Chapter 0390: The Shadowy Puppeteer

Chapter 0390: The Shadowy Puppeteer

Qin Yun heard the terrified shouts from the person inside the cauldron and sneered, "Who knew a killer could be so scared of dying! Not very professional, are you?"

"Kill me, and your life will be hell!" the person shouted.

"Still trying to threaten me, huh?" Qin Yun laughed heartily, "I don’t even know you. Why should I be scared? If you want to scare me, spill your story!"

He was dying to know why this killer was after him.

Despite their top-notch tracking and stealth, they didn’t strike him as a pro.

"Curious about who I am, are you?" the person chuckled darkly, "Even if I told you, you wouldn’t get it. But if you did, it’d scare the life out of you!"

Qin Yun thought for a moment and slowly said, "You probably know I’m Qin Yun, a pretty talented disciple of the Nine Extremes Profound Sect... Are you tied to the group that wiped out the Nine Extremes Profound Sect years back? Back then, they hunted down the best of the Nine Extremes Profound Sect!"

"The Nine Extremes Profound Sect is finished for good!" the person chuckled darkly, "You got it. We take out the best to ensure your sect never grows back."

"Qin Yun, you’re too good and part of the Nine Extremes Profound Sect. That makes you a dead man walking."

Qin Yun didn’t expect that he had guessed correctly!

This killer was definitely from that shadowy group.

What baffled him was how his movements, known only to Sect Leader Wei Zhongzheng and Hong Mengshu, were exposed.

The Sect Leader wouldn’t betray him, and Hong Mengshu, being a close ally, was above suspicion.

"Who are you with? Spit it out!" Qin Yun asked again, "If I was scared, I wouldn’t be roasting you alive!"

The person sneered, "Just know this: even king-level sects kneel before us. We’re the sole emperor-level force in the North Region!"

Qin Yun was taken aback. An emperor-level force outranked king-level ones.

In Wuhuang, declaring yourself an emperor meant war with king-level forces unless you had the muscle to back it up.

Now, in Wuhuang’s North Region, an emperor-level force had emerged, shrouded in mystery.

Qin Yun immediately thought of the Totem Pavilion!

Hong Mengshu had once said that Hongwu Country paid tribute to the Totem Pavilion.

"You’re with the Totem Pavilion, aren’t you?" Qin Yun asked indifferently.

"You... you’re well-informed!" the person's surprised voice came from inside the cauldron.

Qin Yun frowned deeply. The force targeting the Nine Extremes Profound Sect was actually the Totem Pavilion!

With this, he could also guess the reason why the Totem Pavilion targeted the Nine Extremes Profound Sect!

Perhaps, back then, the Nine Extremes Profound Sect was about to become a king-level sect but refused to submit to the Totem Pavilion, so the sect leader, elders, and outstanding disciples were all exterminated.

The Totem Pavilion's power was immense, yet it remained hidden in the shadows, unknown to many. This was the most terrifying aspect.

"Very impressive, you scared me!" Qin Yun sighed, "How did you know my whereabouts?"

"Your sect leader went to register for the alchemy competition, and then I followed him back to the Qiweng Hall!" the person laughed, "I must say, that old man is very alert and noticed something was off, so he pretended to have you deliver a letter to get you out of the Martial King City!"

Qin Yun’s eyes widened, "You were in that suite the whole time?"

"Exactly! I followed Wei Zhongzheng in, but he had no idea!" the man laughed triumphantly. "He thought our Totem Pavilion's target was him, and knowing he couldn't escape Hong Martial King City, he sent you away."

"He was worried you’d know too much, so he kept the truth from you, just wanting you to leave Hong Martial King City quickly! He was also afraid you’d seek revenge for him recklessly, so he didn’t say much to you!"

Qin Yun took a deep breath and suddenly thought of many things!

Hong Yan had become a disciple of the Fire King Sect Leader and had invited him to attend the celebration banquet!

This way, Totem Pavilion would have the opportunity to target him.

Totem Pavilion's target was originally aimed at him because they didn't know Wei Zhongzheng had recovered so quickly.

"That brat Hong Yan... must have told the Fire King Sect Leader about knowing me, and the Fire King Sect Leader, who has a good relationship with your Totem Pavilion, set this trap to deal with me, right?" Qin Yun asked angrily after figuring it out.

The man said, "You're very smart, and your martial and rune talents are exceptional. If you were allowed to grow, the Nine Extremes Profound Sect would surely rise! The threat you pose is far greater than that old man Wei Zhongzheng!"

Qin Yun thought that Martial King Hong Ying might also know about his rune talent but hadn't conspired with Totem Pavilion to harm him, especially since he had saved Hong Mengshu.

Hong Yan likely didn’t know his master secretly served Totem Pavilion.

Qin Yun asked again, "So, you have many strong fighters in this celebration banquet?"

"Originally, we were just going to kill you, but now... both you and Wei Zhongzheng must die! Especially Wei Zhongzheng, he won't leave Hong Martial King City alive!" the man laughed loudly. "Now, are you trembling with fear? To deal with Wei Zhongzheng, we can have the Fire King Sect Leader cooperate with us!"

After calming down, Qin Yun asked indifferently, "So now, do you think I dare to kill you?"

The man was very confident, "Of course not! Since you know how powerful our Totem Pavilion is, if you still dare to kill me, just wait for the best assassins from Totem Pavilion to hunt you down!"

Qin Yun also knew that when a major faction sends assassins, if the assassins die, the next ones sent would be even stronger!

"How many strong fighters from Totem Pavilion are in Hong Martial King City? How strong are they?" Qin Yun asked.

"They’re all at the peak of the Xuan Martial Realm, just a handful! More than enough to deal with that old man Wei Zhongzheng, and if not, there's always the Fire King Sect Leader!"

Qin Yun clenched his fists tightly—the Fire King Sect Leader was at the Martial King Realm!

"The pill competition is covertly controlled by our Totem Pavilion! The moment Wei Zhongzheng registered, we knew, and we swiftly replaced the guards at all four city gates with our own." The man laughed triumphantly. "Now you see the true might of our Totem Pavilion! Even Wei Zhongzheng himself has given up hope of survival, ready to die!"

Qin Yun was furious to the extreme, his voice became icy cold. "Do you think this Beast Oil will be enough to roast you alive?"

"You’re actually going to kill me?" Hearing Qin Yun's tone, the man became panicked.

"Why do you always think you’re the only ones allowed to kill?" Qin Yun sneered. "If the Beast Oil isn't enough, I have more here!"

"You... if you really kill me, it will only intensify Totem Pavilion's efforts against your Nine Extremes Profound Sect!" the man hurriedly shouted.

"It seems you’re quite high up in Totem Pavilion! Quickly tell me, what exactly is your position? Only those in high positions are so afraid of death!" Qin Yun laughed. "With that arrogance of yours, you don’t strike me as an assassin!"

The man snorted coldly, "You know my high standing in Totem Pavilion, yet you dare to kill me? I might as well tell you, in Totem Pavilion, apart from those Martial Kings, the strongest are the thirty-six peak Xuan Martial Realm Hall Masters, and I... am the son of one of those Hall Masters!"

In Totem Pavilion, there are thirty-six at the peak of the Xuan Martial Realm, and countless others at lower levels!

This massive force has always operated in the shadows, known only to a select few. The thought alone is terrifying!

"Thanks for spilling all those secrets!" After saying this, Qin Yun injected flames into the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron.

"You’re actually going to kill me... ahhh..." The man inside let out a terrified and painful scream.

Qin Yun said coldly, "Your Totem Pavilion has slaughtered so many from my Nine Extremes Profound Sect. What’s wrong with me killing one of yours? Whether I kill you or not, Totem Pavilion won’t let me live, nor will they spare the Nine Extremes Profound Sect!"

"If that's the case, why should I spare you?"

"You will regret this..." The agonized scream was filled with anger.

"Regardless, I will never regret killing someone who wants to kill me!" Qin Yun touched the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron, his heart heavy with dread.

Because he didn't know what the final outcome would be for killing this person!

The man kept screaming; after all, his cultivation wasn't too low, and he wouldn't die right away, which was the most painful part, as he had to endure being burned by the animal oil for a while before death.

Although Qin Yun didn't have the power of the Xuan Martial realm to activate the Heavenly Lion Subduing Dragon Cauldron, the cauldron itself was incredibly sturdy.

The person trapped inside couldn't escape without a certain level of strength.

After a while, Qin Yun peered into the cauldron and was surprised to find that the man was still alive.

"Your defensive artifact is quite good; it's kept you alive for so long!" Qin Yun said in surprise.

"You... you will die a horrible death!" The man, still alive, snarled in rage.

"The one who will die a horrible death is you!" Qin Yun said, adding more animal oil.

"Ah..."

The man screamed again, in agonizing pain.

Qin Yun also observed the inside, noticing that when the animal oil burned, the center of the flame had tendrils of black smoke!

"Black flames! If the fire martial spirit is black, the flames are also black!" He thought to himself in awe.

Of course, when the animal oil burned, only the center had a few strands of black flame, while the outside was the normal bright red.

After an hour, the man's defensive artifact was finally completely destroyed.

Without the defensive artifact, the mortal body couldn't withstand the intense flames, and in just a few moments, the man was burned beyond the ability to scream.

Qin Yun quickly opened the lid and pulled the man out.

The man was charred black all over, unrecognizable, but he was still alive, whimpering faintly.

"You could follow the sect leader into the room without being noticed, surely because your martial spirit is quite peculiar, right?" Qin Yun placed his hand on the man's dantian and began to extract the martial spirit.

"Ahhhhh... soul... refining... technique!" The man cried out in pain.

Qin Yun smiled, "Bet you didn't see that coming! I hope your martial spirit is a good one, capable of surprising me. Most of the martial spirits I've extracted from others were trash! You're from the Totem Pavilion; you shouldn't disappoint me!"