Chapter 300: I, Yuan Yao

The Heavenly Pride Token is a priceless treasure!

Two years ago, a single Heavenly Pride Token was auctioned for two hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones!

It was Top-Grade Spirit Stones, not Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

If converted into Low-Grade Spirit Stones, that would be twenty million Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

Evil cultivators and demonic cultivators naturally cannot enter Tian Jiaocheng with a Heavenly Pride Token, but they can use the token to earn Spirit Stones!

As for other cultivators, they all come chasing this half of the Treasure Map.

Therefore, they are all determined to act.

"Everyone, calm down first," Fang Lao said, helplessly laughing.

After the crowd's emotions settled a bit, Fang Lao turned his head toward the back, clapped his hands twice—'Clap! Clap!'—and the guards lifted the black‑cloth‑covered cage.

The onlookers were startled and uncertain.

Fang Lao stepped up to the cage, pulled the black cloth away, and inside the more intricate Black Iron Prison Cage was a young man bound by heavy iron chains, his skin gaunt, cheekbones hollow, a pale mouth torn and still stained with blood.

He knelt inside the cage, his hands tangled in the chains and pulled to his sides.

The young man's nose was bruised and his face swollen, clearly tormented; he hung his head, his gaze vacant, looking dazed.

When Yuan Yao and the three others saw the man in the cage, their expressions changed abruptly.

Had it not been for the mask covering his face, their reaction would surely have caught Fang Lao's attention on the stage.

"Earlier we heard that the other half of the Treasure Map was linked to the head of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy, but that head is dead, so the trail was lost. However—" Fang Lao shifted tone, smiling, "that boy is the head's grandson. We subjected him to harsh interrogation, used the Soul Search Technique, and discovered that the other half of the Treasure Map indeed belonged to the ancestors of the Ao Clan, and that half is hidden within the Ao Clan's ancestral tomb."

"To enter the Ao Clan's ancestral tomb, we must use this boy as the key."

"Everyone, I needn't say more; you all know how important this boy is now."

Fang Lao gave a slow smile.

At that moment, Yuan Yao, seated in the front row, suddenly stood and said, "Isn't he the fourth disciple of the Carefree Sect's sect master?"

When "Carefree Sect" was mentioned, the crowd froze briefly, then hesitantly stared at the young man in the cage.

Fang Lao was momentarily stunned, then kindly laughed, "Miss, there is no disciple of the Carefree Sect's sect master here; you must have mistaken him."

Meanwhile, the young man in the cage seemed to hear a familiar voice; his gaze gradually focused, and he strained to lift his head, vaguely seeing a white silhouette.

Yuan Yao sneered, "Your Xue Nu Chang is truly audacious, daring to strike at members of our Carefree Sect."

The onlookers were shocked, staring at Yuan Yao in disbelief.

She is actually a member of the Carefree Sect!

Then who exactly is she?

Second Elder Zong Riao of the Carefree Sect? Or Xiao Lingwei, the second disciple of the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord?

Even Fang Lao showed a stunned expression, then, with a light touch that moved mountains, said, "The person inside this cage is not from the Carefree Sect. If Miss wants to cause trouble in our Xue Nu Chang, don't blame us for being ruthless."

Having said that, Song Yan, Zong Yu'er, and Lin Xuechen all rose to their feet.

Song Yan said gravely, "He is our Carefree Sect disciple, Ao Su. Xue Nu Chang, please release him."

Fang Lao's expression turned completely cold; with a single glance, countless shadow guards emerged from the darkness, surrounding the hall.

"How do I feel you are trying to use your identities to snatch the other half of the Treasure Map? Your motives are truly sinister!" Fang Lao sneered.

Immediately, he ordered, "Kill these people who confuse the truth!"

The words barely left his mouth.

The shadow guards darted toward Yuan Yao and the three others.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The clatter of heavy objects hitting the ground rang out; the shadow guards' bodies suddenly froze, slamming hard onto the floor, then they felt their heads split as the spirit sea within them was being wildly devoured by another surge of spiritual power.

"Aaah…" they cried, clutching their heads.

The crowd was utterly astonished.

At that moment, Yuan Yao lightly rose onto the round platform, steadied herself, and reached up to remove her mask.

"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet."

The girl's gaze was as calm as a bottomless lake, fixed on Fang Lao, her voice clear: "I am Yuan Yao, from the Carefree Sect's Tianwu Peak, disciple of the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord."

Everyone present was so shocked their jaws nearly dropped.

Yuan Yao turned out to be the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord's junior disciple!

And she is the Immortal Lord's most beloved junior disciple!

Fang Lao was momentarily speechless with astonishment; he felt a hidden dread in his heart, but before he could decide, Yuan Yao's voice, like celestial music, rang out.

"I'll count to three. If you don't release my senior brother Ao within three seconds…"

"Then I'm sorry, I, Yuan Yao, will make your Xue Nu Chang—"

"…plagued with chaos."

Those words caused everyone to gasp.

They all glanced at Fang Lao, whose expression shifted, showing hesitation.

"Three."

At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows, charging straight toward Yuan Yao.

Before it could reach Yuan Yao, Song Yan's sword flipped it onto the ground.

Boom—

The massive pressure emanating from Song Yan poured out instantly.

The person who fell was the Third Hall Officer of Xue Nu Chang; his face turned pale, he clutched his chest, and with a servant's help he stood up.

"Two."

Yuan Yao kept her gaze steady, her voice cold.

Fang Lao gritted his teeth, and because he feared the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord, he had no choice but to compromise; he just loosened his mouth: "Release..."

Before his words fell, a sentence was heard from a private room.

"Is that all the ability you have, Xue Nu Chang?"

Another private room transmitted an old voice: "This is the territory of your Xue Nu Chang; because we feared a few wet-behind-the-ears people, we therefore handed over the 'key' of the other half of the Treasure Map! Haha, such a miserable conduct really makes people look at you anew!"

His tone was laced with cold mockery and sarcasm.

Fang Lao's refined visage instantly shifted like a palette, becoming extremely ugly, just as he was about to speak—

"Cannot release!" The Third Hall Officer, who had just been overturned by a sword, instantly showed a fierce expression: "This matter, I have already informed the Field Master! The Field Master says, not only cannot we release, but we must also seize them all!"

Fang Lao was stunned.

"One."

Yuan Yao's three-countdown sounds also all fell.

Yuan Yao's hand manifested that five-colored long sword, she transmitted sound to Zong Yu'er and Lin Xuechen: "Senior Sister Zong, Senior Brother Lin, later you first escape and wait for us!"

Zong Yu'er and Lin Xuechen's faces slightly changed; before they could answer Yuan Yao, they sensed an extremely terrifying power pressure coming toward them.

And the next instant, Yuan Yao and Song Yan each swung a sword!

Boom!

A tremendous explosive sound, the powerful shockwave instantly blew the surrounding people onto the ground.

At this moment, a guard hurriedly came and said to the Third Hall Officer: "Not good! The basement's seal formation has been broken! Those blood slaves... blood slaves... have all escaped!"