The next day.
In the Xiao Clan's rear courtyard.
"Brother Jia Lie, Brother Aoba, please take a seat."
Inside the pavilion, Xiao Zhan had already prepared fine wine and sumptuous dishes. With a courteous expression, he addressed Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa, who had come to attend the banquet.
Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa exchanged a glance before slowly taking their seats.
"Come, Brother Jia Lie, Brother Aoba. This is Cloudmist Fine Wine I specially purchased from the Mittel Family. Have a taste."
As soon as Xiao Zhan finished speaking, the two maids beside him obligingly filled the wine cups in front of Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa.
Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa glanced at their wine cups, but neither picked his up to drink.
"Xiao Zhan, out with it. What exactly did you invite us here for today?"
Jia Lie Bi had no patience for idle chatter with Xiao Zhan and cut straight to the point.
"Exactly. Spare us the wine. It's only Cloudmist Fine Wine-my Ao Ba Family can afford it. Just get down to business."
Beside him, Oba Pa nodded in agreement.
They did not dare drink Xiao Zhan's wine.
If he had added something to it, wouldn't both of them meet their downfall here?
The three of them had fought for so many years that they naturally guarded against one another. They would never give Xiao Zhan such an opportunity.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhan understood, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Since you're both so impatient, I, Xiao, will speak plainly."
Xiao Zhan slowly rose and glanced at Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa. The warmth vanished from his face as he spoke unhurriedly.
"I invited you both here today to give you an opportunity. Lead the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family in willingly submitting to my Xiao Clan, and let Wutan City truly become one united whole."
Silence!
The moment Xiao Zhan said this, the atmosphere inside the pavilion fell silent, turning rather eerie.
"Hahaha!"
"Xiao Zhan, has that business with the Misty Cloud Sect driven you out of your mind?"
A moment later, Jia Lie Bi was the first to recover, throwing back his head and laughing loudly.
Oba Pa came to his senses, undisguised disdain spreading across his face. "Xiao Zhan, you think your Xiao Clan alone can make our two great families submit? Hahaha! What virtue or ability does your Xiao Clan possess to deserve that?"
"You don't think publicly provoking the Misty Cloud Sect would make me, Jia Lie Bi, fear you, do you?"
As he spoke, Jia Lie Bi slowly stood, his face full of contempt. "Our Jia Lie Family has no need for this opportunity. You'd better save it for someone else, mighty Clan Leader Xiao."
"Disaster is already looming over your head, yet you're still spouting wild boasts here. Xiao Zhan, oh, Xiao Zhan. I never imagined I'd spent more than a decade fighting a fool like you."
Faced with Xiao Zhan's utterly unreasonable, outrageously arrogant demand.
Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa laughed in anger, taking turns mocking Xiao Zhan without the slightest mercy.
In their eyes, having offended the Misty Cloud Sect, the Xiao Clan would be destroyed sooner or later.
Join the Xiao Clan just to wait for their families to be wiped out alongside it?
Besides, Xiao Zhan's strength hardly qualified him to demand their families' submission.
"Xiao Zhan, if this is all you invited us here for today, then forgive me for not keeping you company."
A cold smile curled Jia Lie Bi's lips. To him, Xiao Zhan had been driven into a corner and was attempting one final, desperate struggle.
How utterly naive.
Even if Wutan City's three great families united, they could never withstand the Misty Cloud Sect's retaliation.
He would not wade into these muddy waters now. All he needed to do was watch the Xiao Clan fall, then step forward and swallow up its businesses.
"So neither of you intends to cooperate?"
Xiao Zhan sat down, picked up a cup of tea, and took a gentle sip. His expression remained unchanged in the face of their biting mockery as he asked the question in an utterly calm tone.
"Sorry, but we simply cannot cooperate on this matter."
Jia Lie Bi answered with a sneer.
Looking at the composed Xiao Zhan, Jia Lie Bi felt somewhat surprised. This fellow could actually remain so calm.
Did he truly have something to rely on, or had he already been driven mad?
"Xiao Zhan, what does your Xiao Clan offending the Misty Cloud Sect have to do with us?"
"Don't worry. For the sake of our many years of acquaintance, once you're dead, I'll have someone give you a proper burial."
"That way, when your son returns someday, he'll still be able to pay his respects at your grave."
Oba Pa looked at Xiao Zhan with a cold smile.
He had received word that Xiao Zhan's useless son had left Wutan City early yesterday morning.
Clearly, Xiao Zhan had done this to save his son's life.
"I, Xiao, have already given you a chance. Since you refuse to cooperate, I'll simply have to act myself."
As he spoke, Xiao Zhan suddenly stood and overturned the table of wine and dishes before him.
"I had hoped to share wine and laughter with you, and that we could work together happily."
"Since you fail to appreciate my goodwill, I, Xiao, will show you no courtesy."
The next instant, under Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa's shocked gazes, a powerful aura erupted from Xiao Zhan.
Beneath that aura, the entire pavilion seemed on the verge of collapse. Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa felt as though an enormous mountain were crushing them, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"Xiao Zhan, you... your strength... this is impossible!"
Feeling the terrifying aura radiating from Xiao Zhan, Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa wore horrified expressions, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Since I dared to offend the Misty Cloud Sect in public, naturally, I have no fear of its retaliation."
"Did you truly think I, Xiao, possessed only the strength of a mere Da Dou Shi?"
Looking at Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa, who were now scared witless, Xiao Zhan curled his lips into a cold smile.
As his words fell, Xiao Zhan blasted out a palm strike, sending both men flying. Its terrifying force shattered their bodies completely, leaving them dead beyond all doubt.
Hearing the commotion, the nearby Xiao Clan members all hurried over.
When they saw Jia Lie Bi's and Oba Pa's corpses lying on the ground, they froze, their eyes turning blank.
"Xiao Shan, pass down my command as clan leader. Gather every member of the Xiao Clan and strike with all our strength. Destroy the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family within one day."
"Slaughter the Jia Lie Family first, then annihilate the Ao Ba Family!"
Xiao Zhan turned and gave the order to a burly man beside him.
Ever since the Three Great Elders had been removed from office, all power in the Xiao Clan had fallen into Xiao Zhan's hands alone.
The burly man before him, Xiao Yuan, had been Xiao Zhan's trusted aide in the past and had now been entrusted with great responsibility.
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
Hearing Xiao Zhan's words, Xiao Yuan recovered from his shock. He gave Xiao Zhan a fervent look, then quickly turned and left.
A short while later, under Xiao Shan's leadership, a large force of Xiao Clan disciples charged toward the Jia Lie Family, their faces brimming with murderous intent.
"Wutan City is only the beginning..."
Xiao Zhan sneered, and with a flash of his figure, he swiftly left the Xiao Clan as well.
Before you continue