The atmosphere in the room was so pressuring that it caused people to feel like they were suffocating. Lin Yan and the others eyed Xiao Yan, who was displaying such a boundless fury in front of them for the first time. They were quietly a little speechless. This fellow usually appeared to be gentle and filled with smiles when one saw him. It was really unexpected that he was actually this frightening when he was truly angered.

Xiao Yan’s eyes stared intently at the pale-white face of Xiao Li. A long while later, he inhaled a deep breath of air and forcefully suppressed the fury within his heart. He turned around and spoke to the red-eyed Xiao Yu in a deep voice, “Just what happened? Shouldn’t second elder brother be in the Jia Ma Empire? Why has he suddenly arrived at the Jia Nan Academy?”

“Two days ago, older cousin Xiao Li suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Jia Nan Academy and got someone to inform me about it. When I hurried out, I had already seen him in such a weak manner. Upon seeing me, he merely said one sentence before falling unconscious.” Xiao Yu said softly.

“What sentence?” Xiao Yan’s heart leaped as he asked in a hoarse voice.

“Inform Xiao Yan, something has happened to the Xiao clan!”

“Bang!”

A powerful force suddenly surged violently from the room. Xiao Yu, who was positioned closest to Xiao Yan was shaken and forced to take a couple of steps back. Immediately, her pretty face was shocked as she eyed Xiao Yan, whose expression had suddenly become frighteningly dark and solemn. This aura... was even stronger than that of Instructor Ruo Ling! They had not seen each other for only half a year, yet Xiao Yan’s strength had already become this strong?

“Xiao Yan ge-ge, don’t be agitated!” A figure hurriedly rushed to Xiao Yan’s side. Her delicate hand tightly grabbed Xiao Yan’s arm as a faint golden glow surfaced. While being shined by this golden glow, Xiao Yan’s aura, which was somewhat out of control, began to gradually calm down.

Xiao Yan hurriedly panted a couple of times. His hands still gently trembled in an involuntarily manner. The Xiao clan had already been secretly moved by Xiao Yan to the Mercenary Company that his big brother Xiao Ding was at before Xiao Yan left. Now, Xiao Li, who was the Second Company Leader of the ‘Desert Metal Mercenary Company’ had actually appeared in the Jia Nan Academy that was over ten thousand kilometers from the Jia Ma Empire. That meant that the entire mercenary company along with the Xiao clan, should have received an extremely frightening destructive blow.

Xiao Yan’s fingernail pierced deeply into his palm. Fresh blood flowed from the gap between his fingers and dripped down. Xiao Yan eyed Xiao Li on the bed whose face was as white as sheet. Remorse was just like a knife, causing his heart to transmit waves of pain. It was really unexpected that by having the Xiao clan move to where his big brother was, he had instead harmed them...

The atmosphere in the room had become overcast due to the pressure. Xiao Yu’s eyes had turned slightly red. With the trouble the Xiao clan was in, it was likely that her parents would have difficulty escaping from those murderous hands. This kind of unexpected turn in events also caused her to completely lose her own opinion. They did not know how many members of the Xiao clan were still surviving within the Xiao clan. Perhaps, if the situation was the worst, there may be only them, the younger generation, who were outside... Xiao Yu could not help but feel a misery within her heart the moment she thought of how an originally large clan had ended up in such a miserable situation. She began to weep softly.

Xiao Yan sat down gently by the side of the bed. He suppressed his trembling hands and held Xiao Li’s arm. A thread of Dou Qi was transmitted into the latter’s body and he only released the latter’s hand a moment later. The gloominess on his face finally become a little fainter. However, his voice was still hoarse, cold and stern, “Second brother has quite the serious internal injuries. It was likely that he was seriously wounded when exchanging blows with others. Fortunately, his life is not in danger.”

Xiao Yan took out a healing medicine to cure internal injuries from within his storage ring. He stuffed it into Xiao Li’s mouth. A moment later, the pale-white complexion of the latter become much better. Only then did Xiao Yan let out a gentle relieved sigh.

“Let’s wait for second brother to wake up now. Once he wakes up, we will be able to know exactly what happened to the Xiao clan.” Xiao Yan’s face was dark and gloomy. His soft voice had a dark and cold killing intent that caused people’s bones to turn cold.

“Don’t tell me that this was done by the Misty Cloud Sect?” Xun Er said in a soft hesitating manner.

“If it is really the Misty Cloud Sect, I, Xiao Yan will fight with them to the end, all the way until the sect is destroyed!” A ferocious smile was suddenly pulled on the corner of Xiao Yan’s mouth. His voice appeared to have been transmitted from hell and did not contain even the least bit of emotion.

Xun Er sighed softly. Within the Jia Ma Empire, it was likely that there would be hardly any other faction other than the Misty Cloud Sect who would dare to act so viciously toward the Xiao clan...

During the time that they waited for Xiao Li to wake up, the atmosphere within the room was overbearing and depressing. It resulted in Hu Jia and the others sighing quietly before quietly leaving in a somewhat unwilling manner, leaving this room for Xiao Yan’s relatives.

“*Cough*...”

An intense coughing sound appeared within the silent room. Xiao Yan, who was seated by the side of the bed, abruptly lifted his head only to see Xiao Li slowly opening his eyes.

The two pairs of eyes looked at each other. The relationship between brothers linked by blood caused the expression of the both of them to quietly become warmer.

“I am finally able to see you xiao-Yan-zi, I thought that I would not to able to walk over here.” Xiao Li leaned on the soft pillow. The wild joy that was on Xiao Li’s face when he saw Xiao Yan was gradually withdrawn. He smiled before sighing, “Three months. If it were not for me relying on a flying Magical Beast, I’m afraid that I would at least need a year in order to arrive here from the Jia Ma Empire.”

TL: xiao-Yan-zi - nickname - xiao (meaning small, not the surname) Yan (From Xiao Yan) zi (boy).

Xiao Yan eyed Xiao Li’s pale-white face. His nose involuntarily felt a little grief. Half a year ago, his second brother was still high-spirited and filled with fighting intent. Now, however, all that remained in his eyes was an increasingly dense ruthlessness.

“Second brother, what happened? Where is big brother?” Xiao Yan held Xiao Li’s arm and softly inquired.

The smile on Xiao Li’s face disappeared. A moment later, he raised his head and laughed. The laughter was filled with an extremely rich sorrow and fury. Under such a desolate laughter, the tears of Xiao Yu by the side rolled down.

“Is it the Misty Cloud Sect?” The back of Xiao Yan’s hand trembled rapidly. A fury and killing intent filled his heart and nearly buried his reasoning.

“Everything was calm during the two months after the Xiao clan had moved to the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. The search of the Misty Cloud Sect did not spread to the border areas. However, they came quietly just as we thought that the tense atmosphere was about to reach an end.”

“That night was coincidentally the time when our Desert Metal Mercenary Company would rejoice every month. However, it had turned into a blood feast. There were quite a number of people who surrounded and killed our Desert Metal Mercenary Company that night. Although they hid their identities, how can the sword aura that the unique Qi Method of the Misty Cloud Sect be hidden?” Xiao Li laughed faintly. His face had an unforgettable vengeance. “The people who had surrounded and attacked our Desert Metal Mercenary Company were also extremely strong. Almost all the brothers of the mercenary company were killed or injured. Although the Xiao clan had a few elders who fought to their deaths in order to protect it, it also suffered quite serious losses.”

“Misty, Cloud, Sect... looks like that old bastard Yun Shan really plans to wipe all of us out!” Xiao Yan’s dark-black eyes were filled with blood traces. His face was so savage that it was frightening. Xiao Yan’s body trembled rapidly as a rich killing intent filled the entire room. A moment later, he stood up abruptly only to be hurriedly held back by Xun Er. “Xiao Yan ge-ge, where are you planning to go?”

“I am returning to the Jia Ma Empire! I want to let all the members of the Misty Cloud Sect be buried with those who died!” Xiao Yan’s dark voice carried a rich killing intent and ferocity.

“What else can you do other than ending up going to die for nothing if you return now? The Xiao clan is faced with a great disaster. Who else other than you can rescue them? If you were to die, how would I account to Uncle Xiao?” Xun Er understood that Xiao Yan had begun to lose control due to his fury when she saw this savage manner of Xiao Yan. She immediately cried out loud.

“Xiao Yan, stand still! The reason big brother got me to risk this life to travel for such a long distance to search for you is not to let you just run back in this manner!” Xiao Li angrily scolded, “This blood vengeance is something that we must avenge and you have a responsibility that you cannot shrink from. However, can the current you kill Yun Shan when you return?”

Xiao Yan’s body stiffened. His hair was scattered down from his forehead. A fury and killing intent that had been suppressed to the limit nearly caused him to become crazy.

“Moreover, this matter is also not so simple.” Xiao Li said in a dark and solemn voice.

Xiao Yan only recovered some of his calmness upon hearing this. His hoarse voice was just like a broken bellow. “What?”

“That night, there appeared to be something other than those from the Misty Cloud Sect that was hidden among those who had come to destroy our mercenary company that night...” A stern glint flickered in Xiao Li’s eyes. He did not hide his malice that was etched on his pale-white face. “Those fellows may have hidden in the darkness, but I was still able to sense that kind of dark and cold aura. They were just like a cluster of black shadows with a face that could not be seen. Moreover, they had an extremely clear target. All of them were targeting the members of our Xiao clan. Their attacks could not be blocked. Occasionally, a dark-black chain would shoot out from the darkness. These black-colored chains were extremely strange. It could even penetrate Dou Qi. Each time the metal chain rang within the dark night, there would be a clan member who would have his body pierced and dragged off.”

“Each time after these mysterious black shadows dragged off a member of our Xiao clan, they would search their bodies. From the looks of their actions, they did not appear to have been hired to kill. Instead, they seemed to be searching for something.”

“Black shadows? Metal chain attack?” These foreign terms entered Xiao Yan’s mind, only to cause his mind that had been filled with killing intent to suddenly feel an icy-cold wave. His mind moved swiftly and scene after scene swiftly flashed past. Finally, the image paused abruptly!

It was the black shadow, the black-colored chains... that he had haphazardly saw within the black storm in the ‘Black-Corner Plains’.

A coldness gradually rose in his body. Yao Lao’s and Xiao Yan’s voice carried a solemness as they nearly sounded simultaneously, “Hall of Souls!”

“Why would they eye the Xiao clan? The Xiao clan does not have the slightest association with them!” Xiao Yan’s body stiffened. His hair had fallen down and covered his face while he muttered in his heart while carrying a thread of dark coldness.

Yao Lao had also become silent at this moment. He also could not understand why such an enormous and mysterious faction like the ‘Hall of Souls’ would be implicated with a small Xiao clan. It did not really appear to be possible that it was became of him. After all, it was impossible for the ‘Hall of Souls’ to know that he was by Xiao Yan’s side.

“We do not know what exactly they were looking for. However, the First Elder had spoken to big brother and me just before he died.” Xiao Li suddenly raised his head and eyed Xiao Yan when he spoke until this point. He said, “He asked that you must preserve the jade of the Xiao clan, and must definitely not allow it to fall in the hands of an outsider!”

An icy-cool feeling suddenly surfaced in Xiao Yan’s mind. A thread of cold wind was spat out from Xiao Yan’s mouth as an awed voice slowly sounded in his heart, “So it’s... their aim is... the ‘Tou She Ancient God’s Jade’!”