Chapter 771: Seven hundred and seventy-one, knowing the difficulty and withdrawing
"Yang Pu... dead?!"
Looking at Yang Pu collapsing to the ground with blood spurting from both sides of his chest, the guards of the two major clans were all dumbfounded, of course with completely opposite emotions.
Some Hu Family guards who had just seen Yun Xiao yesterday were filled with astonishment when looking at him. They originally thought he was merely a cultivator at the early stage of the Spirit Vein Realm, yet they didn’t expect him to possess such a formidable Meridian Spirit.
Even some of the Hu Family guards who were unfriendly to Yun Xiao the night before were now trembling, cursing their own blindness and thinking that if the young man sought retribution in the fall, perhaps not even the Great Elder Hu Yuqing of the Hu Family could stop him.
Compared to the Hu Family guards, the Yang Family guards were feeling even more complicated. Since the day they obliterated the Hu Family’s headquarters in Ancient Moon City, escaping with only a few survivors, they had believed that the Hu Family would no longer be able to make any waves.
They pursued these Hu Family members today, fully expecting to uproot them completely, yet who would have known that a dark youth would appear out of nowhere and be so domineering.
If the earlier deaths of the guards at the Spirit Vein Realm of the Yang Family were somewhat unexpected, then the death of Yang Pu with a single move was nothing short of shocking to the Yang Family guards.
That was a bona fide cultivator at the middle stage of the Qi Seeking Realm! A young man at the early stage of the Spirit Vein Realm managed to kill a cultivator at the middle stage of the Qi Seeking Realm; such a thing had never been heard of before.
"Could it be that he is not really a cultivator at the early stage of the Spirit Vein Realm?"
Many people were thinking this thought. On this continent, there were many Secret Techniques that could conceal one’s true strength. Could it be that this young man was using such a technique, playing the fool to catch the wise here?
A red streak of light flashed by, and then a small red bird flew back onto Yun Xiao’s shoulder, a sharp gleam in its small eyes as if containing an endless intimidating force.
"Young man, who exactly are you? Do you know the consequences of meddling in Yang Family matters?"
It was not until this moment that the cultivators affiliated with the Yang Family came to their senses. Seeing the Great Elder Yang Qiwu of the Yang Family with a dark face staring at Yun Xiao, his words contained an unmistakable threat.
To be honest, among the neighboring cities, the Yang Family of Ancient Moon City was not particularly powerful, and their overall strength was even somewhat inferior to that of the Lin and Tao families of Yujiang City.
However, it was only recently that the Yang Family had gained support from a major backer, which significantly increased their cultivations within the clan and enabled them to annihilate their old rival, the Hu Family, inflating their confidence and ego.
Yang Qiwu, the Great Elder of the Yang Family who was brimming with pride, was not willing to let this plan be ruined by a young dark-skinned youth, so he invoked the name of the Yang Family directly.
"I don’t care whether it’s the Yang Family or the Ma Family; as I said before, take one more step closer and you’ll end up like him!"
Yun Xiao pointed at the lifeless body of Yang Pu and seemed to face the peak Qi Seeking Realm Great Elder Yang Qiwu with the same indifference as he would the guards at the Spirit Vein Realm.
What a joke, Yun Xiao, who had managed to kill powerful figures of the Spirit Fighting Commerce and even escaped from the hands of Xia Yong at the Peak of the Seeking Origin Realm, how could he possibly fear a mere Yang Qiwu at the Peak of the Qi Seeking Realm?
Although Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi strength had only recovered less than half at this moment, if he deployed all his techniques together, he would still have the power to contend against any cultivator who had not reached the Seeking Origin Realm.
Moreover, Yun Xiao was not alone in this fight; although the strength of Great Elder Hu Yuqing of the Hu Family was slightly inferior, with him around, the situation on the field seemed to have taken a major turn.
"Ha ha, Yang Qiwu, do you know that Ying’er has a life-and-death friendship with our Star Brother? It seems today you’ll come back empty-handed from your basket-dipping!"
Hu Yuqing was undoubtedly in a great mood. He also realized that he had misjudged the situation, but laughed heartily, trying to draw the relationship between the Hu Family and the Star Brother even closer.
"Yes, I do have a good relationship with Ying’er, as long as you all don’t come over here, I won’t interfere with anything else!"
However, as soon as Hu Yuqing finished speaking, Yun Xiao gestured with his hand and expressed something that made many Hu Family guards quite embarrassed, especially the Great Elder.
Yun Xiao’s implication was clear: he had a relationship only with Hu Ying’er and had nothing to do with the rest of the Hu Family members; meaning, if the Yang Family wanted to attack others, he had no objections, as long as Hu Ying’er remained unharmed.
"Is this for real? Or is there some sort of trap?"
On the other hand, Yang Qiwu, the Great Elder of the Yang Family, felt doubtful upon hearing Yun Xiao’s words. The young man had displayed such alarming strength that even Yang Pu, a middle-stage Qi Seeking Realm cultivator, failed to withstand a single move; he truly did not have complete confidence.
For some reason, after Yun Xiao finished speaking, the remaining guards of the Hu Family couldn’t help but gather in front of the tent where Hu Ying’er was staying, standing right behind Yun Xiao.
Consequently, even though Yun Xiao had just said that he had no relation with the other members of the Hu Family, if the cultivators from the Yang Family wanted to attack the Hu Family guards, they would have to challenge the bottom line set by Yun Xiao, which could also be seen as tacitly standing under Yun Xiao’s protection.
"Get lost quickly, or do you want me to invite you for tea?"
Seeing Yang Qiwu hesitating quite a bit, Yun Xiao’s face turned gloomy, and his voice, low and containing a hint of anger, made the heart of the Great Elder of the Yang Family suddenly leap.
This young man was too calm, as if he had nothing to fear. Should they forcefully intervene, there was a possibility of suffering a setback in an unexpected quarter.
As the Great Elder of the Yang Family, Yang Qiwu was very cautious. Without absolute certainty, he would not put himself in danger. The fate of Yang Pu just now was far too deterrent.
"Hmph, Hu Yuqing, I don’t believe your Hu Family will continue to be so lucky!"
Knowing that he couldn’t resist this situation, Yang Qiwu proved to be quite ruthless. After dropping a fierce line, he waved his hand grandly, a gesture that greatly relieved the remaining Yang Family guards.
Having seen Yun Xiao’s methods, none of the Yang Family guards who had not yet reached the Qi Seeking Realm dared guarantee they could withstand a single blow from the young man. Forcing their way forward would not be bravery, but a death wish.
"Yang Qiwu, one day, the deep-seated hatred of your annihilation of my family will cause the Yang Family to pay with blood!"
Hu Yuqing naturally had no kind feelings towards the sworn enemy who destroyed his clan. If he didn’t know that the star in his company obviously wouldn’t take action to avenge the Hu Family, he would have rushed forward to fight to the death.
But Hu Yuqing knew that after his family’s demise, he was now the sole pillar of the Hu Family. If he too died, then the Hu Family truly had no hope left.
For the remnants of the Hu Family, now little more than a few, to seek revenge against the thriving Yang Family was far from easy. It was uncertain when Hu Yuqing could fulfill that sentiment.
"Star, I will remember you!"
Before turning away, Yang Qiwu took another deep look at the dark-skinned young man. Even though the name Star sounded very unfamiliar, from this day forward, the Great Elder of the Yang Family probably would not forget it.
"An insignificant nobody, not worth your concern!"
A flicker of unusual light danced in Yun Xiao’s eyes, feeling somewhat helpless in his heart. He had originally planned to follow the Hu Family and conceal his identity until his injuries healed and then leave. However, he did not expect to be drawn into such murky waters, and now even the name Star might become somewhat well-known.
However, since things had come to this, Yun Xiao did not dwell on it too much. He still couldn’t stand by and watch the Hu Family be obliterated.
The other Hu Family members aside, but Hu Ying’er was kind-hearted, and he had only just taken control of her Double Flower Pure Lotus Body. If she was captured by the Yang Family, she would likely undergo extremely inhumane torture.
So, in reality, it was for Hu Ying’er’s sake that Yun Xiao lent a hand to the Hu Family. Now seeing the Yang Family cultivators retreating like a tide, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, Yun Xiao couldn’t predict what would have happened if Yang Qiwu had been a bit bolder just now. After all, he was a cultivator at the Peak of the Qi Seeking Realm, and even with the assistance of Red Feather, victory was not guaranteed.
With the Yang Family’s retreat, besides a slight regret felt by the Hu Family members, it was genuinely a good outcome for Yun Xiao. At this moment, the Hu Family members’ expressions when looking at Yun Xiao were complex, and there was some embarrassment.
Especially for Hu Yuqing and Hong Liu, who just yesterday treated Yun Xiao as a spy of the Yang Family. Unexpectedly, in just one day, this young man they suspected became their savior, killing many Yang Family guards and preventing the Hu Family from being entirely wiped out.
"Cough... uh, Brother Star, about yesterday’s incident, it was truly a misunderstanding. Please don’t take offense at us guys with your generosity!"
With a strained smile on Hu Yuqing’s face, the Great Elder of the Hu Family spoke, receiving only a slight nod from Yun Xiao, who then ignored him. With his mindset, how could he not know what this old man was scheming?
It wasn’t that the Great Elder of the Hu Family was a person of great integrity, rather, having witnessed Yun Xiao’s strength, he wanted to bind this young man to the Hu Family’s cause. That way, the path of revenge in the future would undoubtedly be broadened.
"May I ask, where does Brother Yun Xiao hail from in his training?"
Seeing Yun Xiao had no intention of engaging in further conversation, Hu Yuqing awkwardly made small talk, filled with expectancy. In his view, to attain such extraordinary combat power at such a young age, one must come from a notable background.
Especially considering that fiery red little bird, the Meridian Spirit, whose battle power was astonishing. If it didn’t come from some major power or prestigious family, Hu Yuqing wouldn’t believe it. As such, he asked the question and eagerly awaited the young man’s response.