Xiahou Xi was going to die here?
When Jiang Chen spoke those words, Xiahou Xi was naturally somewhat surprised, but Yan Qingsang was utterly dumbfounded. He thought his ears had deceived him.
Kill Xiahou Xi, in this godforsaken wasteland?
There was no denying it—Jiang Chen's words had struck a nerve in Yan Qingsang, igniting a fire in his blood and stirring rage and ruthlessness in his heart.
Still, as thrilling as the idea sounded, was it actually feasible?
Yan Qingsang considered it. If this Brother Shao Yuan's strength surpassed his own and could fight Xiahou Xi to a draw, then with his own help, perhaps there was a sliver of hope.
But that hope was exceedingly slim. The moment this thought crossed his mind, the wicked impulse that had risen within him sank back down.
Clearly, after a quick mental reckoning, he realized there was essentially no feasibility to this plan. And if there was no feasibility, there was no reason to take the risk.
If they failed to kill Xiahou Xi, once word got out, it would be another round of lawsuits and accusations. With the Xiahou clan's current dominance, they would absolutely seize the opportunity to cause trouble and attack the Yan family.
Yan Qingsang might be blunt in temperament, but he didn't want to bring any more trouble upon his clan.
"Brother Shao Yuan, don't be rash. As long as the mountains remain, there will always be firewood. With the two of us together, he can't do anything to us." Having assessed the situation, Yan Qingsang steadied himself.
Xiahou Xi sneered coldly. "Yan Qingsang, leave the item behind, kneel down and kowtow three times, and I might let you go. But this servant of yours—his life stays."
Yan Qingsang seethed. "Xiahou Xi, don't push people too far. It's one of you against two of us. What do you think you're doing? You want to take on both of us?"
"Scum like you? I wouldn't fear fighting ten of you!" Xiahou Xi was supremely arrogant. As a son of the Xiahou clan, he possessed an innate sense of superiority over the Yan family.
"Yan Qingsang, I'm asking you one last time—are you leaving or not?" Jiang Chen suddenly cast a cool, detached glance at Yan Qingsang.
That frigid gaze pierced through Yan Qingsang, sending an involuntary shudder through his entire body.
"Brother Shao Yuan…"
"Save the breath. You're nothing but a liability here. Get lost. You saw nothing here, you heard nothing, understood?"
Jiang Chen's tone carried a deeper meaning.
Beneath the weight of Jiang Chen's gaze, Yan Qingsang nodded instinctively. "Fine, I'll pull back first. Don't get drawn into a prolonged fight."
"Go. The farther the better. Remember—if you don't want trouble, the farther you stay from this place, the better. You saw nothing here. You encountered nothing."
Jiang Chen emphasized his warning once more.
Yan Qingsang sensed something and said no more. With a few leaps, he vanished from the spot.
Jiang Chen activated his Evil Golden Eye again, locking it firmly on Xiahou Xi to prevent any rash movements. Only when Yan Qingsang had disappeared without a trace did Jiang Chen gradually ease the oppressive aura from his gaze.
Xiahou Xi gave a cold snort and let out a strange laugh. "I didn't expect the Yan family to have a servant like you? You actually made me underestimate the situation."
Jiang Chen paid him no mind, standing calmly in place.
He was waiting—waiting for Yan Qingsang's aura to vanish completely from the area. Only then did he open his eyes. "Xiahou Xi, is it? Tell me, what's your relationship to Xiahou Zong?"
"Hmph! Xiahou Zong is the number one genius of our Xiahou clan. What kind of thing are you, that you dare speak his name?" Xiahou Xi's tone grew agitated, as though someone had stepped on his tail.
"The number one genius? Sooner or later, I'll take the heads of all these so-called number one geniuses and use them as chamber pots. Oh, and your Xiahou clan also has a Xiahou Jing—do you know him?"
"Brother Jing? You know him?" Xiahou Xi's expression darkened momentarily, but he quickly sneered again. "Don't try to climb connections. My Xiahou clan is brimming with geniuses—think you can name a couple and escape today? Not a chance!"
Jiang Chen laughed with genuine amusement. "I always thought Xiahou Jing was enough of a waste, but it turns out I wronged him. Compared to you, Xiahou Xi, he's the real genius. Standing next to you, even that trash Xiahou Jing looks like a prodigy."
Xiahou Xi flew into a fury. "Boy, you're on the verge of death and just want to mouth off, is that it? Fine. If that's how you want it, I'll grant your wish."
"Mm, and I was just thinking of granting you one as well—sending you off to reunite with Xiahou Jing."
"What do you mean? You've seen Brother Jing?" At these words, Xiahou Xi grew ever more uneasy.
"Seen him. And killed him while I was at it." Jiang Chen smiled leisurely. "Oh, right—there were two old dogs with him. Elder Mo and Elder Peng, wasn't that their names?"
Xiahou Xi had been telling himself to stay calm, but after hearing this news, he couldn't quite hold his composure.
"Who exactly are you? How do you know all this?" Xiahou Xi was losing his nerve.
"Who am I? I'm the gravedigger of your Xiahou clan. Xiahou Jing was the first. You'll be the second. And there will be a third, a fourth, a fifth… One day, the entire Xiahou clan will join you in the ground."
As Jiang Chen spoke, he suddenly clapped his palm, and a strange burst of light shot out into the void. Immediately, nine eerie patterns materialized in the emptiness, floating and shifting, forming layer upon layer of bewildering spatial pockets.
This was Jiang Chen deploying the Nine Palace Mystic Chart.
Xiahou Xi froze. "What?"
"Heh heh, Xiahou Xi—go ahead and tell me, how would you like to die?" Jiang Chen's voice echoed once more in Xiahou Xi's ears.
Xiahou Xi's face drained of color. He looked around wildly, only to find that the void around him was filled with those strange, shifting scrolls on every side.
They seemed to have no end, no boundary, no exit—expanding endlessly, constantly shifting to conjure ever more pockets of twisted space.