In the next moment, two to three hundred people rushed out from the depths of the courtyard, each wearing a cold expression of anger on their faces. The leader was none other than the recently encountered Sect Master of Ink Pavilion, Quillan Inkwell.
Following closely behind him was an old man with white hair, dressed in a black robe. He had a slender figure, sharp eyes, and a pervasive aura of killing intent. This person was the last remaining Vice Sect Master of Ink Pavilion, Len Quinn.
Behind Len Quinn were fifteen grey-robed elders. Each emanated a fierce aura and overwhelming killing intent. These fifteen individuals constituted the elders of the Ink Pavilion.
The Elder Council was the core decision-making body of Ink Pavilion, including four Vice Sect Masters, four Chief Leaders, and two Protectors. Both Rose Inkwell and the woman named Dark Reaper were also members of the Elder Council. In total, the Elder Council of Ink Pavilion had thirty members, but by now, only half of them remained.
Following Len Quinn was a curly-haired man, the only surviving member among the seven Chief Leaders of Ink Pavilion, codenamed Tian Shu.
The eighteen individuals before them represented the entirety of the high-level combat strength of Ink Pavilion. The remaining two to three hundred men and women behind them were the core disciples of Ink Pavilion, including many S-level assassins.
Today, the strength of Ink Pavilion had diminished by three-quarters compared to its heyday, not counting Quillan.
“You’re finally here!” Casey, leading the group, returned to Billy’s side upon seeing Quillan and his party.
“It’s you?!” Quillan, stopping about a hundred meters away from Billy, glared at him with intense killing intent.
“Ink Pavilion Master, we meet again!” Billy said with a faint smile.
“I do admire the courage of you, King of the West!” Quillan took a deep breath and responded in a deep voice. “Last time, at the foothills of the Kun Lun Mountains, if it weren’t for Adam’s intervention, you would have fallen! I didn’t expect that, having narrowly escaped death, you would voluntarily come to wreak havoc in my Ink Pavilion again! Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you? Or perhaps, this time, you’ve invited people from the Ether Mountain to ensure your safety?”
“Don’t worry, this time, apart from us, there are no other helpers.” Billy smiled again.
“You seem very confident?” Quillan squinted. “I’m quite curious. Where does your confidence come from?”
Last time, they had clashed near the Kun Lun Mountains, where Billy had nearly killed him. However, that was because Quillan was already severely injured from his previous battle with Arthur, forcing him to use his War God-Emperor mid-level strength. Otherwise, he didn’t think Billy had the strength to defeat him.
Quillan had already stepped into the pinnacle of the War God-Emperor realm, while, from his understanding, Billy had only reached the half-step War God-Emperor stage and had yet to step into the true Emperor realm.
Even if Billy intentionally suppressed his cultivation, Quillan believed that even without suppression, Billy, at most, would be at the Emperor mid-level after breaking through. Therefore, he believed Billy wasn’t enough to gain his attention. He even felt too lazy to release his spiritual power to probe Billy’s cultivation.
“Do you remember what I told you last time?” Billy looked at Quillan and smiled. “I said that the next time we meet, I will take your life!”
Quillan burst into laughter heartily. After a brief pause, he fixed his eyes on Billy and replied in a deep voice, “King of the West, you’d better pray that the jade pendant I gave you last time is still on you. That might be the only thing that can save your life! Otherwise, today, all of you will die!”
“You’re a pitiful old fool, still boasting shamelessly at this moment!” Stout replied with disdain.
“Insolence! What’s your identity? How dare you speak to the Sect Master like that!” One of the Elder Council elders pointed at Stout and shouted angrily.
“Sect Master, sir!” At this moment, a disciple covered in blood quickly approached Quillan.
Then, pointing to Rose Inkwell, who was lying not far from Billy, he spoke, “Miss is in their hands!”
Upon hearing this, Quillan carefully looked at Rose Inkwell on the ground. Shortly after, an extremely cold rage emanated from him. He had always thought that that person was just an ordinary disciple of Ink Pavilion, so he didn’t pay much attention. Now, he realized that she was his daughter. Quillan finally understood how Billy had found their hideout.
“Damn it, what did you do to Miss Rose?” Another Elder Council elder shouted angrily.
“Stout, wake her up!” Billy calmly ordered.
“Understood!” Stout responded and sent a burst of spiritual energy towards Rose Inkwell’s vital points.
After a while, Rose Inkwell coughed a few times and slowly opened her eyes. After adjusting to her surroundings, she realized that she was in the courtyard of Ink Pavilion.
“Father!” She struggled to get up from the ground, looking at Quillan with a pale face.
“Rose, what happened? How did you end up in their hands?” Quillan furrowed his brows, and from his tone, it was evident that he was unaware of Rose Inkwell’s attempt to assassinate Billy in Ozin.
“You don’t know, do you?” Stout continued speaking.
“Your precious daughter has quite the skill. Disguised and concealed, she went to Ozin twice to assassinate my boss. She almost succeeded!”
“Father, I’m sorry. I’ve implicated everyone!” Rose Inkwell glanced at the corpses on the ground, her face filled with extreme grief.
At this moment, she no longer had the demeanor of the Ink Pavilion’s young miss. Her cultivation had been sealed by Stout with silver needles, leaving her in a weak state, despondent, and with a feeble aura.
“You are truly the sinner of Ink Pavilion!” Quillan showed an expression of undisguised anger. Then, exhaling heavily, he looked at Billy again. “King of the West, release my daughter, and I’ll let you leave!”
“She almost killed Commander Gardner twice, and today she almost harmed his wife. Do you think we would let her go?” Stout sneered.
“Commander Gardner, if you dare to kill her, I guarantee that none of you will leave here alive!” Quillan ignored Stout and continued to gaze at Billy, speaking in a deep voice.
“Do you know why she’s still alive until now?” Billy calmly spoke. “I wanted to give you a chance. It depends on whether you’ll take it or not.”
“What do you mean?” Quillan furrowed his brows once again.
“Give me the list of personnel from Ink Pavilion arranged in various government offices in the capital, and I’ll let her live.” Billy spoke again.
Ink Pavilion originated from the ancient imperial palace and was directly responsible to the emperor. Its initial purpose was to handle matters that were inconvenient for the emperor to handle publicly, consolidating the emperor’s position. Ink Pavilion members were well-versed in the ways of power and held extensive knowledge about the imperial palace and government offices.
Although the influence of Ink Pavilion had gradually weakened with the changing dynasties, it still operated in the shadows. Even though it couldn’t directly intervene in the imperial court, it had personnel placed in key government offices in the capital.
This was a matter Billy would eventually have to deal with. The core areas of the capital couldn’t tolerate the presence of Ink Pavilion rebels. In fact, earlier in Ozin, he had already interrogated Rose Inkwell through Stout, but she knew very little.
So, the only way to get this information was from Quillan’s mouth.