Chapter 119: Back Home!
After making his decision, Xiao Ze began preparing to return to the Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Xun Er, after returning to the Ancient Family, has rapidly progressed in her power. She is probably about to advance to the Dou Wang level, having been stuck at the ninth star of Dou Ling for a long time.
Whenever someone in his circle reaches a significant level, Xiao Ze gets the opportunity to link to them. When Xun Er advances to Dou Wang, he will have two accumulated linking opportunities.
The first objective upon returning to the Jia Ma Empire is to use these linking opportunities, as they are key to his power growth.
In the Jia Ma Empire, an individual with exceptional talent is Qing Lin from Desert Stone City. Xiao Ze is concerned because Medusa has not yet evolved through the Blue Lotus Flame. Therefore, he cannot link with the lineage of the Devouring Rainbow Serpent.
"Well, that can wait. Plans don't always go as expected. The main thing now is to use the linking opportunities I have."
"Qing Lin's Three-Flowered Green Snake Eyes have great power over snake-type magical beasts. I just need to recruit her so she can slowly absorb the strength of these beasts."
"This is the main reason why Qing Lin can keep up with Xiao Yan's terrifying cultivation speed."
Another important task is to resolve the Xiao family's problems. Xiao Ze plans to relocate the Xiao family to prepare for any eventuality.
On one hand, he wants to cut off any investigation the Hall of Souls might be conducting in the Jia Ma Empire to find the Ancient Emperor Flame. This should buy them some time.
On the other hand, he wants to relocate the Xiao family because he cannot always be there to protect them. With Xiao Yan's propensity to get into trouble, it's likely to attract the attention of some powerful force. If neither he nor Xiao Yan are present, any first or second-tier force in the Jia Ma Empire could crush the Xiao family.
Therefore, Xiao Ze plans to move the Xiao family to Jia Nan City. With the protection of Jia Nan Academy, their safety would be guaranteed. Additionally, being in the Black Corner Territory, the information is so confusing that it would be difficult for the Hall of Souls to track anything.
Xiao Ze has been making Dou Ling pills for many elders of the academy. When he mentions his plan, the academy elders will probably not hesitate to help the Xiao family. With so many Dou Wangs looking after the family, their survival in Jia Nan City would be much easier.
And if the Xiao family doesn't want to move? That's ridiculous! The Xiao family already had to flee from the Central Region in the past, so moving again to avoid trouble shouldn't be an issue.
Convincing the Xiao family will be easy. He just needs to show a bit of his Dou Wang power to gain maximum authority within the family. Then, he will explain the external threat, and they will understand they need to leave immediately.
These are the two main tasks Xiao Ze must tackle upon returning to the Jia Ma Empire. However, the details will have to be resolved once he is there.
First, he asked the Great Elder for permission to leave and then asked Xiao Yi Xian if she wanted to accompany him to the Jia Ma Empire.
The Great Elder was very understanding of Xiao Ze's leave request. After all, Xiao Ze hadn't returned to his family in two years, so it was understandable that he wanted to visit home. Moreover, as an elder of the academy, he wasn't as restricted as the students.
Even if Xiao Ze wanted to take a few years to travel the continent, the Great Elder wouldn't stop him. He knew that talents like Xiao Ze don't fully develop if they always stay in the academy.
Xiao Yi Xian was delighted to be able to return to the Jia Ma Empire, as it is the place where she was born. She wanted to visit Qing Shan Town, although she was a bit disillusioned with the Thousand Medicines Hall. Still, she had some memories of that place.
When Zi Yan learned that Xiao Ze was going back to the Jia Ma Empire, she insisted on going with him.
"No problem with you coming along. The Jia Ma Empire doesn't have as many restrictions as the academy."
"But who will make pills for me if you go?" Zi Yan asked with her big, bright eyes.
"You glutton! I'll prepare a good amount of pills for you before I leave. You'll keep them and eat them slowly." Xiao Ze patted her head. With that promise, Zi Yan was happy.
"Perfect! But come back soon, I don't want to have to eat those horrible herbs again."
Thus, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian set off for the Jia Ma Empire. Thanks to Xiao Ze, Xiao Yi Xian's leave was approved quickly.
They left Jia Nan City, traversed a primordial forest, and reached the border between Jia Nan Academy and the Black Corner Territory: Peace Town.
"Time flies. The last time I was here was two years ago," Xiao Yi Xian commented while looking at Peace Town. With the academy uniform, the town guards didn't bother her. However, Xiao Ze caught the guards' attention.
But when he showed his elder's badge, the guards bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Elder Xiao!"
With the guards watching them leave, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian donned black cloaks and ventured into the Black Corner Territory.
"The name Xiao Ze sounds familiar."
"He's the student who broke all those records! Isn't he?"
"Has he become an elder?"
The guards were astonished to recall Xiao Ze's story.
Using their Dou Qi wings, Xiao Ze flew with Xiao Yi Xian in his arms at high speed.
"Xiao Ze, we've been traveling for days. Could we rest in some town?" Xiao Yi Xian said while fixing her hair, tousled by the wind.
"Sure, I've detected a small town nearby."
They landed on a hill and headed toward the town.
At the entrance, Xiao Ze looked up and read the sign: "Hu Sha City."
"Imposing name," Xiao Ze commented, though in his perception, the strongest fighter in the city was just a Dou Ling.
They paid the entrance fee and entered the city.
Ah!
As soon as they entered, they heard a scream and saw a man being decapitated.
"What a friendly place the Black Corner Territory is," Xiao Ze commented sarcastically, ignoring the incident while leading Xiao Yi Xian to an inn.
Their black cloaks made the townsfolk cautious. They didn't dare attack without more information.
In the inn, Xiao Ze poured the tea onto the ground, where it began to emit steam.
"Seems they mistook us for easy prey."
Xiao Ze's eyes gleamed coldly. He didn't plan to be lenient. In the Black Corner Territory, he didn't need to hold back.
Xiao Yi Xian dipped a finger into the teacup and then shook it off.
"Deadly poison. Even for a Dou Shi, this would be lethal."
"Let's meet who's behind this," Xiao Ze opened the door, extended his hand, and pulled a man from a corner.
"I'll only ask you once, who sent you?"
The man, struggling to breathe, barely managed to respond.
"It... it's the Hu Sha Band!"
Thanks for all the support, friends. Go to my Patreon to read the chapters in advance.