The Real Plan: Eliminating the Source

The green light faded, revealing Jia Lie Bi's figure.

By then, the Dou Qi Armor on his body had been completely torn apart, and his muscular frame was covered in gruesome wounds.

Jia Lie Bi was in pain, furious, shocked, and afraid. He spat out a mouthful of blood. "Mad Lion Roar... is that also a Dou Technique of your Xiao Family?"

Xiao Zhan smiled. "I created this Dou Technique myself, and it has already been taught within the family according to aptitude."

Jia Lie Bi would not believe even if beaten to death that Xiao Zhan had created an Advanced Profound Rank Dou Technique. If Xiao Zhan had obtained some inheritance, that might be possible, but could it be...

He suddenly remembered that Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan had left Wutan City for a time before swiftly returning. Could they have gone to retrieve some treasure?

Before Jia Lie Bi could think further, an aged voice suddenly rang out. "Xiao Family Elder, please allow this Han brother to offer you guidance."

"It's Grandpa!" Xiao Yu looked delightedly at the newly appeared figure.

Xiao Yan also looked up at that moment, a faint smile curling his lips. The Great Elder's weapon was much like Mu She's—a refined steel spear.

Seeing someone charge directly at him, with the energy lion on the spearhead glaring viciously, Han Bo's face immediately turned pale.

Although he had promptly summoned Dou Qi Armor to protect his vital areas, the attack had been exceedingly domineering. His arms had been scorched by flames, and he could not even wield half his strength. How could he possibly be a match for a Da Dou Shi who had mastered an Advanced Profound Rank Dou Technique?

"You old bastard, you think you can lay hands on an alchemy master?" A blue figure rushed forward from behind like a surging torrent.

Jia Lie Nu! The Great Elder's eyes narrowed, but the spear in his hand did not pause in the slightest as it thrust forward.

Jia Lie Nu was also a spear user. Blue light flickered across his spear as he unleashed the Basic Profound Rank Dou Technique he had honed over many years, Overlapping Waves.

As the energy lion pounced toward him, Jia Lie Nu shook his blue-glowing spear, turning it into a massive blue wave.

The enormous lion charged across the waves. Its energy was continuously washed away, and its glow gradually dimmed. Yet it was, after all, an Advanced Profound Rank Dou Technique, far beyond the comparison of a Basic Profound Rank Dou Technique. Moreover, Jia Lie Nu had only recently advanced to Da Dou Shi, and his Dou Qi was not as abundant as the Xiao Family Great Elder's.

Seeing help arrive, Han Bo's spirits rose. The Dou Qi within him circulated rapidly as he thrust both palms forward. Dense flame Dou Qi gathered before Jia Lie Nu, forming a thick shield.

The lion charged out through the waves and slammed heavily into the fire shield. Though the impact shook the shield ceaselessly, its power had been diminished after being worn down.

After failing to prevail in one move, the Great Elder glanced at Xiao Zhan. This was rather different from the plan.

Xiao Zhan wore a contemplative expression. According to the plan he and Xiao Yan had devised, if the Jialie Family deployed one Da Dou Shi, he and the Great Elder would join forces. With the advantage in numbers and the element of surprise, they would surely be able to keep their opponent there and deal a heavy blow to the Jialie Family.

If the Jialie Family deployed both of its Da Dou Shis, they would launch a surprise attack using Advanced Profound Rank Dou Techniques, giving them a strong chance of killing them in one stroke and leaving the Jialie Family leaderless.

Yet they had not expected both Da Dou Shis of the Jialie Family to appear because of the alchemist they had hired.

Although he had severely wounded Jia Lie Bi, the Jialie Family still had two Da Dou Shis, completely unlike what they had anticipated.

If they continued fighting fiercely, even if they killed all three, he and the Great Elder would suffer serious injuries as well. That would undoubtedly allow the Aoba Family to reap the benefits.

The Aoba Family operated gambling houses and pleasure establishments, so it was unaffected by the competition over medicinal liquids. It had been sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight for quite some time.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan had considered many things, but there was one point they had not mentioned. If Xiao Yan were to use poison, even dealing with an alchemist at the Da Dou Shi level would not be difficult.

It was just that the Jialie Family's two Da Dou Shis protected Han Bo too well. Poisoning all three at once would not be easy.

Today's true objective was not to kill the Jialie Family's Da Dou Shis. As long as they were badly wounded and lost the ability to protect Han Bo, the goal would be achieved.

After helping Jia Lie Nu block the attack, Han Bo gave a sinister smile. "Take the pills!"

A trace of pain flashed across Jia Lie Bi's face. He took a wooden box from his Storage Ring and swallowed the pill inside.

Xiao Zhan's heart jolted. Before the medicine could take effect, he immediately charged forward.

Jia Lie Bi moved like the wind. Despite his heavily injured body, his speed was no slower than Xiao Zhan's. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at Han Bo's side, wisps of green energy seeping into the air around him.

"It's actually a pill similar to the third-grade Windwalking Pill. What an extravagant move." Xiao Yan recognized the pill's effect and silently praised it.

With Han Bo's status as a Second-Grade Alchemist, he could not refine such a pill. But Xiao Yan was not the rigid sort who believed that after becoming an alchemist, every pill he used had to be refined by himself.

Perhaps Han Bo had obtained it through some fortunate encounter, perhaps he had paid for it, or perhaps his ability even surpassed the badge on his chest that represented his rank. All of those were possible.

Jia Lie Nu also swallowed a pill, and his aura surged. It was a medicine that enhanced one's strength for a short time but greatly damaged one's vitality afterward.

Jia Lie Bi gritted his teeth. "Xiao Zhan, you have some impressive methods, but dreaming of keeping us here is nothing but wishful thinking."

"Hm? That boy..." Han Bo cast an unwilling gaze toward Xiao Yan in the distance. He had not told the two of them to take the pills in order to flee.

Jia Lie Bi's eyelids twitched several times, and he had the urge to slap this old pervert to death.

"We will discuss this matter at length after we return." Jia Lie Bi forced a smile uglier than a grimace.

Looking at Jia Lie Bi's pained expression and the countless wounds covering his body, Han Bo reluctantly nodded. His gaze lingered deeply upon Xiao Yan's sharply defined face.

Watching Jia Lie Bi's group flee in disarray, Xiao Zhan clicked his tongue. "So the Jialie Family's people are such cowards. Though my Xiao Family has had some friction with you, would we really kill people in the street? You wasted two precious pills for nothing."

Jia Lie Bi heard every word clearly and nearly spat out blood. If they had not relied on the pills' effects, who knew whether Xiao Zhan would have fought even at the cost of severe injury to keep them there?

The Xiao Family naturally would not kill people in the street. Xiao Yan smiled faintly as the true plan in his heart prepared to begin.

After returning to the family, the pills' effects had greatly diminished. Jia Lie Nu felt a lingering fear. This time, they had truly tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to bait it.

Jia Lie Bi was enraged, but fortunately, they had not fallen there. They would still have plenty of chances to turn things around later.

"What about the alchemy master's safety?" Jia Lie Nu asked worriedly. Neither of them could currently wield much strength. If Xiao Zhan brought people to assassinate Han Bo, it would be dangerous.

Jia Lie Bi said confidently, "I have already deployed a large number of people to guard the area around his residence. Unless they can fly."

The night was dark and the wind cold. As the Xiao Family entered their dreams, Xiao Yan used a Flying Dou Technique and quietly left the Xiao Family.

Not long afterward, Xiao Yan landed atop a luxurious residence surrounded by guards. A grayish-white pill appeared in his palm.

The Stone Miasma Pill, a poison refined from a first-tier mutated earth-attribute Magic Core and numerous medicinal ingredients, could petrify the human body. Even a Da Dou Shi could not resist it.

Speaking of which, he had Rock Snake to thank for dropping a suitable Magic Core. Otherwise, gathering the ingredients needed to refine this poison would not have been easy.

Xiao Yan carefully lifted a roof tile. Once he spotted Han Bo's position, he abruptly hurled the tile in his hand toward the distance.

"Who's there?" Han Bo suddenly woke, raising his head to look westward.

Xiao Yan swooped down from the east, firing the Stone Miasma Pill toward Han Bo. The grayish-white pill instantly evaporated, turning into a cloud of grayish-white gas that filled an entire area in an instant.

"Poison?!" Han Bo's expression changed. He quickly held his breath and rolled rapidly to the side, but his attention had been diverted, and the grayish-white gas still touched most of his body.

"Do you think my poison is so easy to defend against?" Xiao Yan saw everything clearly and gave a cold laugh.

"Xiao Yan?" Hearing his voice, Han Bo was both furious and delighted. "Jia Lie Bi is incompetent, but you still fell into my..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Han Bo suddenly realized that his body had gone numb. Turning his head, he discovered in horror that half of his body had turned to stone.

"Y-you... what do you want? Money, pills, or for me to refine medicine for your Xiao Family? As long as you spare me, I'll agree to anything!" Han Bo looked fearfully at the handsome youth, his face deathly pale. With death looming over him, his lust for beauty was finally suppressed.

"I'll take over your belongings after you die. As for alchemy, I can refine medicine for my family myself." Xiao Yan drew the Crimson Flame Berserk Blade and walked before Han Bo. Under Han Bo's terrified gaze, he severed his head with a single slash.

Afterward, Xiao Yan removed Han Bo's Storage Ring. Seeing the medicine cauldron, pill formulas, and other items inside, he was overjoyed.

At that moment, the Jialie Family guards who had heard the commotion surrounded the area.

Xiao Yan put away his weapon, pulled up his cloak to conceal his face, and used the Flying Dou Technique. He smashed directly through the roof and flew into the sky.

"Dou Qi Wings... a Dou Wang!" The guards looked up at the wings that marked a Dou Wang and all froze where they stood.

Against such a terrifying existence, what could they do even if they had ten times as many men?

Jia Lie Bi rushed over after hearing the commotion. Seeing the figure vanishing into the sky, his face turned pale as he collapsed weakly to the ground.