Chapter 2016: Within the Lawless Domain
Chapter 2016: Chapter 2016: Within the Lawless Domain
High above, a streak of black light sped across the sky.
The streak of light fell within the Central Region.
The streak of light was Xiao Yi.
After "escaping" from the Black Demon Hall Main Hall, Xiao Yi naturally returned to the Central Region.
But he didn’t hurry back to Guisha City.
Of the three days set by the Heartless Inn Master, there was still more than one day left.
Since the Ten Thousand Poison Fruit was not yet fully ripened, going there now was pointless.
Xiao Yi was more interested in taking a look at this Central Region.
He casually landed in one of its big cities. After walking for not long, a burst of noisy arguing drifted over.
Following the sound, Xiao Yi looked over. This wasn’t a bustling street; passersby were few.
But it was clear that area should be the back entrance of some trading company.
At the moment, an old man and a group of Martial Artists were arguing with another middle-aged man.
"Your trading company is one of the biggest in the city, and yet you have no credibility at all..."
The old man hadn’t finished speaking.
The middle-aged man had already waved his hand wide, and dozens of Martial Artists flashed out around them.
The middle-aged man let out a cold laugh. "Golden Treasure Trading House... blame yourselves for being too stupid."
The old man’s side was obviously another trading company.
The group of Martial Artists were a Guard Team.
Battle erupted suddenly.
It didn’t last long—barely ten minutes.
The middle-aged man’s side, relying on home ground and prior ambush, took the victory.
In those ten-odd minutes of blades and Sword Shadow, as Primordial Power collided, blood flew and severed limbs scattered.
On the ground, corpses lay everywhere.
The old man and his entire Guard Team were almost completely slaughtered.
A few men on the middle-aged man’s side were also killed or wounded.
"Hmph, a bunch of idiots." The middle-aged man sneered. "Another haul for free."
Not far away, Xiao Yi glanced over a few times, then withdrew his gaze.
This was clearly a kill-and-rob fight born from a deal gone bad.
He had never heard of this Golden Treasure Trading House; it should just be a local trading company of this nearby city.
Xiao Yi shook his head and left.
The middle-aged man didn’t even notice that, just a few meters away from him, a black ghostlike figure flashed past and vanished.
...
Xiao Yi continued wandering casually within this big city.
Two hours later.
Xiao Yi’s steps paused as he glanced to the side.
There stood a family estate.
From within the estate came the sounds of intense fighting.
A thick stench of blood gradually saturated the surrounding air.
An hour later, the smell of blood was overpowering.
Bang... with a thunderous boom, a figure was blasted out.
The figure crashed to the ground in a wretched heap.
It was an old man, his body drenched in blood.
Two figures shot out in pursuit, their broad blades pressed to the old man’s neck.
"Why?" The old man spat a mouthful of bloody foam. "My Chen family has always gotten along with others, bearing no grudges..."
"There is no why." The two figures—both middle-aged men—cut him off coldly.
"Someone bought your lives, that’s all."
As their words fell, the two blades came down together, ending the old man on the spot.
The Chen family was the richest household in this big city; the old man was the Chen Family Patriarch, one of the strongest experts in the city.
As for those two middle-aged men, Xiao Yi did have some impression of them.
They were both Three-star Ghost Hunters.
"Hahahahaha." Just then, another old man strode out, laughing in smug delight.
The old man’s face was gloomy and vicious as he looked with satisfaction at the corpses on the ground and the two Three-star Ghost Hunters.
"Good, good." The old man nodded repeatedly. "Worth every coin I emptied from my coffers to issue that task in Guisha City."
"With the Chen family wiped clean, the richest house in this city will now be my Fang Family."
"Hmm?" At this moment, the two Three-star Ghost Hunters turned their chilly gazes toward Xiao Yi in the distance.
"What? Planning to meddle?"
Xiao Yi was merely passing by.
Moreover, this black robe he wore—frankly, not only in the Central Region, but across the entire Central Region—it was a very common look.
So the two Ghost Hunters did not recognize him as the Ghost Hunting King.
Xiao Yi said nothing, simply turned around and walked away with cold indifference.
...
Half a day later.
Xiao Yi had left the previous big city, but not far—he had only gone to another nearby big city.
Where he landed now was the City Lord’s Mansion of this city.
At this moment, the City Lord’s Mansion was filled with the sounds of fierce battle, unending.
When the fighting drew to a close—
The entire City Lord’s Mansion was strewn with corpses.
"Hahahahaha." From within the mansion came wild, arrogant laughter.
"From today on, I’m the City Lord of this city."
Xiao Yi extended his senses slightly.
Everything within the City Lord’s Mansion entered his perception.
The man laughing wildly was a middle-aged man.
Xiao Yi actually knew of this middle-aged man.
He was a Three-star Ghost Hunter, and a notorious fiend within the Central Region.
Not quite a wanted criminal of the Eight Palaces, but infamous nonetheless.
Xiao Yi pulled back his senses and shook his head.
The conclusion of the slaughter in the City Lord’s Mansion meant this city had just undergone another City Lord replacement.
People had once said that among the big cities of the Central Region, the seat of City Lord was the hardest position to hold.
It should have been the most dominant force in a city, yet was also the one that changed hands the most often.
There were even rumors that in the Central Region, the City Lord’s Mansion in almost every city changed occupants every few days.
Not that other places and territories never saw their City Lord’s Mansion attacked or replaced; it was just that the Central Region was much more frequent—frighteningly frequent.
In other regions, the City Lord’s Mansion was the strongest force in a city, the enforcer and keeper of law; absent accidents, it could go a hundred years without a shakeup.
Some even lasted a thousand years, ten thousand years.
But here in the Central Region, a City Lord change lasting a year would already be considered long.
Xiao Yi’s eyes remained as indifferent as ever as he turned away.
He didn’t enter any more big cities. Instead, he casually chose a patch of wilderness, sat down cross-legged, and waited.
He had read Fang Shushu’s Martial Soul Book, so however much Fang Shushu understood about the Central Region, Xiao Yi understood as well.
And Fang Shushu, as Ghost Leaf Hall Master, had spent some time training in Guisha City, so he was quite familiar with the Central Region.
Thus Xiao Yi was likewise quite familiar.
The entire Central Region was essentially a lawless zone, a territory of absolute chaos.
It had gathered here a vast number of vicious, violent criminals.
Here, One Star, two-star, and ordinary Three-star Ghost Hunters roamed, taking on all kinds of tasks.
Here, there were also various families, sects, and other factions.
Here, because Guisha City was the central hub, almost every big city was a necessary stop for Ghost Hunters; and Guisha City’s presence drew in all manner of powerful Martial Artists.
So in truth, this place was very prosperous. Anyone daring to set down roots here and profit from this territory was no ordinary person—and no kind soul.
Though this region was chaotic, its prosperity surpassed almost any commercial metropolis in the Central Region.
Even the Ten Thousand Gold Mansion, famed as the Central Region’s number one trading company, and the Ten Thousand Gold Territory where it was based, couldn’t compare to this place.
Of course, there were also native Martial Artists and forces here, some weak, some even ordinary folk.
But this place had likewise bred endless grudges and slaughter.
Xiao Yi sat motionless for half a day.
Only then did he rise.
The three days were up; it was time to head to Leisure Village.
...
First Chapter of the day.