Many years ago, when the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion was first established, the four sect leaders came forward with the intention of suppressing it. On the one hand, they wanted to broaden the horizons of the newcomers, and on the other hand, they wanted to test the strength of the other party.
After all, the sudden rise of such a powerful force in the Western Region would naturally pique the curiosity of anyone, who would not want to know their true strength.
At that time, among the four sects, only Jian Ming, the sect leader of the Sword Sect, had spoken disrespectfully to the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion. Of course, normally, given his strength and status, no one would dare to utter a word of sarcasm if he made a few sarcastic remarks.
But that time was different.
After Jian Ming's cold laugh subsided, he suffered the most unforgettable blow of his life.
In front of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion in the Western Region City, this dignified Eight-Star Dou Di level super powerhouse, a supreme figure rarely matched by anyone in the Jian Ming Western Region, suddenly unleashed a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of Dou Di powerhouse after he uttered those cold words about the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion!
Under that attack, Jian Ming had almost no chance to resist. This Eight-Star Dou Di expert was crushed and slammed into the front of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion like a dead dog!
The overwhelming and terrifying pressure was so immense that even if he used every means at his disposal, he would have no chance of breaking free.
That day, Jian Ming knelt in front of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion for two whole hours. Even so, it was only because the owner of that aura thought he was a top figure in the Western Region. As for face, his face was probably not worth mentioning in front of that owner of that aura.
That oppressive aura lasted only a moment, but even now, when Jian Ming recalls it, it remains vivid in his memory, as if it happened yesterday. Even now, upon remembering it, Jian Ming cannot help but tremble slightly, his entire body enveloped in an icy chill as if it came from the deepest hell.
Above the city gate, the void beside Xiao Yan slightly distorted, and Luo Jin's figure slowly emerged.
Upon revealing himself, Luo Jin ignored the people in the sky and turned his gaze to Xiao Yan. With a slight frown, he stuffed a Emperor Grade Pill into Xiao Yan's mouth.
As the pill entered his body, its gentle medicinal power quickly spread, rapidly alleviating Xiao Yan's injuries and depleted Dou Qi. In just a short while, Xiao Yan's complexion had regained some rosiness.
Feeling his injuries rapidly healing, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be secretly surprised. The Emperor Grade Pill that Luo Jin had given him was truly the best quality Emperor Grade Pill he had ever seen.
At least, he had never seen any Emperor Grade Pill that could heal injuries so quickly in just a few breaths.
Thanks!
Composing himself, Xiao Yan raised his head, his clear gaze fixed on Luo Jin, and said in a deep voice.
"Hehe, no need to be so polite, Xiao Yan..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Jin smiled faintly, a playful smile on his lips, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, and said something inexplicably.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan could only nod awkwardly, then looked at the man in front of him and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional to hide it from you, it's just that there are some things I don't even understand myself, so I didn't want you to worry about me anymore."
"Haha, what if I told you that I actually knew your true identity all along? Would you still say that?"
"Um?!"
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, but he quickly came to his senses. Indeed, with the power of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion, even the Four Great Sects feared him. If they really wanted to find out his identity, it wouldn't be difficult.
"Heh, alright, we can talk about these things later. Right now, the most important thing is these four guys. They're not ordinary people, and even I can't underestimate them."
Xiao Yan nodded and, with Luo Jin's help, sat cross-legged atop the city gate, carefully refining the Emperor Grade Pill within his body. Luo Jin, on the other hand, turned his gaze to the group of people in the sky.
"Hehe, what's this? The sect leaders are certainly putting on airs, looking down on each other. You've clearly been in high positions for too long. Why don't you just stand here and I'll look up at you as I speak?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the three sect leaders in the sky quickly descended and landed on the city wall a dozen feet away from Luo Jin.
"Hehe, Sect Master is joking. Even if we are sect leaders, we still need to get out of bed and move around. After all, we are getting on in years, and it's not a bad thing to get some exercise."
Chen Zhen, the sect leader of the Spirit Refining Sect, chuckled dryly as he looked at Luo Jin, his expression quite amiable.
Although Luo Jin appeared harmless and his strength was only at the level of Eight-Star Half-Emperor, even though they were the sect leaders of the three sects, they dared not underestimate him.
Luo Jin smiled, too lazy to pay any more attention. He turned his gaze to Jian Ming, who was standing by the city gate, and a chilling coldness welled up in his dark eyes.
" Sect Master Jian, I just heard you say that even I, the Pavilion Master, couldn't stop you today. You said that, didn't you?"
Jian Ming frowned, his gaze fixed on Luo Jin. His soul perception spread rapidly, probing whether there was another terrifying aura in this world that he could not touch.
"Hehe, don't worry, he's not here right now. If anything happens, just come to me. After all, I am the Pavilion Master of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion. As for those who don't take me seriously, if they want to try their luck, they are welcome to come and kill me. I'd like to see if Dou Di is as powerful as the legends say."
Luo Jin stared at Jian Ming with a cold smile and sneered.
"Hehe, why speak like that, Pavilion Master? The Sect Master Jian was just in a moment of anxiety, so he spoke recklessly. Everyone here knows what kind of power the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion is, so why make the atmosphere so tense?"
Chen Zhen's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, taking on the role of peacemaker.
But Luo Jin showed absolutely no politeness towards the people in front of him.
"Now that you know the true strength of my Cloud-Hidden Pavilion, do you really intend to stay here?"
Luo Jin put one hand behind his back, then forcefully waved his right hand in front of his chest, making two clicking sounds Brushing Jade Fan unfolded out of thin air.
The four men's eyes met his gaze. Luo Jin looked at them with a faint smile, but unbeknownst to them, his right palm, which held the Brushing Jade Fan, was covered in sweat.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhen and Wu Jitian exchanged glances, their brows furrowed. They hadn't expected Luo Jin to be so forceful, demanding that they leave immediately.
Both Chen Zhen and Wu Jitian had reservations about Luo Jin's tough stance and were unsure whether to stay or leave.
Luo Jin is no ordinary person. As the head of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion, even if his strength is not formidable, his influence is no less than that of these Dou Di powerhouses. Especially the person behind him, as long as he is there, no one in the entire Western Region can touch him.
But when their gazes fell upon Xiao Yan beside Luo Jin, their hearts couldn't help but flutter slightly.
Although Luo Jin has a powerful background, how could they bear to give up when the key to the Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb was right in front of them!
After all, for them, as long as they obtain the Heavenly Severing Steps from Xiao Yan, not only will their combat power be raised to a higher level, but once they open the Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb and obtain all of Venerable Heavenly Severing's inheritance, their cultivation level will also be very likely to break through the shackles of Dou Di and directly reach the Origin Transformation Realm!
That's a completely new level, so how could they possibly give up on it so easily!
Even if it's the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion that's blocking their way, they absolutely cannot give up!
"Sect Master, we don't intend to antagonize Xiao Yan. However, you are well aware of the importance of the Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb. Once the Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb is unearthed, the entire Western Region will be shaken. At that time, even you will not be able to suppress such a situation."
"Once the news spreads that Xiao Yan possesses the Heavenly Severing Steps, it will bring him endless trouble. Therefore, even for Xiao Yan's sake, we urge the Pavilion Master to make him hand over the Heavenly Severing Steps."
"As long as Xiao Yan is willing to hand over the Heavenly Severing Steps, the four of us can pretend we never came to Lengcui City today, and from now on, we will have no further connection with Xiao Yan."
"Hmph, judging from your words, if Xiao Yan doesn't hand over the Heavenly Severing Steps, you're going to spread this news and invite even more people to deal with him?"
Upon hearing Chen Zhen's words, Luo Jin's right hand trembled violently, Brushing Jade Fan fan snapped shut with a click. He stared coldly at Chen Zhen, his voice filled with suppressed anger as he spoke.
"I know this might seem like a petty act, but those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Besides, we only want the Heavenly Severing Steps, not Xiao Yan's life. It's just a Dou Technique, an external thing. What's wrong with discarding it? Am I right?"
Chen Zhen spoke casually, his face full of righteous indignation. Then, golden light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and as a smile appeared on his lips, the terrifying aura of Eight-Star Dou Di was released, attacking Xiao Yan.
"Hmph! They really don't take this Pavilion Master seriously!"
" Chen Zhen! You need to understand, this is Lengcui City, not your Ten Thousand Gold Mountain!"
Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out between heaven and earth. Zhang Yi's figure flashed instantly and appeared in front of Luo Jin. At the same time, a terrifying aura swept out from his body, forming an invisible barrier that protected Luo Jin and Xiao Yan.
Unfortunately, under the oppressive aura of Chen Zhen, Eight-Star Dou Di, even though Zhang Yi exerted all his strength to condense his aura, it was still insufficient to contend with Chen Zhen.
"As I said, this is for Xiao Yan's own good. 'A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' He should understand this principle. Without sufficient strength, he can hardly protect anything. Some things are not suitable for him to keep."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhen put his hands behind his back, took a slow step forward, and walked towards Xiao Yan.
With each step he took forward, Zhang Yi's body would uncontrollably retreat a step, even though his feet were firmly embedded in the city wall beneath him, he still could not be stopped.
Seeing that Chen Zhen had actually forced his way in, Wu Jitian frowned and glanced at Ye Luotian, who hadn't said a word, before looking at Jian Ming, only to find that the latter was also looking at Chen Zhen with a serious expression.
As the strongest among the four sects, Chen Zhen's strength was indeed much greater than theirs.
At this moment, his actions surprised Wu Jitian and the other two. Chen Zhen's actions were clearly an open declaration of war against the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion!
" Xiao Yan, hand over the Heavenly Severing Steps, and I'll spare your life."
Ignoring the gazes of those around him, Chen Zhen looked at Xiao Yan with an indifferent expression. He even disregarded Zhang Yi was still struggling to resist his Dou Di pressure.
Luo Jin also stared at Chen Zhen with a gloomy expression. If Elder Luo hadn't been absent, how could Chen Zhen have dared to be so presumptuous and audacious?
However, on the other hand, Luo Jin also recalled what his Elder Luo, had told him back then.
His ability to achieve so much at such a young age is solely due to the power behind him; if you remove that...
Luo Jin glanced at Xiao Yan, who was still sitting cross-legged beside him, refining the pills in his body with a calm expression. He secretly weighed the situation in his mind and considered Xiao Yan's total combat strength.
Even if I possess the Taiyi Star Disk, I'm afraid I'm still no match for Xiao Yan.
Seeing that Xiao Yan was still in a state of cultivation, Chen Zhen couldn't help but show a hint of dissatisfaction on his face, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be amazed by Xiao Yan's composure.
The fact that he could calmly cultivate under the oppressive aura of an Eight-Star Dou Di, regardless of whether he was faking it or not, is enough to prove Xiao Yan's extraordinary nature.
But then, just as Chen Zhen was about to speak again, Xiao Yan, who had been cultivating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His dark, calm eyes slowly rose, looked at Chen Zhen, and said calmly:
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'll have made you come all this way for nothing. I don't have any of those Heavenly Severing Steps you mentioned."