Short, pristine white hair that signified his status as a member of the Xue Clan, eyes like shining golden orbs that looked down on everything in contempt, and a body like a steel mountain. Everything about the man's appearance practically screamed the word "imposing."
Coupled with the massive aura that was being released from his body, Xue Yebai truly gave a first impression that dominated one's mind.
"Who is it?" His voice came out just as cold as the air around him, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard it. Even if their bodies wanted to drip cold sweat, it was impossible, as that sweat would freeze the second it was formed.
"Who is it that dares to provoke my Xue Clan?"
His piercing golden eyes scanned the scene in front of him. The corpses of the 12 Elders who were pillars of the Xue Clan until this day were the first thing that entered his vision.
And after them were the faces of those who killed them.
But Xue Yebai's eyes remained passive. He didn't show a hint of rage or sorrow at the deaths of his clan members. In fact, the only emotion in his eyes was a trace of disdain.
"Just you? Has our clan fallen to the point where even ants have become brave enough to challenge us?"
Xue Yebai completely ignored Damien's 4th class subordinates. His eyes were trained on the body of Ruyue in Damien's arms.
"After all the years I spent raising you, this is how you choose to repay me. What a pathetic daughter."
Ruyue's body shivered uncontrollably. Seeing Xue Yebai's face again after so many years, she was overwhelmed by the lingering emotions she thought she had buried.
Sadness, anger, hatred, vengeance…the thoughts in her heart were colored in a ghastly black. Yet, Xue Yebai's presence alone was enough to cause her to freeze.
It wasn't a matter of power. She had always been aware that Xue Yebai had reached a level she couldn't even see with her current strength. Rather, it was about his identity in general.
Ruyue's mind was in chaos. She wanted to face him, she wanted to stand up and look at him in disdain like the frog he was, but she wasn't able to even move her fingers under his gaze.
She thought she overcame her trauma in the Trial of Self, but it seemed that her trauma ran far deeper than she thought it did. Perhaps, this scar in her heart wouldn't vanish until Xue Yebai was dead in front of her.
Damien's eyes hardened as he saw Ruyue's mental state. The fury he had been containing until this moment threatened to burst forth once again. And for someone like Xue Yebai, he didn't have any intention of keeping said fury hidden.
Damien's gaze was equally indifferent as he matched Xue Yebai's. "Hmm, I always imagined you as a pathetic dog with nothing to show for himself. It seems my mental image was on point."
Xue Yebai's eyes turned to Damien. "You are the one who led my daughter on this futile path? I have yet to decide whether to praise your courage or mock your foolishness."
"It's funny to me that you still have the nerve to call her your daughter after all the bullshit you've pulled. Or is thick skin just a genetic trait of the Xue Clan? I haven't decided whether you should die here today or if I should have you tortured endlessly for your sins."
"Sins? A mere child like you dares to label my actions as sin? In this world, power is everything. And because I have power, I have no sin."
Traceless mana coagulated in Xue Yebai's gaze and shot toward Damien at immeasurable speeds. As for Damien, he wasn't even aware that a deadly threat was currently approaching him.
"Then that means, if I kill you right now, it'll be because you were weak, right?"
A new voice interrupted their conversation. Tian Yang's figure appeared in the air between Damien and Xue Yebai, casually blocking the formless attack that had just been fired.
Damien suddenly whipped to attention. The stench of death had filled his senses for a brief instant when Tian Yang appeared in front of him, but it was already too late for him to block it.
Only after Tian Yang had done it for him did he realize how close he was to dying in that moment.
Damien's gaze hardened. 'This level of power…isn't something I can match up to yet. Even acting cheeky in front of a man like him is courting death.'
Damien gritted his teeth in frustration. No matter how fast he grew, there would always be someone with the power to kill him with a single look. Even if he didn't run into these people often, he engraved this fact into his bones so that he would never forget it.
Tian Yang looked at Damien with a smile. 'This kid has grown far more than I expected him to in this short amount of time. Then, as his master, shouldn't I give him a small present?'
He turned his attention back to Xue Yebai. "Xue Yebai, are you aware of the crimes you have committed?"
Xue Yebai glared at Tian Yang. For the first time since his appearance, he showed true emotion.
Hatred.
If it wasn't for Tian Yang's timely appearance, would Ruyue's fate have been subverted as it was? If it wasn't for him, would Xue Yebai's plans for his first daughter have been so thoroughly ruined?
From the start, Xue Yebai had always been looking for an opportunity to kill Tian Yang. But that opportunity never came. The backing of the Celestial Star Palace wasn't something his Xue Clan could handle alone, and Tian Yang had never been one to show off his power.
With so many unknown variables, Xue Yebai was forced to take a step back and let his hatred fester and grow.
Until today.
Today, Tian Yang stood in front of him alone. And with the current state of the Xue Clan, it would only be able to rise again if Tian Yang was defeated by his hands.
'Destroying the clan and rebuilding it from its roots has always been the final goal. Since my precious little treasure has taken care of the dismantling for me, I only have to prove our strength and start rebuilding. Ah, wouldn't she feel honored to be my Queen when that time comes?'
Xue Yebai smiled at his thoughts and finally decided to reply to Tian Yang's words. "Sin? What sin have I committed for the honorable Grand Elder of the Celestial Star Palace to personally come for me?"
Tian Yang's brown twitched. Even if he wasn't one to fall for such cheap provocation, hearing someone as disgusting as Xue Yebai mocking him still felt unpleasant.
But that was beside the point. Tian Yang's aura slowly billowed out like a formless fog, his words becoming colder and colder as he spoke.
"Xue Yebai, for the sin of colluding with traitors to cause the fall of our glorious Plane, the punishment…is death!"
Tian Yang's aura suddenly surged into a massive tide, clashing with and dispersing the domineering aura that Xue Yebai had been flaunting all this time.
Hearing his death declaration, though, Xue Yebai's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Good. Since you have found a reason to act against me, any more talk is unnecessary. Come, allow me to show you the true power of the Xue Clan."
