Incineration

"What are you laughing at, brat?" The leader of the Mo Clan group frowned, clearly displeased.

"If one day an ant ran up and provoked you, wouldn't you find it amusing?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

"Arrogant!"

"Impudent!"

"Brat, I'll fuck your ancestors!"

The Mo Clan leader's brows knitted together as he carefully sized up the young man before him. He did not know why this person was so calm—whether he was truly confident or merely putting on an act.

Young, spirited, utterly fearless—those were his first impressions of the man before him. Could he be some kind of genius? the Mo Clan leader wondered.

But he was far too young. He looked no more than seventeen or eighteen. Even if he simply appeared younger than he was, he could not be older than twenty. Considering his own cultivation as a Great Dou Master and the dozen-plus Dou Masters behind him, as long as this man had not reached the Dou Spirit realm, he posed no threat to them.

As for the possibility that he was a Dou Spirit... how could someone like that possibly appear here? That was pure fantasy!

With that thought, the Mo Clan leader's gaze turned cold and killing intent erupted from him. He casually waved his right hand, and the dozen-plus Dou Masters behind him immediately let out a roar. One after another, they summoned their Dou Qi gauze armor, drew their weapons, and split into two groups as they pounced on Xiao Yan.

It had to be said that the Mo Clan men were indeed well trained. Though they had mocked Xiao Yan relentlessly earlier, once they truly attacked, they went all out like lions hunting rabbits, bringing every trick they had to bear.

But an absolute gap in strength was not something they could overcome by giving it their all.

Xiao Yan raised his right hand, and an enormous pitch-black ruler as tall as a man appeared in his grasp.

Whoosh!

Just as the attacks of the dozen-plus Mo Clan Dou Masters were about to land, a surge of green-and-red flames shot explosively from Xiao Yan's body. Like a python, it coiled upward from the ruler's handle and wrapped around the Black-Weight Ruler.

At that moment, the Mo Clan Dou Master charging at the front swung down his massive axe. Xiao Yan held the giant ruler horizontally and blocked it with a casual motion. The axe, carrying the force of ten thousand catties, could not advance an inch. The powerful recoil directly split the man's tiger's mouth, but battle-honed instinct made him grip his weapon tightly. He regretted it soon enough.

The instant the Mo Clan Dou Master finally stabilized his huge axe, the green-and-red flames on the Black-Weight Ruler seemed to possess intelligence as they slithered along the point of contact and onto his weapon.

Under the Mo Clan Dou Master's horrified gaze, the massive axe forged from special black iron was reduced to molten metal by the green-and-red flames in less than a breath, dissolving with a series of hisses before everyone's shocked eyes.

Peak Great Dou Master! Feeling the aura of power erupting from Xiao Yan, the Mo Clan leader's pupils contracted. An immense sense of danger surged into his heart, and he shouted, "Fall back!"

Unfortunately, the warning came far too late.

After the giant axe was incinerated, Xiao Yan took advantage of the momentum to hold the Black-Weight Ruler before him and swing it fiercely, slashing out a crescent-shaped blade of fire.

The nearest Mo Clan Dou Master, who had previously held the giant axe and now had only its handle left, had no time to react before the fire blade engulfed him. He did not even have time to scream before he turned to ash, carried onward by the fire blade toward the other Mo Clan Dou Masters.

"Ah! Run! He's a monster!"

The Mo Clan Dou Masters, who had been so aggressive moments ago, were instantly scared out of their wits. At an unbelievable speed, they hastily stopped their charge toward Xiao Yan and fled in terror in every direction.

Yet the surrounding walls blocked their paths to survival. Walls that could ordinarily have been shattered with a single punch now became their death knell, iron barriers separating life and death and cutting off all hope of survival.

Other than the few Mo Clan Dou Masters who fled to the leader's side, the remaining eleven were all engulfed by the fire blade Xiao Yan had slashed out.

Because its power had dispersed somewhat compared to the beginning, the eleven Mo Clan Dou Masters caught within it were fortunate enough to leave behind a series of screams before ultimately vanishing from the world.

"Gasp..."

Seeing the miserable state of their twelve dead comrades, the surviving Mo Clan Dou Masters sucked in sharp breaths and could not help looking hopefully toward their leader.

The reason those Mo Clan Dou Masters had survived could be said to be entirely thanks to the Mo Clan leader's intervention.

When Xiao Yan's fire blade had come slashing over earlier, the Mo Clan leader swiftly drew his broadsword and struck at it with all his strength, splitting Xiao Yan's fire blade in two with a single slash. That was how those few had survived.

"Is that... a Heavenly Flame? Or beast fire?" The Mo Clan leader was deeply puzzled. The green-and-red flames Xiao Yan had used had truly exceeded his understanding. Though he did not recognize those flames, their terrifying power was undeniably real.

The Mo Clan leader glanced at the broadsword in his hand, which already showed signs of melting and had a dulled edge. He could not help drawing in a cold breath, his expression growing increasingly grave. Though his opponent had used only one move, the Mo Clan leader had already understood one fact completely.

This person before him... he could not defeat him!

Taking a deep breath, the Mo Clan leader had already begun considering escape.

Putting away his previous arrogance, the Mo Clan leader lowered himself as much as possible and said in a deep voice, "Please calm your anger, sir. What happened tonight was indeed our fault. I beg you to show mercy and spare our lives. We are willing to offer all the valuables on us to you, and afterward, the Grand Elder of our Mo Clan will surely provide further generous compensation!"

The Mo Clan leader bent at the waist and lowered his head, holding up the Storage Ring on his hand and the half-destroyed broadsword with both hands while watching Xiao Yan's expression intently.

The surviving Mo Clan Dou Masters behind him followed suit. Their initial arrogance had vanished completely as they knelt on the ground and begged for Xiao Yan's forgiveness.

"Heh!" Xiao Yan sneered and mocked, "Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now? Now that you know you can't beat me, you kneel and beg for mercy? What were you doing earlier? If I weren't strong enough, I'd probably be your prisoner by now."

"You are absolutely right, sir. Greed blinded us, and we offended you. I only hope you will spare our lives for the sake of the Grand Elder of the Mo Clan."

The Mo Clan leader did not argue. Instead, he became even more respectful as he brought up the backer behind them once again.

Only then did Xiao Yan finally recall where these people came from.

If he remembered correctly, the Mo Clan's Grand Elder was a five-star Dou Spirit. However, the current timeline was nearly three years earlier than the original story, so he probably had not reached that level yet. Because he cultivated the art of transplanting magical beast organs, he coveted Qinglian's Jade Serpent Three-Flower Eyes.

Come to think of it, the Mo Clan's Grand Elder, Mo Cheng, also wanted to establish a Mo Alliance and unify the forces of all sizes in the northeastern Jia Ma Empire. One of Xiao Yan's main purposes in returning home this time was to help the Xiao Clan rise. This place was not far from Wutan City, so Mo Cheng and the Mo Clan would definitely become an obstacle to the Xiao Clan's future rise.

In that case, why not take the opportunity to kill him now and spare himself trouble later? Besides, the enormous resources needed for the clan's rise could be resolved at the same time.

At that thought, Xiao Yan's gaze instantly turned cold. However, he did not intend to storm straight into the Mo Clan—not because he feared their strength, but because he felt they had not yet committed crimes worthy of extermination. Little Fairy Doctor and Qinglian were both here, after all. He had to maintain his image to some extent.

"Fine. This young master will be merciful this time and spare you." Xiao Yan snorted coldly, sweeping up the Storage Rings from everyone's hands with a wave. "Go back and tell your Grand Elder to prepare five fourth-tier medicinal pills and ten million gold coins as compensation. I'll come collect them tomorrow evening."

He kicked the Mo Clan leader, sending him rolling across the ground several times before he came to a stop. "Get lost!"

Though the Mo Clan leader felt humiliated, he did not dare utter a word. He could only flee back to the Mo Clan with the remaining men in disgrace.

The waiter who had brought the Mo Clan men over earlier was still alive, but the Mo Clan had abandoned him. He was now trembling as he sat collapsed outside the door, a puddle of liquid beneath him giving off a nauseating stench of urine.

Xiao Yan frowned and said, "This room can't be used anymore. Take us to another room where we can stay."

Because of the earlier battle, most of the furniture in the room had been burned away. There was even quite a bit of bone ash scattered across the floor. Naturally, no one could stay in a room like that anymore.

"Y-You're not going to kill me?" The waiter did not react at first. Once he realized Xiao Yan was speaking to him, he was immediately somewhat astonished.

Xiao Yan frowned. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"Yes! Yes! Sir, young ladies, please follow this humble one." The waiter hurriedly scrambled up from the floor. Having survived a disaster, he no longer dared to entertain any petty thoughts. He respectfully—almost humbly—led Xiao Yan, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qinglian, who had just emerged from the room, toward a new room.

The new room was clearly even better than the previous one. Besides the sitting room, it had five separate chambers: three bedrooms, a cultivation room, and a storage room. Each bedroom came with its own bath and dressing room.

Xiao Yan nodded. After ushering Little Fairy Doctor and Qinglian inside, he turned to the waiter and said, "Remember, be a good person in your next life."

"Ah?" The waiter froze for a moment, then was reduced to ashes by the flames Xiao Yan summoned. He did not even have time to let out a scream.