"Patriarch Yan Jin, what are you saying? My Hun Clan and the Yan Clan have enjoyed friendly relations for generations. Upon hearing that your noble clan is hosting the Mysterious Flame Assembly, I simply came to observe. How could there be any ulterior motive behind that?" Xiao Yan smiled faintly. He didn't deliberately mimic Hun Xuzi's tone, so to the others present, his demeanor felt subtly off. However, this oddity was quickly overshadowed by the sheer shock brought about by his words.
What nonsense. The Hun Clan and Yan Clan, allies for generations? Who would believe that? Just recently, it was the Hun Clan who had struck against the Yan Clan at the Fire Jiao ruins. Below, Huo Zhi glared up at the "Hun Xuzi" in the sky with eyes full of hatred. It was this very group of Hun Clan members who had forcibly extracted her Heavenly Flame and Dou Di bloodline, and who had caused the deaths of numerous elders.
"The Mysterious Flame Assembly is an internal event of my Yan Clan and is not open to outsiders. Sir, I must ask you to leave at once," Yan Jin said coldly. His disdain for the traitor Hun Xuzi was evident. If not for the risks involved, he might have already taken action to capture and interrogate him.
Still, Yan Jin was no fool. Hun Xuzi wouldn't dare to appear alone without having some kind of contingency in place. If he acted rashly, he might play directly into the enemy's hand. Thus, he halted Huo Ling Xianzi from acting and chose instead to quietly assess the situation, while increasing his own vigilance.
"What a pity. I was truly hoping to see for myself just how miraculous the Earth Flame Body Tempering truly is," Xiao Yan sighed in mock disappointment before changing the subject. "Since the Yan Clan is unwilling to host me, I'll take my leave. However, before I go, there is one small matter I'd like to discuss with Patriarch Yan Jin."
"Oh? And what matter would that be?" Yan Jin frowned slightly. He couldn't quite discern what Xiao Yan was really after.
"Hehe, it's nothing major," Xiao Yan chuckled sinisterly, flashing a classic villain's smile. "I simply wish to invite Patriarch Yan Jin to be a guest of the Hun Clan. Our clan leader has missed you terribly. For the sake of relations between our two clans, I trust you won't refuse."
"You insolent brat!" Before Yan Jin could respond, a red-haired elder beside him roared with fury. This man was a late Six-Star Dou Sheng, known for his fiery temper even among the Seven Ancient Clans. "You think you're worthy of summoning our patriarch to your Hun Clan?!"
"You'll come with me in chains! Let your clan leader come beg to take you back!" Enraged, the elder hurled a molten palm of fiery Dou Qi at Xiao Yan. The attack, akin to surging magma, bore immense pressure—enough that even a Five-Star Dou Sheng would be hard-pressed to withstand it.
"Petty tricks." Xiao Yan smirked. A wave of eerie black flame surged from his body and collided with the fiery palm, instantly shattering it. The force blasted the elder backward, causing him to spit blood uncontrollably before barely managing to stabilize himself.
"A Seven-Star Dou Sheng?!" The burst of aura from Xiao Yan shocked the entire Yan Clan. Such strength put him second only to Yan Jin himself—on par with Huo Ling Xianzi and the reclusive Grand Elders. Yet earlier, he had concealed his strength so well that everyone believed he was only a Six-Star Dou Sheng. No wonder the red-haired elder had been easily overpowered.
Of course, what they didn't know was that Xiao Yan hadn't used his full power. Had he done so, that elder would have been obliterated on the spot. But since he was playing the role of Hun Xuzi, he had to restrict himself to the persona's known strength.
"He's masking his aura with a technique so refined that even I couldn't sense it," Yan Jin said gravely. The fact that even he had been fooled unnerved him.
Behind Huo Ling Xianzi, several elders quickly retrieved spatial jade slips and crushed them to summon help. But the space energy released merely dispersed in midair without forming any portals. Their expressions grew grim—spatial lockdown!
"This is just like what happened at the Fire Jiao ruins!" Below, Huo Zhi clenched her fists, her expression dark as she glared at the "Hun Xuzi" above. Back then, she had encountered this same spatial restriction when trying to escape. Clearly, the Hun Clan was playing the same game again.
"Hun Xuzi, think carefully! What you're doing today will start a war between our two clans!" Yan Jin shouted. Though the Yan Clan wasn't as powerful as the Gu Clan, they wouldn't go down quietly. If the Hun Clan really pushed them, he would make sure they paid dearly.
He had already made up his mind. If they couldn't break through today, he would immediately seek an alliance with the other ancient clans. The Hun Clan would suffer for this!
"Patriarch Yan Jin, you're overthinking it. If we eliminate all of you here, there won't be a war," Xiao Yan said with a smile. "Besides, if you'd just come with us peacefully, all this bloodshed could be avoided. Why not make a small sacrifice for the sake of inter-clan harmony?"
"Hmph!" Yan Jin snorted and stopped wasting words. Stepping forward, he lunged at Hun Xuzi. But Xiao Yan's expression didn't change. An Eight-Star Dou Sheng's attack was powerful, but not insurmountable—especially when he didn't need to fight alone.
Black flame surged from his body and coalesced into a massive black dragon that slammed into Yan Jin. The force of the blow knocked the Yan Clan patriarch back several kilometers before he managed to steady himself. The onlookers were stunned—was Hun Xuzi truly just a Seven-Star Dou Sheng? How had he managed to repel someone in the late-Eight-Star tier?
Yan Jin barely stabilized himself before coughing up a mouthful of blood. He stared at Xiao Yan, whose body was shrouded in flickering black flame. In a voice laced with shock and disbelief, he said slowly and clearly:
"Void Devouring Flame…?"
(End of Chapter)
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