Chapter 24: The Grudge of Clan Extermination

"Remnants of the Yuchi clan?" Shaoyan Nong's killing intent surged. "Not a single member of the Yuchi clan can be left alive, and those who have learned the Windwing Evasion Technique are even more deserving of death. This Windwing Evasion Technique belongs solely to my Shaoyan clan and must never be passed on!"

The secret arts and divine abilities unique to a major clan were absolutely forbidden to be leaked.

Once an outsider learned them, they would be hunted down!

"Uncle Fang, deal with these puppets first." Shaoyan Nong no longer had the playful mood from before; for the first time, he truly harbored murderous intent toward Ji Ning.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Xiangliu Fang's large hands swept out, grabbing the Qiongqi puppets at will as he shouted, "Everyone, block these Qiongqi puppets. Don't let them escape—if they do, they'll become a disaster." As he spoke, he grabbed one puppet after another and stuffed them into the bag he carried.

Everyone did their best to help block the Qiongqi puppets, allowing Xiangliu Fang to capture them all.

"They were just asking for death." Ji Ning retracted the black wings behind him and glanced at the blood-soaked ground littered with corpses. Those Zifu cultivators, though willing to die and capable of forming formations, were far inferior to the puppets with Nascent Soul combat power. Under the attacks of the Qiongqi puppets, nearly all the surrounding Zifu cultivators had been killed, leaving only a dozen or so alive.

"How tragic. They were Zifu cultivators after all. Against these puppets, they were useless, yet Shaoyan Nong still had them watching from all sides, clearly letting them die." Mu Zishuo also transmitted his thoughts, sighing. "This Shaoyan Nong is truly cold-blooded."

These death warriors had been sent by Beishan Yin and others.

To Shaoyan Nong, the Shaoyan clan would never trust these death warriors trained by other clans. Bringing them back would be useless, and he couldn't return them to Beishan Yin and the others. Since that was the case, it was cleaner for them to die. If any survived by luck, it meant they had fortune on their side, and they could be taken back and nurtured.

...

The surviving Zifu cultivators quickly cleaned the hall, wiping away all traces of blood and corpses until it was spotless.

Shaoyan Nong sat cross-legged at the head of the hall, his gaze cold and sharp as he stared at Ji Ning and shouted, "Ji Ning!"

The hall fell into shock.

Mu Zishuo, Yu Wei, Jiulian, Cangjiang Zhenren, Xue Hongyi—all were stunned. They could feel the terrifying look in Shaoyan Nong's eyes, and the cold tyranny in his shout was unmistakable. Even when Ji Ning had smashed the table earlier, Shaoyan Nong hadn't been this serious.

"Young master Shaoyan." Ji Ning looked at Shaoyan Nong. "If you have something to say, please speak."

"Shaoyan Nong!" Jiulian, sitting across from him, was furious. She shouted, "Ji Ning is my Dao companion. He may have offended you earlier, but it was a trivial matter. Now you're making a scene—aren't you being too narrow-minded?"

These young masters and princesses of major clans usually joked and chatted freely, but there were lines that could not be crossed. Ji Ning was Jiulian's Dao companion and had come to help Shaoyan Nong. A minor conflict or friction was one thing, but turning hostile now was going too far.

"Jiulian, hear me out first." Shaoyan Nong said coldly.

"I'm all ears." Jiulian was also angry.

"Ji Ning, I ask you." Shaoyan Nong looked at Ji Ning. "The divine ability you just used—was it the Windwing Evasion Technique?"

Ji Ning's heart skipped a beat.

The Windwing Evasion Technique?

How did Shaoyan Nong know about the Windwing Evasion Technique? His mother's clan, the Yuchi clan, had been nearly wiped out, leaving only his uncle's daughter, and it was uncertain whether she was still alive. He himself could barely be considered half a descendant of the Yuchi clan. And the Yuchi clan had been very careful to keep the Windwing Evasion Technique secret.

"Don't bother denying it. What you used was the Windwing Evasion Technique." Shaoyan Nong sneered. "Uncle Fang, show him."

Whoosh.

Xiangliu Fang suddenly vanished from Shaoyan Nong's side, like a roc, appearing in an instant at the center of the hall. Then, with another movement, he returned to Shaoyan Nong's side.

Seeing this, Ji Ning's heart trembled.

The other fellow disciples couldn't recognize it, but he himself had cultivated the Windwing Evasion Technique and could naturally identify it! What Xiangliu Fang had used was indeed the Windwing Evasion Technique, and it was even more refined and profound than his own. That was only to be expected, as his divine body was far inferior to Xiangliu Fang's.

"Murderer!"

"The one who exterminated my clan!"

The thought flashed through Ji Ning's mind. "Could it be that the Shaoyan clan exterminated my mother's Yuchi clan? Were my never-seen grandfather, aunts, and others all killed by the Shaoyan clan?"

"Well?" Shaoyan Nong looked at Ji Ning. "Is it the same as yours?"

"I did cultivate the Windwing Evasion Technique." Ji Ning knew denial was useless and frowned. "But so what?"

Jiulian, Yu Wei, Cangjiang Zhenren, and Mu Zishuo watched anxiously from the side but didn't speak up yet.

Shaoyan Nong laughed heartily. "The Windwing Evasion Technique originally belonged exclusively to the Yuchi clan of Dongyu Commandery in the Great Xia Dynasty."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

"The Yuchi clan possessed this divine ability for a very long time, but they always used winged magic treasures to disguise it. However, my Shaoyan clan discovered the secret long ago. After extensive preparation, we finally wiped out the Yuchi clan in one fell swoop. Yet my Shaoyan clan never found the original copy of the Windwing Evasion Technique! Some powerful immortals of my Shaoyan clan personally performed soul searches, scouring the memories of many Yuchi clan members, and only then reconstructed the complete Windwing Evasion Technique." Shaoyan Nong looked at Ji Ning. "Now, the Windwing Evasion Technique is unique to my Shaoyan clan and is absolutely forbidden to be passed on. Just by learning it without my clan's permission, you have committed a capital offense. Moreover, I suspect you are a remnant of the Yuchi clan!"

"Speak! Are you a remnant of the Yuchi clan?" Shaoyan Nong stared at Ji Ning.

Everyone else understood now.

So that was it. In wars between clans, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. Since the Shaoyan clan had destroyed the Yuchi clan, the Windwing Evasion Technique, once owned by the Yuchi, now belonged exclusively to the Shaoyan.

From the Shaoyan clan's perspective, remnants of the Yuchi clan had to be eliminated.

After all, there was now a blood feud of clan extermination between them.

"Ji Ning." Jiulian quickly sent a message to Ji Ning, anxiously saying, "Don't admit to being a descendant of the Yuchi clan. If you do, with the blood feud of clan extermination, the Shaoyan clan will never let you live. Just say you obtained the original copy of the Windwing Evasion Technique by chance and cultivated it unknowingly due to an encounter. They say ignorance is blameless. My Dongyan clan can negotiate with the Shaoyan clan on your behalf, and the matter can be quickly resolved."

Ji Ning looked at Shaoyan Nong and Xiangliu Fang.

His heart was filled with boundless rage. The immortals of the Shaoyan clan had repeatedly performed soul searches on many Yuchi clan members to reconstruct the Windwing Evasion Technique.

Once subjected to a soul search, one's soul would usually scatter.

"Damn them, damn them, damn them!" Ji Ning desperately wanted to avenge his mother's entire clan.

"Are you a remnant of the Yuchi clan?" Shaoyan Nong stared at Ji Ning, his killing intent overwhelming. Earlier at the celebration banquet, he had merely teased Jiulian and hadn't truly intended to kill Ji Ning; he was still mindful of the Shaoyan clan's reputation. But if Ji Ning was indeed a remnant of the Yuchi clan, even the ancestors of the Shaoyan clan would show no mercy.

At this moment, he represented the entire Shaoyan clan!

"No." Ji Ning looked at Shaoyan Nong and Xiangliu Fang, suppressing his anger and said in a low voice, "Shaoyan Nong, if you want to kill me, there's no need to find excuses hypocritically."

"My senior apprentice brother said he has nothing to do with the Yuchi clan." Mu Zishuo angrily said, "Young master Shaoyan, we came to help you, and this is how you treat us?"

"Young master Shaoyan, since Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning said he is not a descendant of the Yuchi clan, then he isn't. He probably learned this divine ability by chance. At most, we can negotiate with your Shaoyan clan, offer some gifts, and swear a Heavenly Dao oath never to pass on this divine ability." Cangjiang Zhenren also spoke up.

Yu Wei added, "Young master Shaoyan, if you now claim that Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning is a remnant of the Yuchi clan, once word gets out, people might think you're deliberately finding an excuse to deal with him."

"Shaoyan Nong." Jiulian also stared at him, furious. "Ji Ning is my Dao companion!"

One by one, they applied pressure from various angles.

But Shaoyan Nong just smiled.

"Haha, don't worry." Shaoyan Nong laughed. "Ji Ning came with me to my immortal mansion, so I'll give him a way out." As he spoke, a black chain appeared in his hand, adorned with ancient golden runes. He tossed the chain toward Ji Ning; it clattered onto the ground in front of him.

"This is the Soulbinding Chain." Shaoyan Nong looked at Ji Ning. "Once bound, you'll be like a mortal—even a Fiendgod bound by it cannot resist. Bind yourself with the Soulbinding Chain and await judgment. I can swear that if you are not a remnant of the Yuchi clan, I will not kill you or harm your cultivation in the slightest. I will investigate thoroughly. If I confirm you are a remnant of the Yuchi clan, I will execute you. If not, I will set you free."

Ji Ning frowned.

Yu Wei spoke up loudly, "Young master Shaoyan, your Shaoyan clan is immensely powerful. Why be so petty? You could let Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning leave now and investigate later. Once confirmed, you can deal with him then. Surely, with the Shaoyan clan's power, Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning couldn't escape?"

"Ji Ning, will you agree or not?" Shaoyan Nong ignored Yu Wei entirely and stared at Ji Ning. "I've already given you a way out."

Ji Ning stared back at Shaoyan Nong. "Tie my own hands and let my life or death be in your hands? Do you think that's possible?"

Shaoyan Nong's face turned even colder.

Ji Ning would never bind himself with the Soulbinding Chain. Just then—

"Young master Shaoyan!" Xue Hongyi suddenly sneered and pointed at Ji Ning. "Don't listen to his lies. Ji Ning's father is Ji Yichuan, and his mother is Yuchi Xue!"

"He learned the Windwing Evasion Technique, and his mother is named Yuchi Xue?" Shaoyan Nong's face twisted into a ferocious grin, his voice icy. "Truly a remnant of the Yuchi clan. Kill! Kill Ji Ning! Anyone who obstructs my Shaoyan clan will be killed without mercy!"

...