BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

"Is Ye Xiaolian your real name?" After initiating the interrogation technique, Xiao Yan didn't immediately ask about the treasure map. Instead, he began with a seemingly unrelated question.

This interrogation technique wasn't particularly high-level—comparable to a High Yellow Rank Dou Technique at best. Although Xiao Yan could execute it smoothly with his powerful soul strength, if he started by asking highly sensitive questions, it could trigger resistance within the target's subconscious, weakening the technique's effect.

So while his question seemed trivial, it was actually a deliberate tactic to lower Ye Xiaolian's guard and verify her true identity.

"Yes..."

Xiao Yan was slightly surprised by her honest answer. He hadn't expected her to use her real name while traveling around the continent.

'A bit scheming, but not too much,' he quickly concluded. If he remembered correctly, the royal family of the Chu Yun Empire—the one under the Ten Scorpion Sect's control—also had the surname Ye. Could this girl be part of the royal bloodline? If so, things just got more interesting.

After receiving confirmation, a bold idea began to form in Xiao Yan's mind. He then fired off a string of seemingly random questions.

"How old are you?"

"Do you have any close relatives?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"..."

Under the effect of the soul technique, the green-clad girl became a total "answer bot," replying to every question without hesitation. Had she been conscious, she'd likely have been driven mad by these inane, census-style questions.

He even asked if she used her left or right hand to hold her rice bowl. What was more outrageous was that Xiao Yan took out a sheet of paper and started jotting all this nonsense down.

Once he had enough personal trivia, he circled back to the original purpose. "That treasure map—what is it about?"

"It's a treasure map to the Great Beast Burial Grounds," Ye Xiaolian replied, her voice hollow and unfocused. Her weak soul strength was completely overwhelmed by Xiao Yan's. After lowering her defenses with unrelated questions, she spilled her hard-earned secret without realizing it.

"The Great Beast Burial Grounds?" Xiao Yan frowned at the unfamiliar name. "Where is it? Is it related to the Scorpion Tomb?"

"It's not in the Scorpion Tomb or even in the Chu Yun Empire. My father once told me it's a type of graveyard. Some powerful magical beasts with unique bloodlines, before dying, don't want their corpses defiled by others. So they'll crawl to a special place to die. That place is called the Great Beast Burial Grounds..."

"Such a place actually exists?" Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with excitement. Magical beasts, once they reached a certain level, could retain some essence blood and magic cores long after death. He had previously acquired a magic core from a Seventh-Rank Blackflame Purplecloud Hawk—an item still potent even in death. These essences didn't just contain energy but were also excellent for tempering the body.

In Central Plains, high-level beast essence blood was a priceless treasure. In fringe empires like Jia Ma or Chu Yun, it was practically unheard of. Even if the burial grounds didn't contain complete essence blood, the bodies of many fire-type beasts would still be full of high-quality blood—perfect materials for Xiao Yan's needs.

In Central Plains, many beast clans had ancestral burial grounds. Xiao Yan once tried to dig up the Sky Demon Phoenix tribe's ancestral tomb. They didn't agree, so he killed them first and then looted it anyway. He hadn't expected a similar treasure trove to exist in this backwater region.

"Well then, that's enough Q&A. Time for the main event." Xiao Yan snapped his fingers.

Ye Xiaolian instantly snapped out of her trance. As the daze cleared from her eyes, she staggered backward in alarm. "You… what did you do to me?"

"Nothing much. Just a little trick," Xiao Yan replied, folding his fingers together with a warm smile. He wasn't lying. He actually possessed a far more advanced soul technique—one that could completely reprogram a person's mind, forging a new personality utterly loyal to him.

However, that technique required soul power at the Spirit Realm level to perform safely. Xiao Yan hadn't reached that threshold yet. If he had, he would've used it already and avoided this whole interrogation.

"Who exactly are you?" Ye Xiaolian asked, trembling. She had spent years in the Chu Yun Empire and had never heard of someone like him—not only immensely powerful, but also armed with strange and terrifying techniques. She had a terrible feeling she'd fallen into the jaws of a monster.

"Who I am isn't important. What matters is that treasure map of yours." Xiao Yan extended his hand. "With your strength, you won't be able to keep it. Even if the Ten Scorpion Sect didn't come after you, others would. If the secret gets out, you'll be hunted endlessly. Hand it over. I'll keep it safe."

"Never!" Ye Xiaolian clutched her storage ring tightly, shaking. "I'd rather die than give it to you!"

"Death is easy," Xiao Yan said with a smile. "But in this world, there are many things far worse than death. Want to guess what I'm talking about?"

"You..." Ye Xiaolian clenched her jaw, instinctively wanting to curse him, but when she saw that gentle smile on his face, the words died in her throat. She remembered how he had so casually and cruelly slaughtered the Ten Scorpion Sect's elite—those men had been her shield, her bargaining chip, and they were wiped out without even leaving ashes behind.

She hesitated. And finally, after struggling for a long time, she handed over the scroll.

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as she passed the map over so easily. His smile deepened.

But just as the scroll was about to reach his hand, Xiao Yan abruptly grabbed her wrist and twisted. A crisp crack rang out—her wrist bones snapped. The pain made her cry out and loosen her grip, causing the scroll to fall.

Before it could hit the ground, Xiao Yan caught it with his free hand. He gave the scroll a flick, and a hidden blade popped out from its center—an embedded weapon. Xiao Yan casually toyed with it before pressing the blade lightly against Ye Xiaolian's throat.

"Neat little trick. But it won't work on me."

(End of Chapter)

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