Chapter 30: Nine Years Pass in a Flash

Above Wing-Serpent Lake.

A tall woman in silver-white armor appeared, riding a giant sword.

"Ji Ning!" the silver-armored woman called out directly.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept across Brightheart Island, and Ji Ning appeared in midair.

"And you are?" Ji Ning looked at the silver-armored woman.

"My master is your senior apprentice-sister Nine Lotus. I am here on her orders to inform you," the silver-armored woman said directly.

Ji Ning guessed from her appearance that she was connected to Nine Lotus.

"My master said that she is currently confined within her tribe and cannot leave for a short time. She asks you to wait patiently," the silver-armored woman said coldly and bluntly. "She also said that, taking advantage of this temporary separation, she hopes both she and you will think carefully... whether deciding on a Dao companion was too hasty."

Ji Ning frowned.

Nine Lotus was trapped in her tribe? And she wanted him to consider whether their decision was hasty?

What did that mean?

"The message has been delivered." The silver-armored woman turned and rode her giant sword, swiftly breaking through the air until she vanished at the edge of the distant sky.

...

Full of doubts, Ji Ning returned to Brightheart Island. Qiuye was waiting silently by the shore.

"What's wrong, young master?" Qiuye asked, seeing his troubled expression.

"That woman was a servant of senior apprentice-sister Nine Lotus," Ji Ning said, frowning. "She came on Nine Lotus's orders to deliver a message, saying she can't leave her tribe for a short time, and also telling me to think carefully whether deciding on a Dao companion was too hasty. What does that mean? Since we've chosen each other, why call it hasty?"

In both his past life and this one, Ji Ning was a blank slate when it came to romantic relationships.

"Young master," Qiuye said quickly, "I don't think those words came from Sister Nine Lotus. She treats you sincerely; she wouldn't say that. It might be that the higher-ups of the Dongyan clan secretly ordered the maid to add that line, to plant a seed of doubt in your heart. If you give up voluntarily, they'll have succeeded in splitting you up."

"Right," Ji Ning's eyes lit up. "You're right; it's probably their scheme. The Dongyan clan really doesn't want to see Nine Lotus and me together."

Seeing Ji Ning's fighting spirit rekindled, Qiuye couldn't help but smile.

If Ji Ning was happy, she was happy.

...

Without Nine Lotus, Ji Ning still lived at Wing-Serpent Lake. He was convinced that the message Nine Lotus had sent was a ploy by the Dongyan clan to sow discord. So he never doubted Nine Lotus's intentions, and he harbored a stubborn determination to shock the snobbish Dongyan clan.

Thus, during his time at Wing-Serpent Lake, Ji Ning trained diligently.

Often he would meditate on sword techniques alone...

Occasionally he would take on missions at the Yinglong Guard branch, hunting down wanted criminals and rampaging great demons...

Every two or three years, he would enter the underwater estate to seek enlightenment in the Star Hall...

He also often lay on a small boat, drifting on Wing-Serpent Lake—these were the moments when his heart was most at peace...

...

In the blink of an eye, nearly nine years had passed.

Having slain many powerful criminals, Ji Ning's reputation had grown considerably.

"New Year's Eve." Ji Ning stood on the veranda, where red lanterns hung, their light reflecting on the heavy snow still falling in the dark night.

"Young master, the feast is ready," Qiuye said, approaching.

Ji Ning looked at Qiuye beside him. Though nearly nine years had passed, her face was unchanged. But due to her talent, despite the elixirs Ji Ning provided, she remained stuck at the peak of the Xiantian stage, unable to break through to the Zifu. The main issue was her lack of insight into the Dao, so Ji Ning often personally guided her.

With Ji Ning's guidance, Qiuye made considerable progress; perhaps in a few more years, she might enter the Zifu.

"But Qingshi's talent is far worse than Qiuye's," Ji Ning sighed inwardly. Qingshi was Chuncao's younger brother. Ji Ning had sworn at Chuncao's grave to teach him well, and he had done his best. Qingshi barely managed to reach the Xiantian level, but his progress in comprehending the Dao was painfully slow.

Knowing his prospects were slim, Qingshi instead begged Ji Ning to take him to Anchan City. Having grown up at Wing-Serpent Lake, he had seen too little of the world and longed to see the legendary Anchan City.

Taking advantage of an opportunity during an Yinglong Guard mission, Ji Ning sent Qingshi to Northson Baiwei in Anchan City, asking Baiwei to look after him.

"Let's go." Ji Ning and Qiuye walked together.

"Young master, the tribe has sent twelve more youths. Counting the group five years ago and the earliest one, a total of twenty-eight tribal youths have come," Qiuye said softly. "I think the tribe is going too far. You need time for your own cultivation; how can you spare time to teach those youths?"

Ji Ning smiled. "Those youths are still very weak. Your swordsmanship is now quite advanced. Teach them according to my instructions."

"Me?" Qiuye was startled.

"Don't underestimate yourself," Ji Ning instructed. "When one of them breaks through to Xiantian, bring him to me. Come, let's eat together. Tonight is New Year's Eve."

...

New Year's Eve was the happiest day of the year.

But in the Yan Mountains, the Kou clan, one of the original six major powers, had no one smiling.

The new clan leader Kou Huai caressed the ancient walls, looking at every brick and tile, at the weeds in the courtyard.

"This is the home of our Kou clan," Kou Huai murmured hoarsely, his eyes red.

Beside him, a young girl sobbed, "Father, let's fight the Ji clan to the death. This is our root, the foundation of our tribe. If they want to sever our roots, we'll fight them. Even if both sides suffer."

"What do you know?" Kou Huai shook his head, looking up at the falling snow, feeling only its coldness. "Fight the Ji clan? With what? Not to mention the strongest, Ji Ning, even his two Wanxiang-level demons are more than any force in the Yan Mountains can handle. Both are divine beasts, at the peak of Wanxiang, stronger than most peak Wanxiang cultivators. And Ji Ning himself—he's the truly terrifying one."

"Ji Ning," the girl gritted her teeth. "I will make the Ji clan regret this."

"Don't think about causing trouble for the Ji clan," Kou Huai shook his head. "Many of the most vicious and evil cultivators and great demons roaming Anchan Commandery have died at Ji Ning's hands. Among them was the evil cultivator 'Poison Dove True Man' Jiu Qifan, who could fight on par with a Primal Daoist and escape, yet still died by Ji Ning's hand. It won't be long before Ji Ning becomes a Primal Daoist himself."

"With such strength, taking over the entire Yan Mountains is nothing. Our Kou clan is so weak; if we don't move now, we'll be squeezed out by the Ji clan until we're destroyed. If we move now, we can still survive and thrive elsewhere."

"Besides!"

"The Ji clan has been merciful. They haven't truly massacred us; they've even let us stay here," Kou Huai sighed.

Though forced to hand over the vassal token and cede the tribe's foundation to the Ji clan, Kou Huai felt no hatred. When a tribe produces a strong cultivator, it naturally expands rapidly. The Ji clan, with Ji Ning, the Whitewater Hound, and the Azure Skysnake, had the strength to sweep through everything.

But the Ji clan didn't sweep through; instead, through negotiation, they made the other forces yield one by one and choose to relocate. The Ji clan even gave them ample time, from three to ten years. However, after ten years, they had to leave the Yan Mountains.

"Tomorrow, we leave tomorrow," Kou Huai caressed the wall. "Remember, child, when you're weak, you must bow your head. No one is to blame; blame our own weakness."

The girl nodded. "Tomorrow I'll go to the Thousand Rivers Sect. Father, I will work hard to make our Kou clan rise again."

"Mm." Kou Huai looked at his daughter, hope in his eyes.

She was his greatest pride.

But compared to the monstrous Ji Ning, she was far behind. If his daughter could become a Wanxiang cultivator, the entire Kou clan would celebrate.

...

New Year's Eve, within Ten Thousand Swords City.

Ji Jiuhuo had stepped down, and the current clan leader of the Ji clan was the younger Ji Liuzhen!

"The Kou clan and the Blackfire Cult will leave their cities within three days," Ji Liuzhen laughed. "Once they move out, our Ji clan's territory will expand again."

"They've been obedient and haven't resisted," Ji Jiuhuo said with a slight smile.

"The gap in strength is too great; they have no heart for resistance," Shadow Granny said, also pleased. "Liuzhen, once the Kou clan and Blackfire Cult move out and we occupy their cities, then the entire Yan Mountains... will only the Great Xia garrison and the Snowdragon Mountain Yan Mountains branch remain?"

Ji Liuzhen nodded.

The Great Xia garrison was a given.

The Snowdragon Mountain Yan Mountains branch?

Though Dong Qizi and others had died back then, Snowdragon Mountain quickly sent new Zifu disciples to the Yan Mountains, strengthening the branch again.

"The Yan Mountains branch has the backing of the Snowdragon Mountain sect. They don't want to offend our Ji clan, but they're not so afraid that they'd hand over their territory," Ji Liuzhen sighed. "It's troublesome. If we really attack the Snowdragon Mountain Yan Mountains branch, Snowdragon Mountain might send some Wanxiang cultivators."

Snowdragon Mountain didn't want to offend the promising Ji Ning.

But they weren't afraid of him either. They hadn't expanded their territory in the Yan Mountains, but they held on to what they had. They wouldn't attack first, but if the Ji clan dared to invade, they wouldn't hesitate to fight back.

"If we invade, the Yan Mountains branch will counterattack immediately. Their leader, 'Perfected Xu Ke,' has already said that if the Ji clan makes a move, they will kill," Ji Liuzhen said. "Though after nearly nine years of consolidation, our Ji clan's strength at the Xiantian level has grown significantly, a direct confrontation with the Snowdragon Mountain Yan Mountains branch isn't worth it. Their foundation is deeper than ours. And as for top experts, their backing, Snowdragon Mountain, has Primal Daoists."

"Don't act rashly," Ji Jiuhuo shook his head. "Let's go ask Ji Ning about this."

The Yan Mountains branch was a tough nut to crack.

It was the final obstacle to the Ji clan's control of the entire Yan Mountains.

...