought others to help just now, weren't they?"

The black-robed man shifted his attention to Ya Fei and the others, then "happened" to notice Jia Liebi acting strangely.

"Why are you so nervous, friend?"

The black-robed man grabbed Jia Liebi and pulled him right in front of himself.

"Seeing senior's might for the first time, I was truly astonished, so I'm a little nervous."

Jia Liebi struggled to get the words out.

"You don't look nervous to me."

The black-robed man's tone lost its earlier warmth and turned cold.

"Could these people's actions have something to do with you?"

"Please see the truth, senior. I was helping the Xiao Clan fight off their enemies just moments ago. I couldn't possibly have done this."

His desire to survive let Jia Liebi force out the words under the black-robed man's intimidating presence.

"Hah. I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've met someone who dares lie to me."

The black-robed man seemed amused by Jia Liebi's behavior.

"Very well. Since you made me laugh, I'll give you two choices: your entire clan can take one of my attacks. Whether you live or die, I won't strike a second time. Or you can serve the Xiao Clan for a hundred years."

A crimson fireball appeared in the black-robed man's hand.

The terrifying heat sent waves of scorching air rolling outward. Even Xiao Zhan, a Da Dou Shi, couldn't help but break out in a sweat.

Jia Liebi, who was much closer, was drenched in sweat.

Now that he had already been exposed once, Jia Liebi didn't dare take a chance.

"I choose the second option."

Jia Liebi spoke with trembling fear.

"A wise choice."

The black-robed man snuffed out the fireball in his hand.