Motai Xiao's Ambition!

"How could he be this strong!?"

Yuan Lie gritted his teeth against the agony, but the terror in his heart made his scalp prickle.

His entire right arm looked as if it had just been pulled from a meat grinder. He desperately channeled divine power through his body to mend the bones and close the wounds, but that would take time.

His left arm was still intact, but Zhou Hao's punch had just left him stunned—and terrified.

Run!

The thought had barely flashed through his mind before his body moved, darting dozens of yards away like the wind.

"He's just entered the Xiantian realm, yet his strength rivals that of a peak Xiantian Chiming Nine Heavens Map cultivator... What kind of monster is he, and where did he come from? If I escape with my life, Motai Xiao, you and I are not done!"

Yuan Lie was thoroughly frightened, and now he hated Motai Xiao so much his teeth ground together.

"Trying to run?" Zhou Hao's mind stirred. The Taiji Grindstone appeared out of nowhere and blocked Yuan Lie for an instant. Zhou Hao stamped his foot, then appeared behind him as if he had teleported.

Boom~~~~

Zhou Hao clenched his right hand into a hammer and unleashed another "Sea Floor Hammering Punch," the fist's wind roaring.

The yellow haze of dust that had filled the world had been held in place by the miniature whirlwinds from Yuan Lie's staff techniques. Without them, it was swept away in an instant.

The Iron Ox Tribe's people had just seen a streak of light shoot out of the yellow haze and recognized it as the weapon of that vicious Xiantian Lifeform. They had no idea what had happened when the haze cleared, revealing Zhou Hao swinging his right fist up from below and hammering it into his opponent's head.

Splurt!

Brains flew everywhere!

The immense force traveled from Yuan Lie's head down through his neck and body, twisting his entire upper half around.

"Ah!" Xiangcao hurriedly covered Zhuzi's eyes at the gruesome sight, but she herself stared fixedly at the mighty man, who looked like a heavenly god.

Everyone in the Iron Ox Tribe stared at Zhou Hao, who seemed like an unrivaled demon god. They even forgot to breathe.

"He's incredible!" Iron Ox murmured. "Even the Xiantian gods and demons of ancient times couldn't have been much stronger."

Zhou Hao had no idea how deeply his victory had shaken Iron Ox and the others. He was immersed in excitement.

"This Blue Flower Mist is incredible. It boosts my speed by so much, too!" Zhou Hao looked at the corpse thudding to the ground, unable to hide his grin.

Yuan Lie had tried to flee using a movement technique. Zhou Hao had already decided he would chase him for a thousand miles if that was what it took to kill him.

He hadn't expected to cover the nearly hundred yards in a single step and kill his opponent with one blow.

"It's a shame there's so little of it. I wish there were more mist in the Blue Flower Space."

Feeling the mist energy in his body run dry, and sensing that only a wisp remained in the Blue Flower Space, Zhou Hao found himself wanting more.

After experiencing power and speed that surpassed his limits, returning to normal made him feel as though his body had grown weak and feeble.

"I'll look into how the mist in the Blue Flower Space is produced later," Zhou Hao thought.

Even if he couldn't use such a heaven-defying ability freely, it would still be the ultimate trump card to play at a critical moment.

He turned to look toward the people of the Iron Ox Tribe. The joy and excitement in his heart vanished at once.

Brother Zhamu, Qingshi, and the many tribe members whose names he had yet to learn, but who had accepted him as a brother when he first arrived in this world, had all lost their lives.

Motai City.

In a quiet courtyard in the estate at the heart of the city, the great demon Night Owl stood on a tree branch, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.

"Night Shadow." The door to the meditation chamber opened from within, and Motai Xiao stepped out.

Whoosh~~~

The enormous Night Owl turned into black mist out of thin air, then gathered again into a black-haired, middle-aged man.

"Master." Night Shadow looked at Motai Xiao, who seemed much younger than before, his face alight with excitement. "Have you entered the Purple Mansion realm?"

"Hahaha!" Motai Xiao, who was usually so cold and sinister, burst into laughter. "All those sixteen years of raising Qianxue weren't for nothing. That great figure's reward this time was truly generous. He gave me ten Purple Mansion Opening Pills, something I'd dreamed of obtaining!"

The Purple Mansion Opening Pill was an elixir refined by cultivators. It could allow a Xiantian Lifeform at the peak of the realm, stuck at a bottleneck, to open a Purple Mansion and become a true cultivator. Its effects were practically heaven-defying.

Of course, such an extraordinary effect came with a heavy price. A Purple Mansion Cultivator who broke through using the pill would never be able to advance again in their lifetime.

But for peak Xiantian experts with little time left to live, who had no hope of breaking through on their own, the Purple Mansion Opening Pill was an elixir worth going mad for.

"Congratulations, Master!" Night Shadow exclaimed. "Now that you've entered the Purple Mansion realm, our Motai Clan will be able to compete for a Vassal City! Then becoming an overlord clan will be just around the corner!"

"Vassal City..." Boundless yearning rose in Motai Xiao's eyes.

The continent they lived on was ruled by the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Great Xia Dynasty had stood since the age of the ancient gods and demons. After destroying the other ancient dynasties, it had unified this boundless land, and its history stretched back hundreds of millions of years.

Even a dynasty with the Great Xia's profound foundations could not easily govern such a vast, limitless territory. So, when Xia Emperor first unified the land, he divided it into three thousand six hundred commanderies and enfeoffed eight hundred lords to govern his endless domain.

But this gave the lords who ruled each region tremendous power, and inevitably, some of them rebelled.

After several lords rose in rebellion, the Great Xia Dynasty began building cities across the land on a massive scale to better control it. Even the Great Wild Plains had ten such cities.

They were nothing like Motai City, which the Black Hand Tribe had built themselves.

Each city built by the Great Xia Dynasty had a corresponding Vassal Token. Only by refining the token could a tribe claim a Vassal City. It also meant becoming a vassal of the Great Xia Dynasty in name and receiving the protection of the entire dynasty.

Only a clan or tribe that occupied a Vassal City could be called an overlord of the Great Wild Plains.

But obtaining a Vassal Token was difficult, and even if one got a token, one still had to be capable of refining it.

Once cultivators on the Qi Refining Path reached the Xiantian realm, they could use their true essence to activate magical treasures. But those were all unranked treasures; in the eyes of true cultivators, they could hardly even be called magical treasures.

A true magical treasure had to be at least a Human-Rank Magical Treasure.

And a Human-Rank Magical Treasure could only be activated by a Purple Mansion Cultivator who had opened a Purple Mansion in their dantian and transformed their true essence into Origin Power.

The Vassal Tokens for the cities built by the Great Xia Dynasty were Human-Rank Magical Treasures. Only Purple Mansion Cultivators could refine them.

Now that he had entered the Purple Mansion realm, Motai Xiao would not only live several times longer—up to five hundred years—but would also be able to activate Human-Rank Magical Treasures and greatly increase his strength. If he obtained and refined a Vassal Token, he could raise the Black Hand Tribe into a true overlord tribe.

His longing for a Vassal Token grew all the more urgent.

Cultivators were strictly forbidden from fighting inside any Vassal City. Anyone who violated this rule was guilty of challenging the Great Xia Dynasty and would be put to death!

By rights, once a tribe refined a Vassal Token and became a vassal of Great Xia, it should have been nearly impossible to destroy it.

Yet in reality, while Vassal Cities did not change hands often, it certainly happened.

For one thing, when a Purple Mansion Cultivator reached the end of their lifespan, if their tribe had no other Purple Mansion Cultivator capable of refining the Vassal Token, they naturally had no right to keep occupying the city.

Moreover, Purple Mansion Cultivators did not stay in their cities and tribes every day. Many were killed while away, and their Vassal Tokens were taken, causing their tribes to lose their cities.

"Whose Vassal Token should I take?" Motai Xiao fell into thought.

There were ten Vassal Cities on the Great Wild Plains.

Great Wild City was the main city and the Great Xia Dynasty's garrison on the Great Wild Plains. It could not be taken.

Jade Dragon City lay at the far eastern edge of the Great Wild Plains, by the East Sea. The East Sea Immortal Sect stood behind it, and it had close ties with the Great Xia Dynasty. It had never changed hands in all these years, so that city was out of the question, too.

The remaining eight were held by the five great overlord powers of the Great Wild Plains. The Fire Worship Sect occupied three, the Liu Clan held two, and the Yang, Miao, and Hu Clans held one each.

"The Fire Worship Sect and the Liu Clan are off-limits. The Yang and Miao Clans also have plenty of Purple Mansion Cultivators."

Motai Xiao's eyes turned cold.

"That leaves the Hu Clan. They were established most recently and have the shallowest foundations. They have only three Purple Mansion Cultivators."

Before, even if he had broken through his bottleneck and entered the Purple Mansion realm, he would not have dared to target another overlord clan lightly. But now...

"Night Shadow." Motai Xiao flipped his hand and took a scroll of beast hide from his storage treasure. "These are reports on the most powerful great demons on the Great Wild Plains. Every one of them has been stuck at the peak of the Xiantian realm for many years, yet possesses strength comparable to the Purple Mansion realm.

"Go to the locations listed here and invite them one by one. Tell them Motai Xiao has entered the Purple Mansion realm and wishes to discuss something with them. If they help me succeed, I'll reward them handsomely."

"Master, do you intend to use the great demons to take a Vassal City?" Night Shadow stepped forward and took the scroll. Seeing the dense writing covering the hide, he hesitated. "Those great demons each occupy their own territory. The strongest have divine beast bloodlines and may even surpass ordinary Purple Mansion Cultivators. If you gather so many of them here, Master, will you..."

He didn't finish, but Motai Xiao understood what he meant.

Night Shadow was worried that Motai Xiao, newly entered into the Purple Mansion realm, might not be able to keep those great demons in check.

"Since I dare to do this, I'm sure I can cow them into submission." Motai Xiao let out a cold laugh and raised his hand. A blood-red banner appeared in it.

The moment the banner appeared, the entire courtyard seemed to be veiled in bloodlight.

A bone-deep chill, as if it could freeze the blood in Night Shadow's veins, made him shudder. Boundless fear rose in his heart.

"Master!" Night Shadow stared in alarm at the blood-red banner in Motai Xiao's hand.

A sinister face appeared and disappeared on the banner, as if a demon god were about to leap out and devour him.

"Don't panic." Motai Xiao genuinely cared for the spirit beast Night Shadow, who had followed him for so long. Seeing his fear, he flicked his hand and sent a streak of bloodlight into Night Shadow's body. Only then did the demon god on the banner gradually settle down.

"This Blood Demon Banner is the greatest treasure I obtained this time from the Fire Worship Sect Main Altar."

Motai Xiao gazed at the blood-red banner in his hand, his eyes full of obsession.

"A peak Purple Mansion Cultivator must be roasted alive in bloodfire for thirty-six years before their body and soul can be completely refined into a Blood Demon.

"Even though this one is still only half-finished and has yet to reach its full strength, it already possesses immense power and can rival a body-tempering expert at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm."

"If it is fed the blood of countless living beings and the souls of Xiantian Lifeforms, then given the heart's blood of a hundred thousand bone-endowed boys and girls to carve demonic patterns on it, the Blood Demon can break through the Purple Mansion realm and reach the even higher Myriad Phenomena realm."

"That powerful?" Night Shadow was shocked.

No wonder his master was so confident this time. The Blood Demon's strength, already comparable to that of a peak Purple Mansion body-tempering expert, was enough to sweep aside any great demon at the peak of the Xiantian realm.

Motai Xiao waved his hand and put the Blood Demon Banner away.

He had only been able to refine the Blood Demon Banner after entering the Purple Mansion realm. For now, he could only control the Blood Demon simply through the restrictions on the banner.

To refine it completely, he would have to expend Origin Power and feed it the blood of countless living beings and the souls of numerous Xiantian Lifeforms.

Motai Xiao estimated that a month would be enough to partially refine the Blood Demon Banner and unleash its power. He instructed Night Shadow, "Tell the great demons to meet in a month, at Wild Stone Mountain, three thousand miles northwest of Motai City."

Even with the temptation of a Purple Mansion Opening Pill, it was wishful thinking to expect those great demons to obey without the strength to back it up.

Once Motai Xiao showed them the pills, why would the demons listen to him drone on? They would surely attack and seize the treasure.

Motai Xiao would have to strike first and cow the demons before he could negotiate. So naturally, their gathering place could not be his own lair.

"Yes." Night Shadow bowed in acknowledgment. He was about to leave when he remembered something else to report. "Master, Commander Yuan and Ye Feng went out to search for the culprit who killed Motai Jie. They've been gone for three days.

"Ye Feng sent word earlier that they were searching the Liu Clan's territory and had killed a Xiantian Lifeform. After they headed in the direction of Jade Dragon City, no further news came."

"They've been out of contact for three days?" Motai Xiao frowned. "With that Golden Winged Eagle Yuan Lie rides, they could have circled the entire Great Wild Plains in three days. If they still haven't returned, they're probably dead."

Ye Feng's death meant nothing to Motai Xiao.

But Yuan Lie was a formidable general at the Fire Worship Sect Great Wild Branch Altar, and he had been sent to work for Motai Xiao. With his life now uncertain, Motai Xiao needed to confirm what had happened.

"Go look for him first," Motai Xiao said. "If you find him, tell him to return as soon as possible. If he's dead, report it to the Fire Worship Sect branch altar. Whether they pursue the matter after that is their own concern."

This time, through Motai Qianxue, Motai Xiao had won the favor of a great figure at the Fire Worship Sect Main Altar. He no longer valued a mere branch altar of the Fire Worship Sect as much as he once had.

If Motai Qianxue had not asked, and that great figure had not ordered the Great Wild Branch Altar to send experts to find the culprit who killed Motai Jie, Motai Xiao would never have wasted manpower on Motai Jie at such a crucial moment, when he was deciding whether he could establish an overlord's legacy.

He had only lost one son. Now that he had gained several hundred years to live, having another would hardly be difficult.

"There's no point keeping those small tribes around. I might as well use them to feed the Blood Demon, then gather the souls of Xiantian Lifeforms and the heart's blood of a hundred thousand bone-endowed boys and girls. I'll become the undisputed overlord of the entire Great Wild Plains!"

Bloodlight flashed in Motai Xiao's eyes.

First update.