Chapter 156: Old man, I, Xiao Yan, will definitely kill you today!

Xiao Yan was taken aback and asked with a lingering doubt: "Where is the item? I'll go get it for you right away."

He understood very well that no matter whether the item Li Xiu needed was a precious treasure or not, the Xiao family wouldn't be able to keep it. So why not take the initiative to hand it over and leave a good impression.

A mysterious expression flickered across Li Xiu's face as he spoke: "You don't need to go anywhere. That thing is right here, on your body."

"On my body?..."

Just as Xiao Yan uttered those words, Li Xiu made a gesture and in a flash, the black, ancient-looking ring on Xiao Yan's right hand ended up in Li Xiu's hand.

Before Xiao Yan could even ask what was going on, a white light flashed on the ring, and it transformed into a transparent, elderly figure that materialized before the two of them.

The elderly figure was extremely grim and imposing, and the pressure he exuded almost made Xiao Yan unable to breathe. The aura was so tangible that gusts of wind emanated from him, causing the grass within several tens of yards to bend and flatten.

He looked at Li Xiu with a terrifying and fierce expression, and demanded: "Who are you? How did you know I was hiding in this ring? What is your purpose?"

"This...this..."

Xiao Yan pointed at the elderly figure floating in mid-air, his eyes wide and tongue-tied. This black ring was a memento left to him by his mother. He had worn it day and night since he was a child, cherishing it as a way to remember his mother. But how could there be a ghost hidden inside?

And it seemed like this ghost could see the outside world through the ring. Didn't that mean it had been silently watching him for a long time? Perhaps when he was being ridiculed and looked down upon by others, the ghost was laughing and mocking him from inside the ring.

As he thought of this, Xiao Yan's face immediately darkened, and his gaze towards the transparent elderly figure in mid-air became increasingly hostile.

Yao Chen was originally a member of the Yao Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans. However, he was expelled from the clan for some reason. Afterwards, he relied on his exceptional talent and hard work to become the number one alchemist in the Central Plains. His own strength was also extraordinary, reaching the peak of the Dou Zun level and only a step away from the Dou Sheng level.

Later on, Yao Chen was targeted by the Hall of Souls due to his exceptional alchemy skills. However, he refused to teach his disciple, Flame Mantra, whom he had raised since childhood. As a result, he was betrayed and his physical body perished. Fortunately, due to his powerful soul and the protection of the Bone Chilling Flame, his soul was preserved and he slept in this ring, secretly absorbing the Dou Qi that Xiao Yan had condensed for three years. He only recently awakened.

Li Xiu looked at the formidable Yao Chen in front of him, but his expression was somewhat strange.

"I suggest you not to force your pitiful remaining strength anymore. I'm afraid if we continue to confront each other, you might end up killing yourself before I even do anything."

Xiao Yan looked over as he heard the words, and found that the elderly phantom had indeed become more transparent than when it first appeared.

It turned out that it was just a paper tiger with a frightening appearance. A disdainful smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.

After a moment of silence, Yao Chen withdrew the pressure he had exerted, and his soul stabilized, no longer as ethereal as before. However, he continued to stare fixedly at Li Xiu.

"Who are you exactly? What is your purpose?"

Li Xiu ignored Yao Chen's question and turned to Xiao Yan instead.

"Xiao Yan, you should still remember that ever since three years ago, not only did the Dou Qi that you worked so hard to cultivate strangely dissipate, but your Dou Qi has also gradually decreased to the point where you can no longer cultivate or accumulate Dou Qi."

Hearing Li Xiu mention his painful experience, Xiao Yan's expression darkened, and he replied in a low and powerless voice: "Of course I remember, I will never forget it in my life!"

He had begun cultivating Qi at the young age of four and had reached the 9th stage of Dou Zhi Qi by the age of ten. By the time he was eleven, he had broken through to the 10th stage of Dou Zhi Qi and successfully condensed his Dou Qi cyclone. He was not only the youngest Dou Zhe in the family in the past hundred years but also in the entire Wu Tan City.

At that time, he didn't know how many girls loved and admired him, and how many boys envied and flattered him.

Even the three elders who had dared to speak ill of his father, Xiao Zhan, were respectful to him due to his immeasurable terrifying potential. No one dared to question or oppose his father's decisions as the family head.

However, everything changed on a day three years ago. His once glorious reputation was gone, replaced by disdain, mockery, and contemptuous gazes.

As the son of the family head, Xiao Yan was vulnerable to bullying, becoming his father Xiao Zhan's greatest weakness and causing his reputation to plummet. His position had become unstable due to having a useless son.

For the past three years, Xiao Yan had always remembered the humiliation he had suffered and prayed day and night for his Dou Qi talent to be restored so he could return to the peak of his power and exact double the revenge on those who had wronged him.

As Xiao Yan was lost in his memories and his expression gradually became angry and fierce, Li Xiu nodded and chuckled lightly before asking: "Do you know why this happened, Xiao Yan?"

Xiao Yan snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head bitterly, saying self-deprecatingly: "They say I offended some god. I guess that's probably the case."

"In fact, it has nothing to do with those elusive and unreal gods, but rather with ghosts."

Li Xiu hinted, and these words turned in Xiao Yan's mind. He immediately understood and his pent-up anger and rationality were lost in an instant.

He turned his head abruptly to look at Yao Chen, and Xiao Yan's still youthful face twisted with extreme ferocity, his teeth clenched, and his voice cold and vicious.

"So it was you who did it! Every taunt and every bit of criticism over the past three years, and even the recently cancelled engagement, it was all because of you! Everything was because of you!"

"You old bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

Xiao Yan's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared in anger, channeled his Dou Qi, and leapt into the air like a frenzied beast, pouncing on Yao Chen.

Although Yao Chen was weak, he was not someone that Xiao Yan's mere 3rd stage of Dou Zhi Qi could shake. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yan was sent flying backwards.

Looking at Xiao Yan's ferocious appearance, Yao Chen frowned and said: "Kid, don't be so angry. I will compensate you for the absorption of your Dou Qi over the past three years."

Xiao Yan stood up and pointed at Yao Chen, cursing loudly: "You old man, don't try to fool me. If it weren't for Lord Li Xiu pointing you out, how long would you have kept hiding and absorbing my Dou Qi? Ten years? Fifty years?"

"After being caught, you talk about compensation. Do you have any sincerity? Or do you think I'm stupid and easily fooled?"

"Old man, I, Xiao Yan, will definitely kill you today!"

Yao Chen's face showed a mixture of helplessness and anger as he explained: "Kid, my soul was heavily injured and fell into a deep sleep. It was instinctual for me to absorb your Dou Qi, and I only just woke up today. Otherwise, I would have appeared earlier to discuss a deal with you."

Yao Chen's explanation only made Xiao Yan even more angry instead of calming him down. He believed that there were no such coincidences and that Yao Chen was deceiving him.

Xiao Yan charged forward in anger, disregarding everything else, but was repeatedly knocked back by Yao Chen's sleeve. Despite this, Xiao Yan refused to back down and his anger towards Yao Chen had reached its boiling point.

Li Xiu stood to the side, orchestrating the scene, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.