Chapter 343: The Bounty Order is Fake

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: The Bounty Order is Fake

As the Transporting Eagle landed on Exile Island carrying the Bounty Order, word that Xiong Bao had been killed reached the Dragon King.

"What? Xiong Bao was killed?"

A large, green-eyed man with a purple beard smashed the table before him to smithereens, shoved aside the woman at his side, and shot up in a fury.

This man was none other than the Dragon King, the most famous and powerful expert on Exile Island.

The Dragon King’s eyes, burning with rage, fixed on the messenger before him. "Speak! What exactly happened?!"

The messenger, trembling with fear, began to recount the events that had taken place in the tavern.

"The one who killed Xiong Bao was just some young kid with a one-million bounty?" The Dragon King was clearly skeptical.

The messenger quickly added, "Lord Dragon King, every word I’ve said is the absolute truth! Xiong Bao was killed because he tried to steal that kid’s woman."

"And that woman... she’s unbelievably beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. She’s practically a goddess!" the man added.

A glint appeared in the Dragon King’s eyes. "Oh? In that case, I’ll have to go meet this kid myself. And while I’m at it, I’ll see just what kind of woman we’re talking about."

「A moment later, at the same tavern where Xiong Bao had been killed.」

"Everyone, do you know why that kid was able to kill Xiong Bao?"

"It’s because that kid’s bounty isn’t one million... it’s one billion!"

A man announced as he walked into the tavern, speaking to the crowd.

At this, everyone in the tavern did a spit-take with their drinks.

"One billion? Are you kidding me?! Even someone as strong as Lord Dragon King doesn’t have a bounty in the hundreds of millions. If his is one billion, just how powerful would he have to be?"

No one in the tavern believed him, but in the next moment, they saw the man produce a Bounty Order. The number of zeroes in the amount written on it made their eyes swim.

"W-w-w... what?!"

Everyone’s jaw dropped, but their faces were still filled with disbelief. It was already astonishing that such a young man could kill Xiong Bao; how could he possibly have an astronomical bounty of one billion?

Just then, someone shouted, "Lord Dragon King is here!"

The next moment, a furious roar echoed from outside the tavern.

"Who killed my subordinate? Get your ass out here!"

Everyone in the tavern started and scrambled outside to greet him.

The green-eyed, purple-bearded Dragon King stood outside the tavern, flanked by a crowd of his men and several other experts with exceptionally high bounties.

Then, someone stepped forward. "Lord Dragon King, this is bad! You must see this Bounty Order. The man who killed Xiong Bao is on it!"

The Dragon King took the Bounty Order from the man.

"Yi Xiaoyao, a one-billion bounty?"

The Dragon King’s expression flickered for a moment, but then he burst into loud laughter. His men behind him joined in.

He turned to the man who had handed him the order. "Let me ask you, have you ever heard of or seen a one-billion bounty?"

"N-no." The man shook his head, and the others around him did the same.

The Dragon King sneered. "Forget you lot. Even back when I was making a name for myself in Great Xia, I never heard of anything like it!"

"Then what’s the deal with this Bounty Order?"

Everyone looked at the Dragon King, confused.

The Dragon King smiled and continued, "How did you get this Bounty Order?"

Someone stepped forward to explain, presenting the corpse of the Transporting Eagle that had been flown to death.

"Watch closely. I’ll show you what’s really going on here."

The Dragon King addressed the crowd, then tied the Bounty Order to the dead eagle’s talons and hurled it high into the air.

Propelled by immense force, the Transporting Eagle instantly vanished over the horizon.

A moment later, the Transporting Eagle came drifting back down from the clouds.

"Is this what you saw?"

The Dragon King asked with a sneer, pointing to the falling eagle.

It dawned on everyone at once. "So the Bounty Order is a fake! But why would he fake a Bounty Order?"

"That’s right! It’s a fake!"

The Dragon King explained, "The man killed Xiong Bao. He must have heard about me from you all and got scared I’d kill him. So, he cooked up this fake Bounty Order to make everyone else fear him."

"If I were to foolishly believe it like all of you, I’d be falling right into that kid’s trap!"

After the Dragon King’s explanation, everyone nodded in agreement.

His analysis was perfectly logical. Compared to the unbelievably high one-billion bounty, everyone was much more willing to believe the Dragon King’s version of events.

Then, the Dragon King commanded, "You lot! Go get that kid and bring him to me!"

"No need. I’m right here."

An indifferent voice called out, and Yi Xiaoyao’s figure emerged slowly from the tavern.

A faint smile played on Yi Xiaoyao’s lips. He had just overheard the Dragon King’s speech and found the man’s self-deceiving "analysis" quite amusing.

"So you must be the boss of this Exile Island. Since you’ve come to my doorstep, it saves me the trouble of finding you."

Yi Xiaoyao said. He had come to Exile Island with the intention of sending this group of exiles from Great Xia back to the Great Shang Empire, so he was naturally going to have to meet the Dragon King sooner or later.

"You were looking for me? You’re really committed to the act, aren’t you!"

The Dragon King sneered. "Kid, the fact that you could kill Xiong Bao proves you have some skill. I can overlook your transgressions and take you in as one of my men. But as for your woman..."

Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed. Before the man could finish, he cut him off coldly, "Take me as one of your men? You’re not worthy. As for any other conditions, you don’t have the right to even open your mouth. You just need to shut up and listen to what I’m about to tell you."

At his words, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves with strange looks on their faces. They were all trying to guess whether Yi Xiaoyao truly wasn’t afraid of the Dragon King, or if he was just putting on a calm act.

However, given the Dragon King’s earlier analysis and the absurdity of a one-billion bounty, most people were convinced that Yi Xiaoyao was just acting.

But the Dragon King, hearing these words, flew into a complete rage.

He had ruled as king on Exile Island for many years, and this was the first time anyone had ever told him he wasn’t worthy, that he didn’t have the right.

"Fine! I’d like to see just how long you can keep this act up!"

With a roar, the Dragon King’s arm instantly swelled, transforming into a monstrous dragon limb that shot toward Yi Xiaoyao.

"You want me to shut up and listen? Survive this first, then we’ll talk!"

The roar of a dragon echoed, kicking up a gale that sent the surrounding experts stumbling. Some were even blown into the air, a testament to the Dragon King’s immense power.

Yet Yi Xiaoyao remained perfectly calm in the face of this attack. With a SHING, he drew his sword and unleashed a demonic, blood-red Sword Aura.

The moment the Sword Aura appeared, everyone, including the Dragon King, was aghast.

The draconic limb that was the Dragon King’s right arm, upon contact with the Sword Aura, was sliced in two as if it were tofu.

The Sword Aura flashed past, and the Dragon King’s right arm was severed, falling to the ground.

Everyone who witnessed this scene gasped, their mouths agape in disbelief.

Everyone understood: if that slash had been aimed at the Dragon King’s torso, his fate would have been the same as Xiong Bao’s—to be sliced in two and killed instantly!

To so easily defeat the Dragon King, a man with a bounty approaching one hundred million, instantly settled the question of whether Yi Xiaoyao’s one-billion bounty was real.

"The one-billion Bounty Order... it’s actually real!"

The Dragon King, who had come to the same realization, cried out in absolute horror.

Enduring the excruciating pain from his severed arm, he stared at Yi Xiaoyao, his eyes filled with terror. "Just who are you? What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Yi Xiaoyao paid no mind to the expressions of the crowd, merely giving the Dragon King a cold glance.

"Now, you can take everyone on Exile Island and return to your homeland."

But upon hearing this, the Dragon King and the others showed no signs of joy. Instead, they were all horrified.

"What? Return to Great Xia? We absolutely can’t! We’re all heavily wanted criminals in Great Xia. Going back would be a death sentence!"

’Yi Xiaoyao rolled his eyes. He remembered how long it had taken for his own Bounty Order to arrive here; these people had no way of getting timely news from the outside world.’

"You don’t need to worry about that," Yi Xiaoyao chuckled.

"Because, Great Xia has already fallen."

...