"Hehe, this little girl is so pretty! I haven't seen such a gem in ages."
"Hehe, Boss Zhao, isn't that young master's favorite type? If we take her back, wouldn't that be..."
"Gagagagagag!"
On the street, as the crowd dispersed, a group of figures dressed in white blocked Xiao Yan path. Beside the young man at the head of the group, a short, thin, and lewd man whispered something in Xiao Yan young man's ear, followed by a series of strange, cacophony laughs. At the same time, a pair of deep-set eyes brazenly scanned Lian'er's delicate body, as if inspecting an object.
As for the icy gaze that Xiao Yan shot at him, the young man merely glanced at it indifferently. Surrounded by the crowd around him, he waited a moment before turning his contemptuous gaze back to Xiao Yan, smirking and saying with disdain:
"This girl stays. You guys, collect your Spirit Stone at the back, and then you can leave."
As soon as the young man's laughter subsided, he strode towards Lian'er with a sinister smile, completely disregarding the gloomy expressions on Xiao Yan and his companion's faces. The passersby could only shake their heads inwardly and cast sympathetic glances at Xiao Yan and the others. Although this man rarely came to Tianyang City, encountering him was nothing short of unfortunate.
The two sides were only about ten feet apart. The young man took a step and was in front of Lian'er in the blink of an eye. With a sinister smile on his face, he raised a palm and stretched it out towards Lian'er's smooth face. At the same time, the others behind him stepped forward to block Xiao Yan and his companion. Judging from their appearance, they had probably done this kind of thing many times before.
However, this time, just as this group of people approached Xiao Yan and his companion with sneers, Xiao Yan completely ignored them. He turned and stared intently at the young man who was about to attack Lian'er. As the crowd moved forward, he took a step forward, and instantly, a powerful aura swept outward from his body like a storm. The terrifying pressure instantly blasted back the group of people who had come forward, leaving the onlookers horrified!
Almost at the same moment Xiao Yan took that step, his figure appeared in front of the young man, raised one hand, grabbed the young man's wrist, and with a slight twist, the young man's entire body instantly bent over uncontrollably.
"You damned bastard, do you know who I am?! I'm Zhao Mingjie!"
As a painful scream rang out, the young man also roared angrily. With a thought, his internal Origin Qi was about to explode, but then Xiao Yan kicked Zhao Mingjie in the abdomen. The powerful force dispersed the Origin Qi that had just been gathered in his body, and his body flew backward, crashing heavily into the group of white-robed men.
"Ahem... Kid, you actually dared to raid this dungeon..."
"Roll!"
Zhao Mingjie stumbled to his feet in the arms of the crowd, his angry curses still lingering. But Xiao Yan's words sent a jolt through his ears, his face turning ashen, and his anger flared. His voice became hoarse.
"All of you, get him! Kill this little bastard!"
This time, however, the people around him looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one dared to make a move. As for the sleazy man from before, he had disappeared without a trace.
The imposing aura that had just surged from Xiao Yan's body had already demonstrated the strength of the person before them: a powerful expert at the Yuan Zong level. Among them, the strongest was only Origin Emperor, and most were only at the early stage of Origin King. While such a lineup would be quite stressful for ordinary people, it posed no threat whatsoever in front of an Yuan Zong expert. Asking them to kill him now would be tantamount to suicide.
"A bunch of useless trash! What have I been doing feeding you all all this time?!"
Seeing that none of the people around him dared to make a move, Zhao Mingjie's expression became even more unpleasant. The white-clad men beside him couldn't help but grumble inwardly. Although Zhao Mingjie was the young master of the Zhao Clan, it was actually the head of the Zhao Clan family who supported them. To be honest, this man had never given them a single benefit. If it weren't for the orders of the Zhao Clan family head, they wouldn't have let this guy do whatever he wanted.
At this moment, Xiao Yan, accompanied by the two behind him, stepped forward with a cold expression. With each step, the powerful pressure emanating from his body spread outward, along with a sharp killing intent. They had no doubt that once this pressure descended upon them, it would be the moment the black-robed youth made his move. Immediately, the surrounding crowd scattered, and even the white-robed men surrounding Zhao Mingjie retreated with fear on their faces. Zhao Mingjie, however, stared angrily at Xiao Yan, his Origin Qi gathering again, and killing intent surging in his eyes.
"Die!"
Suddenly, Zhao Mingjie let out a fierce roar, his expression instantly turning ferocious. As he charged forward, he spun his hand, rapidly condensing the Origin Qi within, which instantly transformed into a sharp longsword. With a swift movement, he flashed directly towards Xiao Yan and the others, his chilling killing intent causing the few passersby around to pale in shock.
However, seeing Zhao Mingjie rushing forward, Xiao Yan's face remained cold. As he continued to step forward, he slowly raised one hand and gently clenched it in mid-air. Instantly, Zhao Mingjie's forward-rushing figure abruptly stopped in mid-air. In the surrounding void, tiny black lines appeared, ready to slice Zhao Mingjie into countless fragments at Xiao Yan's slightest thought.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to make his move, the crowd on one side of the road quickly made way for him. A middle-aged man dressed in blue emerged from the crowd looking somewhat hurried, followed closely by the sleazy man who had disappeared earlier.
"Sir, could you please have mercy?"
As soon as the middle-aged man appeared, he sensed the danger of the situation on the field. Without any hesitation, he quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xiao Yan and the others, and said solemnly.
Upon seeing the middle-aged man before him, Xiao Yan paused slightly in his movements. His gaze swept over the man, then his brow furrowed, and he said in a deep voice:
"You're going to stand up for him?"
With Xiao Yan's keen eyesight, he could naturally tell that the middle-aged man in front of him was a Nine-Star Yuan Zong. Such cultivation was much stronger than the two elders of the Bai Clan he had encountered in Sacred Gold City. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have stopped there.
After all, he was a Nine-Star Yuan Zong with considerable strength. If things continued to escalate, he would likely not gain any advantage in Tianyang City.
"Sir, you misunderstand. I am An Nan, the head of the An Clan family in Tianyang City. I have no connection with him. However, if you wish to kill him, you should first consider the people behind him."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting again and quickly revealed his identity.
You mean the Xiao Clan?
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. If that was the case, then he had even less reason to care. If the Xiao Clan would cause him trouble because of such a mischievous person, then he might as well not go to this so-called Xiao Clan.
However, An Nan shook his head and slowly said:
"It's his father, the head of the Zhao Clan family in Liyang City. That guy's cultivation has already reached the Yuan Zun. I hope you can consider his situation carefully!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and smiled at An Nan, withdrew his hand, and gave the latter a light fist salute. Seeing this, An Nan smiled and nodded, finally feeling relieved.
"You brat, you just wait! I'll make you pay back today's debt double!"
Without Xiao Yan's control, Zhao Mingjie's body crashed to the ground. As he got up in a disheveled state, he uttered vicious words filled with resentment.
"Bang!"
The instant Zhao Mingjie finished speaking, Xiao Yan's figure flashed, appearing in front of him in the blink of an eye. With a wave of his hand, he slapped Zhao Mingjie hard, sending him flying. Blood spurted out as he was smashed into the crowd behind him. When the crowd looked, he was already deathly pale, half of his face was rapidly swelling up, and he had fallen into a coma.
Seeing this, An Nan could only shake his head helplessly. Zhao Mingjie's fate was entirely his own fault. He had just been forcibly pulled back from the brink of death, yet he dared to utter such provocative words. It was already a miracle that Xiao Yan hadn't killed him.
"You ungrateful wretch."
He muttered to himself, "To be honest, if this hadn't happened on the An Clan's territory, An Nan really wouldn't have bothered to show his face. Everyone is fed up with Zhao Mingjie's bad reputation. He's just relying on his father, who has reached the Yuan Zun level. Otherwise, how could he have survived until now?"
Having dealt with Zhao Mingjie, Xiao Yan didn't linger any longer. He nodded slightly to the two behind him and continued walking forward. Passersby quickly made way for him, and Bai Hua and Lian'er followed closely behind. Just as they were about to cross An Nan, the latter spoke again, smiling slightly:
"Judging from the direction you're heading, are you perhaps going to Xiao City?"
Xiao City is the ancestral home of the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yan paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
"Hehe, since you're going to Xiao City, sir, you should be careful. Although Zhao Mingjie has a bad reputation outside, he does have some connections within the Xiao Clan. You should be cautious."
"Thanks for reminding me."
Xiao Yan lightly clasped his hands in a fist salute, smiled slightly, and then lifted his feet to continue walking slowly towards the end of the street. In the blink of an eye, the three of them completely disappeared at the end of the street.
Watching Xiao Yan and the other two disappear, An Nan narrowed his eyes, then glanced at Zhao Mingjie, who was surrounded by the crowd, gave a cold snort, and with a flick of his sleeve, walked back the way he came.