Flying at a high altitude, Seventh Madam Yan was instantly left in a daze.
"Killed by Qin Yun?"
"They have been killed?"
"The three demon monarchs have been killed?"
Seventh Madam Yan had been pursuing them without sleep or rest for the past year as though she was going deranged. At the instant she received the news, she was somewhat in a daze. Even her mind was buzzing with confusion.
After a few seconds, she repressed her chaotic thoughts and completely came to her senses.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, did you say that the three demon monarchs of Evil Dragon Mountain are dead?" asked Seventh Madam Yan immediately.
"They are dead! They were just killed by Grand Dominance County's Inspector Heavenly Ambassador Qin Yun."
"Where are the three demon monarchs' corpses? Are they in Iron Hawk Mountain of Grand Dominance County's Yangshe Province?" Seventh Madam Yan asked again.
"Yes, the corpses are there."
"Please immediately pass a message to fellow Daoist Qin Yun that he has to retain the three demon monarchs' corpses." Seventh Madam Yan said, "Especially the head. I need to use their heads in a ritual to honor my husband."
"Miss Seventh, I'll immediately pass your message. Let's hope that fellow Daoist Qin Yun has yet to destroy their corpses."
As Seventh Madam Yan sent her messages, she changed directions and immediately headed straight for Jiang Prefecture.
In Iron Hawk Mountain's valley.
Qin Yun put away all the treasures and looked at the three demon monarchs' corpses. Leopard Demon King and Cat Demon Queen's corpses were nothing worth mentioning but Flood Dragon King's corpse was truly massive.
"Qin Yun, the Inspector Heavenly Alliance will also know that they were killed by you. This scene has been recorded by the Inspect Heavenly Token. Should we destroy the three corpses? It can prevent others from determining your flying sword's moves," suggested Yi Xiao.
Qin Yun pointed at Flood Dragon King's corpse and said with a laugh, "It took me dozens of strikes to break through his physical defenses and impale his heart. I left behind this corpse for others to see… To let them know that my flying sword's strength isn't that great!"
"You used dozens of strikes to break through the strength-enhanced Flood Dragon King's body," quipped Yi Xiao.
"But others do not know that," said Qin Yun with a smile.
Suddenly, a phantom projection appeared beside the Inspect Heavenly Token.
The projection was that of a middle-aged Daoist. "Fellow Daoist Qin Yun, please retain the three demon monarchs' corpses."
"Oh? Why so?" Qin Yun inquired. "The scene recorded by the Inspect Heavenly Token should be sufficient to ascertain the meritorious deed, right?"
"It's a request from Heavenly Demon Palace's Seventh Madam Yan," said the middle-aged Daoist. "Everything that happened has been recorded in the dossiers."
Phew.
A dense series of text appeared inside the Inspect Heavenly Token.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao were taken aback when they read it.
"This Seventh Madam Yan sure is pitiful," said Yi Xiao softly.
"Love between humans and demons." Qin Yun shook his head gently.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, sorry for the trouble," said the middle-aged Daoist.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, please inform Seventh Madam Yan that I will leave the three corpses intact till she arrives," said Qin Yun.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist Qin Yun. The people sent by the Inspector Heavenly Alliance will soon arrive in Iron Hawk Mountain," said the middle-aged Daoist with a smile before the transmission was cut.
Yi Xiao whispered, "The records say that Seventh Madam Yan's husband is only a mortal. After his village was massacred by the three demon monarchs, Seventh Madam Yan has been pursuing them ever since. She did not sleep or rest for nearly a year. The three demon monarchs had been discovered by Seventh Madam Yan twice but they were fast at escaping. By the time people from the Inspector Heavenly Alliance came, the three demon monarchs had fled. Yet, she has been pursuing them constantly."
Qin Yun extended his hand and held Yi Xiao's hand.
Yi Xiao turned to look at Qin Yun.
"Regardless, we will walk the cultivation path together," said Qin Yun.
"Okay." Yi Xiao smiled and nodded gently.
The people from the Inspector Heavenly Alliance arrived first.
A golden ship flew over and the leader was Daoist Yan. Behind him was a group of cultivators. Many of them were Postnatal cultivators that had just knocked open the gate of immortality. They were responsible for trifling matters. There was no need for Inspector Heavenly Ambassadors like Qin Yun to handle them.
"Come, each one of you, report which village you are from."
"Those from the same village, stand together."
"Separate yourselves."
The Postnatal cultivators immediately handled the villagers.
Daoist Yan, who was the leader of the golden ship, landed beside Qin Yun and Yi Xiao with a smile. When he saw the corpses of the three demon monarchs, he exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Qin, you sure are impressive. Even the three demon monarchs of Evil Dragon Mountain have perished under your hand. Especially this Flood Dragon King. He's very infamous but also extremely powerful. Even I am not his match."
"I was lucky," said Qin Yun with a smile.
"There is no such thing as luck in a life-and-death struggle. By the way, the body that Flood Dragon King cultivates can match that of a Dharma treasure. Its pair of claws is especially powerful. Can you sell me the claws? I have some use for them." Daoist Yan noticed at a glance that the claws of Flood Dragon King were most extraordinary.
"Sure," said Qin Yun. "But we have to wait till Seventh Madam Yan arrives."
"Seventh Madam Yan?" Daoist Yan nodded slightly.
A few moments later.
"Seventh Madam Yan is here." Qin Yun, Yi Xiao, and Daoist Yan turned to look over.
A peerless beauty with six furry tails flew from afar. Her extreme speed left Qin Yun and Daoist Yan astounded. In terms of looks, Seventh Madam Yan was almost as good as Yi Xiao. However, her beauty was different from Yi Xiao as she had a stunning seductive charm. However, her eyes were brimming with tears at the moment. When she landed, her tails were retracted. After all, she had used all her Dharmic powers to rush here.
"Evil Dragon Mountain's three demon monarchs." Seventh Madam Yan noticed the three corpses when she landed. Her teary eyes were filled with hatred.
"Fellow Daoist Qin Yun," Seventh Madam Yan turned to look at the trio and immediately came forward to bow. "Thank you, fellow Daoist for doing the deed of killing the three demon monarchs. If not, I would have no idea when I would be able to settle this vendetta."
"Slaying fiendish demons is a responsibility of mine," said Qin Yun. "Miss Seventh, there's no need for you to be bothered by it."
"I have a presumptuous request. I need the three demon monarchs' heads to honor my husband," said Seventh Madam Yan. "Of course, I'm willing to gift you something in exchange."
"Feel free to take it away," said Qin Yun. "There's no need for any treasures."
Seventh Madam Yan was taken aback as she saw Yi Xiao standing beside Qin Yun. The two looked like an immortal couple and they looked intimate. Seventh Madam Yan smiled and waved her hand. A translucent robe flew from her. "This is a Shadow Concealment Robe refined from the Skyfoxes' tail fur. My master had given this to me to protect me. However, having accomplished my cultivation, this Shadow Concealment Robe is no longer of use to me. I'll give it to this young sister."
With that said, the translucent robe flew towards Yi Xiao.
Yi Xiao said immediately, "This is too expensive."
"Sister, just keep it. Fellow Daoist Qin Yun has helped me settle my revenge. I don't even know how to thank him, so this robe is nothing," said Seventh Madam Yan. As she spoke, she turned and headed for the three demon monarchs' corpses and cut off their heads.
Yi Xiao looked at Qin Yun.
"Take it," said Qin Yun.
He had heard of the Shadow Concealment Robe before too. Only the Skyfox clan from the Heavenly Demon Palace was able to refine them. They were fifth-grade Dharma treasures and their rarity was not inferior to fourth-grade Dharma treasures. With the Shadow Concealment Robe, Yi Xiao's life preservation abilities would also be enhanced greatly.
"Fellow Daoist Qin and this young sister, let's exchange messaging marks with each other." Seventh Madam Yan walked over after putting away the demon monarchs' heads. "In the future, if there's any help needed, feel free to ask."
"I'm Yi Xiao, a disciple of the Divine Firmament Chapter," Yi Xiao introduced herself.
"A nice name," said Seventh Madam Yan with a smile. "I seldom see a female human more beautiful than our Skyfox race. It's no wonder fellow Daoist Qin Yun has fallen for you."
As long as one wasn't a fool, one could tell that Qin Yun and Yi Xiao were very close.
Yi Xiao blushed slightly.
Both parties left a messaging mark with each other.
"Then, I won't be staying here any longer. Both of you are powerful cultivators. You will be more blissful than me and my husband." Seventh Madam Yan smiled before flying away.
After having her vendetta resolved, she was a lot calmer. All she wanted was to honor her husband and later, return to the Heavenly Demon Palace to cultivate in seclusion.
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao looked up as they watched Seventh Madam Yan leave.
Indeed, the matter of Qin Yun killing the three demon monarchs stirred some humans and demons! Ignoring the repression of Black Demon King as he was not killed, but for Qin Yun to kill the three demon monarchs of Evil Dragon Mountain alone, with one of them being Flood Dragon King, that was an appalling piece of news!
"Qin Yun's strength among all the Azure-token Inspector Heavenly Ambassadors in Jiang Prefecture probably ranks him as one of the best." Scenic Mountain Sect's Palatial Lord Essence Charm, as well as the incumbent sect master, were discussing the matter.
"He's already this powerful at present. When he enters the Connate True Core realm, I'm afraid I won't be able to take him down anymore," said Palatial Lord Essence Charm.
"He is unaffiliated and also a Jiang Prefecture local. He can help our Scenic Mountain Sect too."
The Jiang Prefecture's cultivation world was happy to have their strength enhanced.
Elsewhere, in the Kong Prefecture, where the Zhongli family's fief, Li City, was, Matron Le was inside a luxurious residence.
"What?"
Seated there, Matron Le looked at the phantom that appeared in midair in front of her. The flood dragon with dark red scales was looking over from the projection when Matron Le could not help but say, "You are backing out?"
"Yes, we are backing out of the assassination mission. The three Immortal Crystals will be refunded to you, Matron Le," said the flood dragon.
"How can you back out? If there's one failure, try a second time. If there are two failures, try a third time," Myriad Temple said. "Isn't it your Myriad Temple's rule of doing it once the mission is accepted?"
The flood dragon said, "Yes, and if we can't do it, the Immortal Crystals will be fully refunded."
"Refunded?" Matron Le stared at the flood dragon through the projection.
"The two assassination attempts we planned have failed completely," said the flood dragon. "According to our judgments, the strength of this human sword immortal, Qin Yun, is a lot higher than we previously anticipated. Therefore, the three Immortal Crystals will be refunded! If you want our Myriad Temple to continue the assassination, more Immortal Crystals will be needed."
"How much?" Matron Le frowned.
"Thirty," said the flood dragon with a faint smile. His dragon whiskers were flailing about in the water.
"Thirty?" Matron Le was shocked and incensed. "How is it that much? Even a newly-promoted Connate Golden Core cultivator would only need fifty. Don't you think I'm not aware. That Qin Yun had to use dozens of strikes from his flying sword to tear through Flood Dragon King's body before slaying him. He is stronger than Flood Dragon King because of his successful restraint on him."
The flood dragon smiled. "Our Myriad Temple does not care about the process, only the outcome! The outcome is that three demon monarchs are dead. Flood Dragon King didn't even have a chance of escaping the valley before being killed. Then, to kill Qin Yun would require thirty Immortal Crystals! As for the wounds on the corpse? That can be faked!"
Matron Le was taken aback.
"Thirty Immortal Crystals. Do you want to continue the assassination?" asked the flood dragon with dark red scales.
Matron Le clenched her teeth and took a deep breath. "There's no need."
"Alright, the three Immortal Crystals will be returned to you tomorrow at your residence, Matron Le." After saying that, the transmission was severed.
Matron Le had an ugly expression as she clenched her teeth and said, "Killing Qin Yun alone needs thirty Immortal Crystals? To think they dare offer such a price, do they think I'm dumb?"
As she spoke, she could not help but wave her hand, sending the teacups on the tea table flying before they shattered onto the ground.