Chapter 244: The Criminal Alliance’s Hunt

Chapter 244: Chapter 244: The Criminal Alliance’s Hunt

「Three days later, in a tavern.」

Yi Xiaoyao sat at a table in the corner of the tavern. He glanced down at the Jade Slip in his hands, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile.

This Jade Slip contained the newly released rankings for the Chaos Alliance List, and Yi Xiaoyao’s title, "Blood Sword," was listed prominently within.

"Rank 487: Blood Sword."

"This individual belongs to no faction. His identity is a mystery. He once assassinated the leaders of hundreds of Sub-Pillars with his Second Realm Nascent Soul Cultivation. Now, with a Cultivation at the Fifth Realm of Nascent Soul, he has killed Thousand Moon Slash, a First Realm Nascent Soul Transformation expert, and annihilated the Moon Slaying Alliance."

Following that was a note: "Since the creation of the Chaos Alliance List, Blood Sword is the first person to be ranked while still in the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Reading this, Yi Xiaoyao gave a faint smile and took a sip of Spirit Wine.

’This Chaotic Alliance Domain may be dangerous, but it really is an excellent place to train,’ Yi Xiaoyao thought to himself.

Meanwhile, a single topic was being discussed all throughout the tavern.

"Hey, did you hear? That ’Squad Leader Killer,’ Blood Sword, actually wiped out the Moon Slaying Alliance!"

"That’s right, I saw his ranking on the Chaos Alliance List. But I just can’t imagine how someone in the mid-Nascent Soul Realm could kill Thousand Moon Slash, who was at the First Realm of Nascent Soul Transformation!"

"But speaking of which, you don’t think Blood Sword is going to go from ’Squad Leader Killer’ to ’Alliance Leader Killer,’ do you?"

Everyone was startled by this thought.

It made sense. Back when Blood Sword first attacked a Sub-Pillar of the Moon Slaying Alliance, he had gone on to attack the Sub-Pillars of many other alliances, earning him the title of Squad Leader Killer.

And now that this Blood Sword had the power to kill an Alliance Leader, he would naturally start attacking the various alliances just as he had before.

But just then, another voice spoke up, dispelling everyone’s worries.

"That won’t happen. According to a reliable source, the Criminal Alliance has already issued a kill order for Blood Sword. If he dares to show his face again, the Criminal Alliance will hunt him down!"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed, but the worry in their hearts completely vanished.

"The Criminal Alliance?"

"I heard the Moon Slaying Alliance was a minor affiliate of the Criminal Alliance. It looks like Blood Sword has angered the behemoth that is the Criminal Alliance by wiping them out."

"With the Criminal Alliance making a move, no matter how skilled Blood Sword is, he can’t escape death."

And with that, everyone laughed and went back to their food and drinks.

Hearing their discussion, Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed. He scanned the Chaos Alliance List again, his gaze shooting straight to the very top of the rankings.

"Xing Gang, Rank 3, Ninth Realm of Nascent Soul Transformation, Alliance Leader of the Criminal Alliance!"

Following that was a description of the Criminal Alliance.

"Criminal Alliance: One of the three titans of the Chaotic Alliance Domain. Its power is transcendent, commanding numerous Nascent Soul Transformation Realm experts and over a hundred affiliated minor alliances."

As he read this, a cold glint flashed in Yi Xiaoyao’s narrowed eyes.

’I’ve never had any contact with this Criminal Alliance, yet now they want to kill me. And according to what those people were saying, the Moon Slaying Alliance was one of their affiliates...’

"It seems the Criminal Alliance is very likely the main force of either the Great Xia Empire or the Imperial Army Mansion in the Chaotic Alliance Domain," Yi Xiaoyao muttered with a frown.

He had originally planned to continue seeking out lower-ranked experts on the Chaos Alliance List to challenge and hone his skills. But now, with the Criminal Alliance involved, it seemed he would have to lay low for a while. After all, he didn’t believe he could contend with the Criminal Alliance, one of the three titans of the Chaotic Alliance Domain.

With that thought, Yi Xiaoyao tightened his black robe and pulled the hood down a little lower, letting the shadows completely conceal his face. Then, he walked out of the tavern.

After leaving the tavern, Yi Xiaoyao found a deserted spot and drew the Bloodthirsty Sword from his back.

After so many days of slaughter, the Bloodthirsty Sword had absorbed a massive amount of blood and had once again reached a state of saturation. It felt like its second seal could be broken at any moment.

But Yi Xiaoyao had no intention of doing so for now. In the coming days, he could no longer use this sword.

"Old friend, you should take a little rest for a while,"

he sighed softly. He placed the Bloodthirsty Sword—the one thing that could expose his identity—into his Storage Pouch and took out a different longsword to carry on his back.

This longsword was taken from one of the hundreds of Squad Leaders Yi Xiaoyao had killed. It was of decent quality, an Earth Tier Spiritual Artifact, and would suffice as a temporary replacement for the Bloodthirsty Sword.

This way, no one would be able to recognize him as the now-infamous "Blood Sword," allowing him to evade the Criminal Alliance’s hunt.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK! EAT!"

Suddenly, Little Hei popped out from behind Yi Xiaoyao’s neck and squeaked in his ear.

Yi Xiaoyao froze for a moment. He’d forgotten that he had promised to help Little Hei break through after he destroyed the Moon Slaying Alliance.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Don’t worry, Little Hei. I’ll go find you some highly nourishing Demon Cores right now."

...

Half a day later, Yi Xiaoyao arrived in Liuyun City, known as the wealthiest place in the Chaotic Alliance Domain.

This was the territory of the Celestial Cloud Alliance. Although its Alliance Leader was not ranked as high as Xing Gang, who was third on the Chaos Alliance List, he was still ranked a lofty twenty-third.

Yi Xiaoyao had not come here to challenge an expert, but to find a high-grade Demon Core for Little Hei.

He was now standing before a massive, magnificent auction house. As far as he knew, a sixth-tier Demon Core was about to be auctioned here.

A fifth-tier Demon Beast was known as a Great Demon and was comparable to a Nascent Soul Transformation Realm expert.

Therefore, a Demon Core from a sixth-tier Demon Beast would be an absolute top-grade tonic for Little Hei, who was currently only at the peak of the third tier.

Yi Xiaoyao followed the crowd into a large hall inside the auction house.

There were several corridors leading from the hall. Yi Xiaoyao hesitated for a moment before his gaze fell on the one leading to the appraisal rooms, and he slowly walked inside.

As soon as Yi Xiaoyao entered the appraisal room, he saw an old man with a full head of white hair leaning back with his eyes closed, resting.

"Are you here to have a treasure appraised, or to have its price evaluated for auction?"

The old man, sensing someone had entered, opened his eyes slightly and asked indifferently.

"The latter."

Yi Xiaoyao deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound somewhat hoarse.

"Then take out the treasure you want to have evaluated for auction."

The old man sat up casually, his sharp gaze sweeping over Yi Xiaoyao. However, since Yi Xiaoyao was almost completely hidden within his black robe, it was impossible to see anything.

Yi Xiaoyao didn’t say a word. With a flick of his hand, three small Jade Bottles appeared on the table.

"Elixirs?"

Hearing the slight rattling inside the Jade Bottles, the old man paused for a moment before continuing, "I don’t need to appraise Elixirs. All Elixirs have set prices. Their corresponding Pill Patterns and grades all have established values."

"Of course, Elixirs refined by renowned Alchemy Masters will naturally fetch a higher price," the white-haired old man said. He then added, "So, you just need to tell me what kind of Elixir you wish to auction, and I can tell you the prices for its different qualities."

Yi Xiaoyao nodded and asked in his low voice, "Nascent Spirit Pills."

"The Nascent Spirit Pill is a fourth-tier Elixir. One pattern is worth one hundred Spirit Stones. Two patterns, two thousand Spirit Stones. Three patterns, thirty thousand Spirit Stones. And four patterns, one hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

The old man finished and looked at Yi Xiaoyao.

Beneath the shadow of his hood, Yi Xiaoyao’s brow quirked up. "And what about five patterns?"

...

(I’ve already planned out the following plot. It’s going to get really exciting after this auction arc!)