"Dad, so many people are watching us." Xiao Yan was the weakest, but even he could sense the many eyes spying on them from the shadows. Some Dou Zong and Dou Zun did not even bother hiding it, openly sizing them up.
Clearly, many people were curious about where such weaklings had come from in a place like Ancient Saint City.
Xiao Zhan said, "Perhaps it's because we're too weak."
As Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan were talking, powerful auras erupted from within Ancient Saint City and bore down on them.
More than a dozen figures clad in black armor and carrying spears stepped through the air out of Ancient Saint City, heading toward them.
Powerful auras spread from their bodies. Almost every member of this squad was a Dou Zong, making it impossible not to marvel at the Gu Clan's lavish resources.
"That's the Black Annihilation Army, the Gu Clan's elite imperial guard. They're specifically responsible for defending Ancient Saint City," Yao Chen said as he watched the troops emerge from the city.
"This should only be one of their patrol squads. They're coming for us."
There was no helping it. A Da Dou Shi and a Dou Zhe appearing here shone with such "dazzling brilliance" that they were like chickens standing among cranes. It was hard not to spot them at a glance.
Thus, in mere moments, the Black Annihilation Army patrol squad arrived before Xiao Xuan and the others.
Strangely enough, every soldier in the squad was a Dou Zong, yet their leader was a young Five-Star Dou Emperor riding a rare Magical Beast, an Ink Qilin.
Unlike the ordinary Black Annihilation Army soldiers, this Five-Star Dou Emperor had a golden marking on his forehead. One glance made it clear that his status was anything but ordinary.
"Halt! I am Ling Quan, deputy commander of the Black Annihilation Army. Who are you people? This is Ancient Saint City, territory of the Gu Clan. No unauthorized person may enter without an invitation from the Gu Clan."
Ling Quan's current cultivation was that of a Five-Star Dou Emperor. Although his realm was not high, his bloodline was exceptional. He was a prodigy of the Gu Clan's younger generation, possessing a sixth-grade Gu Clan bloodline and a Golden Clan Mark.
Although his surname was not Gu, he belonged to the Gu Clan's direct line. That was also why he could become a deputy commander of the Black Annihilation Army at his age and cultivation realm.
While patrolling, Ling Quan had spotted a Da Dou Shi and a Dou Zhe outside Ancient Saint City. He had frozen for several seconds, almost believing his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Where had weaklings of this level come from?
Even if they were lost, how could they have wandered all the way to Ancient Saint City?
After all, Ancient Saint City was Gu Clan territory famous for barring weaklings. Even Starfall Pavilion, which had an Eight-Star Dou Zun, was not qualified to enter, let alone Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan.
Thus, Ling Quan had immediately brought his squad over to question them.
Ling Quan stared at Xiao Xuan and the others. "Do you have an invitation from the Gu Clan?"
Ling Quan could not see through Xiao Xuan's strength, but he could easily discern Xiao Zhan's and Xiao Yan's. He demanded their invitation.
How could Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan possibly produce one?
Xiao Xuan looked at the Gu Clan's Black Annihilation Army and merely sneered. "We have no invitation, but you can go back and inform your Gu Clan's elders or your clan leader, Gu Yuan.
"Tell him that his old friend Xiao Xuan has brought the Xiao Clan of Wutan City in the Jia Ma Empire to visit the Gu Clan. Have your clan leader come out to see his old friend."
Xiao Xuan's tone dripped with sarcasm. Besides coming to make trouble for the Gu Clan, he also intended to rub their noses in it.
But how could Ling Quan possibly listen to Xiao Xuan? What was his status? He was a Five-Star Dou Emperor, and the youngest deputy commander of the Black Annihilation Army.
Ling Quan mocked Xiao Xuan. "The Jia Ma Empire? The Xiao Clan of Wutan City? What impoverished backwater is that? I've never even heard of it.
"An old friend, too? Our Gu Clan has no friends like you. Since you have no invitation, get lost, or don't blame the spear in my hand for having no eyes."
Ling Quan made it clear that without an invitation, they should get lost. What backwoods hill had these bumpkins crawled out of? The Xiao Clan of Wutan City? What kind of bottom-rung little clan was that? They weren't even qualified to enter the city.
Why weren't they getting lost already? Were they waiting to taste my Black Annihilation Spear? They really had no idea how close they were to death, wasting my time like this.
The moment Ling Quan said this, Ling Ying's vision went black, and even Xun'er could barely stand steady.
"Brother Xiao Yan, help me stand." Xun'er's legs went weak, and she felt dizzy.
Xiao Yan was so furious that he could not even spare a moment to support Xun'er. He stepped forward, unafraid of Ling Quan's Five-Star Dou Emperor pressure, and roared, "You dare insult my Xiao Clan's ancestor?"
Ling Quan had never expected a mere five-star Dou Zhe to dare face him, a Five-Star Dou Emperor. Where had he found the courage?
Ling Quan laughed in anger. "A five-star Dou Zhe? Do you have a death wish?"
A mere five-star Dou Zhe, looking to die?
With a casual sweep of his hand, Ling Quan stopped even pretending and thrust his spear straight at Xiao Yan.
Since this Dou Zhe wanted to die, he would grant Xiao Yan his wish.
Although Xiao Yan only had the strength of a five-star Dou Zhe, he did not lack the courage to face an enemy. Even against a Five-Star Dou Emperor, he still dared to unleash a Dou Technique.
"Eight Extremes Collapse!"
Eight Extremes Collapse was a Dou Technique Xiao Yan's teacher, Yao Chen, had passed on to him. Although Xiao Yan had only practiced it for a few days, it was already the strongest Dou Technique he could muster.
Seeing Ling Quan attack his son, Xiao Zhan, the Da Dou Shi standing nearby, struck as well, unleashing the Xiao Clan's signature Xuan-tier Dou Technique, Furious Lion Vajra.
"Furious Lion Vajra! Don't you dare hurt my son!"
"A Dou Zhe and a Da Dou Shi? You're courting death!" Ling Quan swept his spear across, intending to slaughter both Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan.
Passing Dou Zong and Dou Zun shook their heads at the sight.
A Da Dou Shi and a Dou Zhe actually dared attack a deputy commander of the Black Annihilation Army. They were insane.
Those two were dead for certain.
Ling Quan swept his spear out, about to skewer Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan together like candied hawthorn on a stick. Yet in the next instant, for some inexplicable reason, every hair on his body stood on end despite his Five-Star Dou Emperor cultivation.
An utterly terrifying aura blasted toward him. Then Ling Quan saw the aura of Xiao Zhan's Da Dou Shi-level, Xuan-tier Dou Technique, Furious Lion Vajra, climb higher and higher.
Its power skyrocketed from the Da Dou Shi level.
Dou Ling, Dou Wang, Dou Emperor, Dou Zong, Dou Zun, Dou Sheng!
In mere moments, the power erupting from Furious Lion Vajra had already risen to the nine-star Dou Sheng level.
Furious Lion Vajra almost instantly became a tangible Dou Technique, transforming into a colossal lion of yellow flame that spanned heaven and earth. It devoured heaven and swallowed earth, as though it would gulp down Ling Quan and the entire Ancient Saint City in a single bite.
Ling Quan cried out, "What?"
"Oh no!"
He felt as though his mind had crashed. This was a Da Dou Shi?
How had this Da Dou Shi unleashed a Dou Sheng-level Dou Technique? What the hell!
By then, Ling Quan had no time to flee. The towering lion formed by Furious Lion Vajra had already swallowed him whole.
In the final second of his life, Ling Quan crushed a Gu Clan distress jade slip and shouted, "Commander, save me!"
Unfortunately, beneath a nine-star Dou Sheng-level Furious Lion Vajra, no one could save him, no matter who came.
In the next instant, Ling Quan was blasted to death by the Xuan-tier Dou Technique, Furious Lion Vajra, and his Gu Clan Golden Clan Mark shattered with him.
Ling Quan, a Five-Star Dou Emperor, had been killed in a single move by Xiao Zhan, a Da Dou Shi.
The bystanders were all dumbstruck. They looked at Xiao Zhan as though they had seen a ghost. How could this fellow be so bizarre? Just what tier of Dou Technique was that Furious Lion Vajra?
The instant after Ling Quan was blasted to death, an even more overbearing aura erupted from Ancient Saint City and charged out.
"Who dares kill a member of my Gu Clan's direct line?"
This aura unmistakably belonged to a Dou Zun expert, and a rather powerful one at that.
Clearly, this was the commander Ling Quan had summoned by crushing the jade slip before his death.
The chief commander of the Gu Clan's Black Annihilation Army, Gu Zhen!
Gu Zhen charged out of Ancient Saint City, shattering the void and instantly shifting to the place where Ling Quan had died.
Before Gu Zhen even had time to grieve for Ling Quan, he saw the nine-star Dou Sheng-level Furious Lion Vajra devouring heaven and swallowing earth.
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