Chapter 1218, Zhang Heng’s Warning

Translator: Silavin

  

“Senior Sister Jun, why are you in such a hurry to leave? We have still quite some time before that thing, right?”

 

“Could it be that Elder Sister Jun is trying to see us off?”

 

Once they had passed beyond the boundary of the city, Yun Yin’s small mouth began to pout, and a stream of quiet little complaints came bubbling out at irregular intervals.

 

Beside her, Yun Lan said nothing, but it was evident that she, too, did not entirely understand Yun Jun’s reasoning.

 

“Zhao Xuetu was deliberately trying to intimidate you.”

 

Yun Jun cast a cool, sweeping glance back at the city behind them, and a cold, clear snort escaped her.

 

“With just him?”

 

A flicker of bewilderment crossed Yun Yin’s pretty eyes. In her estimation, a Saint was thoroughly unremarkable. Whenever she left the clan, there were at least two or three Saints concealing themselves nearby to protect her, and those were not ones that could be mentioned in the same breath as Zhao Xuetu.

 

“Yun Yin, this is the Myriad Beasts War Domain!”

 

Yun Lan wrinkled her brow slightly and offered a careful reminder. Yet even in her own eyes, the same doubt stirred.

 

Zhao Xuetu had only managed to break through to the Saint Realm in the first place because of a gift bestowed upon him by their Spirit Cloud Race. His territory, his city, his current standing, all of it bore the mark of their Race’s involvement.

 

Even if the latter was not exactly overflowing with gratitude toward them, surely he bore them no ill will. Was it possible that Yun Jun was simply overthinking things?

 

“*Hmph!* Once, he knelt before several of my Seniors and begged for a rare Treasure in order to break through. And now he addresses me by name without ceremony, and calls me Sister at that!”

 

Yun Jun’s fair face carried a distinct chill, and within those eyes of hers, a cold light flickered.

 

“Elder Sister Jun, do you think he will still come?”

 

Yun Yin propped her small head on her hand with a look of dawning understanding, and asked with curious eyes.

 

“He doesn’t have the nerve to publicly break from us. He will come, definitely. Whether he gives his genuine effort or merely goes through the motions once he gets there, however, is another matter.”

 

Beside her, Yun Lan clearly understood somewhat more than Yun Yin did. Her own expression cooled by a degree.

 

…

 

“City Lord, those few have left.”

 

Within a certain hall inside that city, a powerful expert dressed in the guise of a scout walked in and addressed Zhao Xuetu, who was leisurely drinking tea.

 

“En.”

 

Zhao Xuetu waved a hand, replying without inflection.

 

“City Lord, will you still be going to that place?”

 

Xue Li asked from across the table. At this moment, neither man’s face bore any trace of the fury and anxiety that should have accompanied the extinguishing of Zhao Xueqi’s Soul Lamp.

 

“I will.” Zhao Xuetu gave a cold laugh, his voice carrying a certain dark quality. “But I expect this will be the last time.”

 

“The Spirit Cloud Race grows less and less impressive. Those three Young Ladies clearly haven’t seen much of the world. Of the five City Lords in the Myriad Beasts War Domain, only you and Gao Lu remain now.”

 

Xue Li leaned in toward Zhao Xuetu with a fawning expression and murmured, “City Lord, the time has come to take your destiny into your own hands. No matter how great the debt of gratitude, after so many occasions, it can surely be considered repaid in full.”

 

“You mustn’t speak carelessly. I have my own accounting of such things.”

 

Zhao Xuetu gave a light nod, cutting the other man off, then said, “Take a few of our Brothers and go investigate the circumstances of Xueqi’s death. Find out for me. However one looks at it, he was my Younger Brother. Even when beating a Dog, one must first look to its Master. I want to know exactly which brazen, thick-skulled individual dared lay a hand on one of my people!”

 

As Zhao Xuetu’s voice fell, a chill surged outward that seemed capable of freezing the very air solid.

 

…

 

Vibrant Vermilion Peak appeared still to be mired in the lingering tremors of that earlier, terrible battle. Not even the howl of a beast disturbed the quiet.

 

A figure streaked downward like a flash of light, and that figure was unmistakably Qin Yichen.

 

“Little Brother, please halt!”

 

And just as Qin Yichen arrived below Vibrant Vermilion Peak, a voice coloured with a certain flattering warmth rang out suddenly. In the next moment, Zhang Heng appeared in the sky above, along with several Martial Ancestors.

 

“Oh? Brother Zhang intends to try his luck as well?”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed faintly. Zhang Heng’s strength, while slightly below Zhao Xueqi’s, was by no means dramatically inferior. That said, wretched as he might look on the surface right now, dealing with a Zhang Heng was well within his means.

 

Zhang Heng’s gaze swept across Qin Yichen from head to toe. To say he felt no interest in the Beast Core and Sacred Energy Fruit Qin Yichen had obtained would have been an outright lie.

 

But after a careful appraisal, and a moment’s quiet deliberation, Zhang Heng pulled his gaze back and said with a smile, “Little Brother has misunderstood. I bear no ill intent.”

 

“Little Brother’s true abilities were well concealed. I misjudged earlier, and gave some offence. I hope you will find it in you to forgive me.” Zhang Heng’s eyes found Qin Yichen’s, and catching the flicker of impatience beginning to form between the latter’s brows, he promptly cut off any further pleasantries and asked directly, “Little Brother, did you manage to deal with all of those people on the mountainside?”

 

Qin Yichen considered it briefly and shook his head.

 

Though he was ruthless when he needed to be, he was not a man who killed for its own sake.

 

Zhao Xueqi was a Tiger he could not afford to release, and so he had dealt the killing blow. The other experts scattered across the mountainside, however, he had not sought to wipe out entirely.

 

“It seems Little Brother still has a merciful heart. I fear, though, that this may bring you no small amount of trouble.” Seeing Qin Yichen’s response, Zhang Heng sighed. “Does Little Brother know of Zhao Xueqi’s background?”

 

“I do not.” Qin Yichen replied plainly. He was but a dead man. Did his background truly matter that much?

 

“Have you heard of Zhao Xuetu?”

 

Zhang Heng followed up at once, though seeing that the latter’s face remained entirely impassive, he could tell that the young man had not been in the Myriad Beasts War Domain very long. Anyone who had spent real time in this region would know the name Zhao Xuetu.

 

“Fifty years ago, Zhao Xuetu received a reward from a Top Tier Race and managed to break through to the Saint Realm…”

 

Zhang Heng, clearly wishing to curry favour with Qin Yichen, proceeded to lay out everything he knew about Zhao Xuetu.

 

“Zhao Xueqi and Zhao Xuetu are close Blood Brothers. Though their contact has been infrequent over these past decades, now that you have killed his Younger Brother, a man of Zhao Xuetu’s temperament will certainly not stand by and do nothing. In all likelihood, he has already dispatched men to track you down.”

 

“My thanks. The debt between us is now settled.”

 

After listening to Zhang Heng’s account, Qin Yichen gave a nod and clasped his hands in thanks.

 

But upon his face there was not the slightest shade of worry.

 

Having said what needed saying, Qin Yichen offered nothing further, his figure shifted, and he shot off into the distance at speed.

 

Watching that receding figure, Zhang Heng couldn’t stop the violent twitch at the corner of his mouth. Did this reckless young man truly not grasp the fearsome nature of a Saint?

 

Or did he genuinely believe he could escape the pursuit of Zhao Xuetu?

 

Yet what Zhang Heng had absolutely no way of knowing was that for Qin Yichen, one more debt mattered little when he already carried so many.

 

Out there in the wider world, there was no shortage of powerful experts who wanted his life. Among them, even figures of supreme power likely numbered several.

 

And that was still under the circumstances where his Human Race identity had not been exposed. Were that ever to come to light, saying that every Race in the Myriad Beasts domain would become his enemy was no exaggeration at all.

 

A Qin Yichen who had long since made his peace with such a reality, why would he spare even a passing thought for one additional Saint nursing a grudge?