Chapter 718 717: Calculations from the Human Emperor Palace

"Cousin, these two tried to kill me, so I killed them. I'll leave the cleanup to you. No problem, right?"

Yang Xiao's simple statement, however, sent the many geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List into an uproar.

"He's Nangong Miexian's cousin?"

"Is this a conspiracy against us? Is the Nangong Family trying to wipe us out?"

"No wonder he dared to kill Hex Yan so brazenly. This is terrifying! If I had known, I never would have come. I bet everything that's happened here was part of Nangong Miexian's plan, wasn't it?"

A torrent of suspicious whispers suddenly erupted.

Originally, these geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List had been counting on Nangong Miexian to deal with Yang Xiao for them. But now, every single one of them began to regard him with extreme wariness.

Yang Xiao's move left even Nangong Miexian utterly astonished.

Surprise.

And a hint of killing intent.

Of course, this hint of killing intent, like all the times before, vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Nangong Miexian didn't let much of it show.

His gaze, as he looked at Yang Xiao, was merely somewhat cold.

Nor did he rush to explain himself to the crowd of geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List.

Instead, he said to Yang Xiao, "Cousin, Brother Hex was the junior most valued by the Giant Spirit God King, Hex Qianqiu. For you to kill him just like that... don't you think that was a bit inappropriate?"

His words, tinged with a hint of accusation, immediately caused the geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List to calm down.

They all turned to look.

Their eyes filled with expectation.

Hoping.

Hoping that Nangong Miexian could actually keep Yang Xiao in check.

Hoping.

Hoping that Nangong Miexian was also just being threatened by Yang Xiao.

Hoping.

Hoping that Nangong Miexian would stand with them.

Hoping...

But alas.

All those hopes were shattered by a single sentence from Yang Xiao.

"Oh? Inappropriate? A moment ago, when I was killing Guao Han and Hex Yan, why didn't you seem to think it was inappropriate then, Nangong Miexian? Tsk tsk. For that old guy to give you that name... it looks like he's seen you as his successor all this time. But now that I'm back, do you really think that's still the case?"

"The Great Star Dominating Body! The Star-Picking Hand! I know them both now. What about you?"

Yang Xiao's words, coupled with the smirk on his face, were like a needle piercing straight into Nangong Miexian's heart.

He almost blurted out.

Asking Yang Xiao.

How do you know!

That very question.

But in the end.

Nangong Miexian held his tongue.

Because he still had some reason left.

He hadn't been completely enraged by Yang Xiao.

However.

He might still have his wits about him.

But the others present were all utterly shocked.

Because.

The implications of Yang Xiao's words were all too clear.

Even they, as outsiders, could read between the lines.

'Successor? Cousin? Could it be that this outsider's status in the Nangong Family is actually higher than that of the number one prodigy of their younger generation?'

'And what did he say? That he's learned both the Great Star Dominating Body and the Star-Picking Hand? How is that possible? Other than the Nangong Family's Eldest Young Master, Nangong Xingyao, no one else in this world has ever obtained those two Emperor-level Divine Techniques from the Star Emperor. Even the Star Emperor's most favored direct descendant, the second young miss Nangong Xingyue, never received them. How could an outsider like him possibly have learned them?'

'It's not impossible. Didn't you see? When he killed Hex Yan just now, it looked like he used those two Emperor-level Divine Techniques. They were incredibly powerful.'

Once again, the hearts of the Hidden Dragon List geniuses were in turmoil.

And this time.

They were all prepared.

They no longer dared to pin their hopes on Nangong Miexian.

Because.

They were afraid.

Afraid that Yang Xiao would turn on them.

And if that happened,

Nangong Miexian clearly wouldn't be able to protect them.

'Haven't you seen how much contempt that guy has for Nangong Miexian?'

Moreover,

he was right about one thing.

A moment ago, both Guao Han and Hex Yan had died.

And at that moment,

Nangong Miexian had shown no intention of helping whatsoever.

He hadn't even offered a single word to de-escalate the situation.

Given the circumstances, it meant one of two things: either Nangong Miexian himself had wanted to use Yang Xiao to kill Hex Yan,

or he simply didn't care whether they lived or died.

As for someone who would invite them here only to stand by and watch them die,

none of these people were fools.

How could they possibly trust him again?

'Looks like accepting the invitation to come here was a mistake. This guy is clearly a newly risen figure among the Nangong Family's younger generation, and he's here to suppress Nangong Miexian. We've just become sacrificial pawns in their conflict.'

The man with the cold expression, who had grown wary of Nangong Miexian earlier,

had a much clearer and more thorough understanding of the situation.

His name was Yi Tiansheng.

He had an extraordinary background.

He was also from an Emperor Race.

In fact, of all the guests present, he hailed from the noblest background.

His ranking was also extremely high.

He could fight opponents five tiers above his own.

He was ranked ninety-ninth on the Hidden Dragon List.

His cultivation was just a bit on the lower side, only at the Early-stage Demigod realm.

His actual strength wasn't too different from the others present.

So naturally, he was no match for Yang Xiao.

Moreover, coming from an Emperor Race, he was all too familiar with their internal strife and covert power struggles.

So, from just a few words,

Yi Tiansheng knew

that he had been caught in the vortex of the Star Emperor's lineage.

He even had a vague guess as to Yang Xiao's true identity.

Instantly, he decided to leave.

"Brother Nangong, regarding the trip to the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, let's just call it off. I will be taking my leave now."

Having said his piece, Yi Tiansheng

didn't hesitate.

He immediately crushed the Teleportation Talisman he was carrying,

and vanished.

And once he left,

the others quickly followed suit.

In an instant,

all the geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List whom Nangong Miexian had invited left, one after another.

The Hidden Dragon Secret Realm was a great opportunity, to be sure.

And the Hidden Dragon Order was a rare treasure.

But you had to be alive to enjoy them.

So,

after seeing Yi Tiansheng depart,

not a single one of them dared to remain.

They were terrified that Yang Xiao would make an example of them.

As for Nangong Miexian, seeing this, he was practically exploding with rage.

Even for him, it had taken a tremendous amount of effort to invite so many figures from the Hidden Dragon List. What's more, after they left, the story of what happened between him and Yang Xiao would surely spread.

By then,

who would be willing to ally with him?

And without allies from the Hidden Dragon List, how could he possibly contend with the experts ranked higher than him inside the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm?

'It's all Yang Xiao's fault. I originally thought I could use this incident to get his spot revoked, but I never imagined he'd cause me to lose all my allies instead. Damn it, I really want to kill him!'

He roared inwardly.

Nangong Miexian was so furious he was on the verge of going insane.

His original plan was simply to use the deaths of Guao Han and Hex Yan to revoke Yang Xiao's access to the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.

One must understand,

the conditions for opening the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm were incredibly strict.

It might not even open once in ten thousand years.

And the Hidden Dragon Orders were impossibly rare.

Even a figure like the Star Emperor, a powerhouse on the Venerable List, could only acquire a single one.

Which granted only ten spots.

If Yang Xiao missed this opportunity, he would never get another chance to enter. How could he possibly contend with him in the future?

But now...

after the scene he'd caused,

everyone had left.

Not only would he be without powerful allies upon entering the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm,

but it would also be impossible to get Yang Xiao's spot revoked.

After all,

without enlisting people from the Hidden Dragon List, he would have to turn to the Nangong Family.

In that case,

it would be laughably easy for Yang Xiao to get in, wouldn't it?

'No. I absolutely cannot let him enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.'

Thinking this to himself,

Nangong Miexian looked at Yang Xiao.

Finally,

he suppressed his rage

and said, "Cousin Yang Xiao, you truly are a dragon among men. However, this business with Brother Gu and Brother Hex is a serious matter. I must go and ask our grandfather for guidance."

With that said,

he turned and left.

Seeing that the guy could still keep his composure even now,

Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

'To be able to tolerate even this... he does have some cunning.'

With that one casual thought, he dismissed the matter.

In his second life as the Human Emperor's Son, he had faced competition far more intense than that of any ordinary Emperor Race. He not only had to contend with the children of his own clan but with every genius of the entire Human Race.

If he couldn't see through a schemer like that, he would have lived that life for nothing.

Still, he had taught the guy a lesson this time.

Yang Xiao didn't dwell on it.

In this world,

the strong were ultimately supreme.

One's own cultivation and strength were all that truly mattered.

Fortunately, there were still nearly six months until the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm opened.

He had only just reached a rudimentary level with his Great Star Dominating Body and Star-Picking Hand; they weren't yet truly formidable.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to activate the Divine General Talisman earlier.

He could have killed those two with his own cultivation alone.

As for Nangong Miexian and his parting words,

Yang Xiao smiled faintly. 'This trip to the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm is probably going to be a little troublesome.'

But despite thinking that,

he didn't truly take it to heart.

Because Nangong Miexian and his cronies

were not yet worthy of his concern.

However.

What Yang Xiao didn't know, however, was that

Nangong Miexian wasn't the only one with his eyes on him.

On the Divine Land Continent, within the Human Emperor Palace,

there was someone else.

For the same reason as Nangong Miexian,

he was plotting

and scheming against him.

This person.

And the threat this person posed was a hundred, even a thousand times greater than that of Nangong Miexian.