This flying dagger, as thin as a cicada's wing, was personally crafted by Xu Nian using nothing but ordinary scrap iron.
However, after his repeated hammering and refining, its quality had nearly come to match that of Xuan Iron Weapons, making it the most perfect weapon Xu Nian had ever forged.
The distinctive feature of this flying dagger was its lightness, with engraved patterns that Xu Nian had meticulously designed. These patterns not only reduced air resistance but also made use of the wind force to achieve greater speed.
Although Xu Nian's Spiritual Sense had not yet reached the level of controlling a Flying Sword to kill, he could easily manipulate a small flying dagger.
As his Spiritual Sense grew, so would the power of the flying dagger, killing enemies unseen.
Xu Nian had forged a total of nine flying daggers but with his current ability, he could only wield one; if he were to use two, both their power and speed would significantly diminish.
The flying dagger hovered at Ouyang Long's brow, ready to pierce through his skull at any time.
Terrified, Ouyang Long sat down hard on the ground, not daring to make the slightest movement.
"Who are you exactly? Do you have any idea that I'm the adopted son of the Ouyang Family Head? If you kill me, my adoptive father will never let you off," Ouyang Long threatened.
The strength displayed by the young man before him far exceeded his expectations; the ability to instantly kill two Nine-star Warriors was beyond any resistance he could muster.
And with the Xuantian-level Battle General Yan Wu at his side, even Elder Luo had fallen to him, so all Ouyang Long could do was hope that the challenger would fear the might of the Ouyang Family and not dare to harm him.
But he soon realized that he was gravely mistaken.
"The adopted son of Ouyang Tian? Ouyang Long, as I've told you, you should be grateful to me for your position," Xu Nian said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Ouyang Long asked, confused.
He was a collateral descendant of the Ouyang Family, chosen by Ouyang Tian, and thus became an adopted son and the heir apparent of the family. What relation did he have to the young man before him?
Xu Nian shook his head in resignation, "You really are clueless. The reason Ouyang Tian took notice of you? Let me tell you the truth: I killed Ouyang Tianlan and Ouyang Chengfeng. That is the only reason you had the opportunity to become Ouyang Tian's adopted son. Do you understand now?"
"You're Xu Nian?" Ouyang Long's pupils shrank suddenly, and his heart skipped a beat.
He knew that his status as an adopted son of Ouyang Tian was entirely because Ouyang Tian's two sons had been killed, but he never imagined that Ouyang Tianlan and Ouyang Chengfeng had fallen at the hands of the young man before him.
Yan Ruyu and Yan Wu at his side were also taken aback, clearly not expecting the young man before them to be Xu Nian, who had decimated the Ouyang Family's lineage.
The paralyzed white-haired elder beside them flashed a hint of cold in his eyes before attempting to flee.
"Kill him!" commanded Xu Nian.
Yan Wu beside him turned into a shadow and vanished on the spot. In the next moment, the white-haired elder fell from the sky, crashing to the ground within the courtyard, utterly lifeless.
The gulf between a Nine-star War Sect and a Xuantian-level Battle General was immense; for Yan Wu to kill him was as easy as turning his hand.
After dealing with the elder, Yan Wu quietly returned to stand behind Xu Nian.
Seeing this, Ouyang Long was even more frightened, his liver and gallbladder nearly splitting in terror.
Yan Ruyu was equally astonished; after all, this elder was a distinguished position within the Ouyang Family, and in the past, her father would not have dared to kill an Elder of the Ouyang Family even after advancing to the Xuantian-level Battle General.
But now, because of a single sentence from this young man, she had decisively taken action. With her astute mind, how could she not see that her father was now completely at the beck and call of the youth before her?
"Please... please don't kill me, I beg you..." Ouyang Long was utterly terrified, and there was even a puddle of yellow liquid flowing down his trousers.
Xu Nian was speechless. Ouyang Long had actually wet himself. It was truly pathetic.
"If you want me to spare your life, you can, but you must answer every question I ask truthfully. If you dare to lie, this flying knife will instantly pierce through your skull," Xu Nian said sternly to Ouyang Long.
"I will, I definitely will!" Ouyang Long quickly knelt on the ground, shouting in panic.
"Good, then I'll ask you the first question. Is the Heavenly Slash Gang part of the Ouyang Family's power?" Xu Nian inquired.
"Yes, the Heavenly Slash Gang is indeed a covert force of our Ouyang Family. Yuan Xiong, the Gang Leader of the Heavenly Slash Gang, is also an Elder of a collateral line in our Ouyang Family," Ouyang Long hastily answered.
Xu Nian nodded and continued, "What is the purpose of your Ouyang Family developing the Heavenly Slash Gang?"
Ouyang Long hesitated, but when he saw Xu Nian's icy gaze, he no longer wavered and said, "There is a large Xuan Iron Vein on Qingliang Mountain. On the surface, the Heavenly Slash Gang is engaged in robbery, but in reality, they are mining the vein."
"A large Xuan Iron Vein?" Xu Nian was taken aback.
Yan Wu was also shocked. A large Xuan Iron Vein, once discovered, had to be reported to the Empire. Even a Prefectural Governor did not have the authority to mine it.
The audacity of the Ouyang Family was simply outrageous. A minor family dared to stake a claim on a large Xuan Iron Vein.
A large Xuan Iron Vein could be mined for a hundred years, and the Ouyang Family had already been mining it for ten years. It was unknown how much wealth they had accumulated.
"Do you know what power stands behind your Ouyang Family?" Xu Nian pressed on.
How could a minor Ouyang Family have the audacity to swallow up a large Xuan Iron Vein? The crime was severe enough for the Ouyang Family to be exterminated ten times over. They must have had the support of a powerful backer, and a significant one at that.
"I don't know. I only know that the foster father often secretly meets with someone, but as for who that person is, I have no idea. Moreover, his purpose is not the Xuan Iron Vein, but something inside the vein," Ouyang Long continued.
"What is it?" Xu Nian urgently asked.
"I'm not sure about the specifics, but I once overheard my foster father mention something about a Saint Tomb," Ouyang Long replied.
Xu Nian was startled. Could it be that this Saint Tomb was inside the large Xuan Iron Vein? If that was the case, then the matter had become even more complicated.
Yan Wu's expression was also grave. He hadn't expected the Ouyang Family to be hiding such a staggering secret.
"Sir, I've said all that I should say. Can I go now?" Ouyang Long asked, his face pleading.
"You may!" Xu Nian said with a cold smile.
Ouyang Long was overjoyed and hurriedly stood up to run towards the courtyard exit.
However, before he could reach the gate, a huge eagle's claw reached out from behind him, snatched him back in an instant, and then threw him into its mouth, devouring him alive.
During this process, Xu Nian didn't even glance over, just the corners of his mouth lifted in a light smile, "I did promise I wouldn't kill you, but that doesn't mean Little Xu Yu would let you off."
Yan Wu and Yan Ruyu standing by were also stunned, staring at the massive Demon Beast that had suddenly appeared in the courtyard, their eyes filled with astonishment.