"I wonder if Elder Xiao Chong would be interested in watching the competition among this year outer court students to enter the inner courtyard," Hu Gan proposed, while carefully observing Xiao Chong expression.
Seeing that Xiao Chong didn't immediately show signs of refusal, Hu Gan continued his invitation
"What do you say, Mr. Xiao... Elder Xiao Chong? Your presence would let the people of Jia Nan Academy know immediately that we have gained a new elder with Dou Zun level strength. It would also be a good opportunity to show our students that there is always someone better, and that the sky is the limit."
Su Qian also nodded in agreement, his expression carrying a hint of intention. After all, just Xiao Chong presence alone would be enough to humble many of the so-called geniuses and prodigies. Of course, it would be best if this humbling didn't completely crush their spirits, as Xiao Chong was indeed an extraordinary talent.
"It's not entirely out of the question. Let's go," Xiao Chong replied, having no objections.
With his heaven-defying comprehension, even just observing the battle would allow him to gain many insights. Moreover, with such talent, it didn't matter much where he cultivated.
Since the outer courtyard competition was set to begin the next day, Xiao Chong decided to spend the day exploring the area. Little Zi Yan, like an inseparable little tail, followed closely behind him, absorbing the various energies radiating from his body, her face beaming with joy.
After wandering around the outer courtyard of Jia Nan Academy for a while, Xiao Chong patted Little Zi Yan head and said,
"I need to take a trip to the Black-Corner Region. Do you want to come along?"
"Of course! Wherever Brother Xiao Chong goes, I'll follow. But are you looking for that person who got separated from you this morning?" Little Zi Yan naturally referred to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Chong shook his head. "No need to worry about him. He'll do just fine on his own. If you're coming with me, we'll be going somewhere else."
"It's fine. I'll follow you wherever you go, Brother Xiao Chong," Little Zi Yan also seemed even more clingy than Xiao Mei back home.
Xiao Chong decided not to dwell on it and, with Little Zi Yan in tow, swiftly took to the skies, heading towards a city in the Black-Corner Region. Upon landing in a courtyard, Xiao Chong noticed the sudden glint of weapons emerging from the shadows. With a casual wave of his hand, he said, "Stand down. It's me."
At his words, numerous figures emerged from the shadows, kneeling before Xiao Chong and respectfully greeting, "Greetings, Third Young Master!"
These were individuals sent by the Xiao family to expand their influence in the area. They were not direct descendants of the Xiao family but rather long-time guards and retainers. The only one among them with direct Xiao family bloodline was currently serving as the leader of this group, possessing the strength of an early-stage Dou Ling.
The Xiao family was gradually growing stronger, steadily taking control of more territories. They had already secretly gained control over several cities around Wutan City. Although the Black-Corner Region was somewhat distant from the Jia Ma Empire, under Xiao Chong arrangements, the family had sent a few people to develop their influence here. These were the very individuals now kneeling before him.
While gently patting Zi Yan's head to remind her not to interrupt unnecessarily, Xiao Chong also inquired, "Has there been any significant news in the Black-Corner Region recently?"
"Nothing particularly noteworthy. After all, in this land, anything that happens is considered normal. However, there was an incident at noon today," the leader, who possessed the strength of a Dou Ling, replied.
"What happened?" Xiao Chong asked.
"It's said that a young man with the strength of a Dou Wang killed the son of the Blood Sect leader. The Blood Sect leader was furious and personally sent out a pursuit, offering a high bounty for the young man's head."
"Xiao Yan?"
"Well, it didn't take much to guess who was behind this."
Aside from Xiao Yan, it was likely to be anyone else.
In the original story, the first thing Xiao Yan did upon arriving in the Black-Corner Region was to kill the Blood Sect leader son. It seems things haven't changed much.
What surprised Xiao Chong was that, given Xiao Yan strength, he shouldn't be at a level where the Blood Sect leader himself would need to hunt him down.
Perhaps he was using them as a whetstone.
His younger brother was indeed quite diligent.
"Never mind that. Tell me, have there been any other strange or unusual incidents recently?"
"Any bizarre news, no matter how odd, you can share with me."
"Well..." the leader began to ponder, curious as to why Xiao Chong was so interested in this matter.
The reason for this inquiry stemmed from an unexpected battle with the extraterrestrial evil clan at the Yellow Stone Fortress.
Xiao Chong now knew that these monsters were sealed within the Dou Qi Continent. If possible, he would take the opportunity to eliminate them.
After all, defeating them would yield Origin Qi, which was a rather substantial reward.
Moreover, eliminating them would bring him peace of mind.
Xiao Chong also didn't believe that in a chaotic place like the Black-Corner Region, there wouldn't be any seals related to the extraterrestrial evil clan.
He just wasn't sure if these people had any strong information about such places.
After some thought, the leader began to recount various peculiar occurrences in the Black-Corner Region recently.
"In a treasure land like the Black-Corner Region, it was normal for something bizarre to happen almost every day."
As the person in front of him reported various anomalies, Xiao Chong quickly picked up on the most crucial piece of information.
"Lately, there have been frequent reports of people going missing. Most of the missing individuals weren't particularly strong, only around the level of a Dou Zhe, but there were mostly young, vigorous men."
"What's strange is that although the attackers claimed to be from the Blood Fiend Clan, the Clan itself isn't very powerful. Their strongest member is only at the Dou Ling level, which doesn't justify their audacious actions."
"It's only because this area is the Black-Corner Region, a place of mixed characters, that no one has made a fuss about it."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Xiao Chong finally became interested.
The Blood Fiend Clan, intriguing.
He remembered that the extraterrestrial demons who invaded the Dou Qi Continent and were subsequently sealed away were the Blood Fiend Clan, right?
Just from the name alone, there was a high probability that the two were related.
Moreover, the demons of the Blood Fiend Clan could likely restore their strength by using humans as blood sacrifices.
"Give me the map and location information of the Blood Fiend Clan. I'll go and take a look when I have the time."
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