Ling'er's gaze lingered slightly on the black robe before swiftly rising, and then a clear, youthful face, marked by calm expression, came into view. With her red, slightly parted lips, she gazed at the young face, momentarily stunned—without knowing why, she always felt as though she had seen this face before, though no matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't remember where. At the same time, the fallen Kaga managed to rise, disregarding the blood streaking his lips, and stepped forward to protect Ling'er, looking up at the black-robed young man and gratefully saying, "Thank you, sir, for your timely rescue!" The people on the street had also slowly regained their composure, staring in astonishment at the young black-robed youth. While they were amazed that he could single-handedly push back a man ranked as a Three-Star Battle Specialist, many of them expressed a sense of pity. How could this young lad not know how dominant and unruly the Serpent Nest Mercenary Corps had been in Qingshan Town? With the backing of the He family of Black Rock City, the Serpent Nest Corps had been invincible across the entire thousand-li stretch of the Beast Mountains—merely because the He family boasted a genuine Battle King-level powerhouse! Several of the others, clearly members of the Serpent Nest Corps, rushed over to lift up the wounded man with the scar after seeing him injured, then turned their fierce, hostile glares toward the black-robed youth. "Hmph!" The man with the scar struggled to rise, his face pale, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his gaze venomous toward Xiao Yan, whose expression remained calm. He sneered, "Good lad—truly courageous! You dare to challenge our Serpent Nest Guild Corps in Qingshan Town? Didn't you know that our commander is the son-in-law of the He family?" "Heard this, Ling'er remained still, clenching her lips and weeping softly. 'You...' Karang grew furious, yet seeing the sorrow etched on Ling'er's face, he sighed heavily and waved his hand, saying, 'Well, well, carry your dagger in your sleeve—should you be captured, use it to end your own life, so as not to suffer humiliation.' Watching the two of them, Xiao Yan found himself both touched and slightly exasperated, shaking his head gently and smiling, 'Karang uncle, don't worry. Today, I'll protect you both. No one in the Jima Empire dares to move against you.' At the familiar title 'Mr.,' Karang was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled with a wry expression, 'I truly appreciate your kindness, but the Serpent's Nest Mercenary Corps is no easy force to oppose. I and Ling'er will hold them off—please, hurry and go.' 'Hurry? Want to beat up the old man and then send me on my way? How very fortunate that is!' The scarred man across from him suddenly broke into a fierce grin, swiftly pulling out a torch from his coat and then tugging it—immediately launching a signal flare that soared into the sky and exploded. "Every exit out of Qingshan Town is sealed by my Serpent Nest Mercenary Corps. Where do you intend to go?" After launching the flare, the scarred man, watching the two men, Kaga and his companion, pale instantly, let out an even more menacing smile. With a wave of his hand, he barked out, "Everyone except that girl—kill them all!" Upon hearing his command, the十余 men behind the scarred man immediately scattered, drawing sharp weapons from their waists, their slightly frail ki swirling around them, then fixing萧炎 with an unkind gaze. As the group of ten or so charged forward,萧炎 remained expressionless, slowly advancing one step, his voice calm and steady. "One more step, and you're dead." The men's response was only a mocking chuckle; their steps could not possibly halt. Seeing the scene, Xiao Yan lowered his gaze, a faint glint of menace passing through his eyes. At his fingertips, an invisible flame began to rise gently. Pfft! Pfft! As the flames emerged, an eerie phenomenon unfolded right on the street. The group of ten or so people charging toward Xiao Yan suddenly froze mid-motion. Then, under the surrounding waves of stunned gazes, they gave off a sudden, unanticipated sound—pfft—and were instantly reduced to blackened ash scattered across the ground. The once-lively street fell abruptly silent. Everyone stared in wide-eyed shock at the large mound of black ash now spread on the ground. Some people blinked, only to find upon reopening their eyes that the very individuals who had just been standing perfectly fine now had their eyes turned to ash. This strange sight sent a deep chill through countless onlookers. Though the sun was blazing overhead, cold sweat continued to trickle down their foreheads without cease. The man with a fierce expression and a scar across his face had his mouth open wide, like a duck egg, his eyes filled with sheer astonishment. It wasn't until several moments later that he regained his composure, stepping back hurriedly, his feet wobbling, and finally collapsing to the ground, gasping, "What... what have you done?" At the very moment Xiao Yan had taken action, he had felt absolutely no surge of qi—instead, the group of fifteen men had mysteriously turned to black ash. As the scarred man's voice echoed, Cagong and Ling also recovered from their shock, gazing at the young man in black robes, their eyes gradually brightening with growing excitement. They had never imagined such a powerful presence could exist—today, they were truly in good hands. Xiao Yan stared calmly at the man staggering backward, slowly raising his hand and pointing it steadily toward him. Within his palm, an invisible flame suddenly flared to life. *Pff!* Another deep, resonant sound echoed, and as the scarred man's face remained expressionless, the blazing inner flame surging from within him instantly consumed him, turning him into a pile of black ash. Staring at the scarred man now transformed into ash, the crowd on the street drew in a sharp breath, their eyes wide with astonishment, fixed on Xiao Yan. Yet their feet involuntarily stepped back, as if afraid that he might suddenly point the death god's finger at them. By now, they realized that this young man wasn't merely assertive—he truly possessed the stature and qualification to command the respect of the Serpent Nest Guild. With a simple clap of his hands, Xiao Yan dispatched several of them, securing over a dozen lives. His gaze, however, remained calm and unbothered. These individuals had carried a fierce, aggressive aura—clearly no ordinary ones. To eliminate them was simply a matter of course, and he felt no sense of burden. Turning around to gaze at Kagan and Ling'er, Xiao Yan smiled lightly and said slowly, "Kagan uncle, it's been many years since we last met. I didn't expect you to still be in this Qingshan town." Kagan, who had been filled with reverence throughout, was momentarily stunned upon hearing Xiao Yan's words. He carefully studied the latter's face, wondering internally how he had managed to become such a formidable strength. While Kagan was pondering, Ling'er fixed her eyes on the familiar face before her. After a moment, she softly murmured, "Kagan uncle, he seems quite similar to the Xiao Yan who had led the assault on the Wolf-Head Guild several years ago..." Hearing Ling'er's words, Kagan's body jolted with surprise. He stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief, as memories buried deep over the years swiftly surfaced. Finally, the youthful, somewhat awkward face of the young man he had once met briefly, gradually merged with the one now standing before him. "Xiao Yan, it really is you?" The astonishment in his eyes deepened, and Kagang gasped. Back then, Xiao Yan had been merely a warrior still falling short of the Battle Master rank. Yet now, with just a simple gesture, he had wiped out over a dozen warriors and one Battle Master—how could such a display of strength compare to the youthful boy of old? Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. At the sight of Xiao Yan's nod, Kagang's face instantly lit up with surprise. Then, hesitating slightly, he bit his teeth firmly and immediately knelt down, pleading, "Brother Xiao Yan, our Blood Battle Corps has suffered a great calamity. I beg you to lend us your aid. Afterward, I will serve you faithfully, doing whatever it takes!" Behind Kagang, Ling also gazed at Xiao Yan, her lips slightly pressed together, her heart racing with emotion. Who could have imagined that the young man who once frequently mocked and scolded her when she was young had grown into such a formidable force? Her thoughts raced as Ling'er hurriedly knelt down, hoping to save the fiercely battling mercenary corps—now, only the young man standing before her seemed capable of doing so. "Though his name matches the one currently spreading throughout the realm—the leader of the 'Inferno Alliance'—I've heard that the leader of the Inferno Alliance possesses combat prowess equal to that of legendary Douzong-level warriors. It must simply be a coincidence of the same name," Ling'er murmured to herself, her gaze flickering. In the vast realm of Jia Ma, there were surely hundreds, if not thousands, of people named Xiao Yan. And the Inferno Alliance's leader was so outstanding that even she had never dared to imagine such a match—she had only assumed it was a mere name coincidence. "Heard this, Kagang quickly nodded and hurried to say, 'Their regiment commander is a six-star Spirit Warrior of exceptional strength. Within this Qingshan Town, no one can match him. I wonder if Xiao Xin, you, could possibly—'" "Six-star Spirit Warrior, huh..." Xiang Yan paused slightly, then smiled gently. "Kagang uncle, I have other matters to attend to within the Monster Mountain region. Perhaps I won't be able to stay here much longer..." Upon hearing Xiang Yan's words, Kagang's eyes dimmed, and his body seemed to lose all strength. Behind him, Ling'er clutched her jade hands tightly, her expression pale with self-mockery. Though they had once shared some acquaintance, they truly couldn't afford to risk offending a six-star Spirit Warrior. "Keep these five vials safe. When you meet the commander of the Serpent Nest Regiment, use your spirit energy to activate them, then launch one into the situation—your crisis will be resolved. Also, use this jade plaque to reach me once. Should there come a time when a matter truly demands your life or death, simply break the plaque, and I will personally come to your aid." Xiao Yan flicked his finger, and five small jade vials and one jade plaque drifted toward Kagang. Within each vial, a tiny flame lotus glowed. Kagang stared, stunned—could these small vials alone have defeated the团长 of the Serpent Nest Corps? "I still have matters to attend to today," Xiao Yan smiled gently, not waiting for Kagang to recover. With a sudden shimmer, his form dissolved amidst a wave of astonished gazes. "Gurgle!" Watching Xiao Yan vanish in such an odd manner, Xiao Yan himself felt his throat tighten. He glanced down at the vials in his hands and then suddenly knelt, bowing deeply three times toward where Xiao Yan had disappeared. He then pulled Linger by the arm and rushed toward the direction of the Serpent Nest Corps' battlefield—his instinct told him that as long as he followed Xiao Yan's words, the crisis would surely be resolved.