Duan Lang

Before them lay a winding path. As far as the eye could see, it was deep and dark, and no one knew where it led.

"Brother, thank you for saving my life." Qin Shuang first thanked Duan Lang, then looked up and said to the other two, "Since there's still another path, let's keep going."

"Alright!" Nie Feng agreed at once. Until he understood the strange circumstances surrounding his father, Nie Renwang's disappearance, he naturally would not retreat.

After walking for more than an hour, the three finally arrived before a small cave entrance. It was low and narrow, and they had to bend and squeeze their bodies to crawl inside.

After passing through the narrow passage, they suddenly found themselves in a spacious underground cavern, where the surrounding heat was stifling.

Even more astonishingly, countless vines grew throughout this hellish cavern, and among them hung strange red fruits as bright as blood.

In the densest part of the vines sat a skeleton, its neck, hands, and feet all bound by iron chains.

When Nie Feng saw the skeleton, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Yet judging from the marks left by the passage of time, he knew for certain that it was not Nie Renwang.

Qin Shuang was beset by injuries, exhaustion, hunger, and thirst. Without thinking too much, he plucked a red fruit and cautiously ate it.

Unexpectedly, after swallowing it, he immediately felt his qi and blood harmonize. His injuries gradually eased and healed, while his inner breath continued to grow stronger.

Who would have thought that the strange red fruits had such effects? Qin Shuang immediately told Nie Feng and Duan Lang about his discovery, urging them to eat some as well and sit down to regulate their breathing.

In no time, the three recovered from their injuries and finally had the chance to examine the cavern carefully.

At that moment, Nie Feng suddenly discovered that the stone platform beneath the skeleton was covered in writing.

Only after reading it all did Nie Feng learn that the skeleton was actually the Nie family's ancestor, Nie Ying!

It turned out that long ago, the Nie family's ancestor, Nie Ying, had made a name for himself throughout the martial world with the peerless Snow Drinking Saber in his hand and a saber art known as the Arrogant Cold Six Forms.

At the time, the Fire Qilin was rampaging throughout the land. For the sake of the common people, Nie Ying resolutely went to Lingyun Cave to battle it.

Although the Fire Qilin was ferocious, Nie Ying's mastery of the Arrogant Cold Six Forms was extraordinary, and the icy saber qi of the Snow Drinking Saber restrained the Fire Qilin's blazing flames.

The two fought fiercely outside Lingyun Cave for several days. After a prolonged battle, the Snow Drinking Saber actually wounded the Fire Qilin, but Nie Ying also accidentally swallowed some Qilin Blood.

The moment the Qilin Blood entered his mouth, Nie Ying suddenly felt as though his internal organs were being scorched by fire. He collapsed, unable to rise, and the Fire Qilin took the opportunity to flee despite its injuries.

A day and a night later, Nie Ying awoke, only to feel a burning pain throughout his body. He also did not dare rashly enter Lingyun Cave to pursue the Fire Qilin.

After Nie Ying returned home, he discovered that his body had undergone drastic changes. His cultivation had multiplied to an unbelievable degree.

Even more frightening was the strange yet powerful killing intent that began spreading through his blood.

More than half a year later, Nie Ying found that the killing intent within him had reached its peak and could no longer be controlled. Fearing that his wife, children, and family would suffer because of him, he left behind the Arrogant Cold Six Forms and the Snow Drinking Saber, then departed without farewell under cover of night.

Nie Ying went first to Sword-Forging Manor and told its master, his close friend Ao Ri, what had happened. He hoped Ao Ri could forge a peerless weapon of utmost yin and coldness—one capable of killing the Fire Qilin, whose nature was utmost yang and heat, while also restraining him should he one day be corrupted by the Qilin Blood.

Afterward, worried that he might lose control and bring disaster upon the martial world, Nie Ying returned to Lingyun Cave. He locked himself inside the cavern with iron chains and waited for Sword-Forging Manor to complete the weapon.

However, forging a peerless weapon required the right time, place, fortune, and blessings. Nie Ying's wait lasted his entire life.

From then on, a terrible tragedy was passed down through the Nie family's generations. A strain of madness remained in their blood, and they could lose control and fall into demonic madness at any moment. The Ice Heart Art created by the Nie family's descendants was also meant to suppress this mad blood.

After learning the whole story, Nie Feng made up his mind. "Senior Brother, such uncontrollable mad blood flows through my veins. If one day it drives me into a frenzy and I reach the point of no return, I hope you'll consider our ties as fellow disciples and end my life. Never let me become a demon and bring disaster upon the martial world!"

Qin Shuang knew that Nie Feng was kindhearted. Seeing how resolute he was, Qin Shuang remained silent for a moment before nodding firmly. "If that day truly comes, I'll personally take your life. I won't let you live with regret for the rest of your life!"

"I never imagined that your Nie family also had such a connection with the Fire Qilin!"

Duan Lang sighed, then slowly recounted some of the Duan family's past. "The Duan family's ancestor, the world's greatest swordsman of his time, Duan Zhengxian, fought the Fire Qilin that was ravaging the land. After a fierce battle, he cut off one of its scales and later embedded it into a sword blade, naming it the Fire Qilin Sword."

"The place I attacked earlier was the only spot on the Fire Qilin's body without the protection of scales. That was why I was able to injure it with a single strike."

Duan Lang paused, then continued. "Like the mad blood in your body, the Fire Qilin Sword also has a great hidden danger. The scale embedded in the sword can generate an incredible power of its own and help its wielder increase his cultivation. But the longer one wields it, the more it begins to control the wielder's mind, giving rise to demonic thoughts that become impossible to escape."

"I know full well that it's a double-edged sword, but I still can't bear to give up its effects."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang instinctively touched his restored left eye. Uneasy, he forced himself to shift his attention and looked around, only to discover something else. "Look, there are murals on the stone wall."

Nie Feng and Duan Lang came over and examined them carefully. "This is a saber art!"

"It's the Nie family's Arrogant Cold Six Forms!" Nie Feng discovered that the murals depicted the Nie family's ancestral saber art and cried out in surprise. He then could not resist studying them closely, realizing that they were even more profound and varied than the version his father, Nie Renwang, used.

Nie Renwang had never taught Nie Feng the Arrogant Cold Six Forms, so he had only been able to secretly learn by watching from the side. Now that he saw these murals, practicing them gave him an even greater sense of understanding, and he benefited greatly.

Moreover, the more he practiced the saber art depicted in the murals, the more the medicinal effects of the strange red fruits within his body were stimulated. He felt his inner power constantly increasing, as though he had to release it or burst.

Seeing Nie Feng practice the saber art as though no one else was there, Qin Shuang did not interrupt him. Instead, he walked aside and began speaking with Duan Lang. He learned that Duan Lang's father, Duan Shuai, had disappeared in Lingyun Cave together with Nie Renwang back then, and that Duan Lang had come this time to investigate the truth of what happened.

Although they had recovered the Fire Qilin Sword and the Snow Drinking Saber during their search, they still had not found any trace of Duan Shuai or Nie Renwang—neither alive nor dead.

Nie Feng was immersed in his martial training, while Qin Shuang and Duan Lang were unwilling to waste time and began cultivating as well.

Several hours passed like this. With the aid of the strange red fruits, Nie Feng and Duan Lang unexpectedly entered the Innate Realm one after another. One had to know that the two of them were only fifteen or sixteen years old!

Of course, Qin Shuang had no need to feel envious. The medicinal effects of the Lesser Restoration Pill within him had not yet been fully absorbed, and now he had also eaten the strange red fruits. The effects of the two medicines combined, surging and complementing each other, unexpectedly allowed him to advance again less than half a month after breaking into the Innate Realm, reaching the Mid-Innate Realm!

With their strength greatly increased, the three were filled with confidence. They returned by the same route, swearing to slay the Fire Qilin and unravel the mysteries of Lingyun Cave.