The Winged Serpent

Ji Ning casually flipped his hand, revealing a piece of bluish-gold metal. He tossed it directly onto the stall of the black-robed man.

"Here."

"This little gold?" The black-robed man and the two men behind him were panicked, staring at the piece of metal that was only as large as a fingertip. "This isn't even pure gold?"

"Milord."

"Noble young master."

The three men kept shouting and pleading. How could they explain this to their tribe? The other tribesmen were still waiting outside the city. Those warriors hadn't been willing to enter the city—each person had to pay a sheepskin or its equivalent just to get in.

"How foolish. That's Thunder Gold."

[Chapter 18 — The Winged Serpent]

"I'll offer a hundred beast-head gold pieces for that Thunder Gold."

"A mere hundred? I'll pay one hundred and sixty beast-head gold pieces for that piece of Thunder Gold. I'll send someone to bring the gold right now!" Immediately, the people nearby began bidding. They were all figures of some status within the Western Prefecture City—members of Xiantian cultivator families, or powerful figures from tribes that had migrated to the city. Their eyesight was exceptionally sharp.

The black-robed man quickly grabbed the piece of Thunder Gold, clearly feeling its weight far exceeding that of ordinary gold. He exchanged glances with his two companions, shock and joy mingling on their faces.

"Thank you, young master."

"Thank you, gracious young master."

The three men quickly expressed their gratitude.

"Now you thank him? Lord Dripping Sword is a man of great renown. His son is of an exalted status—why would he rob you of your weapons? He tossed you something valuable, and that scared you senseless." A fat, fur-clad old man nearby spoke loudly, clearly intending for Ji Ning to hear.

Ji Ning smiled faintly. The three-swords-in-one-scabbard treasure in his hand vanished, stored away into his jade crystal. Because the jade crystal had limited space, Ji Ning only carried a few beast-head gold pieces with him, along with some precious treasures.

...

Inside the hall.

Ji Yichuan was still seated in the main position, with Yuchi Snow sitting to his left. Both of them were eating slowly from the food on the low tables before them.

Swish!

A figure rushed in. It was Ji Ning, returning from his shopping trip.

"Father. Mother." Ji Ning called out quickly.

Ji Yichuan frowned. "When you're out shopping, can't you keep track of the time?"

Ji Ning, obedient and silent, quickly went to his own seat, kneeling as he began to eat. The midday meal was quite abundant—plenty of meat, noodles, and wine. Ji Ning's appetite was enormous now, and before long, all the food and drink on his table was completely consumed.

Yuchi Snow watched her son devour everything in a whirlwind, a smile on her face.

"Father, Mother." Ji Ning remembered the three-swords-in-one-scabbard he'd bought today. "When I was out shopping, I encountered three tribal warriors. They must have traveled from a very remote area to reach the Western Prefecture City, and they came specifically to sell a divine weapon. I ended up buying it."

"A divine weapon?" Ji Yichuan, seated above, frowned. "The Ji Clan's Western Prefecture treasury is full of divine weapons. Didn't you already pick out two divine weapons before? There's nothing worth buying among the weapons sold in the city."

Since Ji Ning hadn't yet reached the Xiantian level in Ki Refining, he couldn't use magic treasures. That was why he had gone to the clan treasury to pick out two sword-type divine weapons. Of course, during his cage battles, he only used ordinary weapons.

"Father, the two divine weapons I chose from the clan treasury are far inferior to the one I picked today." Ji Ning spoke solemnly.

"Oh?" Ji Yichuan looked at his son.

"In truth, the divine weapon I bought is a damaged flying-sword treasure." Ji Ning explained. "The mysterious runes on its surface are completely shattered, so it can only be used as an exceptionally sharp divine weapon. But it is indeed incredibly sharp—far sharper than the divine weapons I chose from the treasury. With enough force, I could even pierce through the Golden Dust Garment with it."

"Pierce through the Golden Dust Garment?" Ji Yichuan's expression shifted. "Let me see."

Ji Ning extended his hand, and the ancient-looking three-swords-in-one-scabbard appeared. He quickly rose and brought it to his father.

Ji Yichuan took it and examined it closely. He drew out all three swords, inspecting each one. "The formation runes on the sword bodies are completely shattered. But from their resonance... this is indeed a set of flying-sword treasures. A pity it's damaged. Damaged treasures have little value, though sometimes the materials can be extracted through smelting."

Ji Ning nodded.

He had read many books and knew that damaged treasures held little worth. The materials in a damaged treasure had already been refined and mixed together once. Even if you melted it down to extract the raw materials, you'd only get a tiny amount.

"Hiss!" Ji Yichuan ran his finger along the sword's edge. A thin line of blood seeped out, startling him. "Such a sharp blade. Without channeling any true energy or power, the sword itself is this sharp? I've never seen anything like it. Xue'er, take a look. Can you determine its origin?"

Yuchi Snow took the swords and examined them carefully. After a long moment, she slowly shook her head. "I can't identify it."

"Mother, before this flying-sword treasure was damaged, was it a graded treasure?" Ji Ning pressed.

"It was certainly a graded treasure." Yuchi Snow nodded. "Even completely damaged, its sharpness already rivals some ungraded treasures. When it was intact... it was undoubtedly a graded treasure. But which grade it belonged to, I cannot tell. I doubt anyone in the entire Yan Mountain region could."

Ji Ning nodded. He understood this.

Ordinary Xiantian Ki Refiners used ungraded treasures. Zifu Disciples could use graded treasures. And forging treasures was even more difficult... There was no one in the entire Yan Mountain region who could personally forge a magic treasure. Only in some immensely powerful tribes in the far, distant lands were there experts capable of such feats.

"The Grand Xia Dynasty has been passed down since the Primordial Fiendgod Era." Ji Yichuan tossed the three-swords-in-one-scabbard back to his son. "It has ruled over endless territories for hundreds of millions of years. Countless tribes have risen, flourished, declined, and been destroyed, leaving behind countless treasures. Damaged treasures from battle aren't even rare. Our Ji Clan has hundreds of such damaged treasures, and most of them have unknown origins. For a damaged treasure to be this sharp is rare. It will serve you well."

Yuchi Snow added, "Ning'er, once you become a Xiantian Ki Refiner and infuse true energy into an ungraded treasure, its power might not even match this sword."

Ji Ning nodded.

The power of a magic treasure lay in its mystery.

Ordinary Xiantian Ki Refiners used treasures in many strange and wonderful ways. But Fiendgod Body Refiners... were best at close combat. They had nearly indestructible bodies, immense strength, speed, and regenerative power. Even when Fiendgod Body Refiners used magic treasures, they favored close-combat weapons like sabers, staves, and swords.

"This three-swords-in-one-scabbard will serve me well even after I become a Xiantian cultivator." Ji Ning felt a surge of joy. "It will likely accompany me for a very long time. I should give it a name... Hmm. I'll call it the Northsea Swords."

The thought of 'Northsea' came to Ji Ning for a reason.

Years ago, his father Ji Yichuan had left the Yan Mountain region and traveled endlessly across the vast earth, eventually reaching the boundless northern sea. That vast sea was known as the 'Northsea,' and it was filled with countless islands. Ji Yichuan had drifted and roamed there, and it was there that he had met Yuchi Snow.

They had traveled together, faced life-and-death dangers, and eventually fallen in love. Yuchi Snow became pregnant.

It was because of that pregnancy that they had decided to leave the dangerous Northsea and return to the Yan Mountains. But they had encountered many dangers along the way, and Yuchi Snow was gravely wounded. This was why it was said that 'Ji Ning was injured while still in the womb.' It was also during this time that the divine beast, the Whitewater Hound, had carried Yuchi Snow on his back as they fled for their lives.

That was why Ji Yichuan said that Uncle White had saved Ji Ning's life.

His parents had met, fallen in love, and conceived him in the Northsea.

The word 'Northsea' naturally held a special meaning for Ji Ning.

"Father. Mother." Ji Ning spoke solemnly. "This set of three swords in one scabbard—I name them the Northsea Swords."

While Ji Ning rejoiced over acquiring the Northsea Swords, in a place within the Yan Mountain region called Winged Serpent Lake...

Winged Serpent Lake was a vast expanse of water, nearly a hundred li wide, stretching as far as the eye could see.

As the saying went: deep mountains and great lakes always harbor demons.

This was no lie. This vast, mysterious lake undoubtedly concealed a great demon, with countless lesser demons within. The great demon that dwelled in this lake was known as the 'Winged Serpent'—a thousand-year-old ancient demon of immense power. Born able to fly, it also commanded water and poison, a demon of fearsome renown.

Deep in the center of the lake was a small island, the lair of the Winged Serpent.

"Hrmmm~" A massive black serpent, coiled and winding, hundreds of meters long, spread its enormous, scale-covered bone wings like a canopy that could blot out the sky. Its crimson eyes stared down at the trembling beasts before it. Waves of cold, biting aura emanated from its body, causing frost to form on the ground.

Countless lesser demons knelt, prostrated, or lay flat on the ground, all of them shivering in terror.

A hundred or so demonic beasts lay on the ground, covered in frost, completely frozen to death.

"Hrmmm~" The enraged Winged Serpent let out a series of angry roars.

The lesser demons—snakes, crabs, fish, and all manner of monstrous creatures—responded in low, fearful tones. They were all utterly terrified.

"ROAR!" The Winged Serpent let out a cold, furious bellow.

A moment later, all the demons sighed in relief, quickly retreating. Many of them dove into the deep lake, while some remained on the island to guard it.

"Hiss~" The enormous black serpent suddenly transformed into a cloud of mist, then coalesced, taking the form of a black-robed man.

"I, the Winged Serpent, have ninety-two children!" The black-robed man ground his teeth. "Most of them died while growing up. Only sixteen survived. And among them, only one had the blood of the Fiendgods... my most beloved Crimson!"

Snakes were naturally lecherous.

Although the Winged Serpent itself had no Fiendgod bloodline, it had mated with many post-natal demonic beasts, including some post-natal divine beasts. For a demon that had cultivated for over a thousand years, capturing such post-natal divine beasts was a simple matter. But divine beasts rarely bore offspring. Among all his children, only one possessed the Fiendgod bloodline—Crimson.

It was his most beloved child. He was certain that once Crimson broke through to the Xiantian level, he would possess even greater power, with a future far surpassing his own.

"Crimson. I told you long ago—don't go out before you become a Xiantian cultivator. Human flesh may be delicious, but if you eat too many humans, the Ji Clan will come to punish us." The black-robed man growled, his voice filled with pain.

His spoiled child, Crimson, had snuck out secretly. He had discovered that human flesh was far more delicious than any other demonic beast.

Crimson had hidden this from his father, going out time and again to rampage and feast.

"My child. I must bring him back." The black-robed man immediately transformed back into the massive Winged Serpent. Its bone wings vibrated, and it shot into the sky like a shadow, disappearing into the clouds.