This man was none other than Oba Pa, the patriarch of the Oba Family.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed through the hall.
At once, Xiao Zhan, the elders, and Oba Pa all turned to see a black-robed youth walking slowly toward them.
"Yan'er, you're finally back," Xiao Zhan exhaled in relief as his son approached.
He glanced toward the tense Oba Pa and spoke with deliberate calm, "
Yan'er, the Oba Family wishes to pledge allegiance to the Xiao Clan and become one of our vassal families.
You're now the clan's young patriarch. Your father and the elders would like to hear your opinion."
To outsiders, it might have sounded like Xiao Zhan was merely testing his son.
But everyone in the hall knew the truth.....this was no test.
They were waiting for Xiao Yan's decision.
Without Xiao Yan's terrifying potential.....and the mysterious power rumored to stand behind him.....the Oba Family would never have come crawling.
If that power chose not to intervene, the Xiao Clan alone might not yet have the strength to completely suppress them.
Still, with the cultivation method Xiao Yan had granted him, Xiao Zhan was confident that even without outside help, he could make the Xiao Clan Wutan City's strongest family within a few short years.
"Oba Family wants to submit to the Xiao Clan?"
Xiao Yan's gaze swept over Oba Pa, a faintly amused smile touching his lips.
In his past life, this same fat man had once taken advantage of the Xiao Clan's downfall to strike from the shadows.
But now, things were different.
Even though Xiao Yan was only a Dou Practitioner, wiping out a minor family like the Obas was something he could accomplish without even relying on Yao Lao's aid.
Everything would depend on the choice Oba Pa made today.
"Patriarch Oba," Xiao Yan said evenly, his black eyes fixing on the man before him.
Under that calm, abyss-like gaze, Oba Pa's body trembled involuntarily.
For some reason, an inexplicable terror rose in his chest.
He was facing a mere twelve-year-old boy, yet it felt as if he stood before a god.
"To pledge yourselves to the Xiao Clan isn't difficult," Xiao Yan said, his voice smooth as still water.
To him, the Oba Family was hardly worth attention.....too insignificant to even serve as decent dogs.
But for the Xiao Clan, they still held some minor value.
"I'll give you two choices."
"First," he said, raising a finger, "all clan members of the Oba Family at the rank of Fighter and above must consume a special poison pill I've prepared.
So long as you take the antidote every six months, it won't affect your daily lives.
But if you fail to take it in time, even a Da Dou Shi will have his organs melt into blood within a quarter hour....death without a corpse."
"If you wish to prove your loyalty, accept this condition."
His eyes turned slightly colder. "The second choice.....follow the Galleo Clan's example and leave Wutan City.
That way, at least you'll retain some shred of dignity."
"If you refuse both options..." Xiao Yan's smile faded to ice, "then whatever happens next...I won't be held responsible."
His words made Oba Pa's face twist in alarm. Even Xiao Zhan and the elders couldn't help but exchange glances, secretly astonished by Xiao Yan's ruthless yet efficient method.
With just a few pills, he could easily control an entire family.
This was indeed a brilliant move.
"Young Patriarch Xiao, isn't that... a bit too harsh?" Oba Pa forced a bitter smile, his voice trembling slightly.
"Harsh?"
Xiao Yan looked at him coolly. "I've already shown you mercy.
If I truly wished, I could have driven your clan out of Wutan City just like the Galleos."
He turned away, uninterested in further discussion.
"If not for the Xiao Clan's benefit, your family wouldn't even be worth mentioning to me."
"I'll give you half a month to consider. Don't make me act personally like I did with the Galleos.....it wouldn't be pleasant."
With that, he left the hall, his back straight and steady.
Watching that retreating figure, Oba Pa suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure settle on his shoulders.
How could a twelve-year-old boy emanate such terrifying weight?
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