Elsewhere, Zhao Tianlong paced back and forth in the courtyard, waiting anxiously.
After witnessing Fang Ling's abilities, he could no longer remain calm.
He knew someone like that would never stay long with his little Zhao Family.
His only chance to climb onto this lofty branch lay with his daughter.
"How did it go, girl?" he hurriedly asked when Zhao Xilian returned.
Zhao Xilian gently shook her head, looking rather dejected.
"Father, Young Master Fang doesn't seem interested in me," she said.
Zhao Tianlong sighed softly at her words. "I see..."
"It's hardly surprising. He comes from an extraordinary background, so he must have seen plenty of women."
"We're people from a small place, after all. It's hard for us to catch their eye."
"Of course, my daughter is still an outstanding young woman! There's no need to lose heart."
Zhao Xilian murmured her agreement and immediately returned to her room, wanting nothing more than a good night's sleep.
Elsewhere, Fang Ling closed the book, stood up, and stretched.
He had finally finished the last book. It was time to leave.
Before leaving, however, he had one more thing to do. His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared at the Qin Family estate in the eastern part of the city.
The Qin Family wielded more power in Willow City than the Zhao Family and had been suppressing them for years.
This time, the discovery of a new spirit ore mine outside the city had even sparked several large-scale clashes.
Fang Ling had received the Zhao Family's kindness, so he wanted to deal with the Qin Family before leaving.
But in truth, he knew that was merely an excuse.
The moment he arrived at the Qin Family estate, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Not from nervousness, but from excitement!
After killing Zhao Xilian's senior fellow disciple earlier that day, the beast slumbering within him had fully awakened.
The next day, dawn was just breaking.
Zhao Xilian was fast asleep in her chamber when a sudden flurry of urgent knocks reached her ears.
She quickly got up and dressed, then opened the door to find her father outside.
"Father, what's happened?" In all her years, she had never seen him so excited.
Zhao Tianlong said gravely, "Last night, someone slaughtered the Qin Family!"
"Over a thousand people in the entire Qin estate-not one survived!"
"What?" Zhao Xilian exclaimed in shock. "Without making a sound? Qin Hui was even stronger than you!"
"What kind of expert could leave him utterly powerless to fight back?"
"Could it have been..."
Zhao Tianlong nodded. "It was him. It had to be him!"
"I went to the Thatched Study first to have a look. He's already gone."
"He left a note on the table, thanking our Zhao Family for our hospitality these past days."
"He's gone?" A trace of regret flickered in Zhao Xilian's eyes. "Perhaps it's just as well. He never belonged here with us."
"The destruction of the Qin Family is wonderful news!" she added.
"Now our Zhao Family can reign supreme in Willow City."
"Indeed! Young Master Fang truly lives up to his name. How sharp and decisive he is!" Zhao Tianlong marveled.
"I really never expected him to wipe out the Qin Family before leaving. I'd only hoped he would help us make a show of strength."
"But there's something rather strange. I took a look around the Qin estate just now, and all the bodies of the Qin Family were gone."
"If not for the bloodstains left on the ground, I would have thought the whole Qin Family had suddenly moved away."
"All those bodies disappeared?" Zhao Xilian murmured.
"Perhaps Young Master Fang didn't want anyone discovering his background, so he made a point of disposing of them."
In this world, even corpses could "speak."
Some capable individuals could deduce what divine abilities or secret arts the killer had used from a corpse's cause of death, and thereby determine the killer's identity and origins.
Elsewhere, somewhere outside the city.
After a brief rest, Fang Ling continued on his way.
As for why he had disposed of the Qin Family's bodies, it was because every one of them had become nourishment for his cultivation of the Blood Sword and the Taotie Divine Art.
He knew that in the outside world, divine abilities and secret arts of this sort were classified as demonic arts and officially forbidden.
Although no one could uncover his origins through investigation.
Whenever he could erase his tracks, he would do his utmost to erase them, leaving no hidden dangers for himself.
During his month and more of reading day and night in the Zhao Family's Thatched Study, he had learned a great deal. He had even found what he most wanted to know.
The world was divided into eight domains: the Eastern Azure Domain, the Western Desert Region, the Southern Dipper Domain, the Northern Sea Domain, the Central Divine Domain, the Demon Savage Domain, the Heavenly Demon Domain, and the Yintu Domain.
The Southern Sun Kingdom, where he currently found himself, was merely a small frontier kingdom in the Southern Dipper Domain.
Eighteen years ago, a major event had shaken the eight domains.
The Fang Family, the foremost cultivation clan in the Eastern Azure Domain, had been wiped out overnight!
The book had not explained the reason in detail. Perhaps the person who recorded the event had never known it either.
The destruction of a domain's ruling power in an instant had caused widespread panic at the time.
But no further atrocities followed, and most people had since forgotten the incident.
Fang Ling, however, did not believe such coincidences existed. He happened to be eighteen this year.
And the foremost clan of the Eastern Azure Domain, whose entire household had been slaughtered, happened to bear the surname Fang!
He was certain he was a surviving orphan of the Fang Family.
When he was little, before the consciousness within the Devil Heart had been eradicated, he had dreamed every night.
He dreamed of his heart being gouged out, his eyes dug from their sockets, and his white bones scraped bare!
The sensations had felt more real than any dream, and he could still recall that agony to this day.
Even now, he sometimes remembered those things...
He was in no hurry to investigate the source of his suffering or discover who his enemies were.
Even if he could uncover the truth now, he lacked the ability to avenge himself.
The only thought in his mind now was to grow stronger!
During his month and more of reading in the Thatched Study, he had also spent a long time considering where to go next.
The road he was taking now did not lead to Heavenward City.
Instead, he was heading toward the Blood Marsh, where the Southern Sun Kingdom, the Heavenly Nether Kingdom, and the Misty Moon Kingdom met!
It lay at the junction of the three kingdoms, a wild land beyond anyone's jurisdiction, where no order existed.
Desperadoes from those three neighboring kingdoms-and even from kingdoms farther north-had entrenched themselves there.
Thus, anyone who could survive in the Blood Marsh possessed considerable strength.
According to the books, anyone strong enough could do whatever they pleased there.
Such a lawless place, where the strong ran rampant, was precisely the best destination for him.
Because the Blood Marsh lay on the western frontier of the Southern Sun Kingdom.
The Zhao Family's library held a great many books describing it.
There were even several maps showing the way to the Blood Marsh, and he had taken one along.
At the moment, however, his course strayed somewhat from the map, because he wanted to find a mount!
The journey to the Blood Marsh was long. Having a mount to carry him would naturally be better.
Willow City lay in a remote area, and there happened to be a gathering place for demons and monsters nearby.
He wanted to go there and find a swift-footed demonic beast!
Before you continue