Chapter 9: Returning to the Wu Dong World
"Master, how much of your strength have you recovered?" Xiao Tian asked one day.
Elder Yao replied, "The red liquid you provided is very effective. I can now handle any Battle Emperor below four stars."
Xiao Tian chuckled and said, "I plan to take you to a good place."
"What place?" Elder Yao frowned, sensing it wouldn't be simple.
Xiao Tian tempted him, "Master, I'm certain that place has herbs that can restore your soul power. Want to go?"
"Of course, I want to go!" Elder Yao agreed immediately. He didn't know when he could revive, so strengthening his soul was essential for his survival.
"Let's go then!" Xiao Tian said, taking out the key and activating it.
"Buzz!"
With a distortion in the void, a door appeared in the cave.
"Master, let's go!" Xiao Tian said, walking through the door.
Elder Yao followed closely.
They crossed the empty space and passed through another door.
Seeing the world beyond the door, Elder Yao thought, "Is this a small world? But wasn't the Xiao Realm where the Xiao Clan lived already shattered?"
"Master, lend me your strength," Xiao Tian said.
In an instant, Elder Yao disappeared, and a powerful energy surged into Xiao Tian's body.
With this energy, Xiao Tian began to levitate.
Feeling the newfound power, Xiao Tian felt invincible.
"Whoosh!"
He flew forward rapidly.
Suddenly, he heard noises from the forest below and descended to investigate.
Under the shade of the trees, a man was teaching a young boy to practice martial arts.
"Who is it?" The man sensed an intruder and looked over, immediately seeing Xiao Tian floating in the air.
The man stopped his actions and respectfully greeted, "Junior Lin Xiao greets Senior!"
"Junior Lin Dong greets Senior!" the boy echoed his father.
"So, these are Lin Dong and his father," Xiao Tian thought, looking at them. "Do you know where Ironwood Village is?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "Yes, Senior, I know."
As a force in Qingyang Town, he naturally knew where Ironwood Village was. The ironwood produced there was as strong as refined iron, resistant to fire and water, making it ideal for weapons and construction.
Considering Ironwood Village's wealth, the Lin family coveted it.
Xiao Tian said, "Since you know, take me to Ironwood Village."
"Yes," Lin Xiao didn't dare refuse. He couldn't afford to offend such a powerful person.
Lin Xiao told his son, "Dong'er, go home. I will accompany this senior to Ironwood Village."
"Yes, Father," Lin Dong nodded obediently.
"Let's go!" Xiao Tian grabbed Lin Xiao with a powerful force, taking him into the air.
Following Lin Xiao's directions, they reached Ironwood Village within a short time.
"Senior, that's Ironwood Village," Lin Xiao pointed to the large estate in the distance.
Xiao Tian nodded, seeing the black ironwood trees in the estate's depths.
He descended and walked toward the village.
"Stop right there! This is the Lei family's estate. No entry without permission!" A guard shouted from the wall.
Another guard sneered, "Well, well, isn't this Lin Xiao, the Lin family's loser? What are you doing at our Ironwood Village?"
"Lei Nuo, you..." Lin Xiao was furious, his eyes almost spitting fire.
Xiao Tian ignored them and continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Lei Nuo's eyes flashed with killing intent. He shouted, "This man dares to trespass into Ironwood Village. Kill him!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Arrows flew toward Xiao Tian.
"See that? The Lei family attacked first," Xiao Tian said, waving his sleeve.
A powerful force sent the arrows flying back.
"Ah! Ah!"
Screams erupted from the guards on the wall.
Lei Nuo cursed, "How dare you kill Lei family members!"
"Annoying!" Xiao Tian, acting like a villain, extended his hand.
"Boom!"
The wall collapsed, and Lei Nuo and the guards were crushed into blood mist by an invisible force.
Xiao Tian felt no guilt for killing them. He planned to take over Ironwood Village, inevitably making enemies with the Lei family.
Besides, the Lei family had enmity with Lin Dong's family, so he was also helping them.
"Lei Nuo of the Lei family offended me. Ironwood Village is now mine," Xiao Tian declared, flashing to Lin Xiao's side.
"Senior!" Lin Xiao bowed slightly.
He had just witnessed Xiao Tian effortlessly kill two Heaven Origin Realm experts. Such power was beyond the Lin family's reach.
"I need you to gather some people to help me," Xiao Tian said. "Don't worry, I'll reward them with ironwood."
"Yes, Senior. I'll go right away," Lin Xiao replied, thinking this was a great opportunity for his family.
"I'll get you a horse," Xiao Tian said, spotting a Lei family member escaping on horseback.
"Whoosh!"
In a flash, Xiao Tian reappeared with the horse.
"Take this horse and be quick," Xiao Tian instructed.
"Yes, Senior," Lin Xiao mounted the horse and sped off toward the Lin family.
Watching Lin Xiao leave, Xiao Tian floated toward Ironwood Village.
"Master, can you use your soul perception to find any underground tunnels?" Xiao Tian asked.
"Alright," Elder Yao replied, sending an invisible wave underground.
"Interesting," Elder Yao said. "There's a pure fire attribute energy vein underground."
Xiao Tian knew Elder Yao was referring to the Yang Yuan Stone vein beneath Ironwood Village.
(End of Chapter)