Chapter 1243 — Chapter 1243 A Common Thief

Shortly after they exited from the Nameless Emperor's Tomb, Yuan could sense two individuals watching them from a distance.

One of them had the cultivation of First Level Spirit Lord while the other one exuded the presence of a Peak Spirit King. Furthermore, the Peak Spirit King had a unique aura that felt oddly familiar to Yuan.

However, Yuan didn't pay too much attention to them— at least not until the Peak Spirit King started approaching them with an aggressive look on his face.

"We have company," Yuan said to Xi Meili, who was absorbed by the Nameless Emperor's Tomb's entrance.

They turned their attention to the approaching figure and saw Zhaohui strolling toward them, his posture slightly hunched. He was a tall, somewhat skinny man with long, messy black hair. His violet eyes had a sharp and slightly menacing look, almost like that of a troublemaker. In fact, his clothes seemed similar to what a bandit might wear.

"He seems like trouble," Xi Meili muttered as she caught sight of him.

Yuan nodded and said, "He may appear as a Spirit King, but he possesses power that surpasses it. Besides a few individuals I've met in the Namesless Emperor's Tomb, I've never seen a Spirit King as powerful as him, and those few individuals came from the Upper Heavens."

"So he's from the Upper Heavens? What do you suppose he wants from us? Surely, he's not going to ask us for directions."

"Brother Yuan, that man is an Exile…" Xiao Hua's voice suddenly resounded.

"What? An Exile? No wonder why his aura seems so familiar…"

"What's an Exile?" Xi Meili asked.

"I'll explain it after this," Yuan said.

"What do you think he wants from us?" He proceeded to ask Xiao Hua.

"I don't know."

"Perhaps he can sense you," Yuan suggested that Zhaohui was actually here for Xiao Hua.

"No, that's not possible." Xiao Hua immediately rejected such a possibility.

"Then let's just wait and see what he wants. Xiao Hua, stay hidden for now."

"Un."

Once Zhaohui was close enough, Yuan asked him, "How can we help you?"

Zhaohui halted in front of Yuan and silently stood there, looking disinterested, as though he regarded them with the same indifference one might reserve for ants.

Receiving no response from Zhaohui, Yuan continued, "If you're not inclined to speak, then—"

Mid-sentence, Zhaohui abruptly sprang into action, thrusting his claw-like hand directly toward Yuan's throat with the intention to kill.

to stand still as everyone tried to comprehend what had just occurred.

Zhaohui's lightning-fast movement caught Xi Meili off-guard, leaving her momentarily stunned. However, Yuan's quick reflexes allowed him to evade the sneak attack by tilting his body to the side, narrowly dodging it. In that suspended moment, time seemed to stand still as everyone tried to comprehend what had just occurred.

"Oh? You managed to dodge that? You're a little better than I thought." Zhaohui spoke with a slightly surprised look on his face.

"How dare you!" When she snapped out of her daze, Xi Meili angrily threw a punch at Zhaohui.

And while she was angry at Zhaohui for attacking Yuan, she was more angry at herself for not being able to react to it, as their journey could've ended before it even started right there and then.

"Whoa!"

Zhaohui exclaimed in a playful manner right as he dodged Xi Meili's strike, even doing so with ease.

"What?!" Xi Meili was surprised to see this, and she prepared to chase after him.

However, she was stopped when Yuan grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said to her in a calm voice.

"But he just tried to kill you!"

"I know, but you won't be able to defeat him. As an Exile, he's definitely much older and more experienced than he appears. Also, you promised that you wouldn't cause a scene, right?"

"..." Xi Meili gritted her teeth in frustration, but she couldn't argue with him.

It was clear that Zhaohui was a formidable opponent, one that required her to unleash her full strength to deal with. Yet, even with all of her strength, she might not be able to defeat him.

'Father wasn't joking… The outside world is so much more dangerous…' she sighed inwardly.

"So you know that I am an Exile…" Zhaohui was quite surprised when he heard Yuan's words.

And he continued, "Do you also have one by your side? It would make sense why you have such a high cultivation if that's the case. However, I don't see them. Where are they? Don't tell me that they're already dead."

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Now Yuan was certain that he didn't approach him because of Xiao Hua.

"What a pity. If that Exile was still by your side, I would've killed them myself." Zhaohui sighed in a regrettable manner.

Yuan frowned at his words and asked, "Why would you want to kill a fellow Exile?"

"Why, you ask? Did your Exile not tell you anything? As Exiles, we race each other to the Supreme Heavens for our freedom, and there can only be one winner for each race. In other words, we're rivals. Just because we're fellow Exiles doesn't make us companions." Zhaohui sneered.

Of course, Yuan knew the purpose of the Supreme Heaven's Legacy. However, he didn't expect Exiles to hunt each other as well.

"I think I've grasped the situation," Yuan suddenly stated with a discerning tone. "If you didn't approach us due to my association with an Exile, then it's likely you're carrying out the orders of your elusive Master, the one who's been lurking in the shadows all this while."

"Master…? Ahahahaha!" Zhaohui burst out laughing.

"While it's true that I need that weakling to finish the Supreme Heaven's Legacy, it doesn't mean I obey his orders! I approached you because I heard that you had some good treasures on you, not because he told me to!"

"So you're nothing more than a common thief? I was expecting more of you since you're an Exile. How disappointing," Yuan remarked, shaking his head.

"Just a common thief...? How dare you..." Zhaohui's body quivered with anger, stung by Yuan's words.

"Before I became an Exile, I was infamous as the Harbinger of Agony, and just the mere utter of my name would send shivers across the entirety of the Nine Heavens!" Zhaohui declared with a hint of pride before continuing in a grim voice, "Now, I shall teach you the meaning of agony!"