Looking at the white seal on the manor gate, Ling Xiao let out a disdainful sneer.
The mission in Plague Valley was completed by me, Ling Xiao!
The Plague Demon King was slain by me, Ling Xiao!
Even those thousands of people were saved by me, Ling Xiao!
If Moonlight Sect had placed the seal here, I could accept it, but what right does Beast King Palace have to claim my achievements?
In full view of everyone, he struck with a palm, reducing the seal to dust while leaving the ordinary wooden doors unscathed.
This was the benefit of precise true essence control.
When it came to manipulating true essence, if Ling Xiao claimed second place, few on the Tianlong Continent would dare claim first.
“Scoundrel, what are you doing?”
Tearing down Beast King Palace’s seal in public naturally provoked their disciples’ anger.
The first to speak was, surprisingly, a woman.
She was dressed in a wild, provocative manner, with an enchantingly beautiful face.
Seeing her, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but think of Ling Yu, another seductive woman with a grim fate.
The woman swayed her graceful figure like a water snake.
Every move, even her speech, exuded thick charm.
Yet Ling Xiao merely glanced at her, his eyes filled with cold indifference.
Though he appreciated beautiful women, in his eyes, this woman was nothing but a man-eating venomous snake.
He had no doubt she carried the weight of countless innocent lives, likely mostly men.
Of course, those men who fell for her beauty deserved their fate.
But that didn’t hide her evil and cruelty.
The Holy Dynasty’s sects never distinguished between righteous and evil.
So, don’t assume the twelve sects wouldn’t practice demonic techniques. When the True Demon Empire collapsed, many of its martial arts spread to the twelve sects.
Ling Xiao’s techniques likely originated from that time, though how they ended up in the small Ling family of Tianfeng City was a mystery.
“I’m tearing down the seal on the gate. Is there something wrong with your eyes?” Ling Xiao said calmly, looking at the woman with a poor impression.
It wasn’t just her commanding tone but the cruelty and bloodlust he sensed in her aura.
Though Ling Xiao killed, he never harmed the innocent.
This woman was different.
“You knew that was Beast King Palace’s seal, and you still dared tear it down?” The woman’s face turned icy, her eyes brimming with killing intent.
“Nonsense. I completed the Plague Valley mission. If anyone’s to place a seal, it should be Moonlight Sect. Does Beast King Palace think they can steal others’ achievements?”
Ling Xiao wasn’t fazed by her killing intent. He hoped she wouldn’t provoke him further.
He’d killed enough recently and was reluctant to kill again.
“Hmph, you completed the mission? Got proof?” the woman sneered, her voice dripping with mockery and smugness.
“We can testify for Master Ling!” The two young valley lords of Green Valley boldly spoke up.
“Courting death!” A glint of coldness flashed in the woman’s eyes. Suddenly, a phantom of a venomous snake appeared behind her, hissing with its tongue.
It was said that Beast King Palace warriors excelled at controlling demonic and ferocious beasts, all possessing animal-type martial souls.
Ling Xiao witnessed it today.
Her martial soul was likely a venomous snake.
A Five-Step Snake Martial Soul!
Ling Xiao’s brows furrowed as he identified it.
The Five-Step Snake was so named because anyone bitten by it would die within five steps, its venom far more potent than a cobra’s. Most bitten by it died, while cobra bites were often survivable.
The snake was highly aggressive, its head capable of wide rotation, utterly terrifying.
This woman seemed to have merged with the Five-Step Snake Martial Soul, adopting its nature.
The moment the martial soul appeared, a venomous beam shot towards the speaking young valley lord.
Clink!
With Ling Xiao present, he wouldn’t let them die.
He flicked two pebbles, intercepting the venomous beam mid-air.
The pebbles, corroded by the venom, instantly rotted.
“Oh? You’re just a half-step master, yet you blocked my attack. Interesting,” the woman said, not pressing her assault but eyeing Ling Xiao with curiosity.
“I’m more surprised that a Beast King Palace disciple would casually try to kill an ordinary person. Your sect’s conduct is hardly admirable,” Ling Xiao said.
Since Yunkong City, he’d had a poor impression of Beast King Palace disciples.
They had aided the Blue-Eyed Clan in attacking Yunkong City. If not for a Sword King Sect disciple’s sudden appearance, Master Baiyun would have died, and Yunkong City would have fallen.
Lin Ze, Ling Yixue, Dai Yuling, and even Ling Xiao himself might have perished.
“She Mei, this guy’s insulting our sect. Why waste words? Just kill him. Before Moonlight Sect’s experts arrive, we claim this place, and the credit’s ours,” said another Beast King Palace disciple standing with her, clearly as bloodthirsty as She Mei.
Her name suited her perfectly.
His words sparked a chill in Ling Xiao’s heart.
“Alright, Junior Brother Zhang, it’s all yours. With your strength, killing him should be effortless,” She Mei said with a charming smile, nodding.
More people gradually gathered near the manor—disciples from the twelve sects, as well as some from smaller sects or noble families.
Their goal was similar: to seize a share of the spoils.
Judging by their cultivation, they were likely inner disciples on nearby missions, mostly below Mortal Realm Third Layer.
Seeing the crowd, Ling Xiao made his decision.
Kill the chicken to scare the monkey!
He wouldn’t allow anyone to steal his credit. This was his chance.
A decisive show of force would deter them from acting rashly.
Once Moonlight Sect arrived, the matter would be settled.
“Truly clueless. You dare tear down Beast King Palace’s seal?” Junior Brother Zhang glared at Ling Xiao, his voice brimming with superiority and arrogance.
Where this confidence came from was unclear.
His strength? He was only at the early Mortal Realm Third Layer, on par with Chen Zui and Shangguan Lei.
Yet he dared challenge Ling Xiao?
