The Trial of the Great Sinners

A large ship was sailing downstream on the Evil Dragon River.

Inside the cabin, Prince Qi Rufeng and his two younger sisters were huddled together.

“For now, we can only trust this senior, Darknorth,” Qi Rufeng transmitted mentally.

“Hmph,” the younger princess, Qi Ruhui, dressed in purple, said with discontent in her eyes. “Xiaoyu was just a servant of our royal clan, but she has great karmic merit. Even Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals from major sects would be fighting to take her as a disciple. And we let this ‘Darknorth’ take her away so easily, without even making him swear a Heavenly Oath! It’s because we’re fallen now, so he got such an advantage. If our royal clan were still strong, and he dared to mock us like this, we’d have wiped him out long ago!”

“Little sister,” the black-robed girl immediately transmitted back, “times have changed. We are weak now. This senior Darknorth even brought out a hundred High-Grade Heaven-ranked flying swords to trade with us. That shows he’s a man who follows reason. Now that Xiaoyu has become his disciple, he hasn’t abandoned us; he’s keeping his promise to protect us. We’re weak, so we should be grateful to meet someone who keeps his word.”

“Little sister, remember. You are no longer a princess,” Qi Rufeng also transmitted, his voice stern.

When the little princess was in the palace, she was young and had been spoiled into having a bad temper.

Before she could be properly nurtured and tempered as she reached adulthood, the entire Qi Kingdom was destroyed. They had been fleeing ever since, and no one had time to teach or discipline her. Having been in constant flight, the little princess’s heart was filled with resentment and hatred. Furthermore, because the elders of their clan doted on Xiaoyu, she was jealous and deeply disliked the girl.

Qi Xiaoyu had great karmic merit, however, and the clan had long decreed that she was not to be harmed. Otherwise, she would have gotten rid of Qi Xiaoyu, whom she couldn’t stand, long ago.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs outside.

The prince and the two princesses looked through the window toward the deck and saw a white-robed girl descending the stairs. She had an extraordinary air about her, and her dharma robes rippled with energy.

“Qi Xiaoyu?”

All three of them were shocked.

Qi Xiaoyu, who had previously been dressed as a maidservant, was now completely transformed. Her dharma robes were clearly extraordinary, and on her arm was a silver bracelet. The contrast of the silver against her pale wrist made her skin seem even fairer. A jade hairpin, radiating a mysterious and powerful aura, was tucked into her hair. As the saying goes, ‘clothes make the man.’ Qi Xiaoyu, blessed with great karmic merit, already possessed a temperament that made others feel close to her. As a cultivator, her skin and figure were excellent. With her fine temperament and features, the new outfit made her even more dazzling than the two princesses.

“That dharma robe and the bracelet… they should be extremely rare top-grade Human-ranked magic treasures. As for the jade hairpin? Even I can’t see through it,” Qi Rufeng said.

“This Darknorth really is generous. While Human-ranked treasures aren’t particularly valuable, a top-grade Human-ranked treasure is indeed rare,” the black-robed girl marveled. “And given how easily senior Darknorth spent a hundred High-Grade Heaven-ranked flying swords, it seems that since Xiaoyu’s strength is still weak and she can only use Human-ranked treasures, he’d give her even better treasures if he could. The jade hairpin is probably also top-grade Human-ranked.”

The purple-clad girl snorted, “They’re just some Human-ranked treasures.”

Qi Xiaoyu, meanwhile, walked down the staircase and then knocked on the cabin door.

“Open the door,” the prince immediately ordered.

A guard behind him stepped forward and opened the cabin door.

Qi Xiaoyu entered and quickly said, “Your Highness, my master asks that you come see him.”

“There’s no need to call me ‘Your Highness’ anymore. You are now the esteemed disciple of senior Darknorth. Just call me by my name,” Prince Qi Rufeng said quickly.

The little princess, Qi Ruhui, however, asked, “Xiaoyu, what treasure is that hairpin of yours? Even my eldest brother and second sister can’t see through it.”

“My master said it’s a life-saving item, usable only once. Once activated, it can withstand the attacks of even a top-tier Loose Immortal for ten full breaths,” Qi Xiaoyu obediently said.

“What?!”

The prince and others in the cabin were all astonished.

Able to block the attacks of a top-tier Loose Immortal for ten full breaths? That was an incredibly precious life-saving treasure. This was actually just one of the many treasures left behind by Celestial Immortal Juhua. Ji Ning had felt that, since this was his first time taking a disciple, it wouldn’t be fitting to give just a few Human-ranked treasures. At the very least, a disciple of the Tristar Crescent Abode should be equipped properly. So he’d given her a life-saving item.

“Block a top-tier Loose Immortal…” The purple-clad girl gritted her teeth, a flicker of jealousy in her heart. “That lowly servant, what good luck.”

Items like this defensive treasure, which could block attacks, had been used up long ago during their decades of desperate flight!

Qi Rufeng quickly left the cabin, walked up the stairs, and arrived at a hall on the second deck to meet with Ji Ning.

“Greetings, senior Darknorth,” Qi Rufeng said respectfully.

“Qi Rufeng, I have something to ask you,” Ji Ning said, sitting there and pointing to a chair beside him. “Have a seat.”

“Yes.” Qi Rufeng obediently sat beside him.

Qi Rufeng knew his place.

The gap in strength was too great; he was completely powerless in front of Ji Ning. Ji Ning had given him a promise, and he felt that this ‘senior Darknorth’ was a good person. If they had encountered a ruthless and vicious individual, there were plenty of ways to force them to hand over Qi Xiaoyu.

“I ask you,” Ji Ning said, “the Firewing King has been chasing you for so many years. Why haven’t you been able to escape all this time?” He was puzzled. “Logically speaking, the Star Continent is this vast. If you ran millions of li away, the Firewing King would have a harder time finding you than fishing for a needle in the sea. Yet you’ve been fleeing in a sorry state for decades, still being hunted.”

Qi Rufeng shook his head and sighed. “This Firewing King is a ‘Firewing Insect’ that cultivated into a demon. When he led his demon army to our Qi Kingdom’s capital, he personally used a technique called ‘Firewing Toxin’ on the imperial palace. The poison filled the entire palace. Once this poison touched our bodies, it immediately merged in, becoming inseparable from our flesh. It even stained our souls. Even Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals cannot remove this poison.”

“Oh?” Ji Ning was surprised.

Firewing Insect?

He hadn’t heard of such a poisonous insect in the Grand Xia world.

“The Firewing Toxin is harmless to the body or soul,” Qi Rufeng said, shaking his head in pain. “But no matter how far away we are, the Firewing Insects can sense the location of the Firewing Toxin.

Even if we fled to Cloud Province or Flame Province, the Firewing Insects could still sense it. The Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals under the Firewing King can use spatial teleportation to reach Cloud or Flame Provinces… so no matter where we run, we can’t escape the pursuit.”

Ji Ning understood.

What a formidable poison.

He remembered back when he was young, exploring the Eastmarsh Swamp and being chased by the Ironwood Clan. He’d been stained by Ice Flower Dew, and even when he ran far away, he was still tracked down.

But compared to that, the Firewing Toxin was far more potent. It had been personally applied by the Firewing King and even stained the soul itself. In this entire Crescent World, no matter where they fled, the countless Firewing Insects under his command could sense their direction.

“At that time, over half of our royal clan was slaughtered. The rest scattered and fled,” Qi Rufeng said. “Among those who escaped were some old Loose Immortals. But no matter where we ran, they could track us. So we stayed within our former Qi Kingdom territory, constantly moving to avoid them. After all, it was the land we once ruled. We knew it well, and there were many secret places the royal family had built… After decades of fleeing, only the three of us are left.”

Qi Rufeng’s voice was filled with sorrow and powerlessness.

Ji Ning understood.

The key issue was that the ‘Firewing Toxin’ was impossible to remove. Because of this poison, the prince and princesses were constantly being hunted. It was a poison that could stain the soul, and there was nothing Ji Ning could do about it.

“I have another question,” Ji Ning said. “What is the Firewing King’s karmic sin? Does he bear a bloody light of sin?”

“The Firewing King is one of the twelve Demon Kings of the Eaststream. His reputation for cruelty is well-known; of course his sins are vast. As for the bloody light of sin… I’ve heard that all twelve have a bloody light surging to the heavens. When you probe with your divine sense, you’d see an endless sea of bloody light, like towering waves crashing. Even other Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals would be terrified just by looking at it,” Qi Rufeng said.

Ji Ning’s heart leaped with joy.

An endless sea of bloody light, like towering waves? A great sinner?

The trial for the Eight-Nine Arcane Art required the taking of a disciple and the killing of ten great sinners. He had already taken a disciple. Now, the most important task was to kill ten great sinners. These twelve demon kings… maybe he could find ten great sinners among them.

“This is just what you’ve heard. Is it an exaggeration?” Ji Ning asked.

“Maybe the rumors are a bit overblown, but they shouldn’t be far off. The twelve demon kings of the Eaststream are infamous throughout the entire Star Continent. Even in Cloud Province and Flame Province, their reputation is known. Even the most powerful factions with Celestial Immortal patriarchs are unwilling to fight the twelve demon kings head-on,” Qi Rufeng said. “That’s why my Qi Kingdom once fled to Cloud Province, but it was unfamiliar territory. The name of the twelve demon kings of the Eaststream was even greater. No one helped us. In the end, we were chased back to our homeland. In the land we once ruled, we could at least struggle to survive a bit longer.”

Ji Ning was startled.

Even a faction with a Celestial Immortal patriarch was unwilling to fight them?

“What level of strength do these twelve demon kings have?” Ji Ning asked. “And what about the Firewing King in particular?”

“Each of the twelve demon kings has overwhelming power and a fierce reputation. It was their similar temperaments that led them to become sworn brothers. Every single demon king is very strong. Of course, some are stronger than others. The Firewing King is probably somewhere in the middle. He still commands nearly a hundred Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals under him. For him to kill an ordinary Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal is as easy as killing a chicken,” Qi Rufeng said. “The strongest among the twelve is the number-one, the Golden Mane Bear King. I’ve heard that he once fought a Celestial Immortal patriarch. The Celestial Immortal couldn’t do anything to him, and even chose to retreat. Now tell me, is that impressive or not? These twelve demon kings act together and advance and retreat together. They are the absolute overlords of the entire Eaststream region. Although my Qi Kingdom once controlled a million li of territory, we never encroached on the twelve demon kings’ domain. Who would have thought the Firewing King would directly destroy my Qi Kingdom?”

Ji Ning was alarmed.

A Celestial Immortal couldn’t do anything to him and voluntarily retreated?

Originally, he had hoped to find ten great sinners among these twelve demon kings. It seemed killing them wouldn’t be easy!

“Since it’s not easy, it’ll be interesting. I’ve spent over thirty years training on Mount Innerheart, and I haven’t truly cut loose yet. The twelve demon kings of the Eaststream… an excellent opponent!” Ji Ning felt his own blood beginning to heat up, the battle intent within his chest surging upwards.