Chapter 237: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

"Eating monkey brains raw? Whoa, Boss, you’ve got real taste. I’ve had it like that once before. You cut a hole in the middle of a table, stick the little monkey’s head through, then pry open its skullcap. You scoop out the soft, white brains while watching the monkey struggle and scream in agony. It’s pure bliss!"

One of the black-faced brute’s men, standing beside him, stared at Little Hei, who was baring his teeth at them from Yi Xiaoyao’s shoulder. His eyes gleamed as he pictured the scene in his mind, a look of sheer enjoyment spreading across his face.

"Oh? I was just spitballing, but that’s a real way to eat it?" the black-faced brute chuckled. "Now that you mention it, I’m actually tempted to give it a try."

Taking the hint, the black-faced brute’s men all turned and shouted at Yi Xiaoyao, "Hey, kid! Hand over that little monkey. If you make our boss happy, he might just let you live!"

Hearing this, the coldness at the corners of Yi Xiaoyao’s mouth intensified.

At this moment, he finally came to a complete understanding. In a place like this, even if you don’t look for trouble, plenty of people will come looking for you.

’To avoid that, I have to display my strength and make them afraid to provoke me!’

"Since you’re so eager to eat brains, I’ll grant your wish."

The moment his words fell, a flash of sword light, too fast to be seen, flickered for an instant. Yi Xiaoyao’s hand slowly released the hilt of the sword on his back.

Then, with a soft THUMP, the black-faced brute, who had been staring at Yi Xiaoyao with an amused look and his hands on his hips, suddenly felt a cold sensation on top of his head, as if something had fallen from above.

He looked down and saw a horrifying sight: a skullcap on the ground, with hair still attached.

"B-Boss! Y-Your brains are showing!"

The black-faced brute’s men all cried out in alarm, their faces contorted in horror. They pointed at their boss’s head, their mouths agape.

"What?!"

The black-faced brute’s face instantly turned deathly pale. No wonder his head felt so chilly.

’But why would my skullcap just fall off for no reason?’

The next moment, they all turned to stare at Yi Xiaoyao in utter disbelief.

"Weren’t you guys looking to eat brains? I don’t have any monkey brains, so you’ll have to make do with human brains."

Yi Xiaoyao smiled faintly. These people were so cruel, so he would simply give them a taste of their own medicine.

His words instantly sent an uproar through the surroundings.

"That kid really did it!"

"When did that kid even strike? How did I not notice a thing?"

"I sensed a flicker of his Cultivation aura just now. He’s at the Nascent Soul Second Realm!"

"To have reached the Nascent Soul Second Realm at such a young age? And his strength seems to be far greater than that!"

While the crowd murmured amongst themselves, the black-faced brute and his men grew terrified.

They understood that if Yi Xiaoyao could slice off his skullcap, he could just as easily slice off their heads before they could even react.

"If you don’t eat, I’m going to get angry."

Yi Xiaoyao walked slowly toward the men, who stood frozen in place, throwing their own words back at them.

Hearing this, the men shuddered and all looked toward the top of the black-faced brute’s head.

"You dare!" Though his skullcap had been sliced off, the black-faced brute was still full of vigor. He glared fiercely at his underlings.

The men exchanged a look, and then, in unison, they all charged at Yi Xiaoyao.

But in the next instant, a cold, blood-red flash of sword light blazed forth.

SHINK SHINK SHINK SHINK...

With the sound of Sword Qi piercing flesh several times, Yi Xiaoyao had already sheathed his Bloodthirsty Sword in its Sword Scabbard and returned to his seat at the table.

The figures who had been about to counterattack all froze in place, then collapsed limply under the table.

The tavern fell into a brief silence, which was immediately shattered by a sudden roar of discussion.

"That squad from the Cyan Wolf Alliance... they were all in the Nascent Soul Realm! That black-faced guy was a captain-level figure at the fifth realm of the Nascent Soul Realm, and he’s dead?"

"Did any of you see clearly when that kid attacked just now?"

"No, I couldn’t see how he even drew his sword!"

The crowd was full of astonished murmurs, but at a few other tables, several captain-level figures remarked with shock in their eyes, "That kid’s Swordsmanship just now... I’m afraid even I would have trouble blocking that. To reach captain-level strength at such a young age is truly incredible."

Thus, the deaths of the black-faced brute and his men, and the display of Yi Xiaoyao’s power, served as a stark warning to everyone else.

No one in the tavern dared to look down on Yi Xiaoyao anymore. The earlier mocking gazes were gone, replaced by a deep sense of wariness.

Meanwhile, the waiter from before was so terrified his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He quickly rushed over with the food and wine, carrying the tray to Yi Xiaoyao’s table.

"Sir, this humble one was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive my offense. I’ll pay for this meal myself as an apology to you."

The waiter bowed low, speaking in a subservient tone with an apologetic smile.

Yi Xiaoyao gave him a cold glance and snorted, frightening the waiter so badly he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sir, you must be new to the Chaotic Alliance Domain, right? There must be a lot you don’t know. I can answer any questions you have," the waiter said with a smile, his eyes darting about.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He did, in fact, have many questions.

"What does this ’captain-level’ they were talking about refer to?" he asked the waiter.

The waiter hurriedly replied, "To answer your question, Sir, in the Chaotic Alliance Domain, every alliance is divided into three ranks: Alliance Leader, Squad Leader, and captain."

"The captain rank can only be held by those at the fifth, sixth, or seventh realm of the Nascent Soul Realm. The people gathered here in the Black Cloud Tavern right now are all teams sent by various alliances to gather intelligence. The ones you just killed were a team from the Cyan Wolf Alliance, and that black-faced brute was their captain."

Yi Xiaoyao nodded upon hearing this and continued to ask, "Then what Cultivation level are Squad Leaders and Alliance Leaders generally at?"

"Those at the eighth or ninth Realm of the Nascent Soul Realm can become Squad Leaders. As for Alliance Leaders, they are all experts who have surpassed the Nascent Soul Realm and reached the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm!" the waiter said.

"The Nascent Soul Transformation Realm!" Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze sharpened.

’I’ve heard of this Realm before. Yun Mengling’s maternal grandfather, Yun Cang, is probably a Nascent Soul Transformation Realm expert as well.’

’The Nascent Soul Transformation Realm is still quite distant for me. Even if I unleashed my full potential, I couldn’t possibly contend with an expert of that Realm.’

’And in the Chaotic Alliance Domain, there are hundreds, even thousands of alliances. That means there are hundreds or thousands of Nascent Soul Transformation Realm experts in this chaotic region!’

’This place truly is terrifying. It gives me an oppressive feeling, as if my fate is not my own,’ Yi Xiaoyao thought, his eyes narrowing. ’But the more terrifying it is, the more suitable it is for me to train and grow!’

This pressure directly ignited Yi Xiaoyao’s desire to become stronger. When he also recalled his promise to Yun Mengling, he was instantly filled with motivation.

Suddenly, the waiter reminded Yi Xiaoyao, "Sir, the men you just killed were from the Cyan Wolf Alliance. It probably won’t be long before the Cyan Wolf Alliance gets word and comes for you."

...