I Am Overlord c1-962
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"I think so. Otherwise, all these meridians wouldn't have been depicted so clearly in these paintings," said Du Xuanhao.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded and lost all interest. At this time, Earth Skeleton and Human Skeleton had just returned with the others. As for Celestial Skeleton, he did not bother returning to the main hall. Rather, he stayed in his room, which was directly connected to the hidden room.
"Boss, the two girls you want are here. But one person from the Han Clan has escaped. We already have someone chasing after him," reported Earth Skeleton respectfully.
Two tied up beautiful women could be seen beside him. They were none other than Han Qianwei and Han Xuewei.
Some wounds were visible on them. They had evidently been injured during the battle. Their clothes had also been torn slightly, revealing the fair skin underneath. Both of them had a look of panic and indignation. Evidently, they were clear about what would happen to them next.
"Bring them in," said Celestial Skeleton.
The door of the room opened. After pushing the two women inside, Earth Skeleton frowned and asked, "Boss, what's going on?"
It was obvious he had noticed something wrong with Celestial Skeleton.
Chapter 405: Controlling the Skeleton Gang
"Nothing, the Noxious Blood Gang sent two sluts to assassinate me earlier. I've already dealt with them," Celestial Skeleton quickly said, panicking slightly. The Noxious Blood Gang was a hostile gang with similar strength to them.
Earth Skeleton had an aggressive reaction when he heard the name Noxious Blood Gang, "Those impudent bastards!"
"Well, you and third brother can just keep an eye out for them. Leave the two girls behind. I will immediately harvest the yin frost energy from them when I recover from my injuries. After reaching the Soul Foundation Realm, both the Han Clan and the Noxious Blood Gang will be nothing for us," said Celestial Skeleton.
"Alright, boss. Get well soon and enjoy the girls," said Earth Skeleton before withdrawing from the room.
After Earth Skeleton left, the Han Clan sisters looked at Celestial Skeleton nervously. Their cultivation bases had been sealed, so they couldn't even flee.
"If you dare lay a finger on us, our ancestor will not spare your Skeleton Gang!" warned Han Qianwei coldly.
Han Xuewei also spoke, "J-just let go of us! If you do, it might not be the end of your Skeleton Gang just yet."
"You are too naive. Yes, your ancestor might be a powerful individual, but that does not mean I am afraid of him," said Celestial Skeleton with a sneer.
He had the urge to pounce on this pair of sisters then and there. However, his condition was too bad, so the only thing he could do was scare them for a bit. The sisters paled at what he said.
Celestial Skeleton then ignored them and circulated his cultivation method at full speed. He had to first recover before doing anything else.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun was completely aware of the situation outside through Celestial Skeleton. He did not do anything and letCelestial Skeleton freely heal up. Since he was in no rush, he started leisurely talking with Du Xuanhao in the hidden room.
"Young master, are you planning to put this Skeleton Gang under your control?" asked Du Xuanhao.
"Yes. We need to first establish a footing here if we want to stay on and thrive in this city," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"You are right, young master. No matter how strong one can be, the local forces can still be very useful when one arrives at a new place," Du Xuanhao agreed. "Maybe I should stay by your side for now and only leave for the Devil Domain after you have full control over the Skeleton Gang?"
Xiang Shaoyun said, "Three days. I will subdue the two deputy leaders in three days. At that time, the Skeleton Gang will be under my full control, and you can then head off to the Devil Domain."
When Du Xuanhao saw Xiang Shaoyun's firmness, he nodded in agreement.
He knew very well that Xiang Shaoyun could never be underestimated despite his young age. Otherwise, one would suffer a loss before even knowing what was happening. He proceeded to share more of the saber intent he had comprehended as a parting gift to thank Xiang Shaoyun for all his help.
Xiang Shaoyun memorized everything Du Xuanhao told him. When the time was right, he would use what he had learned to further hone his saber.
A night passed, and Celestial Skeleton had recovered by about 30 or 40 percent with the help of king medicines and healing pills. His worst discomfort came from the damage his soul had suffered, as even now, he would be assaulted by the occasional headache. He would have to find a way to do something about it if he did not want to keep suffering.
After all, the condition of his soul would play a great role in determining if he would be able to enter the Soul Foundation Realm in the future. At that thought, he went looking for Xiang Shaoyun. He was in no mood to touch the Han Clan sisters for now.
He entered the hidden room and greeted deferentially, "Greetings, master."
"Rise. You are looking to heal your soul, right? I have some soul spring here. Use it to heal it," said Xiang Shaoyun after throwing Celestial Skeleton a glance. A tiny bottle appeared on his palm.
Celestial Skeleton accepted the bottle joyfully and said, "Thank you, master."
Since Xiang Shaoyun knew everything he was thinking, it would be very hard for him to regain his freedom for now. He was better off focusing on recovering for now and should only think of what to do after he was fully healed.
"What's up with that pair of sisters you got out there?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Celestial Skeleton did not dare to hide anything, and he told Xiang Shaoyun everything he had in mind.
"If you like them, master, you can have them. They are definitely top-tier beauties," said Celestial Skeleton flatteringly.
"Put them somewhere. I'll take a look when I have the time," said Xiang Shaoyun after some hesitation.
"Yes, I'll do that. Do you have any other commands, master?" Celestial Skeleton asked.
"Just focus on healing up today. Call one of your brothers over tonight and send everyone else away," said Xiang Shaoyun, not bothering to hide his intention at all.
Celestial Skeleton did not dare to disobey, and he nodded before leaving. The day passed quickly, and by the end of the day, Celestial Skeleton had recovered by about 50 percent. His soul had almost fully healed up as well.
At that point, he started thinking about using his recovered soul power to break free from Xiang Shaoyun's control. But the moment the thought crossed his mind, Xiang Shaoyun found out about it and started chanting the curse incantations, placing him in great torture yet again.
"Remember, if you have such thoughts ever again, you will die," said Xiang Shaoyun through voice transmission with a dense killing intent.
Celestial Skeleton was so frightened he immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness. He was finally giving up on all hope.
At nightfall, Celestial Skeleton sent someone to summon Earth Skeleton over and dismissed everyone stationed near the main hall. Earth Skeleton never suspected that Celestial Skeleton would harm him, so he arrived alone.
"What do you need from me, boss? Are you still worried about the Noxious Blood Gang?" asked Earth Skeleton when he arrived.
"Come closer, second brother. I have something important I need to discuss with you," said Celestial Skeleton.
Earth Skeleton did not suspect anything and approached. Suddenly, Celestial Skeleton attacked.
Bang!
Earth Skeleton had never expected that his boss would suddenly attack him. The palm hit him and fatally injured him, sending him flying away.
"Boss! You..." Earth Skeleton called out in utter confusion.
Before he could finish his sentence, his soul came under attack. It was as if someone was adding salt to his injury. Du Xuanhao and Celestial Skeleton worked together and seriously injured Earth Skeleton.
There was no suspense, as Earth Skeleton was eventually subdued by the two. Next, Xiang Shaoyun used the
Nether Dragon Soul Curse and placed Earth Skeleton under his control as well.
By the time he was done, he had the same sensation where he had overused too much of his soul power. Left with no other choice, he consumed some of the soul spring water he had. Without the soul spring, it would take him much longer to restore his soul power and he would be forced to delay the move on his next target—Human Skeleton.
The next day, Xiang Shaoyun had recovered and used the same method on Human Skeleton. Unsurprisingly, Human Skeleton fell under his control as well. With this, the leader and deputy leaders of the Skeleton Gang were now all under his control.
Chapter 406: A Sanctimonious Scoundrel
The Skeleton Gang had one gang leader, two deputy gang leaders, over 30 Emperor Realm elders, over 200 Kings, and almost 1,000 Transformation Realm cultivators in their ranks. This was a force comparable to regular tier-5 organizations. Yet in the Bloodsin City, they were among the weakest. From this one could see just how many experts there were in the Bloodsin City.
The Skeleton Gang had a high number of members, with all of them being scummy criminals. Because of that Xiang Shaoyun did not feel any guilt making a move against them. It would be much better to turn an organization like this into his tool than to allow them to continue whatever they were doing. Of course, he still couldn't step forth to formally assume the leadership position. For him pulling the strings behind the scenes was enough.
Third day after the Han Clan sisters were kidnapped, Celestial Skeleton's room.
"Big sister, what do you think the Skeleton Gang people are trying to do? After kidnapping us, they are now ignoring us?" Han Xuewei asked.
Han Qianwei answered, "Perhaps they are only planning to use us to threaten our clan."
That was of course not her true thought. She still remembered the perverted look on Celestial Skeleton’s face when he looked at them. It was unlikely he would spare them. She was only trying to comfort herself by saying those words.
"This damnable Skeleton Gang, I will destroy them after we're free," said Han Xuewei hatefully.
"You are better off focusing on thinking of a way to escape first," said Han Qianwei with a sigh.
"All our meridians have been sealed. How are we supposed to escape?" said Han Xuewei in a distressed manner.
Right this moment, the door opened, and a handsome young man strode in. The sisters blanked out slightly when they laid eyes on the young man. They had seen a lot of handsome young men. However, this particular young man was not only handsome and elegant. There was also something regal about him, as if he was born to rule. The ordinary clothes he was wearing couldn’t hide his grace. They were confused as to why a young man like him had appeared in the Skeleton Gang's headquarters.
This is definitely one of those sanctimonious scoundrels! they both concluded.
Who would the young man be if not Xiang Shaoyun? These days Badar was in charge of standing guard before Celestial Skeleton's residence. Nobody else was allowed to enter. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun was free to roam around the residence.
In any case, it wouldn't be long before he could openly show his face among the Skeleton Gang members as well. At that time, nobody would dare say anything against him.
Presently, he was trying to think of what to do with these sisters. From Celestial Skeleton he learned that the Han Clan was a top tier-5 organization from the Yu Province. They even had a Sovereign in their clan.
If the Han Clan was determined to destroy the Skeleton Gang, this would probably be their end. That was not something Xiang Shaoyun wished to see, so he had to do something about it.
Today was the first time he met the sisters. Both of them were extremely attractive, and each was beautiful in her own way. When he looked at them, he couldn’t help but to sigh inwardly, No wonder that old bastard lusted over them so badly.
"Who are you? If you know what's good for you, free us. Otherwise, the Han Clan will never spare your Skeleton Gang!" demanded Han Xuewei.
"Don't bother, sister. They have already killed our Han Clan members. It is pointless to say anything else to them," said Han Qianwei. She stared at Xiang Shaoyun and yelled, "Do whatever you want to us. We won't even blink. But we will definitely not spare you and will come for revenge even if we have to come back as ghosts!"
With a smile on his face, Xiang Shaoyun said, "Hello, beauties. Don't be nervous. I'm here to save you. Do you trust me?"
The sisters were dumbstruck.
Soon, Han Xuewei reacted. Hope filled her face as she said, "Y-you're really here to save us?"
"Stop dreaming, sister. How is that possible?" Although Han Qianwei's cultivation base had been sealed, she could still see that Xiang Shaoyun was only a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. How could someone like him save them?
Instead, she suspected that Xiang Shaoyun was probably a young master of the Skeleton Gang. Even so, she was still curious about him, especially when she looked into his clear, bright eyes. They were completely devoid of the lust other men would have when looking at them.
That realization confused her somewhat, making her wonder just what kind of person he was.
"Listen to me. I'm really here to save you!" Xiang Shaoyun reiterated. "I know you were both kidnapped by the Skeleton Gang, but we have already taken over the gang now. Since there is really no grudge between us, it is only natural for me to release both of you. But I need you to promise me one thing before I free you."
The serious expression Xiang Shaoyun had was able to slightly convince the sisters to trust him.
Han Xuewei said, "So long as you can release us, we can agree to anything!"
But Han Qianwei still maintained her calm as she said, "Don't talk nonsense, sister. There are things we will never agree to, even if we have to die."
Xiang Shaoyun shot Han Qianwei a glance and said, "Don't worry. I won't make you do anything damaging to your clan or yourself. I only need you to guarantee that you won’t take revenge on the Skeleton Gang upon returning to your clan. They are now my underlings. Making a move against them is the same as making a move against me. If you can't agree to that...well, I won't be able to show mercy either."
Right after Xiang Shaoyun finished his sentence, an imposing aura surged out of him, making it clear he was not joking around. If they had to suffer the revenge of Han Clan even after freeing the sisters, they might as well keep the sisters. To accomplish something great, sacrifices were needed. At times one ought to be decisively ruthless if one wanted success.
The sisters could sense that Xiang Shaoyun wasn't boasting, but they did not know what to say. After all, the Han Clan's branch in the city had been purged. It was impossible for the clan to do nothing.
"Our branch here has been purged. The clan will definitely send someone here to investigate. We won't be able to hide it even if we want to," said Han Xuewei with a look of hesitation.
On the other hand, Han Qianwei spoke firmly, "So long as you can free us, I promise the Han Clan will not come for the Skeleton Gang. The Bloodsin City is filled with criminals. We can easily feed our clan some misinformation to hide the truth."
Han Qianwei was much more shrewd compared to her sister. She knew very well staying alive should be their priority. They could always decide what to do next after getting their freedom.
"Good, but verbal promises are meaningless. Swallow this pill. If you leave the Skeleton Gang alone for one year, I will trust you. If not, both of you will suffer after one year," said Xiang Shaoyun coldly as he took out two pills.
Chapter 407: Welcoming Young Master Xiang
"These pills are colorless and tasteless, refined using 49 different poisons. Even after swallowing them, you won't feel unwell. You won't even be able to find any traces of them in you. Therefore, I am not afraid that you will be able to find an antidote. Alright, swallow them now," said Xiang Shaoyun.
The sisters had no choice but to swallow the pills. However, it was clear from the unfriendly look in their eyes that they were now cl
early hostile toXiang Shaoyun.
"Don't look at me like that. If it wasn't for me, both of you would have been the Skeleton Gang leader's toys by now. You should thank me!" said Xiang Shaoyun. He then clapped, calling Du Xuanhao over to remove the restrictions placed on the sisters.
Those restrictions were placed by an Emperor. He would not be able to remove them himself. Du Xuanhao did as told and left directly afterward. Only now did the sisters believe that Xiang Shaoyun was really going to free them.
"How are we supposed to find you after one year?" Han Qianwei asked.
"If the Han Clan hasn't come after the Skeleton Gang in one year, you are free to come look for me here," said Xiang Shaoyun. "I am Xiang Shaoyun. Remember that name."
"Xiang Shaoyun. We will remember that name," said Han Qianwei with a complicated look in her eyes.
On the other hand, Han Xuewei was feeling grateful and she thanked him. "Thank you for saving us. We know what to do."
"Good. I will get someone to send you out," said Xiang Shaoyun before getting Badar to personally see the sisters off.
Before leaving, Han Xuewei threw Xiang Shaoyun a seductive look and said, "Remember, I am Han Xuewei."
It was quite obvious this young woman had a favorable opinion of Xiang Shaoyun for freeing her. As for Han Qianwei, she merely glared at Xiang Shaoyun hatefully, still remembering the grudge of having been forced to swallow a poisonous pill.
Little did they know, what Xiang Shaoyun fed them were no poisonous pills. He had merely fed them some random pills. He was only trying to scare them so the Han Clan would not make trouble for him. In any case, he only needed to wait until Devouring Ghost was out of seclusion, then everything would be fine. After the sisters left, Xiang Shaoyun called Du Xuanhao over again.
"Young master," Du Xuanhao greeted.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded. "Big Brother Du, the Skeleton Gang is already ours. You can head to the Devil Domain anytime now."
Du Xuanhao was a ninth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm expert. Entering the Soul Foundation Realm was not easy at all. Tempering himself at the Devil Domain was a plan Devouring Ghost had suggested, and Xiang Shaoyun approved of it. Since Xiang Shaoyun would be safe in the meantime with the Skeleton Gang under his control, he no longer needed Du Xuanhao to stay by his side.