The old man in coarse robes gave a cold snort at those words and said to the Liu Clan's First Elder:
"I know the rules, of course. Once one's strength reaches that level, one must leave sooner or later. But I only just broke through. Surely I'm allowed to rest at home for a night and leave tomorrow? Heh heh! Liu Xincheng, what about you? After all these years, is this really all the progress you've made? I'm truly surprised! Hahahaha! Where's that genius from back then? Where's that peerless prodigy? Looking at you now, you were nothing special after all! Hahaha!"
The old man's words were laden with mockery, and the Liu Clan's First Elder trembled all over with rage. Had he not been seriously injured, he would probably have charged up to fight the old man already.
At that moment, Liu Huabai seemed to recall something. The old man in coarse robes had merely looked somewhat familiar to him before, but now that he remembered, his face, which had regained a little color, turned pale again. Only after a long while did he speak, his voice trembling slightly:
"You... y-you... you're Wu Kui, the Wu Clan's previous First Elder!"
The faces of everyone in the Liu Clan changed drastically. Wu Kui was a name that struck terror into the hearts of all of them. In his youth, Wu Kui had not been particularly strong; he had even been somewhat weaker than some people from other clans. But he had tremendous perseverance. Though weaker than others, he had devoted himself to cultivation and managed to become passably strong. Yet after he reached the Dou Ling realm, he suddenly vanished for some unknown reason. No one paid it any mind at the time. As far as they were concerned, he was just a minor Dou Ling and must have died somewhere long ago. But a few months after his disappearance, the Liu Clan suddenly discovered that their members were dwindling, all dying mysterious deaths for no apparent reason. Moreover, those who died grew stronger and stronger. Some had even reached the Dou Wang realm, yet they too died without anyone knowing why.
Only when a member of the Liu Clan happened to discover Wu Kui killing someone did the truth come to light. During his disappearance, Wu Kui had been ambushing and killing Liu Clan members. The Liu Clan experts who had died had all been killed by him in an instant, and his own strength had risen from a One-Star Dou Ling before his disappearance to a Three-Star Dou Wang. He had also learned assassination techniques from somewhere, and could leave at his leisure even when he encountered a Dou Huang expert. That was when the Liu Clan began to panic. A Three-Star Dou Wang was not frightening in itself, but one who also knew assassination techniques was another matter, difficult for even a Dou Huang expert to deal with. In the end, even the Liu Clan's current First Elder had been targeted by him. Though the assassination ultimately failed, Wu Kui had destroyed the First Elder's cultivation talent, which had once amazed the Liu Clan while his reputation was soaring. Reduced to a cripple of the Liu Clan, he had for a time become its greatest laughingstock in a hundred years. This had sent the Liu Clan into a fury. They dispatched their true experts to hunt Wu Kui down while making trouble for the Wu Clan, hoping to salvage something, but in the end both efforts failed. Although the Liu Clan told the First Elder that Wu Kui had fallen off a cliff to his death, everyone knew it was merely an excuse to placate him.
Sure enough, Wu Kui was not dead. Not only was he alive, but his strength had risen to another level, matching or even surpassing that of the Liu Clan's First Elder. Seeing the trace of dejection in his clan members' eyes, Liu Huabai suddenly roared:
"For the Liu Clan's future, charge! Kill these Wu Clan bastards!"
Before his voice had faded, he led the charge. Seeing their clan leader throwing his life on the line, and thinking of Xiao Yan still in the Liu Clan estate, the others felt a fierce fighting spirit rise in their hearts. They swung the sharp blades in their hands, Dou Qi surging wildly as they slashed at the Wu Clan members. Liu Huabai, the First Elder, and the others charged toward Wu Bai, the Wu Clan leader, and the old man in coarse robes.
The sudden charge initially routed the Wu Clan, but though the Liu Clan's fighting spirit had erupted and every one of them fought as if prepared to die, the Wu Clan had the advantage in numbers. Before long, the Wu Clan's human-wave tactics suppressed the Liu Clan. It looked as though the Liu Clan would be wiped out before much longer. Surprisingly, however, there was one spot where Liu Clan members were holding firm. No matter how fiercely the Wu Clan attacked, they were forcibly driven back. Xiao Yan took a look and saw that they were the people Liu Xiang had brought. In order to persuade the clan to enlist Xiao Yan's help with all its strength, Liu Xiang was fighting desperately. The Wu Clan's grand elder frowned slightly at the sight, then gave a cold snort. He left the Liu Clan expert he had been steadily driving back to the Wu Clan members nearby, and shot toward Liu Xiang.
Inside the Liu Clan estate, Xiao Yan sensed the battle outside, as well as Wu Kui charging toward Liu Xiang. He gave a cold laugh, then began strolling around the courtyard. Watching several fish in a pond fight over food, Xiao Yan casually picked up a pebble beside him and hurled it at the head of the largest fish. Before the pebble landed, the fish swiftly darted aside. At the same time, Wu Kui, the old man in coarse robes outside the estate, faltered slightly. His pupils abruptly contracted, cold sweat drenched his entire body in an instant, and a bone-deep chill surged from the depths of his soul. An instant later, he shot backward several dozen zhang before stopping. Bowing forward, he cupped his hands and said, trembling all over:
"May I ask which senior expert is playing such a joke on this junior? I hope Senior will stand aside and allow this junior to apologize after I have finished my business. This junior thanks Senior in advance."
Wu Kui spoke with extreme caution, as if deeply afraid of angering the mysterious senior he had addressed. The others were also taken aback by his strange behavior. Then every member of the Liu Clan turned excitedly toward the estate. Xiao Yan did not appear in their sight, but his voice drifted out from within. His words sounded almost like a joke, yet they made the faces of everyone in the Wu Clan change drastically.
"Since you've all come to kill me, I won't stand on ceremony anymore. I've been in a good mood lately and didn't want to act, but you won't let me relax for a moment. In that case, don't blame me."
When Xiao Yan finished speaking, he turned slightly and appeared at the Liu estate's main gate. He looked at Wu Kui without the slightest ripple in his eyes. That gaze made Wu Kui shudder violently. He quickly descended from the air, hurried over to Xiao Yan, and bowed with cupped hands.
"This junior is Wu Kui. Greetings, Senior. Today's affair was caused by the ignorance of the younger members of my clan. They disturbed Senior's rest, and I hope Senior will forgive them. I'll tell them to get back home at once."
With that, he swiftly turned and shouted at the Wu Clan members:
"Get back home, all of you! A bunch of fools who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to disturb Senior's secluded cultivation! Do you all have a death wish? Roll! Hurry up and roll back to the clan! No one is to set foot outside the clan for a month, or you'll all be killed without mercy! Roll! Roll! I said roll, every last one of you! Roll!"
When he finished shouting, Wu Kui turned to Xiao Yan, only to see that his clear eyes remained utterly calm as he watched him with a cool expression. Wu Kui's face changed, and he was about to turn and continue berating the others when Xiao Yan waved a hand and spoke indifferently:
"Enough. You don't need to put on an act with them for my benefit. Everyone from the Wu Clan who came here today is certain to die. Besides, you even wanted to kill someone I've taken an interest in. You've got some nerve. So, since you're all here, stay."
Xiao Yan spoke with utter indifference, but Wu Kui's face changed drastically in an instant. He moved, flashing violently toward the horizon in an attempt to escape this place. But how could Xiao Yan, a dignified Half-Emperor, allow a mere Dou Zun to escape under his nose? He slowly raised his palm and gently pressed it downward. Wu Kui, fleeing at high speed, fell toward the ground with a boom, as if struck by a heavy blow. He finally smashed into the earth with another boom, sending clouds of dust billowing up. When the dust settled, everyone saw Wu Kui lying on the ground, drenched in blood and utterly lifeless. Blood gushed from the wounds on his body, staining a broad patch of earth red.
Everyone stared blankly at Wu Kui's corpse. Even the expressions of the Wu Clan members rolling on the ground froze for a moment before they began fleeing madly. The Wu Clan's higher-ups did the same.
Xiao Yan watched all the Wu Clan members with an indifferent gaze. He raised his hand again, then clenched it shut with a bang. Before the Wu Clan members could even scream, they turned into a cloud of bloody mist in an instant. It drifted slowly through the air, giving off a thick stench of blood that made people want to vomit.
All the Liu Clan members looked at one another. Such methods, such character, such ruthless and merciless action-Senior was indeed no ordinary person. If the Liu Clan could befriend him, even unifying this region of the southwestern border would probably be no difficult task in the future. As they thought this, they cast admiring looks at Xiao Yan. Some had even dropped to their knees, waiting to see whom Senior Xiao Yan might take as a disciple. Xiao Yan glanced at them, then turned back to Liu Xiang and nodded slightly, beckoning Liu Xiang over. Xiao Yan looked at Liu Xiang, who stood before him covered in blood of unknown origin, and suddenly asked:
"You're an alchemist, aren't you?"
Liu Xiang's eyes lit up slightly, and Liu Xiang answered Xiao Yan:
"Senior, this junior is indeed an alchemist. Unfortunately, this junior lacks experience and has no one to provide instruction, so my alchemy has remained at the level of a fourth-rank alchemist. I'm ashamed to show it before Senior."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, a trace of approval entering his gaze as he looked at Liu Xiang. He reached into empty space with his right hand, and a scroll appeared in it. Xiao Yan casually tossed it to Liu Xiang and continued:
"This contains the lifetime insights and experiences of an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster. You can study it when you have time. It should be of some help to your growth and progress on the path of alchemy."
At those words, every member of the Liu Clan jolted. Liu Xiang's legs nearly gave way. An Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster was an existence at the pinnacle of alchemy, yet Xiao Yan had casually tossed the scroll to someone else. If some lower-ranked alchemists learned of this, they would probably come running at once, ready to give Xiao Yan everything they had in exchange for it. Liu Xiang was stunned for a long while before swallowing. Looking excitedly at the scroll, Liu Xiang bent both knees and knelt before Xiao Yan, saying:
"Thank you, Senior, for bestowing this blessing upon me. This junior is endlessly grateful. Master, please accept your disciple's bow!"
Liu Xiang was about to bow to the ground, but Xiao Yan waved his sleeve, and a gentle force held Liu Xiang up before the knees could touch the ground. He said:
"I gave you the insights and experiences of this Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster to help you study, not so you would thank me and kneel before me. I did it because I saw that you have good character, a solid cultivation foundation, courage, and generosity. As for becoming my disciple, you're not qualified yet. To tell the truth, when I was your age, I was far, far better than you. If you truly want to become my disciple, then first reach the level of an Alchemy Grandmaster. At the very least, you must reach a point where an alchemist of this scroll's compiler's caliber is only fit to be your disciple."
At Xiao Yan's words, even Liu Xiang, a fourth-rank alchemist, had a violent facial twitch. If an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster was only fit to be a disciple, just how powerful would the master have to be? It was beyond imagination.
Liu Xiang's pupils abruptly contracted, and Liu Xiang's body trembled violently. Lowering the head slightly, Liu Xiang said nothing more.
(Sorry, I was late updating. I'm truly sorry, readers. But there's something else to keep you company today: the Battle Through the Heavens anime is out. Give it a watch; it's pretty good. Of course, recommendation votes are still very important! Thank you!)