"Now, hit me once," Xiao Yan said.
Zhao Ya understood that Xiao Yan intended to create injuries to clear her own suspicion, so he didn’t hesitate.
"Watch out."
Saying this, Zhao Ya punched out.
Even though Zhao Ya had already dispersed his Breaking Realm talents, the Mountain Demon Body and the Ghostly Eye, and only used thirty percent of his strength, it was still enormously pressuring for Xiao Yan.
She barely managed to block it before being blasted away by a tremendous force. When she landed, her left hand was twisted like a pretzel, and four or five ribs were broken.
Xiao Yan spat out two mouthfuls of blood-tinged phlegm, her already pale face now as white as paper.
"Is that enough, or should I hit you again?" Zhao Ya asked.
Xiao Yan, frightened, waved her intact right hand repeatedly, "Enough, enough, one more punch and I won’t need to be an inside agent; you’ll have killed me directly."
Zhao Ya laughed, bending down to pick up the dagger on the ground, "Are you taking this with you?"
"Leave that with you. If they check the wound and find the dagger that stabbed Wan Zhen on me, it would be troublesome. Besides, don’t underestimate this dagger; it was made by a master weapon-maker from Wanshou County. Though not a divine weapon, it’s precious."
Hearing this, Zhao Ya’s heart stirred slightly. He seemed to have thought of something and nodded, "Alright."
Xiao Yan left.
Only Wan Zhen’s corpse remained on the ground.
Zhao Ya certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to search the body, so he eagerly searched it, only to be greatly disappointed by the result.
Zhao Ya didn’t find anything useful on Wan Zhen.
It seemed this guy intentionally didn’t carry items on his person.
Upon reflection, that seemed normal.
Given Wan Zhen’s age, any cultivation technique manuals were unnecessary, and there was no need to record his practiced techniques on paper, as it would only increase the risk of exposure.
Not everyone is like Jin Cunyue, who has the habit of writing diaries and notes.
After all, who writes diaries these days?
Zhao Ya left Wan Zhen’s body and turned to hurry back.
When he arrived at the manor, it was already deserted.
The battle between Zhao Ya and Wan Zhen had left the inhabitants of the manor dead or injured, the rest fled in panic seeing the situation turning bad.
Even Yu Bo, who Zhao Ya had captured earlier, was nowhere to be found.
Zhao Ya couldn’t be bothered to look for him.
Time was extremely tight for him now because Xiao Yan had made it clear that he only had one night.
If news spread by dawn and he lingered any longer, it would become dangerous.
Zhao Ya quickly circled the manor and then took out the Treasure Map, carefully comparing it.
According to the Treasure Map, the Eastern King’s Legacy should be buried between two mountain peaks.
But at that moment, it was nighttime, and only the outline of the peaks could be vaguely seen.
However, this did not trouble Zhao Ya. He leaped to the highest point of the manor, carefully surveyed all around, then observed closely, and finally identified the exact location.
It was a barrack at the edge of the manor, probably used to feed Exotic Beasts usually.
When Zhao Ya arrived, it was empty; even the Exotic Beasts had fled.
Entering, he smelled a pungent, rancid odor almost identical to that of the giant crane.
Whatever method the Beast Taming Sect used, it could control a flying Exotic Beast like the giant crane, compelling it to return for feeding daily.
While the location was confirmed, finding the entrance to the Legacy in such a large barrack wasn’t easy.
Ordinarily, one might take a shovel and start digging bit by bit.
But Zhao Ya wasn’t ordinary, nor did he have much time.
So, he used a clever method.
His body suddenly expanded, tearing his already tattered clothes even more, rendering them indecent to wear.
Looks like I’ll have to keep a spare set of clothes on me always, he thought. Otherwise, activating the Mountain Demon Body makes them unwearable.
Zhao Ya pondered secretly and began to employ the Little Five Paths Chasing Soul Leg technique in the barrack.
This Leg Skill had become somewhat redundant for Zhao Ya, far inferior in damage to the Great Vajra Fist and Great Stone-Throwing Hand, so he rarely used it.
Yet, surprisingly, it worked well here.
Thud, thud, thud!
Accompanied by drum-like thunderous sounds, Zhao Ya’s figure swiftly darted through the barrack. Each step sent up clouds of dust, leaving a deep footprint in the ground.
Zhao Ya’s idea was simple: regardless of what the Eastern King’s Legacy was, he was sure it must be buried underground.
As long as it’s buried, the surface soil must differ.
By executing his Leg Skills, stepping on the ground, he aimed to quickly pinpoint where it was.
And indeed, Zhao Ya’s method proved effective.
After just several moments, Zhao Ya sensed something unusually soft underfoot after one step.
The sensation was subtle, and Zhao Ya immediately stopped to inspect closely.
Sure enough.
Upon careful examination, he found the soil within a two-meter diameter was different from the surroundings, obviously softer.
With renewed vigor, Zhao Ya looked around, noticed some shovels and other tools nearby, grabbed one, and started digging earnestly.