A group of young martial artists wanted to follow to watch the excitement.
That’s when they realized, they had no idea where the Black Scarf Thieves’ lair was.
And with Ling Xiao’s speed, they couldn’t catch up even if they rode their horses at full speed, so after chasing for a while, they had no choice but to give up and head in the direction of Tianfeng City.
If a disciple of the Ling Family was already so powerful, how terrifying must the Ling Family be?
By now, Ling Xiao had already reached a place several miles away, all thanks to the advancement of his "Soaring Cloud Steps."
This time, the advancement of the "Soaring Cloud Steps" was not due to the integration of other top-tier body movement techniques, but because of Ling Xiao’s comprehension of the mystic art of a fragment from a transcendent martial arts text.
He had integrated this mystic art into the "Soaring Cloud Step," thus evolving "Soaring Cloud Steps·Young Dragon" into "Soaring Cloud Step: Ice Dragon."
When executed, the original two-to-three-meter-long young dragon had now turned into one more than ten meters in length.
Moreover, if Ling Xiao wished, his passing would turn the world around him into a domain of ice crystals.
The "Soaring Cloud Step" had completely evolved from a mere body movement technique into a combination of body movement and martial skills.
Furthermore, "Soaring Cloud Step: Ice Dragon" had elevated the "Soaring Cloud Step" from the rare top-tier martial arts to a superior top-tier martial arts technique.
In other words, beneath transcendent martial arts, it was the strongest body movement art.
Similarly, the "Ox Demon Technique: Transformation" had also upgraded successfully, becoming the "Ox Demon Technique: Ice Demon."
It was also a superior top-tier martial arts technique.
Similar to Transformation, after executing the technique, the body would be enveloped in a huge shell resembling the form of the Bull Demon Race, only now the shell appeared more realistic.
It seemed as though it was wrapped in a layer of ice crystals, and when paired with the "Snow Lotus Qi Technique," it was truly awe-inspiring.
Although Ling Xiao hadn’t mastered all five moves of the "Snow Lotus Sword Technique," the gains he obtained from that mystic art were indeed significant.
At this moment, he was relying on "Soaring Cloud Step: Ice Dragon," which made him feel as if he was freely dancing in the sky, never needing to touch the ground to gather momentum.
And his speed was incredibly fast.
Flying in the sky, he was akin to a transparent shadow flashing by; if one were not strong enough or didn’t pay close attention, they might mistake it for a mere trick of the eyes.
It didn’t take long for Ling Xiao to find the Black Scarf Thief Lair.
With the guidance of the Mountain and River Map, it was actually very easy for him to find this place, which was why he dared to ask Ling Xiaotian for permission to go to the Black Scarf Thieves’ lair alone.
Fulong Mountain Range, Black Scarf Thief Lair.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar sounded.
The big boss of the Black Scarf Thieves, who was sitting on the top seat, suddenly stood up.
At this moment, a servant ran in panic and said loudly, "Reporting to the bosses, an odd ice dragon has appeared outside, mercilessly slaughtering our brothers."
"An ice dragon? Are your eyes playing tricks on you? That kind of monster beast should be long extinct, right?"
The second-in-command spoke coldly.
"I dare not deceive the bosses, it truly is an ice dragon, but it seems there is a person inside; he claims to be Ling Xiao of the Ling Family!"
"A person from the Ling Family? Could it be a Martial Master?" The color drained from the face of someone sitting there.
"Impossible, if any of those Martial Masters from the Ling Family moved an inch, we’d know about it. It must be some ignorant fool," the big boss waved his hand dismissively. "Such a trivial matter and you come to report it. Were you all raised by *****? Why haven’t you killed that guy yet?"
"But, big boss, that person really is formidable, at least at the peak of the Martial Pulse Sixth Level!"
"What of it if he’s at the Martial Meridian Sixth Peak? There are hundreds of you, many of whom are at the Martial Meridian Sixth Layer. Can’t you take down a single man?"
Just then, another servant rushed in and reported loudly, "Bosses, that guy is too powerful, we tried to shoot him down with strong bows and crossbows, only to have him easily shatter them all."
"Report—! Ling Xiao has already breached the mountain, and our losses are heavy!"
"Report—! The number of casualties has risen to a hundred!"
"Report—! One hundred and fifty have been killed, among them three mid-level Martial Meridian Sixth Layer Martial Artists were no match for him!"
"Report—! That guy is too ruthless, wherever he goes, he encases a hundred meters in ice, freezing another hundred people stiff on the spot!"
The continual reports made the faces of the remaining eleven peak Sixth Layer Martial Vein chiefs inside the hall look very ugly.
"Big brother, we can’t wait any longer, let’s fight our way out," said the third chief, standing up and speaking loudly.
"No, wait for him to come in!"
The head chief shook his head and said, "Send orders immediately for everyone to clear a path, make way for the kid."
Although the minions didn’t understand why, they still carried out the order, because at this time they simply couldn’t stop Ling Xiao; it was better to retreat temporarily and strive to survive rather than resist futilely and die.
After the minions had gone out, the head chief continued, "It seems the newcomer is quite strong, definitely one of the best among those at the sixth peak level of Martial Meridians. We eleven can lie in ambush here, and as soon as he enters, we’ll join forces to kill him, giving him no chance to turn the tables."
"So that’s it, big brother is truly wise!"
The crowd suddenly saw the light.
But they didn’t realize that by doing this, they had already lost in terms of momentum, effectively admitting that they were inferior to Ling Xiao.
However, they didn’t care. As bandits, their goal was to kill the enemy.
Using their numbers to bully the few was a common practice for them.
"Hmph, if that brat dares to come in, we’ll make sure he won’t have a body left to bury. Does he really think he’s Ling Xiaotian, that old geezer?"
"I’m in, but I wonder how you plan to leave me without a corpse to bury?"
Suddenly, an indifferent voice sounded from the entrance, and Ling Xiao actually strode in through the door with all the dignity of royalty.
"Eleven, hehe, that just saves me the trouble of having to look around."
Seeing Ling Xiao walk in so boldly, completely disregarding the eleven chiefs, the head chief was instantly furious and ordered his men to surround Ling Xiao.
"Kid, you’ve really walked into a trap today. Even if that old man Ling Xiaotian wanted to save you, he wouldn’t have the chance!"
Once they had surrounded Ling Xiao, the eleven chiefs burst into laughter.
It was clear to them that Ling Xiao’s strength had definitely not reached the Martial Master level.
As long as one wasn’t a Martial Master, even a peak-level Sixth Layer Martial Artist couldn’t possibly survive their siege.
Not to mention the realm Ling Xiao was exhibiting seemed to be just at the peak of Fifth Layer Martial Vein.
As they surrounded Ling Xiao, all of them were already quietly channeling their Gang Qi, ready to strike simultaneously and kill him in one fell swoop.
"Save me? Why would I need saving? You should be wondering whether the Ninja Clan you’re serving will send experts to rescue you!"
Ling Xiao’s expression remained indifferent, showing no sign of being nervous.
"Young man, there’s no need to feign calm. By sending you to our Black Scarf Lair, Ling Xiaotian has sent you to your death, and yet you obediently act as his pawn," laughed the head chief.
"If you’d like, you can join our Black Scarf Army, serve the Nin Emperor, and I assure you a life of wealth and splendor."
"If I said I’ve killed two of your chiefs, would you still invite me?"
Ling Xiao looked at the Black Scarf Thieves’ head chief and asked.
"No matter, as long as you’re willing to join us, what’s the harm in killing two people? What’s there for a real man to fear over such trifles!"