BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

When Xiao Yan emerged from the Scorpion Tomb, the others were still blocking the area outside. Glancing at the tunnel he had personally dug out, he felt it was a little ungracious to leave it as-is. So, to add his final touch, he flooded the tunnel with thick poisonous miasma. The toxin flowed deep into the tomb, turning the entire interior into a death trap.

This was his parting gift to the rest. He was confident that when the others finally figured out how to bypass the poisonous fog at the entrance, they'd be "pleasantly surprised" by what he'd left behind. By that time, of course, Xiao Yan would be long gone.

Coincidentally, his tunnel had ended up near the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate's grounds. In a twisted stroke of luck, this helped reinforce the impression that it was someone from the sect who had entered the tomb—just as he'd intended.

After dealing with the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, Xiao Yan quickly tracked down Ye Xiaolian and handed her the pills he'd promised. Then he turned and left. Of course, the pills weren't just ordinary medicine. Xiao Yan had mixed in special ingredients so that if Ye Xiaolian dared to play any tricks later, those little additives would be enough to kill her carefully cultivated troops in one fell swoop.

As for the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, he'd already set things in motion. The sect was now completely preoccupied with the fallout from the tomb, leaving them no time to focus on the royal family. By the time they realized what was happening, they'd find the once docile and puppet-like royals had become something else entirely.

Helping Ye Xiaolian seize the throne? Even easier. Xiao Yan had no interest in the tedious politics of palace coups, so he simply slaughtered every last prince, princess, duke, and noble. To be safe, he even poisoned the current emperor, his empress, and consorts with a fertility suppressant to ensure they couldn't have more children. He threw in their extended family for good measure, eliminating any chance of political interference from the empress's relatives.

Of course, Xiao Yan never left his name behind. He didn't leave a trace of his presence, except for six large words scrawled across the walls of each murder scene: "The Killer Is Ye Xiaolian." Then he left without another word.

When Ye Xiaolian returned, she would be "pleasantly" surprised to find her palace filled with treasures looted from other royal households. Her reputation would soar to heights no previous ruler of the Chu Yun Empire had ever achieved.

This was how Ye Xiaolian gained her later infamy—her name enough to make children stop crying. Her reign would be remembered as the most fearsome chapter in the empire's history.

While chaos and rumors engulfed the Chu Yun Empire, Xiao Yan had already departed. Though he'd promised to help Ye Xiaolian deal with the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, she would need to prove her worth. If the royal family failed to rise while he was gone, he'd simply drop the alliance altogether.

Instead of heading straight to the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Yan first made his way to the Tagor Desert.

The Black-Corner Region was vastly different from the places he'd been before—it was the most chaotic and lawless land on the entire Dou Qi Continent. Compared to it, the Chu Yun Empire seemed positively orderly. At least the empire had some form of governance and basic laws, whereas the Black-Corner Region had none at all.

It was a place of turmoil and treachery, where even Dou Wang-level experts could fall victim to assassinations or ambushes. Although Xiao Yan had full confidence in his strength, he wasn't foolish enough to waltz in alone. He still needed to search for both the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva and a Heavenly Flame, and doing that solo was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The best way forward was to establish a power base.

Xiao Yan didn't want to waste time building a faction from scratch. He needed a strong, capable partner to run things in his absence. Fortunately, he already had someone in mind.

In his past life, he had visited the Tagor Desert and found the second fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's map there. The person who possessed it was once a Dou Huang expert, but a mysterious seal had reduced his strength to the Dou Ling level. As a result, he had gone into hiding in the desert.

If Xiao Yan remembered correctly, this former Dou Huang was named Hai Bodong—once one of the top ten strongest experts in the Jia Ma Empire. He specialized in ice-elemental Dou Qi and was known as the Ice Emperor. Of course, from Xiao Yan's current perspective, Hai Bodong's title was rather unimpressive. Compared to the Ice River Valley he had wiped out in a past life, Hai Bodong's icy power was laughable. Still, in a place like the Black-Corner Region, he'd be adequate.

Back then, Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong hadn't exactly gotten along. When Xiao Yan discovered that Hai Bodong held the second map fragment, they fought. Weakened by the seal, Hai Bodong was no match and was easily defeated.

Originally, Xiao Yan intended to leave with the map. But on a hunch, he compared it with his first fragment and realized that Hai Bodong's piece was incomplete. So he turned around, beat the old man up again, and used a soul interrogation technique to get the rest of the map.

What happened to Hai Bodong afterward? Xiao Yan basically turned him into a half-dead servant and left him in the desert.

This time, since he wanted Hai Bodong to work for him, he planned to negotiate peacefully. Of course, if the guy refused, Xiao Yan wouldn't hesitate to revert to his usual methods.

Besides recovering the map fragment, Xiao Yan had another reason for heading into the desert: the rumored Heavenly Flame hidden there.

Yao Lao had once mentioned that there might be a Heavenly Flame within the Tagor Desert. Xiao Yan himself had heard similar whispers during his past life. At the time, rumors suggested the flame was in the hands of the Snake-People Tribe. However, their natural affinity for yin-type Dou Qi made it nearly impossible for them to absorb a Heavenly Flame.

Even so, Xiao Yan intended to take the flame from the Snake-People—assuming they truly had it. This wouldn't be easy. The Snake-People Queen, Medusa, was a formidable opponent. Xiao Yan had never fought her in his past life, but he'd heard rumors that she was a Dou Zong-level powerhouse.

Thankfully, she hadn't yet reached that level. Otherwise, the Jia Ma Empire would've already fallen. Based on the information Xiao Yan had gathered, Queen Medusa was currently at the peak of the Dou Huang level. Taking the flame from her would be difficult, especially since she commanded a loyal army of snake-people.

So this wasn't a straightforward heist. His first priority was to confirm whether the flame was real. If it was, then he'd make a careful plan before making any move.

(End of Chapter)

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