Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi

After cleaning up the battlefield, Shen Mo summoned a Winged Serpent, and the group set off again. However, about half an hour after they left, Yang Kun appeared at the site with a band of powerful individuals. Looking at the corpses of the black-clothed leader and the others on the ground, an icy expression appeared on Yang Kun's face, "Useless trash, all wiped out in one fell swoop." "Your Highness, we have startled the snake by hitting the grass, what should we do now?" A young man dressed in black beside Yang Kun asked. If Xiao Yi had been there, he would have recognized that this young man was none other than Sun Yao. Yang Kun said coldly, "What is there to fear? Each of us could drown them with just a spit. Furthermore, we have Bai Xue as an insider among them. No matter what, they will not be able to escape the palm of my hand!" "Your Highness is indeed wise, to even have your people in Feixue Temple!" Sun Yao said with a smile. Yang Kun proudly smiled and then said coldly, "Listen, everyone, as soon as you catch up with them, show no mercy. Yang Ling has been staying in the imperial capital this whole time, and I have never had the chance to make a move. This is an opportunity bestowed by heaven; he must not be allowed to live and return!" "Rest assured, elder brother, we know what to do!" "The position of the Crown Prince should rightfully belong to Your Highness. Who else has the right to vie for it?" "Besides them…" With a wave of his hand, Yang Kun led the group in pursuit toward the direction of the Northern Ice Plains. … In Northern Bing City, As a frontier fortress of the Great Qian Dynasty in the north, the city was substantial. Built against the mountain, it guarded the northern thoroughfares. By the time Xiao Yi and his companions arrived at Northern Bing City, the place was already a sea of people. Countless individuals formed a black torrent, rushing towards the square inside the city. In the crowd, apart from the defending soldiers of Northern Bing City, there were also many stray Martial Artists and townsfolk. At this moment, each person's face was marked by ferocity and coldness, accompanied by anger that seemed to reach its breaking point. "Damn it, don't let me find out who did this, or I'll tear them to pieces!" "Not just tear them to pieces? I want to dig out their ancestral graves…" Curse after curse echoed among the crowd. Xiao Yi and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Shen Mo asked, "What on earth happened? Why does everyone look so enraged?" "Let's go and see what's going on!" Yang Ling said. The group followed the crowd forward. In the square... Three carriages were lined up in a row. Atop the carriages, bodies were spread out haphazardly, each body mutilated, as if torn apart by someone's bare hands or savagely ripped asunder by beasts. It was a terrifying sight. Menacing to behold. Hiss! Even Xiao Yi couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. There were easily over a hundred bodies on the three carriages, including some elderly, women, and children, as well as some soldiers in broken armor. There were even the hands and feet of babbling toddlers among them! What kind of being could have such cruel methods? Shen Mo's eyes reddened with rage, and he said in a suppressed voice, "Xiao, Your Highness, I'll go and find out what's going on." Xiao Yi nodded, remaining silent. A moment later, Shen Mo returned with a gloomy face, his voice somewhat hoarse, "I've found out what happened. These are the villagers from a village called the Wen Family Village on the ice plains. The city's patrol team found them during their rounds—more than two thousand people from the Wen Family Village reduced to just these mangled bodies..." Hiss! The group couldn't help but gasp. A village of over two thousand people left with only these mutilated remains? What about the others? Clearly, they couldn't still be alive! A few villagers nearby were also discussing, "This is already the seventh village to suffer such a fate this month. The city lord's mansion says it's the work of a beast, but what kind of beast could be so vicious?" "In these two months, the death toll has exceeded one hundred thousand..." "Over one hundred thousand dead or injured in two months?" Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes and stared at the wounds on the mutilated corpses, frowning slightly, and asked in a low voice, "Little Lin, can you tell what might have caused these injuries?" Little Lin possessed inherited memories and a vast wealth of knowledge. Its sharp gaze swept over the corpses, and it shook its head, "Boss, these wounds are highly peculiar; even in my inherited memories, I can't find a clear match. It must be an extremely rare beast!" Xiao Yi was startled and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, "Ordinary beast attacks, even those that wipe out entire villages, wouldn't leave without a trace. The affairs that have taken place in the Northern Bing City over these past two months are probably not simple!" At that moment... A middle-aged military leader clad in grey armor landed in the middle of the square; his gray armor was ancient and weathered, covered with numerous battle scars, each a testament to the bloodshed he had seen. This man was none other than General Yan Wei, the city lord of Northern Bing City, a master at the Dharma Phase Realm Peak! He was one of the ten great commanders of the Great Qian Dynasty! Yang Ling looked solemnly at Yan Wei, his eyes flashing with serious colors, and whispered to Xiao Yi, "This General Yan Wei is one of the few commanders of the Great Qian dynasty who is not from under the War King's command." Xiao Yi nodded in acknowledgment. Within the Great Qian Dynasty, there were ten commander-level great generals, and no less than six of them came from under Yang Yuhuan, the Unmatched War King. The meaning behind Yang Ling's words implied that Yan Wei was someone to be trusted. At the same time... He was also someone Yang Ling was preparing to win over. Yan Wei, looking at the hundreds of corpses, his eyes bloodshot, said to the people, "Ladies and gentlemen, as the lord of Northern Bing City, I let such a tragedy occur within my jurisdiction, for which I owe you all an apology. Once I find and bring the criminal beast to justice, I shall go to the imperial capital and request His Majesty to pass judgment and punishment on me..." "General Yan, we all know you've tried your hardest!" "Yes, General Yan, you've exhausted yourself for our sake. How can we blame you?" The crowd said one after another. Yan Wei felt grateful in his heart and declared loudly, "Please be assured, everyone. Even if I have to sacrifice my own life, I will surely capture the culprit!" "We believe in you!" "You can do it, General Yan!" Yan Wei nodded profoundly and then his gaze fell upon Xiao Yi and the others; upon seeing Yang Ling, Yan Wei paused, then quickly stepped forward and said, "I had no knowledge of your visit, Your Highness, and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me!" "General Yan, what are you saying? You have worked tirelessly to defend the northern borders of the Great Qian Dynasty. My sudden visit is actually an imposition, and you bear no blame," Yang Ling replied respectfully, his gaze earnest and sincere, moving Yan Wei profoundly. Yan Wei turned to Xiao Yi and the others, "And this gentleman is..." Yang Ling quickly said, "This is Xiao Yi, the head of the Xiaoshanhe Institute, Shen Mo, a disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and Bai Xue, a disciple of the Feixue Temple!" "Oh? So it's Head Xiao Yi, a name I have long heard!" Yan Wei raised an eyebrow, and for both Shen Mo and Bai Xue, he merely nodded as a sign of recognition, but his gaze towards Xiao Yi was filled with intense curiosity. This was the young genius who had nearly eradicated the Nangong Family and was capable of standing toe-to-toe with Yang Yuhuan. Now Xiao Yi's name was well-known throughout the Great Qian Dynasty! Xiao Yi humbly said, "General Yan gives me too much credit—guarding the frontier is truly the admirable task, and you are the idol in our hearts!" "Idol?" Yan Wei let out a bitter smile and pointed to the hundreds of corpses, "In the region under my watch, such a tragedy occurs, and I'm powerless to stop it. How do I qualify to be your idol?" The group fell silent for a moment. Xiao Yi said, "General Yan, we have come to track down the beast responsible for this tragedy. Do you have any leads?" "The beast is very cunning and hasn't left any clues. In the past, once a village was attacked, the whole village would disappear together. This incident with the Wen Family Village leaving behind corpses is a first. However..." Yan Wei hesitated for a moment. He hadn't expected Xiao Yi and his group to come in pursuit of the beast, then he shared, "I received information three days ago that in the Teng Family Village, villagers and livestock have been mysteriously disappearing, so I sent people to keep watch. But I didn't expect the Wen Family Village to be the one met with disaster..." "The Teng Family Village?" Xiao Yi and the others were taken aback, narrowed their eyes, and murmured, "With no leads to follow, let's start with the Teng Family Village then!"