After the match, there was a bloody head hanging on a stone pillar on the way out of the plaza. An expression that was filled of fear was frozen on the face of the bloody head and the eyes were almost popping out. This scene scared many timid people.
This event was spread all over till it was infamous in a few moments.
The road was full of people and a sea of people could be found both inside and outside. Those who where bolder were gesticulating at the bloody human head.
You XiaoMo happened to encounter this scene when he came down. He saw the head on the stone pillar at a glance as he was standing in a relatively high position. At first, he did not recognize it. It was only until he came nearer that he found that it was an 'acquaintance'.
It was the High Priest who was annoying him with his prattle on the altar during the event with the TongTian Palace. The man who had been intact at that time was only left with one head. He had probably seen something that frightened him so much before he died and had been greatly terrified.
You XiaoMo patted his head. He did not even need to think for him to know whose masterpiece it was. Who else could it be besides that Ling Xiao who had escaped mid-way? This guy actually left him alone here to run off to kill people, and had even ran till there was no trace of him currently.
"I've heard that the person who killed this man was Ling Xiao, the newly announced top powerhouse. This time, it was the Mage Association who asked him to help."
"It seems that the Mage Association and Beast Transfiguration Guild are preparing to cooperate with Ling Xiao. The Mage Association would owe him a favor this time and they'd definitely be on his side in the future. The Vermillion Blood Clan will soon be done for."
"Hey, the Vermillion Blood Clan is now nearing its end. It is impossible for the Vermillion Blood Clan to fight against Ling Xiao unless it joins up with other forces. Now there are many forces standing on his side. Unless he is willing to abandon the Vermillion Blood Clan, it doesn't matter how powerful You ZhenTian is."
"Abandon the Vermillion Blood Clan? That's impossible!"
"Oh, why?"
"You don't know yet isn't it. You ZhenTian could even kill his own brother and nephew in order to get control of the Vermillion Blood Clan. This man totally has no regard for others, how could he abandon such a money bag like the Vermillion Blood Clan!?"
"Such a thing really happened?"
"Of course, this news had long been spread around. It's just that we don't talk about it aloud. I guarantee that everyone knows about this even if you just casually ask around."
...
The corner of You XiaoMo's lips twitched. Everyone knows about this? He, the party involved, seemed to have just heard about it. After being in secluded cultivation in the Ghost Tomb Mountain Range for so long, it seemed that he was becoming outdated soon.
Speaking of it, the Vermillion Blood Clan seemed to have sent several mages to attend the Mage Assemblage, but he did not pay much attention as none were familiar to him. You XiaoMo thought that he should still find someone to ask about them, otherwise he would not be able to guard against a stab in the back if he could not even recognize them.
"Brother XiaoMo."
At this moment, Qiao WuXing's voice came from behind.
You XiaoMo looked back and saw Qiao WuXing and Jiu Ye approaching him. They seemed to be looking for him and had sighed in relief when they saw him.
Qiao WuXing immediately explained why he was here, "Ling Xiao is not here and there are too many people present. My master's intention is to ask you to come back with us to avoid giving others an opportunity." As he spoke, he glanced in a direction behind You XiaoMo.
You XiaoMo followed his gaze. He thought it would be Zu Ma and Yan Hui, but contrary to expectations, the other party was an unfamiliar old man who had been eyeing him nastily. There were several young mages behind him.
"Who are they?" You XiaoMo asked in confusion.
Qiao WuXing replied, "The old man ahead is the representative of the Vermillion Blood Clan. His name is You Quan and he's the sole Grade Six mage in the Vermillion Blood Clan. It's said that he's also a strong competitor for first place in the competition. Next to him are his disciples, all of whom are quite talented and are also contestants in the Assemblage. However, only one had advanced to the third round of the competition. They may be aiming for you when the time comes, so you should be careful. "
"A Grade Six mage? It is stronger than that woman?" You XiaoMo was deep in thought. After being with Ling Xiao for so long, he had also picked up a lot of bad habits.
Qiao WuXing was stunned.
Jiu Ye knew who he was talking about and replied, "No, he's still weaker."
You XiaoMo shrugged, "Then there's no problem. Even if I don't get rid of him, that woman will certainly not let him get first place."
Qiao WuXing and Jiu Ye look at each other in dismay and saw a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes. Although they had expected that the gap between them would widen further and further, they still felt somewhat bitter when confronted with this fact.
Then the three went back together.
You XiaoMo did not return to the WuShuang Hotel as the Association had guest rooms and its defense was much better than the hotel. He could live there without fear of being disturbed, and felt assured to leave with them upon knowing that Ling Xiao would go there too.
At the same time, the TongTian Emperor, who had been in hiding to recuperate from his injuries, heard of the death of the High Priest and flew into a terrible rage in his room, so much so that no one dared to approach him.
"That damned Ling Xiao! Sooner or later, I will dismember you into ten thousand pieces!" The TongTian Emperor looked sinister as a vicious glint shone in his eyes. He stared at the table as if he could see Ling Xiao through it.
"Emperor, what should be done next? The spy we buried in the Mage Association has been uprooted and the plan has failed!"
The black-clad man standing near him was deeply worried as he reported. They had wanted to seize the opportunity to take down the Mage Association and turn the Association into their headquarters. In the end, their plan was destroyed by Ling Xiao again. They would probably not have another chance. The Mage Association would take strict precautions after this and the one in the Beast Transfiguration Guild would not be able to move for the time being.
The TongTian Emperor had an obscure expression. It was not difficult to make a comeback with his strength, but there may be no way to do so in a short time. In the first place, he had lost many men. Apart from those who had escaped or died from injuries, there were less than fifty people left. It was impossible to meet force with force with such a small group.
However he was also unreconciled to wait. He knew about Ling Xiao's situation. His cultivation speed was tremendously quick with the bloodline of an Emperor Beast. The longer Ling Xiao had, the more advantageous it was for him.
A knock was heard on the door at this moment.
The TongTian Emperor had an imposing expression, "What is the matter?"
The man in black outside answered, "Emperor, someone wants to see you. They're saying that they have something important to discuss with you. Would you like me to let him in?"
"Who is he?"
"He just said he could help you deal with Ling Xiao."
The TongTian Emperor muttered to himself irresolutely. Since he could find this place, it seemed that he really had some ability, "Let him in!"
Soon, the man opened the door and walked in under the lead of the black-clad man. A pair of purple cloud boots meticulously embroidered with a vivid and realistic Qilin came into view. The man was tall, with sharp and handsome features.
The TongTian Emperor frowned imperceptibly as he came in. He felt an aura and pressure that was on par with his as the man came in, and this made him feel a little unhappy. When did so many powerful experts pop up in the TongTian Continent? First it was Ling Xiao, now it was this man.
"Who are you?" The TongTian Emperor coldly questioned while a strong aura erupted from his body. This person's strength gave him a sense of crisis. He had to let him know that he was still that TongTian Emperor.
The man's eyes were bright and he had a smile that was yet not a smile as his gaze landed on the TongTian Emperor's vigilant face, "You have probably guessed who I am. Both of our targets is Ling Xiao. You want him to die. I don't want him to return to the Qilin Clan. Why don't we cooperate?"
The TongTian Emperor's eyes flashed, "How can I trust you?"
He did guess the identity of this man. Only those from the Qilin Clan would dare to flagrantly embroider a Qilin on their boots.
He had long heard that the Qilin Clan did not welcome Ling Xiao's return. Furthermore, there was also an outstanding successor within the Qilin Clan. He would have to compete with Ling Xiao for the position of the Valley Master if Ling Xiao returned.
Once he thought of this, the TongTian Emperor could not help laughing as he stared at the man and said, "You are indeed Lin ShaoYi. I heard that the Qilin Lord put you into confinement. How can you appear here? Are you trying to fool me?"
Lin ShaoYi faintly smirked, "It was true that I'm in confinement. But it does not mean that I can't leave the Qilin Clan. I come to you with sincerity, otherwise I wouldn't take the risk of being found out to come here. I believe that you understand the situation outside too. You can only cooperate with me if you want to make a comeback and regain control of Zhong Tian. I also need you to help me break away from the Qilin Lord's control. You won't lose anything. How about it?"
The TongTian Emperor was silent. It was possible for him to cooperate with Lin ShaoYi. His arrival was like timely assistance, but his understanding of Lin ShaoYi was limited to a few simple words and he was not certain if Lin ShaoYi was reliable.
Lin ShaoYi seemed to see the doubts in his heart. He smiled like he had a card up his sleeves, "If you are not assured with this, then how about if I am the leader of the Black Spider?"
The TongTian Emperor looked at him suddenly. This sentence was unexpected and yet within his expectations.
He had long heard of the rumors in Xi Jing that Lin ShaoYi was the leader of the Black Spider. Though there had not been any evidence for this, such a thing would certainly not be a baseless claim so at least thirty percent of it should be true. What was surprising was that Lin Shaoyi had revealed his identity himself. Once this was confirmed, he would face the rage of the Four Ancient Beast Clans.
With this in mind, the TongTian Emperor felt that he could cooperate with Lin ShaoYi. Although the Black Spider suffered continuous setbacks in Xi Jing, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. They had developed for so many years underground in the dark and their background would definitely be extraordinary.
"So, how do you want to cooperate?"