The various factions left the city in different directions. On the surface, none of them seemed willing to attack the others. They kept out of each other's way, each taking their own path down the wide road. It all looked quite peaceful.
In truth, who knew how many of them were harboring ulterior motives?
After the Blood Sect party had traveled a sufficient distance down the road, they suddenly stopped.
Just as they were about to turn around and rendezvous with the Blood Sect Master, who had been lying in ambush for quite some time, a breeze swept past. The heads of Fan Ling and his group dropped from their bodies.
A figure in a black robe silently appeared above them, controlling the wind as it searched through their bodies.
A moment later, the black-robed figure took their Storage Rings and vanished from the spot.
Having witnessed everything firsthand, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao had no choice but to give up on their plan to kill them and seize their treasures.
"Let's go. We're heading to Jia Nan Academy."
"Hm? Teacher, was that black-robed man very strong?" Xiao Yan froze for a moment. He had been rather covetous of that Flight Dou Technique.
That black-robed man had actually made even his teacher unwilling to take action. His strength had to be extraordinary.
"His speed was very fast. Even I wasn't confident I could take him down."
Yao Lao led Xiao Yan toward Jia Nan Academy, muttering silently to himself.
"If my senses were right, it should have been that kid..."
A sudden Space Slash cut the hidden Dou Wang expert of Black Skull Tomb in half, and the others quickly followed that expert into the grave.
Thinking about it, after surviving in the Black-Corner Region for so long, how could they possibly have sent only one Dou Ling and several Da Dou Shi to bid on a Di-tier Dou Technique?
Looking at the silver scroll in his hand, which occasionally crackled with wind and thunder, Wu Yong's lips curled slightly.
"Three Thousand Lightning Movement. Wu Yong wanted it, and Wu Yong got it!"
Whoosh...
The breeze passed by, and the black-robed figure had already disappeared, leaving behind only several corpses belonging to Black Skull Tomb.
Elsewhere, Fan Lao was still waiting for the people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion to arrive.
A Seventh-grade Pill was worth taking a risk for.
Not far from the valley where Fan Lao was stationed, Wu Yong, dressed in a black robe, quietly arrived atop a mountain peak.
Seeing that the ambush had yet to begin, as well as the rather high-quality Storage Ring on Fan Lao's hand, Wu Yong silently added another target to his list.
Suddenly, an intense battle erupted in the distance.
The wind told Wu Yong that a Dou Emperor expert from the Heavenly Snake Mansion was fighting another Dou Emperor who had concealed his identity.
Though that person was said to have hidden his identity, he could not escape the wind's perception. That concealed individual was the organizer of this auction, the sect master of the Eight-Fan Sect.
Both were two- or three-star Dou Emperors, and neither side could gain the upper hand for the moment.
Di-tier Dou Techniques consumed an enormous amount of energy. If they failed to defeat their opponent, they would fall into a weakened state for some time afterward.
Thus, even Dou Emperor experts would not casually use their trump cards.
Using the Wind Whisper Technique, Wu Yong watched Fan Lao make preparations over there and nodded thoughtfully.
So that's how it was. No wonder...
Fan Lao had paid some unknown price to have the sect master of the Eight-Fan Sect help restrain the Heavenly Snake Mansion's only Dou Emperor expert.
Then, he would massacre the Heavenly Snake Mansion's party here.
With only one Dou Wang and several dozen Dou Lings escorting the Seventh-grade Pill, the Heavenly Snake Mansion's group was practically helpless before a Dou Emperor expert like Fan Lao.
Sure enough, as the Heavenly Snake Mansion's party passed through that valley, Fan Lao led the Blood Sect members in a direct charge.
The Heavenly Snake Mansion's people were indeed formidable, all of them elites. Even though the Blood Sect held the advantage in numbers, more than half of them were injured or killed.
However, in a battle between experts, the female Dou Wang of the Heavenly Snake Mansion was ultimately no match for Fan Lao, a Dou Emperor expert.
Seeing that she was about to be defeated by Fan Lao, the female Dou Wang of the Heavenly Snake Mansion prepared to destroy the Seventh-grade Pill.
At the sight, Fan Lao shouted harshly, "How dare you! If you dare destroy that pill, I'll turn you into my blood slave and have a hundred men—"
Before he could finish his threats, Fan Lao's voice abruptly stopped.
The female Dou Wang of the Heavenly Snake Mansion raised her head, only to see that Fan Lao's upper and lower body had been separated and had fallen to the ground.
A chill suddenly ran across her waist, and the female Dou Wang of the Heavenly Snake Mansion realized that she too had been cut in half.
Just as she was about to destroy the pill, a fierce gust from nowhere blew away the Cold Jade Box holding it.
In the end, all she saw was a black-robed figure extending a hand clad in a black glove and catching the pill from the wind...
After obtaining Fan Lao's Storage Ring and the female Dou Wang's Storage Ring, Wu Yong flashed away and headed for the Blood Sect, whose location he had already determined.
At noon, after disposing of the Blood Sect's basic supplies in Canaan City, the richly rewarded Wu Yong returned to the Inner Academy in high spirits.
When Wu Yong returned to his residence, Su Qian was drinking tea on the second-floor balcony.
"Judging by that smile on your face, your gains this time must have been quite good, right?"
Seeing the several high-quality Storage Rings that had appeared on Wu Yong's hand, Su Qian knew that the kid had looted plenty. He teased him aloud.
Wu Yong nodded, his tone relaxed. "Yes. Anyway, let me put it this way: the Blood Sect is gone."
"Gasp! The Blood Sect is gone?!"
Su Qian sucked in a cold breath. The Blood Sect had been one of the top ten major factions in the Black-Corner Region.
The Blood Sect Master was also a Dou Emperor expert who had mastered numerous profound Dou Techniques. Even among Dou Emperor experts, his strength ranked among the best.
Because of the hostile relationship between the academy and the Black-Corner Region, Su Qian knew every notable faction in the Black-Corner Region well, and his knowledge was exceptionally thorough.
That was precisely why he had drawn a sharp breath and stood there stunned.
But then again, this kid had cleared out all the Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts around the academy. Was it really so strange for him to destroy the Blood Sect, whose strongest expert was merely a Dou Emperor?
"Incredible, truly incredible. Young people these days are more impressive than the last. This old man is truly getting old..."
Su Qian was rather emotional. Not long ago, there had been another young man who was merely a Da Dou Shi, yet could unleash strength comparable to a Dou Zong and escape unscathed from a faction guarded by a Dou Zong expert.
And now, one student from their Inner Academy had wiped out one of the top ten powerful factions in the Black-Corner Region all by himself.
The Su Qian of the past would never even have dared imagine such things.
"It was just a small matter. For you, Great Elder, this should be nothing, right?"
Wu Yong smiled. With Su Qian's strength as a Dou Zong expert, he could accomplish the same thing.
It was simply that this Great Elder had not done so.
"Hehe, if I made a move, those people would probably join forces." Su Qian shook his head. There were only a few Dou Zong experts here, and if he acted, it would be far too obvious.
If he truly pushed those fellows from the Black-Corner Region into joining forces, the ones who would suffer in the end would still be the students of Jia Nan Academy.
If that happened, it would go against his principles as the academy's Great Elder, whose duty was to protect the students' lives and safety.
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