Chapter 548: Xiao Yan Reappears

The white giant hand easily shattered the black giant hand and moved at an incredible speed. In almost an instant, it appeared at the location where the Tou She Ancient God's Jade was.

It then imprinted itself on Nihility Devouring Flame who had just seized the jade!

Nihility Devouring Flame was sent flying like a shooting star, only halting after covering an immense distance.

This sudden turn of events left everyone dumbfounded.

What kind of strength did Nihility Devouring Flame possess? Without a doubt, Nihility Devouring Flame, who had reached the nine-star Dou Saint in addition to having an Emperor Realm soul, was unquestionably one of the strongest beings in this world.

Even people as strong as Lei Ying or Yan Jin would have to go all out to resist his previous palm strike. Yet, that attack just now had effortlessly dispersed Nihility Devouring Flame's strike and even delivered a heavy blow to him?

"This strength... a Nine-Star Dou Saint? How can it be?"

The shock lasted only a moment. Lei Ying and Yan Jin snapped back to reality and exclaimed in disbelief. Was the Nine-Star Dou Saint so worthless nowadays? How come they kept appearing one after another!

Nihility Devouring Flame had just pushed back the three of them with a single palm strike, and now this person had sent Nihility Devouring Flame flying the same way.

Wouldn't that mean that dealing with them would only require a casual slap from this person? Could Xiao Ming really be that powerful? Or was someone else impersonating him?

The trio of Yan Jin and the others looked up in astonishment and uncertainty, their eyes fixed on the space above where a ripple had suddenly appeared.

At the same time, in the Gu Realm, amidst the vast mountains, numerous figures stood in the sky, all staring in shock at the space that rippled like water waves.

A spatial channel gradually formed in the rippling space. Then, under the tense gaze of the numerous powerhouses, a figure slowly appeared from it.

An overwhelming aura immediately spread out in all directions!

Sure enough, this was another elite powerhouse, not any weaker than a Nine-Star Dou Saint!

Nihility Devouring Flame managed to stabilize himself, clutching a palm-sized, crystal-clear ancient jade. His eyes filled with resentment as he glared at the handsome figure in front of him.

Although he had not seen the newcomer before, he recognized him from his portraits. This person was undoubtedly the Xiao Ming he hated so much that his teeth itched!

"Xiao Ming, you could have taken the ancient jade yourself, but you didn't act. Instead, you lured me to make a move, cunningly ambushing me. How devious!"

As Nihility Devouring Flame's resentful, accusatory voice echoed in his ears, Xiao Ming simply looked at him with some amusement. Nihility Devouring Flame appeared pale, his breathing erratic. He had clearly sustained some injuries.

"Nihility, it seems like that blow screwed up your brain. You hid your strength for so long to make me reveal myself. Wasn't it just to make a move against me? Talk about being devious. When it comes to cunning, who can match you? I just turned your plan against you," Xiao Ming replied with a slight scoff.

'And of course, if there's an opportunity for a sneak attack, why not take it?'

He didn't voice this last thought out loud, but the smirk on his face told Nihility Devouring Flame enough. The humiliation of a failed scheme, feeling like a botched attempt to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it, enraged Nihility Devouring Flame to the point where he wished he could immediately engage in a three-hundred-round battle with Xiao Ming.

But Nihility Devouring Flame wasn't the only one stung by Xiao Ming's words; the trio of Yan Jin and others also felt the impact.

They had fought Nihility Devouring Flame for so long, and now they discovered that he had been hiding his true strength. This left them feeling somewhat powerless.

They exchanged glances and sighed in unison. The disparity between a Nine-Star Dou Saint and an Eight-Star Dou Saint was indeed too vast!

Others, with comparatively lesser strength, didn't ponder too much. They just felt that the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Court was so powerful, truly the number one genius on the Dou Qi Continent. Joining forces with the Heavenly Court was undoubtedly the right choice!

Many young women from the Ancient Clans looked at him with strange colors in their eyes.

The members of the Hun Clan, however, had a bit of a headache. Xiao Ming's sudden appearance and terrifying strength could be said to have disrupted their plans.

Hun Tu, one of the Four Demon Saints of the Hun Clan, furrowed his brow for a moment, but then relaxed his expression and said.

"There's a slight deviation in the plan, but it's not a big deal. We've already obtained the ancient jade of the Gu Clan. Let Hun Huzi bring those people here. With them in our hands, the ancient jade of the Xiao Clan won't get far either."

...

Ignoring what others thought, when Nihility Devouring Flame was seething with anger and everyone expected him to engage in a major battle with Xiao Ming, he unexpectedly subdued his anger and retreated. This turn of events took many by surprise.

Back in the sky, Xiao Ming neither chased after him nor looked surprised at this outcome.

Would a surprise attack launched by him really be so easy to withstand? In the past, none of those he had ambushed in this manner had survived.

Even now, though Nihility Devouring Flame was still alive, he was not unscathed and had lost much of his combat power.

It was just that Nihility Devouring Flame was still of some use to his plans; if it were just him, Xiao Ming would have slapped him to death without hesitation.

Of course, there was another reason why Xiao Ming did not go after him: Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi had stopped fighting.

Attacking Nihility Devouring Flame again would give Hun Tiandi an opportunity to escape with his forces. Therefore, there was no need to waste any more effort.

When Nihility Devouring Flame returned to the sky, Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi had just finished their confrontation, with neither side gaining any significant advantage.

Hun Tiandi merely cast a slight frown at Nihility Devouring Flame before shifting his gaze to Xiao Ming.

"I didn't expect your strength to improve so much in just a few months. I was wrong in my assumption. It seems that your contribution was half the reason why the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint was able to injure me back then. I shouldn't have let you live until now..."

"Hehe, Hun Tiandi, why bother bringing up the past? No matter how much you regret it, it won't change anything," Xiao Ming replied, unfazed by the danger concealed in his tone.

"That's true. This clan head is only here today for the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. Hand it over, and I will leave. How about it?"

"No way!"

Even before Xiao Ming could utter a word, the elders of the Gu Clan vehemently objected.

With seven pieces of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade already in the hands of the Hun Clan, they couldn't afford to lose the one in Xiao Ming's possession.

Gu Yuan, who had just returned to the Gu Clan's side, also frowned deeply but didn't shout like the others. The Hun Clan wouldn't have come without being confident in their leverage, and the decision ultimately rested in Xiao Ming's hands.

Of course, Gu Yuan still felt a tinge of anger in his heart. Xiao Ming had the opportunity to take back the ancient jade from the Gu Clan, but he only chose to injure Nihility Devouring Flame, thus putting the Gu Clan in a somewhat passive position.

Unswayed by the others, Xiao Ming simply stared calmly at Hun Tiandi.

"And what if I refuse?"

"You don't have a choice! Hun Huzi, bring the people out."

Hun Tiandi laughed lightly and issued an order. A dark passage appeared behind him, and soon, numerous figures were escorted out one by one.

Xiao Ming recognized several familiar faces among those being brought out.

'Elders of the Jia Nan Academy...'

'Elders of the Heavenly Court who have been captured by the Hall of Souls...'

'Xiao Li, Xiao Ding...?'

The number of people brought out was considerable, easily reaching over a hundred.

The appearance of the Heavenly Court members did not surprise Xiao Ming. Given the massive battle between the Heavenly Court and the Hall of Souls, both sides suffered considerable losses, including a large number of captives. The people from the Heavenly Court who appeared now were all well-known figures, and he could even call them by name.

The Jia Nan Academy was an important part of Xiao Ming's growth, and knowing Hun Tiandi's ruthless methods, it was to be expected that it wouldn't be spared either.

Fortunately, Xiao Ming had already taken those close to him away. These included his Master, his childhood friend, the Deputy Headmaster, and the First Elder. Those who remained were only those necessary for the continued operation of the Academy.

The presence of Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, on the other hand, caught him off guard. To be honest, he hadn't given them much thought over the years. Why were they even here, as captives of the Hun Clan? Xiao Ming was truly perplexed.

'Wait, isn't that guy Xiao Yan? Why is he holding soul chains attached to his older brothers?'