Chapter 76: Xiao Yan Arrives

At midnight, Xiao Li sat cross‑legged in the house, wearing down the blood grudge within his body; suddenly his eyes opened, his sharp gaze sweeping around, his body erupted as he shot up, and in the next moment he had burst through the roof and emerged outside.

Seeing the person wrapped in a black robe, Xiao Li curled his lips in a smile, sensing a familiar aura.

But Xiao Li said nothing more; instead, stepping on the roof tiles, he threw a punch at the black‑robed person's chest—so fast that Xiao Yan, a one‑star Grand Fighter, could not react at all.

With just one blow, Xiao Yan was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

Seeing Xiao Yan fall silent on the ground, Xiao Li said helplessly, "Little Yan, get up—I didn't even use my full strength."

Xiao Yan gave a hehe laugh, sprang up with a carp‑flip, and said, "Second Brother, how did you know it was me?"

Xiao Li tapped Xiao Yan's forehead, saying, "Idiot, I've seen the Qing Lotus Earth Core Fire before; among the people I know, only you have it, so of course I knew it was you."

Xiao Yan pulled off the black robe's hood, revealing an increasingly mature face; at nearly fourteen he was already quite mature, standing 1.75 meters tall.

Xiao Li smiled faintly; seeing his relatives in Heijiao Yu still felt good.

"Come on, let's go inside—just in time for your arrival."

Xiao Yan nodded, looking at Xiao Li's appearance; he felt his timing was just right.

Inside the house, Yao Lao's figure appeared; having met Xiao Li before, there was no need to be as cautious as with strangers.

"Yao Lao."

"Hmm, it's been a while—your cultivation has improved again." Yao Lao said with a cheerful laugh.

"You have keen eyes, Yao Lao," Xiao Li said with a light smile, not wishing to linger.

"Little Yan, I called you in to talk about matters concerning Heijiao Yu," Xiao Li said, turning his head to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan scratched his head, asking, "What can I help with, Second Brother?"

"It's not you who can help me, but Yao Lao," Xiao Li said lightly.

Seeing the master and disciple both puzzled, Xiao Li took a deep breath and softly uttered a few words.

"This matter is to kill the fifth‑rank alchemist, Han Feng."

Han Feng.

Those two simple words struck Yao Lao like a thunderbolt, making his whole body tremble slightly.

After that name was spoken, the entire room fell into silence.

"Han Feng..."

In the silence, Yao Lao's low mutter suddenly sounded in the room; however, in that mutter, Xiao Yan heard only an extreme gloom and fury.

The gloom and fury contained in Yao Lao's words naturally did not escape Xiao Yan's perception; he startled, then asked cautiously, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

Yao Lao seemed not to hear, merely looking at Xiao Li and saying, "Xiao Li, it seems you really know my identity."

Xiao Li silently nodded, saying, "Not bad—I've heard your name over the years from an elder of the academy; combining your surname with your alchemy, I made a rough guess."

Xiao Li told a trivial little lie; Yao Lao didn't care how he found out, for he now cared only about one thing.

"Han Feng, where is he?"

The low voice carried immense pressure, making Xiao Yan feel a wave of heart‑suppression.

"I've inquired—he established Feng City in Heijiao Yu, relying on his fifth‑rank alchemist and Fighting Emperor strength to thrive."

"Good, good, good." Yao Lao repeated the word three times; the hatred in his eyes could not be concealed.

Suddenly, Yao Lao shoved the door open, his soul body trembling violently, "Take good care of Xiao Yan—I'll go and return shortly!"

Unlike in the original, Yao Lao has already recovered his Fighting Sect strength, while Han Feng's foundation is still unsteady.

Xiao Li knew what Yao Lao intended to do and hurriedly said, "Yao Lao, don't rush—I've already gathered the Fighting King experts from our sect; we'll set out tomorrow, which also ensures certainty. I originally planned to bring his corpse back for you, but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

Yao Lao blinked, suddenly feeling something off: "How do you know Han Feng bears a grudge against me?"

Even the Wind Venerable doesn't know that Han Feng stabbed me in the back—where did you learn this?

Facing this question, Xiao Li had already prepared an answer: "Han Feng spread the news of auctioning the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill; with his ability he could never refine it, so judging by his status, I guess it's something you left behind, Yao Lao."

Xiao Li paused, organized his words, and continued: "As far as I know, the Soul Hall has always sought something from you, Yao Lao; when you died, Han Feng claimed it was an alchemical backlash, but you are clearly the continent's top alchemist—how could you be overcome by a pill?"

"Among the forces capable of threatening your life, only the Soul Hall has motive; as your disciple, Han Feng should fear being hunted by the Soul Hall, yet he dares to openly build power in Heijiao Yu—I suspect he may be colluding with the Soul Hall..."

After Xiao Li's lengthy explanation, the wariness in Yao Lao's eyes faded: "I didn't expect you to have such foresight—you're certainly far stronger than that brat Xiao Yan."

Seeing that the deception had worked, Xiao Li breathed a sigh of relief: "If so, please rest a while, Yao Lao; tomorrow at dawn we'll launch a swift strike on Han Feng!"

"Good," Yao Lao nodded, then added, "Just tell me what reward these people need."

Xiao Li smiled; Yao Lao really knows how to handle worldly affairs.

……

Next morning.

Fu Ziyi and the others stayed behind to guard the home, while Xiao Li and ten Fighting King‑level warriors gathered with Yao Lao in Feng City.

Originally, counting Xiao Li, there were only eight, but Fu Ziyi and Liu Hongxia each brought another two.

Xiao Li was a little worried whether Yao Lao could refine nine Fighting Spirit Pills, but fortunately the materials were all prepared by those people, so Xiao Li didn't need to provide them.

Xiao Yan wore a black robe, making it convenient for Yao Lao to possess him later, and he himself wouldn't need to be exposed.

Su Mei and the others were also curious about Xiao Yan's identity, but Xiao Li didn't introduce him, so they could only guess.

To besiege a Fighting Emperor, Xiao Li brought only these four for this operation—all Fighting King‑level experts; that unseen person before us… could he not be a senior from our sect?

Thinking of that possibility, Su Mei and the others were overjoyed; originally they had no confidence, but now with a senior overseeing them, even a minor Fighting Emperor would be easy to capture.

Before Han Feng's encampment.

"Sect Leader, what should we do next?" asked Tie Wuweng.

"Simple—kill them all; we'll entangle the grunts and leave the rest to the senior," Xiao Li said lightly.

Indeed, this person is a senior of the Lightning Sect.

Su Mei and the others exchanged glances, hardly able to hide their delight; though it's uncertain whether their ten men can hold off the grunts, these Fighting Spirit Pills are practically free picks.

"Alright, quick battle, quick decision—Su Mei and I will block the main gate; Tie Wuweng and the Yao brothers will take the north side; Yin Gu Lao and the Fu family elder will take the east gate; Chen Long and the Liu family elder will take the west gate."

Seeing everyone nod, Xiao Li added.

Remember, not a single person can be let go; after they're all killed, summon the disciples outside the city to come in, match them one by one against the roster, keep the heads as intact as possible, to facilitate the count.

(End of chapter)