As they approached, the massive city at the end of the great road gradually came into view for Xiao Yan and his companions. Standing on a slope, Xiao Yan gazed at the towering walls in the distance with a hint of astonishment. The Black Emperor City truly lived up to its name. Its grand scale did not diminish the ’emperor’ in its name, but rather, the cold, jet-black walls that stretched to the horizon, gave off a chilling vibe. The sunlight pouring down even made the black walls glitter like mirrors, reflecting a faint light. An expert would notice that the surface of the walls was covered with a rare material called Black Mirror Stone. Using this material to build the walls had the wondrous effect of deflecting some attacks, making it a quite good choice, although it was also quite rare. The fact that the Black Emperor Sect could cover an entire wall with it showed how rich their resources were. Not only Xiao Yan, but even Little Healer Immortal, standing beside him, was somewhat surprised. “Truly a large-scale project…” he muttered, then turned his gaze to the fierce-looking crowd constantly passing by. He couldn’t help but feel curious. On his way here, he had encountered many powerful individuals, and from their routes, it was clear they were all heading towards the Black Emperor City. With so many strong and fiery-tempered people gathered in one city, it was unlikely things would remain peaceful.
Chaos, this was a unique atmosphere of the Black-Corner Region. No matter how powerful a force was, it was difficult to completely suppress the chaos here. The people of the Black-Corner Region ignored all laws and rules; the size of your fist was the most important truth!
With these thoughts, Xiao Yan chuckled. He didn’t mind the chaos. After all, he knew that as long as one had enough strength in the Black-Corner Region, they could be the ruler of men.
Calling out softly, Xiao Yan grabbed Zi Yan, who was looking around, and pulled her close. “Behave yourself when we enter the city. There are many treasures inside, but if you act recklessly as before, it will cause endless trouble. Do you understand?”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s serious expression, Zi Yan could only mumble a sullen “Yes.”
“Let’s go.” With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yan pulled Zi Yan and smiled at Little Healer Immortal, then led the way towards the city gates.
Nodding slightly, Little Healer Immortal glanced casually at the passersby, whose gazes flashed with sudden coldness, causing them to retreat their brazen looks, feeling a sense of danger.
Noticing the quickly withdrawn gazes, Little Healer Immortal coldly retracted her delicate hand, which she had been about to clench. If she had squeezed her fingers, the road would have fallen silent, save for a few stronger ones.
Retracting her hand, Little Healer Immortal followed Xiao Yan. Although she was no longer as cold as before due to spending time with Xiao Yan, this was only towards Xiao Yan and his friends. To ordinary passersby, life was cheap, and taking a life became numb after killing many. Over the years, the number of souls that had perished at her hands was at least in the thousands. Suppressing her coldness in front of Xiao Yan was already quite an achievement…
As Little Healer Immortal turned and left, the chill in the air gradually dissipated. Many eyes, now filled with suspicion and surprise, watched the graceful figure in the distance, wiping away their cold sweat. They hadn’t expected this woman to be so formidable.
Thankfully, they hadn’t dared to approach her. Otherwise…
Thinking back to the cold, unfeeling gaze, those who had witnessed it felt like they were being stared at by a venomous snake. This woman was not to be provoked.
… …
Descending the slope, after walking a distance, the gigantic city gate appeared in Xiao Yan’s sight. Outside the gate, a long queue of people stretched out, their noisy chatter echoing everywhere, making one’s ears buzz.
Looking at the mass of burly, scarred men jostling together, Little Healer Immortal, with a slight touch of OCD, wrinkled her brow in disapproval.
Xiao Yan, seemingly aware of her discomfort, squinted and scanned the area around the gate. “Heh, such a pretty lady, it’s been a while since I’ve seen such a fine specimen.”
“Caw, that little girl is lovely too, such a cute face…”
“Haizi, with your body, you love little girls. Damn, last time, you killed that little girl directly. What bad luck.”
As Xiao Yan observed the scene, a group of lecherous laughter caught his ear.
Slowly shifting his gaze back, Xiao Yan looked calmly at the source of the noise. A dozen burly men were huddled together, their lecherous gazes roving over Little Healer Immortal and Zi Yan. The surrounding crowd erupted in knowing laughter, seeing the teasing of such a beautiful woman provided a good distraction during the tedious wait.
Little Healer Immortal’s face remained unchanged, her hand holding back the indignant Zi Yan, and her gaze met Xiao Yan’s. “Let’s go.”
Xiao Yan’s lips curled into a strange smile, but instead of rushing to fight the burly men as the crowd expected, he merely turned to give Little Healer Immortal a small smile, then pulled Zi Yan towards the gate.
“Whew…”
Xiao Yan’s response elicited derisive hisses. In the Black-Corner Region, where strength was king, failing to defend one’s woman was a sign of shame.
The dozen burly men, shocked by Xiao Yan’s actions, burst into raucous laughter. But as their laughter faded, their bodies suddenly froze…
“Bang! Bang!”
The low, explosive sounds rang out, immediately stopping all the commotion. Everyone stared in shock as the burly men dissolved into piles of black ash. The crowd, recoiling like ghosts, swiftly retreated, and many turned fearful eyes towards Xiao Yan and his companions, who were still walking calmly towards the gate.
Remembering this near-horrific scene, they shivered, not daring to laugh anymore, fearing the same fate might befall them.
This bizarre event quickly spread through the queue, and startled gazes followed Xiao Yan and his companions as they walked, causing the others to step back hurriedly.
Ignoring the shocked looks, the three continued towards the gate, heading for the purple door. A dozen men in tawny outfits stood guard, their robust auras keeping the crowd at bay.
Their path was clearly headed for the purple door, prompting the crowd’s surprise. The gate was set aside for well-known experts of the Black-Corner Region, and required Battle Emperor strength to pass. Could this young man be such a strong individual?
Under the watchful eyes, the three stopped in front of the purple door, and the guards’ sharp gazes turned to them. An old man, holding a tobacco pipe, stepped forward. “Heh, this gate is for Battle Emperors. If you don’t meet the requirement, please take another route.”
Glancing at the old man, Xiao Yan smiled. “With less than a five-star Dou Wang strength, how can you tell if someone is a Battle Emperor?”
Frowning, the old man was about to reply when a retainer rushed over, whispering something in his ear. After hearing the report, the old man glanced again at Xiao Yan, then waved the retainer away and courteously asked, “May I know, sir, your honorable name? And which faction do you belong to?”
“Yan Xiao, free-roaming.”
“Mr. Yan Xiao, I presume you’re here for the Black Emperor City auction?”
“Yes.”
Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Yan replied, “Can we enter now?”
“Of course…” The old man hurriedly nodded, presenting a green waist tag. “With this, you can head to the ‘Black Emperor Pavilion’ in the center of the city, and someone will arrange lodging for you. It’s meant for distinguished guests.”
Xiao Yan took the token and thanked the old man, then, with Little Healer Immortal and Zi Yan, entered the purple gate.
“Mr. Yan Xiao, the men you just killed may be scum, but they belonged to the Wolfpack Gang. Be careful.”
“Thanks for the warning,” came the distant reply as the trio disappeared into the shadows.
The old man, narrowing his eyes, summoned a retainer. “Report this to the Elder. Such strength doesn’t come from nowhere. With the complex situation in the Black Emperor City, we can’t afford any mistakes.”
“Yes, sir!” The retainer bowed and left swiftly.
Tapping his pipe, the old man muttered, “Yan Xiao? There’s no such young Battle Emperor in the Black-Corner Region… Heh, this guy is quite mysterious. Let’s see how the Wolfpack Gang handles him first…”
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