The Winged Serpent's Shadow

“How dare you!” Qiuye’s crisp voice rang out in rebuke.

Ke Yong lifted his chin slightly. “How dare I? This pathetic little Ironstone Tribe… I can crush it with a wave of my hand. How dare I, you ask? Let me be blunt. I’ve taken a liking to you. You’d better follow me obediently and quietly. Last time I fancied a girl, she was stubborn. She chose to kill herself rather than submit to me. So I had her entire family slaughtered, and her tribesmen were all sold into slavery! Think carefully about your little brother here, and your tribe as well.”

The tribesmen were simple and honest, but they also had fierce pride. Most of them did not fear death. A girl as beautiful as this was the jewel of any tribe, and such women were often proud. If her pride was pushed too far, suicide was a common outcome. Ke Yong did not want to see that happen.

“Honorable Lord Ke Yong.” The bald elder, Tie Sanlian, hurriedly tried to persuade him. “These three are not from the Ironstone Tribe. They come from a large tribe!”

“A large tribe?” Ke Yong’s eyebrows shot up. “No wonder. I was wondering how a place like Ironstone Tribe could produce such a lovely girl. Girl, tell me, which tribe are you from?” He took two steps forward, reaching out to touch Qiuye’s face.

Qiuye’s leg lashed out like lightning.

Thud!

The kick was heavy, filled with fury. It struck Ke Yong square in the chest, shattering the ornaments hanging from his body and sending him tumbling backwards to the ground.

“Insolent!”

“Clang!”

Several of the armored guards of the Blackhill Tribe immediately shouted in anger, and some even drew their blades.

Ke Yong scrambled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He raised a hand to stop his guards. These men all knew that Ke Yong, as a core high-ranking figure of a large tribe like Blackhill, was utterly ruthless.

“It’s over.”

“That girl is finished.”

The guards all understood that when Ke Yong was clearly furious but held himself back, it meant only one thing… he was now incomparably enraged, deliberating on how to vent his wrath.

Ke Yong straightened up, his eyes narrowed like a venomous snake as he scrutinized the three before him. He drawled, “That kick was quite heavy. Would you mind letting me know where you three come from? A large tribe, or perhaps the mighty Ji Clan?”

“Look carefully.” Mowu stepped forward coldly and flipped out a token.

The token bore a single character: Ji.

“Ji!”

The faces of many armored guards changed color. They all looked to their leader, Ke Yong, whose face had turned pale. He bowed in panic. “I never meant to offend you three. Please forgive my transgression.”

Mowu’s eyes held a flicker of pity. He knew his young master’s character well—he loathed evil as though it were his mortal enemy.

Qiuye shot Ke Yong a frigid glare. The moment he boasted about destroying an entire tribe and selling its people into slavery just for a woman he wanted, a deep hatred had taken root in her heart. She knew that pain all too well. Her own tribe had been utterly destroyed, and she herself had been sold.

Ji Ning looked at Ke Yong and silently pronounced his death sentence.

Killing an entire tribe for no greater reason than lust? The image of children and women being slaughtered or sold into slavery ignited a fire of rage in Ji Ning’s chest. This land was steeped in countless evils, and Ji Ning could not purge them all. But when he encountered such evil himself… he could not suppress his fury.

“Hahaha…” Ke Yong, whose face had been deathly pale moments ago, suddenly grinned widely. “It seems you three have already made up your minds to kill me. I wonder if you’re stupid, or just arrogant.”

“Oh?” Ji Ning frowned.

Ke Yong continued with a smile. “So what if you’re from the Ji Clan? Every year, countless young members of the five prefectures go out on their rite of passage adventures, and countless die along the way. How could the Ji Clan possibly investigate whether their kinsmen were killed by monsters, or by warriors of other tribes?”

“You may have status, but out here, there are only three of you. Even if you’ve decided to kill me, you should have kept it to yourselves. There’s a saying in the books: ‘Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire.’ No matter how high your status, no one can save you in time.” Ke Yong sighed. “Do you know? Three years ago, I enjoyed a young girl from the Ji Clan herself. Her skin was exquisite. My servants all had their turn with her, and in the end, she was devoured by the wild beasts down to the last bone.”

“Do you understand now?” Ke Yong squinted. “Status does not always equal power. At this moment, your lives are in my hands.”

“Everyone!” Ke Yong raised his chin and shouted. “Attack! Kill the two men and leave the woman alive. After I’ve had my fill, you will all get a share.”

“Oooh!”

“Kill!”

“Haha, let’s go!”

Ke Yong’s personal guards all drew their blades and charged forward with wild howls. In large tribes, the leaders always trusted their personal slaves and retainers the most. Whether it was Ji Lie or Ji Yichuan, each had a large retinue of loyal servants who followed orders absolutely. With a single command from Ke Yong, these armored guards, born as servants, dared to do anything.

“How dare you!” A sudden thunderous roar exploded like a spring thunderclap.

A huge bird was circling in the sky above, and a man stood on its back. He swung his sword downward, and beams of sword-light shot forth like a rain of death. Each beam pierced through an armored guard, easily slicing and tearing their bodies apart. Blood splattered across the ground.

“Ah!” “No!” “Aaargh!”

Various screams of agony rang out, but in the blink of an eye, everything fell silent.

The hundred-odd armored guards who had been howling madly moments before now lay on the ground. Some had gaping holes in their chests; some had their bodies torn apart. Blood soaked the earth, and every single one of them was dead. Yet not a single member of the Ironstone Tribe, who had been frozen in terror, was touched.

“Th-this…” Ke Yong, who had been so confident only moments ago, now had a face as white as a sheet. He stood there dumbly, staring at the corpses of his servants, then lifted his head to look at the man on the back of the flying beast. His voice trembled. “X-Xiantian…”

The tribesmen of Ironstone all looked up, some dumbfounded, some filled with worship. The innocent tribal girls stared without blinking.

Ji Ning, Qiuye, and Mowu looked up as well.

Whoosh!

The man on the flying beast leaped down and landed on the ground.

“Young master.” The man bowed slightly, showing his respect for Ji Ning.

This sight shocked everyone present, both the tribesmen of Ironstone and Ke Yong himself. The ability to project sword-light from one’s weapon meant the wielder was a Xiantian lifeform! In any large tribe, a Xiantian lifeform stood at the very pinnacle of power. Even within the Ji Clan, they were high-level core members.

When ordinary Ji Clan youths going out on adventures encountered a Xiantian lifeform, they would typically bow in greeting first. Yet here, a Xiantian lifeform was actually bowing to this youth!

“Mercy!” Ke Yong scrambled forward and knelt before Ji Ning. “Great young master! Everything I said before was nonsense, wild boasting. It never happened! And once, when collecting furs from some small tribes, I obtained a special treasure. It must be a magic treasure! As for what kind of magic treasure… I don’t understand. If the young master will spare my life, I will gladly offer up the trea—”

Before he could finish.

Swish!

Ke Yong lunged at Ji Ning, his right hand like a claw, aiming directly for Ji Ning’s throat. At such close range, even an ordinary Houtian expert would struggle to evade.

“Hmph.” Ji Ning casually waved his hand. His movement was faster than Ke Yong’s, striking Ke Yong squarely on the head. Ke Yong’s body shuddered, and blood trickled from his nose, ears, and mouth. His body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

“Quite cunning,” Ji Ning murmured.

Ke Yong had been a very cunning man, ruthless and decisive. Even when faced with a Xiantian lifeform and slim odds of survival, he had immediately decided to use a fake treasure as bait to seize Ji Ning as a hostage. If he could capture Ji Ning, he might still have a chance to live.

Too bad…

Ji Ning was someone who could hunt and kill even a great demon with ease.

“So he was with those armored guards.” The Xiantian lifeform chuckled. “Those guards were all wearing half-armor, but this one was clad in beast-hide. I didn’t even notice him earlier.”

“Thank you for your help, senior brother,” Ji Ning said with a smile.

The man before him was one of his father Ji Yichuan’s nine personally accepted disciples, Wan Fang. He was at the early Xiantian stage. He held a fairly high status in the Western Prefecture of the Ji Clan, though he had not yet reached the level to command the Black Armored Guards. Ji Ning, however, was the designated next prefectural lord, so his status was naturally far higher.

“Young master could have dealt with him easily enough.” Wan Fang sheathed his sword. “But the reason I came here is something serious.”

“Serious?” Ji Ning’s expression changed. He only communicated with West Prefecture City once a month. For his senior brother, a Xiantian lifeform, to personally deliver a message meant the matter was of grave importance.

“Let’s talk inside,” Ji Ning said quickly.

He swept his gaze over the still-shocked members of the Ironstone Tribe. “Clean up these bodies. As for the Blackhill Tribe… I’ll have my senior brother pay them a visit later. You’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you, young master!”

The bald elder and the others all knelt down. Only now did they truly understand how exalted Ji Ning’s status was. A Xiantian lifeform bowed to him… with such status, even the chieftain of the Blackhill Tribe would have to kneel before him!

Ji Ning and Wan Fang quickly entered the stone house and closed the door.

“Hurry.”

“Clean it up.”

The tribesmen of Ironstone were filled with a mix of emotions: excitement, unease, and exhilaration. Those fearsome Blackhill tribesmen, who normally lorded over them, now lay dead on the ground.

“You got what you deserved.” The cold one-armed man viciously kicked Ke Yong’s corpse, his eyes brimming with hatred.

Inside the room.

Only Ji Ning and Wan Fang remained.

“Senior brother, what’s the matter?” Ji Ning asked. “For you to come deliver the news personally.”

“It’s about the great demon, the Winged Serpent!” Wan Fang’s face was grim.