Chapter 2: Arrival

The three of the Meng clan had barely managed to hold on together, but when the two disciples of Snow Dragon Mountain stopped holding back, the three of the Meng clan immediately found themselves in great difficulty.

"If only I had listened to Stone," said the woman with a pretty face and a slender figure, her face pale and full of regret. Because after becoming Zifu cultivators, none of the three dared to continue training, for once they reached the mid-Zifu stage, their foundation would be set, and most sects of any standing would be unwilling to accept them as disciples.

Thus all three were at the early Zifu stage. When they set out this time, Meng Yan had said, "Xiao Xin, our strength is at the bottom among Zifu cultivators. If we fly on magic treasures... and get intercepted, it will be dangerous. It's best we travel on the ground, riding mounts, moving slowly like ordinary people. Though it takes longer, it's safer. Immortal cultivators are too lazy to bother with ordinary folk."

"You idiot," another companion, Meng Jun, had angrily retorted. "Riding mounts slowly on the ground? A journey of over a million li would take a year! Trekking over mountains and rivers—you might be willing, but I'm not. I refuse to believe that if we fly as fast as we can, reaching in just a few days, we'll be unlucky enough to run into someone who wants to harm us in those few short days."

"Stone, Meng Jun has a point. A few days should be fine," Meng Xin had said at the time, unwilling to endure a whole year of hardship. So she decided to fly to Anchang City.

Unfortunately...

They really did encounter someone who would strike from the shadows. Some immortal cultivators bury themselves in training, some grow through slaughter, and some rely on robbery. Robbery is the fastest way to acquire treasures, and there are indeed many who engage in this trade.

...

"Pfft." Ribbons of silk resisted the incoming flying swords, but the impact still made Meng Xin spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Xiao Xin!" The honest-looking man Meng Yan was greatly alarmed. Gritting his teeth, his face flushed red, and his aura suddenly surged. The nine black stone balls flying before him accelerated sharply, howling toward the two men in white.

"Go, go quickly!" Meng Yan roared.

"Stone!"

Meng Xin's face changed. She could see that Meng Yan had activated a forbidden technique. They were going to apply to sects, and using a forbidden technique that harmed his foundation would make it difficult to join any decent sect.

"Go now!" Meng Yan seemed crazed.

"Still not leaving!" The fair-skinned youth beside her turned into a wisp of smoke and fled first. Meng Xin gritted her teeth and followed.

The two men in white merely sneered coldly. Trying to escape so easily was pure fantasy.

Pfft!

Pfft!

A phantom suddenly burst from the ground, swift as lightning, and pierced through the heads of the two men in white.

"How is that possible!"

"How..."

Both men in white stared wide-eyed, disbelief in their eyes. They had carried out many robberies and were always cautious. During the fight, they had been vigilant of their surroundings, but they had sensed no fluctuation of yuan power. A flying sword so close beneath their feet had struck instantly. Moreover, their own magic armor offered no resistance.

Blood splattered, faintly mixed with a trace of white.

The two men in white went limp and fell to the ground, silent forever.

"Kill, kill." The honest man Meng Yan, still crazed, struggled to control the nine black stone balls, but suddenly he stared in shock at the scene before him...

The two men in white lay on the ground?

Dead?

"This, this..." Meng Yan could hardly believe it.

Meanwhile, Meng Jun, who was fleeing at top speed, glanced back. His gaze swept across the distance and saw the two white-clad figures lying far away. With his immortal cultivator's eyesight, he could clearly see the blood on the ground.

"Xin Mei!" Meng Jun quickly sent a voice transmission. "Don't run anymore. Both of the Snow Dragon Mountain men are dead."

Meng Xin stopped and turned to look. In the distance, at the site of the earlier fight, two figures indeed lay on the ground.

"Come, let's go see." Meng Jun urged.

"Mm." Meng Xin cautiously followed.

They swiftly flew back to the place where the fight had occurred. Both Meng Jun and Meng Xin looked puzzled, turning to the honest man Meng Yan, who stood there dumbfounded. Meng Jun said, "Stone, what happened?"

Boom!

Flames suddenly appeared around them, directly enveloping the two Snow Dragon Mountain disciples, burning them to ashes.

"Fire!" The three men and women of the Meng clan were startled.

A figure emerged from the forest, followed faintly by a beast. Looking closely... the approaching figure was a clear-featured youth in animal skins, accompanied by a large snow-white dog.

Swoosh.

The youth in animal skins waved his hand, collecting all the magic treasures left behind by the two burned Snow Dragon Mountain disciples.

"Thank you, senior, for saving our lives." The honest man Meng Yan knelt down directly, kowtowing to express his deep gratitude.

"No need for such a grand gesture, and don't call me senior. We can address each other as fellow Daoists," Ji Ning said, looking at the honest man with goodwill. Under his divine sense, he had sensed the man activating a forbidden technique in frenzy and urging the woman to flee first. This reminded Ji Ning of his never-met uncle.

His uncle had done the same back then, allowing his mother to escape alive, and thus Ji Ning could come into this world.

Though Ji Ning had rushed over, even using his divine will to drive the Silent Extermination Demon Sword ahead to intercept, the root cause of the honest man's forbidden technique was hard to eliminate.

"A pity," Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist." The handsome, fair-skinned youth quickly pulled the honest man up. "We three are members of the Meng clan. This is Meng Yan, beside him is Meng Xin, and I am Meng Jun. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

"Stone." Meng Xin also took the honest man's hand, tears glistening in her eyes. She looked at Ji Ning with curiosity and reverence.

Ji Ning nodded. "My name is Ji Ning. I happened to encounter you three on my way to Anchang City."

"Brother Ji Ning is also going to Anchang City?" The handsome, fair-skinned youth said joyfully, "We three are also heading to Anchang City. If Brother Ji Ning doesn't mind, shall we travel together?"

Meng Yan and the woman Meng Xin also showed looks of anticipation.

Ji Ning nodded lightly. "Alright."

Earlier, when his divine sense had enveloped the area, Meng Yan had already begun activating the forbidden technique... so Ji Ning didn't know the identities of these three. But from their names, he could tell they were from the same clan. And they all seemed young.

"Three Zifu cultivators from the same clan, all very young—this is no ordinary clan," Ji Ning thought. "And they all bear the surname Meng. Among the top powers marked on my map, there is one called the Meng clan."

...

Choosing to travel with these three, Ji Ning also wanted to learn more about the outside world through them, as the Ji clan's records of the outside were too scarce.

"Come, Brother Ji Ning, try this fine wine, brewed by our Meng clan internally."

"Brother Ji Ning, try this fruit."

A large ship was flying through the clouds and mist. Ji Ning and the three Meng clan members sat separately, with low tables before them laden with fruits and wine. Ji Ning's strength was clearly far superior, and the three Meng clan members were deliberately currying favor. Moreover, traveling with Ji Ning meant having a guardian deity.

"Indeed, they are from the Meng clan." After two days of traveling together, Ji Ning learned more and more.

Among the three, Meng Jun was talkative and good at flattery, but his sycophancy was too obvious, making Ji Ning somewhat disgusted.

Meng Xin was top-notch in appearance; it was hard to find such a beauty even in the Ji clan.

Meng Yan was the honest man who had used the forbidden technique, the only one of the three for whom Ji Ning felt goodwill and wished to befriend.

"Meng Jun is right," Meng Xin shook her head and said crisply, "Our Eastern Branch has always been oppressed and exploited. Even the direct line of the Eastern Branch barely gets by. We collateral branches are even more miserable... We were lucky to barely reach the Zifu stage. To obtain top-tier qi cultivation techniques? Impossible. The other branches will suppress us, not allowing our Eastern Branch to grow. So after we three reached the early Zifu stage, we agreed to set out together for Anchang City. Anchang City has outposts of various sects, where we can try our luck one by one. But unfortunately, Stone already..."

Meng Yan smiled. "It's fine. Being alive is good enough. Using a forbidden technique just once won't have too much impact. Anyway, we're finally about to reach Anchang City! We have a chance to go further on the path of immortal cultivation!"

"Yes, we've left the clan," Meng Jun said through gritted teeth. "When one of us becomes a Yuan Shen Daoist in the future, hmph, then those old fellows in the clan will come crawling to welcome us."

"Keep your feet on the ground," Meng Yan glanced at him.

Meng Jun sighed dramatically. "Pity the three of us, so miserable. Born into the prestigious Meng clan, yet our magic treasures are inferior to those two Snow Dragon Mountain disciples." Suddenly, he looked at Ji Ning with pleading eyes. "Brother Ji Ning, you're so powerful, killing those two Snow Dragon Mountain disciples like chickens. Those treasures must mean nothing to you. Brother Ji Ning... how about giving us one or two magic treasures to strengthen us a bit, so we don't hold you back?"

"Just one or two, not too many." Meng Jun stared at Ji Ning, anticipation in his eyes.

Ji Ning frowned slightly.

This Meng Jun... his flattery was excessive enough, and now Ji Ning discovered another 'virtue' of his—shamelessness!

"No one has too many magic treasures," Ji Ning glanced at Meng Jun. "I plan to exchange for a formation at Anchang City, but I have too few treasures and fear I won't get it. Fellow Daoist Meng Jun, would you lend me one or two?"

Meng Jun's face turned pale, and he gave an awkward smile, cursing inwardly: "So stingy. Last time I flattered our clan's Young Master Ruxu, he casually gave me a magic treasure. I've flattered this Ji Ning for so long and treated him to fine wine, but I've gotten nothing. With his strength and a Zifu spirit beast, I thought he'd be generous. What a miser!"

Ji Ning couldn't be bothered with Meng Jun.

He had traveled with these three, first to learn more about the outside world through them, and second because he felt goodwill toward Meng Yan.

"Brother Ji Ning," Meng Xin pointed downward and called out, "Look, is that Anchang City?"

"Anchang City?" Ji Ning also turned to look.

In the distance below, on the endless earth, lay a colossal city that stretched beyond sight. Even from a thousand li away, Ji Ning could faintly sense waves of fluctuation emanating from that towering, majestic city. Though the waves seemed weak, they were inexhaustible.

Just by looking with his naked eye, Ji Ning felt an invisible pressure.

"We've arrived, Anchang City." Ji Ning's eyes held longing.

"Anchang City." Meng Jun, Meng Yan, and Meng Xin also had longing and anticipation in their eyes—anticipation for the future.

...