The Marquis of Anchan Arrives

Ji Yichuan was both shocked and overjoyed. The desperate shouts of the seven Zifu Disciples nearby meant nothing to him; his gaze was fixed solely on the corpse of Immortal Xu Li and the remains of Nong Zidao on the ground, and on Ji Ning standing beside them.

"How… how is this possible? It's only been a moment…" Ji Yichuan could not believe it. How long had it taken him to charge from a hundred zhang away? And yet Immortal Xu Li, a full-fledged Wanxiang Adept, was already dead.

A passage within the netherworld mist split open automatically.

From the distant mountainside, Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo was rapidly approaching along this channel, his face full of joy. Ji Yichuan had not seen the earlier slaughter, but Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo, through his vague senses within the mist, had a blurred impression—but he knew: Ji Ning had killed Immortal Xu Li with a single move.

"In barely half an hour, Ji Ning has undergone earth-shattering changes," Ji Jiuhuo thought, his heart surging with elation. "This is truly the blessing of the Ji Clan!"

"Granny Shadow, Liu Xing, Liu Zhen—all of you, come over. Immortal Xu Li of Snowdragon Mountain is dead." Ji Jiuhuo sent a mental transmission even as he hurried along.

At other positions.

Granny Shadow and the others had been deeply alarmed. Earlier, they had heard Immortal Xu Li roar, "Ji Ning, are you courting death?!" That had sent fear through their hearts. Hadn't Ji Ning already left? Why had he returned? Or was Immortal Xu Li lying on purpose?

Just as panic gripped them, the Patriarch's transmission arrived: "Immortal Xu Li of Snowdragon Mountain is dead."

"Dead?"

"A Wanxiang Adept dead?"

Ji Liuzhen, Granny Shadow, and the rest were simultaneously delighted and utterly bewildered. How could a powerful Wanxiang Adept have died so quickly? But they followed the parted mist channels and hurried toward Ji Ning's location.

Soon.

Figures rushed over one after another.

Ji Yichuan, Ji Jiuhuo, Granny Shadow, Ji Liuzhen, the old servant Liu Xing, the white-robed white-haired man, and the Thunderhawk.

"Uncle White." Ji Ning looked at the white-robed white-haired man before him, especially at the face so strikingly similar to his father's, and asked with delighted surprise, "You broke through?"

"I broke through using the Primordial Liquid," the Whitewater Hound nodded. His gaze toward Ji Ning was full of affectionate care. "I never thought we would survive in the end. For so many years I couldn't speak to you, but now I can talk with you, Ning'er."

Ji Ning smiled.

"What about Immortal Xu Li and Nong Zidao?" Ji Liuzhen was still scanning the surroundings.

"They have turned to ashes," Ji Yichuan replied, a rare smile on his face.

Ji Ning had already cremated them and gathered their treasures. He pointed at the seven somewhat despairing Zifu Disciples: "Patriarch, how should we deal with these seven? They are completely at our mercy, with no ability to resist."

"Those seven?" Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo glanced over and swept his gaze across them. "Kill them all. The feud between our Ji Clan and Snowdragon Mountain is already set; keeping them alive serves no purpose."

"No!"

"Don't kill me! I'm willing to trade treasures for my life!"

"You will regret this! Your Ji Clan will surely be wiped out under the fury of Snowdragon Mountain!"

"Go ahead and gloat—your Ji Clan will be exterminated within a day!"

The seven Zifu Disciples either begged for mercy or cursed angrily.

Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo frowned and pointed at one of the middle-aged men, shouting: "What did you say? Our Ji Clan will be exterminated within a day?"

"Ha ha ha!" Lu Huang laughed wildly. "Do you even know who you've killed? You killed a Wanxiang Adept of my Snowdragon Mountain! A Wanxiang Adept is already a high-level figure in our sect. Once they die, our sect will immediately know, and they will know the exact location of their death."

Ji Ning, Ji Jiuhuo, and the others all changed expression.

Methods to determine locations were indeed plentiful. For a major sect like Snowdragon Mountain, it was entirely normal to place tracking measures on every Wanxiang Adept.

"When us Zifu Disciples die, it's nothing special. But with Immortal Xu Li dead, the sect will dispatch someone immediately," Lu Huang stared at Ji Ning. "Ji Ning, you may be formidable and monstrous, but before the entire Snowdragon Mountain, you are doomed."

"That's right! When a true immortal dies, the senior masters will arrive within a day. You are finished!"

"You won't last until the Grand Xia Dynasty's envoy arrives; our sect's masters will be here first."

The Zifu Disciples' arrogance was visibly rising.

Swish!

Without warning, a semitransparent shadow flashed, instantly piercing through the heads of the seven Zifu Disciples. Blood splattered, and one by one they collapsed.

"So fast."

"Not a trace of warning."

Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Liuzhen, and the others all changed expression. The technique Ji Ning had just used gave off no fluctuations at all! Because Ji Ning had not even infused Yuan power into the Annihilation Demon-Slaying Sword; he had simply controlled it with his Divine Sense, making it completely imperceptible. The seven were still cursing in despair when they were instantly slaughtered.

"Immortal Xu Li is dead," Ji Ning said gravely. "The worst-case scenario is that Snowdragon Mountain really sends a stronger expert to investigate. We must prepare immediately."

"One wave after another—there's no end!" Ji Liuzhen clenched his teeth in anguish.

"Alas!" Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo also shook his head.

The earlier joy was doused with cold water; their hearts turned to ice.

……

A million li away from Yan Mountain, a range of snow-covered peaks stretched endlessly under eternal cold. Some peaks were low, others towered into the clouds. This was the sect headquarters of 'Snowdragon Mountain,' a major power within Anchan Commandery.

The Snowdragon Mountain sect was divided into three factions, each led by a Peak Master who was a Primal Daoist.

The three tallest and most majestic peaks were where the three Primal Daoists resided. Surrounding them were many other peaks belonging to numerous Wanxiang Adepts. Many Zifu Disciples followed under Wanxiang Adepts or even under the Primal Daoists, receiving instruction.

Within Cold Condensation Peak of Snowdragon Mountain, there were numerous palaces. In one main hall, a red-robed youth sat cross-legged on a jade bed.

Below him stood two maidservants, trembling and not daring to make a sound.

Cold Condensation Peak was one of the foremost peaks among the many within Snowdragon Mountain. Its Peak Master, 'Xue Hongyi,' was a true genius nurtured by the sect. Entering Xiantian at ten, Zifu at sixteen, Wanxiang at thirty-nine, and thirty years later, after passing countless trials, he had become a member of the Grand Xia's Yinglong Guard!

Within the Yinglong Guard, he had learned some even more powerful techniques, and his combat strength ranked among the top three of all Wanxiang Adepts in Snowdragon Mountain.

The strength difference among Wanxiang Adepts was vast.

Men like Immortal Xu Li were merely ordinary Wanxiang Adepts. But some extraordinarily talented Wanxiang Adepts—having mastered powerful spells, possessed mighty treasures, cultivated formidable divine abilities, or controlled powerful puppets—could fight on par with Primal Daoists.

Among Zifu Disciples, there were ordinary ones and exceptional ones. The mediocre included Ji Jiuhuo; the stronger ones included Dongzi Qi; a single Dongzi Qi could handle several Ji Jiuhuos. Even more formidable were those like Tongyu, who, thanks to divine abilities, could sweep through a group of Zifu Disciples single-handedly.

And then there were monsters like Ji Ning, who killed Tongyu as easily as slaughtering a chicken.

Among Wanxiang Adepts, the disparity was equally vast. Xue Hongyi was one of the extraordinary ones, with strength approaching that of a Primal Daoist.

"Hongyi." A cold voice suddenly rang in the red-robed youth's ear.

"Oh?" The youth opened his eyes, revealing a respectful expression. "Master."

"Your junior apprentice-brother Xu Li has just died, somewhere in Yan Mountain territory," the cold voice continued. "Hongyi, take a trip to Yan Mountain and investigate how he died. You are a member of the Yinglong Guard; you can use the teleportation array to reach Yan Mountain as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Master." The red-robed youth nodded.

He had been an orphan taken in by his master. Found lying in the snow as a baby, wrapped only in a red cotton-padded jacket, he had been given the surname 'Xue' and the given name 'Hongyi' (Redrobe). His bond with his master was like that of true father and son. But both were taciturn, with cold and austere temperaments.

"Whoosh."

A red cloud appeared beneath the red-robed youth, and in a flash he shot out of the main hall, vanishing over the horizon at a terrifying speed.

……

Oxhorn Mountain.

The Ji Clan members were discussing how to deal with the strong expert Snowdragon Mountain would send.

"Sects like Snowdragon Mountain value their reputation above all else. Our Ji Clan is a mere minor tribe, yet we have killed so many of their disciples. They will not let this go," Ji Liuzhen said anxiously. "Now we can only hope that the Grand Xia's envoy arrives. Once the envoy is here with the Grand Xia's protection, Snowdragon Mountain wouldn't dare to act even if they wanted to."

"But the Snowdragon Mountain experts can arrive within a day," Ji Jiuhuo frowned. "The Grand Xia envoy probably can't make it in a day."

Everyone pondered.

"Only one option remains: flee," Granny Shadow said hoarsely.

"Yes, flee," Ji Jiuhuo agreed. "We cannot meet them head-on. We can't let Ji Ning take such a risk. If we flee now and make the Snowdragon people spend more time investigating, we might succeed if we can delay until the envoy arrives."

"But I'm worried that if the Snowdragon experts can't find us, they might take out their anger on ordinary clan members," Ji Liuzhen said.

Ji Ning suddenly changed expression and turned to look into the distance.

"Hmm?" When the others saw Ji Ning's expression shift, they also looked far away.

The netherworld mist had grown thin; Ji Ning could see into the distance clearly. Because his soul had reached the 'Divine Sense' level, he was extremely sensitive and had detected faint ripples in the high sky.

In the far distance…

A majestic, wide warship was pressing through the air, sailing in grandly. On the ship stood armored soldiers—imposing figures with divine light in their eyes. Surrounded by these soldiers was a tall, thin youth in black noble robes with a high crown, exuding an extraordinary bearing. Beside him stood a man in armor, accompanying him with a flattering smile.

Two large banners fluttered high above the warship!

One bore the characters 'Anchan.'

The other bore the characters 'Northmont.'

"Marquis of Anchan, Northmont clan." Ji Jiuhuo looked up at the massive warship breaking through the air, at the banners, and murmured to himself.

"The Marquis of Anchan!" Ji Ning was also shocked.

The vast land of Anchan Commandery was the feudal territory of the Marquis of Anchan. His power was immense! Only the Yinglong Guard could match it in this region, and when it came to matters within his fief, even the Yinglong Guard could not easily interfere with the Marquis's rule.

"That is General Dong," Ji Liuzhen said. "Standing next to that youth is General Dong."

The warship broke through the air.

The toadying 'General Dong' standing beside the black-robed youth on the ship shouted down: "Members of the Ji Clan and Snowdragon Mountain, come quickly to pay respects to the envoy from the Marquis of Anchan's estate!"

The voice rolled like thunder, shaking heaven and earth.