Xiao Yan, standing to the side, panicked upon hearing Yao Chen tell the Hall Master of the Soul Hall to kill him. Perhaps his desire to survive overcame his fear, as his body instantly regained the ability to move. He shouted at the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, "Hall Master, do not kill me! Only I know where the ancient jade is. If Mu Gu Venerable goes there, it will be a wasted trip."
"Oh?" Soul Mie Sheng became instantly interested. He looked Xiao Yan up and down, and seeing that he did not appear to be lying, he gave a playful smile and said, "Tell me. If you reveal the whereabouts of the ancient jade, this seat will certainly not treat you poorly."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and glanced at Yao Chen. He thought to himself, 'Teacher, this is the last time I will call you Teacher. You told the Hall Master of the Soul Hall to kill me. Since you are heartless, do not blame me for being unrighteous.' He then said to Soul Mie Sheng, "When the Xiao Family was wiped out by Protector Wu, in truth, besides a few of us younger generation who were out training, there was one survivor left behind."
"This seat knows this. Get to the point. Didn't you tell Mu Gu that the girl was taken by Xiao Se to the Sea Alliance? The ancient jade has likely fallen into Xiao Se's hands as well," Soul Mie Sheng said with some impatience.
"Then, does the Hall Master know who was the first to learn of the Xiao Family's annihilation? And who was it that sent Xiao Qing to the Sea Alliance?" Xiao Yan swallowed hard.
"So you are saying the ancient jade is on you." Soul Mie Sheng's eyes narrowed. He raised his right hand, shaped it into a claw, and sucked Xiao Yan toward him. He gripped Xiao Yan's neck; with just a slight application of force, he could take Xiao Yan's life.
"Kill me, and you will never know the whereabouts of the ancient jade." With his throat gripped, Xiao Yan's brain instantly felt suffocated. The whites of his eyes turned bloodshot, his face flushed crimson, and he stuttered, struggling to speak.
"How boring." Soul Mie Sheng casually threw Xiao Yan in front of the restrained Yao Chen and said indifferently, "Speak. Where is the ancient jade? If you dare to play tricks on me, I guarantee your fate will be even more miserable than Yao Chen's current state." He had just searched Xiao Yan's body and his storage ring and had not found the ancient jade. Otherwise, Xiao Yan would already be a corpse.
"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan coughed violently, clutching his neck and gasping for fresh air. He tilted his head to look at Yao Chen, then said to Soul Mie Sheng, "Although I do not know what that piece of ancient jade is for, I have already hidden it. I can give it to you, but you must agree to two conditions. Otherwise, I would rather die than hand over the ancient jade."
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that Mu Gu Old Man had never seen the ancient jade and had not searched his body thoroughly. Otherwise, the ancient jade that had been hanging around his neck might very well have been snatched away, and he would have lost his only bargaining chip.
"Speak. As long as it is not excessive, this seat can satisfy you." Although he was quite displeased that a junior dared to threaten him, a Dou Sheng expert, the matter concerned the thousand-year grand plan of the Hun Clan, so he had to treat it with caution.
Seeing that the Hall Master of the Soul Hall had agreed, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel curious about the origin of the ancient jade, but he had no time to think about that now.
Xiao Yan said, "The first thing: my father was captured by you. I hope you can release him."
The Hall Master of the Soul Hall nodded, considering it agreed upon, and then heard Xiao Yan say, "The second thing: I want to become stronger. I hope the Hall of Souls can help me become stronger. Let me no longer be bullied by anyone."
"That is not a difficult task. For our Hall of Souls, as long as you hand over the ancient jade, I can have the Hall of Souls pour some resources into you. Achieving the Dou Zong level within three to five years is not a problem. In the future, it will depend on your own performance." The Hall Master of the Soul Hall shrugged slightly; what Xiao Yan mentioned were all trivial matters to him.
Changing the subject, the Hall Master of the Soul Hall narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "However, accepting resources from my Hall of Souls means joining the Hall of Souls. If you are a member of the Hall of Souls for a day, you are a member for a lifetime. If I discover any intention from you to betray the Hall of Souls, then I will make you wish you were dead."
"I understand this." Xiao Yan swallowed. Achieving Dou Zong within three to five years was already far beyond his expectations. Next, he only needed to borrow the power of the Hall of Souls and strive to improve his cultivation.
As for joining the Hall of Souls? He had long prepared himself mentally. Hadn't he apprenticed to Yao Chen before? If there is a first time, there will be a fifteenth. At worst, he would just backstab them again once he had sufficient strength. This would be to avenge the annihilation of the Xiao Family and the kidnapping of his father.
His, Xiao Yan's, defection to the Hall of Souls was not acknowledging a thief as his father, but enduring humiliation for the sake of the future. There were also Xiao Se and Nalan Yanran, who were the same. The various slights and humiliations they had inflicted upon him back then—he dared not forget a single moment of it. However, he assumed these two had already been dealt with by Mu Gu Old Man.
So what if their talent was greater than his? Facing a Dou Zun, it was a dead end. A fallen Genius would no longer be a Genius; only the living ones were. He, Xiao Yan, would one day become the Dominator of this Fighting Qi Continent.
Just as Xiao Yan was dreaming these beautiful dreams, the impatient voice of the Hall Master of the Soul Hall sounded again, "Kid, it is time to tell me where the ancient jade is now."
"I can, but I must see my father first," Xiao Yan said.
The Hall Master of the Soul Hall frowned. Although he was dissatisfied, he ultimately agreed. Before long, Xiao Zhan was brought over. At this moment, his appearance was quite miserable—his hair disheveled, breath barely entering or leaving his mouth and nose, his whole body drenched in blood, resembling a death row prisoner who had suffered a brutal beating. He had only half a life left. It was easy to imagine what kind of inhumane treatment Xiao Zhan had suffered in the Hall of Souls during this time.
"Father, how are you?" Seeing Xiao Zhan in such a miserable state, Xiao Yan showed a rare display of genuine emotion. He quickly walked to Xiao Zhan's side and helped him up. From childhood until now, this father was the only one who had truly been good to him.
"Is it Yan'er?" Xiao Zhan thought he was hallucinating. He opened his dry, pale, bloodshot mouth and called out softly. At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes.
"It is me, Father. I am Yan'er. You have suffered." Xiao Yan shed tears of pain.
Before he could finish speaking, the patience of the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, who was standing to the side, had been worn thin. "What a fine scene of fatherly love and filial piety. However, this seat's patience is limited. If you want to catch up, there will be plenty of time for you to do so later. Where is the ancient jade I want? Do not tell me you do not have it. You know the consequences."
The Hall Master of the Soul Hall extended his right hand, issuing an unquestionable declaration.
"It was you who made my father—" "Hmm?"
Xiao Yan looked up at the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, a flash of murderous intent passing through his eyes. However, upon seeing the dangerous glare from the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, he ultimately wilted. While secretly hiding his hatred deep within his heart, he gently laid down the weak Xiao Zhan. Then, he walked behind the stone monument where Yao Chen was bound and used a small knife to retrieve the ancient jade from a crack in the wall in a dark corner.
It is said that the most dangerous place is the safest place. This ancient jade was his capital for saving his life; naturally, he could not keep it on his person. Taking advantage of the time when Yao Chen was unconscious due to his Soul being excessively weak, he had secretly stuffed the ancient jade into a small crack in the wall. No matter how much the people of the Hall of Souls racked their brains, they would never think that the ancient jade was actually right here in the Hall of Souls.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +50 Extra Chapters on - P@tr3on "RinBlaze"]
[Every 15 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]