Though he asked this, Fu Baiya couldn’t help but wonder in his heart. Although Fu Yu was considered a somewhat talented member of their white tiger clan’s main branch with succession rights, his reputation wasn’t very prominent in the entire clan, so he didn’t even have the qualification to send invitations to people in the Royal Heavenly Capital.
But this Prince Yan was the second-ranked successor to the entire Nine Lands, and right now, when they still didn’t know the first ranked successor’s whereabouts, he was the most powerful and influential person. How could Yan Tianhen give Fu Yu such a big face?
Could it be that Fu Yu, this boy, privately had some kind of friendship with people in the Purple Emperor’s Heavenly Capital?
Yan Tianhen was just about to say, “Participate, yeah right,” when he felt someone press down on his shoulder using spiritual Qi.
“Naturally.” Hai Kuanglang leaned against the chair and spoke with a wanton smile, “Today, we just came to visit in greetings first. We’ll formally pay our respects to the tiger clan’s Fu Yu another day.”
Fu Baiya smiled. “Since Esteemed Guests have arrived at my Southwest Land, this king will naturally act as host. It’s better to bump into a date than to choose an auspicious date. This king will take you to the palace for a tour.”
Yan Tianhen didn’t know what kind of medicine was in Hai Kuanglang’s gourd, so he nodded. “Since Beast Emperor is so hospitable, it will be impolite to refuse.”
The Beast Emperor took them around the beast palace. Most of the beast clans were undisciplined in nature and didn’t like rules and restraint, so the conversation along the way was harmonious, and they didn’t make any distinction between superior and subordinate. After Yan Tianhen introduced several other disciples and friends who came along with him, the Beast Emperor’s entire attitude immediately changed a little when he heard Fuyao Sect’s name. The gaze he used to look at Hai Kuanglang and the others also held some admiration.
After all, Fuyao Sect was the most mysterious sect besides Myriad Dao Academy. Although it had very few people, it never produced any bad sprouts. In the earlier generations, there was a person who stirred up chaos in the Nine Lands and eventually became King Ye’s consort, pampered and spoiled under the heavens — Demon Venerable You Ming. There was also Esteemed Lan Yue, whose divination was able to prevent the outbreak of mountain fires from killing all the plants and vegetation in the South Lands. In the later generations, there was the Godslayer Sword Immortal Bei Shitian, who had won first place in the sword conference and surpassed all the other heroes there, as well as Yan Tianhen, who had both high status and authority…In any case, Fuyao Sect, which was cut off from the rest of the world and whose traces couldn’t be seen through, had already become a sacred existence in the people’s hearts.
The Beast Emperor repeatedly sighed and felt that heroes truly did spring forth from the young generation. But then he looked at his own lonesome self, whose children and grandchildren all ran outside one by one to declare themselves kings of some small territories and never returned home. The Beast Emperor couldn’t help wanting to shed two lines of clear tears when he thought of that. Just when he was complaining that his family’s children ran without any regard to their home and were disobedient, a guard strode forward and informed, “Your Majesty, Reincarnation Palace’s Young Palace Master has already reached the palace gate.”
When they heard Reincarnation Palace’s name, the faces of Yan Tianhen and the others all changed. Qi Feiqing, in particular, turned green.
“You guys have dealings with Reincarnation Palace?” Yan Tianhen’s eyes instantly became cold.
Although Fu Baiya was somewhat embarrassed, he had still been an emperor for many years, so he forcibly held up the atmosphere and answered vaguely, “Nothing more than some transactions for magic treasures.”
Wan Yitong narrowed his eyes and sneered, “Reincarnation Palace is a den of thieves that the imperial capital wants to hang on the wall to whip their corpses. The Royal Heavenly Capital has sent down a decree expressly forbidding the Divine Clans’ royal families to engage in any dealings with it. Is the Beast Emperor not too brazen?”
However, when someone tentatively made a deal with Reincarnation Palace, people soon noticed that what Reincarnation Palace said was indeed the truth.
After all, although the information they wanted to find, the treasures they wanted to obtain, and the people they wanted to kill looked extremely difficult to ordinary people, Reincarnation Palace completed all the requests in a short time.
It still would’ve been fine if it was just that.
However, three years ago, Reincarnation Palace accepted a job to take the head of Royal Heavenly Capital’s Marquis Qi. At that time, Marquis Qi’s cultivation had already reached Earth Realm’s Major Perfection Stage, and the Purple Emperor’s Heavenly Capital also had the Black and White Crow Guards, as well as the Imperial Guards defending it, so everyone thought it was an impossible job.
However, just when all the people were waiting to see Reincarnation Palace make a joke of itself, Marquis Qi was decapitated that very night, and even his soul was crushed into pieces.
People in the Nine Lands were suddenly stunned, and the Emperor was furious. He ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. In the end, they did not find the murderer but found traces left by Reincarnation Palace.
In reality, it was true that Reincarnation Palace didn’t refute any rumors from the outside world. Even the Qi family in charge of criminal law could be easily beheaded by Reincarnation Palace, so other families in the Royal Heavenly Capital all felt alarmed and uneasy.
At this point, Reincarnation Palace completely became the object of suppression by the Nine Lands’ Divine Clans, and the clans had once joined hands to suppress it. However, because the whereabouts of Reincarnation Palace members were too secretive and difficult to find, plus every member who appeared had extremely high cultivation and was a person of outstanding talent, nobody had been able to successfully eliminate them thus far. Reincarnation Palace continued to do its business as usual and carry out assassination missions, but the fees they charged were said to have increased due to the crackdown, which caused many people to hold a bad opinion of the Divine Clans.
After rubbing his hands, the Beast Emperor said awkwardly, “The white tiger Fu clan would never have made deals with them if they had another choice. Moreover, the Fu family did not pay them to assassinate anyone or find out any information, but we merely wanted to obtain a medicinal pill from them.”
Yan Tianhen glared at him. “What kind of medicinal pill do you want? Can’t you go to the Purple Emperor’s Heavenly Capital to find my Yan family? Why must you trade with this kind of trash?”
The Beast Emperor answered, “It’s the Nine Ranks Return Soul Pill.”
Yan Tianhen was stunned and couldn’t help but ask, “Nine Ranks Return Soul Pill? Why are you looking for this? Whose soul was lost?”
The Beast Emperor sighed. “This matter concerns the future of the white tiger clan and the safety of the entire Southwest Land. If not for the fact that you just happened to encounter this, I wouldn’t have said a word. However, there is only so much I can say. Even if you ask again, I won’t reveal another word.”
Qi Feiqing’s face, which looked like a young baby, showed a cold smile as he bared his white teeth. “I’ve never seen Reincarnation Palace’s people with my own eyes before. Come on, let’s take a look together.”
The Beast Emperor had no choice but to take them to the gate of White Tiger Palace to meet Reincarnation Palace’s envoy. They saw a perfectly blue bird circle over the palace gate several times, chirping. Flames spewed from a long white beak.
“Bifang?!” Yan Tianhen was very surprised and looked at the beautiful bird with bright fur. There was a young man in white sitting on Bifang. He placed his hand on Bifang’s back and jumped down from the high air, landing on the limestone floor.
The young man carried a broadsword on his back. The sword’s body was wrapped in cloth and couldn’t be seen. He wore a black jade crown on his head, with long hair reaching his waist. His eyes were full of a willful and flamboyant heroic vigor befitting of a youth, which was really extraordinary.
“Who is the Beast Emperor?” The young man asked as soon as he landed.
Yan Tianhen studied the young man but couldn’t figure out the depth of his cultivation.
The Beast Emperor hurriedly stepped forward. “Dare I ask whether this one is Reincarnation Palace’s envoy?”
The teenager glanced at him with a pair of black eyes. “Precisely. I have brought what you want; you should pay the remaining half of the commission.”
The Beast Emperor was overjoyed and nodded again and again. “The sparrow spirits have already been prepared; I’ll have someone present it immediately.”
“Wait.” Yan Tianhen swept a glance over the boy who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. “Don’t you know that sparrow spirits are spiritual items belonging to the Divine Clans and cannot be exchanged freely?”
The teenager narrowed his eyes, as if he had just noticed Yan Tianhen. His attitude was very cold and proud. “So what if I know? Go and tell the Beast Emperor about this matter. After all, the sparrow spirit is not from my hands, so I don’t bear this responsibility.”
Qi Feiqing couldn’t hold back anymore. He drew his sword and cursed, “Dog of Reincarnation Palace, leave your life behind!”
“Why don’t you try?!”
Although the teenager in white was young, his cultivation wasn’t low, and he drew his sword to directly block Qi Feiqing’s attack. Several trees on both sides were hit squarely by the sword Qi, causing a lot of tremors. Yan Tianhen frowned slightly, took out the longbow that had already been materialized with Yin flames, and drew back the bowstring to shoot at the teenager.
Bifang, which was originally playing in the air, saw this and let out a cry as it dived down towards Yan Tianhen. Yan Tianhen turned and shot towards Bifang instead. Bifang didn’t retreat but instead advanced, opening its beak and spewing a mouthful of fire towards the spiral Yin flame arrow.
The two flames collided. Although the Yin flame arrow had melted a lot, the tail of the arrow still brushed Bifang’s wings as it flew past, taking off a few bloody feathers.
Bifang immediately cried anxiously.
When the teenager saw that Bifang was injured, his gaze suddenly became angry. He gnashed his teeth at the Beast Emperor. “Very good! Since you were not sincere in making a deal with us and even sent people to besiege me, then this deal is off!”
Once he said that, the boy jumped onto Bifang’s back, opened a medicine bottle, and poured the liquid into Bifang’s wound, intending to leave this place.
When Yan Tianhen below saw this, he raised his sword. “Want to run?”
Wan Yitong and Bei Shitian followed closely by stepping on their swords, planning to capture this person.
The Beast Emperor was stunned by this change and shouted again and again, “I’m not with them! It’s all a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding ah! Daoist friend, don’t go. Daoist friend, please stay. Daoist friend, let me explain ah!”
Hai Kuanglang pressed a hand on the Beast Emperor’s shoulder and looked behind him. He couldn’t help but curl his lips. “Your fox tail has been exposed. It seems that your Southwest Land hasn’t been very peaceful recently.”
When the fox disguised as the Beast Emperor was exposed, he stamped his feet anxiously and angrily. “You all ah, you have ruined an important event!”
Hai Kuanglang responded, “It’s everyone’s responsibility to catch evil and crooked people. I’ll talk to you again after my junior martial brothers have taken down that boy.”
Yan Tianhen chased Yin Nian all the way to the countryside outside the city.
White Tiger City was a mountain city; there were mountains everywhere. From time to time, trees that had become spirits would release vines toward the sky, catching passing birds and turning them into nourishment. One of Bifang’s wings was injured by the Yin flames, and the bird was nearly entangled by a tree vine, so its flight speed slowed down considerably.
Yin Nian secretly regretted not listening to his master’s words and insisting on breaking into this sinister White Tiger City alone. He forgot how malicious people’s hearts were.
The people behind him chased him very urgently, and from time to time they even shot arrows at him, which almost made him cry.
Yan Tianhen’s cultivation was obviously higher than his. If it wasn’t for the fact that Yan Tianhen wanted to capture him alive, he probably would have been killed a long time ago.
“If you run again, this prince will not be polite.” Yan Tianhen stood on the sword with his bow drawn into a full moon shape. The arrow was directly pointing at Yin Nian’s heart.
