Chapter 269: First Leader vs. Protector

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: First Leader vs. Protector

"Little Hei, attack me! Let me see your current strength!"

Yi Xiaoyao’s laughter rang out from his residence.

BAM!

A black shadow flashed by, and a black fist of astonishing power came crashing forward.

Yi Xiaoyao shuddered, his expression changing in shock. He channeled a massive amount of Spiritual Power into his arms, but the powerful attack still sent him flying.

"Little Hei, I didn’t expect your power had reached this level. Not bad."

Yi Xiaoyao looked a little battered, but he praised Little Hei, who had transformed into a Black Ape. Over the past three days, he had collected a large number of Demon Cores for Little Hei, allowing the fellow to successfully break through to a high-grade, fourth-tier Demon Beast—equivalent to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.

However, the power Little Hei had just unleashed was comparable to an ordinary expert at the First Layer of the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm. That’s why, without activating his Soul Burning Forbidden Technique, even Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t take that punch.

Just like Yi Xiaoyao, Little Hei also possessed the ability to fight above his level. He was truly worthy of being the son of a Demon Emperor.

The man and the ape continued to "play" like this for a while as the sky gradually grew dark.

As evening fell, Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed in thought.

’Why isn’t Leng Yan here yet? She’s not the type to break her word. Did something happen to her?’

Yi Xiaoyao muttered to himself. Leng Yan had promised she would bring the map today. Even if she were delayed, she would have at least sent someone to notify him; there was no way she would just leave him completely in the dark.

It was highly likely something had really gone wrong.

Since this matter concerned the Secret Collection, Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t afford to be careless. He decided to pay Leng Yan a visit himself.

A short while later, Yi Xiaoyao appeared in the sky above the Primordial Evil Alliance.

The Alliance Leader had once said that Yi Xiaoyao was not to return to the Primordial Evil Alliance without being summoned.

Yet now, his path was completely unobstructed, which made a sliver of doubt rise in Yi Xiaoyao’s heart.

He didn’t dwell on it, however, and landed directly in front of Leng Yan’s residence.

"Is Captain Leng in?"

Upon entering the residence, Yi Xiaoyao asked a maid.

The maid looked nervous. "M-my lady isn’t here," she answered, "but she left instructions that if Captain Yi were to come, he should go to her study and get something himself."

Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow and followed the maid into the study.

After entering the room, Yi Xiaoyao’s nose twitched. His gaze immediately fell upon the map on the desk.

He picked up the map. After a brief glance, his pupils abruptly shrank.

He had discovered scattered bloodstains on the drawing, and what’s more, he’d smelled the faint scent of blood the moment he walked in.

Connecting this to the abnormalities he’d encountered on his way into the Primordial Evil Alliance, Yi Xiaoyao instantly grew vigilant.

In the next instant, a sudden sense of crisis descended upon him.

SWOOSH!

A black gleam flashed, shooting directly toward his heart from behind.

Fortunately, Yi Xiaoyao was already on alert. He moved, instantly twisting his body to avoid the vital spot, but the black gleam still shot toward his arm.

Then, a large, pitch-black hand reached out, catching the projectile in its palm an instant before the black gleam could strike Yi Xiaoyao’s arm.

Little Hei appeared behind Yi Xiaoyao, roaring furiously in the direction the black gleam had come from.

"Hmph. To think a mere beast would get in the way!"

A hoarse, grating voice called out. A gaunt, sinister old man had appeared from nowhere, staring at Yi Xiaoyao from a corner like a venomous snake.

This was the Right Protector, who had been lying in wait. The Hidden Weapon he’d just fired was coated in a lethal poison; even if Yi Xiaoyao had avoided a vital spot, he would have been doomed. But Little Hei had caught it.

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze swept coldly toward the Right Protector. "What did you do to Leng Yan?" he asked.

"Hmph! You’d better worry about yourself!"

Yuan Lie stepped out from behind the Right Protector, his voice dripping with venom. "Yi Xiaoyao, you dared force Leng Yan to draw you a map of the Main Pillar! You must be a spy from a rival power! Today, we will execute you right here!"

At that moment, Yi Xiaoyao understood everything. This was all a trap, designed for him to walk right into.

’Looks like I can’t stay in the Primordial Evil Alliance any longer.’

Yi Xiaoyao muttered, his eyes narrowing. The next moment, his gaze shot toward Yuan Lie like a sharp arrow.

"Since it’s come to this, I’ll have to kill you before I leave!"

In Yi Xiaoyao’s mind, Yuan Lie was already a dead man.

It was just that Yi Xiaoyao had been patiently holding back all this time for the sake of the Secret Collection.

But now that things had come to this, there was no longer any reason to hide.

A wave of blood-red Slaughter Qi instantly surged from Yi Xiaoyao’s body as he activated the Soul Burning Forbidden Technique and shot toward Yuan Lie.

Yuan Lie’s face paled as he felt the torrent of killing intent rushing toward him. He hastily shouted, "Right Protector! Protect me! Kill him!"

"Lad, have you forgotten I’m here?"

The Right Protector instantly appeared in front of Yuan Lie, unleashing the Cultivation of a fourth-layer Nascent Soul Transformation Realm expert. He fired streams of black gleams at the approaching Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes narrowed. Without stopping, he brandished his longsword. The Sword Shadows it created fanned out like a peacock’s tail, clashing with the extremely fast black gleams.

DING DING DING DING DING...

A series of metallic clashes rang out. As the Sword Shadows deflected the black gleams, Yi Xiaoyao’s charging figure came to an abrupt halt. He was then sent reeling backward by the tyrannical Spiritual Power infused in the projectiles.

’A fourth-layer Nascent Soul Transformation expert... truly a tough opponent.’

After steadying himself, Yi Xiaoyao looked at the Right Protector with a grave expression.

At the same time, he glanced at the longsword in his hand. The once-gleaming blade had become incredibly dull, and its edge was more than half-corroded.

Clearly, all the black gleams the Right Protector had fired were coated in a potent poison. Even a Spiritual Artifact couldn’t resist its corrosion.

"Hmph! Lad, you think you can kill the Young Alliance Leader while I’m around?"

The Right Protector cackled, his voice a sinister, hoarse rasp.

Yuan Lie, beside him, grinned with cruel satisfaction. "Yi Xiaoyao, the Right Protector is the number one assassin in our Primordial Evil Alliance. With him on the case, even killing you out in the open is child’s play!"

’The number one assassin?’

Yi Xiaoyao’s expression turned grim. People who specialized in assassination often had weaker head-on combat abilities compared to experts of the Same Realm.

’But this man is a fourth-layer Nascent Soul Transformation expert,’ Yi Xiaoyao thought. ’Dealing with him will be incredibly difficult.’

’But not impossible!’

At this thought, Yi Xiaoyao dropped his longsword. The Spiritual Power around him erupted to its peak, and flames instantly engulfed his body, radiating a terrifying aura.

"Putting on a brave face when you know you’re about to die!"

Yuan Lie scoffed from behind the Right Protector, but still added, "Right Protector, just to be safe, kill him now!"

The Right Protector gave a hoarse laugh, spread his hands wide, and then shook his arms violently.

In an instant, tens of thousands of black gleams shot toward Yi Xiaoyao, cutting off all his escape routes!

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the entire residence was corroded into nothing but dust and smoke by the deadly poison.

And Yi Xiaoyao, still wreathed in flames, was pierced by innumerable black gleams.

But, strangely, there wasn’t a single drop of blood!

"Hmm?" The Right Protector’s expression changed. Looking at Yi Xiaoyao, he immediately noticed something was off. "An Illusion Body! Could it be..."

The next moment, he snapped his head up toward the sky. His expression changed dramatically as he cried out in shock.

"He’s using... the Celestial Fire Illusion Body! From the Celestial Fire Alliance—the First Alliance!"

At this cry, Yuan Lie also looked up in horror.

Sure enough, a figure wreathed in flames stood suspended in the void above.

Behind him, a giant Black Ape wildly beat its chest, letting out roar after roar toward the ground below. The very earth trembled with each cry.

The commotion from the attack and the giant ape’s current roars had attracted the attention of numerous experts from the Primordial Evil Alliance. One after another, they took to the sky to watch the confrontation from a distance.

Immediately after, the Right Protector and Yuan Lie shot into the air, taking up positions opposite Yi Xiaoyao and the giant ape in the void.

"What? Captain Yi is fighting the Right Protector?"

"What on earth happened? Why would they be fighting?"

"No matter what’s going on, a battle between the First Leader and the Right Protector... Just thinking about it is exciting!"

...