BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

The Hundred Poison Mountains—one of the three great forbidden zones in the Chu Yun Empire—held a status comparable to that of the Magic Beast Mountain Range in the Jia Ma Empire, though it was even more dangerous. Its vast expanse spanned nearly one-third of the Chu Yun Empire's territory. Without the detailed map Xiao Yan had in hand, it would have been incredibly difficult to locate the so-called Scorpion Tomb within its depths.

Though not as perilous as the Heavenly Poison Swamp, the Hundred Poison Mountains were still home to numerous high-rank magical beasts and venomous creatures. Toxic mists hung over the range year-round, and even a Dou Wang would risk death by venturing in alone.

Xiao Yan was well aware of these dangers. The last time he had entered the Hundred Poison Mountains, he was nearly surrounded by a pack of beasts. If not for Yao Lao's help back then, he might have been forced to unleash the Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus just to escape.

Because of its hazards, very few dared to enter the Hundred Poison Mountains under normal circumstances—only mercenary groups specialized in hunting magical beasts would attempt it. Even then, seasoned veterans could meet their end with a single mistake.

But since the discovery of the Scorpion Tomb, many had cast caution to the wind. Over the past month, greed had driven countless fools to dive deep into the mountains in search of the tomb's location. Unsurprisingly, many of the weaker ones never came back.

Along the way, Xiao Yan saw more than a few corpses of such unfortunate souls. Some were so poor they didn't even have storage rings. Shaking his head, Xiao Yan cursed under his breath as he stripped the corpses of their valuables. Since he was already here, it wouldn't make sense to leave empty-handed.

In his past life, Hun Da'er once mocked Xiao Yan's scavenger behavior, calling it "plucking the feathers off every passing goose." She'd once joked that even if the corpse had been reduced to bones, Xiao Yan would still try to boil them for soup.

Xiao Yan couldn't deny it. It was a bad habit carried over from his previous life. He had used a Yellow Rank cultivation technique well into the Da Dou Shi stage. The first Profound Rank Dou Technique he ever obtained came from looting a corpse. From then on, he became rather fond of this lazy yet profitable method—scavenging from battlefields and mass graves alike.

In short, it was the habit of someone who had been too poor for too long.

With the help of his map, Xiao Yan eventually arrived at the Scorpion Tomb. But unsurprisingly, he wasn't the first one there. Many groups had already set up camp nearby, waiting for the tomb's barrier to weaken so they could rush in and seize the Sky Scorpion Dragon Beast's remains.

Scanning the area with his soul sense, Xiao Yan noted that none of the people in the surrounding tents were below the Da Dou Shi level. Clearly, only capable individuals dared enter these poisonous mountains. Some merchants had even taken the opportunity to set up stalls and sell wares.

Xiao Yan was used to such scenes. In his past life, he had explored more tombs and ruins than he could count. So while the gathering was impressive, it wasn't exactly breathtaking to him.

He didn't bother looking at the merchandise either. For one, there wasn't likely anything useful to him. For another, he didn't want to get dragged into some petty dispute with a young master from some powerful faction—something that always seemed to happen at such events.

He could already imagine the scenario: he'd buy something that caught the eye of some arrogant noble; the guy would confront him; a powerful old guard would be hovering nearby but would do nothing to stop his young master's antics; the brat would then say something like, "No one can take what I, the young master, want!" or "You're dead!" and finally, "My father will avenge me!"

After Xiao Yan inevitably killed the troublemaker, the father would show up screaming, "You little bastard! I'll make you pay!"

Xiao Yan had experienced this cliché scenario far too many times in his past life. He was utterly sick of it.

To avoid such trouble, he deliberately chose a secluded spot to pitch his tent. His plan was simple—lay low, wait for the tomb to open, and sneak in to snatch whatever he could. Unfortunately, some things couldn't be avoided, no matter how hard he tried.

While lying inside his tent flipping through the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, Xiao Yan suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. He quickly stashed the scroll away and had just risen when someone flung open the tent flap.

A girl in green rushed in, startled to see him, then promptly flung herself into his arms.

"Brother! I finally found you!"

'What the hell? Who the hell are you calling brother? Get off me!' Xiao Yan didn't recognize this girl at all. He didn't have a sister, either. Instinctively, he prepared to toss her out. But before he could act, several more figures appeared at the entrance of his tent.

Leading them was a slender, feminine-looking youth in a gray robe. While his features were passably handsome, what drew Xiao Yan's attention was the scorpion emblem on his clothes—an unmistakable mark of the Wanxie Sect, the most powerful sect in the Chu Yun Empire.

The Wanxie Sect had a long-standing history and wielded massive influence. They even controlled the imperial succession behind the scenes. In his past life, Xiao Yan never encountered them because by the time he arrived in the Chu Yun Empire, the Wanxie Sect had already been destroyed by the Heavenly Poison Woman. The Poison Sect she founded had since become the dominant power.

Behind the young man was an old man in coarse robes. The elder was quietly observing Xiao Yan, a hint of caution in his eyes. Clearly, he sensed something unusual about the boy.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan sighed. 'So it begins. Yet another young master from some great faction makes his grand entrance.'

The gray-robed youth opened his fan with a practiced smile and was about to speak when Xiao Yan cut him off with a raised hand.

"Stop. I already know what you're going to say."

He yanked the green-clad girl from his chest and shoved her forward.

"The person you're looking for is right here. I've got nothing to do with her. I never touched anything on her. So please take her away and let me get back to my nap."

(End of Chapter)

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