Breaking the Masked Man

What he wanted most was not among them.

Xiao Lin did not carry the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade with him, which disappointed Yao Yan, but also made him breathe a sigh of relief. If the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade was on the other party, it would be difficult for him to snatch it. At least he could not let the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade disappear here.

But in that case, the two of them would obviously have no value in living.

"A bit poor."

Yao Yan spoke frankly, carefully putting away the two storage rings. Then, looking at the two people below, he sighed regretfully, "It seems the contents of these storage rings are not enough to buy your lives."

"This……"

Xiao Lin was startled upon hearing this, and before he could say anything, Yao Yan had already rushed towards the two of them.

Nalan Jie and Xiao Lin wanted to resist, but they were far too weak against Yao Yan, who was unleashing his full power. Yao Yan was bathed in bronze and surrounded by silver starlight. With a single slap, he shattered Xiao Lin's fighting spirit and struck him directly in the chest. As his back bulged, he was sent flying backward.

Nalan Jie punched Yao Yan in the back, but it didn't budge him at all. In response, he received a chop to the neck. In Yao Yan's shocked and angry gaze, the golden flame blade rapidly enlarged, so fast that he could hardly react. Then everything in front of him turned black. In the last moment, he seemed to see his own feet.

Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the Illusionary Golden Fire, burning Nalan Jie's corpse to ashes. With his soul power, it was impossible for the opponent to escape with even a wisp of his soul power.

After disposing of Nalan Jie's body.

He turned and walked to Xiao Lin, who was standing to the side, and disposed of his body as well.

At this moment, Cai Die arrived late with the old man who looked like a corpse. She was shocked to see Yao Yan destroying the evidence. She looked troubled and wanted to stop him, but she didn't know what to say, because the two of them had already been dealt with. It seemed that it was too late to persuade him.

“If you don’t kill them, your true identity will be exposed, which will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. You’ve seen their previous attitude.”

Yao Yan explained briefly, then had Cai Die throw the old man's body over.

Upon hearing this, Butterfly whispered, "...Can we spare their lives? We can leave the Gama Empire."

She did not throw the still-breathing old man to Yao Yan, as if she held onto a certain conviction.

Yao Yan knew that Cai Die was kind and gentle at heart, but this kindness and gentleness were obviously not suitable for use on enemies, even if the other party was not a mortal enemy. He walked to her side, disregarded her feelings, and reached out to burn the old man who was not yet dead to ashes. He watched the golden flames and the old man gradually disappearing within them.

He whispered, "This is a world where people eat each other. It's the same everywhere. If the snake people are weak, your entire tribe will be devoured by the Gama Empire. Similarly, if we are not strong enough on this trip, you will become their prisoner and suffer all kinds of humiliation. I will also die at their hands. At that time, they will not listen to our pleas."

Butterfly thought that leaving the snake people would free her from her cage and grant her freedom, but little did she know that she was merely moving from a safe cage to a dangerous one.

Of course, there was another reason he didn't tell Cai Die: Xiao Lin had to die. If he didn't die, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade couldn't be taken away. It contained a wisp of Xiao Lin's soul, used to confirm the life or death of the Xiao family patriarch and locate the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.

With Xiao Lin dead, the Xiao family will inevitably be in turmoil for a period of time, and Yao Yan will be able to take the opportunity to seize the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and Yao Lao's storage ring!

This is the real reason he killed people; otherwise, Yao Yan wouldn't have been interested in killing several Battle Kings of the Gama Empire.

Butterfly's mood turned somber; she suddenly realized that the outside world wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 73 Jia Xingtian

More than half an hour later.

A powerful aura of a peak nine-star Dou Huang swept across the entire Monster Mountain Range. The newcomer charged directly into the deepest part of the mountain range, only stopping when he forced the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King out. The brilliant golden Dou Qi wings on his back trembled slightly, making his aura even more terrifying. He stared coldly at the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King and asked in a chilling voice, "Lion King, do you know what happened in the northwest of the Monster Mountain Range half an hour ago?"

"Ha, I seem to have no obligation to answer your question."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King sneered, looking at the old man in front of him with disdain.

The newcomer was none other than Jia Xingtian, the emperor of the Jia Ma Empire. He appeared somewhat old, with gray hair, but his physique was extremely capable. His back was straight, showing no signs of aging. His aura was magnificent and imposing, exuding a sense of oppression befitting a superior.

Jia Xingtian's gaze darkened slightly, and he asked in a deep voice, "Lion King had better answer this question. Just half an hour ago, three Dou Wangs from the Jia Ma Empire went missing in the northwest of your Monster Mountain Range. You should know what that means!"

Not only did a nine-star Dou Wang from the royal family, who was qualified to break through to Dou Huang, disappear, but even Marshal Nalan Jie, the Lionheart Marshal, and Xiao Lin, the head of the Xiao family, were nowhere to be seen. This indicated that the three of them had been killed and their bodies disposed of. How could Jia Xingtian tolerate this?

The latter's death is fine, but the former's misfortune is something that Xingtian cannot tolerate!

"That's really good news, haha!"

Upon hearing this, the Amethyst Winged Lion King laughed gleefully. It naturally knew who had killed the three, but it didn't need to answer Jia Xingtian's question. Besides, this matter involved its newly acquainted friends. Beasts weren't as cunning as humans and wouldn't stab you in the back.

Moreover, it was extremely happy to see Jia Xingtian suffer a setback.

"The Lion King is so happy, could this matter also be related to the Lion King?!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xingtian's emotions exploded. He took a step forward, unleashing the powerful Dou Huang-level Dou Qi within him, and roared. At this moment, he truly had the urge to rush up and fight the other party.

"What, you've come looking for trouble with me since you can't find the murderer? Do you really think I'm afraid of you? Don't forget, this is the Monster Mountain Range!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King roared, its body engulfed in purple flames. It showed no fear of Jia Xingtian, even though it was not at its peak strength. Jia Xingtian would not be able to kill it easily. The strongest thing about magical beasts is their bodies and their resilience!

If the time drags on, it is confident that it can completely trap the opponent in the Monster Mountain Range.

Those fifth-tier underlings around me weren't recruited for nothing!

Jia Xingtian naturally sensed the gazes of the fifth-tier magical beasts watching him from all around. His momentum faltered, and his initial fury gradually subsided. He knew that the culprit was not the Amethyst Winged Lion King, but had only come here to gather information. However, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's attitude was very strange, as if he was unwilling to talk at all.

"Is the murderer connected to the Lion King?"

He suppressed his anger and asked.

A cold glint flashed in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's heterochromatic eyes as he said in a low voice, "Fight if you want, or I'll be heading back!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it turned and left without giving Jia Xingtian a chance to get any information out of him. As for whether the other party would fight to the death with him... the two had known each other for nearly a hundred years, how could it not know the other party's personality? For the sake of the dead, the other party would not completely turn against it.

Seeing the completely disrespectful Amethyst Winged Lion King, Jia Xingtian took two deep breaths and finally held them back.

After all, I'm not a teenager anymore, so I can still be more patient when things happen.

Moreover, the entire Jia Ma Empire still needs him to shoulder the burden. Before a new Dou Huang is cultivated, he cannot be harmed, otherwise the entire Jia Ma Empire will perish.

As for the deaths of the three Dou Wangs... the deaths of Nalan Jie and Xiao Lin will inevitably cause a huge uproar in the capital. However, the two died while carrying out a mission for the Jia Ma Empire, so they still need to be appeased and the proper appearances need to be made. In particular, the Nalan family has many descendants serving as officials in the Jia Ma Empire, so they need to be properly appeased.

As for the Xiao family, Jia Xingtian didn't have much affection for them, given their recent arrogance. Now that Xiao Lin was dead, only three Dou Ling remained in the family...

Jia Xingtian's eyes flickered. As the emperor of the Jia Ma Empire, what he needed to consider most was balance and stability. After thinking for a while, he turned around and flew out of the Monster Mountain Range.

Not long after he left.

A hint of lingering fear flashed in the eyes of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, who muttered to himself, "What a ruthless brat..."

In the past, it was extremely rare for a Dou Wang or Dou Huang to perish, at least they would not engage in a life-or-death duel over a verbal dispute. But Yao Yan and that snake woman were clearly different; every move they made was a killing move. It even felt that if it insisted on fighting that day, the other party would really do anything to kill it.

outrageous.

Who hasn't cultivated for decades to reach their current level of cultivation? Why are you so irritable and don't cherish your life at all!

……

The outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range.

When Jia Xingtian returned, two Douling were already examining the traces. However, Yao Yan had cleaned it up very well. Apart from a deep pit left from the battle, there wasn't a single hair left. Even the blood had been cleaned up, so they couldn't find anything useful.

Jia Xingtian was not surprised by this, and even if something was found out, there was nothing he could do about it.

The person capable of killing three Dou Wangs must be at least a Dou Huang, and a very strong one at that. Unless he personally takes action, his subordinates, the Dou Wangs, would be easy prey. The Jia Ma Empire is about to go to war with the Snake-People Clan and has no intention of hunting down a Dou Huang whose strength is unknown.

"Your Majesty, this matter should be related to the Serpent Clan! I just investigated the files that Nalan Jie recently investigated, and there is a very interesting piece of information in them that seems to involve the Ice Emperor and the Serpent Clan..."

One of them approached and handed over a scroll, speaking in a solemn voice.

"Hai Bodong?"

Jia Xingtian frowned, took the scroll and began to read it. After a moment, his frown deepened, and he glanced at the depths of the Monster Mountain Range.

There was a brief silence.

He said, "Investigate and find out where Hai Bodong is."

He and Hai Bodong were old acquaintances, so instead of continuing the investigation, it would be better to ask him directly. Moreover, in this war with the Snake-People, Jia Xingtian also planned to have Hai Bodong lend a hand, since the royal family's sixth-tier Nether Sea Dragon Beast was not in good health and could no longer withstand a fierce war of attrition.

Among their generation, Hai Bodong is the youngest and may have a chance to reach the Dou Zong realm in the future. As for the others, most of them have no hope. Hai Bodong has always been a loner, so even if he breaks through to the Dou Zong realm, it will not have much impact on the Jia Ma Empire.

As long as the person who breaks through to the Dou Zong level isn't Yun Shan... but given Yun Shan's age, he probably won't have a chance in this lifetime.

Think of this.

Jia Xingtian couldn't help but sigh. He was old, but there was no young person in the royal family who could step forward to shoulder the burden. He, the old man, had to continue to carry the torch. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

……

……

Meanwhile, Yao Yan arrived in Wutan City with Cai Die.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 74 Utan City

Wutan City.

Because of its proximity to the Monster Mountain Range, it is extremely prosperous. The streets are bustling with people, and many mercenaries set up stalls in the market. Occasionally, you can even see people selling monster cubs, but they are all low-level monsters and there is nothing of great value.

Yao Yan was strolling along the bustling streets with Cai Die, because women tend to forget their troubles when they go shopping.

The same is true for butterflies.

Perhaps because it was her first time properly strolling through a human town, the novelty quickly dispelled her previous gloom, gradually restoring her vitality and brightening her eyes once more. She curiously looked around, her constantly swaying waist and snake tail incredibly alluring and captivating, radiating an invisible charm that made it impossible to look away.

Along the way, passersby who were attracted to her frequently turned their heads to look at her.

For the people of Wutan City, snake people are undoubtedly a rare sight. They can only be seen by crossing the Monster Mountain Range and heading to the Tagor Desert in the east of the Gama Empire. As for the people in the city, very few people would bring snake people with them. It is said that many nobles in the Gama Empire have the habit of keeping snake women as maids... This is why everyone only dares to steal a glance.

Yao Yan's attire and demeanor didn't resemble those of an ordinary person, and the fact that he could bring such a stunning beauty out with him suggested that the other person's identity was definitely not simple and was not someone that ordinary people could afford to offend.