Looking at the white sealing sticker above the manor entrance, Ling Xiao revealed a disdainful cold sneer.
"This 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 it were the Moon Hua Sect that placed the sealing sticker here, I might accept it, but who are you, Beast King Palace, to dare claim the credit for my accomplishments?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he reached out and with a single slap, the sealing sticker instantly turned to dust, yet the two ordinary wooden doors remained completely intact.
That’s the beauty of exquisite control over True Essence.
In terms of manipulating True Essence, Ling Xiao claimed second place, and there likely weren’t many on the Heavenly Dragon Continent who would dare claim to be first.
"You bastard, what are you doing?"
Ling Xiao tearing off the seal of the Beast King Palace naturally triggered the dissatisfaction of the disciples of the Beast King Palace.
The first one to cause trouble was actually a woman.
This woman dressed in a wild, fiery manner, and her appearance was exceptionally seductive.
Seeing her, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but think of Ling Yu, another enchanting woman whose end was not pleasant.
The girl twisted her graceful waist, akin to a water snake.
Her every move, even her speech, was filled with intense seduction.
However, Ling Xiao merely glanced at her indifferently, his gaze emitting a chilling aloofness.
Although he appreciated beautiful women, in his eyes, this woman was nothing but a poisonous snake that devoured people.
He had no doubt that on her conscience lay many an innocent life, most likely mostly men.
Of course, those men who fell for her charms and got caught in her web deserved their fate.
However, that did not excuse this woman’s evil and cruelty.
In the Sacred Dynasty, Sects have never really distinguished between righteous and evil.
So, do not assume that the Twelve Sects lack people who practice demonic arts. After the fall of the True Demon Empire, quite a few Martial Arts made their way into the Twelve Sects.
Ling Xiao’s "Nine Demon God Technique" probably appeared at that time as well, though how it ended up with the Ling Family in the small Tianfeng City is a mystery.
"I’m tearing off the seal on the door, are your eyes not working?" Ling Xiao said lightly to the woman, his impression of her quite unfavorable.
Not just because of her commanding tone, but more so because he sensed cruelty and bloodlust in her aura.
Although Ling Xiao himself had killed people, he never killed the innocent.
This woman, however, was different.
"You well know that was a seal placed by my Beast King Palace, and yet you dare rip it off?"
The woman’s face showed a cold chill, and her eyes glimmered with intense killing intent.
"Nonsense. The mission in Plague Valley was completed by me. Even if a seal is to be placed, it should be by my Moon Hua Sect. Do you, Beast King Palace, really wish to steal others’ credit?"
Ling Xiao was not afraid of her killing intent; in fact, he hoped she would not provoke him.
Because he had killed enough people in the past few days and was truly reluctant to kill again.
"Hmph, a task you completed? Do you have any proof?" the woman scoffed disdainfully, her voice dripping with sarcasm and triumph.
"We can testify for Master Ling!" the two young masters of Green Valley dared to speak up for Ling Xiao at this time.
The woman’s eyes flashed with coldness, and suddenly, a phantom of a poisonous snake with a flickering tongue appeared behind her.
It is said that the Martial Artists of the Beast King Palace not only excel in controlling Monster Beasts and Ferocious Beasts but also uniformly possess animal-type Martial Souls.
Today, Ling Xiao got to witness it firsthand.
This woman’s Martial Soul must be some type of poisonous snake.
Five-Step Snake Martial Soul!
Ling Xiao’s brows slightly furrowed as he finally recognized the woman’s Martial Soul.
The Five-Step Snake is said to be so venomous that a human, once bitten, would inevitably die within five steps, hence its name showcasing the extraordinarily deadly nature of its bite.
This snake’s venom is more potent than that of a cobra. It is said that those bitten by it almost always die, while most of those bitten by a cobra can be saved.
The Five-Step Snake is extremely aggressive, and its head can rotate significantly, making it quite terrifying.
The woman seemed to have fused with her Five-Step Snake Martial Soul, inheriting the characteristics of the venomous snake.
The moment the Five-Step Snake Martial Soul appeared, a streak of poison shot instantly towards the Green Valley Young Master, who was speaking.
With Ling Xiao present, he naturally wouldn’t let these two die unjustly.
He casually flicked two pebbles, intercepting the poisonous streak mid-air.
However, the pebbles had already been corroded by the venom and rapidly decayed.
"Oh? I didn’t expect that someone who looks like merely a Half-step Grandmaster could block my strike. Interesting," the woman remarked, without continuing the attack, watching Ling Xiao with interest.
"I’m rather surprised myself. A disciple of the Beast King Palace attempting to casually kill a commoner— the conduct of your sect really isn’t commendable," Ling Xiao retorted.
Ever since the events in Yunkong City, Ling Xiao had harbored no good feelings towards the disciples of the Beast King Palace.
The Beast King Palace had actually assisted the Green-eyed Clan in attacking Yunkong City. If it hadn’t been for the sudden appearance of a Sword King Sect disciple, even Master Baiyun might have died there.
If Master Baiyun had died, Yunkong City would surely have been destroyed.
Lin Ze, Ling Yixue, Dai Yuling, and he himself, Ling Xiao, all would have likely died.
"She Mei, this man has insulted our sect. Why bother with words? Just kill him directly. Let’s take the credit for this place before the experts from the Moon Hua Sect arrive," another disciple of the Beast King Palace standing in front of the manor with She Mei spoke up.
So, the alluring woman’s name was She Mei.
Her name indeed suited her.
At this moment, another disciple of the Beast King Palace standing with She Mei in front of the manor spoke up.
Clearly, this person was impulsive. However, he was of the same ilk as She Mei, similarly bloodthirsty.
He demanded Ling Xiao’s death outright, which made Ling Xiao feel a coldness rise within him.
"Very well, Younger Brother Zhang, I’ll leave it to you. With your strength, killing him should be as easy as flipping your hand," She Mei said with a coquettish smile, nodding her head.
Gradually, more and more people appeared near the manor.
Among them were disciples of the Twelve Sects and some from smaller sects or noble families.
Their purpose for coming to the valley was essentially the same: they all wanted a share of the spoils.
However, judging by their cultivation levels, it seemed they were Inner Sect Disciples on missions nearby, with most of them below the Transcendent Realm Third Layer.
Seeing so many people gathered here, Ling Xiao had already made a decision.
Kill a chicken to warn the monkeys!
He would absolutely not allow anyone to take credit for his efforts. This was an opportunity.
If he could shock these people with a thunderous display, they would not dare to act recklessly.
By holding out until the people from Moon Hua Sect arrived, the matter would be resolved.
"Truly an ignorant fool. To think that you could tear our Beast King Palace’s seals!" Younger Brother Zhang from the Beast King Palace looked at Ling Xiao with a cold gaze, his voice filled with a strong sense of superiority and domineering presence.
One could only wonder where such feelings of supremacy and dominance came from.
His strength, perhaps?
But this Younger Brother Zhang’s strength wasn’t that impressive either, merely at the early stages of Transcendent Realm Third Layer, on the same level as Chen Zui and Shangguan Lei.
And yet, he dared to challenge Ling Xiao?