Yun Xiao had produced a large package filled with ancestral tablets. Gasps echoed through the crowd as they realized the implications.
"Did Yun Xiao really invade the ancestral tablets of the three sword clans?" Many stood dumbfounded. The three major Blue Soul clans were known for their power and pride.
"This boy's courage is truly extraordinary!" some whispered. He had killed Ye Ziyan and others and now dared to approach the ancestral halls of the three Jianfeng clans without hesitation.
"Imagine the audacity! The ancestral halls of the three clans, now under threat..."
Although over a thousand people were present, their pressure was mitigated by the spectacle before them. They watched, entranced, as the three sword clan leaders visibly struggled to contain their fury.
In the midst of this chaos, Zhao Xuanran's gaze was fixed on Yun Xiao, the young man in white by the Blue Soul Cauldron. He appeared like a hero, instilling a flicker of hope in the hearts of the Sword Pavillion disciples.
"We need to act!" she declared, quickly moving to bring the four elders—Shangguan Yu, Li Chenlong, Chen Dong, and the others—closer to Yun Xiao.
"What if Ye Tiance and his group end up regretting this?" Shangguan Yu said, concern etched on his face.
"If we can leverage these ancestral tablets, perhaps we can evade disaster today!" Chen Dong suggested, his mind racing with possibilities.
The elders approached Yun Xiao cautiously, weighing their options.
"Yun Xiao!" Ye Tiance's anger bubbled beneath the surface, his voice cold and venomous. "You've shown yourself to be a vile, despicable villain!"
"Perhaps I've learned from the best," Yun Xiao shot back.
Fury ignited in Ye Tiance's chest, his eyes narrowing as he felt the weight of the ancestral spirits watching him, as if they were cursing him for his failures. Yao Manxue and Zhang Jian gritted their teeth in silent rage.
"What do you want?" Ye Tiance struggled to maintain his composure, his tone tight and dangerous.
"Simple," Yun Xiao replied with a smirk. "You'll leave with your people, and you won't open the overwhelming palace and heroic hall!"
"Yun Xiao, don't be foolish! They won't keep their word!" Grandpa Qin warned, desperation creeping into his voice.
At that moment, the tension was palpable. The opposing forces stood at a strategic crossroads, and the stakes were high.
Ye Tiance's eyes flickered dangerously. "Fine! I pledge before everyone: if you return my three clan ancestral spirit tablets, I will not open the overwhelming palace and heroic hall."
But he cleverly omitted any mention of the seven child graves of Sword Pavillion, the threat lingering unspoken. Zhao Xuanran's expression turned grim as she sensed the precariousness of the situation.
"Junior Brother Yun, don't—" she started, but was cut off as Yun Xiao burst into laughter.
"Okay! Then let's make this an eye for an eye" he said cheerfully.
"Good!" Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and Zhang Jian smiled, their expressions shifting as they plotted their next move.
But the mood among the Sword Pavillion members darkened, worry creeping into their ranks.
"Take them!" Yun Xiao commanded, his demeanor deceptively benign.
"This foolish young man," Senior Sister Zhao thought, her eyebrows knitting together as she prepared to snatch the ancestral tablets for herself.
In that instant, Yun Xiao made a sudden movement.
*Crash!*
The entire white package burst apart, falling directly into the fiery depths of the Blue Soul Cauldron.
*Buzz!*
The azure flames surged, engulfing the tablets and sending the souls of countless ancestors into disarray. An agonizing roar filled the air as their remnants were consumed in an inferno of pain and sorrow, the ancestral spirits screaming as they were obliterated.
"Oh no!" Yun Xiao's expression shifted dramatically as he turned to Ye Tiance and the others. "It seems I've been a bit careless with all the pig and dog killings lately. With a little shake, your ancestors are all being burned! Don't blame me!"
The intensity of the Blue Soul Cauldron's fire tripled, casting an eerie glow that transformed Yun Xiao's white clothing into an azure hue. He revelled in the flames, a smirk playing on his lips.
Even Zhao Xuanran and the others were taken aback, their eyes wide with shock.
*What is happening?!*
Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, Zhang Jian, and the other clan members stared in disbelief, their faces paler than ever as the reality of their situation sank in.
Just moments before, they had been smug, believing they could leverage the ancestral tablets to their advantage. But now? They realized they had been the unwitting pawns in Yun Xiao's elaborate game.
"Still want to open the overwhelming palace? Still think you can open the loyal and heroic hall?" Yun Xiao taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
"YOU!!!" Ye Tiance spat, his face twisted in rage and helplessness.
They could only watch as the ancestral tablets and their spirits vanished into the flames, their hopes reduced to ashes.
"Justice exists in this world. Those who do evil must first taste the bitter consequences!" Yun Xiao declared boldly.
He did not wish to be seen as a villain. But he could be far more ruthless than any villain.
"Your ancestor's shame will ensure your downfall!" Ye Tiance's eyes nearly bulged with rage.
Just moments ago, he had envisioned his ancestors ascending to the loyal and heroic hall. Now, all of that was engulfed in the Blue Soul Cauldron, leaving him a figure of mockery.
Yao Manxue and Zhang Jian exchanged glances, their plans unraveling.
"Yun Xiao, you reckless fool! Do you understand that once the ancestral tablets are in flames, you'll have no chance to retrieve them?" Yao Manxue's voice was cold and threatening.
Ye Tiance could no longer restrain himself. "Liu Xuan! Go dig up the seven child graves of Sword Pavillion now! We must punish those who trained this traitor Yun Xiao, and his senior brothers and sisters will pay the price!"
In that moment, Ye Tiance's desperation was palpable, as he aimed to provoke Zhao Jianxing while he was still alive.
The tension within the Sword Pavillion group skyrocketed.
"KILL THEM!" Yao Manxue commanded, her voice a chilling whip that sliced through the air.
In the midst of this chaos, Yun Xiao calmly pulled out a chain, dragging out a lifeless body from the woods—the corpse of Liu Chen, one of Yao Manxue's men.
"Is this your companion? What a pity he no longer has a head," Yun Xiao taunted, tossing the body into the flames.
The azure flames instantly reduced the corpse to ashes, leaving behind nothing but sorrow and fury.
"Is this your man? What a pity he's missing his head," Yun Xiao said with a sardonic grin before tossing the corpse into the flames of the Blue Soul Cauldron.
"Liu Chen!!" Yao Manxue's face twisted in horror as she recognized him, her eyes turning red with rage.