"Who is this person? Could he also be from Four Great Clans?"
Upon seeing the Zhuo Clan, Xiao Yan immediately became suspicious of the other aura that had suddenly appeared. Perhaps this aura belonged to another of the Four Great Clans.
"Haha, Zhuo Bentang, it's been a long time!"
Before the person even arrived, a loud, arrogant voice boomed like thunder, so loud that even the sky above trembled slightly.
"Hmph, Huo Ba, it's been so many years, I never imagined you'd actually break through to the Three-Star Dou Di."
Hearing the arrogant laughter, the leader of the Zhuo Clan, the old man known as Zhuo Bentang, replied in a cold, indifferent tone.
"Haha, Zhuo Bentang, it's you. So many years have passed, how come your strength is still stuck at the Early Three-Star Dou Di? Could it be that you've been sleeping all these years?"
Above the sky, a group of people dressed in brocade robes slowly descended to the ground. The leader, an old man with a rough face, stared at Zhuo Bentang with a mocking smile, and his words were even more impolite.
When the passersby saw the group descend, they hurriedly pushed back to create a large open space. Everyone's eyes were filled with fear as they looked at Zhuo Bentang and Huo Ba.
Three-Star Dou Di is currently the strongest person in Xilin City. Anyone who dares to offend him can be killed with a single slap. Who would dare to provoke such a powerful figure?
The scene between Huo Ba and Zhuo Bentang at this moment was just like the Sun Clan and Bai Clan that Xiao Yan had seen before. Although these families were all under the command of the Heavenly Sword Sect, their relationship was not friendly. On the contrary, they had been in a state of deep conflict for many years.
Of course, it's easy to guess that the Heavenly Sword Sect has been secretly manipulating the Four Great Clans' long-standing rivalry. They neither want the Four Great Clans to completely erupt into conflict nor allow them to return to peace; their ultimate goal is simply to strengthen their own foundation. Although this tactic is rather clumsy and obvious to anyone with the Heavenly Sword Sect, it remains consistently effective. At least, the Four Great Clans have indeed not found peace, which is exactly the situation the Heavenly Sword Sect desires.
No matter how much the Four Great Clans fight, with the Heavenly Sword Sect acting as a check and balance, the one who ultimately benefits is still the Heavenly Sword Sect. Although the higher-ups of the Four Great Clans understand this, for their own interests, they ultimately do not choose to live a peaceful life.
It is precisely because of the open and covert struggles among the Four Great Clans that the Heavenly Sword Sect possesses an extremely terrifying foundation in the overall strength of the Four Great Sects, which is also what makes the other three sects most wary of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Snort!"
Zhuo Bentang curled his lips in resentment, too lazy to argue with Huo Ba about who was right and who was wrong. This time, each of their families had come for the Ancient Ruins. Before coming here, the family head had repeatedly instructed them that no matter how much conflict arose with the other three families, the Ancient Ruins must be the priority. As long as the treasures in the ruins were obtained, the other three families would deal with it later.
Thinking of this, Zhuo Bentang withdrew his gaze with displeasure, whispered a few words to the young man beside him, and then turned and headed towards the accommodation that had already been reserved.
Following Huo Ba's instructions, the Huo Clan members headed towards their pre-arranged lodging.
Amidst the crowd, Xiao Yan glanced at the two families, a cold laugh escaping his lips. The fiercer the dogs fought, the better, as it would make it easier for him to fish in troubled waters later. Otherwise, if they appeared amicable, it would only make Xiao Yan uneasy.
Seeing the two families depart, Xiao Yan simply used the Heavenly Severing Steps, instantly disappearing into the crowd. A short while later, he had already returned to the inn where he was staying.
After entering the room and making sure no one was paying attention, Xiao Yan plopped down on the bed, silently considering his next move.
While Zhuo Bentang and Huo Ba were arguing, Xiao Yan quickly assessed the overall strength of the Huo Clan.
Besides Huo Ba, the leader, who is a Early Three-Star Dou Di expert, the Huo Clan, like the Zhuo Clan, also has another young Dou Di expert whose strength has reached the Late One-Star Dou Di stage. Although this is still not as good as the Two-Star Dou Di of the Zhuo Clan, Xiao Yan cannot underestimate him.
At the same time, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a deep sense of shock. In just one day, he had encountered two Dou Di powerhouses of the same generation. Even with Xiao Yan's composure, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan sorted out his thoughts. Now, he had met all Four Great Clans under the Heavenly Sword Sect. Judging from the two people just now, they were clearly not the patriarchs of the Zhuo Clan and Huo Clan, but merely stewards or elders of their respective families. Even so, their strength was already comparable to that of the patriarchs of the Bai Clan and Sun Clan families. It was hard to imagine how powerful the patriarchs of the Zhuo and Huo families would be; they would probably be at least Four-Star Dou Di!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a slight tightness in his heart. The thought that the opponents he would face in the future were already so powerful, while he was still hovering at the Half-Emperor level, made Xiao Yan feel like he had a thorn in his back.
"Alas, strength, strength! In this world, without strength, you're not even worth a pile of dog shit!"
He cursed inwardly, and recalling the arrogant look on the young man's face, Xiao Yan felt a surge of resentment.
In the blink of an eye, only five days remain until the opening of the Ancient Ruins. Finally, today, two Xiao Yan auras appeared in the sky above Xilin City...
" Sun Shuo, Bai Ying..."
He murmured the names of the two people, his body remaining perfectly still as he sat Xiao Yan -legged on the bed. Despite their arrival in Xilin City, Xiao Yan was not worried at all about being discovered by them.
With a black robe formed from the Great Dao of the Void, Xiao Yan's aura was completely concealed. Now, unless he actively released his aura, no one could detect it.
At the same time, as Bai Ying and Sun Shuo appeared in the sky above Xilin City, the other two families in the city also sensed their presence. Immediately, four pairs of eyes shot out simultaneously, engaging in a fierce battle in the invisible void, separated by layers of buildings.