"Good!"
"Well said! That's what I expect of my son!"
"Ao, your father will never become a burden to you. Just as you said, as long as you live, our Jia Lie Family will surely rise again!"
"Clansmen, for the glory of our family, take your own lives!"
"Ao will avenge us!"
Jia Lie Bi struggled desperately in Xiao Yan's grip, yet the words he spoke showed surprising backbone.
"The family head is right. The young master has the potential to become a Dou Emperor. We must never become burdens to him."
"Everyone, this old man will go on ahead. I will await you beneath the Nine Springs."
The Jia Lie Family's First Elder was the first to answer Jia Lie Bi's call. He immediately struck his own forehead with his palm, ending his life.
"..." Xiao Yan was speechless.
Who would have thought the Jia Lie Family really had someone unafraid of death!
"I... I don't want to die here! I just took a concubine. How can I die like this?"
"Lord Dou Wang, spare me! Please, spare my life!"
The First Elder's death stirred the clansmen's fighting spirit. Some of the younger members had even resolved to die rather than submit to Xiao Yan.
But before they could speak, the Jia Lie Family's Second Elder, Jia Lie Nu, suddenly crawled on his knees to Xiao Yan, kowtowing ceaselessly as he begged for mercy.
The young clansmen whose blood had just been fired up felt their hearts jolt.
The Second Elder was right!
They were still young. They hadn't enjoyed all the wonderful things life had to offer, and some of them didn't even have girlfriends yet.
Wouldn't dying like this be far too much of a waste?
Besides, this man was clearly after Jia Lie Ao. It had nothing to do with them. They didn't need to throw their lives away alongside him!
"You bastard! Jia Lie Nu, you..."
Jia Lie Bi was about to berate Jia Lie Nu and tell him not to lead the clansmen astray.
But before he could finish, Jia Lie Nu interrupted him.
"Family head, you're so noble! You're so impressive! Your son has made something of himself, so you can smile in the Nine Springs!"
"But we're different. We still have so many regrets in our lives."
"You can sacrifice your life for your own son, but you cannot deprive our clansmen of their right to live!"
"Especially the young ones! They still have wonderful lives ahead of them. They shouldn't die here!"
Jia Lie Nu spoke with tears and snot streaming down his face, successfully stirring the emotions of every clansman.
Those who had been hot-blooded and ready to embrace death felt all that surging blood drain away.
Their emotions settled, too. With a moment's thought, they realized Jia Lie Nu truly had a point!
He was the one who wholeheartedly cared for the family!
Jia Lie Bi merely wanted his own son to survive.
He was a selfish family head!
No, he no longer deserved to be the head of the Jia Lie Family!
"Second Elder, so you were the one who truly had our family's interests at heart!"
"Exactly! I've always wondered why we had to leave Wutan City when we were doing perfectly well there and move to this backwater. Now that I think about it, Jia Lie Bi and his son must have had some secret, unspeakable purpose!"
"Second Elder, we're willing to support you as our family head. Lead us back! Let's return to Wutan City!"
The clansmen who knew nothing of the truth were now utterly disappointed in Jia Lie Bi.
What right did such a selfish family head have to demand their support?
The Second Elder was the one who truly cared about them and sought a better life for the clan!
Pfft!
Their words sent blood churning through Jia Lie Bi's chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"To think our Jia Lie Family is full of nothing but cowards who cling to life and fear death!"
"Ao, your father is useless. I cannot help you achieve your grand ambitions!"
"But I will never become your burden. Go ahead and act without restraint. Your father will go on ahead!"
Jia Lie Bi roared those words.
As soon as he finished, he severed his own heart meridians and died.
"Father!"
Jia Lie Ao, who was exchanging blows with Mittel Tengshan, felt his resolve waver at the sight.
This father he'd acquired had actually gone so far for him.
Yet every other clansman thought only of themselves.
Not a single one was willing to die for him!
They didn't deserve the Jia Lie surname!
"Father, may your journey be peaceful!"
"Your son will send those spineless cowards down to keep you company!"
"I won't spare those two bastards who drove you to your death, either!"
Jia Lie Ao's eyes turned blood-red, and a dense killing intent radiated from him. At the same time, his aura surged once more.
Dou Ling, Dou Wang, Dou Emperor, Peak Dou Emperor!
In just a few breaths, Jia Lie Ao's strength skyrocketed from Peak Dou Ling to Peak Dou Emperor.
"Peak Dou Emperor?"
"Little fellow, be careful!"
"He must have used some secret technique to raise his strength to Peak Dou Emperor."
The change in Jia Lie Ao's aura prompted the Medicine Emperor to warn Xiao Yan with some concern.
"Dou Emperor?"
"This aura definitely belongs to a Dou Emperor, and a high-level one at that!"
Mittel Tengshan felt his scalp prickle as he sensed that aura.
He had once seen Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master, in battle.
But even Yun Yun fell far short of Jia Lie Ao as he was now.
"All of you, die!"
As Jia Lie Ao's aura soared to Peak Dou Emperor, Dou Qi Wings appeared behind him, and he rose into the air.
Then flames filled the sky, sweeping outward like a tidal wave and engulfing all of Qingshan Town.
"Run!"
"Bastards, bastards... so what if you're powerful? Fight if you want to, but why drag innocent people like us into it?"
"Damn it! Once I've made something of my cultivation, I'll settle the score with all three of them!"
The residents of Qingshan Town all fled toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The tidal wave of flames was about to swallow Qingshan Town. Now they could only curse their parents for not giving them another pair of legs.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range!
"What happened?"
"Why are flames suddenly soaring into the sky over Qingshan Town?"
Xiao Yi Xian, who was gathering medicinal herbs in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, raised her delicate head slightly. Her beautiful eyes turned toward Qingshan Town as she murmured to herself.
Fortunately, she wasn't in Qingshan Town. Otherwise, she would certainly have been caught in the aftermath of the battle between Xiao Yan and the others.
"Something's happened in Qingshan Town!"
The mercenaries escorting Xiao Yi Xian also sensed that something was wrong, and their expressions grew exceedingly grave.
Even the ruler of the eastern Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, flew out of his cave, his blood-red beast eyes gleaming purple as he stared fixedly toward Qingshan Town.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on triggering a god-tier choice!"
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