The Girl

The Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family had eyes and ears throughout Wutan City.

These informants were all ordinary people with almost no Dou Qi.

When an ordinary Dou Zhe focused on someone, their Dou Qi would unconsciously seep out, making them easy for other Dou Zhe to detect.

Ordinary people had no such ability whatsoever, which was precisely why Jia Lie Bi had chosen them.

This time, Jia Lie Bi had stationed more than two hundred ordinary informants throughout Wutan City, each responsible only for their assigned area.

They stayed in contact entirely through Messaging Spirit Pearls, which could transmit messages within a certain distance and generally cost around twenty gold coins apiece.

Ordinary people could never afford to spend so much money on them. The Jia Lie Family had funded everything behind the scenes.

To eliminate Xiao Yan, the Jia Lie Family had truly poured out its lifeblood this time. Those hundreds of Messaging Spirit Pearls alone amounted to tens of thousands of gold coins.

Compared with the rest of their arrangements, however, this was the least noteworthy part.

Even Jia Lie Bi himself had not remained idle. He had left the family estate early and made his way into Wutan City.

He had only one task: to keep a close watch on Xiao Zhan's movements.

Of all the Xiao Clan's members, only its sole Da Dou Shi had the strength to break through the many layers of his scheme.

But as long as he kept Xiao Zhan occupied, even if Xiao Zhan noticed something wrong beforehand, he could forget about coming to Xiao Yan's aid.

He had spent three years preparing this plan, calculating every step down to the last detail.

Even if Xiao Yan had already advanced to Dou Shi, he would undoubtedly die today!

"Xiao Yan has appeared on Xiangyou Street and entered the Jade Treasure Shop."

"Xiao Yan has left the Jade Treasure Shop and headed toward Fanying Street."

"Xiao Yan has been inside the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for an hour."

"Xiao Yan has left the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and is heading toward the Azure Cloud Market."

Xiao Yan's every move was under close surveillance. The ordinary people watching him only needed to report his latest movements, and their task was complete.

Jia Lie Bi would never let these people recklessly follow Xiao Yan. An ordinary person trying to tail a Dou Zhe was nothing but a fool's dream.

But if they merely glanced at him, Xiao Yan would not think much of it even if he noticed their gazes.

"Xiao Yan has entered the Treasure Stall in the Azure Cloud Market and hasn't come out for two hours."

With the informants' final report, Jia Lie Bi knew the time had come.

"Everyone, take your positions. Split into four groups and enter through the Treasure Stall's eastern, southern, western, and northern entrances. Make absolutely certain Xiao Yan dies here!"

"Yes!"

The death warriors Jia Lie Bi had trained set out one after another. With the Ao Ba Family's reinforcements, nearly twenty Dou Zhe entered the Treasure Stall in the Azure Cloud Market at once.

Meanwhile, after these several hours, the Shadow Tower's assassins had almost reached Wutan City as well.

Even if these Dou Zhe death warriors could not kill Xiao Yan, once the Shadow Tower's assassins arrived, his death would be certain!

At that moment, Xiao Yan was looking with interest at a pair of white pearls on a stall.

"Shopkeeper, what are these?"

The vendors at the Treasure Stall sourced their goods from all over the world, displaying all manner of unusual objects.

Often, even the vendors themselves did not recognize some of their wares.

"Hehehe, sir, you certainly have a good eye. These are Image-Reflecting Pearls. Just pour in some Dou Qi, and the pearls will display that person's likeness.

"These are fine treasures I picked up elsewhere. If you really like them, you can have both for a hundred gold coins."

Yet the instant the vendor named his price, Xiao Yan's expression turned grave.

"Sir, if you think that's too expensive, we can still negotiate. How about eighty gold coins? If that won't do, seventy-five is fine too."

Thinking Xiao Yan was displeased because the price was unreasonable, the vendor began lowering it of his own accord.

"Here are a hundred and fifty gold coins. I'll take the pearls. Also, shopkeeper, you'd better pack up quickly. There's going to be a fierce battle here very soon."

Xiao Yan tossed him a pouch and put the pair of pearls into his Storage Ring.

The vendor was in his forties and was also a Two-Star Dou Zhe. Feeling the killing intent radiating from Xiao Yan, he knew the young man was not lying.

He immediately rolled up his blue cloth and hurried away with all his goods.

By now, the dozen or so Dou Zhe around Xiao Yan had begun forming an encirclement, and every exit had been sealed.

Xiao Yan had sensed the waves of killing intent beforehand. Sweeping his awareness over the area, he discovered more than a dozen Dou Zhe approaching him.

Although they were well disguised and looked like ordinary passersby, they could not conceal their killing intent.

Xiao Yan had only himself to blame for being so absorbed in choosing Xun'er's birthday present that he had failed to notice their presence from the start.

"Seventeen Dou Zhe in all, every one of them Five-Star or above, and they're all coming for me. They've certainly spared no expense."

Xiao Yan instantly assessed their numbers and strength, all but confirming that he was their target.

He did not believe he had offended anyone. There was only one explanation for such a situation: his existence posed a threat to someone else.

As for who could deploy this many Dou Zhe, he could have figured it out with his backside. It had to be the other two major families opposing the Xiao Clan.

Still, if they had sent only these Dou Zhe, they were underestimating him far too much.

Xiao Yan did not choose a direction to break through. These people were perfect for testing the fruits of his years of cultivation.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

The death warriors drew ever closer. Once they were ten meters away, they abandoned all pretense and drew their weapons.

The four Dou Zhe at the front wasted no words. Their Dou Qi erupted as they charged straight at Xiao Yan.

"Black Tier, Intermediate Level-Wind Spirit Splitting Sword!"

Just as Xiao Yan was about to act, countless sword shadows burst forth from behind him, repelling the four Dou Zhe's combined attack with a single person's strength!

All the death warriors froze. Even Xiao Yan was startled, surprised by this person's intervention.

"So many of you ganging up on one person. Have you grown-ups no shame?"

A girl's clear, lilting voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

She wore a moon-white robe, with a striking Cloud-Shaped Silver Sword Emblem on its cuff.

"Someone from the Misty Cloud Sect?"

She was breathtakingly beautiful and around Xiao Yan's age. At least among everyone Xiao Yan had ever seen, only Xiao Xun-

'er could surpass the girl before him.

"Thank you for lending a hand, miss."

Although Xiao Yan could have dealt with that attack himself, he still thanked the girl out of courtesy.

The girl, however, brushed aside his thanks. "Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't trying to help you. I just thought so many people ganging up on you alone was an utterly ugly sight."

Her words made Xiao Yan smile inwardly. So she's the prickly type.