Chapter 503: Inside Information

Central Plains, Langya City.

Streaks of light from all directions streaked across the horizon, heading toward the central destination without any attempt at concealment. The pressure radiated by these streaks of light caused a burst of exclamations from the crowd below, followed by a wave of heated discussion.

"Is something major happening at Langya Pavilion recently?"

"It wouldn't be to settle a grudge, would it?"

Someone asked the people around them out of curiosity, and after speaking, they added a witty remark. Even so, judging by their expression, it was clearly just a casual comment not meant to be taken seriously, though the doubt itself was genuine.

As the premier grand city under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains' super-faction, Langya Pavilion, Langya City naturally never lacked experts passing through, especially in this current era of the continent's revival where experts emerged in succession. Even Dou Zun and Dou Sheng experts, who were once rarely seen, frequently appeared.

However, Langya City had its own rules. As the face of Langya Pavilion, one was not permitted to fly directly over Langya City without authorization. Many experts were willing to give Langya Pavilion some face, always honestly concealing their aura while passing through the city or simply bypassing it entirely.

One must respect the host if not the guest; who would be so thick-headed as to dare act in such a high-profile manner in public? Such a posture indeed carried a hint of settling a grudge.

"Settling a grudge? What a joke."

Clearly, the others did not take it seriously either, merely sneering.

After all, what kind of place was Langya Pavilion? And who would dare seek revenge against Langya Pavilion?

Since the end of the great war with the Soul Clan, the deeds of Pavilion Master Xiao Han of Langya Pavilion had long been widely circulated across the Dou Qi Continent. Excluding his own status as one of the continent's top experts and the power of Langya Pavilion, which was ranked alongside the Heavenly Mansion Alliance as one of the two super-factions in the Central Plains, half of the four Dou Di experts currently announced to the Dou Qi Continent came from Pavilion Master Xiao's own clan, the Xiao Clan.

Langya Pavilion lacked neither experts nor power. Settling a grudge? The former Soul Clan had been left without even their bones remaining!

At this moment, a well-informed "unrelated person" chuckled.

"What do you know?"

"Oh?"

The effect of the words was immediate; the curiosity of the crowd was instantly drawn in.

"Could it be that this brother has some unknown information?"

"That goes without saying."

The speaker laughed proudly, then his expression changed, his tone becoming light.

"But why should I tell you?"

Seeing this, the others understood. A young man in flashy clothes with frivolous manners, looking like a "rich young master" among the crowd, tossed a jade bottle toward the former and said irritably:

"What are you acting like a hermit for? Isn't it just that you want some benefits?"

"Is a Grade 6 Medicinal Pill enough?"

"If it's not enough..."

The "rich young master" stared at the other person with gloomy eyes, revealing an ill-intentioned smile.

"Although Langya City forbids private fighting in the streets, I still have the ability to drag you to another place and beat you up."

"Hey, this young master speaks too severely."

"This medicinal pill is more than enough!"

Hearing the warning, the man also sensibly accepted the pill. After all, he was only a small Dou Huang and could not afford to offend this young master who clearly came from a wealthy family. He explained to the crowd:

"You all may not know, but I have a good friend who is a Disciple of Langya Pavilion. According to him, things are not very peaceful right now."

As he spoke, the man shook his head as if it were a serious matter.

"Not peaceful? In what way is it not peaceful? Could it be that the Soul Clan has made a comeback?"

A middle-aged passerby asked curiously.

Anyone who had spent some time in the Central Plains knew the "glorious history" of the Soul Clan and its subordinate Soul Hall, if not in detail, then at least like the back of their hand.

They were the continent's definitive "troublemakers," and it was certainly no injustice to blame them for more than one-third of the heinous deeds in the Central Plains and even the entire continent.

Therefore, the moment they heard the continent was not peaceful, they cast suspicious eyes toward the remnants of the Soul Clan.

"That's not it."

The source of the news immediately denied it, then cautiously looked around and peered at the crowd carefully.

"I'll say this first."

He pointed to himself, then signaled to the others.

"These words today come from my mouth and enter your ears. I hope you won't let others know, otherwise, if Langya Pavilion investigates..."

By the end of his words, his tone had gradually become unfriendly.

Sensing a major piece of gossip, the crowd said impatiently:

"That goes without saying."

"It is only right."

"That's good."

Nodding with satisfaction, the source whispered:

"I heard from my brother that recently, some monsters have been appearing one after another all over the continent."

Monsters?

Before the others could ask, the former continued:

"It is said that those monsters have all sorts of strange appearances; some have green faces and fangs, while others look extremely similar to us Humans."

"However..."

As the emphasis fell, everyone realized the key point had arrived.

"The reason those things are called monsters is that, without exception, they feed on the living beings of the Dou Qi Continent."

"Whether they are Magic Beasts or Humans, they are all their targets for hunting, just like those who practice evil Cultivation Methods."

"What, they actually feed on living beings?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"There is actually such an evil race in the world, and there hasn't been the slightest rumor about it before?!"

"Hah!"

The crowd was stunned. Following the sound, they saw the source of the news let out a cold snort.

"Do you all think they are a race of the Dou Qi Continent?"

"Could it be that they are not?"

"Of course not."

The other party's tone was low,

"It is said that the power used by those monsters is not Dou Qi at all, but another kind of evil power that can corrupt Dou Qi, which is very troublesome to deal with.

The upper echelons of Langya Pavilion suspect that they are not creatures of the Dou Qi Continent at all, but Heavenly Outer Demons."

Heavenly Outer Demons?!

The crowd was stirred into a commotion, shocked by this news.

"I suspect that the reason so many experts are rushing to Langya Pavilion today is precisely because of this."

"The days ahead, I fear, will not be easy."

Leaving behind a sigh, that person took advantage of the moment the crowd was shocked to quietly slip away; "passersby" in the crowd, including a "wealthy young master," also departed without a sound.

Once the crowd dispersed, this "inside scoop" spread throughout the entire Central Plains, and such scenes were playing out all over Langya City.

At this moment, in Langya Pavilion, a group of experts watched these scenes unfold.

"You certainly have your methods."

Xiao Xuan looked at the smiling Yi Huang with slight surprise.

"Ancestor, you flatter me; it is merely a small trick."

"Pavilion Master Yi is too modest; this is no small trick. If it were left to us, I fear it would be very difficult to make others believe it."

Gu Yuan, who was also seated there, took up the conversation and expressed his appreciation.

Unlike the original story where Xiao Yan had the merit of saving the world as the Flame Emperor, earning him the fanatical trust and following of the experts in the Central Plains.

The current Xiao Yan is merely the first Imperial to appear on the surface in ten thousand years; although his act of ushering in Source Qi benefited the continent, it ultimately lacks the visual impact of a world-saving feat.

The Ancient Race, as well as super-factions like Langya Pavilion and the Heavenly Mansion, are only held in awe because of their strength and decent reputation.

The joint effort to destroy the Soul Clan in the past was seen by ordinary people as nothing more than an act of revenge and a case of "dog-eat-dog" for the sake of seizing the Ancient God Inheritance.

If the major super-factions were to announce to the world that the Outer Realm Evil Clan was coming and hoped to unify all the combat power of the continent, it would likely be immediately suspected as an attempt at expansion and annexation, thereby inciting resistance from the masses.

Only through this silent, subtle approach can a sense of urgency be cultivated across the continent, reducing the difficulty of establishing the alliance.

"Next, the figures of Heavenly Outer Demons will appear in some remote mountain ranges of the Central Plains, to be stumbled upon by experts of the Central Plains, and then experts from the Heavenly Mansion Alliance will arrive in time to exterminate them."

"They won't let those things cause any major trouble, will they?" Xiao Xuan asked casually.

"Please rest assured, Ancestor."

Yi Huang's voice was full of confidence, as if everything were under control,

"They are merely a few Eighth-Rank Magical Beasts from the Manghuang Ancient Region that have fused with the flesh and blood of the Evil Clan; they cannot be called troublesome."

"Why haven't I seen that brat Xiao Yan?" At this moment, the space nearby suddenly twisted, a pitch-black void appeared, and the figure of Zhu Kun stepped out, looked around, and said.

"Our 【Flame Emperor】 is burdened with a heavy responsibility; he will likely be absent from this assembly."

Xiao Xuan was not at all surprised by Zhu Kun's appearance and replied in a calm tone.

Before long, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and Ye Jianxin pushed the door open to salute Xiao Xuan and the others,

"Seniors, we may begin."