Chapter 39: Making an Enemy

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Making an Enemy

Earth Star City was one of the largest cities in the Great Shang Dynasty, and also one of its most vital.

This was because it was home to a colossal power: the Seven Kills Star Hall!

Three days had passed by the time Yi Xiaoyao emerged from the forest and stepped into the bustling city.

’What an enormous city. It must be countless times larger than Hunting City. Compared to this bustling metropolis, Hunting City feels like nothing more than a poor mountain village.’

As Yi Xiaoyao walked through Earth Star City, giving his surroundings a cursory glance, he truly began to understand the meaning of ’there are always heavens beyond the heavens.’

People bustled back and forth along the wide avenues. Some even galloped past on enormous Demon Beast mounts.

Yi Xiaoyao was inwardly astonished. ’The aura that Demon Beast gave off when it brushed past was terrifying! It had to be at least a third-rank Demon Beast!’

After asking for directions along the way and walking for the better part of the day, Yi Xiaoyao finally arrived in the district where the Seven Kills Star Hall was located.

Before him, a large crowd of young men and women, all around his age, were gathered together.

Yi Xiaoyao headed toward them, intending to ask about the person Elder Yan had sent him to find.

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass on the assessment grounds of the Seven Kills Star Hall!"

A guard bellowed, blocking Yi Xiaoyao’s path.

Just then, a middle-aged man in black emerged from the crowd and said to the guard, "He’s likely a new disciple returning from the assessment. Let him through."

The guard withdrew his spear. Yi Xiaoyao shot him a glare before walking toward the middle-aged man.

"Are you one of the disciples from the assessment? Why have you returned alone? Where are the others?"

The man in black walked over and questioned Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao smiled apologetically. "I’m not a disciple from the assessment. I’m here looking for someone."

"Who are you? And who are you looking for?"

the man in black asked with a frown.

"My name is Yi Xiaoyao. I’m looking for Senior Lin Jie," Yi Xiaoyao replied.

The man’s expression froze for a moment before his face hardened. "Never heard of him! Since you’re not a disciple from the assessment, leave at once!"

Yi Xiaoyao froze. ’Elder Yan told me Lin Jie is an elder of the Seven Kills Star Hall. How could someone here not know a figure of his status?’

’Besides, the look on his face when he heard Lin Jie’s name was all wrong. He clearly recognized it.’

Seeing Yi Xiaoyao standing there with a frown, the man in black’s eyes widened as he barked, "Did you hear me? Get lost!"

An idea struck Yi Xiaoyao. He turned and shouted to the crowd, "Is Senior Lin Jie here? Who is Senior Lin Jie?"

"You bastard!"

The man in black flew into a rage. With a curse, he raised his hand to strike Yi Xiaoyao.

"Stop!"

Another man, this one in plain clothes with his hair unbound, stepped out from the crowd, his voice ringing out to stop the man in black.

"Cultivator Duan, aren’t you overstepping your bounds? You dare attack someone who came looking for me?"

The man with the unbound hair stared coldly at Cultivator Duan as he strode forward.

Cultivator Duan snorted, shot Yi Xiaoyao a glance, and turned to leave.

Yi Xiaoyao studied the man with the unbound hair. "You’re Senior Lin Jie?"

"I am. I’m the only Lin Jie in the Seven Kills Star Hall. Who sent you to find me?"

Lin Jie asked, sizing up Yi Xiaoyao in turn.

Yi Xiaoyao took out the Black Jade Ring that Elder Yan had given him and handed it to Lin Jie.

"This is..."

Upon seeing the Black Jade Ring, Lin Jie first frowned in concentration, then his expression changed drastically.

He pulled Yi Xiaoyao aside and whispered urgently, "Quick, tell me! Who gave this to you?!"

A moment later, after Yi Xiaoyao had finished his explanation, Lin Jie let out a long, emotional sigh.

’So Master is still alive... and he entrusted you to me. He hasn’t forgotten me, so how can I possibly fail the task he’s given me!’

Lin Jie then asked Yi Xiaoyao a few more questions about Elder Yan, all of which Yi Xiaoyao answered.

Meanwhile, Cultivator Duan, the middle-aged man in black who had deliberately given Yi Xiaoyao a hard time, was berating someone beside him, his face dark with displeasure.

Several young disciples were tiptoeing past Cultivator Duan, seemingly terrified of being noticed.

"Stop!"

Cultivator Duan’s gaze shifted to the eight young disciples. He scanned them and demanded, "Why isn’t Qi Stone back with you?"

These eight were the very same disciples Yi Xiaoyao had encountered in the forest five days prior.

At Cultivator Duan’s question, they all tensed and lowered their heads.

"I asked you a question!"

Cultivator Duan barked. His gaze fell on one of them. "Yun Qian, you tell me."

Yun Qian bit her lip and answered cautiously in a low voice, "Senior Brother Qi Stone... he’s... dead."

"What?!"

Cultivator Duan’s face changed in an instant.

Before he could speak again, the eight of them quickly recounted what had happened.

"The man who killed my nephew, Qi Stone, is named Yi Xiaoyao?"

Cultivator Duan’s chest heaved with anger. The name Yi Xiaoyao sounded incredibly familiar to him.

Yun Qian quickly interjected, "Elder Duan, it was because Senior Brother Qi Stone first tried to lure a Demon Wolf to kill Yi Xiaoyao that—"

The other seven immediately pulled her back, stopping her from saying more, lest they provoke the elder and draw his wrath upon themselves.

Fortunately, Cultivator Duan seemed to pay her words no mind. Instead, he had a sudden realization.

’That boy who came looking for Lin Jie earlier... wasn’t his name Yi Xiaoyao?!’

"Lin Jie!"

Cultivator Duan stormed toward Lin Jie, his eyes locked on Yi Xiaoyao standing beside him.

Yun Qian and the others followed his gaze, and all eight of them gasped in shock.

"Yi? What’s he doing here?!"

"We’re doomed! Why would Yi walk right into the lion’s den!"

"If we had known, we should have agreed to give a different name."

Lin Jie was in the middle of talking with Yi Xiaoyao, learning more about his connection to Elder Yan, when he heard the shout and looked over with a frown.

"Cultivator Duan, I don’t believe we have anything to discuss."

"Hmph! I have nothing to say to you, but I have plenty to say to the brat behind you!"

With that, Cultivator Duan pointed at Yi Xiaoyao and turned back to the eight disciples. "Is *this* the Yi Xiaoyao you were talking about?!" he demanded.

Yun Qian and the others stammered, unable to speak. If they confirmed it was him, they would be condemning the very person who had saved their lives.

Yi Xiaoyao saw them as well and said in surprise, "Yun Qian? You’re all here too?"

Wry smiles spread across the faces of Yun Qian and the others. It was really over now.

Cultivator Duan instantly gritted his teeth. "So you do know each other! It really was you! You killed my nephew, Qi Stone!"

It all clicked for Yi Xiaoyao. He remembered Qi Stone, the one he had killed three days ago, boasting that his uncle was an Assessment Elder at the Seven Kills Star Hall.

He had kept that in mind upon arriving at the Seven Kills Star Hall and had been deliberately on the lookout for anyone with the same surname as Qi Stone.

’But who could have guessed that this Cultivator Duan didn’t even share the same surname as his nephew, Qi Stone!’

Furthermore, Yi Xiaoyao had made a critical mistake: he had told Cultivator Duan his own name.

And with that mistake, Yi Xiaoyao had made a powerful enemy the moment he set foot in the Seven Kills Star Hall.