Chapter 19: Sword Pointed at Dongfu Commandery

Yuchi Xiyue naturally wanted revenge; she would spare no effort for it, even her own life! Because this was what her father Yuchi Shan had always longed for, and she wanted to fulfill his wish, to demand repayment of this blood debt for the Yuchi clan!

But she also knew well the power of the Shaoyan clan. Ji Ning had been cultivating for less than a hundred years; how could he be a match for the Shaoyan clan?

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

“Cousin, rest assured. I already have a plan,” Ji Ning said confidently. “Although I’m not sure I can kill those Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyan clan… I will make sure they never forget this.”

Yuchi Xiyue was still worried. “Are you really sure?”

“Of course,” Ji Ning nodded.

Now that he had the strength of a top-tier Celestial Immortal, he no longer took Patriarch Golden Bell or Patriarch Withered Tree seriously. Only Patriarch Infatuation posed a slight threat, but even so, with his current power, even if he stood still and let Patriarch Infatuation attack him, his fifth-stage Eight-Nine Arcane Art would make him completely unconcerned. Moreover, this time he wasn’t being ambushed; he was the one challenging them, so naturally he was fully prepared!

“Little brother… don’t rush, really, don’t rush,” Yuchi Xiyue said quickly. “You can wait a while longer, until you’re even stronger. I’ve waited so many years; I’m not in a hurry. Little brother, I have no close family left. I really can’t lose you too.”

“Cousin, do I seem like someone who acts rashly?” Ji Ning asked.

Yuchi Xiyue was startled.

Thinking back…

Although Ji Ning was sometimes crazy, everything he did was well-founded. For instance, when he participated in the Conclave of Immortals, many people thought he had only cultivated for thirty years and advised him not to take the risk. But in the end? Ji Ning took first place!

Last time, when ambushed by the four Celestial Immortals, Ji Ning had no preparation, which was why he was so hard-pressed! Yet he still didn’t let the Shaoyan clan succeed!

Now, with detailed preparations, a plan, and even greater strength… naturally he had a considerable chance of success!

But nothing in the world is absolute.

Ji Ning wouldn’t claim a hundred percent certainty. For instance, if an ancient tribe like the Shaoyan clan suddenly produced a True Immortal or a Heavenly God, he would be dumbfounded. But based on what he knew… the Shaoyan clan should have no Pure Yang True Immortals or Heavenly Gods.

“Have you really decided?” Yuchi Xiyue looked at Ji Ning.

“Mm,” Ji Ning nodded. “Before taking action, I came to tell you, cousin.”

“Little brother, I truly can’t see through you. Ever since you returned to the Grand Xia world… I haven’t been able to see through you. But Grandfather said you are now very powerful.” Yuchi Xiyue looked at Ji Ning, gritting her teeth, a wild gleam in her eyes. “Since you’re going to deal with the Shaoyan clan, I want to go too!”

“You’re coming?” Ji Ning was shocked.

His cousin was only a Daoist of the Primordial Spirit!

“Little brother, you kill the powerful cultivators; leave the weak ones and the mortals to me. The Yuchi clan, young and old, cultivators and mortals alike, were almost all slaughtered. Only a handful escaped.” Yuchi Xiyue gritted her teeth in hatred. “What they did to my Yuchi clan back then, I will repay in kind!”

“Kill mortals?” Ji Ning shook his head repeatedly. “No. You are a cultivator; killing mortals brings immense sin. And the Shaoyan clan has far too many members. Killing so many mortals… it would likely trigger ‘karmic fire’ directly. With your strength, you would be burned to death by the karmic fire.”

For lesser sin, there is turbid sin-qi; a higher level is sin-blood light. For example, the eleven demon kings among the Twelve Eastern Flow Demon Kings and the evil patriarch were all at the sin-blood light level. If it went even higher… that would be the descent of karmic fire! Ordinary Sanxian and Earth Immortals would be directly burned to death by karmic fire.

Only truly fearsome great demons could survive karmic fire.

But with his cousin’s strength, she definitely couldn’t withstand karmic fire!

“I have many subordinates. I’ll lead them, even lead a large army over.” His cousin gritted her teeth. “You kill the strong ones; let them kill the mortals. That’s what the Shaoyan clan did too!”

“Even so, as the commander, you will be burdened with sin. The Shaoyan clan has millions of cultivators, and mortals number in the billions… it’s hard to know exactly how many. Countless strands of sin accumulating would at least leave you shrouded in sin-blood light,” Ji Ning said.

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

“I cannot agree to it.”

Ji Ning stood up. “Wait for news.”

Whoosh!

Ji Ning shot straight into the sky and soon vanished into the void above the Grand Xia capital.

Yuchi Xiyue gritted her teeth, her eyes full of unwillingness. Her fair fist slammed onto the table before her, shattering it. She murmured, “Little brother, you must be safe.”

…

Yanshan.

Ji Ning brought Uncle Bai back to Yanshan and also summoned Xiaoqing to come to Mu Zishuo’s room.

“Senior apprentice-brother.” Mu Zishuo looked at Ji Ning, his body trembling, bloodshot eyes. “Going to the Shaoyan clan?”

“Of course! Master has been waiting for this day for so long.” Xiaoqing said excitedly, “Master, I want to go too.”

Ji Ning frowned. “Didn’t I say before? You stay in Yanshan to guard it.”

“Master, look.”

Xiaoqing shook her body.

Immediately another white-clad Xiaoqing appeared beside her, both emanating the aura of a returned-to-vacuity Earth Immortal.

“I know you cultivated a second true body. Hm? Your second true body has also reached the returned-to-vacuity Earth Immortal stage?” Ji Ning asked in surprise. He had many treasures and had given quite a few to Xiaoqing and Uncle Bai. Uncle Bai hadn’t cultivated a second true body, as it required splitting the soul in two, weakening both souls significantly.

Uncle Bai knew Ji Ning was going to deal with the Shaoyan clan, so he didn’t want his strength to drop. Xiaoqing, on the other hand, was naturally skilled at escaping, so she had long created a second true body, which was now a returned-to-vacuity Earth Immortal.

“I’ll leave my second true body in Yanshan; it’s enough to control the grand formation.” Xiaoqing quickly said, “Master, I am your spirit beast. How can I not go when you go to battle? And you don’t need to worry about my safety at all. I can perform spatial teleportation much faster than you. You still need that talisman, but I can do it directly.”

Ji Ning listened and said, “Alright! But you must obey my orders.”

“Of course, you’re the master,” Xiaoqing chuckled.

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded, then looked at Mu Zishuo. “Junior apprentice-brother, I’m going to rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to Dongfu Commandery, one of the three commanderies controlled by the Shaoyan clan.”

The Shaoyan clan was stronger than the Anchi North Mountain clan; their fief alone consisted of three large commanderies.

Thus, the Shaoyan clan’s lair was also divided into three places. At least, intelligence could only detect these three, each covering a vast area with billions of clan members! Each had over a million cultivators, no less than some top-tier great sects. A single lair was more powerful than the Anchi North Mountain clan’s lair.

Ji Ning could only choose one of the three lairs.

“Good.” Mu Zishuo’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. “Tomorrow, then tomorrow.”

He looked at Ji Ning with concern.

“Senior apprentice-brother, if you’re not sure, don’t go. Don’t be so reckless just because I want revenge,” Mu Zishuo worried that Ji Ning was acting on impulse.

“The Shaoyan clan and I are already irreconcilable. I’m willing to endure, but the Shaoyan clan won’t give me time,” Ji Ning said. “In their eyes, I am a threat. They won’t allow me to continue like this.” The longer Ji Ning lived, the more worried the Shaoyan clan became, because his growth was too fast.

“Mm.” Mu Zishuo nodded lightly.

“Rest,” Ji Ning smiled and gently patted Mu Zishuo’s shoulder. “Rest well tonight and recharge. Tomorrow we will truly go to war with the Shaoyan clan. We’ll be facing the accumulated means of an ancient tribe over endless years. There will be over a million cultivators.”

Mu Zishuo couldn’t help but tremble at the thought of over a million cultivators. Although ninety-nine percent of them were likely Zifu Disciples, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Moreover, it was a tribe’s lair, layered with formations and restrictions. Even a Celestial Immortal entering would likely die. Only Ji Ning, relying on his fifth-stage Eight-Nine Arcane Art, dared to charge in!

“Senior apprentice-brother, be careful.” Mu Zishuo looked at Ji Ning, full of worry. Although he was going along to fight, he had long placed life and death aside. His strength was far inferior to even the four Celestial Immortals, so the top-level clash depended mainly on Ji Ning.

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

…

The night was cool as water.

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

“Tomorrow, I will do battle with the Shaoyan clan.”

“Father, Mother… watch. Even the Shaoyan clan, one of the ten most powerful tribes of the Grand Xia Dynasty, I can turn upside down.” Ji Ning said softly, then took a large gulp from his gourd, letting the wine spill onto his chest. A pity… Father and Mother could not see this.

Back then, Father and Mother didn’t want him to go against the Snowdragon Mountain. That long-destroyed Snowdragon Mountain, in his eyes now… was merely a local minor sect. Destroying it would be trivial.

The Shaoyan clan was a truly tough bone to chew!

But that was all.

The four Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyan clan had failed to deal with him before, let alone now!

Tomorrow, everything depended on tomorrow!

…

The next day, early morning.

Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Whitewater Hound, and Xiaoqing shot into the sky together, flying to the high air above Yanshan.

Two youths, a snow-white dog, and a green snake… the combination looked strange no matter how you saw it, but they were the ones who, today, would go against the ancient Shaoyan clan! They would charge straight into the Shaoyan clan’s lair!

“Let’s go.” Ji Ning directly released his elemental energy, enveloping everyone, and then tore through the void.

…

Dongfu Commandery was a very remote commandery, with many great mountains and rivers. Its territory was much larger than Anchi Commandery.

The Chenyu Mountain Range was the most important mountain range in Dongfu Commandery, because this mountain range, stretching nearly a million miles, was one of the three great lairs of the Shaoyan clan. Countless Shaoyan clan members had lived and multiplied here. The number of Shaoyan cultivators in the mountains exceeded a million, and the formations and restrictions, accumulated over countless eons, were beyond measure.

“Whoosh.”

In midair, four figures appeared: two youths, a snow-white dog, and a green snake.

…