That wisp of white flame naturally did not belong to Xiao Yan. It was the Bone Spirit Cold Flame possessed by Yao Lao. He knew just how weak Xiao Yan was now, so he certainly would not treat these three fellows as another opportunity for his disciple to gain experience. In fact, his original intention had been to step in when Xiao Yan faced She Mo. He had never expected the boy to be so fierce that he would kill the man outright.
"He actually... really won!" Xiao Yi Xian, who had been watching from the sidelines, had never imagined that Xiao Yan would truly defeat these powerful opponents. She did not even stop to consider why Xiao Yan, whose face was deathly pale, had the strength to kill three Da Dou Shi in an instant. At that moment, she was wholly immersed in the joy of surviving disaster.
Xiao Yan coughed violently several times, his Dou Qi dropping back to the Dou Shi level. His victory in the earlier battle had not come easily, and with the effects of both the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations and the Power Accumulation Pill expiring, he was now as frail as an old man with one foot in the grave. Had he not still had Yao Lao as his trump card, he truly could have done nothing but bare his neck for those three fellows to slaughter him.
Then again, without Yao Lao, Xiao Yan would never have chosen to confront She Mo head-on. He would certainly have unfurled his Purple Cloud Wings and fled at the first opportunity. With his current strength, defeating a Dou Ling in a direct fight without using the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler might have been difficult, but escaping would still have been easy.
"Using the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations with a Dou Shi's strength is still pushing it..." Feeling the intense pain inside his body, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly, then took a pill for healing internal injuries from his Storage Ring and swallowed it.
"Little fellow, how do you know the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations?" Yao Lao's somewhat puzzled voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind. After all, the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations was the supreme treasure of the Burning Flame Valley. Even his own request to borrow it for a look had been refused back then, which showed just how precious this secret technique was. He had never expected this disciple of his to know it as well.
"When I was little, I happened to save an old man. After he woke up, he was very grateful and gave me a scroll. This Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations thing was written on it, but it only contained the first transformation." Xiao Yan offered the explanation he had prepared long ago.
Naturally, Xiao Yan had not obtained the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations the way he claimed. He had actually acquired it through a chance encounter in his previous life, though what he first obtained had only been an incomplete version. Later, after a series of trials, he met an ancestor of the Xiao Clan and learned that the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations was actually their clan's method for cultivating the Clan Mark.
In his previous life, Xiao Yan had eventually activated the Xiao Clan Mark and naturally obtained the complete Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations as well. However, his version was even more complete than the Burning Flame Valley's, and its capabilities were considerably greater. At best, what the Burning Flame Valley possessed was merely a stripped-down version.
Of course, what Xiao Yan told Yao Lao was not entirely fabricated. Xiao Yan had indeed experienced something similar in his previous life, except that he had not saved anyone. Instead, he had killed that person and plundered everything on his body. The things that person left behind had indeed helped him resolve quite a few troubles in his previous life.
"You lucky fellow. It seems you met an expert from the Burning Flame Valley." Yao Lao could not help sighing in admiration. When Xiao Yan was little, he had still been asleep, so he knew nothing of what Xiao Yan had experienced. Still, this was certainly something those fellows from the Burning Flame Valley might do, so he harbored no further suspicions. After all, Xiao Yan had no reason to lie to him about this.
After taking the pill, Xiao Yan's condition improved considerably. Though his body was still somewhat weak, he would return to normal after resting for a while. Right now, however, he had something more important to do. He glanced at Xiao Yi Xian and said, "Wait here. I'm going to take care of something."
"What are you going to do?"
"Wipe out those fellows outside, of course." Xiao Yan smiled calmly. Although he had killed the leaders of the Snake Nest Mercenary Group, there were still plenty of mercenaries outside. If they banded together, they could pose a considerable threat to him, especially while he was still weakened. That was why Xiao Yan intended to strike first and kill them all.
"Huh? You're going to kill the other members of the Snake Nest Mercenary Group?" Xiao Yi Xian was startled by his words. She hurriedly stopped him and said, "There's no need for that, is there? Those mercenaries outside are only trying to earn a living. They haven't done anything wrong. Killing these leaders is enough. There's no need to kill anyone else."
"Naive." Xiao Yan gave a cold laugh. Since the two sides had already become enemies, he naturally had no intention of showing mercy. In his eyes, any survivor was a potential source of trouble. Even if most of the people here truly would not seek revenge against them, there would always be one or two stubborn fools. Xiao Yan could not be bothered to waste effort determining whether these people were loyal or not. As far as he was concerned, cutting them all down was the best solution.
Xiao Yi Xian, however, was different. She was a physician, and these mercenaries were the people she usually treated. She knew very well what sort of lives they led. Moreover, she was kindhearted by nature. How could she stand by and watch Xiao Yan slaughter these low-ranking mercenaries? "Think about it. These mercenaries have elderly parents and young children to support. If you kill them, what will happen to their families?"
"You're right. I didn't think it through." At Xiao Yi Xian's words, Xiao Yan put on a thoughtful expression. Seeing him waver, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to strike while the iron was hot and persuade him to spare those people, she heard him continue, "How could I forget that these people have families? Just killing them isn't enough. When you cut the grass, you have to pull up the roots."
"That's not what I meant!!" Xiao Yi Xian had never expected a single remark from her to turn Xiao Yan's plan to wipe out a Mercenary Corps into slaughtering entire families.
"Heh, I was only joking." Just then, Xiao Yan suddenly smiled and said, "Since you want to spare them, have it your way."
Xiao Yi Xian, who had still been wondering how to persuade Xiao Yan to abandon his idea, was taken aback by his sudden change of attitude. Looking at his utterly harmless expression, she could not help inwardly scolding herself for being muddleheaded. He was clearly just a bright, cheerful young man... how could he possibly slaughter someone's entire family? I was such a fool.
What she did not know, however, was that Xiao Yan truly had considered cutting the grass and pulling up the roots, and that intention had not faded even now. Nor had he refrained from acting because Xiao Yi Xian had persuaded him. He simply could not be bothered to lecture her. Perhaps very soon, Xiao Yi Xian would experience the consequences of being softhearted and staying her hand.
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