Chapter 292: Father, you don't understand Brother Xiao Yan at all.
Xiao Yan stood before the towering, ancient gates of Gu Sheng City. His eyes calmly met the man in front of him.
The man was clad in heavy, dark armor, intricately carved with the Gu Clan's emblem. His cultivation was clear—a 1-Star Dou Zun. This had to be the commander of the Black Annihilation Army stationed at the gate.
[Inorin's Note: A Dou Zun (Dou Zun-zhe) is an incredibly powerful expert, far above the Dou Zong (Ancestor) or Dou Huang (Emperor) ranks.]
Xiao Yan could clearly feel a strong, chilling killing intent radiating from the commander's eyes. It was a hostility that wasn't even bothering to be concealed.
It was obvious he was being treated as a love rival.
Xiao Yan wasn't surprised by this situation. In fact, he almost expected it.
Given Gu Xun'er's divine status within the Gu Clan, combined with her gentle yet resolute temperament, her world-class talent, and her peerless beauty that could topple nations...
She was, without a doubt, the goddess in the hearts of countless young prodigies within the Gu Clan. She was the moon they all reached for, but could never touch.
According to the information Xiao Yan had gathered, likely from Xun'er herself or Ling Ying, she had openly declared their relationship upon returning to the Gu Clan.
This act would have been a bomb dropped on the clan. It was only natural for these proud Gu Clan members, who saw themselves as the only ones worthy of her, to view him with extreme animosity.
Xiao Yan found the situation almost nostalgic. It was just like when he first arrived at the Jia Nan Academy.
[Inorin's Note: Jia Nan Academy (Canaan Academy) is a prestigious academy in the Dou Qi Continent where Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er spent significant time together.]
Back then, hadn't a whole crowd of admirers been hostile towards him simply for being close to Xun'er?
Xiao Yan had grown accustomed to this kind of envy. It was a familiar, almost comfortable, burden.
He smirked inwardly. It was just as the members of the chat group always joked.
'People like us,' they'd say, 'who are handsome, powerful, and overflowing with talent... we will be envied and targeted wherever we go.'
Xiao Yan let out a silent sigh, feigning melancholy. 'This damned, nowhere-to-be-placed charm!'
Done with the internal monologue, Xiao Yan's expression turned indifferent. He flicked his finger.
The object in his hand—the formal jade invitation from the Gu Clan for Gu Xun'er's Coming-of-Age Ceremony—shot out.
The jade slip transformed into a streak of green light, cutting through the air with a sharp, whistling wind. It flew straight towards the Dou Zun commander like a deadly projectile.
The commander's expression darkened instantly. He hadn't expected the target of his intimidation to act so decisively. A powerful, dark-gold Dou Qi erupted, coiling around his palm as he thrust his hand forward, intending to snatch the jade invitation from the air.
However, the moment his palm touched the invitation, a terrifying and irresistible force erupted from the seemingly fragile piece of jade.
Boom!
The force slammed into his palm and surged through his arm, feeling like a mountain crashing into him. The commander was instantly sent flying backward like a broken kite.
He crashed heavily against the massive, unyielding city wall, the impact shaking dust from the ancient stones. "Pfft!"
The man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his armored chestplate visibly dented. His face was a mask of pure disbelief.
He struggled to understand. Gu Xun'er had publicly acknowledged her relationship with this Xiao Yan at a clan meeting, causing a massive uproar.
But the Gu Clan's members knew almost nothing about him. All their investigations pointed to him being from the desolate Northwestern Region, from the declining Xiao Clan.
Gu Xun'er had insisted Xiao Yan was a peerless genius. The Gu Clan's prodigies, however, were filled with disdain. A 'genius' from that barren land?
They scoffed. What kind of 'genius' could such a small place produce? At best, he might have reached the Dou Zong realm by some fluke and dared to call himself a prodigy.
Therefore, when he, the commander, saw Xiao Yan's name on the invitation, he had decided to teach this ignorant, country bumpkin a lesson. He would show him the true power of the Gu Clan and make him realize he was unworthy of their princess.
The result? The other person just casually threw the invitation, and the force behind it had nearly crippled him, a genuine 1-Star Dou Zun.
"It's written clearly in black and white on the invitation," Xiao Yan's cold, mocking voice drifted into his ears. "Your Gu Clan invited me, Xiao Yan. So why can't I come?"
"If you can't read, you should call someone who can."
The commander's face, already pale from injury, instantly turned crimson with humiliation and rage. He roared, "Black Annihilation Army! Seize him for me!"
At his furious command, the hundreds of Gu Clan warriors in black armor at the city gate reacted instantly. With a clack of armor, they raised their long spears in unison, aiming them directly at Xiao Yan.
These soldiers all possessed cultivation at the Dou Zong realm. Acting together, their combined battle formation could generate a pressure capable of suppressing even a high-level Dou Zun expert.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's expression finally darkened, his amusement fading. He sneered, "Is this the Gu Clan's way of hospitality? To aim weapons at an invited guest?"
The atmosphere at the city gate became instantly tense, the air thick with killing intent. The surrounding onlookers, who had been watching from a distance, looked on with shocked interest, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
They couldn't believe it. Someone actually dared to cause trouble—and injure a commander—right at the entrance of Gu Sheng City?
"How dare you receive an invitation from my Gu Clan?" The commander spat, propping himself up against the wall. He sneered disdainfully, "This invitation must be forged! Black Annihilation Army, what are you waiting for? Take him down!"
The army, hearing this, unleashed their Dou Qi in unison, the combined aura surging as they prepared to attack.
Xiao Yan's gaze shifted back to the commander, his expression turning utterly cold. "You ungrateful fool. I was giving your Gu Clan face out of consideration for Xun'er, and you mistake my patience for weakness?"
"Hmph!"
Xiao Yan let out a cold snort. It was not a loud sound, but it carried an invisible, terrifying spiritual wave that swept out in an instant.
The Black Annihilation Army commander and the hundreds of Dou Zong soldiers were struck by this invisible force. They were all violently thrown back, coughing up blood as their formations shattered. Their auras rapidly depleted.
"You... you crippled my cultivation?" The commander's face was a mask of sheer horror and disbelief as he felt the empty, broken meridians within his body.
The surrounding onlookers gasped, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at Xiao Yan.
They were shocked by two things. First, his terrifying strength. To cripple a Dou Zun and hundreds of elite Dou Zong soldiers with just a single snort? What kind of heaven-defying power was this?
More importantly, the young man who did this looked to be only in his early twenties.
Second, they were shocked by his audacity. He had actually crippled Gu Clan members directly on the Gu Clan's territory. This wasn't just slapping the Gu Clan's face; this was stomping on it!
Just as the commander and soldiers fell, the space in front of Xiao Yan rippled slightly. An old man in grey robes suddenly flashed into existence.
The old man's face was gloomy, his eyes fixed on Xiao Yan with an extremely unkind expression. His aura, vast and powerful, began to lock onto the area.
"Your Excellency, to cripple my Gu Clan's disciples on my Gu Clan's territory... Are you implying that my Gu Clan doesn't exist?" the old man's voice was low and dangerous.
Xiao Yan merely looked at the old man and sneered disdainfully. This elder had the cultivation of a Half-Saint, a guardian tasked with secretly maintaining order in Gu Sheng City.
[Inorin's Note: A Half-Saint (Ban Sheng) is a rank between Dou Zun and Dou Saint, a true powerhouse who has begun to touch upon the principles of a Saint.]
Xiao Yan knew this old man had been watching from the shadows from the very beginning, ever since the commander first tried to make things difficult.
Initially, because of Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yan hadn't wanted to make the situation too tense. He didn't want to put Xun'er in a difficult position.
That's why his first act—throwing the invitation—was merely a warning. He only injured the commander, giving this hidden Half-Saint a clear chance to step in and de-escalate the conflict.
But the old man had chosen to do nothing, just watching from the sidelines as if enjoying the show.
Since the Gu Clan made things difficult for him first and their guardian refused to be reasonable, there was nothing left to say.
It was time to give them two big slaps to the face.
As for Gu Xun'er being in a difficult position? Xiao Yan reconsidered. If Xun'er knew he was being bullied and humiliated by her own family members, she wouldn't be angry at him. She would only feel sorry for him and angry at them.
"Is your Gu Clan's face considered 'face', but my Xiao Yan's face is not?" Xiao Yan's voice was sharp and arrogant. "A mere Dou Zun dared to bark wildly in front of me. It's already merciful that I didn't kill him on the spot!"
His words were unbelievably arrogant, causing the onlookers to shiver.
Xiao Yan had figured it out. These Gu Clan members were just looking for trouble. If he had come to their door humbly and honestly, they would have definitely made things difficult, trying every trick to prevent him from being with Xun'er.
In that case, it was better to be arrogant. It was better to be domineering.
Give them two big slaps, beat them into submission, and then they would behave.
It was the same principle as a "yellow-haired" son-in-law visiting his in-laws for the first time. You had to establish dominance.
[Inorin's Note: "Yellow-haired son-in-law" is a slang term, often from modern contexts, referring to a punkish, arrogant, or "delinquent" new son-in-law.]
Xiao Yan began to mentally rehearse how he would treat Gu Yuan, Xun'er's father.
'Old man, my Ghost Fire is parked right at your doorstep. You better watch it carefully. If my Ghost Fire gets a single scratch, see if I don't beat you up!'
'Old man, I'm honoring you by coming to your house, and this is the crap you're giving me to eat? I think you're tired of living, aren't you?'
'Damn it, old man, why are you holding your wine glass so high? Are you toasting me, or am I supposed to be toasting you? Know your place!'
Yes, that's exactly how he would treat Gu Yuan. That old fox had once solemnly promised the Xiao Clan's ancestors to take good care of the Xiao Clan...
And what was the result? Under his "care," the Xiao Clan had dwindled to a family of "Great Dou Master" level experts.
[Inorin's Note: Great Dou Master (Da Dou Shi) is an extremely low cultivation rank, only the third rank, far below Dou Zong or Dou Zun.]
What was wrong with that old man "sticking" his daughter to him as compensation? It was a bargain for him!
Thinking this, Xiao Yan straightened his back, his posture becoming even more confident. That little bit of nervousness he'd felt about meeting his future father-in-law instantly vanished, replaced by a thuggish righteousness.
The surrounding people, hearing Xiao Yan's defiant words, all gasped, contributing to global warming. Who was this person?
He actually dared to say his face was more important than the Gu Clan's? This was arrogance beyond the heavens!
The Half-Saint elder from the Gu Clan was now visibly furious, his face gloomy. "Good! Good! Good!" he said three times in a row, his anger reaching its peak.
"It seems if I don't personally teach you a lesson today, any stray cat or dog will dare to bully my Gu Clan in the future!"
He took a step forward, and the terrifying Dou Qi of a Half-Saint permeated the air, causing the very space to tremble.
The countless onlookers felt this terrifying aura and gasped in terror. "A Half-Saint! A true Half-Saint powerhouse!"
In the Central Plains, while Dou Saints existed, they rarely made a move. A Half-Saint was often the ceiling of power one could witness.
"Teach me a lesson?" Xiao Yan looked at the Half-Saint elder, his expression one of slight confusion, as if he'd heard a joke. "You want to teach me a lesson with just your Half-Saint cultivation?"
"No, old man, are you out of your mind? Although I didn't reveal my aura, I crippled a Dou Zun and hundreds of Dou Zong right in front of you. You watched me do it. Why, exactly, do you think you're stronger than me?"
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he stopped suppressing his power. He revealed a portion of his true aura.
Boom!
An aura that was vast, ancient, and holy erupted from his body, sweeping over the city like a divine hurricane. The Half-Saint's pressure was instantly shattered like glass.
Dou Saint!
The old man, who had been furious and raging just a second ago, froze in place. His eyes widened in absolute shock.
Dou Saint?
DOU SAINT!!!
His mind went blank. Didn't all the reports say this Xiao Yan was just a "genius" from a small, barren place?
From such a place, it would be a miracle to produce a Dou Huang or Dou Zong. How could there possibly be a Dou Saint?
But the most terrifying part... this Xiao Yan looked to be only in his early twenties!
A Dou Saint in his early twenties? This was unprecedented in the entire history of the Dou Qi Continent! Not even the Gu Clan's ancestors had achieved such a feat!
The Young Miss... Gu Xun'er... she hadn't mentioned this! ...No, wait.
The old man's heart stuttered. She had mentioned it. She had told the clan elders that her Brother Xiao Yan was already a Dou Saint.
But no one had believed her. They all thought she was just a young girl in love, exaggerating her lover's capabilities to make the family accept him.
The surrounding onlookers, feeling Xiao Yan's terrifying Dou Saint aura, were even more terrified, many trembling and falling to their knees.
When did the Central Plains produce such a young and monstrous Dou Saint?
They looked at the crippled Black Annihilation Army and the frozen Half-Saint. Are these Gu Clan members brain-dead? They actually sent a Dou Zun to provoke a Dou Saint?
The Gu Clan's Half-Saint was now in an extremely awkward position. He couldn't act. He couldn't not act.
If he acted... looking at Xiao Yan's cold, arrogant demeanor, the old man was 100% certain that this young Saint would dare to cripple him too. This young man's killing intent was terrifyingly real.
The old man suddenly realized that if it weren't for his connection to Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yan probably wouldn't have just crippled those people. He would have erased them from existence.
But if he didn't act, he was the Gu Clan's guardian. He had just been threatened and his clan's soldiers crippled. He was stuck, humiliated, and terrified.
Just as the Half-Saint was struggling, a calm, powerful voice suddenly transmitted into his ear. It was a voice he knew well.
The elder's face turned pale, then he bowed his head slightly, and said to Xiao Yan with extreme unwillingness, "You... You are a guest invited by my Gu Clan. How could we attack you? If word got out, it would only make others laugh at my Gu Clan for not understanding etiquette."
The surrounding people's expressions became incredibly strange upon hearing this 180-degree turn.
When the Dou Zun commander thought Xiao Yan was weak, he had yelled, "What qualifications do you have to be here?"
When the Half-Saint elder thought Xiao Yan was, at best, his equal, he had threatened, "If I don't teach you a lesson, my Gu Clan will have no face!"
But now that Xiao Yan had revealed his Dou Saint cultivation... suddenly he was a "guest invited by the family"? Suddenly they were worried about "etiquette"?
The hypocrisy was staggering.
Xiao Yan scoffed at the old man's words. His gaze, however, wasn't on the Half-Saint. It pierced through the endless void, looking towards a certain deep, hidden location within the Gu Clan's realm.
He smirked. That old man, Gu Yuan, was at least sensible enough to intervene.
He was temporarily spared a brutal beating.
Withdrawing his aura, Xiao Yan no longer paid any attention to the humiliated elder or the crippled soldiers at the gate. He simply straightened his robes and slowly, arrogantly, walked into Gu Sheng City as if it were his own backyard.
...
Deep within the Gu Realm, on a cloud-shrouded, ethereal peak, a young woman in a light green dress sat cross-legged in the mist. The mist churned around her, making her look like a goddess from a painting, exuding an ethereal and incomparably charming aura.
Her eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened, a trace of amusement and affection within them. She missed him. She missed his warmth, his embrace, his mischievous hands that always knew just where to roam.
"Dou Saint cultivation. He... he actually really has Dou Saint cultivation!"
Beside her, a middle-aged man, whose presence seemed to command the world itself, had eyes flashing with undisguised shock. This was the patriarch of the Gu Clan, Gu Yuan.
"Father, I told you long ago," the girl's clear voice rang out. "Brother Xiao Yan is very, very strong. When I left him, he had already broken through to Dou Saint."
A hint of a proud smile graced her beautiful face, making all the surrounding scenery pale in comparison. This was, naturally, Gu Xun'er.
"Now," she continued, "he is at least a 3-Star Dou Saint, perhaps even higher. His combat power is even more heaven-defying. Even you, Father, are not his opponent in a real fight!"
Gu Yuan's expression changed repeatedly upon hearing this. Damn it! A Dou Saint in his twenties! Who the hell would believe that was the truth! This was simply too outrageous.
"So what if he's a Dou Saint?" Gu Yuan said, his tone displeased. "Can a Dou Saint just casually cripple the cultivation of my Gu Clan members at my front gate?"
Listening to his daughter's admiring, almost worshipful tone, Gu Yuan felt a sourness in his heart.
Gu Xun'er's expression also turned displeased. "Isn't that only because you deliberately allowed them to provoke Brother Xiao Yan? You wanted to test him, and this is the result."
She stood up, her green dress flowing. "I've said it before, Father. Whether you object or support it, I love him. I will only marry him in this life. You cannot change that."
Gu Yuan's heart ached. Was this his thoughtful little daughter? "You haven't even married him yet, and you're already defending him like this! If you really do marry out, then what? Won't you give the entire Gu Clan to him as a dowry?"
The more Gu Yuan thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved he became.
Gu Xun'er, however, was unconcerned. "Brother Xiao Yan and I are together purely out of love, without any other considerations. He loves me for me, not for my clan."
She glanced at her father. "Besides, with Brother Xiao Yan's current strength and talent, what does the Gu Clan even have that he would care about? You just know how to measure a gentleman's heart with a villain's mind."
Puff! Puff!
Gu Yuan felt as if several sharp arrows had just pierced his heart. Even as a 9-Star Dou Saint, he could barely breathe. The pain was too much!
If he had known things would develop to this point, he would never have sent Gu Xun'er to the Xiao Clan, no matter what! Damn it all!
Just for that piece of the Xiao Clan's Tou She Ancient God's Jade, he had ended up losing his precious daughter. What a terrible loss!
[Inorin's Note: The Tou She Ancient God's Jade is a key item in BTTH. The Xiao Clan held one piece, and the Gu Clan (among others) held another. Gu Yuan sent Xun'er to the Xiao Clan in her childhood to try and obtain it.]
"Is he really as good as you say?" Gu Yuan said through gritted teeth. "Ling Ying! You've interacted with him the most. You tell me!"
The space beside them rippled, and Ling Ying, the "Gu Family's First Dou Huang" who had protected Xun'er for years, materialized. He looked at the calm Young Miss and the greatly angered Patriarch...
"Patriarch," Ling Ying said respectfully, "The Young Miss's judgment... is indeed not bad. Young Master Xiao Yan is a dragon among men."
Gu Xun'er looked at her father again. "Father, you can't stop Brother Xiao Yan and me from being together. Don't waste your effort."
"And please, don't test Brother Xiao Yan anymore. If you push him too hard, and he decides to hit you... I won't help you."
Gu Yuan's heart felt like it had been pierced by ten thousand arrows. He gritted his teeth, "Is that so? I, Gu Yuan, am the head of the Gu Clan! I don't believe it!"
Gu Xun'er simply sighed, her gaze turning distant, back towards the city gate. "Father, you really don't understand Brother Xiao Yan at all."
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