Slaughter

"Boy, you seem to know quite a lot..." A vast aura erupted from He Qian, the full pressure of a Dou Wang expert crashing toward Xiao Yan without restraint. "But the more you know, the sooner you tend to die."

"That perverted son-in-law of yours said something similar to me. Guess what happened to him?" Xiao Yan smiled faintly. In the next instant, Yao Lao's power flowed from the ring into Xiao Yan's body, and an aura far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Wang expert burst from him.

"This aura... a Dou Emperor? How is that possible?" As Xiao Yan unleashed his powerful aura, He Qian's expression stiffened. He had never imagined that this child, not even ten years old and merely a Dou Shi, could unleash power on the level of a Dou Emperor!

"Boy! Don't think you can fool me with some cheap illusion!" After his initial shock, He Qian quickly regained his composure. No matter how outstanding this boy's talent was, becoming a Dou Shi before the age of ten was already inconceivable. As for becoming a Dou Emperor... that was nothing but a fairy tale. It would have been impossible even if he had begun cultivating in his mother's womb!

Thus, he attributed Xiao Yan's Dou Emperor aura to some sort of illusion. Yet, for some reason, unease still lingered in his heart. Rather than attack personally, he waved at the mercenaries around him. "Get him! Kill that boy!"

At He Qian's command, the mercenaries and He Family guards exchanged uncertain looks. Although they could not identify Xiao Yan's Dou Emperor aura as He Qian could, they could still sense that his aura was far stronger than theirs-even stronger than He Qian's. Would attacking him under these circumstances not be courting death?

"What are you afraid of? This boy is just putting on a supernatural act! He isn't even ten years old. How could he possibly have the strength of a Dou Emperor?" Seeing his subordinates hesitate, He Qian roared again. "Whoever kills him will become the next leader of the Snake Nest Mercenary Group! I'll even reward him with a Black Tier cultivation method!"

Lured by He Qian's promises, a few mercenaries finally drew their weapons and charged at Xiao Yan. All of them were above the rank of Five-Star Dou Master. In the original Snake Nest Mercenary Group, their standing had been second only to the three Da Dou Shi. Now, unable to restrain their greed any longer, they rushed at Xiao Yan to kill him.

Facing the mercenaries' furious charge, Xiao Yan merely gave a light wave of his hand. Bone white flame surged forth, and before those Dou Shi mercenaries could even scream, they were burned to ash and scattered through the air.

"Hiss..."

Seeing those Dou Shi reduced to nothing in an instant, everyone present involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air. Their gazes turned terrified as they looked at Xiao Yan. The mercenaries who had yet to attack even felt a little relieved. Thank goodness they had not acted rashly, or those men would not have been the only ones reduced to ash.

"Now, do you still think I'm putting on an act?" Xiao Yan withdrew his hand and cast an indifferent glance at He Qian. A Dou Wang could certainly be considered a regional powerhouse in the Jia Ma Empire, but before Yao Lao, such strength was nowhere near enough. Even without the power of his prime, Yao Lao needed little effort to deal with a Dou Wang like this.

"You..." Having witnessed Xiao Yan kill several Dou Shi in the flick of a finger, He Qian finally became certain that Xiao Yan's strength was nothing like the Dou Shi level he had displayed earlier. In other words, he very likely possessed strength matching his aura-power that He Qian could never contend with!

After all, the Jia Ma Empire had yet to produce a Dou Zong expert. That meant a Dou Emperor stood at the very pinnacle of the empire. Dealing with a mere one-star Dou Wang like him would be effortless.

Just then, He Qian suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly grabbed a bound villager and pressed his blade against the man's throat. "Boy! Throw down your weapon and stay where you are! Otherwise, I won't hold back!"

"Oh!" Xiao Yan looked at He Qian as though he were an idiot. Then he waved his hand again, scattering another wisp of white flame and burning several nearby mercenaries into nothingness. "I'd like to see just how you intend not to hold back."

"Damn you!" Hardening his heart, He Qian swung his blade and killed the villager in his grasp. He hurled the corpse in front of Xiao Yan and snarled, "See that? If you attack again, I'll kill every last one of these people! Surely you don't want to watch so many innocents die right before your eyes?"

"Oh, so I should do as you say and bare my neck for the slaughter? How laughable." Xiao Yan gave a mocking smile. He swung the Xuan Heavy Ruler, cleaving several mercenaries rushing toward him in two. "Do you think your threats work on me?"

"Do it!" Seeing that Xiao Yan remained unmoved, He Qian issued another order. Blades rose and fell, blood sprayed, and heads rolled to the ground, staining the earth red.

"Stop! Don't kill any more!" Xiao Yan had yet to react to the bloody scene, but Xiao Yi Xian, sheltered behind him, could no longer bear it. Seeing this, Xiao Yan snorted coldly and struck her with a knife-hand blow, rendering her temporarily unconscious. He knew this slaughter had only just begun, and what followed would be even bloodier.

"Hahaha!" Perhaps Xiao Yi Xian's distress had given He Qian the wrong impression, for his laughter now grew especially unbridled. "Well? Still won't put down your weapon? If you keep this up, even more people will die because of you!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xiao Yan tilted his head, his expression utterly innocent. "What do you mean, 'die because of me'? What does this have to do with me?"

"These people are dying because you refuse to stop!" He Qian dragged another hostage over. Looking at the terror on the hostage's face, he continued, "Just like before, the more you resist, the more people will die because of you!"

"As expected of someone capable of becoming a family head. You really have no shame." Xiao Yan raised the Xuan Heavy Ruler again. Pitch-black flames swiftly enveloped the heavy ruler, and the instant they surged forth, the surrounding heaven and earth energy erupted into a frenzy. "You're the ones killing them. What does that have to do with me?"

"Wait! Don't you want to save these people?" Watching the energy erupt from Xiao Yan, He Qian felt an unprecedented panic, yet he continued to roar with a fierce front that concealed his inner weakness. "If you don't stop, we'll kill everyone in this village!"

"I don't care. They're the ones you're killing. Why should I stop?" Amid the raging flames, Xiao Yan's smile grew ever brighter. "Whether these people live or die, what does it have to do with me?"