Chapter 416: Protection — Xiao Yan's Experience
Inside the Nine-Tails Village, Xinqing and a group of girls from the clan watched the scene beyond the barrier.
"Lord Lin Fan is so strong!"
"He wiped out thousands of Iron Mountain Guards alone… even killed one of Thunder Abyss Mountain's Nine Great Generals! Incredible!"
"Xinqing, you've brought us back an amazing protector this time!"
…
Outside the village, the entire area was engulfed in silence.
"Hehe… congratulations to General Yan on reuniting with your brothers. I'll take my leave now," Qin Gang stepped forward cautiously, forcing a smile as he addressed Xiao Yan.
Lin Fan's overwhelming display of power had left him shaken to the core.
He was worried that if he lingered any longer, he might end up like Meng Shan.
"Get lost. From now on, the Nine-Tails Village is under my protection. If anyone from Beast Ridge dares show up again to collect tribute—anyone—I'll kill them!" Xiao Yan turned his blood-red tiger eyes on Qin Gang and growled coldly.
Qin Gang's face twitched. He wanted to retort, but the thought of Meng Shan's gruesome end made him swallow his words. He slapped the bat he rode and prepared to leave with his men.
"Wait."
Just then, Lin Fan descended from the air and blocked Qin Gang's path.
"Lord Lin… is there something else?" Qin Gang asked nervously, putting on his best smile.
Lin Fan gave him a glance and said flatly, "Give back the spatial pouch Aunt Xin gave you earlier. Also, leave your own pouch. Consider it compensation."
"…Yes," Qin Gang replied with a forced smile, though his heart ached. Still, he dared not defy Lin Fan. He quickly fetched the pouch from his subordinate along with his own and passed them both to Aunt Xin.
"Uhm…" Aunt Xin looked to Lin Fan, somewhat hesitant.
"Don't worry, Aunt Xin. Just take it," Lin Fan said with a warm smile.
Qin Gang nodded rapidly. "Please, Village Chief. It's my gift to you. Freely given."
All Qin Gang wanted now was to leave this dangerous place. Even if it stung, survival came first.
Seeing the look in their eyes, Aunt Xin hesitated for a moment longer before finally accepting both pouches.
"Then we'll take our leave!" Qin Gang cupped his fists quickly and fled with the remaining forces of Beast Ridge.
"General Yan, Lord Lin Fan, Lord Lin Dong—shall we speak inside the village?" Aunt Xin asked once the others had left.
Lin Fan nodded. He had no objections.
"You all stay here," Xiao Yan ordered his Tiger Devouring Army, then entered the village alongside Lin Fan and Lin Dong.
After entering the village, Lin Dong suggested that the three brothers talk alone. Aunt Xin and the clan elders quickly arranged a quiet private pavilion for them.
From below, Aunt Xin and the others occasionally glanced toward the second floor, where three figures could be faintly seen—one notably larger than the others.
Her gaze lingered on the tall, tower-like figure before she sighed softly and looked toward the outside.
There, the Tiger Devouring Army rested silently, like slumbering beasts. Even without hostility, their oppressive aura was palpable.
"To think… the most feared general of Thunder Abyss Mountain is actually Lord Lin Fan and Lord Lin Dong's brother," one of the elders beside Aunt Xin said in awe.
The events of the day had left them thoroughly shaken.
"Lord Lin Fan truly is a blessing to our Nine-Tails Clan. And he's terrifyingly powerful," Aunt Xin said with a smile.
After all, Lin Fan had not only destroyed thousands of Iron Mountain Guards but also personally executed General Meng Shan.
And now, Xiao Yan—the strongest general of Thunder Abyss Mountain—had publicly declared his protection over the Nine-Tails Clan. No one would dare provoke them now.
Beside her, Xinqing peeked out with a wide grin and sparkling eyes, gazing up at the second floor.
"Lord Lin Fan has another brother, too—from the Heavenly Demon Marten Clan," she said proudly.
Aunt Xin and the others glanced at each other thoughtfully, remembering the brief mention of the Marten Clan. Their expressions turned reflective.
…
On the second floor of the pavilion, the three brothers sat face to face.
Xiao Yan was recounting what happened after they were separated in the Demon City of the East Xuan Region.
"Back in Demon City, Third Brother and I used a spatial teleportation array to travel to the Demon Domain. But just before we arrived, we hit a spatial turbulence. The teleportation was disrupted, and we were separated."
"I ended up in the Beast Battle Region, seriously injured. It took me nearly a month to recover."
"After that, I wandered the region for a while and eventually stumbled into the ruins of a Reincarnation Stage expert's cave. He had tiger clan blood, and I managed to acquire his legacy blood essence."
"Seems your luck's been pretty good," Lin Fan smiled. "That legacy blood must be the key to your rapid strength growth."
Xiao Yan nodded. "Yes… but I didn't fully obtain it. Just as I absorbed it, one of Thunder Abyss Mountain's Beast Marshals, Xu Zhong, discovered me."
Lin Dong's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them. "So he stole part of your legacy blood?"
Xiao Yan nodded again, his eyes momentarily glowing with killing intent. "Yes. He also has tiger blood—he's from the Dark Abyss Tiger Clan, one of the three major tiger tribes. He took half of the blood essence I managed to get."
"Such a generous marshal," Lin Dong said with sarcasm.
He didn't believe anyone who could rise to such a rank in this chaotic region would be kindhearted.
"Heh, generous? Not a chance," Xiao Yan sneered. "I have a mutated physique. By the time he found me, I had already absorbed the blood into my body. If he tried to take it by force, he'd get nothing. If I self-destructed, it would all be wasted."
"Then why stay with Thunder Abyss Mountain? Why become his top general?" Lin Dong asked.
"You think he'd let me leave so easily?" Xiao Yan snorted. "Back then, I had nowhere else to go. So I stayed. Over time, I recruited a group of subordinates with tiger bloodlines, shared some of the legacy essence with them, and led them into battle."
Lin Fan smiled. "Those would be your Tiger Devouring Army? Not bad. It's been a year, and you've accomplished more than Lin Dong or I. You've even got your own elite force—and they're no joke."
"Hehe. They're not bad," Xiao Yan grinned. "And since they're my men, they're your men too, Big Bro, Second Bro."
Lin Dong raised a brow. "If you've got such a strong army… why not leave Thunder Abyss Mountain?"
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