Deterring All Forces, The Xiao Family Will Prosper!

Xiao Zhan fell silent for a moment before finally nodding heavily.

"Good!"

"Yan'er, then we shall do as you say!"

"Our Xiao Family truly has no need to endure any longer!"

With a Dou King like Xiao Yan and a major figure like Medicine Elder, if the Xiao Family didn't dare to act boldly now, how could they ever speak of a future rise?

That night.

Xiao Yan did not take action himself; he simply summoned ten dead soldiers at the Dou King realm.

"Go, wipe out the Jialie Clan and the Aoba Clan while you're at it!"

He commanded indifferently.

"Remember, leave no one alive!"

Since it had to be done, it should be done cleanly.

As long as one possesses sufficient strength, there is no need for schemes or planning.

The ten dead soldiers silently acknowledged the order, their figures flickering and vanishing into the night.

In less than half an hour.

The Jialie Clan and the Aoba Clan, those two major families of Wutan City, had vanished without a sound!

Soon—

The ten dead soldiers returned to report, bringing back a pile of storage rings.

"Reporting to Master, we have fulfilled our mission as ordered!"

At this very moment.

Xiao Zhan had been waiting in deep anxiety, and upon seeing the murderous aura radiating from the ten dead soldiers, he was struck with shock—these ten people were all Dou Kings!

He had not expected Xiao Yan to have such a foundation.

It stood to reason that these must be the guards Medicine Elder had arranged to stay by Xiao Yan's side.

That made sense; how could an eighth-tier alchemist not have a few guards around him?

"Yan'er, have the Jialie Clan and the Aoba Clan really been completely wiped out?"

Xiao Zhan found it truly hard to believe. It had only been half an hour, and those two families that had pressed the Xiao Family until they could barely breathe were just destroyed like this?

And—

Without even the slightest commotion?

"That is correct!"

"Father, from this moment on, no one can stop our Xiao Family from restoring the glory we once held as an ancient imperial clan!"

Xiao Yan nodded with a calm expression.

Unexpectedly.

Xiao Zhan was stunned for a moment, asking in bewilderment, "What ancient imperial clan?"

Seeing Xiao Zhan's reaction, Xiao Yan realized that the Xiao Family had declined so severely that they had forgotten the honor of once being one of the imperial clans.

Consequently.

Xiao Yan took the initiative to explain.

"Father, in truth... our Xiao Family's ancestors were not a small clan, but the head of the ancient imperial clans renowned across the Dou Qi Continent—the Xiao Clan, a supreme power that once birthed an Emperor-level powerhouse."

"However, a thousand years ago, our ancestor Xiao Xuan, in order to resolve the threat of the Hun Clan, chose to sacrifice the entire family's Dou Emperor bloodline to charge toward the Dou Emperor realm..."

"But the Ancient Clan did not honor their promise to ancestor Xiao Xuan, instead choosing to completely ignore us..."

"As a result, a thousand years later, our Xiao Family has fallen to this state, where even birthing a single Dou King is a struggle!"

After listening to Xiao Yan's explanation, Xiao Zhan remained silent for a very long time.

He had never imagined that the Xiao Family's ancestors had such a powerful background, nor did he expect that the Ancient Clan had been keeping watch over their Xiao Family—which didn't even have a Dou King—and had even sent Xiao Xun'er over since she was young.

If not for the feelings Xiao Xun'er held for the Xiao Family and for Xiao Yan, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade would likely have been taken, and the Xiao Family would never have had the chance to rise again...

They might even have been wiped out entirely just to cover up the secrets of the past.

"Yan'er!"

"You have suffered these past three years!"

"The Xiao Family owes everything to you!"

Only at this moment.

Xiao Zhan truly realized that Xiao Yan was no longer the boy who needed his protection, but a towering tree capable of supporting the entire Xiao Family.

Perhaps it was because Xiao Yan had learned these secrets three years ago that he chose to hide his true cultivation and keep a low profile, all to avoid falling victim to "schemes and plots."

"Father, there is no need for you to worry so much!"

"Your son has many tricks up his sleeve now; even if the Ancient Clan were to strike with full force, I am absolutely confident in my ability to contend with them!"

Xiao Yan said with a faint smile. Had it been back when he had just advanced to a Dou King, he would indeed have been wary of the Ancient Clan.

But now—

He had already fused two Heavenly Flames, broken through to the Dou Ancestor realm, and mastered supreme treasures like the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and the Lotus Lantern, not to mention his hundred thousand dead soldiers at the Dou King realm... contending with a single Ancient Clan was more than enough.

Not to mention.

He still had over a million points on hand that he hadn't even used yet.

"Good, good, good!"

"Father believes in you!"

Xiao Zhan laughed, gratified.

He knew very well in his heart.

From this day forward, the Xiao Family would undergo a complete transformation because of Xiao Yan alone!

The very next day!

The Xiao Family sent men to take over every industry belonging to the two clans in their entirety.

Initially, there were still some factions that wanted to hold the Xiao Family accountable and demand an explanation.

However—

Once ten Dou Kings appeared in the Xiao Family, no one dared to utter another word.

Those were Dou Kings!

Back in the day, the Xiao Family's patriarch, Xiao Lin, had kept all other families in Wutan City with their tails tucked between their legs simply because he had reached the Dou King realm.

But now—

The Xiao Family had suddenly produced ten Dou Kings!

What kind of concept was that?

Who could possibly afford to provoke them?

Had they not seen how the Jialie Clan and the Aoba Clan had threatened to have all medicine merchants refuse to supply the Xiao Family, only to be wiped out silently that very same night?

Ten Dou Kings were more than enough to act as they pleased throughout Wutan City!

The small families and medicine merchants of Wutan City no longer dared to be careless; one by one, they not only came to apologize and announce their cooperation, but even offered to supply the Xiao Family with medicinal materials at the most favorable prices.

With the matter of medicinal materials resolved, the development of the Xiao Family moved into the fast lane.

Under the guidance of Medicine Elder, the Xiao Family quickly selected a group of clansmen with talent for alchemy.

Medicine Elder personally taught the art of alchemy, starting from the basics of identifying herbs and controlling fire.

Although these clansmen had varying levels of talent, they were diligent and hardworking, and with a Grade 8 Alchemist like Medicine Elder teaching them hands-on, they progressed extremely quickly.

"The way of alchemy prioritizes heat control first, and the ratio of medicinal materials second."

Medicine Elder stood before the alchemy room with his hands behind his back, his voice steady.

"If the heat is too intense, the pill is ruined; if the heat is insufficient, the medicinal properties will not manifest. You must feel the changes in the flame with your heart and merge as one with the aura of the medicinal materials."

The group of Xiao Family disciples held their breath, listening intently, terrified of missing a single word.

Meanwhile, in another training ground, the members of the Xiao Family began practicing the high-level cultivation methods and Dou techniques provided by Xiao Yan.

The Earth-tier cultivation method Ape God War Demon Art, the Heaven-tier Dou techniques Great Wild Heaven-Turning Seal and Five Elements Thunder Summoning Method...

These were treasures they wouldn't have dared to dream of in the past, yet now, everyone had a copy to practice at their leisure.

"This... this is an Earth-tier cultivation method?!"

The First Elder's hands trembled as he held the Ape God War Demon Art.

He had practiced for most of his life, yet the method he used was merely a mid-tier Xuan-tier technique.

Now, he had been handed a high-tier Earth-tier technique right from the start!

This was like stepping out of a thatched hut and straight into a royal palace!

"And these Heaven-tier Dou techniques..."

The Second Elder's voice was shaking.

"Heaven-tier... there aren't even a few Heaven-tier Dou techniques in the entire Gama Empire, are there?"

The Third Elder was so moved that tears of joy streamed down his face.

"The Xiao Family will flourish! The Xiao Family will surely flourish!"

Xiao Zhan watched this scene, his eyes turning slightly red.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, Yan'er brought out these cultivation methods and battle skills not for us to just sit and look at them!"

"We must practice! We must practice with our lives on the line!"

"The Xiao Family has been silent for too many years; now, it is time for us to stand up!"

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.