Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 39: The Ferry of the Departed, Against the Chilly Waters, The Arrogant Compete to Cross!
Li Muyun’s expression changed drastically, and he retreated rapidly. Unfortunately, he was still a step too slow.
A sword beam pierced the air.
The lord of Destiny City, an Earth Realm expert, Li Muyun, was slain by a single sword strike to the throat.
The one who struck was Si Lanyi!
"You... you cultivate both the Dao and Martial Arts!"
Li Muyun died, his eyes wide with disbelief.
It was common knowledge in Destiny City that Si Lanyi had crippled her own cultivation and become an outcast six years ago. Who would have thought that after six years, she had not only become a Second Grade Dao Xuan Master but had also restored her Martial Arts Cultivation!
With Li Muyun slain, the remaining two were scared witless. Ning Xuan seized the opportunity and finished them off in quick succession.
He found a Storage Ring on both Ji Fei and Li Muyun. Drawing on his previous experience, Ning Xuan immediately erased their imprints.
Without inspecting their contents, he handed both rings to Si Lanyi with a wry smile. "I thought my own talent was terrifying enough," he said. "I never expected there’s always someone better."
Honestly, Ning Xuan felt a little crushed. Si Lanyi was the same age as him, yet not only was her strength as a Dao Xuan Master comparable to an Earth Realm Martial Artist, her Martial Arts Cultivation was also just as formidable.
Si Lanyi accepted the Storage Rings without ceremony. Sticking out her tongue sheepishly, she said, "It’s all thanks to you, really. I was only able to advance to a Second Grade Dao Xuan Master because of you. And my breakthroughs in the Sword Dao came from watching you practice and listening to your advice."
After a pause, Si Lanyi added, "By the way, I never asked when your Divine Body regenerated."
"Let me think... It should be almost ten days by now," Ning Xuan replied.
Si Lanyi’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?"
A flicker of panic crossed Ning Xuan’s face. "I might have miscalculated," he said hastily. "Perhaps it’s been fifteen days."
"Your Divine Body regenerated just ten to fifteen days ago, and you’re already on the verge of the Profound Realm in your Martial Arts Cultivation?!"
"Uh, I guess so," Ning Xuan said, scratching his head.
"In just ten days, you went from nothing to the verge of the Profound Realm and reached the Fourth Realm of the Sword Dao—and you have the nerve to tell me there’s always someone better? Are you doing this on purpose?!"
After a long moment of shock, Si Lanyi reproached him playfully.
To be honest, she had been feeling a little smug, but compared to Ning Xuan, she was nothing! However, there was no anger or jealousy in her heart, only joy.
He’s handsome and incredibly talented, yet he isn’t arrogant. He also values loyalty and friendship. It seems my judgment was spot-on after all.
This thought brightened Si Lanyi’s mood even more.
"Li Muyun and Ji Fei were killed just like that... My god! Big Sis, I was itching to slap those two fools to death myself!"
From a hidden spot, the burly man from the Marvelous Sound Pavilion transmitted his voice to the Madam beside him, grinding his teeth.
The Madam nodded and replied via voice transmission, "Their talent is terrifying. No, *exceptionally* terrifying! Especially Ning Xuan. It’s no exaggeration to call his talent world-shaking!"
The burly man grew excited. "So, Big Sis, should we change our plans and capture both of them?"
The Madam shot him a withering glare. "Capture my ass! Just you wait for our orders, and don’t do anything stupid!"
Outside, Ning Xuan made an excuse of picking a blade of grass off Si Lanyi’s clothes to whisper, "We’re being watched."
"I know," she whispered back. "They don’t seem to have any malicious intent. Let’s go."
Ning Xuan blinked and rested his hand on Si Lanyi’s shoulder. "Let me borrow your shoulder. That old bastard’s punch nearly killed me!"
Si Lanyi: "..."
The burly man: "..."
The Madam: "..."
As the pair walked away, the burly man hesitated before asking, "Big Sis, do you think they spotted us?"
The Madam snapped, "What do you think, genius? You’re good for nothing but messing things up!"
"So... should we still follow them?" the burly man asked, scratching his head.
Just as the Madam was about to speak...
COO... COO...
A five-colored sparrow landed nearby, a small cylinder attached to its leg. The Madam retrieved a slip of paper from the cylinder, read it, and handed it to the burly man.
"Huh? What does this mean?"
"Exactly what it says! Let’s go! Back to Destiny City, pack your things, and let’s get out of here!"
On the other side of the canyon, Xiao Bai appeared out of nowhere. Since Si Lanyi’s Element Beast had made the ultimate sacrifice, the two had to squeeze together.
"I’ll ride in front," Si Lanyi declared.
Ning Xuan nodded. "Alright, I’ll take the back then. It’s more comfortable back there."
Xiao Bai: "YIP! YIP!"
Si Lanyi’s face flushed slightly as she gave Xiao Bai a light slap. "Are you in heat? Get running!"
With a look of utter grievance, Xiao Bai converted its sorrow into speed, dashing off like a bolt of lightning.
Thanks to Xiao Bai’s speed, the journey took only three days.
「Liren Crossing」
Even before they could see the Canglan River, a piercingly cold wind swept over them, making both Ning Xuan and Si Lanyi shiver. Si Lanyi, who was in front, instinctively leaned back against Ning Xuan.
"What kind of godforsaken place is this!" Ning Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim, glancing at the wooden sign they had just passed.
The land on either side of the wooden sign bearing the words "Liren Crossing" was like two different worlds. One sweltering, the other bitterly cold.
"Godforsaken place? Boy, if you think so, you should just crawl back to where you came from! But be sure to leave the young lady behind. My name is Dong Xinchuan of Donghe County. May I have the honor of asking this lady’s name?"
A richly dressed youth glanced at Ning Xuan with contempt before turning to Si Lanyi with an amiable smile and a salute. His gaze, however, was lecherous.
"Get out of the way!" Si Lanyi’s voice was cold.
Ning Xuan dismounted from Xiao Bai’s back.
Dong Xinchuan glanced at Ning Xuan, his smile oozing charm. "My lady, we are both prodigies. Why must you associate with a coward like him?" He then sneered at Ning Xuan. "What are you glaring at? Want to kill me? Come on and try, you little mongrel."
The moment his voice fell, a sword beam flashed, and a Qi Sword pierced his throat.
"You..." Dong Xinchuan’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
"You were asking to die," Ning Xuan said coolly. "I was just helping you out."
With that, he walked over and took Dong Xinchuan’s Storage Ring. Dong Xinchuan was not yet dead and could only watch, his eyes wide, as Ning Xuan erased his imprint from the ring.
Countless gazes turned their way, some shocked, some amused.
"Brother, that was too reckless," a slightly portly young man beside them warned, looking at Ning Xuan with a peculiar expression. "This guy was the third-ranked prodigy of Donghe County. His family sent a large retinue to see him off."
Just as he spoke, a woman’s piercing cry rang out. "My son!"
"Who did this?!" a man’s roar followed.
Someone pointed at Ning Xuan.
"You little beast, I’ll end you!"
A giant palm of Element Force materialized in the air, only to dissipate an instant later, because Ning Xuan’s sword had already pierced his throat.
"Damn, he’s ruthless!"
"Dong’s father was at least at the Tenth Heavens of the Profound Realm, yet he was killed in a single strike!"
"The most terrifying part is that he used Element Force, but this kid was completely unaffected!"
This single strike from Ning Xuan made the onlookers discard their contemptuous thoughts. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Ning Xuan glanced at the father’s hands, but upon seeing no Storage Ring, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment.
"Brother, you’re incredible! My name is Shen Bo, from Yunmeng County. If you need anything, just ask," the portly young man who had warned Ning Xuan earlier sidled up to him again.
"Could you help us find a place to stay?"
It was getting late. Liren Crossing was a small town, and seeing how crowded it was, finding lodgings at this hour would be no easy task. As he spoke, Ning Xuan took some Element Crystals from Dong Xinchuan’s Storage Ring and handed them to Shen Bo.
As he passed the woman slumped on the ground, Ning Xuan gave Shen Bo more Element Crystals. "If possible, please help find someone to send her back home."
"I don’t need your fake sympathy! Tell me your name!" the woman shrieked, suddenly looking up with hatred swirling in her eyes.
"Ning Xuan of Dong Yang County."
The woman’s expression changed dramatically. She bowed low in apology to Ning Xuan. "I’m... I’m so sorry!"
With that, she scrambled away from Liren Crossing as if fleeing for her life, abandoning the bodies of her husband and son. She was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
