五月丁香五月丁香激情

"Wait, are you trying to get them to retaliate against me instead?"

"Not willing?" Zhang Xuan stepped forward with the Mo Dao in hand, blade energy swirling around him, exuding a murderous aura.

“...”

Han Xiao\'s eyelids twitched.

This man had the audacity to kill Mo Qing. Han Xiao was certain that if he uttered even one unnecessary word, he would also be cut down.

As the Hall Master of the Destiny Hall in Hanyuan City, when had he ever been subjected to such threats? This was utterly intolerable! But… refusing might truly get him killed.

Though his face darkened, Han Xiao eventually nodded with a forced smile. "Willing, of course, I\'m willing. Whatever Vice Hall Master Ling says goes. It’s just… I don’t have the Hunter\'s List from the Zouyi Dynasty, so I can’t confirm if he’s on it or determine his bounty..."

"That’s easy. If you don’t have it, he does!"

Zhang Xuan casually walked over to Mo Qing\'s corpse and rummaged through it, soon pulling out a list identical to the one he had purchased from the black market.

Unfolding it, he scanned the densely packed names.

The first section was the Star River Potential List, listing ten names, followed by the Star River List.

After searching for a while, Zhang Xuan found Mo Qing ranked somewhere above the 400th position, with a bounty of only 3 million Source Coins.

"So low?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Even Han Xiao before him had a bounty of 220 million Source Coins. Given Mo Qing’s status as a Star River Realm expert, Zhang Xuan had expected at least 10 billion. Three million felt absurdly cheap.

"The bounties on the Hunter\'s List are determined based on a person’s actual ranking within each city. The higher the rank, the greater the value; the lower the rank, the less significant the bounty. This is to prevent people from wantonly killing for profit," Han Xiao hurriedly explained upon noticing Zhang Xuan\'s confusion.

"That doesn’t make sense. If that\'s the case, wouldn\'t a person’s bounty vary drastically? For instance, if you went to the Zouyi Dynasty, you wouldn’t even be worth three million, right?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"If I went to the Zouyi Dynasty, I’d just be a nobody, so of course, I wouldn’t be worth much..." Han Xiao replied.

"Then… if someone from the Zouyi Dynasty killed you, could they claim the 220 million Source Coins bounty?" Zhang Xuan probed further.

Han Xiao shook his head. "Of course not! My bounty is only valid if I’m killed in Hanyuan City by someone from here. The Wanchang Sect has a specialized calculation system to prevent exploitation. If someone tries to game the system, they won’t hesitate to send someone to eliminate them."

Zhang Xuan nodded. "Alright, three million it is..."

Han Xiao\'s face twitched, his voice trembling. "If I claim the bounty… you’re not going to kill me to avenge Mo Qing, are you?"

This guy had done something similar before—killing Feng Zhaoting, then letting Li Yue’an claim the reward, only to kill Li Yue’an afterward. To outsiders, it looked like Zhang Xuan was avenging the dead.

Now in a similar situation, as long as Han Xiao admitted to killing Mo Qing, Zhang Xuan, as the junior brother, would surely take action. Not only would Han Xiao be branded guilty, but Zhang Xuan would also be seen as the righteous disciple avenging his senior brother. ᚱ

"Do you think you have any other choice?" Zhang Xuan looked at him coldly.

Han Xiao fell silent. Indeed, he had no other options. Either he agreed or died immediately—those were the only two paths left.

"Fine, I’ll do it..."

Taking the Hunter\'s List, Han Xiao extracted Mo Qing’s essence blood and prepared to register the claim. However, just as his finger was about to touch the list, he flicked the blood toward Zhang Xuan. The drop of blood exploded midair, releasing immense power.

"Die!"

At the same time, with a chilling gaze, Han Xiao sprang up, a dagger appearing in his palm, aimed straight for Zhang Xuan\'s chest.

No matter the outcome, his death seemed certain. A desperate counterattack was his only chance at survival.

Yet before the dagger or the exploding blood could reach Zhang Xuan, a radiant sword energy flashed.

Han Xiao had never seen such a beautiful sword technique. It was like an aurora or a descending rainbow, stirring his very soul.

Then… darkness. His consciousness faded.

Thud!

Han Xiao’s lifeless body collapsed. Even in death, he couldn’t comprehend how Zhang Xuan, known for his Mo Dao techniques, could wield such extraordinary swordsmanship—surpassing even his blade skills.

"I wasn’t planning to kill you..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had intended to remain low-key for a while longer, but the situation had forced his hand. If he hadn’t acted, Han Xiao would have killed him. Since it came to this, there was no point dwelling on it.

Zhang Xuan rummaged through the two corpses, retrieving 20 million Source Notes, two Destiny Disks, and three small bottles of elixirs.

Storing everything in the New World, he smiled faintly at Han Xiao’s corpse. "You think I’d have no other way if you refused?"

Placing his hand on the corpse, Zhang Xuan activated the Spirit Awakening Technique.

Moments later, Han Xiao\'s corpse stretched and sat upright.

"Master!" the reanimated "Han Xiao" greeted with a smile.

Using Spirit Awakening, Zhang Xuan animated Han Xiao’s corpse. While its abilities were limited, it could pass as him temporarily.

"Alright, say you killed Mo Qing and claim the reward!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

"Yes!" "Han Xiao" nodded, taking the Hunter\'s List and operating it briefly. Soon, the 3 million Source Coins bounty was transferred.

While not much, the transaction sent a clear message: Mo Qing\'s death had nothing to do with Zhang Xuan.

"Young Master, Yue Longxiao, the Wanchang Sect\'s leader, is here to see you," Sun Qiang reported as he entered.

"Him? Why now?" Zhang Xuan frowned, glancing at Mo Qing’s headless corpse. After a moment’s hesitation, he placed his hand on it.

Soon, the reanimated "Mo Qing" picked up his head and reattached it to his neck. Although the severed line and bloodstains were visible, as long as he didn’t move too much, the head would stay in place.

"Alright, you two stay here. I’ll see what this Yue Sect Master wants."

As Zhang Xuan headed outside, he saw Yue Longxiao rushing toward him with an anxious expression.

Yue Longxiao had rushed over after receiving the message Han Xiao had sent through Xie Feng. He was worried Mo Qing might use his status and strength to poach the talents they were grooming.

Pausing at the doorway, he peeked inside the room.

Han Xiao sat upright on one side, rising to greet him when he entered. On the other side, a middle-aged man wielding a Mo Dao sat with a calm demeanor—clearly Mo Qing.

At first glance, everything seemed peaceful, with the two parties appearing to get along. However, the walls and floor told a different story, marked by a gaping hole and bloodstains that hinted at chaos.

"Could they have already fought?" Yue Longxiao\'s heart sank.

This couldn’t be allowed. If Mo Qing had forced his hand, the situation might spiral beyond his control.

His gaze shifted to Mo Qing, attempting to glean any clues from his expression. To his shock, the Star River Realm expert casually raised a teacup to his lips.

But the next instant, water began seeping from Mo Qing’s neck, leaking through a faint seam...

“???” Yue Longxiao froze in confusion.

Meanwhile, at the Mo Dao Sect in the Zouyi Dynasty, Sect Master Mo Baiye sat cross-legged in his chambers, immersed in cultivation. Abruptly, his focus shattered, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"How...?"

His pupils constricted, his body trembling uncontrollably.

This was the backlash from a severed Fate Path, tied to the death of a direct disciple.

"Mo Qing is dead?"

His fist clenched involuntarily. Given the timing, Mo Qing must have just reached Hanyuan City. Yet, he’d already been killed.

“Who would dare kill my disciple?” Rising to his feet, Mo Baiye stormed out of the room.

“Investigate immediately! I want to know what happened to Mo Qing!”

Not long after, a disciple rushed over in a panic. “Sect Master, we’ve received word from the Wanchang Sect in Zouyi City. Mo Qing was killed by Han Xiao, the Hall Master of Destiny Hall in Hanyuan City. Han Xiao has already claimed the bounty...”

“Han Xiao? A mere Hall Master from a small city dares kill my disciple? Who gave him the audacity?”

Mo Baiye\'s face darkened.

As the founder of the Mo Dao lineage within the Destiny Hall system, Mo Baiye held a prominent position as a Vice Hall Master of the Zouyi Dynasty’s Destiny Hall. His authority was nearly unparalleled—killing an elder from a branch hall was trivial, let alone someone from Hanyuan City.

For such a lowly Hall Master to kill his disciple and shamelessly claim the reward was a blatant provocation.

"Min Jiangtao!" Mo Baiye called out.

A lean man stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Sect Master."

“Go to Hanyuan City. Find out what happened with Mo Qing. If Han Xiao killed him without cause, bring me his head. If Mo Qing committed some wrongdoing, kill everyone in Hanyuan City who knows about it—leave no witnesses.”

“Understood. But what if Ling Buyang also knows about this?” Min Jiangtao asked.

Mo Baiye’s gaze turned cold. “I’ve already said, leave no witnesses. Kill them all.”

“Yes!” Min Jiangtao acknowledged, pausing briefly before continuing. “Sect Master, if we slaughter an entire branch of the Destiny Hall, it might attract unwanted attention...”

Mo Baiye sneered. “Isn’t there a Chaotic Fate Practitioner active in the area? Pin the blame on them!”

“I understand. Your disciple will handle this,” Min Jiangtao said, turning to leave.

Author\'s Note