Leaving the Undead Mountain Range

Huai'an Nord looked toward the five surviving Black Armored Soldiers.

"Commander!" The five Black Armored Soldiers raised their blades in unison and saluted.

"You sent the distress signal, didn't you? What happened? And how did you find my little brother?" Huai'an Nord asked. Facing his subordinate soldiers, he possessed an irresistible majesty.

"Reporting to the commander, we were surrounded by the undead while searching for the Fifth Young Master. The Fifth Young Master saved us," the big man replied. He called Qi Bei the Fifth Young Master because Qi Bei ranked fifth among the direct descendants of the Nord Family's generation.

Huai'an Nord froze. Qi Bei had saved them? He turned toward Qi Bei.

"I saw the signal too. It was nearby, so I came over to take a look. But I was still too late. Five brothers had already died. They all died searching for me. I, Qi Bei, will engrave this in my heart," Qi Bei said.

"Good lad, take a punch from your big brother." After hearing this, Huai'an Nord shouted and drove a thunderous punch toward Qi Bei's chest.

The force of the punch tore through the air, unleashing a series of explosive cracks.

Qi Bei stood motionless and met the punch head-on.

With a boom, both their bodies swayed.

"Big brother, you're looking down on me too much. Your little brother is no longer the same ignorant Ah Meng he once was. Come at me with all you've got," Qi Bei said with a tug at the corner of his lips. Huai'an Nord's punch just now had relied purely on brute force; he had not used any Battle Qi at all.

"Hahaha, good. You stinking brat, don't beg for mercy later." Huai'an Nord laughed heartily. He had nearly forgotten that for Qi Bei to survive in the Undead Mountain Range for nearly nine months, he must have encountered some extraordinary opportunity.

Huai'an Nord drew the great saber from his back. The blade was pitch-black, while its edge shimmered with a jade-green ghostly light. As Battle Qi surged into it, three feet of azure radiance spread from the blade, accompanied by faint roars of a tiger.

Huai'an Nord's core Battle Qi Art was the Mad Demon Tiger Ferocity Art, a King Grade Battle Qi Art.

At the same time, the utterly ordinary-looking black longsword in Qi Bei's hand trembled. A ring of golden light shot through the sword, while faint echoes of Dragon's Roar reverberated through the air.

"Big brother, be careful." Qi Bei gave a low shout and suddenly thrust his longsword forward.

The golden Battle Qi at the tip of the sword abruptly condensed into a sharp cone and shot toward Huai'an Nord as fast as lightning.

"Good!" Huai'an Nord let out a long laugh. He shifted to one side as his Battle Qi formed a tiger's head and thundered toward Qi Bei.

However, the instant Huai'an Nord launched this attack, his heart suddenly jolted. His body abruptly dipped. The conical Battle Qi thrust out by Qi Bei brushed past him, then unexpectedly transformed into the shape of a dragon's tail and whipped back across him.

"Good lad." Huai'an Nord had nearly been caught off guard by Qi Bei's strike. Realizing that even if Qi Bei was weaker than him, the gap could not be very large, he stopped holding back.

The two brothers crossed and tangled like flashes of lightning. Golden and black Battle Qi blasted against each other, sending sand and stones flying as the roars of tigers and dragons rang without end.

Tie Tou, watching the battle from the side, suddenly slapped himself across the face. He opened his mouth wide and said, "This foul mouth of mine! The Fifth Young Master is actually this powerful, yet I made him out to be worthless. I deserve that slap."

Who in the Black Armored Army did not know the battle prowess of Huai'an Nord, that fierce tiger? Although he still remained at the High-Level Warrior realm, his core Battle Qi was a King Grade Battle Qi Art. Together with a fifth-tier Earth-Splitting Tiger, he would not be at a disadvantage even against an ordinary King Grade Warrior.

Yet now, the rumored useless Fifth Young Master was actually fighting him to a standstill. How could they not be astonished?

The army respected the strong above all else. Whoever had the bigger fist had the louder voice. The useless Fifth Young Master immediately grew tall in the eyes of these Black Armored Soldiers.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion rang out as waves of air churned and the two figures separated after crossing paths.

Huai'an Nord staggered back seven or eight steps, while Qi Bei retreated more than ten.

Between them lay a crater several meters in diameter.

"That was satisfying! Good lad, tell me honestly—what level are you at now?" Huai'an Nord asked.

"Uh, I should be a mid-level warrior," Qi Bei replied with a shrug.

A mid-level warrior!

The five Black Armored Soldiers stared at one another. A mid-level warrior could be this powerful? Huai'an Nord was already a freak, but Qi Bei was an even greater freak.

"Good. Judging from the density of your Battle Qi, I would have guessed you were a mid-level warrior too. But your Battle Qi is incredibly tenacious, and its destructive power is astonishing. What surprises me even more is that after fighting for so long, you show no sign of exhaustion. Hahaha, from now on, who would dare call you useless? Once Father hears this, he'll be overjoyed." Huai'an Nord laughed heartily, his laughter full of relief and the exhilaration of finally venting his pent-up frustration.

Qi Bei smiled. Half of the reason a mid-level warrior like him possessed such might was the Saint Grade Battle Qi Art, the Mad Dragon Battle Qi Art. The other half came from the support of the inner force of the Divine Dragon Art. Otherwise, how could he have lasted so long?

"I'm completely sick of this Undead Mountain Range. We'll break camp and return to the Imperial Capital today, so Father can set his mind at ease as soon as possible," Huai'an Nord said. If he had not been searching for Qi Bei, how could he have stayed so long in this place filled with deathly aura?

Qi Bei mounted his big brother's magical pet, the Earth-Splitting Tiger, and soon returned to the Black Armored Army's camp. The five Black Armored Soldiers came back together with the other four squads that had arrived to provide rescue.

When the Earth-Splitting Tiger's earth-shaking roar rang out, Qi Bei saw two delicate-looking personal guards approaching.

"Women? Big brother, you certainly have good taste." Qi Bei wrinkled his nose and teased him. The moment he smelled the women's cosmetics, he knew that these two personal guards were actually women. One of them even looked somewhat familiar.

Huai'an Nord smiled awkwardly. For ordinary people, this would be a stroke of romantic luck, but for a direct descendant of the Nord Family like him, it was quite troublesome.

"Commander, you're back." Princess Ruixue's eyes were full of delight. They held only Huai'an Nord, making it clear that her admiration for him came from the bottom of her heart.

"Mm. I've found Qi Bei. We'll return to the Imperial Capital immediately," Huai'an Nord said with a nod.

Qi Bei! Only then did Princess Ruixue look toward Qi Bei. An incredulous expression appeared in her eyes. Her red lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Qi Bei had already recalled Princess Ruixue's identity, but he still pretended to know nothing and smiled at her.

In principle, he should respect his big brother's woman and address her as sister-in-law. If she had been an ordinary woman, that would have been fine. But she was royalty, and he could not casually call her sister-in-law. Once he did, how could the eldest daughter of the Feng Family, who was betrothed to his big brother, conduct herself?

The soul that had previously inhabited this body had been muddled and confused, making it impossible for him to see matters concerning the family so clearly.

But the current Qi Bei possessed a clear and penetrating mind. Once he sorted through the memories in his head, many things became as clear as a mirror.

At this moment, Qi Bei suddenly felt the black longsword in his hand tremble. He even caught a faint trace of dark aura. Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to see a hint of coldness flash through the eyes of the maid beside Princess Ruixue. He immediately became alert.

Strange. Does this sword have some kind of special ability? Qi Bei thought.

Huai'an Nord patted Qi Bei on the shoulder and winked at him, wearing an eerie smile. "Qi Bei, your dream is about to come true."

"What?" Qi Bei was completely baffled.

"Our wise and holy Emperor has publicly proclaimed throughout the land that if you returned alive, he would betroth Princess Mingyue to you." Huai'an Nord burst out laughing. He could already imagine how foul Emperor Hanmos's expression must be.

He had heard that Princess Mingyue had been chosen by Tongtian Mountain and was about to become a disciple there. That was an extraordinary honor.

However, once Emperor Hanmos had spoken, it would be difficult for him to take his words back. His genius daughter would have to be handed over to Qi Bei.

Tongtian Mountain stood high above the world. Once someone entered Tongtian Mountain, they were forbidden from interfering in struggles within the royal family. Thus, the Nord Family would have no such concerns.

Uh... Qi Bei frowned. Recalling Princess Mingyue's seemingly indifferent yet actually arrogant gaze, he felt extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps he should find an opportunity to reject this marriage. He was not a masochist.

After the final contingent of the Black Armored Army returned to camp, Huai'an Nord ordered the camp to break out immediately and leave the Undead Mountain Range.

By the time the sky darkened, the Black Armored Army had already left the bounds of the Undead Mountain Range.