Chapter 716 - 716: Killing Zhou Yongyang

"Zhou Yongyang, how dare you collude with the Martial Soul Hall! You… deserve to die!"

From within the crowd, Zhou Jianxiong suddenly roared in anger.

His body flickered as he charged in front of Zhou Yongyang. Raising his palm, he unleashed a strike suffused with terrifying power and momentum, aimed directly at Zhou Yongyang's head.

Zhou Jianxiong was a Level Six Martial King and a Core Disciple of the Saint Extreme Sect. This one palm strike terrified Zhou Yongyang so completely that he couldn't even fathom the idea of resisting.

"Your Excellency, save me!"

Zhou Yongyang let out a final, wretched scream.

Then, like smashing a watermelon, Zhou Jianxiong shattered his head with a resounding CRACK.

No one else moved. Only Zhou Jianxiong lunged forward, as if he were fighting for the chance to be the one to act.

Because it was something he had to do!

This was the only way to distance himself and the Qianshui Dynasty from Zhou Yongyang, the traitor who had colluded with the Martial Soul Hall.

It was also the only way to mitigate some of the disastrous fallout from Zhou Yongyang's collusion with the Martial Soul Hall.

However, right after killing Zhou Yongyang with one strike, Zhou Jianxiong's gaze suddenly fell upon his hand. There, he saw a Storage Ring.

An idea struck Zhou Jianxiong. He immediately bent down, removed the Storage Ring from Zhou Yongyang's hand, and, after binding it to himself with satisfaction, slipped it onto his own finger.

Instantly, he felt gazes from all around fixed on him, making even a dignified Level Six Martial King like himself tremble involuntarily.

Lifting his head, Zhou Jianxiong was met with more than a dozen gazes filled with resentment and a touch of envy.

Ordinarily, powerful Inner Sect Disciples from various sects like Ban Xing'an, Wan Jianxin, and Xiao Qingsheng wouldn't have given a second thought to a mere Storage Ring from someone who had just reached the Martial King Realm.

But now, they could only envy those who had a Storage Ring to use and still possessed some wealth…

Meanwhile, an idea sparked in Chu Qingyun's mind. He summoned his Devouring Martial Soul and consumed the Martial Soul that Zhou Yongyang had left behind upon his death.

His Devouring Martial Soul was still in the process of advancing from Tier Four to Tier Five.

A Tier Four Martial Soul was exactly what it needed.

SWISH… SWISH…

Just then, the envoy from the Martial Soul Hall suddenly made two strange whistling sounds.

A moment later, a ferocious-looking Poisonous Insect, about half a finger long, bit through the palm of Zhou Yongyang's hand. It shot out with a WHOOSH and was snatched from the air by the Martial Soul Hall envoy.

This Poisonous Insect was clearly the culprit behind everyone being poisoned.

After stowing the Poisonous Insect, the Martial Soul Hall envoy took out the half-piece of the Blood Origin. Using his Primordial Power, he melted it down into a single, crimson orb of Blood Origin.

However, unlike Chu Qingyun, the Martial Soul Hall envoy enveloped the Power of Origin with his Primordial Power, keeping it suspended in front of him and preventing it from dissipating.

He plunged one hand into the orb of Blood Origin, appearing to use some unique method to probe for something.

The members of the Martial Soul Hall stood guard around their envoy, their faces etched with vigilance, ready to fend off any potential sneak attacks.

Meanwhile, no one else left, including Chu Qingyun.

They all knew the Martial Soul Hall envoy was undoubtedly using this orb of Power of Origin to locate the corpse of Venerable Thousand Blood.

The corpse of a Venerable was an absolute treasure trove.

This was an opportunity even greater than finding Blood Crystals in the Blood Sect ruins, and no one wanted to miss it.

This was especially true for those who had lost their Storage Rings to Chu Qingyun and were now utterly bankrupt. Their eyes were red with greed, hoping to cash in on this opportunity and recoup their losses.

Half a minute later, a glint flashed in the Martial Soul Hall envoy's eyes, and a smile spread across his face.

"Let's move out!"

He carefully put away the orb of Power of Origin and then led the members of the Martial Soul Hall due north.

Clearly, he had used the Blood Origin to divine the location of Venerable Thousand Blood's corpse.

The disciples from the Saint Extreme Sect, Celestial Sword Sect, Tianya Sect, and Purple Cloud Sect all followed behind as well. Not a single person chose to leave, trailing them the entire way.

Seeing the group trailing them at a steady distance, a Level Six Martial King from the Martial Soul Hall frowned. "Your Excellency, should we try to shake them off first?"

The Martial Soul Hall envoy chuckled softly. "No need. If they want to follow, then let them."

"A Venerable is an existence that has completely transcended the Martial Sect Realm. Even if only a corpse remains, it's not something we can get to easily."

"Besides, judging by the number of Blood Corpses and Blood Beasts around here, Venerable Thousand Blood must not have dispersed his Power of Origin before he died. A mutation must have occurred."

"When the time comes, we might even need their help."

'Those bastards from the Black Demon Tower dared to look down on me. Once I find a Venerable's corpse and get my hands on the remnant Martial Soul, then... Hmph!'

The Martial Soul Hall envoy had his own reasons for deliberately waiting until after Chu Qingyun had finished "selling" the Antidotes to begin his search for Venerable Thousand Blood's corpse in front of everyone.

His goal was to deliberately make these Sect Disciples follow him.

The corpse of Venerable Thousand Blood had been brought to the Blood-soaked Land by the remnants of the Blood Sect over two thousand years ago. Therefore, it was naturally hidden somewhere within the original Blood Sect ruins.

Previously, Chu Qingyun and the others had been near an Array Platform of the Six Imperial Demon-Sealing Array.

That location was already a relatively central area of the original Blood Sect ruins.

The place where the Venerable's corpse was hidden wasn't far from there either; it was near the main hall at the core of the ruins.

Along the way, the Martial Soul Hall's envoy consulted the orb of Blood Origin three more times. Ultimately, he led Chu Qingyun and the twenty or thirty other Sect Disciples to a very inconspicuous mountain ravine.

The ravine was filled with lush vegetation and jagged, peculiar rocks. A small waterfall cascaded from the mountainside, forming a little creek.

Unlike the main hall or the location of the Array Base, this place looked utterly ordinary, with no distinguishing features whatsoever.

But according to the direction pointed out by the Blood Origin, this was the spot.

"Venerable Thousand Blood's corpse must be here. Split up and search. Look for any mechanisms or hidden doors, and keep an eye on the others."

The Martial Soul Hall envoy said to his subordinates after checking the Blood Origin one more time.

His men nodded and set off, beginning to search the ravine thoroughly.

However, they were careful to always maintain a safe distance from Chu Qingyun and the other Sect Disciples.

Clearly, it wasn't just Chu Qingyun's group that was wary of the Martial Soul Hall; the Martial Soul Hall's members were just as guarded against them.

"I've led you all the way here. You've done nothing but follow. It's about time you helped with the search, don't you think?"

The Martial Soul Hall envoy said, looking toward Chu Qingyun and the others.