Lan Yun and Yin Long didn't care in the slightest about their somewhat macabre surroundings as they embraced each other. This was a moment just for them, something as small as a few pained groans and the dripping of blood wasn't enough to interrupt them.

But while they couldn't be interrupted, they still knew that there were things they had to take care of so they didn't remain engrossed in their embrace for more than a few minutes. Lan Yun was still basking in the euphoria of having touched her fire, her gaze landing on the hanging Xue Qiuling and the others.

"They look like they've been hanging there for a day or so, should we kill them and get it done with?"

Lan Yun almost felt like she had to thank Xue Qiuling, she may never have broken through Yin Long's heart if it hadn't been for her. Of course, she was also aware of just what sort of fate awaited her if Yin Long hadn't learned the truth when he did, so actually thanking her was out of the question. Yin Long also raised his gaze to look at the hanging figures, but his eyes retained their sharp light.

"No, I want them to hang there until they expire."

When all their blood had been spilt and the birds pecked them clean, that was when he would take them down. But while he may have calmed down slightly, anger was still clouding his mind somewhat. As a result, Lan Yun was the only one present who actually remembered a certain fact.

"Alright, but we won't be staying in this city for too long before we move on to Starblood city, are you sure its fine to miss all the fights while we wait here?"

The fights were still taking place as they were speaking, and they most certainly wouldn't be dragging on for too long before all the teams had been decided. Should Yin Long and Lan Yun waste too much time here, they may even end up being considered to have dropped out and lose their right to participate in the tournament. Yin Long frowned slightly when Lan Yun pointed out the fact he had forgotten, the gears in his mind turning slightly before he answered.

"...It's probably safer to return."

Whether or not he and Lan Yun would be dropped from the competition was uncertain, they might even be placed in the top-ranking team by the time they returned. After all, Province Emperor Starblood had sent down orders that prevented the guards in the city from stopping him as he dragged Xue Qiuling and the others. But even if the Province Emperor seemed to attach some importance to him, Yin Long didn't know much about their connection and thus didn't know exactly how much the Province Emperor would help him.

He swept out his arm, his brows jumping once as he unleashed a surge of sharp Qi, 11 strands of it shooting towards the 11 people. One of the strands contained a trace amount of yellow energy, that particular strand splitting in two before it reached Xue Qiuling. The strands made from his sharp Qi shot past the 11 people and cut the ropes that strung them up, but that strand of yellow energy just sank harmlessly into Xue Qiuling's body.

Yin Long had very little understanding of this yellow law, but remembering how Xue Qiuling shrieked in pain when he first grabbed her, he felt that it might be connected to the law of pain. And sure enough, when that small sliver of yellow energy sank into her, she immediately started to howl in pain, almost to the point where she didn't notice that she was already falling.

But since the strand was so small, it dissipated before long and freed her from the pain, ending her howls. But the end of her pain also meant the end of her life, which some might consider a release after what Yin Long had put her through. Jin Wang only needed a sideways glance from Yin Long before he directly stepped forward and opened his mouth at a 90-degree angle.

His maw released a strong swallowing force that enveloped the falling people and drew them towards him. The swallowing force got stronger as they got closer to his mouth, their bodies twisting and compressing themselves in a violent manner before they fell into his throat and were swallowed whole.

Jin Wang was only about three metres long, but the 11 people easily fit into his stomach, they didn't even cause it to bulge slightly. Clearly, any Demonic beast containing even a sliver of the awakened bloodline coming from a Divine Beast was far from simple. Jin Wang was relatively happy with this meal, he had expected the bodies to just go to waste since Yin Long decided to string them up until they expired.

The moment Xue Qiuling and the others vanished, the sharp glint in Yin Long's eyes dissipated and was replaced by his usual carefree expression. There was no point in holding on to his anger once the targets of it were already gone, it would just interfere with him if he was constantly angry or annoyed.

Lan Yun wasn't bothered in the slightest by the gruesome scene and simply fixed up the white robe that Yin Long had draped over her, making sure that she was properly clothed before she grabbed onto his hand and started to drag him away. She too had once been an assassin of the Lang clan, she had even worked in it longer than Yin Long had, she had the same darkness rooted deep in her heart.

But just like with Yin Long, the peace after they left the Lang clan had buried that darkness deeper than ever before, hiding it so deeply that others couldn't see it. Xue Qiuling had poked Yin Long's reverse scale and brought out his darkness for all to see, an act that made some people wonder if this enchanting girl would bring out a similar level of darkness should they prod her too much.

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Of course, Yin Long's act had also revealed one fact to those who were a bit more clever, you could avoid him acting if you didn't touch any of his scales. It was a fairly simple fact, but with how strange the temperaments of some cultivators could be, it was nice to know that there existed someone who was actually rather approachable as long as you didn't touch a sore spot.

Yin Long's group descended to the bottom of the clocktower that he had used to string up Xue Qiuling, it was the second tallest building in the city so it was suitable for showing off Xue Qiuling's fate. The guards were still standing around the clocktower and prevented anyone else from getting close, a small crowd standing a short distance ahead of them and looking curiously at Yin Long.

Some of the people present knew who the bald man that he strung up was, but others had just come because they couldn't properly see the ongoing competition and thus decided to check out the other source of the commotion. And the gruesome visage of 11 people being strung up and left to be eaten alive by birds was certainly vicious enough to turn many people pale.

But when they saw the two people who left the clocktower, they found it somewhat hard to associate those vicious actions with these two handsome youths. The guards were also feeling rather shocked but it was mainly due to the fact that they had to allow someone to brutally murder people in broad daylight, even displaying them as they were dying. They were protectors of peace, yet the peace they were currently forced to protect was the peace of a cruel murderer. But ultimately, they were only soldiers and could only follow the orders they were given, no matter how bitter they were.

The guards were forced to open a path through the crowd when Yin Long and his group started to move, Jin Wang motioning for Yin Long to hop onto his back. He knew that Yin Long was a more low-key person, but this was an excellent time to show him off, to show the world exactly what sort of man could even subdue someone like him. Yin Long didn't know what Jin Wang was thinking and simply nodded his head, bringing Lan Yun with him and hopping onto Jin Wang's back.

This instantly raised him up thanks to how tall Jin Wang was, allowing even those further back in the crowd to see him as the guards escorted them back to the stage where the duels were taking place. A slight silence descended over the area when Yin Long returned, his previous departure had left quite a profound expression on them. The disciples present looked a bit more worn now, a sign that the battles hadn't ended even after Yin Long left.

The gazes of everyone present landed on Yin Long and Lan Yun when they arrived, the final fate of Xue Qiuling was something everyone here was already well aware of. But no one had discussed what would happen to Yin Long afterwards, so none of the disciples present knew what sort of punishment he would suffer, their gazes drifting towards the elders present. And to their surprise, the elders didn't even glance at each other before one of them waved their hand in a dismissive manner.

"Disciples Yin Long and Lan Yun have returned, but team 8 has lost a member due to the departure of disciple Xue Qiuling. Disciple Lan Yun from team 11 will replace Disciple Hou Yue from team 3, team 8 will continue fighting with one less member."

The final verdict was one that no one had expected. Not only did Yin Long avoid any punishment, but the teams were also changed around so that he could be fighting alongside the person who seemed to be his lover? The elders didn't even say anything about how he killed Xue Qiuling, dropping the matter in its entirety.

Some people were grumbling about it, but those with quicker wits swiftly tied everything together by remembering how the elders had started moving but quickly stopped themselves. Clearly, things weren't as simple as they first seemed, most guessing that Yin Long had a greater backing than he first showed.

Lan Yun was among those that were surprised at the favourable treatment, but Yin Long's expression only turned into one of pondering. This was definitely set up by the Province Emperor, and its intent was definitely to please Yin Long. But he didn't know why, so it was inevitable that he would worry somewhat. After all, the Province Emperor was so far away from him that it would be practically impossible to resist should he try anything.

But it was also this impossibility that allowed him to retain most of his calmness. If there was nothing he could do about it, why bother worrying about it? The best he could do was to keep it in mind while he focused on increasing his strength, there would be a time where he wouldn't be helpless even when faced with a Province Emperor or a Dominion Deity.

It didn't matter what Yin Long or the other disciples thought about the situation, the elders made it clear that things should proceed as normal so that was all they could do. The woman from Yin Long's team quickly left for the other team and Lan Yun integrated herself into Yin Long's team. And whether it was by coincidence or not, they were called out to fight a mere minute after Yin Long and Lan Yun arrived.

"Team three of Jyushi, Team 12 of Ocean God, enter the stage."

The strongest person and thus leader of the team, head disciple Kuan Xiao stood up from his seated position and prompted the others to follow him. They stepped onto the stage and took on a similar formation as last time, defenders in the front, attackers in the middle, and the speed-specialized ones at the sides, Bai Mu bringing up the rear as the weakest. Lan Yun replaced the frontline defender they had lost, Kuan Xiao nodding his head and turning to Yin Long with a wry smile when everyone took up their positions.

"Alright, please don't run off this time, Junior Brother Long."

Having one less fighter was a rather large detriment in a team-based fight like this, and while Yin Long was by no means the main fighter, his strength was not one that could be neglected. With his abrupt departure last battle, Kuan Xiao and his team immediately became the disadvantaged side, losing after a few exchanges.

Yin Long could only return a somewhat wry smile while nodding his head. But both he and the others knew that if a similar situation arose, he would definitely charge off in a murderous fury again. The opposing team took up their own positions, Yin Long opening his palm and causing a part of the stone stage to rise up into a sword in his grasp.

He had already shown off the yellow energy and his parasitic soul, he had laid bare every card other than the Netherworld Energy. As a result, there was no longer a need for him to hide both of those things, he could fight using almost every ounce of his power, a notion that caused the corners of his mouth to turn up slightly as he grasped the handle of the newly formed sword.