Chapter 226: One Last Thing

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: One Last Thing

In the attic.

The Black Robe Hall Master stood by the window, gazing at the horizon. The memory of the battle where Yi Xiaoyao had annihilated the Cloud Transformation Sect still made his heart pound with excitement.

By now, Yi Xiaoyao’s name had spread not only throughout the Great Shang Dynasty but also to several neighboring dynasties.

Thanks to Yi Xiaoyao, the Seven Kills Star Hall’s fame had skyrocketed. Countless people, drawn by his reputation, flocked to join the sect that had nurtured him, with many even coming from other dynasties.

Usually, the major sects only accepted disciples once every three years. However, the Black Robe Hall Master seized this opportunity, making an exception to recruit these newcomers in large numbers.

Between the annihilation of the Cloud Transformation Sect, the recent influx of new recruits, and the Seven Kills Star Hall’s inherent power, all these factors had solidified its position as the undisputed number one power in the Great Shang Dynasty.

Just then, the sound of soft footsteps echoed in the attic.

"Xiaoyao, you’re here."

The Black Robe Hall Master turned around with a smile and walked toward the arriving Yi Xiaoyao.

"Hall Master, is there something you wished to discuss with me?" Yi Xiaoyao asked with a smile of his own.

The two sat down at a table in the attic and shared a cup of Spirit Wine.

"I heard that you’re planning to head to the Great Xia Empire next?"

The Black Robe Hall Master set down his cup and looked at Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao nodded. "That’s right. Now that things here are settled, it’s time for me to go find Ling’Er."

"I expected as much," the Black Robe Hall Master said. "However, I didn’t call you here to stop you. I came to tell you a secret of the Seven Kills Star Hall."

"A secret of the Seven Kills Star Hall?"

Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow and listened intently.

The Black Robe Hall Master stood up and began to pace before the table as he spoke.

"Several hundred years ago, our Seven Kills Star Hall was a powerful force in the Great Xia Empire. But after the first-generation Hall Master obtained a Secret Treasure Map, he was hunted by various powers, and the Seven Kills Star Hall was pushed to the brink of annihilation."

"In the end, the first Hall Master split the map into two halves. He had his subordinates flee to the Great Shang Dynasty with one half to escape their pursuers, while he himself vanished without a trace."

"Therefore, we made finding the location on that Secret Treasure Map a long-term goal, a hope passed down through generations."

As he spoke, the Black Robe Hall Master took out a tattered Beast Skin Map and handed it to Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao examined the Beast Skin Map. Aside from its ancient and worn appearance, he couldn’t make out anything special about it.

"So, was the secret collection ever found?" Yi Xiaoyao asked.

The Black Robe Hall Master shook his head and gave a wry smile. "I once went to the Great Xia Empire in search of the Secret Collection, but I barely escaped with my life. With my level of strength, it was hard enough just to survive in the Great Xia Empire, let alone search for a secret collection."

’So, the Hall Master intends to leave this Secret Collection for me?’ Yi Xiaoyao’s heart stirred.

"That’s right. You’re the only one with any hope of finding the Secret Collection," the Black Robe Hall Master said. "And don’t you dare underestimate it. The fact that it could provoke so many powers into a deadly chase is proof enough of how extraordinary it is."

Yi Xiaoyao nodded and accepted the Beast Skin Map.

The Black Robe Hall Master smiled, dropping the subject. He abruptly changed topics, saying, "You mentioned earlier that all your business in the Great Shang Dynasty was settled, but you’ve actually forgotten one thing."

After the Black Robe Hall Master’s reminder, realization dawned on Yi Xiaoyao.

It was true. There was one loose end he hadn’t tied up.

Though the matter was trivial to the current Yi Xiaoyao, if he was going to leave, he should leave with a clean slate.

After leaving, Yi Xiaoyao headed straight for the detention area of the Law Enforcement Hall.

A moment later, inside a prison cell, the stone door rumbled open.

"Are you finally letting me out?" A disheveled middle-aged man in the cell snapped his head up, grinding his teeth. "When I get out, I’ll definitely kill that little bastard Yi Xiaoyao!"

This imprisoned man was none other than Cultivator Duan.

The next moment, Cultivator Duan’s gaze froze. The man he hated to the bone, Yi Xiaoyao, had actually walked into his cell and was now standing right in front of him.

"Cultivator Duan, you still want to kill me?"

Yi Xiaoyao had heard him the moment he entered and now looked at the man with a cold sneer.

"Yi Xiaoyao!!"

Cultivator Duan’s fury instantly erupted. During his months of imprisonment, he had dreamed day and night of killing Yi Xiaoyao. Seeing him now, all that hatred contorted his face.

Yi Xiaoyao turned to the Law Enforcement Disciple beside him. "Undo the seal on his Spiritual Power."

The Law Enforcement Disciple acknowledged the order and tossed an Elixir to Cultivator Duan.

After swallowing the Elixir, Cultivator Duan’s Spiritual Power, which had been sealed by medicinal effects, was instantly restored. A vicious look spread across his face.

"Yi Xiaoyao, you’re courting death! How dare you stand before me like this? And you even dared to have my Spiritual Power unsealed!"

Cultivator Duan let out a cruel, furious laugh. He no longer cared about the consequences of killing Yi Xiaoyao. He immediately erupted with his Golden Core Realm cultivation and charged forward to kill.

The Law Enforcement Disciples who witnessed this showed no reaction, their faces devoid of any worry.

Yi Xiaoyao, too, simply watched with a cold smile as Cultivator Duan attacked, neither dodging nor evading.

BAM!

A wave of Spiritual Power rippled outward. Cultivator Duan felt his furious punch come to a dead stop, as if it had struck an immense, immovable mountain.

"This..."

Cultivator Duan stared blankly at his fist, which was held fast in Yi Xiaoyao’s palm. When he looked at Yi Xiaoyao’s face, he saw that he was completely at ease.

The next moment, Cultivator Duan suddenly sensed the aura of cultivation emanating from Yi Xiaoyao, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"N-Nascent Soul Realm!"

The Foundation Establishment Realm boy he could have once crushed so easily... after only a few months, he had actually reached the Nascent Soul Realm?

’How is this possible?’

Before Cultivator Duan could process his disbelief, a nearby Law Enforcement Disciple sneered, "Cultivator Duan, just yesterday, Yi single-handedly annihilated the Cloud Transformation Sect. Among the ten Nascent Soul Realm experts he killed, three were at the Ninth Realm of Nascent Soul. Right now, you’re probably the only person in the entire Great Shang Dynasty who doesn’t know about it."

"That’s right. With your mere Golden Core Realm cultivation, you couldn’t even touch a single hair on Yi’s head, yet you want to kill him? How ridiculous!" another Law Enforcement Disciple scoffed.

Hearing this, Cultivator Duan’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

His eyes, now fixed on Yi Xiaoyao, were filled with terror. He finally understood why Yi Xiaoyao had come here.

"Cultivator Duan, I told you once before that one day I would kill you with my own hands."

Yi Xiaoyao’s icy voice reached Cultivator Duan’s ears. He continued, "Now, that time has come."

With a sickening CRACK of breaking bone, Yi Xiaoyao easily crushed Cultivator Duan’s right fist. Before the man could even scream, he was engulfed in flames.

Yi Xiaoyao looked down at the pile of ashes at his feet and gave a cold smile.

"Next, in the Great Xia Empire... I wonder how many more people will share your fate."

...