Along the way, Ling Ying recounted the changes in Wutan City to Xiao Yan.
Meanwhile, the scene of the Dou Emperor welcoming Xiao Yan also caught the attention of all the forces in the entire capital.
Everyone began to speculate about what had happened to the Xiao Clan.
Soon, matters concerning Wutan City and the Xiao Clan were laid bare before the various forces in the capital.
"A mysterious powerful figure has invaded Wutan City?" Jia Xingtian frowned as he looked at the intelligence report in his hand.
"With the intervention of Dou Emperor, the Xiao Clan mansion was destroyed and an elder was seriously injured?"
Yun Leng looked at the message in his hand, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes as he pondered which force it belonged to.
" The Xiao Clan family patriarch has disappeared? Countless dead and injured?"
Nalan Jie and Nalan Su were in the study, looking at the information obtained by the Nalan Family's undercover agents, their faces extremely gloomy.
"Father..." Nalan Su spoke first, addressing Nalan Jie:
"Now that the Xiao Clan has suffered heavy losses, even Dou Emperor is involved, we..."
"No need to say more!"
Nalan Jie snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and solemnly addressed Nalan Su:
" Xiao Yan and Yanran are engaged. Now that the Xiao Clan is in trouble, we cannot stand idly by! Immediately inventory the supplies and send three teams of secret guards to accompany them. I will go personally!"
"Ah?"
Nalan Su was surprised that Nalan Jie would actually go to Wutan City in person. He frowned and said:
"But the journey to Wutan City is long, what if..."
Nalan Jie waved his hand to stop Nalan Su, his tone calm but unequivocal.
"Su'er, you do indeed consider the Nalan Family in everything you do, but sometimes, your perspective is still too one-sided..."
Nalan Jie patted Nalan Su on the shoulder and said:
"With your talent, and if you're lucky, the maximum you can reach in the future is probably the Dou Wang level."
"And the future of our Nalan Family now rests on Yanran's shoulders."
" Xiao Yan is engaged to Yanran, and his talent goes without saying. Judging from the current situation, if nothing unexpected happens, even becoming Dou Emperor will probably not be his final goal."
"Most importantly... do you know who the Dou Emperor who appeared before was?"
"I don't know."
"That's right, even a Dou Huang expert has to call Xiao Yan 'Young Master'."
Now that the Xiao Clan is in trouble, it is precisely the time for my Nalan Family to offer timely help. Since we are going to get involved, let's stand firm and not just sit on one side while thinking about getting away!
Nalan Jie glanced at Nalan Su indifferently, strode towards the door, and said loudly:
"Get everything ready by today. Tomorrow, I will personally lead the team to Wutan City!"
From afar, Xiao Yan could almost hear the wails emanating from Wutan City.
His eyes filled with fear; he dared not face the truth.
On the way back, Ling Ying had already told him everything that had happened in Wutan City.
The Xiao Clan was destroyed, and the father disappeared...
The Xiao Clan is currently at the height of its power, and the entire Wutan City has already fallen into the Xiao Clan hands.
In fact, the Xiao Clan has already begun preparing to expand their market to several nearby cities.
Why?
Why would such a powerful individual, far beyond our capabilities, target the Xiao Clan?
But now, no one can answer his question.
No, there is one!
" Brother Xiao Yan!"
From afar, Xiao Yan spotted Xun'er in a long purple dress.
She was only a little over twelve years old, but she was already a beauty in the making.
" Xun'er..."
Xiao Yan's youthful face was now filled with confusion as he looked at the Xiao Clan members wailing in the ruins.
Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the crowd, his pupils suddenly contracting.
That was the Third Elder, who usually had the most fiery temper.
But now, the Third Elder's arm is empty, his clothes are tattered, his face is pale, and his left hand is severed at the shoulder!
"Ahem, young clan leader, you're back?"
The Third Elder walked up to Xiao Yan, his usually stern and furious face now filled with grief, but he could only force himself to speak to Xiao Yan:
"Young clan leader, it's nothing."
Seemingly noticing the confusion on Xiao Yan's face, the Third Elder's tone even deliberately became somewhat lighthearted:
"Heh, we've already taken stock of the casualties."
"The enemy's main objective doesn't seem to be killing people, so although half of the clan's buildings were destroyed and many disciples were injured,..."
But compared to those disciples who died, they were already very fortunate.
"Most of the disciples' injuries are not serious..." The Third Elder's tone gradually became heavy.
"But... the clan leader must have been captured by them..."
Upon hearing the Third Elder's words, a glint appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes, and he couldn't help but recall Xiao Zhan had always strived to give him everything since childhood.
He looked excitedly at the Third Elder and said:
"So... Father didn't die, right?!"
The Third Elder had been speaking to Xiao Yan while leading him to the collapsed Xiao Clan council hall. Hearing this, he nodded slightly.
"That's right."
As the Third Elder spoke, the First Elder and the Second Elder also came over.
The Grand Elder handed Xiao Yan an Ancient Jade artifact with a bronze-like texture; it was icy to the touch.
The edges around this thing are irregular, as if it were part of a complete object, and on it, there is a faint white dot of light.
"This is something that only each successive patriarch of the Xiao Clan family possesses; it's considered a symbol of the Xiao Clan's status."
The First Elder's gaze fell on Xiao Yan, and he spoke:
"Each clan leader, upon assuming the throne, would drip blood onto this Ancient Jade to establish a connection. If the light on it hasn't extinguished, it means the clan leader is temporarily out of danger."
Hearing the elder's words, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with surprise, and he stared blankly at the white spot on the Ancient Jade.
"Young clan leader, this is now entrusted to you."
The three elders exchanged glances, all understanding that Xiao Yan was the future of the Xiao Clan, and thus entrusted him directly to Xiao Yan.
Because this item was related to Xiao Zhan's life or death, Xiao Yan did not refuse and silently put it into his pocket.
After doing all this, Xiao Yan, together with the three elders, began to arrange for the Xiao Clan members to rest.
On the other side, Oba Pa was also leading the Ao Ba Family to continuously clear the ruins.
Just kidding, Oba Pa witnessed the battle firsthand. The powerful figure in black robes who came out of the Xiao Clan was a Dou Emperor level expert!
Although they didn't know who the enemy was.
However, Oba Pa knew that he would never regret clinging to the Xiao Clan family, who possessed Dou Huang expert.
That night, Xiao Yan's courtyard was located in a relatively secluded area behind the Xiao Clan, so it was not affected by the battle. At this moment, he and Xun'er were sitting on the steps in the courtyard.
An unspoken silence fell between them.
From childhood to adulthood, Xiao Yan had always placed complete trust in Xun'er, so even though he had countless questions in his mind, he didn't speak up.
"Hehe, does Brother Xiao Yan intend to remain silent like this forever?"