The Parents’ Vigil

Within the inner city of the Western Prefecture.

“Yichuan, I heard that Ji Ning has already broken through and become a Xiantian lifeform. Congratulations!”

“Yichuan, your son is truly remarkable.”

“He’s only eleven this year, right? An eleven-year-old Xiantian lifeform… that ranks in the top three of our Ji Clan’s five prefectures over the past thousand years.”

Ji Yichuan, who was normally as icy as a mountain, had a rare trace of joy between his brows today. Although he still kept his face rigid, those who were familiar with him could sense the happiness in his heart. Ever since Ji Ning had stomped down a city wall with three kicks at the Riverside Tribe and sent Jiang Sansi flying with a single kick, the news had naturally spread back to the Ji Clan with great speed.

It had already spread throughout the five prefectures of the Ji Clan. As a father, Ji Yichuan was naturally overjoyed. Over the past day or two, he had heard many words of congratulations and praise. People were accustomed to adding flowers to embroideries. With Ji Ning having been designated as the next Prefectural Lord, and then becoming such a monstrous Xiantian lifeform at the age of eleven, everyone understood that the bloodline of Ji Yichuan and Ji Ning was destined to be incomparably prosperous.

This father and son pair would likely hold extremely high positions within the entire Ji Clan’s five prefectures in the future.

“Look at you, so happy.” Yuchi Snow was holding a clay pot, watering the flowers.

“How could I not be happy!” Ji Yichuan sat down at the stone table nearby and took out a bamboo tube, drinking fruit wine with pleasure. “Before he even reached Xiantian, Ji Ning slew the Water Rhinoceros King. Now that he’s broken through to Xiantian… he sent that Jiang Sansi flying with a single kick. Jiang Sansi stepped into Xiantian long ago, a mid-stage Xiantian Ki Refining expert, yet he couldn’t even block a single move from my son. Ji Ning must have reached Xiantian in his Fiendgod Body Refining as well!”

According to the intelligence brought back by the Black Armored Guards stationed at the Riverside Tribe, Ji Ning had once manifested sword-light to knock away Jiang He’s flying dagger.

Clearly, Ji Ning had already reached Xiantian in Ki Refining.

And Ji Yichuan was very familiar with his son. He also knew about the flaws in his son’s meridians. It was likely that after his Fiendgod Body Refining reached Xiantian, his entire body had been reborn, and only then had his Ki Refining broken through as a natural consequence.

“The Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens.” Ji Yichuan looked at Yuchi Snow. “This is the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique in legend! No one in our Ji Clan has ever managed to break through to Xiantian using it, but Ji Ning has done it. In the future, he will surely become even more powerful than me. His name will be sung by countless tribes, and our Ji Clan will grow strong because of him!”

Ji Yichuan’s words were filled with heroic aspirations.

“The Ji Clan growing strong…” Yuchi Snow nodded gently. “Perhaps because of our son, the Ji Clan might one day reach the same glory as my Yuchi Clan once had. It’s just a pity that my Yuchi Clan…”

“No tribe lasts forever.” Ji Yichuan also said, “Even the Grand Xia Dynasty, which has existed for endless ages, established itself during the Primordial Era and then annihilated other ancient dynasties to unify this land. Those ancient dynasties all had immeasurably long histories… didn’t they still fall?”

Yuchi Snow nodded. “I understand. I’ve long since come to terms with it. Our son carries the blood of my Yuchi Clan within him. When he becomes renowned across this endless land in the future, the ancestors of my Yuchi Clan will surely be overjoyed as well.”

“Mm.” Ji Yichuan nodded.

…

While the husband and wife were talking and laughing happily, Ji Yichuan, who had been drinking from his bamboo tube, suddenly changed expression drastically. At this very moment, on the island in Serpentwing Lake, Ji Ning had been directly teleported into that mysterious, ancient aquatic palace ruin.

“What’s wrong?” Yuchi Snow, who was sitting beside him, immediately noticed the violent shift in her husband’s mood. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Ji Yichuan shook his head. “I just remembered something I need to do today.”

Yuchi Snow frowned. “Still trying to fool me? That face of yours doesn’t know how to hide things at all. With your state of mind, ordinary matters wouldn’t be able to disturb you… and for your heart to be this unsettled, it must be something major. Speak.”

Ji Yichuan looked at his wife and sighed. “I gave Ji Ning a jade sword earlier. No matter how far away he is, I can sense his position. I strictly ordered him not to leave the area within ten thousand li of the Western Prefecture city. If he did, I would capture him and throw him into the dungeon for three years.”

“What’s wrong? Did he leave the area within ten thousand li of the Western Prefecture city?” Yuchi Snow asked hurriedly.

“No.” Ji Yichuan’s expression was ugly. “I can no longer sense the jade sword.”

“What?!” Yuchi Snow was greatly shocked and stood up abruptly. Immediately after, she began to cough, coughing violently.

“I didn’t want to say it, but you insisted.” Ji Yichuan quickly supported his wife, rubbing her back. “Feeling better?”

Yuchi Snow asked urgently, “How could you not be able to sense your jade sword? Didn’t you say that no matter how far away it was, you could sense it? If you can’t sense it… has Ning encountered danger?”

“Don’t panic.” Ji Yichuan said hurriedly. “There are two possibilities for why I can’t sense the jade sword.”

“The first possibility is that Ning encountered danger, took out the jade sword, but before he could snap it in half, the enemy instantly reduced the jade sword to ashes.”

“The second possibility is that Ning was instantly transported to a place so far away that I can’t even sense it.”

Yuchi Snow calmed down.

Yuchi Snow was very knowledgeable. She nodded and said, “Even if your jade sword were snapped in two or shattered into pieces, you would still be able to sense it. The only way you wouldn’t be able to sense it is if it were completely reduced to ashes. But Ning is very strong now. He can send Jiang Sansi flying with a single kick. If he encountered danger and took out the jade sword, he could snap it in an instant. How could he not even have the chance to do so?”

“Furthermore, if an enemy wanted to kill Ning and could instantly reduce the jade sword in his hand to ashes, they would be strong enough to kill him directly. Why would they bother to destroy the jade sword?”

After thinking it through, Yuchi Snow felt slightly relieved.

Based on these deductions, her son probably wasn’t dead yet!

“Then it’s the other possibility.” Ji Yichuan said, “Ji Ning was instantly transported to an incomparably distant place. Saying that I can sense my jade sword no matter where it is… is a bit of an exaggeration, but I should be able to sense it within a million li. Being instantly teleported beyond a million li is also somewhat incredible. I think the more likely possibility is that Ji Ning entered another space, accidentally stumbling into an ancient ruin.”

“An ancient ruin?” Yuchi Snow nodded as well.

Both of them had traveled and experienced the world before. They understood how miraculous this endless land was. Countless ruins had been left behind from the Primordial Era alone. Those mighty figures generally opened up small pocket dimensions or even small worlds.

“Where was the last place you sensed Ning?” Yuchi Snow asked hurriedly.

“Serpentwing Lake!” Ji Yichuan said.

“Let’s go to Serpentwi—” Yuchi Snow began to cough again.

Ji Yichuan said hurriedly, “I’ll go. You don’t need to travel.”

“How can I not go when our son is in danger?” Yuchi Snow shook her head. “This is an old ailment I’ve had since I was pregnant with Ning. It’s fine.”

Looking into his wife’s eyes, Ji Yichuan could only nod. “Fine. I’ll go borrow the Greenflame Bird from Hua Gu. We’ll travel to Serpentwing Lake at top speed.”

The vast Serpentwing Lake was completely calm.

A couple who looked like a pair of celestial lovers stood on the back of a massive Greenflame Bird, rapidly descending over Serpentwing Lake.

“Quick, go report to the great king! That Ji Yichuan is here again, and he’s brought a woman with him.”

“Ji Yichuan.”

“He’s riding that flaming bird too.”

Some minor aquatic monsters surfaced from the water and glanced up into the sky, then scurried away in fright to report.

Aboard the Greenflame Bird, Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow swept their gazes across the area. Soon, Ji Yichuan pointed to the shore in the distance. “There are some Black Armored Guards over there. Greenflame Bird, go there!” The Greenflame Bird swiftly flew in that direction. The two Black Armored Guards who had been monitoring Serpentwing Lake from the shore were stunned as they watched the man and woman on the Greenflame Bird approach.

“Greetings, Commander!” Both Black Armored Guards hastily knelt on one knee, recognizing Ji Yichuan.

“I ask you this: have you seen my son, Ji Ning?” Ji Yichuan asked directly.

“We have,” one of the taller Black Armored Guards replied quickly. “Just a moment ago, Lord Ji Ning was walking on the surface of the lake, challenging that great demon, the Winged Serpent, to battle.”

“The great demon Winged Serpent?”

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow both felt a stir in their hearts. However, neither of them believed that their son, with his power, wouldn’t even have the chance to snap the jade sword in front of the great demon Winged Serpent. In fact, they believed that Ji Ning could easily keep himself alive against the Winged Serpent.

“But this great demon Winged Serpent refused to come out no matter what,” the tall Black Armored Guard said. “Lord Ji Ning issued his challenge several times, his voice spreading across the entire Serpentwing Lake. The Black Armored Guards at the other posts probably heard it too. Since the Winged Serpent never came out, nothing else happened. Because we were too far from the lake, we don’t know where Lord Ji Ning went after he walked across the water.”

The island was in the center of Serpentwing Lake.

The shore was dozens of li from the island. The Black Armored Guards, being dozens of li away, couldn’t see Ji Ning at all.

“Oh? You’re sure they didn’t fight?” Ji Yichuan pressed.

“No. We didn’t hear any sounds of battle,” both Black Armored Guards confirmed with absolute certainty.

…

Ji Yichuan went to several other Black Armored Guard posts to ask questions. He even found Qiuye and Wumo waiting at a stronghold, learning the details of the incident. He understood that Ji Ning had gone to Serpentwing Lake in a fit of rage to slay the Winged Serpent, but the Winged Serpent had hidden and refused to come out. Ji Ning had then walked across the water and… disappeared!

“Where the hell did he go?” Standing by the lakeshore, Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow looked out at the vast lake, their brows furrowed tightly.

“Husband, what do you think?” Yuchi Snow looked at her husband.

Yuchi Snow pondered. “There wasn’t even a sound. It shouldn’t have been a battle. It’s most likely an ancient ruin. Those ruins might be hidden within a layer of void, separated from us by only a thin spatial barrier. But we can’t see them, and we can’t sense them.”

“Perhaps our son is inside a small world hidden within a single grain of sand at the bottom of Serpentwing Lake.”

“Or perhaps he’s within a concealed, ancient formation.”

“But none of this is something the two of us can handle.” Yuchi Snow shook her head. “All we can do is wait. Wait for our son to emerge alive.”

“Mm. We’ll wait.” Ji Yichuan stared at the vast lake that had existed for who knows how long. “I believe that our son will walk back across the water from the distance.”

Yuchi Snow nodded gently, leaning against her man.

They waited. They waited for their son to return.

Within the corridor of the aquatic palace. It was dim and dark, and even one’s sense of time had grown sluggish.

Ji Ning, his divine power fully recovered, finally stood up. He stared at the corpse at the far end of the corridor, around the corner. He understood that there was no path of retreat. If he wanted to live, he had to move forward!

“I am going to survive.” Ji Ning’s eyes were fixed on the distant corpse. He strode forward without hesitation.