"Elder Geng, I'm sorry, but we have no obligation to cooperate with you."
"That's right. We've already checked among ourselves — none of us had any contact with Xiahou Xi."
"Fellow Daoist Geng, none of the powers in our Rising Sun Divine Kingdom have had any contact with Xiahou Xi either. However, someone did see Xiahou Xi a few hours before coming out. But Xiahou Xi was acting all mysterious, seemingly trying to avoid everyone's notice."
"Fellow Daoist Geng, just let it go. With several thousand people moving about, there are bound to be a few unexpected incidents."
Since it hadn't happened to any of them, nobody was particularly concerned. Let others perish but not oneself — that was the reality of the martial dao world.
Someone else dying was that someone else's problem, and it wasn't their place to worry about it. Nor would they ever bother to worry — they might even take secret pleasure in it.
After all, the relationship between the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms was never one of harmony. The competition and conflicts between them made their ties exceedingly delicate.
So when it came to Xiahou Xi's death, many people among the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms were actually watching with a sense of amusement.
Just as when the three great families of Duowen Divine Kingdom had been embarrassed at Dongyan Island, it had been treated as a joke in the circles of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms.
Just as the situation on the ground was growing tense, someone suddenly stepped forward from the crowd.
He shuffled timidly up to Elder Geng. "Senior Geng, when I was coming out just now, I spotted a Storage Ring in the grass. I picked it up on a whim, not knowing whose it was — I thought I'd stumbled upon a windfall. I was wondering if this Storage Ring might be…"
"Bring it here and let me see." Elder Geng's attention snapped to attention the moment he heard those words.
A Storage Ring left behind on the ground — if it truly belonged to Xiahou Xi, then things were almost certainly dire, with virtually no chance of survival.
The man was clearly a disciple of some minor faction. Trembling, he presented the Storage Ring. The moment Elder Geng laid eyes on it, his expression changed dramatically.
It was unmistakably the distinctive design of the Storage Rings used exclusively by the Xiahou family. Holding it up for inspection, he confirmed it was indeed Xiahou Xi's.
In an instant, Elder Geng's face contorted with fury, practically beside himself with rage.
"Who did this? Whoever it was, step forward! Cowards, every last one of you — killing someone but not daring to take their spoils? That's the act of a coward! Step forward and let me see you!"
Elder Geng was so incensed he had lost all restraint over his words.
At this moment, no one was more stunned than Yan Qingsang. He had only been away for a short while — he'd left Brother Shao Yuan alone to face Xiahou Xi, and he had actually been feeling guilty about it. So he was paying close attention. When he saw
But now, every trace of that joy had transformed into wild elation and disbelief.
He sidled up to
Yan Qingsang blinked, then caught on, a peculiar grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He understood that
Still, deep in his heart, he felt an incredibly satisfying rush of pleasure.
Xiahou Xi had been insufferably arrogant — Yan Qingsang's hatred for the man was no pretense. If Xiahou Xi was dead, Yan Qingsang would naturally applaud.
He could barely keep himself from saying to Yan Jinnan: "So this is the man you were so desperate to curry favor with? Taken out just like that, with no explanation?"
But in this kind of setting, Yan Qingsang ultimately held his tongue.
Elder Geng's fury accomplished absolutely nothing. There were no leads, no intelligence, no evidence — any of the other competitors could have been Xiahou Xi's killer.
And there was one more thing: this killer was cunning enough to resist taking Xiahou Xi's Storage Ring, choosing instead to discard it.
If someone picked it up, that person might even end up taking the blame.
Elder Geng shot a glance at the fellow who had handed over the Storage Ring. The man was cowering and trembling — he didn't look like someone capable of killing Xiahou Xi, no matter how you looked at him.
With a dark expression, Elder Geng said to him: "What's your name?"
"This humble one is Yan Qing."
"Fine, I've noted it. You may leave." Elder Geng pocketed the Storage Ring without the slightest intention of offering a reward.
Seeing the situation, the man didn't expect to receive any gratuity from Elder Geng and slunk away dejectedly. He was afraid that if he lingered too long, the old man might turn on him.
Xiahou Xi's death, while sending enormous ripples through the crowd, did not cause the same level of sensation as the incident at Dongyan Island. After all, the scope of impact was far narrower, and moreover, the Lanyan Island Domain had issued prior warnings and advisories about this.
The Yan family members, despite being riddled with suspicions, maintained a respectful demeanor on the surface, not daring to invite misfortune from the Xiahou family at a time like this.
Under the leadership of Elder He and Elder Quan, the Yan family's group also prepared to depart.
Yan Qingsang grabbed