Chapter 1290: Eighteen Blood-Robed Warriors
After leaving Song Tiandao, Xiang Shaoyun stopped looking for more people to ask about the Devil Hunting Expedition. It didn't matter what he found out as it was too late for him to do anything. He only needed to return to the surface and he would get the information he wanted.
He didn't care about his contribution points, but he wouldn't hesitate to kill any devils daring to block his path. He didn't really care much for those regular devils. Just his Imperial Nether Domain alone was able to easily kill hundreds of them. One could say that his current speed of earning contribution points was unrivaled.
He directly devoured any devil core he obtained. He was already a peak Devil Sovereign. It wouldn't take him long to become a Devil Saint if he wanted. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time. The Devil Hunting Expedition was going to end soon. He had to return. Everything else would have to wait.
On his way to the second layer, he killed no less than 4,000 devils, including over 300 Devil Sovereigns. He wasn't even trying; these were all the devils that had attacked him. It was quite unbelievable that a mere fourth-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator could kill that many devils alone.
Anyone else would have to use all their strength to kill a single Devil Sovereign, but that was like a stroll in a park for Xiang Shaoyun. He was simply unrivaled below the Saint Realm. At the second layer, the devils he encountered became even weaker. He couldn't even be bothered to hit back when attacked. He rushed straight toward the first layer.
Along the way, he encountered a group of Overlord Legion members. They had suffered disastrous losses and only had about a dozen left. Even these survivors were badly injured and looked incredibly miserable. However, they seemed to have undergone a complete transformation as well. Through their experience in the Devil Domain, it was as though each of them was emanating an indescribable and sharp aura.
When they saw Xiang Shaoyun, it was as though they were seeing their family. All of them were overjoyed. Xiang Shaoyun was also happy to see them. He naturally brought them along as he returned. Along the way, he listened to them as they talked about what had happened in the past three years.
The four academies had lost about half their disciples to the expedition. One could say the expedition was an incredibly cruel training session for all the disciples. As for the survivors, everyone had gained something. Even those who had not increased their cultivation level had still greatly sharpened their skills and gained valuable experience for their future cultivation.
As for the Sovereigns who weren't from the academies, many had died as well. During the expedition, about a dozen individuals had also spread their names far and wide through their impressive accomplishments. Some were hidden geniuses, some were already well-known, and so on. Every one of them was an individual with shocking combat strength.
It was rumored that each of them had the strength to kill a Saint. This wasn't a rumor that could be taken lightly. Additionally, one particular matter had also attracted Xiang Shaoyun's attention. Due to his disappearance, Devil Concubine and Yu Caidie had offered huge rewards for any information about him. News of that had also spread far and wide.
Why were so many people paying attention to it? Because both of them had claimed that he was their man. For many people, the news was alarming.
Devil Concubine was the number one beauty of the True Martial Academy, while Yu Caidie was Dragon Phoenix Academy's number one beauty. Both of them were the brightest stars in this expedition. They were also exceptionally talented in cultivation. Just gaining one of them would cause countless men to be jealous. How was Xiang Shaoyun worthy of having both of them for himself?
And thus, Xiang Shaoyun became a household name. Many wanted to see just how he looked like for two beauties to topple over him. People started digging out all the information about him. Abandoned disciple of the Dragon Phoenix Academy, champion of the competition between the four academies, fusing nine different astral energies, young sect master of Western Desert's Ziling Sect—all these were exposed. His success in fusing nine powers received the most attention.
After all, it was common knowledge that cultivating nine powers was a dead end. Therefore, everyone was interested in how Xiang Shaoyun had achieved the impossible. Additionally, the admirers of Devil Concubine and Yu Caidie also declared that they would challenge and defeat Xiang Shaoyun the moment they encountered him. They vowed to prove that Xiang Shaoyun wasn't a good match for the two.
After finding out about all that, Xiang Shaoyun laughed it off, not caring one bit. With his current strength, nobody below the Saint Realm could give him any trouble. Leading the Overlord Legion members, he smoothly reached the first layer. There, they started heading toward the fort.
At the first layer, Xiang Shaoyun encountered more and more humans. Most of them were on their way back, and some were able to recognize Xiang Shaoyun. After all, generous rewards had been offered for his whereabouts. His picture had long been spread everywhere.
Just as the group was about to reach the fort, some people appeared before them. The newcomers were 18 Sovereigns. They all wore the same outfit, making it clear that they were from the same organization.
The leader pointed at Xiang Shaoyun and shouted, "You're Xiang Shaoyun?"
From how aggressive the newcomers were behaving, it was clear they were looking for trouble. The Overlord Legion members were on full alert. Each of them was a genius cultivator, but none of them had entered the Soul Foundation Realm. Facing 18 Sovereigns at the same time, the pressure they felt was rather big.
Someone in the group recognized the newcomers. He transmitted to Xiang Shaoyun, "Overlord, these are the Eighteen Blood-Robed Warriors. It is said that everywhere they go, rivers of blood will flow."
Upon hearing that, Xiang Shaoyun focused on the newcomers and found that there really was a thick bloodlust about them. Such bloodlust could only form after countless killings. Xiang Shaoyun judged that the eighteen were vicious and merciless individuals.
"Are you deaf? Did you not hear my question?" the leader berated.
The leader was the strongest of the group, a ninth-stage Soul Foundation Realm cultivator. With a crimson saber in hand, he looked incredibly ferocious. The others did not look like pushovers either. None of them was weaker than the seventh-stage Soul Foundation Realm. It was no wonder they could cause rivers of blood to flow wherever they went.
Xiang Shaoyun stepped forth and indifferently said, "Yes, I'm Xiang Shaoyun. Can I help you?"
"You're Xiang Shaoyun? Excellent. I'll give you two choices. First, admit that you're a maggot unworthy of Lady Yu Caidie. Second, die," demanded the leader.