Chapter 388: A Brief Departure

A cloud of sorrow hung over the Xiao Family. With the death of their clan head, they had suddenly lost their guiding light, unsure of what to do next.

Xu Sanyan landed in the center of the village. Bloodstains still marked the ground, though the corpses had already been gathered.

“Someone in charge, step forward,” Xu Sanyan said, frowning slightly as he scanned the crowd. He was growing impatient. What’s wrong with this Xiao Family? Just because their clan head died, they’re acting like their entire clan is about to be wiped out.

Someone quickly turned and hurried away, returning moments later with a middle-aged man. The man wore a fawning smile as he clasped his hands in a respectful bow from a distance.

“This humble one is Xiao Ran,” he said. “Greetings to all Celestial Immortals.”

A glint flashed in Xu Sanyan’s eyes as he assessed the man’s cultivation level—Mid Stage Dao Seeking Realm. So, this is the one now in charge of the Xiao Family’s affairs after their clan head’s death.

Wang Ying introduced him. “This is Young Master Lin. From now on, all matters concerning Wavebreak Mountain will be under his authority.”

Xiao Ran’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ah, Young Master Lin is so young…”

Xu Sanyan waved his hand to cut off the flattery, gesturing at the surrounding ruins. “Explain what happened here.”

“Alas…”

Hearing this, Xiao Ran sighed. “This is the Xiao Family’s calamity. The evening before yesterday, a massive ghost beast invaded our clan. The clan head fought with all his might, but in the end, he was no match for it…”

Xiao Ran shook his head, his face filled with grief. “Fortunately, the ghost beast didn’t linger long. Otherwise, I fear none of us would have survived.”

Xu Sanyan turned to Wang Ying, who immediately understood and took over the conversation.

“Now, your Xiao Family has two choices. First, you can merge your entire clan into Thousand Autumns City. If you choose this, you can gather your belongings and leave with us immediately. Second, you can remain here. If another ghost beast attacks, you can send for aid from Thousand Autumns City.”

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow slightly. If a ghost beast attacked, by the time reinforcements arrived, there would likely be nothing left but bone fragments. The second option was clearly a joke.

Xiao Ran lowered his head silently, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. Though Wang Ying presented two choices, in reality, there was only one.

But even the first option wasn’t appealing. Merging into Thousand Autumns City would be easy, but escaping later would be nearly impossible.

Wang Ying had only told half the truth. Merging into Thousand Autumns City required surrendering over half of the Xiao Family’s assets and submitting to the Wang Family’s authority, forfeiting all autonomy.

The Xiao Family would become the Wang Family’s dogs, with little hope of ever regaining their independence.

Xiao Ran’s situation might be slightly better, given his high cultivation level.

A Dao Seeking Realm cultivator, regardless of where they were, could easily become a minor manager, like Wang Ying.

In short, the Xiao Family had no choice: either stay and await certain death, or cling to a precarious existence.

Xiao Ran ultimately made the correct decision.

“The Xiao Family is willing to merge with Thousand Autumns City and henceforth follow the Wang Family’s lead.”

As soon as these words left his lips, the Xiao Family members’ faces grew even more somber, but they had no choice if they wanted to live.

Such was the fate of small families like theirs—no room for error, a single misstep enough to bring about their destruction.

“A wise choice,” Xu Sanyan said with a faint smile, having anticipated this outcome.

“Gather your belongings and prepare to return.”

Though the Xiao Family had been annihilated, the Wang Family had suffered no losses. This outcome was considered satisfactory.

No one cared whether the Xiao Family lived or died, as long as the Wang Family emerged unscathed.

Moments later,

Xu Sanyan watched as the Wang Family brought out a group of young men and women, roughly a hundred in number.

The women wore various styles of clothing: some were dignified and elegant, others petite and charming, while a few resembled Jianghu heroines, poised and graceful.

Xu Sanyan lingered his gaze on the heroine-styled girl, and Xiao Ran took note of it.

The men were equally diverse: some had sharp features and piercing eyes, while others possessed rounded faces and calm demeanors. Despite their varied appearances, they shared one striking similarity:

Men and women alike wore blank, corpse-like expressions, devoid of any spark of life.

These were human slaves.

Xiao Ran offered a fawning smile. “This batch hasn’t been properly trained yet. It would be a shame to discard them. Why not take them all back and present them to the master?”

As he spoke, he singled out a young woman in a cyan robe, a sword at her waist. “This one’s a real prize. She even has some cultivation level. Once she’s properly trained, I’ll personally deliver her to Young Master Lin.”

The cyan-robed woman’s eyes flickered slightly as she glanced up at him, a faint spark of humanity returning to her gaze. One could only imagine the Xiao Family’s methods of “training” that had reduced these people to such a state.

Xu Sanyan smirked, patted Xiao Ran’s shoulder, and said nothing.

Xiao Ran understood perfectly: silence meant consent.

“Let’s go.”

Xu Sanyan turned and began walking toward Thousand Autumns City, followed by over two hundred people, most of whom were Xiao Family disciples.

Their low cultivation levels prevented them from flying, forcing Xu Sanyan to lead them back on foot.

The increasingly dense fog obscured their vision, compounded by the darkness of night. Visibility was limited to a hazy blur, forcing Xu Sanyan to proceed cautiously.

Wavebreak Mountain was several hundred miles from Thousand Autumns City. A journey that would take only a few hours by flight would now require at least ten days or half a month on foot.

The main problem was the slaves’ slow pace. Most were ordinary humans, forced to trudge forward one slow step at a time.

Xu Sanyan grew impatient with their sluggish progress. He ordered the Xiao Family disciples to carry the slaves on their backs, instantly doubling their speed.

The group pressed on through the dense fog, the distant roars of ghost beasts echoing through the mist. Curious, Xu Sanyan turned to Wang Ying beside him. “Where do these ghost beasts come from?”

Wang Ying replied, “Have you noticed, Brother Lin? Since the ghost beasts appeared, the demon beasts of the forest have vanished.”

“Hmm… You mean these ghost beasts are transformed demon beasts?”

“Exactly. This fog is peculiar. When demon beasts inhale it, they undergo a grotesque transformation, their appearances becoming horrifying and their temperaments turning savage and bloodthirsty. Once the fog dissipates, they revert to their original forms.”

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips, pondering this revelation. After a moment, he asked, “Then why are we unaffected?”

Wang Ying shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Before he could finish, Xu Sanyan sensed something and abruptly looked up. A frenzied beastly roar erupted from the left ahead.

“Roar~!”

“Danger! Ghost beasts!”

“Run!”

The formation instantly dissolved into chaos. The Xiao Family disciples scattered like disorganized troops, their only instinct in the face of danger being to flee, utterly devoid of courage. No wonder the Xiao Family was the first to fall.

Whoosh—

Xu Sanyan frowned slightly, then swept his sleeve. A stone beneath his feet shot through the air, crushing a disciple’s skull.

“Anyone who runs will meet the same fate!”

His icy voice cut through the air like a freezing wind, instantly paralyzing everyone in place. No one dared to move.

“Wait here. I’ll be back shortly.”

Xu Sanyan clenched his right hand, and a dark halberd materialized in his grip. With a blur, he vanished from sight.

“Roar~!”

The ghost beast’s roar echoed more fiercely from within the dense fog, but after that single cry, silence returned.

The Xiao Family members exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to flee or remain.

Tap… tap…

Crisp footsteps echoed from the depths of the fog. A tall, slender figure emerged, the halberd gone, replaced by the severed head of a ghost beast.

(End of the Chapter)