The Hunt Begins: Father and Son

The Greenflame Bird danced through the clouds, its tail feathers wreathed in flames as it gave furious chase to the massive, scale-covered serpent with bone wings fleeing ahead of it.

Two figures crouched on the bird’s back—Ji Yichuan and the black-robed woman. The woman stared at the fleeing serpent as it desperately flew for its life. “Yichuan, the Winged Serpent is a late-stage Xiantian great demon. It’s stronger than my Greenflame Bird. Even though my bird is fast, it won’t be able to catch it.”

“Leave this to me, Aunt Hua,” Ji Yichuan said, his face cold as ice. A silver great bow suddenly appeared in his hands, and an arrow materialized in his right.

Whoosh.

The bow was drawn to its full, circular extent. Ji Yichuan’s icy gaze locked onto the fleeing serpent ahead.

Swish!

The arrow transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting towards the distant Winged Serpent. At this short distance, given the terrifying speed of Ji Yichuan’s arrows and the serpent’s colossal size, how could it possibly dodge?

In pure archery skill, Ji Yichuan might have been inferior to Meng Yu. But the men of the Ji Clan were all trained in archery. In terms of sheer speed and power, Ji Yichuan’s arrows far surpassed Meng Yu’s!

Boom!

The arrow struck the Winged Serpent’s body and exploded, tearing open a massive, bloody crater. A wound deep enough to reveal bone had appeared in its serpentine form. It seemed like one more arrow would be enough to sever its body completely. In truth, Ji Yichuan had aimed for its bone wings. But the Winged Serpent understood that if its bone wings were injured, it would have no hope of escape. It had no choice but to use its own body to block the shot.

Sssss... The serpent’s muscles clenched, and the bleeding stopped.

The Winged Serpent fled in a mad frenzy.

“Ji Yichuan! Your Ji Clan killed my child. How could you not allow me to take revenge?!” the Winged Serpent roared back at him.

“Wretched beast. Accept your death quietly, and I will give you a quick end. Keep struggling, and you will regret it,” Ji Yichuan said coldly, half-crouched on the Greenflame Bird’s back as he once more drew his silver great bow.

The Winged Serpent did its utmost to evade.

Boom!

Another arrow blasted a massive hole in its body, causing the Winged Serpent to hiss in agony. Panic rose in its heart. Ji Yichuan is the number one expert of the Ji Clan’s Western Prefecture, but how can he be this strong? That sword-light earlier flew for two kilometers and still heavily injured me. Now, any random arrow can wound me. Even a Xiantian-stage great demon at the perfect level would at most suppress me; it wouldn’t be able to toy with me so easily!

The Winged Serpent’s courage had been completely shattered by that earlier sword-light.

A single sword-light that flew for two kilometers and could still gravely wound it…

If it were struck by a close-range sword strike, it would surely be killed in a single blow!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Ji Yichuan fired arrow after arrow. The Winged Serpent had no choice but to grit its fangs and use its massive body to block them. Fortunately, it was several hundred meters long. Although more than a dozen craters now dotted its enormous form, its formidable vitality allowed it to keep flying at high speed.

Soon, a vast lake appeared on the broad earth below.

Whoosh! The Winged Serpent instantly dove downward.

“Winged Serpent Lake.” Both Ji Yichuan and the black-robed woman’s expressions changed.

Winged Serpent Lake was a hundred kilometers wide. One look at its vast, endless expanse, and it was clear that this was the Winged Serpent’s lair.

Whoooosh…

The massive Winged Serpent dove straight down from the sky, plunging into the lake with barely a splash before vanishing.

The Greenflame Bird hovered above the lake.

“What now, Yichuan?” the black-robed woman asked.

“Flee?” Ji Yichuan stood on the bird’s back, looking down coldly at the vast lake. “Hiding at the bottom of the water, and thinking I can do nothing to him? Aunt Hua, lend me the Greenflame Bird for now. Please return to the Western Prefecture at once… and bring my spirit-beast, the great black serpent.”

“Alright.” The black-robed woman nodded.

Swish!

She tapped the surface of the lake and transformed into a streak of light, quickly moving across the water until she disappeared into the distance.

At the bottom of Winged Serpent Lake.

The massive Winged Serpent coiled itself, occasionally extending its tongue to lick the enormous wounds on its body. Its powerful vitality and regenerative abilities were causing the wounds to rapidly shrink; its muscles were visibly twisting and growing.

“Ji Yichuan,” the Winged Serpent muttered through clenched fangs, its vertical pupils filled with unwillingness. “How can he be this strong? That Ji Lie is the second-strongest in the Western Prefecture. When he fought me back then, he only had the upper hand… but Ji Yichuan? If he gets close, I fear he could kill me with a single sword strike. How can the gap be this huge?”

The Winged Serpent had previously been confident in its ability to escape. In its view, as a late-stage Xiantian great demon, even if it faced a terrifying existence at the perfect Xiantian level… it would at most be at a disadvantage; it would still have a chance to escape. As long as it wasn’t surrounded by a group of Xiantian creatures, it would be fine.

But Ji Yichuan’s sword-strike had utterly terrified it.

Roar!

Caw!

The demonic beasts within the lake let out screeching cries. The sounds reached the Winged Serpent at the bottom, shocking it. It could understand the cries of its subordinates.

“A great demon has arrived?” the Winged Serpent was shocked. “Right. Among the great demons tamed by the Western Prefecture, one of them is an aquatic great demon.”

Some demons were flying creatures, masters of the air.

Others were aquatic, stronger in the water.

Non-aquatic creatures would have their power drastically reduced in water! Ji Yichuan, for example… his speed in the water would likely be less than a tenth of his speed on land. But the Winged Serpent was faster in the water than on land! Even if Ji Yichuan used his sword techniques, the resistance of the water would greatly diminish their power.

Of course, even with diminished power, Ji Yichuan’s sword techniques could still slay the Winged Serpent! But in the water, he would never be able to catch up to it. No matter how powerful his sword arts were, they would be useless if he couldn’t land a hit.

“Brother Black, find the Winged Serpent,” Ji Yichuan said, standing on the surface of the lake without sinking an inch. “It is stronger than you, but it is heavily wounded now. Once you find it, just hold it down. Don’t let it escape. I will come and kill it immediately.”

“Leave it to me,” said the massive black serpent, raising its head from the water before sinking into the lake to begin its hunt.

The lesser demons in the lake fled in all directions, screeching in terror.

“Greenflame Bird,” Ji Yichuan said, looking up. “Watch from above. If the Winged Serpent flees the lake, chase it down immediately.”

“Understood,” the Greenflame Bird replied in a soft voice before rising higher into the air.

Ji Yichuan’s expression was stern as he gripped a cyan longsword and began to walk across the lake. The water beneath him was as solid as flat ground. With each step, faint ripples spread across its surface. His cold gaze swept across his surroundings, as if he could pierce through the water and see the bottom.

At the Ji Clan’s Western Prefecture.

Night had fallen. The Western Prefecture, which had been in an uproar over the Winged Serpent’s attack, had finally grown quiet.

“Father.” Ji Wuyu, his hair in dozens of braids, was sitting cross-legged. He set down his beast-head goblet after drinking and said, “The Winged Serpent great demon has fled back to its lair. Winged Serpent Lake is vast and bottomless. Even with just a single black serpent chasing it, if it focuses on hiding, it will be very difficult for Ji Yichuan to kill it, no matter how strong he is.”

Ji Lie nodded, but his brows were tightly furrowed. He hadn’t touched the meat or wine before him. Clearly, something was troubling him.

“Father?” Ji Wuyu looked at him, confused.

Ji Lie frowned deeply and let out a low sigh. “A single sword-light that flew for two kilometers and still heavily wounded a late-stage Xiantian great demon… The power of that strike has already exceeded the limits of what an ordinary Xiantian creature should be capable of.”

“Father, do you mean…?” Ji Wuyu was shocked. “A Zifu Disciple?”

Ji Lie shook his head. “Hard to say. If Ji Yichuan had opened his Zifu, he should be able to control magic treasures and fly. He wouldn’t have just stood there and watched the great demon that nearly killed his son escape. But if he hasn’t opened his Zifu… the power of that sword strike was abnormally strong. That’s why I find it so confusing.”

“Also,” Ji Lie continued, frowning, “I saw Ji Ning’s arm was severed earlier. But in the blink of an eye, when the dust settled and we rushed over, Ji Ning was perfectly fine.”

Many Xiantian creatures had seen Ji Ning standing amidst the ruins with his arm broken.

“Ji Yichuan’s son, Ji Ning, should have trained in a Fiendgod Body Refining technique,” Ji Wuyu nodded. “And he’s already reached a high enough level to reattach his arm. But what confuses me even more… is how Ji Ning survived the Winged Serpent’s attack on Dragon Fort?”

“I don’t understand, either,” Ji Lie said with a sigh. “I suppose he was lucky.”

How had Ji Ning survived?

Perhaps the Winged Serpent had known who Ji Ning was and hadn’t dared to kill him.

Perhaps Ji Ning’s Fiendgod body-refining had given him the vitality to survive by pure luck.

Perhaps Ji Ning had a life-saving treasure given to him by his parents.

The experts of the Western Prefecture could only guess blindly. None of them could have imagined that a mere ten-year-old Ji Ning had already reached ‘Unity of Man and Heaven’ in his footwork.

Ji Ning was in his personal training grounds, fully displaying the ‘Windshadow Steps’. In the several-hundred-meter-wide practice field, a blurry afterimage moved at high speed. Then, with a whoosh, dozens of Ji Nings appeared across the field…

“Ning’er.” A voice called out.

Ji Ning came to a sudden halt.

“Mother,” he said, quickly going to greet her.

Yuchi Snow walked over, her face full of joy as she looked at her son. After the Winged Serpent’s attack, the day had been spent cremating and holding memorial services for the fallen tribesmen and Black Armored Guards. Ji Ning had quietly told his mother that he had reached the ‘Unity of Man and Heaven’ realm in his footwork. Of course, he had only told his mother!

A mere ten-year-old reaching Unity of Man and Heaven in footwork… Even Yuchi Snow, who had traveled extensively through the Grand Xia Dynasty, had rarely seen such monstrous talent. In truth, Ji Ning had been visualizing the ‘Nuwa Diagram’ since birth, which had made his soul exceptionally strong. He had also been diligently training in the Windshadow Steps for years, reaching the Subtlety realm two years ago. In the life-or-death struggle, his connection with Heaven and Earth had deepened, and reaching the Unity of Man and Heaven realm had simply been a matter of course.

“Ning’er,” Yuchi Snow said, looking at her son. “You’ve reached Unity of Man and Heaven in footwork. The next step is to reach Unity of Man and Heaven in your swordplay. Do not be lax.”

“Yes, Mother,” Ji Ning nodded.

Unity of Man and Heaven in footwork meant the unity of man, Earth, and Heaven.

Unity of Man and Heaven in swordplay meant the unity of man, sword, Earth, and Heaven, which was naturally much harder.

“Mother,” Ji Ning pressed. “When will Father return?”

“Your father has gone to slay the great demon. Once he kills the Winged Serpent, he will naturally return,” Yuchi Snow said.