n

n

n

n“If you knew this would happen, why did you do it?”

n

n“I’ve regretted it countless times over the years. If I hadn’t sneaked out back then, I wouldn’t be in this state now. But all this is my own fault. I can’t blame anyone else.” The little girl’s expression was gloomy.

n

nShe peered at Xiao Ran.

n

nThere was a flicker of hope in her big eyes.

n

n“Big Brother, I want to ask you for a favor.”

n

n“Tell me about it,” Xiao Ran said.

n

n“If you have a chance to see my people, please help me pass on a message. Meng’er realizes her mistake now.”

n

n“All right,” Xiao Ran agreed.

n

n“I have nothing now. Even if I want to repay Big Brother for saving my life, I can’t do it. However, I know that in the Land of the 10 Perils, in the depths of the Endless Sky Mountain, there is a Beryl Lotus of Creation that contains the power of creation. It has at least 10,000 years of evolution. Big Brother, I hope you don’t mind accepting.”

n

n“You’re too kind,” Xiao Ran said.

n

nTurning over, the little girl knelt down in a certain direction and solemnly kowtowed three times.

n

nIt seemed to be where her family was, or maybe it was for someone she cared about.

n

nAs the purifying spiritual force that Xiao Ran had injected into her body was exhausted, her soul gradually became more transparent and ephemeral.

n

nIt then disintegrated into specks of soul light before vanishing completely.

n

n“I wish you peace and safety in your next life,” Xiao Ran said softly.

n

nAs he checked the rewards in the Golden Tome of Creation, he saw 1.5 million Mastery points, 150 years of Martial Arts Evolution, 150 years of soul evolution, Heaven Vanquishing Saber Technique (Transcending Heaven) and Megalodon Roc Body Strengthening Pill.

n

nHe added the 1.5 million Mastery points to the Heaven Vanquishing Saber Technique.

n

nAfter the attributes were refreshed,

n

nHeaven Vanquishing Saber Technique: Beginner’s Level.

n

nHe was still 210 years away from breaking through to Level 7 of the Profound Realm for the Martial Arts Evolution.

n

nIn terms of Spiritual Master Evolution, he was 530 years away from breaking through to the next level.

n

n“Why isn’t there any information about the Land of the 10 Perils in the Divine Sword Guards’ records? Could it be that they don’t know either?” Xiao Ran wondered.

n

nIt seemed like he would have to ask the Eldest Princess when he returned to the capital city.

n

nAfter leaving the stream, he returned to the base station of the Divine Sword Guards.

n

nIt was already dark by now.

n

nAs he entered the room, he pulled out Dancer from the folds of his robe.

n

n“Eh! You have digested a little more?” Xiao Ran smiled at it.

n

nIt had already broken through to the Master Realm. The power of the fiery flames ablaze on its limbs had doubled, and its overall strength had increased again.

n

nIt rubbed against his calf affectionately and whined imploringly.

n

nXiao Ran ruffled its head a little before extinguishing the light.

n

nAt midnight,

n

nLittle Zhou anxiously knocked on the door and yelled loudly, “Something big has happened! Brother Xiao, open the door quickly.”

n

n“This fellow… ” Xiao Ran got up from the bed in a very foul mood.

n

nXiao Ran opened the door,

n

nand gave Little Zhou a knock on his head first.

n

n“Has the sky collapsed?”

n

n“No!” Little Zhou shook his head in reply.

n

n“Has anyone attacked the Divine Sword Guards?”

n

n“No!”

n

n“Has your father caught up?” Xiao Ran asked again.

n

n“No! He doesn’t know I’m here,” Little Zhou said.

n

n“So nothing happened at all. Why are you yelling your lungs out in the middle of the night?”

n

nLittle Zhou scratched the back of his head awkwardly and wriggled his butt restlessly. “That’s true.”

n

n“Come in and talk.” Xiao Ran glared at him sternly and entered the hall.

n

nAfter taking a seat,

n

nLittle Zhou hurriedly took the teapot, poured two cups of tea, and placed one in front of him.

n

nAfter taking a sip of tea, Xiao Ran said, “Don’t tell me you didn’t pay at the Ten Thousand Flowers Mansion and someone came to block your door?”

n

nLittle Zhou was dumbfounded. “Do we look like people who lack this bit of money?”

n

n“So this has nothing to do with money, then it’s mainly for thrills?”

n

n“It’s not that. I had a great time with Lord Shen. We also paid them well.”

n

nSeeing that Xiao Ran had raised his hand and was about to knock his head again, Little Zhou did not hesitate and hurriedly said, “It’s not us. It’s the Sacred Martial Bureau that got into trouble.”

n

n“What has their trouble got to do with us?”

n

n“Tonight, Jiang Jingxiu led the Sacred Martial Bureau and a battalion of Dragon Blood Warriors to set up an inescapable net. They wanted to capture the Dark Netherworld Sect in one fell swoop, but they encountered a major obstacle. Guess what the outcome was?” Little Zhou kept him in suspense again.

n

nPow!

n

nXiao Ran gave him another knock on the head.

n

nLittle Zhou covered his head in grievance. “The reason I’m not smart is because you keep hitting me!”

n

n“Speak!”

n

nLittle Zhou then continued with his tale.

n

n“The sect master of the Dark Netherworld Sect is not a human at all. He’s actually a demon, and a Level 10 Grand Master at that. He’s half a step into the Profound Realm and has concealed himself too deeply. Less than 10 percent of the people who went there tonight escaped.”

n

n“One whole Battalion of Dragon Blood Warriors was also wiped out?” Xiao Ran asked with a frown.

n

n“Yes.” Little Zhou nodded in reply.

n

n“If he hadn’t brought the Dragon Blood warriors with him, I’m afraid he would have been buried there too.”

n

n“How did Lord Shen react?”

n

n“Lord Shen was very happy. He even hummed a little tune when he heard the news.”

n

n“Isn’t that settled then?” Xiao Ran rolled his eyes at him.

n

n“Leave quickly. Don’t disrupt my sleep.”

n

nLittle Zhou left.

n

nXiao Ran then closed the door to rest.

n

nAt the provincial government office,

n

nthe provincial governor, the magistrate, and the superintendent were all present. In addition to them, there was Jiang Jingxiu too.

n

nThe three of them glared at him in a chilly fashion, especially the provincial governor. Their enraged glare seemed capable of swallowing him.

n

nJiang Jingxiu knew that he was in the wrong this time and did not dare to look at them. He kept his head lowered and pretended to be pitiful.

n

n“A whole battalion of Dragon Blood Warriors has been destroyed. You must take full responsibility for this!” The Provincial Governor growled menacingly.

n

nJiang Jingxiu opened his mouth a few times trying to defend himself, but could find no good reason.

n

nThe Provincial Governor continued, “Now what are you going to do?”

n

n“The Sacred Martial Bureau suffered heavy losses this time. Most of our men died out there. The remaining people can only barely maintain our daily operations. We can no longer spare any manpower to go after the Dark Netherworld Sect again.”

n

nLooking at him, Jiang Jingxiu suggested tentatively.

n

n“Why don’t we transfer all the Dragon Blood Warriors over there to destroy the Dark Netherworld Sect?”

n

n“In your dreams!” the Provincial Governor roared at him.

n

n“One whole battalion has already been lost. If anything happens again, the Imperial Court will hold us accountable. I can’t afford to take this responsibility! If you want to die, you can go ahead. I do not wish to die with you!”

n