The Crimson Dragon Mountains

Before departing, Ji Ning also made a trip to the Beishan Blacktiger Estate to bid farewell to his good friend Beishan Baiwei. Knowing that Ji Ning was going out to temper himself, Beishan Baiwei gave him many words of advice. He too understood the immense dangers of roaming and tempering oneself in the outside world. But to become a true luminary of this land, one had to undergo such brutal trials.

Outside Anchan City, on a stretch of desolate wilderness.

“Krakrakrakra…”

A cyan dragon-shaped puppet floating in midair began to transform rapidly, its body unfolding on its own, eventually taking the shape of a wide, dragon-headed ship.

Ji Ning lifted his head to look at the dragon-headed ship, then turned in amazement to look at Mu Northson. “Junior apprentice-brother Northson, this puppet of yours can change its form? Impressive.”

“You’re an outsider, you don’t understand the art of puppetry at all. Changing form is merely a minor skill,” Mu Northson said smugly. “Come on. The Anchan branch of the Yinglong Guard is located in the Crimson Dragon Mountains. Although it’s not far… still, flying on our own using magic treasures isn’t as relaxing as letting the puppet fly itself.”

Ji Ning smiled and, along with Uncle White, leaped up onto the dragon-headed ship.

Standing at the prow of the ship, Mu Northson was brimming with bold ambition. The dragon-headed ship soon soared into the clouds, flying at high speed. Mu Northson added, “My puppet has an array formation for gathering essence within. Flying at this speed doesn’t even require any Yuan power. It can absorb enough natural energy from the world to sustain itself.”

“I’ve long heard Aunt-Nephew Qionghua praise you, saying how high your talent in the art of puppetry is. In the college, we mostly just debate the Dao; I’ve never been able to truly see your abilities in this area, Junior apprentice-brother Northson. I’ll be watching closely this time, as we join the Yinglong Guard,” Ji Ning said, smiling.

“Just watch,” Mu Northson said, lifting his head with supreme confidence.

Ji Ning laughed heartily.

In the three-plus years at the Black-White College, he had gotten to know many senior fellow disciples, including those he had good friendships with, such as Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus, Senior Apprentice-Brother Bloodshadow, and others. But among the group of fellow disciples, the one closest to Ji Ning’s heart was still Mu Northson, the junior apprentice-brother who had entered the college alongside him. Perhaps because he was young, having immersed himself in the art of puppetry since childhood, and lacking Ji Ning’s memories of a past life, Mu Northson was very naive in his dealings with the world!

To put it simply, Mu Northson still had the heart of a child!

He liked what he liked, and he hated what he hated; he couldn’t hide his feelings. Back when they first entered the college and he lost two consecutive matches in the Hall of Dao Debate, Mu Northson had been so furious he could barely contain himself. Anyone with a bit more cunning wouldn’t have let his喜怒 show so plainly. Strictly speaking… he was simply too innocent.

Spending time with a junior apprentice-brother like this was very relaxing for Ji Ning.

“We’ve arrived. The Crimson Dragon Mountains have arrived.” Mu Northson’s eyes lit up as he pointed into the distance.

Ji Ning looked into the distance. Through the clouds and mist, he could make out the endless, winding mountain range, shaped like a dragon. The entire dragon-shaped mountain range was covered in a layer of fiery red. From afar, it looked just like a blazing red divine dragon! The aura emanating from it was especially terrifying, even more so than the grand protective formation of the Black-White College, which had been empowered by generations of Immortals over countless years.

“No wonder it’s one of the two most supreme powers in the Anchan Commandery,” Ji Ning said in amazement.

“The two most powerful forces: one is the Marquis of Anchan, the Beishan clan, and the other is this Anchan branch of the Yinglong Guard,” Mu Northson said, also in awe. “And this formation… just looking at it from afar, it’s absolutely far superior to our Black-White College’s. No wonder it’s the Yinglong Guard. And this is only one branch. When you think about how every commandery in the endless lands ruled by the Grand Xia Dynasty has a branch like this… it sends chills down your spine.”

Ji Ning nodded. “Yes.”

The Beishan clan of the Marquis of Anchan ruled the entire Anchan Commandery as their fiefdom. They had existed since the Primordial Fiendgod Era, so they had naturally accumulated an unfathomable amount of power.

As for the Yinglong Guard, its apparent strength was already immense, and it could receive support from other branches at any time, or even from the Yinglong Guard headquarters in the Grand Xia Dynasty’s royal capital! Sending out hundreds or even thousands of Immortals was a trivial matter for the Yinglong Guard, which monitored the entire Grand Xia Dynasty.

“It’s precisely because it’s so powerful, because it represents the Grand Xia Dynasty, that we want to become Yinglong Guards,” Ji Ning said. “Let’s go. We’ll head over.”

“Alright,” Mu Northson agreed.

The dragon-headed ship immediately dove down, flying directly towards the Crimson Dragon Mountains.

The entire Crimson Dragon Mountain range was like a massive dragon, with the Welcome Peak located at the dragon’s head.

Ji Ning and the others guided the puppet ship into a dive, landing on a stretch of flat ground on Welcome Peak. After putting away the cyan dragon puppet, Ji Ning, Uncle White, and Mu Northson all landed. Just then, two Zifu Disciples in fiery red armor walked over from the distance. They said coldly, “State your business at the Crimson Dragon Mountains!”

Ji Ning and Mu Northson both felt the aggressiveness of their attitude, but this was the Anchan branch of the Yinglong Guard, so neither of them dared to act rashly.

“We’ve come to join the Yinglong Guard,” Ji Ning said.

“Oh?” The two Zifu Disciples in fiery red armor glanced at him. The tall, gaunt one in the lead said coldly, “Come with me, then.”

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Uncle White followed him.

They walked along the mountain path as if it were flat ground. On this Welcome Peak, they could often see Zifu Disciples in fiery red armor.

“You two, listen up,” the tall, gaunt man in the lead said coldly as he walked. “There are plenty of people who want to join our Yinglong Guard. But before you join, you are not members of the Yinglong Guard, so you must obediently follow the rules…”

Mu Northson frowned.

Ji Ning remained relatively calm.

“First: Since you are not Yinglong Guards, you are forbidden from fighting or killing within the Crimson Dragon Mountain range. Violators will be killed without mercy!”

“Second: The only place you are allowed to go in the entire Crimson Dragon Mountains is this Welcome Peak. Trespassing into any other area will result in death without mercy!”

“Third: You are also forbidden from damaging any of the formations or restrictions on Welcome Peak. Violators will be killed without mercy!”

After saying this, the tall, gaunt man didn’t even look at them.

Mu Northson’s expression turned somewhat ugly. He transmitted to Ji Ning, “Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, the Yinglong Guard has too many rules, and they’re too arrogant. We’re disciples of the Black-White College, and this is how they treat us?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a disciple of the Black-White College, or even a member of the Beishan clan of the Marquis of Anchan. Here, it’s useless,” Ji Ning said. He had read some intelligence materials and knew some of the Yinglong Guard’s rules.

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Uncle White followed the man until they reached the rear mountain of Welcome Peak. The rear mountain was dotted with wooden houses and stone cottages, scattered everywhere…

“See that?” The tall, gaunt man pointed at the large number of wooden and stone houses. “Those houses hold people who want to join the Yinglong Guard. These stone cottages and wooden houses were left behind by previous generations of people who came to join the Guard. Just pick an empty one and live there for now. When enough people have gathered, you’ll be able to go to the Yanshan Great Wasteland.”

With that, the tall, gaunt man turned and left, quickly disappearing.

“Who is this guy, acting so arrogant?” Mu Northson muttered.

“They’re part of the Yinglong Guard’s Internal Guard reserve forces,” Ji Ning said. He had spent a lot of time with Beishan Baiwei, so he knew a lot.

“Internal Guard?” Mu Northson was surprised. “There are Internal Guards in the Yinglong Guard?”

Ji Ning nodded. “Of course. People like us, when we join the Yinglong Guard, we have a lot of freedom. We wander around normally, only appearing occasionally when we need to carry out a mission. However, the Yinglong Guard also needs some soldiers who can be stationed permanently or who are extremely trustworthy. That’s why they created the Internal Guard!”

“The Internal Guard is like an army, with strict discipline and many rules. They don’t have the freedom that we do,” Ji Ning said. “As you know, the Yinglong Guard does have reserve forces. Internal Guards are generally selected from these reserve soldiers.”

“Oh!” Mu Northson suddenly understood.

“Although their freedom is limited, they are the most trusted by the Grand Xia Dynasty. They can learn more divine abilities and secret arts within the Yinglong Guard, and they get a lot of treasures and such. As for us, even if we become Yinglong Guards, we’ll only get benefits when we carry out missions,” Ji Ning said. “You lose some, you gain some.”

Mu Northson quickly nodded. “I definitely don’t want to be an Internal Guard. A mountain of rules… that’s not cultivation, that’s torture.”

“Different people have different choices,” Ji Ning said with a sigh. “Those with high natural talent naturally have more choices… they can be free and unfettered. But those with slightly less talent would naturally have to give up some things in exchange for top-tier techniques, secret arts, and so on.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Mu Northson said, nodding thoughtfully.

The two continued walking forward while they talked.

The stone and wooden houses were generally simple, most with a small courtyard and a dwelling. Some of them were already occupied by cultivators.

“Here will do,” Mu Northson said, pointing at a patch of overgrown grass ahead. A streak of light flew out from his hand, landing on the ground and rapidly expanding and changing. In a short time, it had formed a rather elegant residence.

“A puppet mansion?” Ji Ning was surprised.

The art of puppetry was indeed mysterious. Chariots, war vessels, humans, beasts, mansions, even cities… all could be created through the art of puppetry.

“Who knows how long this training journey will take? The wilderness is so dangerous. My personally-made ‘Moonwood Residence’ can take even a Wanxiang Adept a long time to break into,” Mu Northson said smugly.

“Not bad at all,” Ji Ning said with a laugh, walking inside.

And so, Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Uncle White all took up residence in this ‘Moonwood Residence.’ As the days passed, the cultivators living in the stone and wooden cottages next door noticed that a puppet residence had appeared among them. However, no one said much, simply waiting quietly.

Just over a month after they arrived, in the early morning, a booming voice rang out like thunder, clearly heard in every stone cottage and wooden house. Even the puppet residence made by Mu Northson could not block it. The voice exploded directly beside the ears of Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Uncle White.

“Everyone!”

“It’s time to go to the Yanshan Great Wasteland.”

The voice rolled like thunder.

Ji Ning felt a tightness in his chest. His expression changed: “Such terrifying power… to make me feel this utterly unresisting, it should be an Immortal.” Even though he had no chance against a Primal Daoist, he wouldn’t feel this complete lack of ability to resist. It had to be an Immortal.

Ji Ning and Mu Northson both emerged. With a wave of his hand, Mu Northson collected the entire puppet structure.

At the same time, figures emerged from the other stone and wooden cottages. All were cultivators hoping to join the Yinglong Guard.