Chapter Sixteen: The Calamity

After obtaining the two supreme sword techniques, Ji Ning naturally trained hard. He was able to execute the moves from the 'Waterdrop Sutra' and the 'Thunderfire Sword Fragment', which slightly improved his strength. But this was merely scratching the surface, not even reaching minor mastery—after all, even his father Ji Yichuan was still studying the 'Waterdrop Sutra'.

Lightning Flash was one of the three killing moves of the 'Thunderfire Sword Fragment', and it was all about one thing—speed!

Like thunder and lightning, like swift fire!

“Ning’s swordplay and footwork are exquisite,” praised Wei Chi Xue from the viewing stand above. “Although the Howling Moon Wolf is as fast as a phantom and faster than Ning, Ning uses the 'Wind Shadow Steps' to change direction repeatedly, completely controlling the battle. His sword technique is so subtle that it can change multiple times in an instant—at least against this wolf demon, it’s watertight.”

Ji Yichuan nodded. “With his divine demon body training, Ning has the advantage in strength but is slightly slower... However, this is a divine beast after all, with tremendous vitality. These injuries are just skin-deep to it. If it fights desperately, and Ning has never experienced such intense life-or-death combat, the outcome is hard to say.”

…

Below, Ji Ning felt a thrill of control, holding his sharp sword as he continued to close in on the Howling Moon Wolf.

“Awooo~~” Sensing the threat of death from the human youth before it, the Howling Moon Wolf suddenly howled. Its silver fur bristled like needles, its eyes narrowed, and its pupils gleamed with green light. Anyone familiar with Howling Moon Wolves would know... it had entered a frenzied, death-defying state.

An invisible aura of pressure enveloped Ji Ning, making him feel stifled.

Killing intent?

“Roar!” The Howling Moon Wolf suddenly charged forward, the earth trembling beneath it.

Ji Ning, like a gentle breeze, shifted his position with a few simple steps, and a flash of sword light... Splat! Blood splattered again, and a huge wound appeared on the Howling Moon Wolf’s chest. But the wolf didn’t care at all; its two sharp claws reached directly for Ji Ning, each claw like a blade cutting through the air.

Ji Ning calmly stepped back while raising his sword to block.

“Clang!” As the Howling Moon Wolf’s left paw touched the sword, its claws hooked like barbs, grabbing the blade. But how could a sword infused with Ji Ning’s divine demon strength be so easily caught? If the collision had sent it flying with the force, that would be one thing, but trying to withstand the impact and grab the blade meant using one paw to absorb the shock.

Crack~~ Blood spattered from the Howling Moon Wolf’s left paw, and the sound of bone fractures could be faintly heard.

Whoosh!

The other claw struck directly at Ji Ning’s chest. The distance was too close to block, so Ji Ning could only take a deep breath, his chest sinking inward by three inches. Riiip! Riiip! Riiip! The tough beast hide on Ji Ning’s chest was torn open, blood splattering. Ji Ning was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with a bang, cracking the thick earth beneath him.

Whoosh! Ji Ning quickly dodged, putting some distance between them.

"I'm injured." Ji Ning gazed at the Howling Moon Wolf from afar, his pupils contracting.

In that last sword strike, the Howling Moon Wolf's claw had actually caught the blade... The wolf was willing to injure itself to attack, and its left paw was now half-crippled, its speed would sharply decrease. But the claw that had raked across his chest had torn his beast-hide garment. This hide was made from the leftover fur of a先天性 spirit creature, cut and sewn together. Without spiritual power infused into it, its defense was much weaker—normally, such hide could only withstand the bites of后天 beasts.

But the Howling Moon Wolf was a divine beast; its full-strength strike could barely tear a crack.

To better temper himself... Although Ji Ning had the Golden Star Armor protecting him, which could theoretically merge with his skin to guard every part, he had reduced its coverage, only protecting some vital areas.

"Life-and-death combat is different from sparring. I can't fight it using the experience I've gained from practice." Ji Ning quickly changed his mindset. "In sparring, no one would mutilate themselves, but in a life-and-death struggle... the goal is to kill the opponent, and for that goal, one can do anything."

"I need to be more careful and vigilant."

Ji Ning, like a sponge, rapidly absorbed experience. The gruesome wound in the tear of the beast-hide on his chest was visibly shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye; blood stopped flowing, and it quickly healed, becoming a red line, then finally turning into fair skin. Completely unharmed!

Such was the powerful regenerative ability of the Divine Demon Body Refining.

With ordinary Divine Demon Body Refining techniques, one could regrow a severed arm upon reaching the先天性 stage. Ji Ning's technique, however, was ranked first among all Divine Demon Body Refining methods, and his current recovery power was nearly on par with 'regrowing a severed arm'.

"Good!" Ji Ning grinned. "He actually took my sword."

"Roar~~" The Howling Moon Wolf had the sharp sword pinned under its paw. It stared at Ji Ning, its eyes filled with boundless madness. From the terrifying recovery ability of the human youth before it... it understood that this was a demon god in human skin, with even greater regenerative power than itself, a divine beast.

Ji Ning shook his right hand, and another sharp sword appeared in his grip.

"Again."

Ji Ning turned into a blur, charging straight at the Howling Moon Wolf.

"Roar!" The Howling Moon Wolf charged as well.

...

The two clashed again and again, each exchange a dance between life and death. Ji Ning possessed powerful recovery, terrifying strength, and sharp swordsmanship! The Howling Moon Wolf, meanwhile, used its teeth, claws, and tail as weapons, and its massive body meant that ordinary sword wounds posed little threat to it.

"He only used the Golden Dust Robe to protect his vital points." Ji Yichuan revealed a rare smile.

"Ning'er is pushing himself too hard." Yuchi Xue, however, watched with a pounding heart.

How could a mother not worry when her son was covered in bloodstains?

"Don't worry. Ji Ning still used the Golden Dust Robe to protect his vital points. Even if he gets hurt again, it won't be fatal," said Ji Yichuan. "At worst, he might lose an arm or a leg... With his recovery ability, it would take just a few hours to grow back."

"Lose an arm or a leg?" Yuchi Xue couldn't help but feel anxious. She understood that this was the hardship one must endure on the path to becoming a true warrior.

...

"Huff!" "Huff!" "Huff!" Even with Ji Ning's divine-demon physique, he couldn't help but gasp for breath. His fur cloak was torn in many places, and the wounds on his body were rapidly healing on their own.

"Roar~~"

The Howling Moon Wolf let out a despairing howl. It struggled to stand upright, but its two paws were trembling, as if it might collapse at any moment. Its body bore dozens of massive wounds, especially on its head, where a gruesome penetrating wound gaped.

The bones in both its legs were broken; it was already a feat of willpower to remain standing.

"You lost." Ji Ning wiped the blood from the corner of his eye and said in a low voice, "My strength is actually greater than yours, yet I won so disgracefully... Under your frenzy, my mind was not calm enough, and I couldn't fully unleash my power. You are the first demon I have killed, so I will let you die at my strongest!"

Whoosh! A sword also appeared in Ji Ning's left hand. Holding two swords, he stared at the Howling Moon Wolf.

Swoosh!

Ji Ning instantly turned into a blur, charging straight at the Howling Moon Wolf. The Howling Moon Wolf also let out a final roar and lunged at Ji Ning.

Two massive sword flashes flickered, destroying one of the Howling Moon Wolf's forelegs. Another flicker, and a cross-shaped gaping wound appeared on the wolf's head, blood and brain matter splattering outward.

Ji Ning landed.

The Howling Moon Wolf crashed heavily onto the thick mud ground. From the gruesome wound on its head, blood and brain matter flowed out. Mud clung to the fur on its body. The once beautiful and noble silver fur was now mixed with mud and blood, filthy and matted. A wolf demon with divine-demon bloodline had fallen!

"How do you feel?" Ji Yichuan on the viewing platform looked at his son.

"Very satisfying." Ji Ning looked up at his father, his eyes blazing with fervor. "Let's do one every day."

Ji Yichuan's eye twitched, and he barked, "Do you think capturing a Houtian-level beast alive is easy? One every three days... and most are ordinary beasts. As for encountering a divine beast, that depends on your luck. I'll have Dragon Castle send the most powerful Houtian beasts for you to practice your sword on."

Ji Ning nodded. "If I run into a weaker beast, I'll just use inner energy."

With his divine-demon-like physical strength, ordinary Houtian-level beasts were nothing but prey. Only those divine beasts with demonic blood could put up a fight against Ji Ning.

...

Time flowed on.

In battle after battle against beasts, Ji Ning's swordplay, footwork, and coordination grew ever more refined. He also understood that in life-and-death combat, maintaining a tranquil heart was all the more important. If the heart was not calm... it would be hard to perform at one's peak.

...

Autumn arrived, and the land of Yanshan turned bitterly cold. Life became even harsher for the weaker tribes. Especially when they encountered beasts wreaking havoc from deep mountains and marshes... some small tribes might be wiped out entirely.

Boom, boom, boom~~~

The earth trembled.

On a wilderness covered with wild grass, a vast host of black-armored guards rode long-haired beasts, surging across the land like a black torrent.

"Halt." A cold shout rang out, and the three hundred mighty black-armored guards all came to a stop.

"Commander, this is where the serpent demon was last seen—the settlement of the Horn Tribe. It suddenly emerged three days ago, charged into the Horn Tribe, devoured eighteen people, killed over a hundred, and scattered the tribe completely," a black-armored guard reported respectfully. "In the months it has been wreaking havoc, this serpent demon has killed over a thousand people and ravaged more than ten tribes. But they were all small tribes... Based on its strength, it should be a Houtian-level beast with demonic blood, or a great demon that has just entered the Xiantian realm."

"Mm."

The bearded man, riding a white tiger and clad in fiery red armor, nodded. "This serpent demon has been rampaging through the territory under my command in the Ji clan's Western Prefecture. It deserves death. Its appearances have been concentrated in this area... Split into thirty squads and search everywhere. Once you find it, fire a signal arrow immediately."

"Yes!" The three hundred black-armored guards answered in unison.

Whoosh~~~

Soon, the three hundred mighty black-armored guards dispersed, forming thirty squads that fanned out in all directions to search.