The daytime farce finally ended with Zhuo Lin's appearance. After a brief meeting, the Four Great Clans went into hiding in Xilin City. It seemed that none of them wanted to cause any more trouble in the remaining five days. The atmosphere in the city also calmed down as the various forces subsided.
As night falls, the bustling city gradually returns to calm. There may be shadowy figures flickering in the darkness, but they never make a sound, as if their voices are swallowed up by the pitch-black night.
Although daylight has passed, the Xilin City is not as peaceful as it appears on the surface. Under the cover of darkness, it is not only the time when the magical beasts outside the city awaken, but also the time when some powerful figures meet.
There is no wind tonight, the bright moon hangs high, and the night sky is dotted with stars, like a silver river stretching across the heavens.
In the city, on a fairly wide street, the bright moonlight made the street as white as snow. The daytime hustle and bustle was gone, and the place was now incredibly quiet. The moonlight added to the unique atmosphere of the place.
Right there on this street, at this very moment, a young man in black robes was resting his hands on the back of his head, a bored smirk playing on his lips. His already dark eyes were now reflecting a dazzling light under the silvery moonlight.
The young man stared at the enormous silver moon high in the sky. Under such a spectacular sight, the moon appeared exceptionally bright and huge, as if it were right in front of him.
At this moment, the black-robed youth was staring at the silver moon that seemed so close to him. Invisibly, a beautiful figure dressed in a green robe, with a faint smile on her lips and a face that could launch a thousand ships, appeared in the silver moon. Gradually, the black-robed youth's vision was replaced by this beautiful figure, and his thoughts were also deeply immersed in memories and longing.
It took Xiao Yan quite a while to slowly come back to his senses. He opened his mouth slightly, but then closed it helplessly. Then, in his memories filled with longing, another stunningly beautiful woman appeared in Xiao Yan's mind, just like the former.
"Sigh... all these years, I wonder how Xun'er and Cai Lin are doing. Xiao Xiao must have grown up by now. I told her back then that she would leave the family to gain experience after she came of age. I wonder how she is doing now..."
Xiao Yan's steps slowed to a halt. He raised his eyes and gazed up at the vast starry sky above, his eyes filled with deep memories. One by one, people and events from the past flashed through his mind.
His father, teachers, Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, Yun Yun, and even all his friends from the Jia Nan Academy —their appearances and the things that happened with them—replayed endlessly in Xiao Yan's mind. It all seemed as if it had happened just yesterday, yet now...
"Well..."
With another helpless sigh, Xiao Yan stood still, slowly closing his eyes. Thoughts raced through his mind, and after a long while, Xiao Yan gradually withdrew them, his spirit returning to normal.
However, just as Xiao Yan was about to leave, the commotion caused by the collision of two Dou Qi in the darkness was quickly noticed by Xiao Yan, who was an alchemist.
Of course, a battle taking place in the dark of night isn't exactly unusual, and normally Xiao Yan would have ignored it completely. But this time...
Xiao Yan could clearly sense that the two auras clashing at this moment were ones he had felt during the day earlier. Those auras belonged to Sun Hanxi of the Xiao Yan Sun Clan and the heir of the Bai Clan.
Under the silver moonlight, Xiao Yan's bright eyes slowly narrowed. With a thought, his black robe immediately enveloped him, and in an instant, Xiao Yan's aura was completely concealed.
With a flash, Xiao Yan instantly unleashed the Heavenly Severing Steps. Just a moment ago, he was standing in the middle of the street, but in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared.
On the other side, deep in a secluded alley, two figures stood on opposite sides, each staring intently at the other.
Standing to the left is Sun Hanxi, the heir of the Sun Clan, while opposite him is the heir of the Bai Clan.
" Bai Zhan, since our elders are unable to take action, then tonight, let the two of us settle the score for our families!"
Sun Hanxi smirked and stomped her foot lightly on the ground. Instantly, icy blue Dou Qi surged out of her body, and the temperature in the space where the two of them were located dropped rapidly.
"Hehe, since I advanced to the Dou Di, I haven't had a proper battle with anyone. Today, I'll start by testing you!"
Sun Hanxi stared coldly at Bai Zhan opposite him, raised his right hand slightly, and immediately icy blue Dou Qi rapidly condensed at his fingertips, forming an ice cone several inches long in the blink of an eye.
An ice spike, even sharper than a needle tip, hung in mid-air, pointing directly at Bai Zhan opposite him. As soon as Sun Hanxi's raised hand fell, the ice spike would instantly pierce him.
His gaze fixed on the sharp, piercing ice spike, Bai Zhan narrowed his eyes, a solemn expression appearing on his usually stern face. He unconsciously took a half-step back before raising his gaze to Sun Hanxi, coldly saying:
" Sun Hanxi, is this why you called me out today?"
"That's right."
Sun Hanxi replied in an equally cold tone, while her index finger swirled around the bottom of the icicle, emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.
"You are now Dou Di powerhouse, yet you are here humiliating a Half-Emperor like me. Don't you think it's shameful of you to do this?"
Bai Zhan's gaze was solemn. As he spoke, a layer of purple lightning also swirled around his body, constantly on guard against Sun Hanxi's sudden attack.
"Heh, Bai Zhan, don't you find it ridiculous to say such things to me? Although our strengths are vastly different, as peers, I'm merely challenging you on behalf of my family. As long as I don't die, I believe your father wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
Upon hearing Bai Zhan's words, Sun Hanxi sneered, as if he had expected this all along.
Seeing this, Bai Zhan was about to make a move, but Sun Hanxi was even faster. With a flick of her finger, the ice cone pierced through the void like a sharp arrow, shooting towards Bai Zhan with a sharp whooshing sound.
Upon seeing Sun Hanxi's sudden attack, Bai Zhan's expression changed drastically. He knew that Sun Hanxi had come prepared. As his expression changed, he hurriedly retreated. However, after only a few steps, the wall behind him blocked his way.
"Hateful!"
With nowhere to retreat, Bai Zhan was even more furious. With a wave of his hand, purple lightning shot out from his palm and instantly transformed into a lightning spear.
With the spear in hand, Bai Zhan violently jerked his wrist, unleashing tremendous force. Immediately afterward, the sharp tip of the spear, formed from Dou Qi, collided fiercely with the oncoming ice spike.
"Bang!"
However, Sun Hanxi, now Dou Di expert, was far more powerful than Bai Zhan. The moment the ice cone met Bai Zhan's spear, the power of the ice cone crushed the spear with overwhelming force.
Seeing this, Sun Hanxi's cold smile widened even further. On the other hand, Bai Zhan's spear was crushed inch by inch by the ice spikes thrusting towards him. While he was furious, he was forced to release his grip on the spear and quickly dodge to the side. At the same time, he suddenly unleashed a palm strike, covered in lightning and flashing with electricity, and then collided violently with the ice spikes once again.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar echoed through the deserted area, and a powerful wave of Dou Qi swept through the alley. Then, another loud crash was heard as a wall collapsed. The houses behind Bai Zhan, where he had just stood, collapsed with a deafening roar, burying Bai Zhan's figure inside.
"Haha, Bai Zhan, it seems your Bai Clan will be trampled underfoot by my Sun Clan sooner or later!"
Sun Hanxi grinned maliciously, twisting his wrist and clenching his fist as icy Dou Qi rapidly condensed in his hand. At the same time, countless ice spikes also rapidly condensed in the sky above the ruins. In the blink of an eye, they had formed countless spikes, each like a stalagmite, its sharp end pointing towards the ruins below. Then, with a thought, Sun Hanxi unleashed countless ice spikes simultaneously, raining down and slamming them into the ruins below.
"Hmph..."
Seeing no resistance emanating from the ruins, Sun Hanxi let out a cold laugh. Then, his expression instantly changed. In a certain part of the ruins before him, a pile of rubble buried deep in bricks was suddenly blasted open by a powerful force, sending debris flying. Bai Zhan, lying beneath the rubble, turned his head, covered in wounds and blood, to look at Sun Hanxi, his eyes filled with rage and resentment.
"Sun... Han... Xi..."
With a hoarse voice, Bai Zhan uttered the name that he wished he could shatter. His whole body trembled, and he braced himself against the ground with his arms, trying to slowly get up.
Seeing Bai Zhan's weak appearance, Sun Hanxi grinned, a chilling smile that sent shivers down one's spine. Then, Sun Hanxi stomped his foot hard on the ground, leaping into the air. In mid-air, he twisted his body and then stomped heavily on Bai Zhan's back as he tried to get up.
"Bang!"
With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere as Sun Hanxi stomped on Bai Zhan's body. A terrifying force was unleashed, dust billowed, and cracks as thick as a man's thigh spread rapidly around Bai Zhan's body like a spider web.
"Well..."
Beneath Sun Hanxi's feet, Bai Zhan let out a painful groan, his body trembling as he tried to struggle again. But upon seeing this, Sun Hanxi let out a cold snort, frowned, and leaned his body slightly forward. At the same time, the foot pressing down on Bai Zhan suddenly exerted force, unleashing a terrifying force once more. With a deafening crash, the ground around them collapsed, and Bai Zhan's body sank into the ground.
"Hmph, Bai Zhan, I much prefer seeing you trampled under my feet to you standing up!"
Sun Hanxi, standing high above, pressed his foot down even harder on Bai Zhan. Bai Zhan, severely injured, couldn't help but groan in pain as bright red blood gushed from his mouth, turning his already pale face even more ashen.
"Hmph."
With a cold laugh, Sun Hanxi slowly raised her foot. When it was halfway up, her expression suddenly turned cold, and she was about to stomp down hard on Bai Zhan's feet again.
"You brat from the Sun Clan, get out of here! You dare to hurt my son, Bai Ying? Believe me, I'll cripple your fighting Dou Qi!"
However, at that moment, a furious roar filled with rage suddenly came from the sky, and at the same time, an invisible gust of wind swept in and arrived in front of Sun Hanxi in an instant.
The sudden attack did not cause a significant change in Sun Hanxi's expression. Instead, he sneered and pressed even harder with his foot as it landed.
"Bang!"
The next moment, a deafening bang suddenly exploded in front of Sun Hanxi. Bai Ying's attack was abruptly intercepted by another unexpected force. At the same time, the aftershock of the Dou Qi qi also knocked Sun Hanxi back, who was about to kick Bai Zhan.
"Hmph! Bai Ying, I only gave you some leeway during the day because you belong to one of the Four Great Clans. What, now you want to harm my son!"
As the cold laughter subsided, Sun Shuo's figure slowly appeared on a rooftop outside the ruins, his face icy, his gaze fixed on a rooftop opposite, where Bai Ying robes, stood gracefully.
" Sun Shuo! Your son, with his Dou Di cultivation, has severely injured my son; he must pay the price today!"
Bai Ying roared furiously, and at that moment, it seemed as if the entire Xilin City was trembling. The originally quiet night became noisy because of this sudden change. People with all sorts of moods flew out of the houses, looking at the source of the angry roar with different eyes.
When everyone realized that the person was Bai Ying, the head of the Bai Clan, the expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly, and the curses that were about to come out were swallowed back down.
"Hehe, Bai Ying, why get so angry? My son Hanxi was merely seeking a brief spar with your young master. He was outmatched, so he simply admitted defeat. Hanxi only went all out to show respect, not to underestimate his opponent. Perhaps he went a bit too far, but you can't entirely blame my son for that!"
Sun Shuo sneered, his gaze fixed on Bai Ying opposite him. After sensing the surge of aura emanating from the latter, he quickly raised his own Dou Qi, so that he could respond promptly to any move Bai Ying made.
"Hmph! He just went a little too far? He's a Dou Di, defeating my son would be a piece of cake, why would he need to go all out! He did this intentionally, deliberately trying to severely injure my son and prevent him from entering the Ancient Ruins!"
Bai Ying's expression was one of gritted teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. His muscular body trembled violently, and a low, hoarse roar escaped his throat. His powerful Dou Qi surged continuously in the void around him, pushing the invisible space to the brink of collapse under Bai Ying's oppressive aura.
"Hehe, since that's the case, I'll just have Hanxi apologize to your son. Of course, if he admits that he's just a piece of trash, a piece of trash who can't amount to anything, I, Sun Shuo, can even give him three more third-tier pills in person."
Sun Shuo wore a mocking smile, ignoring Bai Ying's gloomy face. His gaze slowly moved down and finally landed on Bai Zhan, who was lying weakly in the ruins.
"Cough cough..."
It took a long time before Bai Zhan finally managed to shakily and weakly crawl out of the ruins, his face covered in blood and sand.
At this moment, Bai Zhan looked extremely weak. He first slowly raised his head and glanced at his father, Bai Ying, who was standing on the roof. Then, he looked at Sun Shuo, clenched his teeth, and finally shook his head violently.
"Never admit defeat!"
"Alright, since Nephew Bai Zhan is unwilling to admit defeat, that's commendable courage. To have such courage, Nephew Bai Zhan is truly extraordinary. Hanxi, you've injured someone, and it's Nephew Bai Zhan no less. You should apologize to him immediately, otherwise, if his father comes knocking on our door, even I will find it very difficult to handle!"
Even at this point, Sun Shuo couldn't resist Bai Ying another sarcastic remark to Bai Ying's tone. Sun Hanxi, upon hearing this, gave a cold laugh, then turned her gaze to Bai Zhan with a sneer, saying:
"Brother Bai Zhan, I'm so sorry. I was just being careless and careless. I apologize."
Although it was an apology, his tone was filled with sneer and disdain.
As soon as she finished speaking, Sun Hanxi turned to leave, but at that moment, Bai Zhan suddenly spoke up:
Remember this: today's shame will be repaid for another day!