Chapter 835: Goodbye Lingyao

The moment Xu Yang finished speaking, he vanished, leaving the young man utterly bewildered and dumbfounded.

When Xu Yang returned to the battlefield, the battle had already concluded. Yun Yixuan had slain two of the three bandit leaders, while the third, stripped of his cultivation, lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

The outer battlefield was littered with casualties; countless bandit warriors lay dead across the land. This was partly because the bandit group was not particularly strong, and partly because their leaders were eliminated so swiftly that the remaining bandits had no time to react. Xu Yang's 50,000 well-trained elite troops utterly decimated them. Moreover, the constant charges from the Golden Armored Knights gave the enemy soldiers no respite, contributing to their overwhelming defeat.

"Speak. Tell me everything I want to know, and you will live." Yun Yixuan said, leisurely sitting on a chair and looking down at the captive with a condescending gaze.

"I have nothing to say. Just kill me now, or you're my grandson!" Yun Yixuan burst into laughter, surprised that the man dared to provoke him in such a way, even facing death.

"Do you think by adopting this attitude, trying to provoke me into killing you, you can escape painful retribution? You are gravely mistaken. I will not let you die until you tell the truth." Yun Yixuan snapped his fingers. The deputy commander of the Golden Knights, using an unknown method, injected a special energy into the bandit leader. Soon after, the man began to rage, screaming and roaring hysterically. The agony on his face was indescribable, yet he still refused to utter a single word.

"Bandits are very unified. As they lack a formal organization, their survival depends entirely on their own efforts, making them closely bound to each other. This is especially true for the bandit forces in the Eastern Region. If we cannot make one of them speak, we have no way to advance our plan." Yun Yixuan clearly had his own strategy, but its implementation was not progressing smoothly.

"He still won't talk even if you do that." Xu Yang shook his head helplessly. Disregarding Yun Yixuan's opinion, he walked directly to the man, who was still screaming hysterically in pain. With a palm strike to the man's head, Xu Yang ended his agonizing state and simultaneously extracted a portion of his memories.

"Heh, I didn't realize that a man capable of dominating the entire Northern Region would possess such compassion for a mere ant."

Xu Yang sneered, "He doesn't deserve my sympathy, but I respect every opponent who has lost the ability to resist. As living beings, they have the right to basic dignity. Tormenting him like that offers no help in solving the problem; you are merely enjoying his struggle. I do not condone such methods." As he spoke, Xu Yang directly shared the soul imprint he had extracted, which contained a list of bandit forces strikingly similar to those in the surrounding area.

"Fortunately, you obtained this information. Otherwise, I might truly hold you accountable for your impudent actions. Don't forget, you are no longer the highest commander here, and your every move will be closely tied to the royal family's future attitude toward you."

Xu Yang sneered, "Are you threatening me?"

"Interpret it as you wish. We are all intelligent people; I can overlook anything within certain limits. Of course, this is contingent upon me achieving a satisfactory outcome. You had better pray that the true culprit behind the Seventh Prince's death can be found here. Otherwise, you won't be able to clear your name, no matter what you do."

Xu Yang paused for a moment, then quickly disappeared from view.

As night fell, Xu Yang had been waiting for a long time at the agreed location, but no one had yet appeared.

Suddenly, just as he considered leaving, a sword gleam pierced the air, shining exceptionally bright against the dark night.

Xu Yang chuckled without turning his head. He simply extended two fingers, precisely pinching the blade. With a gentle flick of his wrist, the sword spun mid-air and forcefully turned against its wielder.

The shadowy figure seemed equally surprised by the astonishing force of Xu Yang's counterattack. It quickly leaped from the void, landing steadily, and with another wave of its hand, the long sword was back firmly in its grasp.

The shadowy figure removed its mask, and at that moment, Xu Yang also turned around.

"Ah Yang! The Sect Master of the Sacred Flame Sect, the Ruler of the Northern Region! It seems none of us have managed to grow as much as you, boss!"

"Girl, when did you come to the Eastern Region?" Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Ling Yao. According to Xu Yang's intelligence, Long Kun and Old Ape Taishan were in the Eastern Region, and he had not expected to encounter Ling Yao first.

"I can't tell you yet, boss. However, I can answer three questions you're most interested in; consider it a task for this operation."

Xu Yang chuckled, "I can only think of one question right now: Among the major alliances in the Eastern Region, which one is the strongest? Which one has the most capability to suppress the bandits?"

"The largest alliance in the Eastern Region is called the Yaoguang Alliance, and its leader is Ling Yao—that would be me."

Xu Yang burst into laughter. "Excellent! This is my partner, Xu Yang! It seems your achievements have been outstanding these past few months!"

Ling Yao, however, shook her head helplessly. "The situation in the Eastern Region is different from your Northern Region. The allied forces are not the strongest. All twenty-odd alliances combined cannot defeat the bandits here. Furthermore, the Eastern Region has three major forbidden areas that harbor unknown powers. In short, this place is very complex, and it is extremely difficult for outsiders to intervene."

Xu Yang's expression grew serious. "You mean the bandits' roots are difficult to trace?"

"Exactly. Even with my current influence, I can only locate some peripheral bandit forces. The true strongholds of the main Eastern Region bandit leaders are currently unknown, and they rarely make an appearance."

Xu Yang nodded. "In that case, I understand. Oh, and for my second question, do you have any clues about Long Kun and Old Ape Taishan?"

Ling Yao shook her head. "You are the first ally I've encountered."

Xu Yang shrugged helplessly. "Wait a few days. We'll meet soon enough, but my current situation is a bit special." As he spoke, Xu Yang imprinted a soul mark into Ling Yao's mind. The girl immediately understood the roles of Yun Yixuan and the others, nodding repeatedly with a mischievous smile.

"This guy is indeed a nuisance. It seems, boss, you should stage a spectacle in the Eastern Region to thoroughly silence him. After all, provoking the royal family too early would not be a wise move."