Soul Emperor Martial God

Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Departure

After a while, the staff member from the Demon Hunting Hall returned and handed back Xiao Yi’s Token.

”Mr. Yi Xiao, here is your Token, we have registered it for you, starting from now on you are a Third-level Demon Hunter,” said the Demon Hunting Hall staff member politely.

”Can I take on third-level tasks now?” Xiao Yi asked.

”Of course, you can,” the Demon Hunting Hall staff member said, ”not just third-level tasks, you can take on any level tasks from fourth to fifth.”

”I thought there were restrictions against taking on higher-level tasks?” Xiao Yi questioned with confusion.

The Demon Hunting Hall staff member chuckled and said, ”That’s only for Level 1 Demon Hunters. They are all novices with weaker strengths. We, the Demon Hunting Hall, fear they might recklessly take on tasks and end up losing their lives, hence the restriction.”

”Since you have completed a third-level recruitment task and have the Cultivation of the Innate Realm, now as a Third-level Demon Hunter, naturally, those restrictions no longer apply to you.”

”That makes sense,” Xiao Yi nodded, took his Token, and then took on some tasks at the Task Department.

By the way, ever since he left the Cave Mansion, he had always worn the Ghost Mask.

Once the King of Assassins, he knew all too well that one more identity could very well mean one more life.

Since he was now serving as a Demon Hunter under the name Yi Xiao, he might as well wear a mask for the time being.

Among Independent Martial Artists roaming outside, many wore masks for various reasons—to conceal their identities, avoid their enemies, or hide facial disfigurements.

In sum, wearing a mask was quite normal for Martial Artists and wouldn’t draw particular attention from others.

Just alone on his walk around Mystic Breakthrough City, Xiao Yi encountered quite a few Martial Artists wearing masks.

Furthermore, the Ghost Mask looked quite ordinary, similar to other masks.

Leaving the Demon Hunting Hall, Xiao Yi prepared to head to the Sky-splitting Sword Sect.

Just as he was stepping out of the Demon Hunting Hall’s main entrance, he met some Martial Artists head-on—it was Uncle Tie Da and the others.

But none of them paid any attention to Xiao Yi and just walked right past.

In the Demon Hunting Hall, Martial Artists were coming and going every day, and no one particularly noticed each other.

”Captain, what level of difficulty should we take for our next task?”

”Should we issue another recruitment task to hire some hands?”

Lin Fei and Wang Yuan were discussing as they walked.

Uncle Tie Da sighed, ”Ah, Brother Yi Xiao is dead, and Qianmo has been taken away by her family. We won’t be that lucky to recruit such good teammates again. Let’s forget it, the difficulty of this mission isn’t that high, anyway.”

”Eh, right, Lin Fei,” Uncle Tie Da continued, ”later, go buy some incense and candles. In a few days, when we head to the Thundering Desolate Marsh for our mission, let’s also pay our respects to Brother Yi Xiao.”

”Okay,” Lin Fei nodded.

The group chatted as they passed Xiao Yi by and entered the Demon Hunting Hall.

Beside them, Xiao Yi couldn’t help but have a face full of black lines.

He didn’t reveal his identity, though; since he was about to leave Mystic Breakthrough City, and there wouldn’t be any interactions in the future, it was good to know that the others were fine.

Besides, he had a score to settle with the Northern Mountain Murong Family and preferred not to get involved with others so as not to implicate them.

With that thought, Xiao Yi glanced back at Uncle Tie Da and the others, then left, ready to head to the Sky-splitting Sword Sect.

...

Inside a luxurious room in an inn within Mystic Breakthrough City.

Qianmo continuously shook the arm of an elderly man.

The old man had a bitter expression, ”Miss, please stop shaking me, or my old bones will fall apart.”

Qianmo stopped her shaking and pleaded, ”Then, Grandpa Mu, wouldn’t you take me to the cave mansion of the Bloodthirsty Profound Monarch, just once?”

The old man shook his head helplessly and said, ”Miss, I know you want to save Yi Xiao. But the cave mansion of that scoundrel, Bloodthirsty Profound Monarch, no, it can’t really be called a cave mansion—it originally is a massive sealed ground.”

”That was created by the Bloodthirsty Profound Monarch himself using his life; it would take a Martial Artist several times stronger than him to forcibly break the Prohibition. It’s not as simple as just walking in. At the very least, I don’t have that ability.”

”You’re lying,” Qianmo persisted stubbornly.

The old man gave a wry smile, ”Miss, I really didn’t lie to you. Not to mention me, even the entire Northern Mountain County might not be able to find a Martial Artist several times stronger than the Bloodthirsty Profound Monarch of those years.”

”With the power of that madman, even ordinary Earth Origin Realm Martial Artists couldn’t deal with him; it would take at least a Mid-stage or even Late Stage Earth Origin Realm Martial Artist to do so. Tell me, what ability do I, Grandpa Mu, have to break his Prohibition?”

The old man continued, ”Miss, think about it: a big city like Mystic Breakthrough City, with several Family Heads of major clans being of the Mysterious Profundity Realm, with their influence, could they possibly be unaware of information even ordinary Demon Hunters know?”

”But they don’t send a single Martial Artist, clearly knowing there’s something fishy about the place, sending people there would just be sending them to their deaths, with no chance of getting any treasure.”

”Only those fools would go; Yi Xiao died in vain, he was stupid too...”

Seeing Qianmo’s face turn unsightly, the old man shut his mouth.

”You... you’re bullying me!” Qianmo, frustrated, stamped her foot fiercely and snatched the old man’s beard.

”Ouch... stop pulling my beard... it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...” the old man quickly said, ”Alright, Grandpa Mu misspoke, please let go.”

Qianmo released the old man’s beard and urgently said, ”If no one in Northern Mountain County can break the Prohibition, I will go back and find Grandpa. Grandpa will definitely be able to help me.”

The old man said, ”With the Valley Master’s strength, of course, he could break that Prohibition. However, if we return to Medicine King Valley and then come back here to Northern Mountain County, will we still be in time?”

”Based on what you said earlier, I would guess that the Heavenly Star Thunder Crocodile must still be within the seal, merely having formed a doppelganger and tinkered with the Prohibition, which is why ordinary Demon Hunters can enter the Cave Mansion.”

Clearly no ordinary person, the old man had not personally visited the Cave Mansion, yet he had guessed many things.

The old man continued, ”You don’t know what kind of a Fierce Beast that Heavenly Star Thunder Crocodile is; its doppelganger alone is powerful enough to crush all Martial Artists below the Mysterious Profundity Realm. Miss, think about it, after such a long time, isn’t that young man already long dead?”

”Moreover, the big explosion that you mentioned, I’m afraid it has already killed that young man.”

”I...” Qianmo’s face suddenly turned pale, and she collapsed weakly.

The old man said with deep concern, ”Miss, listen to Grandpa Mu. Your sneaking out this time has worried the Valley Master and your father sick; if you don’t go back soon, they’ll be beside themselves with worry. Let’s head back first.”

Qianmo nodded slightly but remained silent.

”Sigh,” the old man sighed inwardly, thinking that the Miss had been pampered since birth, never having left her family, naive to the ways of the world, kind-hearted, unaware of the dangers in this world. That Yi Xiao, he didn’t know what was happening, but he had somehow made the Miss so distraught, her entire mind fixated on him.

Well, it’s no use thinking about it; that young man is dead anyway.

”Let’s go,” the old man said as he helped Qianmo up, speaking earnestly, ”Miss, we had an agreement, if you slip away under my watch again, the Valley Master will strangle me to death. Be good and don’t cause any more trouble, okay?”

Qianmo remained silent, her frail figure looking somewhat pitiable.

”Sigh,” the old man sighed again.

The two left Mystic Breakthrough City.

.....

Outside the gates of Mystic Breakthrough City, Xiao Yi glanced at the simple and ancient three characters, smiled, and turned to leave.

Just after he had left, an old man appeared with a young girl.

The girl, dressed in green, was already strikingly beautiful at her young age, and it wasn’t hard to imagine she’d grow up to be an absolutely stunning woman.

However, for some reason, at this moment her face was deathly pale, her gaze distant, as if pondering some heartbreaking issue.

Before leaving, the young girl turned to look at the three ancient characters on the city gate, gave a sad smile, and turned to go.

...

After leaving Mystic Breakthrough City, Xiao Yi immediately hastened on his way to the Sky-splitting Sword Sect.

Of course, along the way, he also took on many tasks, all of which could be conveniently completed en route.

A hundred miles away from Mystic Breakthrough City, in a wilderness forest.

Xiao Yi stood on a tree, glancing below, and murmured, ”So this is the Poison Dragon Mountain Bandit Group’s lair, huh? Tsk tsk, quite a large bandit group, with no fewer than several hundred members, and their leader is an Innate Ninth Layer Martial Artist, with several Innate Realm Martial Artists among them. No wonder so many Demon Hunting Teams have been unable to deal with them, even dying at their hands.”