Chapter 746: He Clan
The Bloody Battle Mercenary Company had always been the largest and most renowned mercenary company within a fifty kilometer radius of the Qingshan Town. Being able to maintain this kind of position while being near the Magical Beast Mountain Range was enough to indicate their great strength. However, this kind of situation had undergone a drastic change ever since that so-called Snake Nest Mercenary Company had entered Qingshan Town a year ago.
The Snake Nest Mercenary Company was also quite a strong Mercenary Company on the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It could be considered to be equivalent to the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company. In normal circumstances, neither party should be able to do anything to the other. However, the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company was disadvantaged lacking a strong background to support them.
Everyone was aware of the background of the Snake Nest Mercenary Company. It was the He clan from Black Rock City. This clan could be considered a prominent clan even in the northwestern region of the empire. Although its reputation could not be compared with the three large clans of the empire, it was not to be underestimated. The greatest reason for this was that the current He clan had a four star elite Dou Wang!
Dou Wang, this class which held an extremely great weight within the Jia Ma Empire was sufficient to cause many people to submit in awe. After all, this class could already be considered a true strong person.
The Dou Ling and Dou Wang were the two classes with the greatest divide during the Dou Qi training journey. One might not dare to say that there were as many expert Dou Lings as the grains of sand in a desert within the enormous Jia Ma Empire, but it was not exaggerating to say that one would find a large bundle of them by just randomly grabbing. However, it was likely that there were less than a hundred Dou Wangs within the entire Jia Ma Empire. This also clearly represented the difference between a Dou Ling and Dou Wang.
The Company Leader of the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company was a seven star expert Dou Ling while the Company Leader of the Snake Nest Mercenary Company was an expert eight star Dou Ling. The two of them were around the same strength and it was difficult to determine the superior person should they fight. However, during the many exchanges between the two mercenary companies during this one year, the Snake Nest Mercenary Company had gained the upper hand in most of them. The reason for this was because the Snake Nest Mercenary Company was able to borrow quite a number of experts from the He clan to aid in their fights.
The Company Leader of the Snake Nest Mercenary Company was the son-in-law of the He clan. Moreover, he was liked by the clan head of the He clan. Hence, the latter merely closed an eye when he borrowed the clan's experts to deal with his opponent. It was but a small mercenary company and it would not matter if it was destroyed.
The last time that Xiao Yan met Ka Gang and Ling Er was coincidentally the moment when the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company was facing a life and death situation. That time around, the Company Leader from the Snake Nest Mercenary Company had invited a total of two experts from the He clan whose strength were around that of a six star Dou Ling. Hence, he had overwhelmed the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company in terms of the expert level. Seeing their leader being defeated, the Blood Battle Mercenary Company's moral was naturally low. The had difficulty stopping the Snake Nest Mercenary Company's attack. If Xiao Yan had not appeared midway through the attack, it was likely that the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company would have completely disappeared from Qingshan Town.
Xiao Yan did not personally go and lend a hand after rescuing Ka Gang and Ling Er. After all, from the way he saw it, he did not have much of a friendship with the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company. He had intervened to rescue them only because he had met Ka Gang once back then. Hence, he had given Ka Gang five 'Fire Lotus Bottles' that he had made himself. From how he saw it, these five 'Fire Lotus Bottles' were sufficient to deal with some Dou Ling class mercenaries.
Of course, things did occur according to his expectations. After obtaining the five 'Fire Lotus Bottles' that Xiao Yan had given him, Ka Gang rescued the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company from being destroyed. The three 'Fire Lotus Bottles' that he threw caused the Snake Nest Mercenary Company's leader and the two experts from the He clan to suffer two deaths and one injury. This tactic instantly turned the situation around. The Snake Nest Mercenary Company suffered a terrible defeat.
As a result of surviving through a great disaster, the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company's reputation had soared. Within a short one month, they had expelled all of the people from the Snake Nest Mercenary Company out of Qingshan Town. However, they also knew that this matter would definitely disturb the He clan. It might even be transmitted to the ear of the clan head of the He clan. After all, two of the clan's expert Dou Lings and his son-in-law ended up with such a miserable fate. This kind of loss was something that could not be easily ignored from the He clan's point of view.
Although they ultimately knew this, the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company was unwilling to give up their many years of hard work. Hence, the difference in opinions within the company was quite large. However, just as they were about to come to a decision, their faces turned pale upon the realization that the experts from the He clan had already arrived at Qingshan Town. Moreover, the thing that caused them the greatest despair was that the clan head of the He clan, whose strength was at the Dou Wang class, was also among the members of the He clan who had arrived.
Under the frightening strength of this expert Dou Wang, all the defenses of the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company were easily destroyed one after another. The entire mercenary company was filled with despair and helplessness under the dark, cold face of the clan head from the He clan. At this moment, Ka Gang, who held the thought of taking chances, secretly broke the jade plate that Xiao Yan had given him back then.
Despite not being certain about whether Xiao Yan was a match for this clan head from the He clan, the former was already the only hope of the entire Bloody Battle Mercenary Company at such a moment. Hence, Ka Gang still broke that jade plate in his hand even though he lacked confidence.
The premises of the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company which were originally filled with laughter and curses had become unusually quiet at this moment. Nearly a few hundred members of the company and their families were chased toward the open ground which they usually used for training. Under the dark and cold gaze of those guards from the He clan who surrounded them, even the children could only bite their lips tightly, not daring to emit even the slightest crying sound. This was because there were already dozens of corpses, whose heads had been separated from their bodies, on an empty ground beside them. At this moment, it was a warning with blood.
A large chair with a soft covering was placed on the stairs on the open ground. An old man wearing chinese clothes was seated on it while possessing a gloomy expression. At this moment, his hand was tightly holding a jade bottle. His eyes were like poisonous snakes as they swept over it slowly.
"All of you have relied on this to seriously injure my son-in-law and kill the two experts from my He clan?" The old man played with the jade bottle in his hand. He glanced at the fire lotus in the bottle and spoke with a dense tone.
A commotion occurred on the open ground. The lips of Ka Gang, who was right at the front, moved. He stepped forward and spoke in a hoarse voice, "I am the one who got ahold of this jade bottle. If you wish to kill, I will allow you to dispose of me as you please. However, I hope that the clan head of the He clan will be magnanimous and let off these women and children from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company. They are not aware of anything."
Behind Ka Gang was a pale-faced middle-aged man. Looking at his clothes, it was likely that he possessed quite a high position within the company. At this moment, however, he could only reveal a miserable smile. Although he possessed the strength of a Dou Ling, he was totally worthless in front of this clan leader of the He Clan. This was because he suffered serious injuries from the other party's punch.
"Second Uncle, are you alright?" Ling Er who was beside the middle-aged man helped the latter up while possessing a pair of red eyes. Her voice contained a little tearful sound.
"I'm fine…" The middle-aged man spoke bitterly, "However, I may be fine now but my ending later will also wash this place with blood."
"That won't happen… as long as mister Xiao Yan is able to come, we will definitely be fine." Ling Er hurriedly shook her head as she bit her lips and spoke softly.
"Mister Xiao Yan? The mysterious person who gave the both of you the 'Fire Lotus Bottles'? Ke ke, his name is similar to the chief of the strongest 'Yan Alliance' currently in the capital. However, how is it possible for you and I to meet such a strong person?" The middle-aged man mocked himself and shook his head. He did not place his hope in this area.
Ling Er moved her lips. However, she did not say any words. After all, the person who was seated on the stage was an elite Dou Wang who could destroy the entire Bloody Battle Mercenary Company with a raise of his hand. Her eyes also darkened a little when she thought of Xiao Yan's age.
The head of the He clan clenched his fist during the time that Ling Er was conversing with that middle-aged man. The jade bottle was covered with crack lines. His eyes suddenly narrowed a moment later and he suddenly threw the jade bottle. A bright explosive sound resounded over the place and a deep hole that was over ten feet in size appeared in the open ground.
The eyes belonging to the clan head of the He clan brightened slightly as he looked at the deep hole. He did not expect that this small jade bottle of fire lotus would actually have such a destructive strength. If he were able to get ahold of a little more of these thing and throw dozens of it together, even a Dou Wang class expert would need to temporarily take shelter.
"Where did you get ahold of this thing?" The clan head of the He clan turned his gaze toward Ka Gang and questioned.
"I have coincidentally obtained it while I was hunting Magical Beast in the mountains." Ka Gang's eyes quivered. He immediately replied when he heard this question. From the looks of the situation, it seemed that this old fellow had some greedy thoughts toward this 'Fire Lotus Bottle'. However, Ka Gang did not wish to reveal Xiao Yan as his benefactor, it was likely that it would cause quite a great amount of trouble to the latter.
Although Ka Gang had gave a swift reply, the glint within his eyes did not escape the crafty clan head of the He clan. The latter immediately laughed coldly. He randomly swung his hand and a force rushed out before eventually smashing heavily against Ka Gang's body.
"Grug!"
Ka Gang immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood upon receiving such a heavy blow. His body rubbed against the slippy ground for over ten meters before coming to a stop. His body had just stopped when two guards from the He clan charged forward and grabbed him before violently throwing him back.
"I will give you one more chance. I can let you off if you tell me." The clan head of the He clan rubbed his sleeves with his hand and spoke indifferently.
"I have already told you that this is something I obtained from the mountains." Ka Gang's expression was pale. A trace of blood was repeatedly seeping out from the corner of his mouth. His body lay on the ground as he raised his head and spoke with great difficulty while staring intently at the clan head of the He clan.
The hand belonging to the clan head of the He clan that was rubbing his sleeves slowly stopped. A darkness gradually surfaced on his face as he slowly walked down the stairs. A moment later, he arrived in front of Ka Gang and he looked at Ka Gang, who was struggling on the verge of death, with cold and indifferent eyes. A savage smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He immediately raised his hand high up before violently stomping on Ka Gang's head. From the looks of the force, it was likely that Ka Gang's head would immediately burst apart like a watermelon that landed on the ground if he were struck by it.
Numerous sharp cries immediately sounded in the open ground upon seeing this scene. The ferocity on the corner of the mouth of the clan head of the He clan grew even more dense upon hearing the sharp cries from around him. However, when his foot was merely an inch or so from Ka Gang's head, a calm voice quietly sounded in the open ground. That foot of his had suddenly stiffened at this moment.
Chapter 747: Helping Hand
A calm voice slowly reverberated over the training ground, causing the sharp cry to solidify at this moment. Everyone looked all around them. Their eyes were filled with many different emotions.
The expression of the clan head of the He clan changed slightly the moment the voice sounded. The blunt matter of the other party's words caused him to let out a cold snort. However, his feet did not continue to fall. Instead, he slowly withdrew it and spoke in a deep voice, "May I know which friend is here. This is a matter of my He clan. Please do not meddle in another's business."
The eyes of the clan head of the He clan slowly swept all around when he spoke. However, he was actually unable to find traces of the person who spoke, causing his heart to slightly sink.
"You are looking for me?" A slight thunderous roar suddenly resounded over the sky just as the eyes of the head of the He clan were looking around. A black figure slowly appeared in the training ground and spoke to the former with a smile.
The black-robed figure that suddenly appeared caused the eyes on the head of the He clan to shrink slightly. This speed… his eyes slowly shifted upwards. Finally, they paused on that young face. He was immediately startled. The latter's age had clearly caught him by surprise.
The eyes of the pale-faced Ka Gang immediately emitted a wild joy upon seeing the black-robed human figure who had appeared. He struggled in an attempt to get up but did not succeed due to his injuries being too severe.
Ka Gang's actions immediately stirred up a commotion in the training ground. The many people from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company used happy gazes to look at the black-robed figure. Most of them had heard that the reason for the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company ability to avoid the disaster of being eliminated was because of the help of this mysterious expert.
"He is that mysterious mister Xiao Yan?" That pale-faced middle-aged man's gaze swept over that black robed figure as he softly asked Ling Er by the side whose pretty face had emitted joyful surprise.
"Aye!" Ling Er nodded her head. Her eyes did not blink as they paused on that person's back. Some life had surfaced in her despaired heart following the appearance of this black figure. For some unknown reason, she possessed an unknown confidence in this young person whom she did not have a deep feeling for.
"However, he seems to be a little too young?" The middle-aged man's position could coincidentally see the side of Xiao Yan's face and he could not help but whisper.
"He may be young but he is very strong!" Ling Er curled her mouth. She really disagreed with the way the middle-aged man used age to judge the other person's strength.
The middle-aged person laughed bitterly when he heard her response. He naturally hoped that this black-robed, young man would be as strong as possible. However, one must be realistic in everything. The clan head of the He clan was able to reach his current strength after having trained for an unknown number of years. From the looks of this black-robed, young man he was likely only around twenty years old even if one were to round up his age. This amount of training time, ugh…
Even without mentioning the private conversations of the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company, the head of the He clan had paused his dark and solemn gaze on Xiao Yan after he had appeared. Given his strength, he was naturally unable to see the depth of Xiao Yan's strength. However, the speed that the later just just displayed caused him to be a little afraid. Otherwise, it was likely that he would have instantly attacked and killed Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's expression was as still as an old well while the heart of the head of the He clan flickered. He pulled Ka Gang up from the ground and frowned a little upon seeing his pale-white face. After which, he stuffed a medicinal pill into the latter's mouth and coldly laughed within his heart. This person's attack was indeed heavy…
Ka Gang's pale expression became a little flushed red due to his agitation after swallowing the medicinal pill. His hands grabbed Xiao Yan's sleeve, but he was unable to even speak a complete sentence because of his excitement.
Xiao Yan waved his hand and smiled to Ka Gang. He softly said, "Relax, uncle Ka Gang. Today, the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company will not have a single death."
"Hei, what arrogant words! Who exactly are you? Do you really intend to intervene in today's matter?" The clan head of the He clan by the side immediately coldly laughed when he heard this. Those surrounding guards from the He clan pointed their sharp weapons in their hands toward Xiao Yan after the cold laughter sounded. Their eyes were filled with killing intent.
The hearts of those people from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company immediately tightened when they sensed the tense atmosphere suddenly appearing in their surroundings. The pressure that the clan head of the He clan had forced on them was really too strong. Even random anger by the latter could cause them to be alarmed.
However, with things having developed to this point, they could only pray in their hearts that this mysterious young man truly possessed the strength to contend with the head of the He clan. Otherwise, not only would none of the members of the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company luckily survive but even that young man would also be an innocent that was implicated by them.
"You are very interested in those 'Fire Lotus Bottles' that I have created?" Xiao Yan ignored those dense, cold gazes from around him and glanced at the deep hole not far away before laughing faintly.
The expression of the head of the He clan changed slightly upon hearing this. He could not help but cry out in surprise, "You created that thing?"
Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
The head of the He clan revealed a greedy smile on his face when he saw this. He pointed at the many Bloody Battle Mercenary Company's members on the training ground and smiled darkly, "You want to rescue them?"
Xiao Yan smiled. He once again nodded in front of the earnest focus of the many members from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company.
"It is possible. You can use the so-called 'Fire Lotus Bottles' to exchange for them. One bottle exchanged for one life." The corner of the mouth of the He clan's head was lifted into a dark, solemn smile as he slowly spoke.
"What do you say?" The clan head of the He clan gave a superficial smile when he saw Xiao Yan's actions.
"Nothing." Xiao Yan smiled. The word that he spat out caused the face of the head of the He clan to instantly become dark and cold. Those people from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company also revealed gray faces. The hope in their heart was slowly destroyed.
"Since that is the case, you should leave. Although the old me knows that you are not an ordinary person, my He clan is also not some nameless group. If you really want to find trouble with my He clan, it is likely that there will not be much benefit to you." The clan head of the He clan laughed. If he was not partly afraid of the other party's strength, it was likely that he would have long since forcefully attacked and captured Xiao Yan. After which, he would imprison the latter and force him to refine the powerful 'Fire Lotus Bottle' everyday."
"Leave Qingshan Town in ten minutes and I can treat it as though nothing has happened." Xiao Yan ignored the cold laughter of the head of the He clan and slowly spoke at his own pace.
Not only did the clan head of the He clan coldly laugh when he heard this but those guards of the He clan also laughed out loud. Was this fellow a fool? He actually dared to say such arrogant words in front of a strong Dou Wang.
"You are the first person who dares to speak to me in this manner in so many years. It is indeed true that the youth should be feared." The clan head of the He clan slowly withdrew his laughter as he spoke. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Yan sighed when he saw this. He slowly shook his head. There were so many people in this world who thought that they were great…
He raised his hand slowly and immediately aimed it that the head of the He clan who had a cold smile on the corner of his mouth. Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and his clothes immediately fluttered in the absence of wind. The surging Dou Qi suddenly erupted out from his body without holding back. At this moment, a tornado seemed to have rose from the training ground. Numerous crack lines with Xiao Yan at the center began to spread out like a spiderweb.
The current Xiao Yan was already breaking through the peak of the Dou Wang class. The fluctuation of his aura at this moment was the most intense. Hence, when his mood fluctuated, the powerful Dou Qi within his body that was already comparable to an elite Dou Huang broke out of his body!
The faces of everyone in the entire training ground including the head of the He clan revealed a shock expression the moment the powerful Dou Qi was revealed. This aura… had already far exceeded the Dou Wang class!
The body belonging to the head of the He clan was shaken by the powerful Dou Qi and forced back for over ten steps before he stabilized his body. At this moment, his face was somewhat pale. The cold smile in his eyes had completely disappeared. He had never imagined that this young man in front of him, who did not look older than twenty years, was actually an expert at the Dou Huang class!
The throat of the head of the He clan rolled a little as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He quietly let out bitterness within his heart. He did not expect that by simply finding trouble with a small mercenary company, he would actually end up provoking such a terrifying person.
Ka Gang, Ling Er, and the others were also staring at Xiao Yan, whose clothes was fluttering, in a stunned manner. Despite being some distance apart, the Dou Qi within their bodies had become somewhat dull under that pressure.
Compared to the shock of the clan head of the He clan, the assault that they had received was undoubtedly a couple of times greater. This was because they clearly understood that this black-robed young man had merely been a Dou Zhe, not even a Dou Shi, just a couple of years ago. However, he had currently… leaped to an extent where he could contend with the top experts within the empire. This kind of training speed… was really inhumane!
The middle-aged man from the Bloody Battle Mercenary Company also looked at the black-robed man whose robe was fluttering without any wind. A wild joy surged within their hearts a moment later. The Bloody Battle Mercenary Company was saved!
The Dou Qi within the body of the head of the He clan was flowing wildly and trying its best to resist the pressure that was coming from Xiao Yan. His gaze repeatedly swept over that calm, young face while a storm brewed within his heart. Since when did such a young elite Dou Huang appear within the empire?
This thought lingered within his heart. At a certain moment, the body of the head of the He clan shook. He suddenly recalled the intense big battle within the empire not long ago that had changed the situation within it. The main character of that big battle was an extremely young, black-robed man…
The eyes of the head of the He clan shrank when he thought of this. His limbs were icy-cold. Even his tone had turned unusually sharp because of his shock.
"You are the chief of the Yan Alliance, Xiao Yan?"
The sharp voice of the head of the He clan undoubtedly appeared like thunder that exploded by the ears of everyone within the training ground, causing their eyes to reveal a dullness…