After hearing their threats and warnings, Xiao Yan could no longer be bothered to waste words on them.
They wanted to kill him anyway, and they were acting on the Jia Lie Family's orders. Wouldn't letting them leave just like that be letting them off far too lightly?
From their conversation just now, he could tell that they had never intended to leave him alive. In that case, there was no need for him to show them any courtesy.
I wasn't going to kill you pieces of trash, but since you insist on courting death, you have only yourselves to blame. Die.
Xiao Yan thought this to himself, then moved without holding anything back.
The next second, his figure flashed, and he appeared right in front of them. In the blink of an eye, he slammed his palm into the powerful fighter's chest.
The Dou Shi had wanted to block him, but the Dou Qi within his body had been sealed by the Forbidden Character Art. Unable to summon even a trace of it, he could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yan's palm struck him.
A moment later, a bang rang out. The man was sent flying and died on the spot.
At the sight, shock spread across the faces of everyone left. They trembled in terror. With their Dou Qi sealed, they probably wouldn't get far even if they tried to flee.
"This is impossible! He's only a mere One-Star Dou Zhe! How could he kill our family's four-star Dou Shi with a single palm strike?"
"This is bad! Xiao Yan might have been hiding his strength! Run, everyone!"
"Heh, you can't even use your Dou Qi now. You're no better than cripples, and you still want to run? Dream on!"
Shouting as they went, the men fled blindly into the depths of the woods.
But how could Xiao Yan give them a chance to escape? If he let even one of them get away today, the Jia Lie Family would immediately learn that he had killed their men.
When that happened, the Jia Lie Family would certainly come looking for trouble. Of course, he himself didn't care.
However, he was heading to the Magical Beast Mountain Range next and wouldn't return to the Xiao Clan for some time, so he feared that any trouble might burden his father.
It was better to kill them in secret and uproot any future trouble.
Even if the Jia Lie Family knew he had killed them, they would have no evidence. Presumably, those family elders wouldn't be able to make things difficult for his father.
The Jia Lie Family experts before him, both Dou Shi and Dou Zhe, dropped to their knees, their faces full of pleading.
"Xiao Yan, please, spare us! We did offend you just now. Please don't hold it against us!"
"If you're willing to let us go, we'll obey you from now on and follow wherever you lead. And if you want revenge on the Jia Lie Family, we'll lend you a hand!"
"Just spare us, Xiao Yan! I'm begging you!" The experts knelt and begged for mercy, looking utterly wretched.
However, seeing them grovel and beg like this only filled Xiao Ning with disgust, so he brought a palm down and ended their lives on the spot.
After dealing with that trash, Xiao Yan left the grove and headed out of the city.
Several hours passed.
Inside the Jia Lie Family residence, the patriarch, Jia Lie Bi, sat in the main hall with Jia Lie Ao, waiting for the men they had sent out to return and report.
"Father, it's been so long already. Why haven't the men we sent to assassinate Xiao Yan come back yet? Could something have gone wrong?"
Jia Lie Ao was growing restless and asked as he looked at Jia Lie Bi.
After all, by his reckoning, dealing with a single Xiao Yan should have been as easy as reaching out and grabbing him for the men they had sent.
Yet several hours had passed without so much as a scrap of news.
At Jia Lie Ao's question, Jia Lie Bi frowned as well.
"We sent them out first thing this morning. With their strength, killing Xiao Yan shouldn't have taken this long. Could something really have gone wrong?"
"Could the men we sent be no match for Xiao Yan?"
Hearing Jia Lie Bi say that, Jia Lie Ao immediately objected.
"That shouldn't be possible. Xiao Yan is a One-Star Dou Zhe at most, while we sent several powerful Dou Zhe. I think they're simply failing to get the job done."
"Or they were delayed somewhere. Otherwise, there's no way Xiao Yan could be a match for them."
"Whatever the case, Father, I'm going to kill Xiao Yan. I absolutely must kill him."
At Jia Lie Ao's words, Jia Lie Bi nodded.
"Rest assured, son. Xiao Yan actually dared to injure you. He clearly has no regard for our Jia Lie Family. As your father, I'll make sure you get justice."
"Besides, we sent Dou Shi experts this time as well. If they really have killed Xiao Yan, it'll only be a matter of time before the Xiao Clan finds out. We'll have to come up with an explanation."
Just as Jia Lie Bi finished speaking, a servant rushed into the hall in a panic.
"Terrible news, Patriarch! Something terrible has happened!"
Seeing the servant's panicked expression, Jia Lie Bi immediately frowned.
"As the steward of our Jia Lie Family, how can you behave so disgracefully, rushing about in a panic? Tell me what happened!"
At Jia Lie Bi's question, the servant caught his breath before stammering out his reply.
"The Dou Shi experts we sent out this morning, along with those Dou Zhe, all died in the grove outside the city."
Hearing this, Jia Lie Bi and Jia Lie Ao froze on the spot.
"That's impossible! Is the news accurate? Everyone we sent is dead?"
Jia Lie Ao was the first to recover, asking with disbelief written all over his face.
"I wouldn't dare deceive you, Young Master. Some family members were heading out on an assignment just now and passed through that grove. They saw the bodies. Every one of them was killed by a single palm strike. Not one was left alive."
After hearing the servant's report, Jia Lie Ao's face immediately turned livid.
"That bastard Xiao Yan! He actually dared to kill the experts our Jia Lie Family sent out!"
"Father, Xiao Yan is outrageously arrogant! You must kill him and give our Jia Lie Family justice!"
At Jia Lie Ao's words, Jia Lie Bi's expression turned just as ugly.
After all, every man he had sent out had been killed. If word of this spread, the Jia Lie Family would have nowhere to hide its shame.
What troubled Jia Lie Bi even more was that Xiao Yan clearly possessed only the strength of a One-Star Dou Zhe. How could he possibly have killed the men he had sent?
Could Xiao Yan have been hiding his strength all along?
Jia Lie Bi pondered this inwardly, but the most important thing now was to go to the Xiao Clan and demand an explanation.
He looked at Jia Lie Ao and spoke in a grave voice.
"Rest assured, son. Your father certainly won't let this matter rest."
"And I'm going to the Xiao Clan right now. I'll make Xiao Zhan give me an explanation to my face."
With that, he headed toward the Xiao Clan.
Meanwhile, after dealing with the Jia Lie Family's men, Xiao Yan traveled north, continuing toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Xiao Yan did not hurry too much along the way. After all, the Magical Beast Mountain Range was extraordinarily dangerous. Although he was now a seven-star Dou Zhe, that strength still amounted to little within those mountains.
As he traveled, Xiao Yan considered how he would find the Amethyst Winged Lion King once he entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
By evening, Xiao Yan had reached the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Standing at the entrance to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Yan raised his head and looked at the endless mountains stretching before him, feeling a little moved.
"This must be the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It really does have an extraordinary presence."
"I can also take this chance to explore the Magical Beast Mountain Range and experience just how powerful the Amethyst Winged Lion King's oppressive aura is."
"A powerful being comparable to a human Peak Dou Emperor, and the overlord of this Magical Beast Mountain Range besides. It must be no ordinary creature."
He gathered his thoughts, then stepped into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
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