"What does this have to do with you, you old Aoba dog?"
"What are you barking about here?"
Faced with Aoba Pa, who had stepped forward and pointed at him, Xiao Zhan immediately shot back.
Who in all of Wutan City didn't know that his Xiao Clan was at odds with the Jalie Clan and the Aoba Clan?
Did Xiao Zhan owe him a friendly face?
The fact that he hadn't taken him down on the spot was already a courtesy to everyone else.
"You, you, you..." Aoba Pa, publicly rebuked, flushed pale and then green, nearly choking on his own breath.
What did he mean, this had nothing to do with the Aoba Family?
Who in all of Wutan City didn't know that the Aoba Family and the Jialie Clan were allies?
Now that the Jialie Clan had met with disaster, it was only right that the Aoba Family handle things. Even if you looked at it in the worst possible light, what did this have to do with the Xiao Clan?
Xiao Zhan was a real dog of a man, twisting right and wrong!
"Xiao Zhan, you dare humiliate me like this!"
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Aoba Pa glared at Xiao Zhan through clenched teeth. Dou Qi surged within him, and a fierce aura burst out with a roar, as though he meant to fight Xiao Zhan to the death.
"Come on, then. You think I'm afraid of you?"
Xiao Zhan didn't hold back either. He sneered and began circulating the Xiao Clan's ancestral technique, Furious Lion Rage. As pale-green Dou Qi covered his body, a phantom lion's head appeared before him.
The two auras faced off, stirring up a storm all around them.
"Enough!"
Seeing that a great battle was about to erupt,
Elder Meng suddenly stepped forward and said, "I ask both clan leaders to calm down. The most pressing matter now is to find out the truth behind the Jialie Clan's destruction."
"I hope you'll both do me this small favor and set aside your dispute for now..."
At his words, the two men, who had been on the verge of a fight, immediately stopped.
After all, Elder Meng was the most powerful person present, and he was also a member of the Mittel Family. Neither of their clans could afford to offend him lightly.
Take the treasures in the Mittel Auction House, for instance. They were an enormous help to both clans.
If they offended the Mittel Family, whether they could continue living in Wutan City was a question mark.
"Out of respect for Elder Meng, I won't hold this against you." Xiao Zhan straightened his clothes before speaking.
"Hmph!" Aoba Pa snorted. He didn't fire back again, instead turning his head away and refusing to look at Xiao Zhan.
The tension, sharp as the points of two spears, gradually dissipated under Elder Meng's mediation.
"All right, Clan Leader Xiao, do you know anything about what happened here?" After putting an end to their quarrel, Elder Meng turned to Xiao Zhan once more and asked quietly.
"Elder Meng, to be frank, the destruction of the Jialie Clan was the work of one of my Xiao Clan's ancestors!"
Xiao Zhan then recounted what had happened.
Of course, this version of events had been polished.
He only spoke of how vile the Jialie Clan had been and how innocent the Xiao Clan was, insisting that the other side had pushed them too far and that today's events had been entirely their own doing.
In short, the Xiao Clan had been forced into taking action today, and had only struck back because they had no choice!
After hearing Xiao Zhan's words,
the powerful figures of Wutan City all gasped and stared at him in shock.
What?
Had they heard him correctly?
The Xiao Clan had destroyed the Jialie Clan?
And the terrifying sword intent that had covered the whole city just now had been unleashed by one of the Xiao Clan's ancestors?
The Xiao Clan had been hiding its strength well!
How had they never heard of such a terrifying powerhouse before?
For a time,
everyone present fell silent.
As expected, only bringing out our ancestor can keep them in check! Watching the silent crowd, Xiao Zhan sighed inwardly.
He had revealed Xiao Ze, who stood behind him, for the sole purpose of protecting the Xiao Clan's interests.
Now that the giant representing the Jalie Clan had fallen, everyone wanted to grab a share of its enormous resources.
Take Aoba Pa, who had opposed him earlier. Did he really think Xiao Zhan didn't know what he was scheming?
What a joke!
They were all old foxes. What was the point of putting on a show?
How could Xiao Zhan not know what they were thinking?
It was precisely because he understood their intentions all too well that he had no choice but to bring out Xiao Ze, that towering mountain of a man. Without him, could the Xiao Clan have stood here in peace?
They would have been driven out long ago.
"Clan Leader Xiao, you mean the destruction of the Jalie Clan was the work of an ancestor of your clan?" Elder Meng drew a deep breath and asked, his voice trembling.
"That's right!" Xiao Zhan spoke with righteous indignation. "It's all because the Jalie Clan pushed us too far! My Xiao Clan's ancestor couldn't bear it any longer and had no choice but to destroy them!"
The powerful figures of Wutan City: ...
If you're robbing them, just rob them.
Why dress it up so nicely?
With an ancestor as terrifyingly powerful as yours, were you really afraid we'd take your spoils?
You give us far too much credit.
What right did they have to compete with a powerhouse like that?
Remembering the terrifying scene from earlier, the powerful figures of Wutan City couldn't help but lose their nerve.
They had indeed come hoping to get a share, but once they heard that the Xiao Clan had a terrifyingly powerful ancestor backing them, they all gave up on the idea.
After all, the benefits might be great, but you had to live long enough to enjoy them.
They weren't ready to die just yet.
"Ahem..." Elder Meng coughed softly. "Well, since the matter has been cleared up, I won't linger here any longer."
"There's a lot of work at the auction house waiting for me."
"Everyone, I'll take my leave first."
"Goodbye!"
Elder Meng had been able to command a branch in a place like this thanks to his knack for reading the wind and trimming his sails.
Now that he knew the Xiao Clan had such a terrifying ancestor, he likely wouldn't get his hands on the Jialie Clan's spoils.
Since he couldn't get a share, there was no point in staying.
Without another word, he rose and took his leave.
After he left,
the other powerful figures of Wutan City made excuses and departed one after another.
"Clan Leader Xiao, I just remembered my old sow is giving birth, and I need to go home and help. I'll be off, too."
"That's right, I just remembered my son is about to give birth, so I need to go home as well."
"And me..."
"Clan Leader Xiao, my mother's about to have her tenth litter. I need to go back and check on her. Until we meet again..."
Before long,
the Da Dou Shi powerhouses who had arrived in such a threatening fashion had all fled without exception.
It was worth mentioning that at some point, Aoba Pa had quietly slipped away without a word.
He had been so stealthy that even Xiao Zhan hadn't noticed. It was only after everyone else had left that Xiao Zhan suddenly realized.
"I wasn't paying attention, and that old dog Aoba Pa slipped away."
"Never mind. If he's gone, he's gone."
"He may have slipped away, but his clan is still in Wutan City. You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple."
"There'll be plenty of chances to teach him a lesson later!"
Xiao Zhan didn't take Aoba Pa's stealthy departure to heart.
To him, the Aoba Clan was no longer much of an opponent. In fact, so that the Xiao Clan could develop in Wutan City without trouble, he wasn't even planning to go after them.
After all, everyone understood the truth of the lips perishing and the teeth growing cold, of the rabbit dying and the fox grieving.
If the Xiao Clan destroyed the Jalie Clan and then went on to destroy the Aoba Clan, wouldn't all the other factions in Wutan City be in mortal danger?
Who knew whether the Xiao Clan's next target would be them?
So Xiao Zhan had no plans to attack the Aoba Clan.
At least, he wasn't going to make a move until the Xiao Clan had fully absorbed the Jialie Clan's resources.
"The days of the three clans standing as equals are over. From now on, the Xiao Clan will reign supreme in Wutan City!"
Standing atop the ruins of the Jalie Clan, Xiao Zhan gazed at the magnificent Wutan City before him, his heart surging. Now that the Jalie Clan had been destroyed, his Xiao Clan would be the greatest clan in Wutan City.
A year ago, this would have been beyond anything he could imagine.
And everything now was thanks to their ancestor!
Thinking of Xiao Ze's terrifying strength, Xiao Zhan couldn't help throwing back his head and laughing:
"With an ancestor like this, my Xiao Clan is destined to flourish!"
"Wutan City is only the beginning for our Xiao Clan!"
"Someday, my Xiao Clan will return to the Imperial Capital and restore its glory!!"
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