Xiao Yan's soul force surged wildly from between his brows and entered Liu Huabai's body, probing it all over. In just a moment, Xiao Yan had a clear understanding of the lingering effects inside Liu Huabai's body.
Liu Huabai had suffered from these lingering effects for ten years. After accumulating over so many years, they were no longer something a clan like Liu Huabai's could easily eliminate. Three years ago, with the Liu Clan's wealth, Liu Huabai's lingering effects could have been cured long ago if the clan had been willing to pay a steep price. Unfortunately, discord within the Liu Clan had made the lingering effects not only difficult to remove, but secretly caused them to grow more severe. Had Xiao Yan not happened to arrive now, Liu Huabai's injuries would probably have flared up within two years, leaving him gravely injured and dead.
As Xiao Yan explained the situation to Liu Huabai, he sensed the hidden injuries inside his body. A moment later, Xiao Yan smiled faintly, then reached into the void and took out a medicinal pill for him to swallow. Liu Huabai, however, paid no attention to the pill's grade. He simply stared in a daze at the hand with which Xiao Yan had casually torn open the void. Only when an immense surge of medicinal power suddenly spread through his body did Liu Huabai abruptly come to his senses and hurriedly summon his Dou Qi to refine it.
Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged. Looking as calm as ever, he sat beside the tea table and drank his tea. Only the slight furrow between his brows revealed a trace of impatience in his heart, but he said nothing and continued to wait quietly.
That night, Qingyang City, the Wu Clan estate.
"Bang!"
Wu Bai, the Wu Clan head, slammed his palm down on the table, smashing the entire nanmu table into pieces. His eyes brimmed with boundless killing intent, and waves of presence belonging to a Peak Dou Zong surged from his body. Everyone in the clan's council hall let out muffled grunts and retreated outside, leaving Wu Bai alone in the hall, bellowing in rage.
"Hmph! What a Liu Clan! What a Liu Huabai! You dare oppose me to my face? Good! Since you, Liu Huabai, think the Liu Clan has existed a little too long, I'll put an end to it here for you! Hmph! Guards!" Wu Bai roared toward the outside of the hall, his face filled with viciousness. The next moment, a clan guard immediately ran in, and Wu Bai roared again:
"Go and see whether the grand elder has emerged from seclusion. He said he would break through and come out today. The moment the old man emerges will be the day the Liu Clan is wiped out!"
"Hehe, there's no need for concern, Clan Head. I've already come out. I just wonder when you intend to go and wipe out the Liu Clan?"
As soon as Wu Bai finished speaking, an elderly man in coarse hemp robes, his face aged, appeared at the entrance to the hall. The old man had naturally learned long ago what had happened that day, and he knew his clan head's temperament quite well. If Wu Bai said he would act the next day, he would never let his opponent live until the next morning. That was why he had asked.
Wu Bai looked at the hemp-robed elder as he walked slowly into the hall, a broad smile on his face, and said:
"Now that the grand elder has emerged from seclusion, this is the perfect time to wipe out the Liu Clan!"
A somewhat sinister smile appeared at the corner of the hemp-robed elder's mouth. Without further discussion, the two walked out of the hall. Amid a clamor of footsteps, all the Wu Clan's elite members assembled, awaiting Wu Bai's command to attack the Liu estate.
Naturally, such a large movement by the Wu Clan could not escape the Liu Clan's notice. Besides, with victory already in their grasp, why should the Wu Clan sneak around? They marched openly, their footsteps shaking the air. The whole of Qingyang City grew somewhat noisy as people debated the outcome of the coming battle between the Wu and Liu Clans. Some hoped the Liu Clan would win, because the conduct of its members had earned the genuine respect of the people of Qingyang City. More, however, could only sigh. The Liu Clan might be good, but its fortune had run out, and its decline was an unstoppable tide. Even if it survived, its members could only live forever as homeless dogs, wandering from place to place. How could they ever rise again?
The Liu estate.
In contrast, the Liu Clan was peaceful and calm. No one felt any tension over the great battle that was about to come. They went about their own business as though none of it concerned them. They naturally knew the Wu Clan was about to attack, but with a senior as overwhelmingly powerful as Xiao Yan in the clan, what could the Wu Clan do even if it came out in full force? Would it not be driven back in defeat all the same? It was even possible that its entire force would be annihilated and die at the Liu estate. Though the others thought this way, Liu Huabai did not. Looking at the idle clan members, he wore a worried expression. How could the Liu Clan entrust its entire survival and decline to a senior it had met less than a day ago? Besides, Xiao Yan was only staying with the Liu Clan now because of the slight favorable impression he had of Liu Xiang. What did the Liu Clan's fate have to do with him? Thus, to rouse his clan, Liu Huabai had no choice but to tell everyone that Xiao Yan would not concern himself with the Liu Clan's affairs. They were all startled and began to stir, but just then, the clash of weapons and thunder of horses rang out beyond the estate. By the time the Liu Clan members came to their senses, it was too late. The great battle had arrived.
Liu Huabai frowned deeply as he looked beyond the estate gates. There were two presences there that filled him with deep apprehension. Compared with Xiao Yan's presence, which was so subdued it was hard to detect, these two sent an icy chill through his entire body. When the rest of the Liu Clan sensed the two powerful presences, their faces turned deathly pale with terror. Even the most basic fighting spirit a cultivator should possess vanished without a trace. Faced with absolute power, they ultimately chose to retreat in defeat. That power was not something they could contend with; it was simply too great. Even if the clan head, the first elder, and four others joined forces, they could never be their opponents. Unless-unless Xiao Yan intervened. But Xiao Yan had now made it quite clear that he would not. In that case, was there any need to fight this battle?
Seeing his clan members' deathly pale faces, Liu Huabai's thoughts raced. At last, he thought of a way and shouted to them:
"Are you really willing to admit defeat like this? Your despair will only make Senior Xiao Yan's slight favorable impression of our Liu Clan vanish completely! Without the courage to fight, how can we earn Senior Xiao Yan's regard and help? How can a clan without strength or courage gain his support? Come on! Show your courage and let Senior Xiao Yan see our worth! Fight! With our blood, win ten thousand generations of glory for the Liu Clan! Get up, all of you! Charge, damn it! Go and kill those Wu Clan bastards!" Liu Huabai grew more impassioned as he spoke, and by the end he was practically roaring at them. The many Liu Clan cultivators were swept up by his words. They raised their hands high and shouted in unison:
"Fight! Beat those Wu Clan curs and show them the Liu Clan breeds no cowards! Kill them all! Fight! Fight! For ten thousand generations of glory for the clan! Fight!"
In an instant, the Liu Clan members were roused by that still distant and uncertain future glory. They circulated the Dou Qi in their bodies, and streaks of light accompanied by multicolored Dou Qi soared into the sky. As their momentum rose, everyone in the Liu estate who possessed any strength, regardless of age, sex, or power, sent Dou Qi surging wildly from their bodies. It formed curtains of brilliant, multicolored light that enveloped the entire Liu estate. Even the five elders who had been resting after Xiao Yan injured them now released the distinctive presence of Dou Zong experts. Forcing their bodies onward, they walked toward the gates of the Liu estate.
In the guest room, Xiao Yan's lips also curved up slightly, and he murmured to himself:
"This Liu Clan isn't so bad after all. Perhaps it really is worth lending them a hand."
Outside the Liu estate, a large group of cultivators in black robes, their faces covered with black cloth, had surrounded the entire property so tightly that not even water could have passed through. Everyone watched the Liu Clan gates with nervousness and a touch of excitement. From the shouts that had just come from inside the estate, they could tell that the Liu Clan truly intended to fight their clan with all its strength. As the saying went, when two tigers fought, one was bound to be injured. Although the Wu Clan now held an almost complete advantage, the Liu Clan's willingness to shout and make such a commotion minutes before the battle meant it had some support unknown to them. In that case, they needed to be extremely careful. This, however, applied only to the ordinary members of the Wu Clan. As for the hemp-robed elder, so long as there was no one on the same level as him, he was fully confident he could take down the Liu Clan. Thus, he merely scoffed at the Liu Clan's reaction and paid it no mind.
With a creak, the gates of the Liu estate slowly opened. Hundreds of figures filed out, each holding a weapon and glaring at the Wu Clan members like a tiger eyeing its prey. Liu Huabai surveyed the people the Wu Clan had brought from afar. Altogether, they probably outnumbered the Liu Clan by a considerable margin, and his heart sank slightly. With these additional people and the two presences that filled even him with apprehension, the Liu Clan would probably struggle to make it through the day without Xiao Yan's help. And whether Xiao Yan would intervene remained unknown. Liu Huabai could not help sighing inwardly.
Liu Huabai was just about to step out of the gate when an arm suddenly settled on his left shoulder. Turning around, he saw that the first elder had come to fight despite his injuries. Judging by his pale face, he was probably in no condition to fight. Liu Huabai was just about to persuade him to go back when the first elder suddenly said:
"Clan Head, there's no need. Whatever else I may be, I'm a member of the Liu Clan. Even injured, I must fight for the clan. After what happened today, I understand now. That senior was right: I was too concerned with power. How can a clan be arrogant? Those ancient clans take humility as the foundation of their continued existence. What right does a small border clan like ours have to survive through arrogance? If our Liu Clan survives today, I will no longer meddle in clan affairs. Everything will be up to you, Clan Head!" The first elder spoke so sincerely that Liu Huabai found it hard to argue. Moreover, the first elder was now gravely injured, so Liu Huabai could only nod in agreement. The two then looked toward the Wu Clan head, Wu Bai, and the hemp-robed elder.
The moment the first elder met the hemp-robed elder's eyes, his pupils abruptly contracted, his mouth fell open, and shock appeared on his face. After a long while, he stammered out a few words:
"You... you... you're not dead!"
A cruel smile appeared on the hemp-robed elder's face as he smiled and spoke to the Liu Clan's first elder:
"Well? Aren't you excited to see me? That's right! I'm not dead. Not only am I alive, I've attained the strength of a Dou Zun! Well? Aren't you happy to hear this wonderful news? Hahaha!"
The Liu Clan's first elder and the others were shaken. Their eyes narrowed sharply as they stared at the hemp-robed elder in shock. A Dou Zun was a supreme existence who might not appear in Qingyang City even once in a hundred years. With a Dou Zun here, what did their Liu Clan amount to?
"You've become a Dou Zun expert? Then how can you still be here in Qingyang City? Weren't you supposed to be taken away by the people above?" The first elder's body trembled at the news, and he questioned the hemp-robed elder in disbelief.
(Recommendation votes, please! I need your encouragement and support! I'm counting on you, dear readers! You're the driving force that keeps me going! You can see how busy I am every day now, so please consider it a reward for my efforts! Please! Recommendation votes!)