The Unspoken Sacrifice

Ji Yichuan walked alone along the flagstone path, his brows furrowed in deep thought. He knew that this incident counted as a tribulation for the Ji Clan. To stand firm upon this vast land, one naturally had to endure countless trials. Those who weathered them would see their tribe's foundations grow deeper, their true strength greater. Those who failed would face annihilation. Even a few lucky survivors preserving a trace of bloodline would be considered a good outcome.

"Master."

"Master."

The servants knelt by the roadside in respectful greeting.

Ji Yichuan entered his estate and made his way toward the courtyard where his wife often stayed. Suddenly, a maidservant rushed out in a panic. The moment she saw Ji Yichuan, she dropped to her knees in fright.

"What is the meaning of this frantic behavior?" Ji Yichuan frowned and barked.

"Master." The maidservant's face was pale with terror. "The mistress, she… she…"

Ji Yichuan's expression changed instantly. "What happened to Xue'er?"

"The mistress has collapsed!" the maidservant said frantically.

"Collapsed?" Ji Yichuan's face turned pale. As a Ki Refining expert, how could his wife simply collapse? There was only one possible reason.

"Xue'er!" Ji Yichuan vanished into a blur of wind.

Inside the room.

Yuchi Snow lay quietly in bed. Her complexion was somewhat pale, but her features remained as beautiful and serene as ever.

"Xue'er." Ji Yichuan appeared in the room instantly. Seeing his wife lying there, he rushed forward and examined her carefully, then turned to the maidservant. "What happened?"

The maidservant was already trembling on her knees. "Master, the mistress was drinking tea, perfectly fine. No one touched her, no one spoke to her. Suddenly, she just went limp and collapsed. We panicked. I carefully carried her back to the room, Liuye went to fetch you."

"How could this be?" Ji Yichuan's face twisted in pain. "How could this be? Quickly! Go fetch Sorcerer Cao immediately!"

"Yes." The maidservant rushed out, leaving Ji Yichuan alone in the room.

Ji Yichuan sat by the bed, reaching out to touch his wife's face. He murmured, "Has this day finally come? When you insisted on giving birth to Ning'er, I feared this day would truly arrive. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it. There must still be a way. I need to stay by your side and watch our son grow into a great hero."

Moments later.

A bearded old man in dirty beast-hide robes entered the room. He carried the natural fragrance of herbs about him. Sorcerers and apothecaries were those who had deeply studied the herbs of heaven and earth. This vast land was filled with miraculous life forms. Even ordinary-looking herbs, when properly mixed, could produce extraordinary effects.

Sorcerer Cao was the best in the Western Prefecture of the Ji Clan in this regard.

"Sorcerer Cao." Ji Yichuan looked at the bearded old man. "My wife collapsed for no reason. Please examine her."

"Commander, please step back," Sorcerer Cao said hoarsely. Ji Yichuan immediately moved aside to make room. Sorcerer Cao placed his withered, claw-like hand on Yuchi Snow's forehead. A faint green light appeared in his palm, slowly seeping into her body.

A rich medicinal fragrance spread through the room.

Sorcerer Cao closed his eyes. After a long time, he withdrew his hand. The unconscious Yuchi Snow's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Xue'er." Ji Yichuan rushed forward joyfully, then turned quickly to Sorcerer Cao. "How is my wife?"

"Forgive my limited abilities," Sorcerer Cao said with a shake of his head. "Commander, you should go and request the Clan Leader."

"The Clan Leader?" Ji Yichuan's heart tightened.

The Clan Leader was the patriarch of all five branches of the Ji Clan, a man named Ji Jiuhuo. An old monster who had lived for nearly four hundred years, he was the Ji Clan's true founding ancestor, and naturally a Zifu Disciple as well. Ji Jiuhuo loved research and had considerable achievements in formations, medicine, and poisons. In terms of healing, he was immeasurably superior to Sorcerer Cao.

"I'll take Xue'er to him right away," Ji Yichuan said hurriedly.

"No." Sorcerer Cao quickly stopped him. "Commander, do not act rashly. The Commander's wife cannot endure jostling right now. She needs quiet rest. It would be best if you could invite the Clan Leader to come here." Sorcerer Cao stopped there, understanding that inviting the Clan Leader was an extremely difficult task.

Ji Yichuan nodded and immediately instructed the maidservant, "Go quickly and summon Commander Ji Honghua."

Moments later.

Ji Honghua, dressed in red, strode into the room. "Yichuan, what do you need?"

"Hua Gu." Ji Yichuan looked at her. "I need you to ride the Greenflame Bird to the Ancestral Manor immediately and request the Clan Leader to come to our Western Prefecture City."

"Request the Clan Leader?" Ji Honghua was startled. The Clan Leader had long since stopped handling affairs, spending all his time on research and cultivation. Even if the Western Prefecture Lord, Ji Youyang, went to invite him, the Clan Leader might not come. "If I go, will he actually come?"

Ji Yichuan said urgently, "Just tell him that I, Ji Yichuan, have a matter of life and death, and ask him to come to the Western Prefecture City. He will come."

Ji Honghua was puzzled by Ji Yichuan's confidence, but she nodded. "Very well. I'll go to Ten Thousand Swords City."

The Grand Xia Dynasty had built countless cities across the endless lands. The Ji Clan occupied only one—Ten Thousand Swords City—which housed the Ancestral Manor, the seat of the clan's headquarters. The Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Prefecture Cities were built by the Ji Clan themselves and held no special status.

"I'm troubling you," Ji Yichuan said gratefully.

Ji Honghua turned and walked out. Soon, she was riding the Greenflame Bird, swiftly leaving the Western Prefecture City for Ten Thousand Swords City.

The maidservants withdrew, leaving only Ji Yichuan and his wife Yuchi Snow.

"Yichuan." Yuchi Snow smiled and looked up at her husband.

"Xue'er." Ji Yichuan sat by the bed, holding her hand.

Yuchi Snow shook her head gently. "I know. You know too. Back when I encountered that calamity on our way back from the North Sea, surviving at all was already a stroke of luck. These past ten years, I have lived peacefully and happily. I am content."

"If only you hadn't insisted on giving birth to Ning'er back then…" Ji Yichuan's voice was hoarse.

Yuchi Snow shook her head again. "He is our child. I had to bear him. Even if I had to use secret techniques and cut a few years off my life, it was worth it. Back then, I was badly wounded. If I hadn't given birth to Ning'er then, I don't know if I would ever have been able to bear his child again. Ning'er is the bloodline of you and me both, and he was bought with my elder brother's life."

"Elder Brother." Ji Yichuan still remembered the great calamity on their journey home.

That catastrophe had changed the fates of three people.

Yuchi Antong and his sister. And him, Ji Yichuan.

"Take my sister and go! Go now!"

He had never forgotten that valiant, towering figure and that furious roar.

"If I had given up on Ning'er, I might have dragged out a few more years of life. But without your child and mine, I would have regretted it for eternity. He is the bloodline of the Ji Clan, and also the bloodline of our Yuchi Clan." Yuchi Snow spoke softly. "These past ten years, I have had you by my side, and a brilliant son. I have been unspeakably happy, unspeakably content. These ten years have been the happiest of my life."

Ji Yichuan gently held his wife's hand.

"Ning'er is my pride," Yuchi Snow said slowly. "I do not regret bearing him."

"Mmn." Ji Yichuan nodded slightly. "I understand. I understand. In less than an hour, the Clan Leader will arrive. Let him take a look. Perhaps it is not as dire as we fear."

Yuchi Snow nodded. "If I can still live a year or two longer, then for now, do not tell Ning'er. If I do not have much time left, then call him back." She looked at her husband, her eyes bright. "Yichuan, in this life, having you and Ning'er… I am truly happy."

"Mmn." Ji Yichuan looked at his wife, his voice soft. "I am too."

Neither Ji Yichuan nor Yuchi Snow knew that their son, Ji Ning, was at this very moment trapped in a desperate situation. In the mountains bordering the Ji Clan and the Ironwood Clan, the terrain appeared ordinary from a distance. But anyone who entered would be swallowed by endless black mist, never to emerge again.

A protective lotus flower circled him. Ji Ning sat cross-legged, pondering the Nine Volumes of Formations, constantly deducing, trying to break the formation as quickly as possible.

Within the mountain belly.

Screams of misery came from all directions. Curses of hatred, mad pleas, weeping sounds—none ever ceased. Pillars stood throughout the cavern. Men and women were bound to them. At a glance, there were over a hundred captives, their bodies covered in wounds.

Beatings, humiliations, torture… all kinds of cruelty were being inflicted upon them.

"Xiantian lifeforms? You still think you're Xiantian lifeforms, do you? Hahaha! Thirsty? Have a taste of delicious piss to quench your thirst!" Burly servants were torturing them with abandon.

At the center of the cavern stood six finely dressed men and women, watching calmly.

"We've already bought over a million ordinary slaves here in Yan Mountain, and captured nearly a hundred Xiantian lifeforms. But we're still far from meeting our master's requirements," said a black-robed woman with a scorpion perched on her shoulder.

"Senior apprentice-brother is out catching more Xiantian lifeforms. He'll gather enough soon," a handsome youth said with a smile. "But one of our master's spirit beasts, Black Needle, was killed by an enemy in the grand formation. What do you all suggest we do?"

"Younger apprentice-brother's talent is remarkable. You should go."

"Younger brother…"

The others all looked at the handsome youth. His face darkened. These senior apprentice-brothers and sisters were no easy marks. Though each was formidable, none was willing to enter the formation now that they knew the enemy inside had easily killed the spirit beast Black Needle. There was still some risk involved.

Suddenly, a grinding sound came from one spot on the cavern floor. Iron plates shifted and rotated, revealing an entrance. The dark, gloomy passageway gave off a faint green light, and a cold, yin energy emanated from within.

"Master." The six men and women bowed in unison.