Boom! A earth-shattering explosion rang out as the blood-red handprint shattered into countless fragments. The moment those fragments touched the blue blade's Blue Devouring Flame, they were swiftly consumed and vaporized.
In an instant, Fan Lao, along with his proudest Dou Technique, vanished entirely in the terrifying clash of energies.
"My lord, that was incredible! A three-star Dou Huang slaying a five-star Dou Huang," Su Mei's voice rang out, her tone tinged with awe.
"Don't put it like that," Xiao Heng said, shaking his head. "First, you pinned him down. Second, this flame happens to counter him perfectly. Without those, I'd have only heavily injured him at best." He knew his limits—crossing vast cultivation gaps to kill stronger foes wasn't something just anyone could do.
Even Xiao Huo Huo, that lucky bastard, only managed to wound Yun Shan at peak Dou Wang, and Yun Shan was ultimately finished off by a Soul Hall protector as an experience package.
Xiao Heng possessed a high-tier Di Class fire-attribute Dou Technique, but with his current strength, its wind-up was too long. Unless his opponent was brain-dead, they'd either interrupt the technique or flee. He also lacked a secret method to temporarily boost his strength. The first volume of the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Changes was something only Xiao Yan could obtain, and while Xiao Heng's Blue Devouring Flame could shift into various sub-attributes, he had no clue how many changes he could wield.
Still, secret methods for boosting strength abounded. The greater the boost, the harsher the side effects. Who knows? Maybe I'll stumble upon a fortuitous encounter and snag one someday, he mused.
With Xiao Yi Xian, a five-star Dou Zong, and Old Black, his three-star Dou Zong puppet, Xiao Heng was safe as long as he avoided Soul Hall protectors. The Xiao Clan's Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade had been discussed with Xiao Zhan for an entire night. They decided to entrust it to Xun Er to bring to the Gu Clan in exchange for cultivation resources. As for whether the Gu Clan would renege, Xun Er's presence ensured they wouldn't dare.
Without Xun Er, I might've handed it straight to the Soul Clan. The Gu Clan's hypocrisy isn't much better than the Soul Clan's, Xiao Heng thought. The jade was likely already with the Gu Clan. If Xun Er hadn't yet returned, her escorts would've been heavily reinforced. Once the jade reached the Gu Clan, Soul Clan spies would know instantly, nullifying the Soul Hall's threat to the Xiao Clan.
That left Yao Lao as a minor risk to Xiao Yan and the Yun Lan Sect's narrow-minded elders as potential trouble for the Xiao Clan. Though Xiao Zhan lost his chance to be a Soul Clan-sponsored Dou Huang, with ample resources, reaching Dou Huang was only a matter of time. Once Xiao Huo Huo broke through to Dou Di, his cultivation would skyrocket.
"Sect Leader, the Blood Sect has been wiped out. No survivors!" the tall, lean Dou Wang reported to Su Mei.
"What about the corpses and the treasury?" Su Mei asked.
"The corpses are being gathered in the plaza. We've located the treasury," he replied.
"Take us to the treasury first," Xiao Heng said.
"This way, my lord," the lean Dou Wang said, leading the way.
"What about this city, my lord?" Su Mei inquired.
"Forget the city. Plunder the Blood Sect's resources and leave. We don't have the manpower to manage extra cities. Let whoever wants it take it!" Xiao Heng said.
"Wise words, my lord," Su Mei said, her smile warm. Though serving Xiao Heng had boosted her and her three subordinates' strength, the Rakshasa Sect's overall power couldn't grow overnight. Collecting protection fees was far easier than governing a city.
The treasury held herbs, cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, weapons, and miscellaneous items. Most valuables were in Fan Lao's storage ring, now in Xiao Heng's possession. He claimed all herbs above the third grade, leaving those below for Su Mei. The Rakshasa Sect lacked high-tier alchemists but had a few low-tier ones: a third-grade alchemist and a second-grade one, a father-son duo Su Mei had once aided.
The father, a one-star Dou Ling, was an old man. His son, with the father's guidance, became a second-grade alchemist before thirty, a two-star Da Dou Shi. In Wu Tan City, they'd be local tyrants, but in the Dou Huang-led Rakshasa Sect, they were merely decent, scraping by.
The Blood Sect's cultivation methods and Dou Techniques were decent. Several high-tier Xuan Class scrolls caught Xiao Heng's eye, but the only Di Class ones were Fan Lao's blood-attribute method and technique. After scanning them, Xiao Heng discarded the sinister ones, letting Su Mei collect the rest to bolster the sect.
The weapons were average, though two embedded with fifth-tier beast cores suited Dou Wangs. Su Mei took them. Miscellaneous items were handed to the lean Dou Wang for sale or storage in the Rakshasa Sect's reserves.
After incinerating the Blood Sect's corpses, Xiao Heng and Su Mei led their group out of Blood City. Zi Ran, the Black Scale Poison Mosquito, patrolling the perimeter, detected no anomalies. The operation was a flawless success.
The Rakshasa Sect's lower members reaped decent rewards. Back in Rakshasa City, in his private courtyard, Xiao Heng found Qing Lin training and Xiao Yi Xian refining pills. He arranged for Lu Man and Bai Ya to escort a Rakshasa Sect team to Stone Desert City to fetch the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps, then began his seclusion.
The energy orbs from this mission were enough to push him to four-star Dou Huang. In less than half a month since arriving at the Rakshasa Sect, Xiao Heng's group had made significant strides. The Mo Tie Mercenary Corps, with fewer than three hundred members, was a manageable relocation.
The Rakshasa Sect sent Su Qian, now a six-star Dou Wang, with an elite Dou Ling squad, escorted by Lu Man and Bai Ya, with Zi Ran shadowing them. Borrowing two fifth-tier flying beasts from the Beast Taming Sect, the round trip would take half a month.
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At the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps' gates in Stone Desert City, Qing Lin arrived with Lu Man.
"Qing Lin, you're here! We're ready to depart anytime," Xiao Ding said.
"Great Captain, let's head out now. The cities in the Black-Corner Region are several times bigger than Stone Desert City!" Qing Lin said, beaming.
"Really? You'll have to show me around, Qing Lin," Xiao Li said.
"Definitely!"
Over two hundred members boarded the two fifth-tier flying beasts outside Stone Desert City, heading for the Rakshasa Sect.
"Great Captain, Second Captain, these flying beasts are huge!" Xue Lan marveled.
"They're fifth-tier, equivalent to Dou Wangs!" Qing Lin said proudly.
"Riding a Dou Wang beast? This life's worth living," Xue Lan sighed.
"Brothers, have confidence! The Black-Corner Region is dangerous, but its potential is vast," Xiao Ding addressed the two hundred-plus members.
Half a month later, they reached the Rakshasa Sect. The Mo Tie Mercenary Corps was settled in Fei Yue City, a town within the sect's territory, not far from Rakshasa City. A month prior, Fei Yue City's experts had been decimated in a Blood Sect ambush, just before Xiao Heng's arrival.
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