Oba Pa: What's there to fear? This Xiao Xuan is a Dou Ling at most! Watch me hire a Dou Wang to kill him

Although Oba Pa and Jia Lie Bi could not tell exactly how powerful Xiao Xuan was, they could clearly sense that his strength far surpassed theirs. Otherwise, he could never have slipped into the Jia Lie Family's estate without anyone noticing.

Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa knew which way the wind blew. Realizing they were outmatched, they immediately rose to greet him.

"Lord Xiao Xuan, correct? We pay our respects to Lord Xiao Xuan."

The two old fellows adopted a thoroughly humble attitude and greeted him with smiles. As the saying went, even a raised hand spared a smiling face.

Xiao Xuan looked at these two minor figures and paid them little mind.

Given his status, he really had no need to concern himself with such trifles.

Wutan City was merely where the Xiao Clan currently lived. Now that he, Xiao Xuan, had returned alive, it was inevitable that the Xiao Clan would leave Wutan City and return to the Central Plains.

They could abandon the Xiao Clan's businesses in Wutan City without a second thought.

But while Xiao Xuan could choose to discard them, others could not snatch them from his hands. That was the fundamental difference.

The Jia Lie Family and Ao Ba Family might be insignificant, ninth-rate families, but conspiring against his Xiao Clan put them in the wrong.

Xiao Xuan sat down and looked down at the two men, who now kept their eyes lowered in submission.

Xiao Xuan said, "You should know why I've come. My Xiao Clan is not yours to push around, especially now that I, Xiao Xuan, am here.

"Consider for yourselves what you should do. I am not an unreasonable man. Otherwise, one press of my finger would grind these paltry Jia Lie and Ao Ba Families out of existence.

"I've given you a chance. Don't invite suffering upon yourselves. Strike at my Xiao Clan again, and next time, I won't be so courteous."

Xiao Xuan offered only a few brief words. He could not be bothered to act against such minor figures, lest word spread that he had bullied the weak with his strength.

He hoped the two were sensible enough not to provoke him into acting and bring the calamity of total extermination down upon their families.

The aura Xiao Xuan released pressed down on Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa so heavily that the two family heads could barely breathe.

They could only nod repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, yes."

Fortunately, Xiao Xuan said only a few words and could not be bothered to waste any more breath on them. Seeing that they understood, he left with Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan.

By the time Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa raised their heads again, the three men from the Xiao Clan had already vanished without a trace.

Drenched in a cold sweat, Jia Lie Bi collapsed onto the floor.

"What a terrifying aura. Just who is this Xiao Xuan?"

"The Xiao Clan's ancestor? Why have I never heard of the Xiao Clan having an ancestor like him?"

Although Oba Pa was still shaken, he remained stubbornly defiant. Remembering how badly he had just been frightened only made him resent it more.

Oba Pa said, "Pah! What damned Xiao Clan ancestor? He's probably some outside help the Xiao Clan paid to hire. Trying to scare me? Does he think I, Oba Pa, grew up cowering at threats?"

"Head Oba, what are you planning? That Xiao Xuan is powerful and not someone to provoke. Don't do anything rash. At worst, we stop targeting the Xiao Clan. We can go back to the way things were, with all three families living peacefully alongside one another."

The Jia Lie Family was already the weakest of the three major families. In truth, the Xiao Clan's destruction would not benefit it much. Once the Xiao Clan fell, the Jia Lie Family might even face the peril of teeth left freezing after the lips were gone.

After Xiao Xuan's intimidating display, Jia Lie Bi truly had little desire to provoke the Xiao Clan anymore. Perhaps they should stop here and pretend none of this had happened.

Besides, although Xiao Xuan had been powerful, he had not attacked them. He seemed reasonable enough.

As long as their two families stopped acting against the Xiao Clan, he probably would not do anything to them. Why keep stirring up trouble?

Unfortunately, just because Jia Lie Bi had no such intentions did not mean Oba Pa shared his restraint.

Oba Pa had long intended to swallow up the Xiao Clan and make his family the sole dominant power in Wutan City. How could he stop just because Xiao Xuan had suddenly appeared in his path?

Backing down before Xiao Xuan had merely been a temporary expedient.

After swallowing that humiliation in silence, Oba Pa had to reclaim his pride.

He said, "What am I planning? Hmph. If the Xiao Clan can hire outside help, why can't my Ao Ba Family?"

As he spoke, he looked at Jia Lie Bi, who had already been frightened into submission. "Jia Lie Bi, what are you afraid of? Work with my Ao Ba Family. Once we destroy the Xiao Clan, our two families will divide its resources.

"Don't let a mere Xiao Xuan scare you. If the Xiao Clan can bring him in, I naturally have ways to invite someone even stronger."

Jia Lie Bi asked, "Head Oba, are you certain?"

Oba Pa said, "Of course. Without a few connections, how could my Ao Ba Family have become the foremost family in Wutan City?"

Jia Lie Bi asked again, "But Xiao Xuan's aura was terrifying. How do you know what cultivation realm he's in?"

Merely recalling the faint trace of aura Xiao Xuan had released made Jia Lie Bi shudder. He had never encountered anything so terrifying in his life.

Oba Pa said, "You're just too timid. How powerful could anyone hired with the Xiao Clan's wealth possibly be? I'd say Xiao Xuan is a seven- or eight-star Dou Ling at most. He's just a pig with scallions stuffed up its nose pretending to be an elephant, putting on a show to scare us."

"A Dou Ling? Surely he's stronger than that..."

Although Jia Lie Bi had not met many top experts, nothing about Xiao Xuan's bearing or aura suggested that he was merely a Dou Ling.

Had Oba Pa drunk himself senseless?

"Are you sure Xiao Xuan is only a Dou Ling?"

Oba Pa said confidently, "What else could he be, a Dou Wang? Even if he is, it doesn't matter. The man I invite will definitely be stronger."

Jia Lie Bi had no idea where Oba Pa's confidence came from. He pressed, "Head Oba, do you really intend to take on Xiao Xuan? Just what caliber of expert can you invite?"

Oba Pa said, "Don't worry about that. My Ao Ba Family has a contact in the Jiana Empire, a genuine eight-star Dou Wang expert, only a step away from Peak Dou Wang. Killing Xiao Xuan will be more than within his capabilities."

"It's just that inviting a Dou Wang expert to Wutan City costs money. Don't you think our two families should each cover half?"

Now Jia Lie Bi understood. Oba Pa was holding out his hand for money.

He was still worried about whether the man Oba Pa invited could defeat the Xiao Clan's Xiao Xuan.

Besides, hiring a Dou Wang expert to act would certainly cost no small sum. If the Jia Lie Family contributed, the expense might well damage its very foundations.

Seeing Jia Lie Bi still hesitate, Oba Pa piled on the persuasion. "Jia Lie Bi, you're still hesitating at a time like this? This is a tiny investment for a tremendous return. I originally intended to monopolize the medicinal herb trade and slowly bleed the Xiao Clan dry, but I never expected them to bring in Xiao Xuan as their backer in their dying struggle.

"It seems bleeding the Xiao Clan dry through legitimate business methods won't work anymore. Our only option now is to kill Xiao Xuan with a thunderous strike, then seize the opportunity to wipe out the Xiao Clan."

"If you don't participate now, it'll be too late for regrets once the Xiao Clan is destroyed. Think about it. Every bit you invest now will bring returns a thousand or ten thousand times greater when we divide up the Xiao Clan. Can't you bear to part with this little money?"

Listening to Oba Pa, Jia Lie Bi was tempted once more.

That's right. If I don't invest now, it'll be too late for regrets later.

Moreover, if he refused to invest alongside Oba Pa, and Oba Pa really did invite a Dou Wang, the man might casually finish off the Jia Lie Family after destroying the Xiao Clan. Then his losses would be even worse.

Jia Lie Bi gritted his teeth.

Damn it. Forget it. I'm going all in!

As long as we slaughter Xiao Xuan and destroy the Xiao Clan, everything we pay now will be worth it!

That very day, the two began scraping together the money.

Oba Pa wrote a letter and dispatched someone to the Jia Ma Empire to invite the Dou Wang expert over to kill Xiao Xuan with a thunderous strike.