They had both become Yao Lao's disciples. Back in Wutan City, his Senior Brother had taken good care of him, and Xiao Yan had remembered every bit of it. Only later, when Xiao Fan left early to gain experience in the outside world, had the two gradually gone their separate ways.
Now his father's fate was unknown, his teacher had fallen into the Hall of Souls' hands, and Xun'er had returned to her clan. The enormous burden of the Xiao Clan rested on his shoulders. Back then, he had owed much to his Senior Brother and his sister-in-law You Ruo. Without them, the Xiao Clan would probably have been left in utter shambles...
Watching Xiao Fan continue to probe the magical beast's dried corpse, Xiao Yan suppressed his emotions and stepped forward. "Senior Brother, is there anything else I can help with?"
"It's fine. Leave it to me."
Xiao Fan answered Xiao Yan softly without turning around, the sharp sword in his hand continuing to glide back and forth across the magical beast's dried corpse.
Soon, he had cut off all ten spikes on the magical beast's claws. They looked utterly withered, however, with wrinkled skin clinging to them-a thoroughly disgusting sight.
After cutting off the claws, Xiao Fan summoned his Heavenly Flames and tossed the severed spikes into them. Under the flames' scorching heat, the impurities clinging to the spikes were quickly removed. Ten crystalline spikes fell out of the Heavenly Flames and struck the ground.
Several spikes fell straight down, piercing directly into the floor paved with hard bluestone. The sight left Xiao Yan, who was watching nearby, deeply startled.
Xiao Fan showed no surprise at the spikes on the ground. Picking one up, he drew it across the sword he had just used. A shallow groove instantly