What are you barking about? (Seeking follow-up reads, seeking collection!)

"Old thief Aoba, what does this matter have to do with you?"

"Why are you barking here?"

Facing Aoba Pa, who had stepped out to point a finger at him, Xiao Zhan immediately retorted.

In all of Wutan City, who didn't know that his Xiao Clan was in conflict with the Jalie Clan and the Aoba Clan?

Could Xiao Zhan possibly give him a pleasant look?

Not finishing him off on the spot was already giving face to everyone else present.

"You, you, you..." Retorted in public, Aoba Pa's face turned from green to white, and he nearly choked on his own breath.

What did he mean by this matter having nothing to do with the Aoba Clan?

In all of Wutan City, who didn't know that his Aoba Clan and the Jalie Clan were allies?

Now that the Jalie Clan had met with disaster, it should naturally be handled by his Aoba Clan. Even if one took a step back, what did it have to do with the Xiao Clan?

That dog thief Xiao Zhan really knew how to turn the tables and shift the blame!

"Xiao Zhan, you dare to humiliate this old man like this!"

"I will fight you to the death!"

Aoba Pa glared at Xiao Zhan, teeth gritted. The Dou Qi within his body surged, and a sharp, fierce aura erupted, as if he intended to fight Xiao Zhan to the bitter end.

"Come then, do you think this old man is afraid of you?"

Xiao Zhan did not hold back either. He sneered and began to circulate the Xiao Clan's ancestral cultivation technique, Furious Lion Rage. As pale cyan Dou Qi covered his entire body, an illusory lion's head manifested before him.

The two auras confronted one another, causing the winds to surge and clouds to gather in the surrounding area.

"Enough!"

Just as a great battle was about to erupt, Elder Meng suddenly stepped forward. "Both Clan Heads, please calm down. The most urgent priority right now is to uncover the truth behind the destruction of the Jalie Clan."

"I hope you two will give this old man some face and temporarily set aside your dispute..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two men, who were on the verge of a violent clash, immediately ceased their struggle.

After all, regardless of anything else, Elder Meng was the one with the highest cultivation level and was also a member of the Mittel Clan; he was not someone either of their clans could easily afford to offend.

Not to mention anything else, the treasures within the Mittel Auction House were of immense help to them.

If they offended the Mittel Clan, it would be a question of whether their two clans could even continue to exist in Wutan City.

"For the sake of Elder Meng, I will not lower myself to your level," Xiao Zhan said, lightly smoothing out his robes.

"Hmph!" Aoba Pa let out a cold snort. He did not retort further, instead turning his head away to avoid looking at the other man.

The atmosphere, sharp as the tips of needles, gradually dissipated into nothingness under Elder Meng's mediation.

"Very well, Clan Head Xiao, do you happen to know a thing or two about what happened here?" After suppressing the conflict between the two, Elder Meng looked at Xiao Zhan again and asked softly.

"In reply to Elder Meng, I will not hide it from you: the destruction of the Jalie Clan was the work of an ancestor of my Xiao Clan!"

Following this, Xiao Zhan recounted the sequence of events.

Of course, this so-called sequence of events had been embellished.

He only spoke of how wicked the Jalie Clan had been and how innocent his Xiao Clan was, claiming that today's events were entirely due to the other side's overbearing bullying, and so on.

In short, their actions today were truly a last resort, a forced counterattack!

Upon hearing Xiao Zhan's words, the experts of Wutan City present all gasped in unison, looking at him with shock.

What?

Had they heard correctly?

The destruction of the Jalie Clan was done by the Xiao Clan?

Was that terrifying sword intent that had just enveloped the entire city also unleashed by an ancestor of the Xiao Clan?

The Xiao Clan was hiding quite deep!

Why had they never heard of such a terrifying expert before?

For a moment, everyone present fell into silence.

As expected, I had to bring out the Ancestor to deter them! Looking at the silent crowd, Xiao Zhan sighed inwardly.

His reason for revealing the existence of Xiao Ze behind the scenes was to protect the interests of his Xiao Clan.

Now that the giant representing the Jalie Clan had fallen, everyone wanted a piece of the vast resources left behind.

Take Aoba Pa, who had been opposing him earlier—did he really think he didn't know the man's petty schemes?

What a joke!

Everyone here was a thousand-year-old fox; there was no need to play these games!

Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?

It was precisely because Xiao Zhan knew the intentions of the group before him all too well that he had no choice but to bring up the mountain that was Xiao Ze. Otherwise, would his Xiao Clan have been able to stand here so securely?

They would have been pushed aside long ago.

"Clan Leader Xiao, are you saying that the destruction of the Jalie Clan was the work of your clan's ancestor?" Elder Meng took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"That is correct!" Xiao Zhan said with righteous indignation, "All of this is because the Jalie Clan went too far! My Xiao Clan's ancestor simply could not tolerate it any longer, and had no choice but to take action and wipe them out!"

The various experts of Wutan City: ...

Robbery is just robbery.

Why make it sound so noble?

With an ancestor as terrifyingly powerful as yours, are you really afraid we would snatch your spoils?

You think far too highly of us.

What right or ability do we have to compete with such a terrifying powerhouse?

Recalling the horrific scene from just moments ago, the group of Wutan City experts could not help but want to retreat.

They had indeed come here with the intention of getting a share of the spoils, but upon hearing that the Xiao Clan had a terrifying ancestor backing them, they all abandoned that thought.

After all, while the benefits were great, one had to be alive to enjoy them.

They hadn't lived enough yet; they didn't want to die so soon.

"Ahem..." Elder Meng gave a light cough. "Well, since the matter is clear, this old man will not linger here any longer."

"There are still many things at the auction house waiting for me to handle."

"Everyone, I shall take my leave first."

"Goodbye!"

The reason Elder Meng could preside over a branch office was precisely because of his ability to trim his sails to the wind.

Since he now knew the Xiao Clan had such a terrifying ancestor, he likely wouldn't be able to get a piece of the Jalie Clan's assets.

Since he couldn't get anything, there was no point in him staying here.

And so, without another word, he stood up and took his leave.

Following his departure, the rest of the Wutan City experts scrambled to find excuses to leave.

"Clan Leader Xiao, I suddenly remembered that my family's old sow is giving birth, and she's waiting for me to go back and help deliver the piglets. I'll be going first."

"That's right, I also just remembered that my son is about to be born, I need to go back too."

"And me..."

"Clan Leader Xiao, my mother is about to give birth to her tenth child, I must go back and see. We shall meet again..."

Before long, the Great Dou Master experts who had arrived with such imposing momentum had all run off, not a single one left behind.

It is worth mentioning that Aoba Pa had slipped away silently at some point.

His movements were so stealthy that even Xiao Zhan hadn't noticed, only realizing it once everyone else had departed.

"I wasn't paying attention, and that old thief Aoba Pa actually slipped away."

"Forget it, let him run."

"Even if he ran, his clan is still in Wutan City. The monk may run, but the temple cannot."

"There will be plenty of opportunities to teach him a lesson later!"

Xiao Zhan didn't take Aoba Pa's secret departure to heart.

To him, the Oba Clan was no longer much of a threat. In fact, for the sake of the Xiao Clan's stable development in Wutan City, he wasn't even planning to move against them.

After all, everyone understood the logic of "when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold" and "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves."

If his Xiao Clan wiped out the Jalie Clan and then the Oba Clan, wouldn't the other forces in Wutan City feel their own positions were precarious?

Who knew if they would be the Xiao Clan's next target?

Therefore, Xiao Zhan did not intend to move against the Oba Clan.

At least, not until his Xiao Clan had fully digested the assets of the Jalie Clan.

"The former tripartite balance is gone. From this day forward, Wutan City will be dominated by my Xiao Clan alone!"

Standing upon the ruins of the Jalie Clan, Xiao Zhan gazed out at the magnificent Wutan City, his heart surging with emotion. With the Jalie Clan destroyed, his Xiao Clan was now the number one clan in Wutan City.

If this had been a year ago, it would have been something he couldn't even imagine.

And yet, everything today was entirely due to the merit of his ancestor!

Thinking of Xiao Ze's terrifying strength, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but look up and laugh:

"With such an ancestor, my Xiao Clan is destined to flourish!"

"Wutan City is merely the starting point for our Xiao Clan!"

"In the future, my Xiao Clan will surely return to the Imperial Capital and restore our former glory!!"