Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi

However...

They were merely one of the patrol squads under the jurisdiction of Southern Boundary City within the Endless Ice Prison.

"Though the environment of the Endless Ice Prison is harsh, and resources are scarce, this has driven the people here to deeply revere martial cultivation, practicing with even more diligence. Furthermore, anyone who has managed to survive in such a ruthless, survival-of-the-fittest world is far from ordinary..." Xiao Yi slightly arched his brows.

The appearance of Wu Weihao and his men also gave him a clearer understanding of the level of power within the Endless Ice Prison.

To assign someone at the Peak of Human Venerate Realm as a mere patrol squad captain...

Those four Wardens are, at the very least, in the Supreme Venerate Realm!

Perhaps even at the Supreme Realm Peak!

After all,

Many people here have been imprisoned since the Ancient Times.

Wu Weihao noticed Xiao Yi glancing at him nonchalantly, eyeing him up and down as though examining livestock. This left him not only surprised but also increasingly irritated: "What are you looking at? Look one more time, and I'll dig your damn eyes out!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Wu Weihao snorted coldly and continued, "Judging by your attire, you indeed seem to come from outside the Ice Prison. Cao, you've brought great merit to your village. As the squad captain, I hereby decree that your Cao Family Village is exempted from paying tribute for a hundred years."

"Thank you, Lord! You are wise and powerful!"

The old village chief's face lit up with joy. With this century-long exemption, the strength of Cao Family Village would surely rise to new heights, potentially amassing enough resources to cultivate one or two experts at the Longevity Secret Realm.

With a Longevity Secret Realm cultivator as a backer, Cao Family Village could truly ascend to glory.

Even, perhaps, soar to the heavens!

As this thought flashed through his mind,

The old village chief suppressed his excitement, turned back, and glared furiously at Xiao Yi. He cursed loudly, "Audacious Xiao Yi! In the presence of Squad Captain Wu, do you still refuse to kneel, kowtow, and surrender? Do you truly wish to die here?"

"Noisy!"

With a casual yet precise motion, Xiao Yi slapped him.

The slap appeared light and effortless.

But in truth, it concealed profound mysteries.

The strike tore through the air, vanishing into the void before reappearing as an afterimage visible to the naked eye. The old village chief couldn't even react before there was a crisp crack, and he was flung away with a resounding *smack*.

*Splash!*

The old village chief spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his face, utterly dumbfounded as he stared at Xiao Yi: "You... you dare to hit me?" His expression turned venomous as his gaze shifted to Wu Weihao, and he shrieked hysterically, "Captain Wu, this youngster is brazen and insolent, completely disregarding the Wardens! I beg you to apprehend him immediately!"

"Rest assured!"

Wu Weihao nodded, twisting his neck with a series of cracking sounds. He stared coldly at Xiao Yi and sneered grimly, "Seems like you've decided not to surrender willingly!"

The old village chief fanned the flames: "Captain Wu, this brat even claimed that no matter how many people the city sends, he'd kill them all, one by one. He also said he would storm the city and overthrow the Wardens..."

Xiao Yi looked at the old village chief with a strange expression.

When the hell did I say that?

But Wu Weihao believed it!

Wu Weihao let out a sinister chuckle: "Oh, bold, aren't you? Daring to look down on the Wardens? You're the first! Clearly, you're courting death!"

The old village chief grinned maliciously at Xiao Yi, sneering inwardly: *Little bastard, keep acting arrogant with me! I'd like to see what tricks you've got now...*

As he saw the old village chief's smug, punchable face, Xiao Yi's lips curved slightly upward. He turned to Wu Weihao and said, "Captain Wu, is it? I don't mind going with you to the city, but I have one condition."

"What condition?"

Wu Weihao frowned upon hearing this.

He wasn't keen on making a big scene.

Should the commotion here attract more attention and news of an outsider in the South Prison Realm spread, the powerhouses of the other three Prison Realms would undoubtedly intervene.

If it came to that, the South Prison Realm would find itself under siege.

If Xiao Yi could be taken away without bloodshed, it would undoubtedly be the ideal outcome!

Xiao Yi pointed at the old village chief. The latter's heart skipped a beat, a strong sense of foreboding washing over him. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Xiao Yi's calm voice, "All I ask is that you kill this old fool, then I'll go with you to the city."

Having said this,

Xiao Yi fell silent, his playful yet provocative gaze fixed on the old village chief.

The amusement and challenge in those eyes nearly made the old man suffocate.

*Hiss!*

The old village chief took several sharp breaths, his mind whirling wildly. He never expected Xiao Yi to pull such a move. Considering what he knew of Wu Weihao and his ilk, once they weighed the pros and cons, they might very well agree to Xiao Yi's terms!

After all...

Eliminating an old, Human Venerate Realm cultivator versus dealing with an unknown entity like Xiao Yi...

The choice was obvious.

The old village chief's face turned pale. He dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed to Wu Weihao, pleading, "My lord, please don't fall for his trickery! I swear our Cao Family Village has always been loyal to the Warden. You mustn't do this..."

Wu Weihao's reply was calm: "I am well aware of your village's loyalty to the Warden. Precisely because of this, you should sacrifice yourself. If your death means sparing your village a hundred years of tribute and allows us to apprehend Xiao Yi without bloodshed, isn't it worth it?"

Xiao Yi nodded in agreement. "Old timer, you ought to understand sacrificing small gains for the greater good. You can't be so selfish!"

"You... you..."

The old village chief's face turned ashen with rage.

Weren't those the exact words he'd used to lecture Xiao Yi earlier?

Except...

It's one thing to preach to others.

When it came to his own life, it demanded his death!

How could he agree to that?

Frantic, the old village chief stammered, "My lord, please don't listen to his nonsense. I, I..."

Just then,

A group of figures emerged from the village.

Both the young and old, men and women.

Practically the entire Cao Family Village had gathered...

The old village chief's face lit up with joy as he shouted, "Everyone, come help convince Lord Wu..."

*Swish, swish, swish!*

Several villagers stepped forward, prompting the old village chief to beam with pride. He relaxed and sneered at Xiao Yi: *You want to get me killed? Not that easy!*

Surely, Wu Weihao wouldn't give him a hard time on account of the entire village.

However...

The moment the first person spoke, the old village chief's face turned utterly grim.

As black as coal.

The speaker was an overly made-up, rotund woman. Incidentally, she had previously been among those chastising Cao Xiu's brothers. Raising her voice, she shouted, "Village chief, you should sacrifice yourself for us! You're old anyway, with one foot in the grave. Sacrifice yourself for the greater good!"

"That's right, fat auntie is correct! Village chief, dying for the village is a worthy trade-off!"

"Once you're gone, we'll always remember you!"

"You'll be a hero to our village!"

Voices echoed one after another.

"You... you... you..."

The old village chief paled, his eyes bloodshot as he stumbled back a few steps. In disbelief, he cried out, "How could you? How could you do this? I've done everything for this village, yet this is how you repay me?"

The rotund woman scoffed dismissively, "Village chief, isn't this exactly what you've always taught us?"

"You taught us this morality—why can't we apply it to you now?"

"Captain Wu, please take the village chief's life!"

"Kill the village chief..."

In no time at all,

More than half the villagers joined the chant.

When faced with life and death,

The old village chief's life was no more valuable than a ritual sacrifice in their eyes.

"Old man, this is the unanimous decision of your own villagers. You can't blame me now!"

Wu Weihao sneered coldly.

The blade gleamed bright in the air.

*Squelch!*

The head rolled!

The old village chief's expression remained one of unrelenting despair as his body slumped into the blood-soaked ground.

Wu Weihao turned to Xiao Yi and said flatly, "Are you ready to come with me now?"

Faced with Wu Weihao's question, Xiao Yi shrugged innocently, smiling faintly. "You actually believed me? How naïve are you?"