The Eve of War

Yuchi Xiyue naturally wanted revenge. She would sacrifice anything for it, even her own life, because it had been her father, Yuchi Shan’s, lifelong wish. She wanted to fulfill his desire, to reclaim this blood debt for the Yuchi clan!

But she also understood the terrifying power of the Shaoyin clan. Ji Ning had been cultivating for less than a century; how could he possibly be a match for them?

“Little brother, don’t be reckless,” Yuchi Xiyue said, worried.

“Cousin, don’t worry. I have a plan already,” Ji Ning said with confidence. “While I’m not certain I can kill all of the Shaoyin clan’s Celestial Immortals… I will make sure they never forget this day.”

Yuchi Xiyue was still anxious. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Ji Ning nodded.

He now possessed the strength of a top-tier Celestial Immortal. He no longer put Patriarch Goldenbell or Patriarch Witheredwood in his eyes. Even Patriarch Infatuation was only a slight threat. At his current level of power, he could stand there and let Patriarch Infatuation attack him freely, and his fifth-stage [Eight-Nine Arcane Art] would render him completely unharmed. Moreover, this time he wouldn’t be ambushed; he was the one challenging them, and his preparations were absolute.

“Little brother… there’s no rush. Really, there’s no rush,” Yuchi Xiyue said hurriedly. “You can wait until you’re even stronger. I’ve waited all these years; I can wait a bit longer. Little brother, I have very few loved ones left. I can’t lose you too.”

“Cousin, do you think I’m the reckless type?” Ji Ning asked.

Yuchi Xiyue was startled.

Thinking back… Ji Ning could indeed be wild sometimes, but every matter was handled with a plan. Remember when he participated in the Immortal Fortunes Assembly? Before it began, many thought he had only been cultivating for thirty years and advised him not to take the risk. In the end, he won first place!

Last time, he had been ambushed by four Celestial Immortals with no preparation at all, and even then, the Shaoyin clan failed to kill him. Now, with thorough preparations, a detailed plan, and even greater strength, he naturally had a much higher chance of success.

But the world was full of variables. Nothing was absolute.

Ji Ning wouldn’t claim a hundred percent certainty. For example, if an ancient clan like the Shaoyin suddenly produced a True Immortal or Empyrean God, he’d be in trouble. But based on what he knew… the Shaoyin clan likely didn’t have any Pure Yang True Immortals or Empyrean Gods.

“You’ve really decided?” Yuchi Xiyue looked at him.

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded. “I came to tell you before I took action.”

“Little brother… I truly can’t see through you anymore. Ever since you returned to the Grand Xia world, I haven’t been able to. But Grandfather said you’re incredibly strong now.” Yuchi Xiyue stared at him, gritting her teeth, a mad light flickering in her eyes. “Since you’re going after the Shaoyin clan, I’m going too!”

“You’re going?” Ji Ning was shocked.

His cousin was only at the Primal Daoist level!

“You kill the strong cultivators. As for the weak ones, the mortals… leave them all to me. The Yuchi clan, old and young, cultivator and mortal alike, were almost completely slaughtered. Barely any escaped.” Yuchi Xiyue gnashed her teeth in hatred. “What they did to my Yuchi clan back then, I will repay in kind!”

“Kill mortals?” Ji Ning quickly shook his head. “No. You’re a cultivator; slaughtering mortals would bring down boundless karmic sin. The Shaoyin clan’s population is far too vast. If you kill that many mortals… karmic hellfire would descend upon you immediately. At your level, you’d be burned to death by it.”

Slight sin manifested as turbid miasma; higher levels were bloody light. That was the level of the Eleven Kings of the Eastern Flow and other evil Patriarchs. Beyond that… karmic hellfire descended. Even ordinary Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals would be burned to death by it instantly.

Only truly terrifying great devils could survive within karmic hellfire.

There was no way his cousin could withstand that!

“I have many subordinates! I’ll lead armies of soldiers to do the killing,” she said through clenched teeth. “You take out the strong ones, and let them slaughter the mortals. That’s exactly what the Shaoyin clan did to us!”

“Even so, as the commander, you’ll be stained with sin. The Shaoyin clan has millions of cultivators, and their mortals number in the billions. It’s impossible to even count them all. The accumulated strands of sin will at the very least cover you in bloody light,” Ji Ning said.

His cousin’s eyes were bloodshot. “I’m not afraid. I’ve waited too long for this day.”

“I can’t allow it.”

Ji Ning rose to his feet. “Just wait for news.”

Swoosh!

He soared into the sky and vanished into the void above the Grand Xia imperial capital.

Yuchi Xiyue stood there, stunned, before letting out a bitter, unwilling howl. She wanted to kill!

Yan Mountain.

Ji Ning returned with Uncle White and summoned Little Qing. Together, they went into Mu Northson’s room.

“Senior apprentice-brother.” Mu Northson looked at Ji Ning, his body trembling, bloodshot eyes filled with intensity. “Are we going to the Shaoyin clan?”

“Of course! Master has been waiting for this day for ages,” Little Qing said excitedly. “Master, I want to go too.”

Ji Ning frowned. “Didn’t I say before? You stay here to guard Yan Mountain.”

“Watch this, Master.”

Little Qing shook her body.

Suddenly, a second white-robed Little Qing appeared beside her. Both emanated the aura of a returning-to-void Earth Immortal.

“I know you cultivated a second body, but… it’s already at the Earth Immortal stage too?” Ji Ning was surprised. He had given many treasures to Little Qing and Uncle White, but Uncle White hadn’t cultivated a second body—splitting the soul would halve both souls’ strength.

Uncle White knew Ji Ning was about to face the Shaoyin clan, so he didn’t want to weaken himself. Little Qing, however, had always been skilled at escaping and had long ago created a second body, which was now at the Earth Immortal stage.

“I’ll leave my second body here at Yan Mountain to control the grand formation,” Little Qing said quickly. “Master, I’m your spirit-beast. How can I not join you when you go to war? And you don’t need to worry about me at all. I’m far faster at spatial translocation than you are. You’d need that talisman, but I can do it directly.”

Ji Ning considered this, then said, “Fine. But you must follow my orders.”

“Of course. You’re the master,” Little Qing snickered.

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded, then looked at Mu Northson. “Junior apprentice-brother, I plan to rest for now. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to Dongfu Commandery, one of the three commanderies under the Shaoyin clan’s control.”

The Shaoyin clan was even more powerful than the Anchan Northmont clan. They had three entire commanderies as their fiefdom.

Thus, the Shaoyin clan’s lair was split into three locations—at least, as far as intelligence could determine. Each location was vast beyond measure, with clansmen numbering in the billions and cultivators in the millions. Each lair was no weaker than a top-tier sect. A single one was already far more powerful than the Northmont clan’s ancestral home.

Ji Ning could only choose one of the three.

“Alright,” Mu Northson said, a ferocious light flickering in his eyes. “Tomorrow, then.”

But there was worry in his gaze as he looked at Ji Ning.

“Senior apprentice-brother, if there’s no certainty… don’t go. Don’t do something this crazy just because I want revenge,” Mu Northson said, afraid Ji Ning was acting on impulse.

“The Shaoyin clan and I are already irreconcilable. Even if I wanted to endure, they wouldn’t give me time,” Ji Ning said. “In their eyes, I’m a growing threat. They won’t allow me to keep developing.” The longer Ji Ning lived, the more anxious the Shaoyin clan became—his growth rate was simply too fast.

“Mm.” Mu Northson nodded gently.

“Rest,” Ji Ning said with a smile, patting his shoulder. “Get a good night’s sleep and build up your energy. Tomorrow, we’re going to war with the Shaoyin clan. We’ll be facing the accumulated power of an ancient clan—countless techniques accumulated over endless years. There are over a million cultivators.”

The thought of over a million cultivators made Mu Northson’s heart tremble. Even though ninety-nine percent of them were probably just Zifu Disciples, that was still an overwhelming number. And this was just one of the clan’s lairs, layered with countless formations. Even a Celestial Immortal who charged in would die. Only Ji Ning, relying on his fifth-stage [Eight-Nine Arcane Art], dared to storm it!

“Senior apprentice-brother, be careful,” Mu Northson said, full of concern. He was prepared to die himself—he had long since cast aside his fear of death. His strength was far below even the four Celestial Immortals, so the highest-level clash would depend entirely on Ji Ning.

“Hahaha…” Ji Ning laughed. “Don’t underestimate your senior apprentice-brother.”

…

The night was cool as water.

Ji Ning sat alone on the rooftop, silently gazing up at the bright moon in the sky.

“Tomorrow, I go to war with the Shaoyin clan.”

“Father, Mother… watch closely. Even the Shaoyin clan, one of the ten greatest clans of the Grand Xia Dynasty… I can turn their world upside down,” Ji Ning murmured. He raised his gourd of wine and took a large gulp, letting the liquor spill across his chest. A pity… his father and mother could no longer see this.

Back then, they hadn’t wanted him to go after the Snowdragon Mountain. That mountain had long since been destroyed; to him now, it was just a minor sect in the wilderness, easily crushed.

The Shaoyin clan was a tougher bone to gnaw on.

But that was all it was.

The four Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin clan had failed to kill him before; there was even less chance now.

…

The next morning.

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, Whitewater Hound, and Little Qing soared into the sky, hovering high above Yan Mountain.

Two youths, a snow-white hound, and a green serpent… the group looked odd. But today, they were going to attack the ancient Shaoyin clan! They would charge straight into their lair!

“Let’s go.” Ji Ning released his ki, wrapping it around the others, and then tore through the void.

…

Dongfu Commandery was a very remote region, filled with vast mountains and great rivers. In terms of territory, it was much larger than Anchan Commandery.

The Chenyu Mountain Range was the most important mountain range in Dongfu Commandery. Stretching for nearly a million miles, it was one of the three ancestral lairs of the Shaoyin clan. Countless Shaoyin clansmen had lived and multiplied here for generations. Within these mountains were over a million cultivators, and the formation restrictions had accumulated over countless ages.

“Whoosh.”

Four figures appeared in midair: two youths, a snow-white hound, and a green serpent.