Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

As the Eagle Guardian stopped, Xiao Fan came to his senses. The Black-Hearted Old Man had disappeared again. Looking around at the seemingly unbroken paths, Xiao Fan curiously looked for places to hide.

Eagle Protector pushed open the stone door in front of him, stepped inside, and then looked at Xiao Fan and said indifferently, "Alright, stop looking. If you can find any trace of him, then that Black-Hearted Old Man has been wasting his time in the Black Corner Region."

That makes sense. If this black-hearted old man can speak to the Eagle Protector like that, then he must be at least a Dou Huang. Thinking of this, Xiao Fan followed the Eagle Protector into the stone gate. Now, the Eagle Protector should tell him the purpose of capturing him.

Chapter 79 Surrender

Stepping through the stone gate, one finds only simple furnishings inside. The Eagle Protector sits casually on a futon, looking at Xiao Fan with a half-smile.

Xiao Fan's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Logically speaking, he was just a minor Great Dou Master, so there was no reason for him to capture him. What was it about him that had attracted his attention?

Seeing Xiao Fan's pensive expression, Protector Eagle chuckled sinisterly, "Boy, do you know why I went to such lengths to bring you to this Black Corner Region?"

Xiao Fan bowed slightly and carefully paid his respects to Protector Eagle. He said in a deep voice, "In your eyes, I am nothing but an ant. To kill me would be as simple as a glance from you. I really don't know what I have that you value so much. Please enlighten me."

"Hehehe, not worth taking seriously? You must be joking. No matter you're not even twenty years old, you've already joined the ranks of Great Dou Masters, and..." At this point, Protector Eagle took a deep breath in Xiao Fan's direction, as if intoxicated, before continuing.

"Moreover, I can smell the wonderful soul aura emanating from you, just like those alchemists. Your soul is purer and more refined than theirs. For a mere Great Dou Master, the soul power you've condensed is almost on par with that of a Dou Ling. And then there's your eerie black flame, silent and stealthy... Boy, what aspect of these things doesn't make you worthy of my attention? Hehehe..."

Hearing Eagle Protector's words, Xiao Fan's heart sank. Indeed, even with Yao Lao's guidance, Xiao Yan was only a four-star Dou Shi, while he himself had already reached the Great Dou Shi level. Moreover, his alchemy skills hadn't declined, and he possessed a different kind of fire, his soul having been tempered twice by the system—all things the Soul Palace valued...

Seeing Xiao Fan deep in thought, Protector Eagle didn't press him any further. He slowly walked to Xiao Fan's side, leaned close, and said smugly, "Boy, if you give me your method for cultivating soul power and the flame within you, I'll spare your life and even recommend you to join one of the continent's top sects. How about it?"

As he spoke, almost maniacally, he said to Xiao Fan, "You saw that heartless old man just now, didn't you? A four-star Dou Huang is nothing more than a pawn we casually left behind on this Dou Qi Continent. You should know that after joining us, even Dou Zun and Dou Sheng are not out of reach. Your little Jia Ma Empire is not even a hair on our head..."

Xiao Fan heard what the Eagle Protector said, but felt helpless.

His soul was a reward from the system upgrade and was tempered by the soul power left behind by the old doctor, which is why he was able to far exceed his realm. However, he couldn't possibly give this to the Eagle Protector for exchange. As for the Chaos Fire, it goes without saying that it was a flame exclusive to his own physique. Even if Xiao Fan wanted to give it to him, he simply couldn't take it out.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Fan bowed respectfully to him.

“Guardian Eagle, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I myself don’t understand why I am so powerful. Ever since I became conscious, I have been wandering in the Gama Empire. Later, I inexplicably gained control of this flame within my body. Moreover, my physique is also different from ordinary people. No matter how severe the injury to my hand, my recovery ability is extremely amazing. Even I myself can’t figure it out.”

"You dare lie to me!" Eagle Protector, utterly disbelieving Xiao Fan's words, gripped his arms tightly, his fingertips digging into Xiao Fan's muscles, roaring furiously. "Damn it, damn it, you all deserve to die, banishing me to this remote place..."

The pain in his arms made Xiao Fan frown, but he remained silent. He hadn't heard what the Eagle Protector said afterward, but a sense of surprise flashed through his mind. It seemed this Eagle Protector had some special identity...

After the Eagle Protector vented his anger, he turned back to his arrogant gaze, staring at Xiao Fan with a gloomy expression. He glanced at the still-bleeding hole in Xiao Fan's shoulder, where the flesh was visibly healing.

"Oh?" This briefly brought the Eagle Protector to his senses. He then unleashed a powerful aura, pressuring Xiao Fan and channeling his soul power into Xiao Fan's body to carefully examine every abnormality within him.

There was nothing of interest in Xiao Fan's body. All he found was the Chaos Fire within Xiao Fan's body. However, although the Chaos Fire appeared to be inside Xiao Fan's body, it actually existed in a separate space. Even with the Eagle Protector's strength, he couldn't detect it while it was burning. After searching for a long time, even the Battle Crystal within Xiao Fan's body gradually trembled under the Eagle Protector's soul pressure. Finally, he withdrew his soul power.

"Could this really be due to his constitution?" Looking at the bleeding hole on Xiao Fan's shoulder, which had now stopped bleeding, he couldn't help but doubt everything. His identity was different from that of ordinary Soul Hall envoys, so he naturally knew some more secretive things. The flame that Xiao Fan used before was completely different from any of the flames on the Strange Flame Ranking. He had also searched Xiao Fan's body but still couldn't find any clues. This made him gradually believe Xiao Fan's words.

Recalling Xiao Fan's actions when he pursued that soul entity, which could be described as intelligent, Protector Eagle's heart stirred. "Perhaps, he could become my opportunity to return to Zhongzhou..." Thinking this, Protector Eagle's attitude changed. Since only he could use the things within Xiao Fan's body, he would make him his own...

"Boy, I'm asking you, what's your name?"

Sensing the difference in Ying Huyu's tone compared to before, Xiao Fan could roughly guess the reason. This was their first exchange since being captured.

"Please don't be hurt, junior."

"Don't be hurt, I'm giving you a chance. Follow me, and I will focus on training you from now on. How about it? But if you dare to betray me, hehe..." Although it wasn't said explicitly, Xiao Fan could feel the killing intent in Eagle Protector's tone.

"Junior Mo Shang is willing to serve Senior with utmost loyalty," Xiao Fan said respectfully, bowing to Protector Eagle.

"Hehehe, I have already planted my mark in your mind. If you ever dare to betray me in the future, I can destroy you with a single thought, no matter where you are in the world. Do you understand?"

Xiao Fan's face darkened, but he could only lower his head and agree.

Seeing Xiao Fan's gloomy face, Protector Eagle chuckled twice, then seemed to be comforting him. "Don't be discouraged. Follow me, and you'll see a wider world, hehehe..."

"Ding! Host, mission complete. You have survived the clutches of a Soul Hall expert. Mission reward: 5000 Source Coins, 100 Battle Qi Points. (To be claimed)"

Chapter 80 Black Skull Tomb

Although Xiao Fan verbally expressed his submission, Protector Eagle did not believe him.

"Boy, I've left my soul imprint in your mind. From now on, if you dare to betray me, you'll be dead in a heartbeat. Do you understand?" The Eagle Protector's hoarse voice echoed in the secret chamber, his slender eyes staring coldly at Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan wasn't too surprised by what the Eagle Protector said. He would have been surprised if the Eagle Protector hadn't left some leverage over him.

However, Xiao Fan was not too worried about the brand that the Eagle Protector mentioned.

Just like how he was able to control Han Jue, who was at a higher level than him at the time, by using the cultivation technique given by the system, he used the soul imprint. However, the difference in strength between himself and the Eagle Protector was too great. If Han Jue wanted to do something to him, he would have no chance to resist.

But as long as his life wasn't threatened, Xiao Fan wasn't worried. With the system around, he was very confident in eliminating the soul imprint. Besides, once his strength increased, he might not even need the system anymore.

He's only a Grand Dou Master, and the Eagle Protector brought him to the Black Corner Region. His first priority is to understand the situation here to facilitate his future development in the region. Since he lacks any powerful connections, he can take advantage of the Eagle Protector's trust and use him as a shield to secretly grow his power.

The Eagle Protector was extremely pleased to see that Xiao Fan had no intention of resisting.

On one hand, he believed in his own strength, thinking Xiao Fan couldn't cause any trouble. On the other hand, in his view, Xiao Fan was just a frog in a well, confined to the Jia Ma Empire. The strongest he'd ever seen was probably only a Dou Ling or Dou Wang. Now that he'd brought him to the Black Corner Region, once Xiao Fan understood its terrifying power, he'd naturally realize how strong his backing was. At that point, even without his coercion, Xiao Fan would follow him wholeheartedly.

After all, who wouldn't want to reach the highest point?

Only by following him could Xiao Fan see hope for the future; becoming a Dou Huang, Dou Zong, or even a Dou Zun was not impossible.

And then, he would take him back there, back to that place, and make those who had oppressed him regret it...

"Senior, could you please tell me where we are right now?"

Seeing that the Eagle Protector was immersed in his own world, seemingly lost in thought, Xiao Fan interrupted his reverie. After all, he didn't even know where he was, and he needed to find out his situation first.

The Eagle Protector snapped out of his daze, pulled a black iron plaque from his pocket, and tossed it to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan took the sign; it was slightly heavy, but when he squeezed it, it didn't deform. He didn't know what material it was made of. It felt slightly cool to the touch.

"This is your identification badge. From now on, you are officially a member of my Soul Palace."

"The Soul Hall?" Xiao Fan asked, feigning ignorance. "Why have I never heard of such a force?"

"Hmph." Protector Eagle sneered disdainfully, his tone filled with obvious contempt. "The Gama Empire is merely a small country in the northwest of the Dou Qi Continent. Its Soul Hall headquarters is located in Zhongzhou, and it boasts a plethora of experts, making it one of the most powerful forces on the entire Dou Qi Continent..."

The Eagle Protector paused for a moment, then continued, “You don’t need to know any of this right now. All you need to know is that we are currently in the Black Corner Region, and this is the Black Skull Tomb, which is a subordinate sect of my Soul Hall in the Black Corner Region. You can come here for anything in the future.”

"The Black Skull Tomb..."

Xiao Fan muttered to himself, "This force is described very little in the original work. I didn't expect it to be a subordinate sect of the Soul Hall in the Black Corner Region. But thinking about it, it makes sense. Throughout the Dou Qi Continent, the Soul Hall is scavenging souls everywhere, so naturally they have different strongholds in various places. The simplest way is to control the local sects."

Most of the people in the Black Skull Tomb cultivate dark attribute techniques, which explains why their main base is underground. Moreover, Xiao Fan felt that the mountain range outside was shrouded in a faint, eerie light, devoid of any life. It seems that this was all the work of the Black Skull Tomb.

After glancing at Xiao Fan, Protector Eagle continued, “Black Skull Tomb operates with extreme discretion in the Black Corner Region. You can stay here and continue your cultivation. I will inform you when I need you. Also, the Black Corner Region is not like the Gama Empire. There are no rules in the Black Corner Region. The only rule is strength. If you don’t have strength, even if you are killed, there is nothing you can do. It is a chaotic world, so you should improve your strength as soon as possible.”

"Yes!" Xiao Fan bowed slightly, and then Protector Eagle let him leave, sending a disciple to take him to a deserted cave to cultivate.

The stronger the disciples of the Black Skull Tomb, the lower their rank. Xiao Fan's current strength is only at the Great Dou Master level, so he's not very close to the Eagle Protector's cave. He still has to go up several levels along the spiraling path, and he's probably only in the middle of the entire sect.

Having found an empty cave, Xiao Fan painted his name on a sign at the entrance to indicate that someone was there. He thanked the disciple and then entered the cave that Black Skull Tomb had prepared for him.

"Black Corner Region, Black Skull Tomb..."

Along the way, Xiao Fan was still thinking about whether there were any memories he could make use of, but after thinking for a long time, he only knew that the strength of the Black Skull Tomb was limited to the fact that its sect leader was ranked in the top ten on the Black Corner Domain's Black List.

He wanted to ask the other disciples, but after thinking about it, he gave up the idea since he had just arrived.

Back in the cave, the furnishings were very simple: a simple stone table and two chairs, a bed and a meditation cushion, and nothing else.

Xiao Fan sat cross-legged on the futon and received the mission rewards he had not yet claimed.

"Ding! Source Coins +5000, Battle Qi Value +100."

Current strength: Two-star Grand Dou Master (2001000)

As expected, Xiao Fan's strength smoothly reached the level of a two-star Great Dou Master.

"Fortunately, I developed the habit of changing my appearance in the Gama Empire. When I was being chased by the Eagle Protector, my face had already been transformed into Mo Shang's. I might have a chance to use it in the future."

The effect of the Shadowless Mask exceeded Xiao Fan's expectations; even the Eagle Protector hadn't noticed the difference in Xiao Fan's appearance. Putting his mind at ease, Xiao Fan focused on regulating his breathing. Regardless, he needed to settle down here first and familiarize himself with the place. He still had an invitation to Canaan Academy in his backpack; he would need to find an opportunity to enter Canaan Academy as Xiao Fan.

Chapter 81 Everything is ready

Under the pitch-black night sky, a dark shadow flickered in the mountains. Suddenly, a huge crack appeared across the ground ahead. The shadow leaped down from the crack and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

This person was Xiao Fan. He handed the token in his hand into a window, and after a short while, the token came out, but with a small starlight on it. Upon closer inspection, the spirit tablet was covered with more than a dozen such stars of varying sizes.

"Another one completed..."

Xiao Fan returned to his room and looked at the token in his hand.

This is a disciple token from the Black Skull Tomb. Since the disciples of the Black Skull Tomb all cultivate the dark attribute, most of them are assassins in the Black Corner Region. The Black Skull Tomb accepts various commissions, ranks them, and then selectively assigns them based on the disciples' strength. After completing the commission, they can obtain a certain amount of contribution points. These contribution points are the income of the disciples of the Black Skull Tomb, apart from their monthly subsidies.

Each time a task is completed, the disciple's token will have additional recorded information, which can be exchanged at the sect for the cultivation techniques and combat skills they need.

To show that he had integrated into the group and to make it easier to gather information, Xiao Fan had been behaving normally for the past month, basically just accepting missions, completing them, and then returning to his room to cultivate.

After all, the disciples within the Black Skull Tomb rarely interacted. And through more than a month of investigation, Xiao Fan had basically ascertained the strength of the Black Skull Tomb.

The leader of the Black Skull Tomb, the Black-Hearted Old Man we met back then, was a five-star Dou Huang, ranking fourth even on the Black Corner Region's Black List. He was a very famous figure throughout the entire Black Corner Region.

Because of the Black Heart Elder, the Black Skull Tomb is not something that ordinary sects or forces in the entire Black Corner Region can afford to provoke. Moreover, since the Black Skull Tomb only accepts orders and will not betray the good reputation of its customers, other sects in the Black Corner Region also have some kind of connection with the Black Skull Tomb.

After all, some things are not suitable for him to do, and finding the Black Skull Tomb is the best choice. He doesn't have to worry about being exposed, and he can also cause trouble for his enemies. Xiao Fan has intercepted many missions in the past month, but the assassinations are all of insignificant little people. Most of them are just revenge killings between ordinary cultivators.

During a break from his mission, Xiao Fan also managed to thoroughly explore the surrounding terrain.

The Black Skull Tomb is located in a mountain range far from Black Seal City. This mountain range is sparsely populated, and the Black Skull Tomb discovered the existence of a fissure in the ground, which is extremely beneficial for disciples' cultivation. So they directly transformed the entire mountain range, which should be the Black Skull Tomb's formation. As a result, the trees in it have stopped growing, and other magical beasts have long since disappeared, turning into a dead zone.

This entire mountain range was tacitly considered Black Skull Tomb's territory, and people from other factions generally wouldn't come here to cause unnecessary trouble.

Besides the Black-Hearted Old Man, the Black Skull Tomb also has two vice sect leaders, but Xiao Fan only knows of their existence; he can't find out their specific names or strengths. However, he imagines that anyone who can serve as a vice sect leader must be quite powerful, perhaps even two Dou Huang level experts.

This raised Xiao Fan's assessment of the Black Skull Tomb's strength to a new level.

Just like the Blood Sect, which only has a sect leader who is a Dou Huang in name only, the Black Skull Tomb is stronger than expected. However, considering that the Soul Palace is supporting them in secret, Xiao Fan was not particularly surprised by this result.

Although Xiao Fan had taken on some missions in the past month, he could sense that the Eagle Protector would still subtly observe him, and once he saw that Xiao Fan was working hard to "earn contribution points," he would stop paying attention to him.