Chapter 49: The Duel Begins

Speaking of Xiao Yan's reputation in the Imperial Capital, although it had not yet fully spread, it was already boiling over among the upper echelons of the capital.

A youth not even sixteen years old actually beheaded a City Lord at the peak of the Great Dou Master realm? What kind of joke is that!

When most people heard this for the first time, their initial reaction was disbelief, and this naturally included Jia Tianyu.

It was only when the results of further investigations came out that everyone realized this was actually true! Although the specific circumstances were still unclear, the matter itself was true. This also caused Xiao Yan to suddenly earn the title of the number one genius among the upper echelons of the Imperial Capital who knew of this affair.

And the Jia Ma Imperial Family, being the first to grasp this situation, took the lead in making a decision and dispatched Jia Tianyu to Wu Tan City. From beginning to end, there was only one goal, and that was to bring Xiao Yan back.

As for the matter of Wu Jin being killed, the Imperial Family hoped that Jia Tianyu would discuss it directly with the people of the Xiao Clan and come up with a plausible reason to report back. This was also the reason why Jia Tianyu breathed a sigh of relief when Xiao Yan said that trespassing into a private residence and killing the intruder was not a crime; because one of the things he came here for had already been resolved, and it wasn't even fabricated, but a fact!

But regarding Xiao Yan's refusal to head to the Imperial Capital, Jia Tianyu was extremely annoyed. Looking at Xiao Yan, who had directly stated he wanted to challenge him, Jia Tianyu sighed with emotion, thinking him truly overestimating his own capabilities, and said: "Since that is the case, on the way here, this seat saw that the north side of Wu Tan City is sparsely populated; shall we go there to fight, how about it?"

"Fine." Xiao Yan nodded, then took the lead and walked out.

Seeing this, Jia Tianyu let out a cold snort and also quickly followed.

"Oh my! This, this, Xiao Yan is truly too impulsive this time." The First Elder said very anxiously.

The members of the Xiao Clan present also successively revealed expressions of worry.

"It is useless to say these things now; let's follow and take a look first." Xiao Zhan sighed. Although he really wanted to believe that Xiao Yan was not just messing around, the worry between his brows could not be dispelled no matter what. He shook his head and immediately followed as well.

The First Elder also followed closely behind Xiao Zhan.

Seeing that the two highest-ranking people of the Xiao Clan had followed, the crowd also successively picked up their pace and ran toward the north of the city.

When these people arrived at the north of the city, Xiao Yan and Jia Tianyu were already confronting each other on a flat piece of ground, separated by several dozen meters.

There were also quite a few Wu Tan City citizens passing by who were watching the spectacle, and Xiao Zhan and the First Elder were among them.

"Xiao Yan, if you come back with me now, you can still suffer less hardship; do not be obsessed and refuse to repent!" Jia Tianyu said in an unkind tone, speaking gloomily. A flash of light appeared on his hand, and a cyan longsword appeared in Jia Tianyu's hand.

The sword was two inches wide and seven feet long. Purple patterns climbed upon it like a coiled dragon, and the smooth blade emitted a chilling, cold light. Although there were no bloodstains, even a mortal could intuitively feel the baleful aura that had lingered on the sword for years!

Truly a good sword! Xiao Yan sighed with emotion. Then, with a wave of his large hand, he summoned the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his storage ring, lifted it with his hand, and carried it directly onto his shoulder.

"This junior has already said it: everything will be discussed after we fight." Xiao Yan remained unmoved and smiled confidently.

"Hmph, stubborn and unyielding!" Seeing this, Jia Tianyu did not intend to waste any more breath; he only thought of attacking directly to capture this brat Xiao Yan and bring him back first. He gripped the longsword in his right hand tightly, and as the sword body vibrated, violent cyan Dou Qi surged out from within his body, instantly wrapping around the sword body to form a unique, tornado-like structure.

"Wind-attribute Dou Qi, huh? Tsk, this is a bit troublesome." Xiao Yan's gaze narrowed, and he clicked his tongue. For a character like him who relied on brute-force output, an opponent with high speed like this was the most troublesome, because there was a possibility of missing the target.

However, even so, it was impossible for Xiao Yan to be afraid of the opponent just like that. He gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler tightly with both hands and tilted the ruler body forward; cyan and red dual-colored flames instantly coiled around the black giant ruler. Even the Heavy Xuan Ruler, forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron, emitted a faint dark red glow under the high temperature at this moment.

"This is—what kind of flame?" Jia Tianyu's gaze narrowed, and he felt some doubt in his heart. Although he did not know what kind of flame Xiao Yan was using, he still keenly sensed a trace of a threat. So that's how it is; is this the reason he could easily behead Wu Jin?

However, a Great Dou Master is a Great Dou Master, but I am a Dou Ling; no matter how strong the flame is, it must be in the hands of a capable master to unleash its true power!

Although he sensed the terror of the cyan-red flames, Jia Tianyu did not care. He intended to charge forward and defeat Xiao Yan directly in the area he was most proud of!

Boom!

With his body leaning forward, he stomped his soles heavily onto the ground, leaving behind a spiderweb-like crack. Accompanied by a violent sound nearly like a sonic boom, Jia Tianyu's figure charged toward Xiao Yan at an extremely fast speed.

The distance of several dozen meters vanished in a flash. What was condensed on the seven-foot-long sword edge was a gale strong enough to tear everything apart! From the bottom left to the top right, it slashed straight toward Xiao Yan's chest.

Facing this sudden attack, Xiao Yan not only did not show a panicked expression, but instead curled his lips into a smile.

Jia Tianyu, who had been staring fixedly at Xiao Yan, instantly sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late. The black giant ruler in Xiao Yan's hand had already been raised high, and vigorous cyan-red Dou Qi, accompanied by a powerful momentum that was almost not inferior to Jia Tianyu's, spread out from Xiao Yan's body.

"A Great Dou Master? This damn thing is clearly already a Dou Ling!" Jia Tianyu screamed in his heart. Although Xiao Yan's aura looked like a Great Dou Master no matter how one looked at it, what was up with this level of energy that was completely not inferior to a Dou Ling?

While Jia Tianyu was shouting in his heart, the flaming giant ruler in Xiao Yan's hand had already crashed down!

"Not good!" Jia Tianyu was greatly alarmed in his heart. Although with his speed he could completely land his attack on Xiao Yan first, he would also be unable to dodge Xiao Yan's attack as a result, and Xiao Yan's flaming giant ruler was clearly a notch stronger than his own sword blade; if it came to trading injury for injury, he would still be the one at a disadvantage.

There was no other way; Jia Tianyu could only urgently change the direction of his sword blade to block Xiao Yan's giant ruler.

Boom!

A dull sound, carrying bursting sparks and a gale, exploded between the two of them.

Jia Tianyu's longsword successfully blocked Xiao Yan's giant ruler, but the tornado coiled around it had already been scattered, and the sword body was also bending and turning red under the pressure of the flaming giant ruler.

Jia Tianyu's expression changed, and he hurriedly utilized his movement technique to escape from under Xiao Yan's giant ruler.

And the flaming giant ruler, having lost its resistance, slashed heavily onto the ground with its remaining force, leaving behind a deep fissure.

"This—did Young Master Xiao Yan just gain the upper hand?" The First Elder's lips trembled, and he said this in utter disbelief.

But Xiao Zhan, who was to the side, did not pay him any mind, because he himself was even more shocked than the First Elder; his entire person was simply stunned.

Not far from Xiao Yan, Jia Tianyu's figure came to a stop. He reorganized his stance on the spot, glanced at the crack at Xiao Yan's feet, and looked at the dark red on his own sword. Although it was only for a brief moment, Xiao Yan's flame had almost melted Jia Tianyu's precious sword into two halves.

This kind of power could not help but make Jia Tianyu feel a sense of horror.

No wonder the guy was so arrogant; he really did have the strength! Putting away the underestimation of Xiao Yan in his heart, Jia Tianyu became entirely focused.

The wind-attribute Dou Qi that surged out again not only wrapped around the sword body but also enveloped Jia Tianyu's own body, constantly emitting a whistling wind sound.

Seeing Jia Tianyu's actions, Xiao Yan knew that the opponent definitely intended to use the speed that wind-attribute Dou Qi excelled at, and he couldn't help but click his tongue again. He thought to himself, what a lucky guy; if this weren't a duel, he would have slashed him to death with that last move!

Setting his stance again, Xiao Yan's eyes stared fixedly at Jia Tianyu's figure in the distance.

Whoosh, it was as if a wisp of a breeze had blown past; by the time Xiao Yan came back to his senses, the figure in the distance had already disappeared from the spot without him noticing.

Not good! The alarm bells in Xiao Yan's heart rang loudly at once.

"Flame Emperor Armor!" With a loud shout, Xiao Yan's body trembled violently, and violent flames instantly surged out from the meridians within his body like a flood, rapidly condensing into a scorching suit of armor that covered Xiao Yan's entire body.

Just as Xiao Yan had finished condensing the Flame Emperor Armor, a cold, eerie voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Yan's ear.

"Wind Frost Sword, Slash!"