Elsewhere, in a square on the Xiao Family estate, two groups stood facing off.
One group consisted of Xiao Zhengqi and his companions. The other wore matching black-and-red robes and seemed to belong to another family.
Beside Xiao Zhengqi and the others, a man lay on the ground with both legs broken, coughing blood and looking utterly drained.
"Xiao Long, I'll give you one last chance. Hand over the Alchemy Compendium right now, or your Xiao Family will be wiped out today." The middle-aged man in black leading the group gave a sinister grin. His overwhelming aura marked him as an earth tier peak expert.
Xiao Zhengqi looked at the pale middle-aged man in front of him and said gravely, "Family Head, the skyworm grass is already simmering. Let's stall for time."
Xiao Long nodded slightly. Though pale, he remained resolute.
"Liu Meng, I'll say it again. The Alchemy Compendium has been passed down through generations of my Xiao Family. You can forget about getting your hands on it."
Liu Meng snorted. "My Liu Family has stood in Silent City for a hundred years. We are its foremost family. Your Xiao Family is nothing but an upstart, yet you used the Alchemy Compendium to stand alongside us as one of the three great families. What a joke. Today, you'll hand over the Alchemy Compendium whether you like it or not."
With that, he clapped his hands.
An old man wrapped entirely in a long coat immediately leaped down from a building, whipping up fierce winds and turbulent air across the square.
"You!" At the sight of the old man in the coat, Xiao Long's eyes nearly burst with rage.
A few days earlier, this very old man had struck him with a palm, gravely injuring him and forcing him to