The sky of the Black Corner Region is not much different from any other region's sky, but the ground below it is an absolute chaotic mess.
Looking down at this land from the sky, you'll see that it's a land of sin. Blood, slaughter, betrayal, ambushes... all kinds of evil happen in this place. Every day, countless lives are lost here. The main theme of this place is chaos.
In the sky, a strange, four-meter-long magical beast with a body of vibrant purple and spread wings was flying fast. On its back were Yan Qingshan and Ya Fei.
"Master, Master, why are all the people down there fighting?"
A very childish voice sounded in the sky. It wasn't human, but the magical beast mount beneath Yan Qingshan—the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
That's right, the one carrying Yan Qingshan back to the Black Corner Region was the young Amethyst Winged Lion King that left the Magical Beast Mountain Range with him. This Tier 5 magical beast, after being trained by Yan Qingshan, had made significant progress in both power and intelligence and had grown even closer to him.
Yan Qingshan now had two Tier 5 magical beasts with him: the Two-HeadedFlame Spirit Serpent, Chi Lian, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Zi Jing.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was inherently a beautiful and majestic type of magical beast. With its natural wings for flight, it was a versatile mount that could travel on land and in the air. Overall, its capabilities as a mount were indeed superior to the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent.
Although the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent could also form fire wings to fly, it was similar to a Dou King's Dou Qi wings, which consumed internal energy and was not suitable for long-distance travel or high speeds.
Yan Qingshan patted his Winged Lion King's head. Its soft and fluffy mane felt quite comfortable. "Zi Jing, don't worry about those guys below. Just speed up along our path."
"Okay, Master!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was very obedient. After a quick response to Yan Qingshan, it sped up. Ya Fei's journey to the Black Corner Region with Yan Qingshan this time was to get a clear understanding of the situation in Qingwang City. Yan Qingshan also wanted her to go to Jia Nan Academy for further studies to improve her strength.
Although Ya Fei was a career-driven strong woman, being too weak on the Dou Qi Continent wasn't a good thing.
For example, at this moment, Ya Fei couldn't withstand the powerful wind blowing at her. She was practically pressed against Yan Qingshan's body, which allowed him to enjoy the fun of a "hands-on" experience.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's speed was very fast. With Yan Qingshan's guidance, they soon arrived in the direction of Jia Nan Academy in the Black Corner Region. When Jia Nan City was in sight, Yan Qingshan patted the lion's head, signaling Zi Jing to descend, and entered Jia Nan City on foot.
…
Jia Nan City, on a secluded peak of the outer academy, a girl in a pale green dress stood gracefully by a cliff. The gentle breeze that came from the front blew her long, black hair, which reached her buttocks, causing it to flutter slowly. As her skirt fluttered, it subtly revealed her perfect silhouette.
The girl's eyes calmly gazed at the distant eastern sky, silent, like an unblemished green lotus. After a long silence, the girl suddenly spoke, her ethereal and pleasant voice making one's heart feel cleansed.
"Come out!"
The girl's voice was extremely clear and pleasant, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate. As the girl's voice fell, a green shadow eerily separated from a large tree behind her. It respectfully looked at the girl's back, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Miss!"
The girl slowly turned, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful jade-like face. It was none other than Xiao Xun'er, who had come to Jia Nan Academy from the Xiao family in Wu Tan City.
"Miss, according to the information we've received, a big change has occurred in the Jia Ma Empire recently. The Misty Cloud Sect and the royal family, in a united front with the Snake-People tribe, have brazenly gone to war with the three empires..."
This shadow-like being described the recent changes in the Jia Ma Empire. "According to the information we've obtained, it seems that young master Xiao Yan is also involved in this matter.
The Xiao family of Wu Tan City has now moved back to Jia Ma Sacred City and seems to have received the support of the Mittel Clan, one of the three great clans, to rise again. According to our investigation, the shadow of Yan Qingshan seems to be behind all these changes in the Jia Ma Empire."
"Yan Qingshan, is that the guy who came back to the Xiao family with cousin Xiao Yu?"
Xiao Xun'er's brows furrowed, and she slightly wrinkled her delicate nose. "That guy is not a simple person. If brother Xiao Yan gets involved with him, I'm afraid he'll be at a disadvantage!"
"Uh... Miss, young master Xiao Yan is also not a good... not a simple person. And with that mysterious soul form by his side, I don't think he'll be at a disadvantage!"
The green figure didn't know what to say. After learning about Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan's childhood together, his impression of Xiao Yan was definitely not good, even if this person was his young lady's beloved.
A certain guy accidentally ran into the room of a young Xun'er, and under the pretext of nourishing her bones, shamelessly touched the little girl's entire body, inexplicably leading her young, innocent heart astray.
If this matter were to be passed back to the clan, he could imagine how furious all the clansmen, from the clan leader down, would be. That scoundrel Xiao Yan would probably be torn to shreds by the angry clansmen!
It was precisely because he knew Xiao Yan's true nature that he didn't feel any sympathy when he heard bad news about him. He definitely didn't think he was a good person.
Xiao Xun'er listened to the person's report and couldn't help but frown. "Is there any specific news about brother Xiao Yan's side? Didn't Ying Ling find anything out?"
"I apologize, Miss. You also know that there is a mysterious and powerful soul in young master Xiao Yan's body. To this day, we have no information on him, but he seems to know us very well."
The green figure smiled bitterly. "You arranged for Master Ling to go and protect him, but that soul form was at least a Dou Venerate in his lifetime. Even with only his soul body, he has the strength of a Dou Ancestor. Master Ling is no match for him and was shaken off within two days, so he couldn't get any useful information."
"Is that so!"
Xiao Xun'er's brows almost formed the character '川' (a sign of displeasure) after hearing his words, clearly not satisfied with the result. "Who exactly is that person? To be able to... even Ying Ling?
Sigh! If only brother Xiao Yan didn't hate being investigated, I would definitely get to the bottom of that soul form's identity. With such strength, he must not have been an unknown figure in the past!"
"Is Junior Sister Xun'er here?"
Just as the green figure was about to continue speaking, a voice suddenly came from behind the cliff. Xiao Xun'er was startled at first, then her eyes lit up, but then a hint of confusion followed. She seemed to not understand why this person would come looking for her.
Three figures walked along the path behind the cliff. The one leading Yan Qingshan was Xiao Yu. She was now a Dou Grandmaster and was preparing to enter the Inner Academy this year. She had been taking great care of Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Mei, and the others ever since they entered Jia Nan Academy.
"Cousin Yu'er, this is Senior Yan Qingshan."
When Xiao Xun'er saw Yan Qingshan behind Xiao Yu, she appropriately showed surprise. You couldn't tell at all that she had just been talking about Yan Qingshan. The green shadow that had been talking to her earlier had now re-merged into the shadows of the trees, leaving no trace.
"Junior Sister Xun'er's grace is truly exceptional. I've heard about the goddess of Jia Nan Academy more than once since I arrived in Holy City!"
Yan Qingshan smiled and walked up to Xiao Xun'er. Xiao Yu was tactfully pulled to the edge of the forest by Ya Fei, leaving Yan Qingshan and Xiao Xun'er to talk alone.
"Senior Yan Qingshan is joking. Xun'er is not as good as you say!"
Xiao Xun'er responded calmly and indifferently, appearing very aloof, showing no hint of familiarity. Her warmth was mostly reserved for Xiao Yan.
Yan Qingshan continued to smile. "Junior Sister Xun'er, do you know why I came to see you first after returning to the academy?"
"Xun'er can't guess. I hope you'll tell me, Senior."
A hint of displeasure flashed in Xiao Xun'er's eyes, but she didn't get angry. She and Yan Qingshan were not familiar with each other, and even her close friends wouldn't joke with her like this.
"This matter is very much related to Xiao Yan and the entire Xiao family."
Yan Qingshan spoke again, and the content of his words immediately caught Xiao Xun'er's attention. "Miss Xun'er's background is not ordinary, and you should know the history of the grievances between the Hun Clan behind the Hall of Souls and the Xiao family better than me!"
"The Hun Clan? Did they take action against the Xiao family?"
Xiao Xun'er was a bit confused, but more so, she was nervous, worried about Xiao Yan's safety. After all, that was a powerful family that was secretly considered to be the strongest of the eight ancient clans.
"It would be more troublesome for me to explain this to Junior Sister Xun'er. It's better to have someone else explain it more clearly."
Yan Qingshan smiled and took out a jade bottle. With a flash of light, a weak soul form appeared in front of Xiao Xun'er and Yan Qingshan.
"A Dou Ancestor-level soul form? A person from the Hall of Souls?"
Xiao Xun'er's extraordinary background showed as she immediately recognized the soul form's origin and condition. The black, mist-shrouded soul forms of the Hall of Souls were a very easy sign to recognize.
"Protector Wu, repeat the orders your higher-ups gave you!"
Yan Qingshan said faintly. Protector Wu, who had long been without backbone due to the torment, immediately told Yan Qingshan everything he knew about the Jia Ma Empire's situation.
As Xiao Xun'er listened to Protector Wu's account, the golden flames in her eyes grew brighter. She clenched her delicate hand into a fist. "Why are you telling me this, Senior Yan Qingshan? What do you want to achieve?"
"I know you've been secretly protecting Xiao Yan, but the power involved this time is too strong. With the little strength you have on your own, you definitely can't stop it. Therefore, you need your clan to take this matter seriously."
After a brief analysis, Yan Qingshan probed again, "As far as I know, the Hun Clan and the Gu Clan made an agreement about the Xiao family's relationship many years ago. The order that this Protector Wu received definitely violated that agreement..."