That night, Maple City was peaceful.
Ever since Xiao Ze had united Maple City, he had established a rule: fighting in the streets was strictly forbidden. Anyone who broke it would be expelled from the city.
As a result, in just half a month, order in Maple City had improved by several levels.
At that moment, in the bedchamber, Xiao Ze was happily playing cards with his three wives.
Laughter and chatter filled the room, and everyone was having a wonderful time.
Then, amid the peaceful scene, a dark figure suddenly flashed past the window.
All four of them were startled.
Anyone bold enough to openly sneak into Maple City at night was likely quite powerful.
After reassuring his three wives, Xiao Ze hurried after the intruder.
"You come and go as you please. It seems you don't think much of the rules in my Maple City." In midair, Xiao Ze used Three Thousand Lightning Movement and caught up to the intruder in moments.
The intruder was an old man dressed in a dark robe. His clothes weren't particularly ornate, but he had an imposing presence.
His strength was an unremarkable Three-Star Dou Zong.
"My apologies. I was merely passing through. It was purely a coincidence. Please don't take offense, fellow cultivator." Caught by his pursuer, the old man had no choice but to start making excuses.
"Old man, do you think I'm three years old? You really expect me to believe that?" Xiao Ze replied with a cold laugh.
Who in the Black-Corner Region didn't know him? Passing through? Not even a dog would believe that.
Seeing that Xiao Ze wasn't letting up, the old man knew he was in the wrong. With a helpless sigh, he came clean. "Please don't be angry, fellow cultivator. My name is Su Qian, and I'm the Great Elder of Jia Nan Academy. I really did come here hoping to meet the leader of Xiao Sect."
Su Qian? Jia Nan Academy?
Hearing that, Xiao Ze relaxed. So he hadn't come to attack them.
He'd planned to visit Jia Nan Academy to see Xun Er after uniting the Black-Corner Region, but the Great Elder had come to him first.
"So you're the Great Elder of Jia Nan Academy. As your neighbor, I suppose we really should have a proper talk." Xiao Ze smiled faintly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Xiao Ze, and I'm from the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. I imagine you know the place, Great Elder."
The Xiao Clan in Wutan City... Su Qian's gaze flickered with surprise, but he quickly remembered.
Wasn't Xiao Xun Er from the Xiao Clan?
"So you're from the Xiao Clan. No wonder your name sounded familiar." Su Qian relaxed as well.
If Xiao Ze was from the Xiao Clan, then this would be much easier to handle.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have sneaked into Maple City at night to sound Xiao Ze out. Imagine suddenly finding a Xiao Sect right on your doorstep, one that had nearly taken over half the Black-Corner Region. With a force like that nearby, who could sleep easy?
If they were allies, then there was nothing to worry about.
"Great Elder, is Xun Er doing well at the academy?" Xiao Ze suddenly asked.
"I knew you'd ask that." Su Qian looked at Xiao Ze's youthful face and smiled faintly.
Then he said, "Xun Er's been doing very well at the academy. In just a month, she swept through the Outer Academy and was granted special permission to enter the Inner Academy early. She's now a Three-Star Dou Emperor."
As he spoke, pride appeared in Su Qian's eyes. In just a few months, she had advanced from a Dou Zhe to a Dou Emperor. Such terrifying progress would earn her a place among her peers not only at Jia Nan Academy but even in the vast Central Plains, where geniuses were as numerous as the clouds.
"She's only a Dou Emperor?" Xiao Ze didn't seem satisfied by Su Qian's praise.
After all, nearly all the women around him were Dou Emperors or even Dou Zongs.
Xun Er had Divine Grade Bloodline, yet she was cultivating more slowly than they were. It seemed he'd have to give Xun Er some proper attention during this trip to Jia Nan Academy.
"What kind of look is that?" Su Qian's face darkened.
A dignified Dou Emperor, and Xiao Ze said she was "only" a Dou Emperor?
Back in his day, at the same age, he'd still been a Da Dou Shi. The gap between that and a Dou Emperor was like heaven and earth.
Xiao Ze: "..."
"Great Elder, now that we've cleared up the misunderstanding, I won't keep you here overnight. I'll pay you a visit tomorrow."
"That works." Su Qian nodded.
It was getting late. He couldn't keep those old fellows waiting too long.
When Xiao Ze returned to Maple City, Xiao Yi Xian and his other two wives had already been waiting for quite a while. If he'd been any later, they might have gone after him.
"What happened? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It was the Great Elder of Jia Nan Academy. As it happens, I was planning to pay a visit tomorrow to the famous Jia Nan Academy."
"It's getting late. Let's hurry up and get some sleep."
After that little interruption, the four of them went back to playing cards.
The next day, in the main hall of Maple City:
"Leader Xiao, after repeated efforts to persuade them to surrender, most of the Black-Corner Region's factions have agreed to submit. But the old-established factions led by the Black Emperor Sect and Demon Flame Valley have paid no heed to us. Some even attacked and killed our sect's envoys."
"They even threatened to destroy Xiao Sect."
Yuan Yi reported on what had happened over the past half-month.
Overall, things were going well. To the smaller factions, it didn't matter much who they followed. But the old-established sects like the Black Emperor Sect didn't take kindly to the idea.
A Dou Zong? You think you're the only one with one?
If they dared to come, those factions wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
"They killed our sect's envoys?" A cold glint flashed in Xiao Ze's eyes.
"I haven't even gone after them, and they dared to kill our envoys. Looks like they're a bunch of old fools tired of living."
Xiao Ze had been looking for a reason to start a war. Now he had one.
The envoys were dead. He no longer cared to learn who was right or wrong.
"Leader Xiao, the master of Demon Flame Valley is a Seven-Star Dou Zong, and the Black Emperor Sect's leader is a Four-Star Dou Zong. If we really go to war, I'm afraid it won't go well for us."
Hearing what Xiao Ze planned to do, Yuan Yi grew anxious.
They were no match for the Black Emperor Sect and Demon Flame Valley. Their leaders were both Dou Zong experts, and with their subordinates, they formed a force no weaker than Xiao Sect. A full-on clash would leave both sides crippled.
Then the hard-won Xiao Sect would collapse without a fight.
"It's fine. A mere Seven-Star Dou Zong isn't worth my concern."
It might be a bit tricky, but it wasn't impossible to handle.
Of course, now wasn't the time to start a war. He had to go to Jia Nan Academy and take the Fallen Heart Flame first. Once he did, he would surely reach Dou Zun.
Then, a hundred Dou Zongs wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow from him.
Seeing this, Yuan Yi had nothing more to say. He'd said all he could. What happened next was up to their leader.
Xiao Ze had easily killed a powerhouse like Han Feng. Yuan Yi believed their leader wouldn't gamble with the lives of everyone in Xiao Sect.
After making arrangements for the coming days, Xiao Ze left Maple City and headed for the area where Jia Nan Academy was located.
With his three wives in Maple City, no ordinary Dou Zong could hope to overturn Xiao Sect's rule. That gave him plenty of time to take the Fallen Heart Flame.
The small town closest to Jia Nan Academy was called Peace Town. It was the only entrance to the academy.
Ordinary people had to go through a series of inspections to enter the town, but for Xiao Ze, that would be a waste of time.
He simply flew in from above. He'd already spoken with the Great Elder the previous night, so he had no reason to worry about anyone stopping him.
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