Chapter 13: Counter-Kill

Just as Xiao Han was slacking off in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, on the other side, the Xiao Clan's journey of migration was, as expected, full of surprises.

"Clan Leader, these flies have been following us around the whole time. They don't make a move, just hanging behind us like this—it's so annoying. Why don't we just finish them off?"

The recent rapid surge in strength had made some members of the Xiao Clan feel a bit carried away.

In the past, when encountering such a situation, they wouldn't even talk about running away; at the very least, they should have been terrified.

But now, they dared to suggest such Reckless words as finishing off the opponent. And this was not an isolated case.

It must be said that in the Dou Qi Continent, strength is indeed the capital for everything. With strength, their backs straightened, and their tone became tougher.

"Hmm," Xiao Zhan nodded.

"No need to give them face. Just find a few Great Dou Masters to send them off. Don't expose the existence of Dou Spirits."

Xiao Zhan's tone turned grim, "If we scare them away, how are we supposed to take our revenge!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the Clan Leader is as thoughtful as ever." The few Xiao Clan members nearby immediately began to fawn over him.

Following a few quietly given hand signals, several figures in the Xiao Clan's procession slipped away from the crowd.

Although it was broad daylight, the Dou Qi Continent was not exactly a place of clear skies and bright light.

Just as a scout following the Xiao Clan's procession wanted to leave to report the situation, someone suddenly tapped him from behind.

"Sorry about that!"

The young figure in front of him greeted him with a smile.

"It's so hot today, it's really hard work for you to follow us, huh?"

The tone was still calm, but the aura radiating from his body, unique to a Great Dou Master, made the scout feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He was merely a small Dou Practitioner; what right did he have to have a Great Dou Master take action against him personally?

What made him even more afraid was that he knew every expert of the Great Dou Master level in the Xiao Clan. He even knew that the Xiao Clan might be hiding Dou Spirits.

But the person in front of him was a completely unfamiliar face. Had they hired outside help, or were they hiding their strength? This speculation made his heart tighten.

Subconsciously drawing his weapon, he felt the heavy touch of the weapon in his hand and relaxed slightly. He was about to circulate his Dou Qi to make a desperate struggle.

The next moment, his eyes widened abruptly, and he collapsed limply to the ground. Raising his eyes, he could only see the blood-dripping sword tip and the footsteps gradually moving away.

The scout used all his strength to send out the final message of his life:

"The number of Great Dou Masters in the Xiao Clan is incorrect; suspected hidden strength, or the existence of Dou Spirits."

Afterwards, he slowly lost his breath.

After the people responsible for cleaning up the aftermath gathered,

"They got the message out, right?" one of them chuckled.

"Of course, otherwise wouldn't we have worked for nothing?" said another.

"I wonder how many people will be sent out tonight."

"Don't dream too big. There are plenty of Dou Spirits and Great Dou Masters. It won't be our turn; this is likely the last time we'll get to take action."

Suddenly, everyone's mood dampened. One had to know that the anger they had been suppressing these past few days had not yet been vented.

Who could have imagined that in just a few short days, this group of former Dou Practitioners would transform into Great Dou Masters capable of reigning supreme in small cities in the outside world?

And who could have foreseen that the Xiao Clan, which was once in a panic and crisis because the Clan Leader was seriously injured, would now be casually discussing who should be sent to finish off the opponents plotting against them?

In just a few days, reality had flipped.

Truly, life is like a play!

Thinking of this, they felt even more admiration for that former legend of the Xiao Clan.

Once it was because of his top-tier talent, but now it stemmed from the transformation he brought to the Xiao Clan.

……

When the numerous factions received the news their scouts had risked their lives to send back, they were first surprised, and then disdainful.

In their view, so what if they hid their strength? Could they withstand the alliance of so many factions?

If they could really do that, the Xiao Clan wouldn't have left the Imperial Capital in such a hurry. Most of the family assets wouldn't have been abandoned before they could even be dealt with.

However, the truth was...

"Family assets? Why keep those? They aren't worth much money anyway. Throw them all away to save the trouble."

That was what Xiao Han said to Xiao Zhan when he came to ask for instructions.

Late at night, having experienced a long journey, the Xiao Clan's procession began to set up camp to rest.

Rustling sounds began to come from the dense forests on both sides of the road. It was the various factions that had come to hunt down the members of the Xiao Clan.

Looking at the Xiao Clan's tightly defended camp, the leader sneered:

"What's the use of tight defenses? Let's see who can come to save you today."

"That's not necessarily true, you know?"

The voice that suddenly rang in his ear startled the man.

"Who?"

At this moment, through the faint light in the deep night, he saw the group of masked figures.

The dozen or so people in the lead had powerful and long-lasting auras, enough to make even him feel alarmed.

Dou Spirits! Over a dozen Dou Spirits!

His heart sank abruptly.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he asked with a slight tremor: "I don't know what to call you, Excellency. Whatever conditions the Xiao Clan offered, we can double it."

"As for our identities..." the masked leader teased, "That's a secret."

"As for the double reward, it is indeed very attractive, but you also have to respect our professional ethics!

So, I can only apologize."

Before the words had finished, the Dou Qi on the masked leader erupted, and he was the first to kill toward the leader of the attackers.

"Shadow Follows Form," black Dou Qi wrapped around the entire body, "Kill."

Facing this kind of scene, a peaceful resolution was no longer possible, so the attacker also circulated their Dou Qi with full force, and the two thus launched a great battle.

……

"Wind Twist Kill."

"Shadow Hand."

"Bang—," the two-colored Dou Techniques dissipated into the air simultaneously.

Tilting the head to the side, the sword edge attacking from the flank was dodged, but a sharp sword Qi cut a wound onto the cheek.

Gritting teeth fiercely, black Dou Qi wrapped around the palm, grabbing the long sword, and fresh blood continuously seeped from the palm.

The pupils beneath the mask suddenly constricted, and then a fist, also wrapped in black Dou Qi, was seen suddenly attacking the face.

Caught off guard, there was no choice but to barely shift the body and use the shoulder to take this heavy blow.

Stumbling back several steps in succession, a mouthful of blood sprayed onto the mask.

"You are quite good!" The tone was calm, with no way to tell if there was joy or anger.

Without saying a word, the attacker took advantage of this gap to look around, only to discover with horror that their side had less than one in ten remaining; even those who had luckily survived were all wounded, facing frequent crises in the encirclement.

Sorrowfully sending out a signal, "Retreat!"

Immediately, taking the lead, they began to break out of the encirclement with this group of subordinates.

The few remaining attackers fled in a panic, running all the way until they reached the vicinity of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital before stopping.

Looking at the mere two or three stragglers by their side, the leader felt sorrow rise from their heart, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted directly.

On the other side, watching those disheveled figures fleeing, the masked person took off the mask—it was none other than Xiao Zhan.

"Clan Leader, do we not need to pursue and kill them?"

A member of the Xiao Clan to the side asked.

"No need; if they were all wiped out, how would we spread the news?"

Perhaps because a great grudge had been avenged, Xiao Zhan's tone was quite lighthearted at this moment.

Just as Xiao Zhan had expected, when the news that the attacking team had been almost completely wiped out spread back, the news that the Xiao Clan had spent a huge price to hire a certain assassin organization also spread like wildfire.

For a time, while many forces beat their chests and stamped their feet in regret, they were also very envious of the Xiao Clan's good fortune.