Huang Ying turned his gaze skyward after Li Jun notified him, the others curiously following his gaze. And it didn't take too long before they found out why he raised his gaze, a beast cutting through the air and arriving above the city. The beast was a crimson lion with a dark orange mane, crimson bat-like wings stretching out from its side and allowing it to fly.

Standing on the back of the lion was a young man, his dim blue eyes sweeping the city beneath him with a somewhat disinterested gaze. He had dark violet hair that just barely reached past his ears, his entire body exuding a heavy sense of pressure. The expressions of practically every student in the city sank heavily at the same time, Han De cursing quietly.

"Geh, so the rumours I heard were true, those freaks of nature are also coming along. But oh, I don't think I've ever heard anything about him having a second beast companion?"

Everyone knew who that man was, only one man had such a companion. Yao Long Chi, one of the six Heavenly Kings. But the gaze of Han De was drawn to Yao Long Chi's side, where a comparatively smaller beast was hovering. It had the body and head of a shark, but it also had four thick lizard-like limbs that ended in glittering claws, and it was evidently not one that Yao Long Chi was famous for.

"Great, just what we needed, one of the freaks managed to pick up another monster, it's definitely not a simple one if he's willing to bring it along."

Lang Zan cursed darkly when she noticed the beast as well, Yao Long Chi was not someone who would bring along a weak beast. But Huang Ying knew better than them, the winged lion was a beast that held the bloodline of one of the nine Demonic Deities, monsters that could contend with the Ancestral Gods.

He couldn't feel anything now, but considering the fact that Yao Long Chi had been in Cloudreacher Forest and fought against the Behemoth subtype that lived there, he guessed that there was a chance that this small beast also held a Demonic Deity bloodline. But he didn't bother voicing any of that, it wasn't even certain if Lang Zan or the others would know what it meant.

Yao Long Chi swept the city with his gaze a few times before, patting the lion on the side, its wings flapping once as it turned into a blur and vanished into the city. He had vanished from sight, but the pressure he had brought with him hung heavily on the hearts of every student present. And as if to take advantage of the fact that everyone had their gazes raised and hearts heavy, the five-clawed dragon airship from the Liangyu family descended at this very moment.

The airship landed and lowered its head, its maw opening wide to reveal a passage. The tongue rolled out to form a long carpet, a steady stream of people walking out from the airship with slow and dignified steps, their heads held high. They didn't even seem to bother looking at the surroundings, Lang Zan snorting scornfully.

"Well, they're certainly making one hell of a commotion, must be some bigshots that wanted to feel even bigger by coming here. Just look at them, they're definitely the kind of people who have their heads shoved up their ass."

Her words made it clear that she had no idea who the Langyu family was, and in truth that was something to be expected. The Langyu family could take part in a coup that took down a dynasty that ruled almost 100 planets, why would they bother spreading their name amongst small academies like the ones Huang Ying and the others came from?

The procession continued as more and more people streamed out from the airship and headed deeper into the city, Huang Ying occasionally casting an askance look at Song Yi. She still had bloodshot eyes and quivered faintly, but all of that got many magnitudes worse just as the procession seemed to reach an end. Her gaze was focused on a particular person at the rear-end of the last group that left the airship, the bloodlust oozing out from her almost solidifying.

"Someone you know?"

Huang Ying question in a quiet voice so that Lang Zan and Han De couldn't hear him, his gaze sifting through the crowd to find the person Song Yi was directing that much bloodlust towards. Song Yi also responded with a somewhat lowered voice, but it had grown even hoarser than it was when she first saw the Langyu family's airship.

"I don't recognize the people in the front, but I recognize that green-haired man with the orange eyes, he's been granted the Liangyu name for his service, Liangyu Shao Zhe. He's the right-hand man of one of the brothers of the man who kept me, he's a slimy scumbag trash garbage human who won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to accomplish the orders and desires of his master, scum trash that should be burned alive. He tried to buy me several times, but the one who kept me liked having me around as a trophy of conquest so he was rejected every time."

She seemed to lose control of her voice for a bit as she spoke, her emotions overwhelming her a few times. Huang Ying's gaze landed on the man she gestured towards with her eyes, he had sharp orange eyes and almost waist-length green hair that hung down freely. His gaze roamed over the man's body a few times, the corners of his lips curving up in anticipation.

"He~, he's strong, his aura has an air of steadiness and sharpness, he's definitely seen his fair share of deadly battle. How fun would he be, I wonder?"

There was also a slight tinge of bloody scent in the man's aura so Huang Ying guessed that he had also taken his fair share of lives, but that was only to be expected from a servant working for a large family. He was different from the students Huang Ying was used to, he was more akin to a bandit, he had seen the harshness of the world and experienced it first-hand, far more clearly than most students ever could. He would definitely have many tricks up his sleeve, and that would only make for an even more exhilarating fight.

Song Yi didn't say anything in response to Huang Ying's remark, her eyebrows twitching violently as she clenched her hands so tightly that a bit of blood trickled out. Huang Ying had never seen her show emotions this strongly, nor had he ever seen her hold herself back this fiercely.

The procession ended not long after Shao Zhe walked out from the airship, which flapped its wings and shot into the sky again before it vanished from sight. Huang Ying traced the backs of the Liangyu family's men for a bit before he retracted his gaze, directing it towards Lang Zan and the others around him.

"Alright, I'll be heading out, I'm still trying to break into that pesky 1st Ascended Stair. You can find me in that small house over there if you need anything, but if I don't see any progress after two or three days then I'll probably be spending most of my time in the arenas."

He picked out a random one-story house as he spoke, waving his hand towards it in a dismissive manner. There was no point in trying to find a nice building to live in for the one month they would have to spend here, most of their time inside would be spent cultivating after all. He spoke about it quite casually and started to walk, but Chen Hong couldn't help but roll his eyes at the contents of his sentence.

"Oh come on, two or three days? Some people spend months or even years on their breakthroughs, at least pretend to have an ounce of patience."

The 9 Mortal Steps may just be the very first cultivation realm, but there were still people that had been trapped at its peak for quite some time, some were never able to break through it. And yet Huang Ying was saying that he would get bored of forcing it after just two or three days, it was as if he didn't know how hard cultivation was supposed to be. But Huang Ying simply shrugged his shoulders without care and waved his hand, Hong Yi and Hei Ya following at his side.

--

After Huang Ying retreated to his own house, Song Yi and the others also picked out places to stay for the duration. But the moment she was in the isolation of her own house, the stiff expression Song Yi tried to maintain crumbled and twisted.

"Liangyu...Liangyu... Why did they come here...why?!"

Song Yi had two hated enemies, the Liangyu family that contributed to her family's downfall, and the Dark King that had killed her parents right in front of her. She would kill all of them in time, but she knew that the current her was too weak to do so. And yet, the Liangyu family had appeared in front of her once more, digging deep into the scars she had worked so hard to cover up. She was especially aware of Shao Zhe, her hand unconsciously punching a hole into the wall next to her as she recalled Huang Ying's words.

"Strong... Of course he's strong, he wouldn't be the right-hand man of a Liangyu if he wasn't strong!"

She didn't recognize any of the other people that had come, but she had personally seen Shao Zhe before while she was a captive. He had looked at her like you would a piece of meat, just another toy he wanted to acquire for his master. Of all the people that had come, he was the one that it was easiest to direct her anger towards, he was the only one she recognized after all.

"Fuck, fuck! Is this some sort of sick joke the gods are playing? They put them right in front of me, but haven't given me the chance to become strong enough to kill them yet...Fuck!"

She continued to curse and punch the wall, producing hole after hole in it, the skin on her hands tearing from the repeated battering. A bit of blood also started to seep out from the corners of her lips and eyes, her anger and inability to vent it had caused some of her veins to burst. She eventually managed to calm herself enough to stop punching the wall, leaning her back against it as she collapsed to the floor. Her hands gripped her hair, her palms rubbing her temples as she muttered to herself almost maniacally.

"Think...Think...How can I waste them, kill them, decimate them, eradicate them, wipe them from the face of the earth?"

If Huang Ying could see her now then he would definitely be shocked, she looked borderline insane as she sat there. But strangely enough, as she rocked back and forth, it wasn't just wild fury that was present in her expression. Fear also dyed her expression, it was visible clear as day in her eyes.

But that was only to be expected, she had only managed to escape through a stroke of luck, it was inevitable that she would be afraid of ending up back in that hell. In the end, she was just a child that had been torn open by the torment she was forced to suffer, the pain that no child her age should have to experience. Perhaps that was why she had been drawn to Huang Ying, just like Hei Ya, Hong Yi, and Chen Hong, he seemed to attract beings who were broken in one way or another.

Whether it was the fear or the fury that caused it was unknown, but her expression hardened after a few hours of rocking back and forth, soul-freezing determination slowly surfacing in her pupils.

"...Die, they must die. Every single one of them, every single Liangyu, everyone who latches onto their thighs and licks their ass to please them, they must all vanish."

That was the promise she had made in the past, everyone that had a hand in her family's death and downfall would have to die. The entire Liangyu family had to be exterminated, only then could she rest easily, she would do whatever it took to achieve this goal. She stood up from her seated position with somewhat unsteady steps, muttering to herself as she donned a large brown robe that could cover her face.

"You'll forgive me, won't you? I'm just pushing it forward a bit, I'm just giving you the chance to have some fun, that's what you want, isn't it?"

She couldn't kill the people of the Liangyu family yet, she couldn't even lay a hand on the weakest of the members that they had brought along. But she knew someone who could, she knew someone who desired fun and freedom as much as she desired to cause enough chaos to overturn the rotten state of the universe.

She covered her face with the robe and left her house, heading directly for the dome surrounded by three spires. She entered the first hall and walked straight up to the nearest counter, the man behind it greeting her with a thin smile.

"Good evening, how may I help you today?"

It was far too normal for people to hide their identities here so the man didn't even flinch at the way she was dressed. Song Yi didn't even spare him the pleasantries and simply placed several Spirit Stones on the counter while stating her request.

"I'd like to buy the information about Ying Feixu and Song Yi from the Fierce Flame academy. I want it sent to Liangyu Shao Zhe with the note that Huang Ying of the same academy holds the key to acquiring them."

She had made up her mind, hardened her determination to do whatever it took to eradicate the Langye family. And of course, that determination did not shy away from even using herself as bait.