"Who are you people?" Zhou Yan asked warily, eyeing the group of masked figures in black.
"Heh heh... everything here belongs to us now. You can scram." The leader of the masked men chuckled sinisterly.
"On what grounds?" Zhou Yan, startled, asked in a deep voice.
"On the grounds that we are disciples of the Xuanyuan Sect." The leader replied proudly.
"Xuanyuan Sect, no wonder." Zhou Yan suddenly understood. This sect was well-known in Liuyun City. It was said to hail from a second-tier kingdom, thus its disciples were generally much stronger than ordinary martial artists.
"Since you know we are disciples of the Xuanyuan Sect, why aren't you obediently handing over your valuables?" the leader continued.
"Are you sure your Xuanyuan Sect can truly call the shots?" Zhou Yan asked with a cold smile.
"Hmph! Our Xuanyuan Sect is one of the top three sects in Liuyun City. Our Sect Master is a super expert at the sixth heaven of Martial Master realm. Do you think the petty powers of Liuyun County need our Sect Master to personally handle them? If you know what's good for you, scram now, lest you suffer physical pain," the leader said disdainfully, looking at Zhou Yan coldly.
"Oh! Alright, we'll leave!" Zhou Yan said calmly and led the way out.
"Kid, good choice." The leader watched Zhou Yan leave, a mocking smile on his face.
Whoosh!
Just as Zhou Yan had walked a few hundred meters, he turned back. The masked men immediately tensed, their weapons gripped tightly, ready to resist to the death.
"Is your Xuanyuan Sect so great?" Zhou Yan looked at the wary masked men, a wicked, playful arc forming at the corner of his lips.
"You... what do you want?" the leader stammered, his heart filled with fear, yet he tried to maintain the dignity of a Xuanyuan Sect disciple.
"Nothing much, I just find you too weak to be any threat to me. You can scram now," Zhou Yan said arrogantly, looking down at the masked men with contempt.
"What? You say we're too weak?" Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the masked men were instantly enraged and drew their weapons, pointing them at Zhou Yan.
Clang!
Zhou Yan moved with incredible speed, appearing before the masked men in an instant. He then swung his sword, unleashing a dazzling golden sword energy. A sharp aura swept through the entire area, making everyone feel suffocated.
Pfft!
As the sword energy swept across, the masked men's movements ceased. They clutched their throats and fell into pools of blood, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Zhou Yan stepped over their corpses without a second glance.
"Who are you?" Just as Zhou Yan left, a slightly aged voice echoed in his ear.
"Who are you?" Zhou Yan turned his head and saw an elder with white hair and a gray robe slowly emerge from the darkness.
"My name is Xu Changfeng," the elder said, looking at Zhou Yan with a solemn expression.
"Xu Changfeng?" Zhou Yan searched his mind, but found no information about this elder, making him suspicious of the old man's identity.
"What? You don't recognize me?" Xu Changfeng asked, his brow furrowed, his expression gradually turning grim.
"Heh heh! What do you think?" Zhou Yan retorted with a smile.
"We're meeting for the first time, and you don't have any martial energy fluctuations. How could I possibly know you?" Xu Changfeng mused for a moment, then looked at Zhou Yan suspiciously, a glint in his eyes.
"I think so too. After all, people as handsome as me are rare," Zhou Yan said, touching his nose with a smug expression.
"Ugh..." Xu Changfeng was taken aback, and his face darkened completely. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, wishing he could smash Zhou Yan's head in with a single punch.
"You have one minute. No matter who you are, get out!" Xu Changfeng said word by word, his voice laced with a chilling killing intent, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet by over ten degrees, as if plunged into the depths of winter.
"You..." Zhou Yan's face instantly turned grim. He hadn't expected this old man to be so unreasonable, showing none of the humility and politeness expected of a martial cultivator.
"You have three seconds. If you don't leave, you'll stay here forever as an offering," Xu Changfeng said coldly.
"You're seeking death." Zhou Yan's anger flared, a terrifying killing intent surging through him like an erupting volcano.
"Seeking death!" Xu Changfeng's expression changed. He let out a cold roar and moved like a ghost, appearing before Zhou Yan. He then unleashed a palm strike, imbued with immense power, aimed squarely at Zhou Yan's chest.
"Foolish!" Zhou Yan snorted and fiercely lifted his right leg, kicking out with the force of thunder and lightning, striking Xu Changfeng's arm with great impact.
Crack!
Zhou Yan's kick was incredibly powerful, snapping Xu Changfeng's arm. The force continued unabated and landed on Xu Changfeng's abdomen.
Bang!
With a muffled thud, Xu Changfeng cried out in pain, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments. He was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground, his life hanging in the balance.
Swish!
At this moment, a dagger suddenly appeared at Zhou Yan's waist and swiftly lunged towards his neck.
Zhou Yan, who was already prepared, lightly stomped on the ground. Using the force of the push, he instantly leaped into the air, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.
Zhou Yan landed on the ground and looked at Xu Changfeng, whose arms were crippled. He was slightly surprised. This old fellow was actually a high-level Martial Master, and he seemed to have hidden his true strength, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so pathetic.
"Which sect are you from?" Zhou Yan stood in place, looking at Xu Changfeng, his eyes flashing with sharp light.
"Hmph! You dare cripple my cultivation, you're dead!" Xu Changfeng lay on the ground, his face ashen. He clutched his broken arms, trembling violently as bright red blood flowed from the wounds, staining his clothes.
"So you're not going to tell me?" Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, radiating a potent killing intent.
"What good would it do to tell you? Hahaha, I am an elder of Xuanyou Valley. By crippling me, you have made an enemy of the entire Xuanyou Valley! You must die!" Xu Changfeng roared ferociously, coughing as he retrieved a black pill from his storage bag and popped it into his mouth.
After swallowing the black pill, Xu Changfeng felt his injuries recover significantly and his cultivation increase slightly. However, he did not stop there and continued to take more black pills.