The blazing sun hung high, its scorching rays beating down on Xiao City's walls until the stone was burning hot.
"I never imagined Xiao Clan Chief's strength would be so terrifying. He even killed the experts from the Misty Cloud Sect outright."
"I heard the Misty Cloud Sect sent an elder this time. Their elders have the strength of a Dou Wang!"
"If Xiao Clan Chief could kill a Dou Wang, doesn't that mean his strength has already reached the Dou Wang level, or even surpassed it?"
"Who would have thought the Xiao Clan had hidden itself so deeply? Before this, who could have imagined that the Xiao Clan Leader could kill a Dou Wang expert?"
At the city gates, a dozen or so Xiao Clan disciples stood guard on either side. People passing in and out pointed at the two corpses hanging overhead, talking among themselves.
Some of these passersby were leaving Xiao City, while others had returned from other large cities.
Those returning from elsewhere, or coming here to trade, sighed in disbelief when they heard about the changes to the Xiao Clan, their faces filled with shock.
Who could have imagined that so much would change after just a short time away from Wutan City?
Even Wutan City's name had been changed to Xiao City.
Hearing the passersby's discussions, the Xiao Clan disciples on either side lifted their heads and puffed out their chests, their hearts brimming with pride.
Once, the Xiao Clan had been merely one of Wutan City's three great families.
Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, the Xiao Clan had been an utterly insignificant little clan.
Even within Wutan City, two other families had stood on equal footing with them.
But now, under Clan Leader Xiao Zhan's leadership, the entire Xiao Clan had undergone a change that turned heaven and earth upside down.
They had not only destroyed the other two families and taken control of all of Wutan City.
They had even brazenly renamed Wutan City as Xiao City.
Clan Leader Xiao Zhan also possessed the strength to kill Dou Wang experts and openly challenge a colossus like the Misty Cloud Sect.
In the past, the Xiao Clan disciples would never even have dared to imagine mentioning their clan in the same breath as the Misty Cloud Sect.
But after Xiao Zhan displayed his overwhelming might and killed the Misty Cloud Sect elder, the disciples' awe of the sect had diminished greatly.
The Misty Cloud Sect didn't seem so frightening after all!
Our Xiao Clan Leader killed a Dou Wang elder of the Misty Cloud Sect!
The two corpses hanging above the city gates gave off a pungent stench under the blazing sunlight, but the Xiao Clan disciples below showed no disgust whatsoever.
In their eyes, this was the Xiao Clan's glory!
Although two days had passed since Ge Ye and Zhao Yuan died, the storm stirred up by their deaths still left everyone in Xiao City unable to settle down.
After witnessing Xiao Zhan's terrifying strength, the many factions that had hoped for the Xiao Clan's destruction were filled with disappointment, and even despair.
Xiao Zhan's power made them realize that they would never rise again, much less escape the Xiao Clan's control.
Once they understood this, many factions that had harbored ulterior motives no longer dared to play tricks in secret.
Quite a few even scrambled to join the Xiao Clan's collateral branches, hoping to cling to the clan's powerful thigh.
Xiao Zhan accepted them all, regardless of their motives.
In Xiao Zhan's eyes, as long as he was strong enough, he could suppress everything.
Once he made an even greater name for himself and the Xiao Clan expanded further, these factions would naturally never dare harbor any disloyal thoughts.
The Mittel Auction House.
"Miss Ya Fei, what do you think we should do now?"
In the Meeting Room, Master Gu Ni slumped dejectedly in his chair, looking utterly devoid of fighting spirit.
He had thought that once the Misty Cloud Sect's experts arrived, the Xiao Clan would be ruthlessly crushed, allowing the Mittel Auction House to rise.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Xiao Zhan had concealed such terrifying strength, killing those supposed Misty Cloud Sect experts without so much as the effort of blowing away dust.
He had even brazenly hung the corpses of Ge Ye and the Misty Cloud Sect elder above the city gates.
The overbearing ruthlessness Xiao Zhan displayed left Master Gu Ni unable to muster another thought of opposing him.
Hearing this, Ya Fei beside him also looked bitter, none of her usual shrewdness remaining on her face. With a bitter smile, she said, "Against absolute strength, what options could we possibly have...?"
Whenever she recalled the scene of Xiao Zhan killing a Dou Wang expert that day, a sense of helplessness rose in Ya Fei's heart.
Against an expert like that, what could a weak woman like her possibly do?
Before Xiao Zhan, the Mittel Auction House had no room to resist at all.
Master Gu Ni sighed, then suddenly thought of something. "Miss Ya Fei, why don't we leave this place and flee back to the family?"
The Mittel Family's headquarters were in the Imperial Capital. As long as they escaped there, no matter how capable Xiao Zhan was, he would be unable to touch them.
However, doing so meant handing the Mittel Auction House, which they had painstakingly built up over so many years, over to Xiao Zhan.
Though he hated to part with it, Master Gu Ni was even less willing to leave his fortune and his life in Xiao Zhan's hands.
As long as he returned to the family, his status as a Second-Rank Alchemist would surely earn him an important position again.
Ya Fei glanced at Master Gu Ni and gave a bitter smile, saying with some despair, "It's already too late... By now, everyone inside the Mittel Auction House has been replaced by Xiao Zhan's people. Our every move is under his surveillance..."
"What?"
Master Gu Ni's expression changed at her words.
Ever since witnessing Xiao Zhan's strength, he had been in a daze and had paid no attention to such things. He had never expected Xiao Zhan to act so quickly.
"Are we really left with nothing but to sit and wait for death?" Master Gu Ni asked despairingly.
He believed he had already offended Xiao Zhan, and that Xiao Zhan disliked him as well. If he remained in Xiao City, he would certainly come to no good end.
Just then, Ya Fei suddenly sat upright, an unusual gleam appearing in her eyes. "We aren't entirely without hope."
Master Gu Ni froze, then looked at Ya Fei with renewed anticipation. "Miss Ya Fei, do you have a way out?"
"With my strength, what could I possibly do?"
Ya Fei shook her head, paused briefly, and looked at Master Gu Ni. "Xiao Zhan certainly stole the limelight this time, but he was far too arrogant. Not only did he kill the Misty Cloud Sect elder, he also left his corpse exposed at the city gates. That was undoubtedly a slap in the Misty Cloud Sect's face."
"Do you think the Misty Cloud Sect will sit back and do nothing once this news reaches them?"
At this point, her old shrewdness returned to Ya Fei's face. "As far as I know, Misty Cloud Sect Master Yun Yun has already reached the three-star Dou Huang realm. If she came here personally, do you think Xiao Zhan could withstand her?"
"The Misty Cloud Sect Master..."
After listening to Ya Fei's analysis, Master Gu Ni's eyes lit up, and a trace of hope returned to his face.
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