Dragon Mountain Daoist

Beneath the cover of night, Dragon Mountain Daoist.

Flames soared into the sky, their surging tongues swallowing Snow Plum Manor and the pavilions together.

One black-clothed man after another watched the increasingly terrifying Sea of Flames with cold, merciless cruelty. Occasionally, one or two survivors who had slipped through the net could not withstand the heat and ran out of the flames, only to have their heads severed by a single sword.

Lord Feng's lips slowly curled into a smile.

He wanted to personally watch Snow Plum Manor turn to ashes.

The fire raged more fiercely.

A black-clothed man came running over from the distance in panic.

"Lord Feng, Dragon Mountain Daoist of the True Martial Sect is already on his way here. Should we withdraw now?"

Lord Feng's brows furrowed, and his eyes flashed with deep apprehension.

"Wasn't that Dragon Mountain old bull's nose coming tomorrow? Why did he come early?"

"This subordinate doesn't know."

"Trash!"

Lord Feng snorted coldly and finally ordered:

"Withdraw!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist possessed heaven-defying talent. It was said that he had obtained the True Martial Inheritance and risen abruptly to make a tremendous name for himself throughout the Great Yan Dynasty. Later, he even rebuilt the True Martial Sect, earning renown among the world's Daoist Sects.

It was said that he was already on the verge of stepping into the Heaven-Human Realm. Even with all his subordinates ganging up on him, Lord Feng had no confidence they could win.

He took a deep look at the manor that had become a Sea of Flames.

Under such a raging fire, ordinary martial artists could not possibly survive, much less a newborn infant. The child had probably already fainted and would turn into charred remains in his sleep.

With a cold laugh, the group of black-clothed men departed amid a gust of wind.

Inside the hidden compartment.

Ning Qi felt the temperature around him gradually rise, both shocked and enraged.

He had never expected these people to be so vicious. After slaughtering everyone in the manor, they actually intended to reduce the entire place to ashes.

A chilly gleam rose in his eyes.

But now was not the time to think about such things. The most urgent matter was figuring out how to survive.

The Innate Fetal Breathing Technique continued circulating without pause, slowing the advancing heat considerably. However, as the flames surged and swallowed the hidden compartment, Ning Qi would have no road left but death! He had just been born and could not move. He had not even eaten yet. If not for the Innate Fetal Breathing Technique he had created, he would probably already be dead.

But even so.

Given the current situation, it seemed he was still doomed.

"What should I do?"

Ning Qi's thoughts spun ceaselessly. Amid the blazing flames, he faintly heard that group of black-clothed men had already left.

"Dragon Mountain Daoist? The True Martial Sect? Is this Daoist a friend of my parents, or some other righteous man?"

One thought after another surfaced in Ning Qi's mind.

He knew that his hope of survival might rest on this Dragon Mountain Daoist.

He curled himself as much as possible inside the swaddling clothes. The material was extraordinarily special and made him somewhat more comfortable. He needed to hold on until Dragon Mountain Daoist arrived—and, more importantly, he needed Dragon Mountain Daoist to discover him.

"Sound!"

"I need a voice loud enough not to be drowned out by the sound of the flames."

Although Dragon Mountain Daoist was a top expert and would most likely discover him if Ning Qi exited his Innate Fetal Breathing state, Ning Qi still needed to fight for his own survival.

"How can I make my voice louder?"

"Merge it with the breath and let the voice be expelled along with the breath... An infant's cry is already sharp enough. If I can make the vibration frequency of my vocal cords more reasonable..."

"..."

Bursts of Spiritual Light continually rose in Ning Qi's mind.

He tried opening and closing his mouth while mobilizing the Innate Qi within his body. He had a powerful premonition that once he made a sound, it would certainly be loud enough to carry.

This was a vocalization technique. Ning Qi felt that he could call it the Sonic Vibration Method.

A gleam flashed through Ning Qi's eyes.

If he knew martial arts in his current state, he could even directly create a sonic martial art, such as the Buddhist Lion's Roar from the wuxia novels of his previous life!

This was the power of Max Level Comprehension.

Everything was ready.

He began to look forward to it.

"Daoist Longshan, you have to get here quickly!"

If Daoist Longshan arrived too late, he would probably already have become a charred corpse.

He could already feel the increasingly fierce heat. The sound of buildings collapsing in the flames rang out from time to time. If not for the hidden compartment's somewhat unusual material, he would probably have already been crushed to death.

The night grew deeper.

Yet the area around Snow Plum Manor was glowing red, as bright as day. The Sea of Flames dyed half the sky crimson.

When Dragon Mountain Daoist arrived, fury surged through his eyes at the sight before him.

"What a vicious thief!"

He had originally come at their invitation, never expecting to witness such a horrifying massacre. The Culprit's methods were so cruel they were utterly outrageous.

Dragon Mountain Daoist shouted angrily. Gang Qi continuously surged between his palms like fine rain, pressing down toward the Sea of Flames.

Patches of flame were extinguished, only for even more vigorous flames to rise again at once.

His expression became even uglier.

If the fire had just begun, he would have been confident of extinguishing it. But now, the situation was set. Even if he fought with all his strength, he could probably save only a pile of ruined walls.

Protected by Gang Qi, he walked through the flames unharmed, repeatedly shouting:

"Manor Lord Ning!"

"Heroine Jiang!"

"Old Taoist Longshan is here!"

He knew that Ning Ye and his wife were probably already doomed, but he still held on to a sliver of hope and fantasy.

He continued calling out.

But no reply came for a long time.

Dragon Mountain Daoist was filled with remorse. If he had arrived half a day earlier, perhaps he could have prevented this tragedy.

Suddenly.

His footsteps halted. He seemed to hear the cry of an infant.

He instinctively thought he had heard wrong. After all, how could an infant still be alive in such a Sea of Flames?

But immediately, his expression changed.

The crying grew louder and louder, passing through the flames. It was absolutely not an auditory hallucination.

"There's a survivor!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist grew excited.

Borrowing the force of his movement, he shot into the air and streaked toward the corner where the sound originated. Then Gang Qi condensed in his palm, and the flames there were instantly pressed out.

He slowly approached, astonishment rising in his eyes.

The infant's cries had clearly come from the hidden compartment before him.

Gang Qi flowed through his palm like a blade, slowly cutting open the hidden compartment. Then a figure wrapped in swaddling clothes appeared before his eyes.

Looking at the infant before him.

The astonishment in Dragon Mountain Daoist's eyes deepened. After he opened the hidden compartment, the infant stopped crying and merely looked at him in silence, as if the crying had specifically been meant to lure him over.

Not only that.

He had sensed the temperature inside the hidden compartment earlier. Although it was better than outside, for a newborn infant to endure until now was absolutely a miracle!

Even so, the infant's cheeks and skin had already begun to glow bright red.

"This child certainly has a powerful life force!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist slowly picked up Ning Qi. He discovered a Jade Pendant bearing the character "Qi" and a copy of Night Plum Swordplay inside the swaddling clothes.

"Night Plum Swordplay was the pinnacle work created together by Manor Lord Ning and Heroine Jiang. It seems you are the child they left behind."

Dragon Mountain Daoist sighed.

"Perhaps this is Heaven's will. Perhaps it was your parents protecting you from beyond the grave that allowed you to miraculously survive this slaughter."

"From now on, your name will be Ning Qi."

As his words fell.

Dragon Mountain Daoist was surprised to discover that the infant before him seemed to smile happily.

"You little fellow, your spirituality is extraordinary. You can distinguish good from evil by nature. You will certainly be extraordinary in the future."

Ning Qi also sized up the Middle-aged Daoist before him. He wore a gray cloth Daoist Robe and a goatee, and his peaceful features made it easy for anyone to feel favorably disposed toward him at first glance.

After hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist's call earlier, Ning Qi had decisively used the Sonic Vibration Method to produce the sound of an infant crying. Now, he had finally escaped danger.

His mind relaxed all at once.

He had just transmigrated and immediately encountered such a situation. Not to mention, Ning Qi was only a newborn infant. At this moment, after hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist say that his name was still Ning Qi, he smiled faintly and finally could not resist sinking into sleep.

Dragon Mountain Daoist was startled.

He hurriedly checked Ning Qi's pulse. After realizing that Ning Qi had merely overexerted himself and needed to replenish his energy, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, surprise soon rose in his eyes.

That was because, according to his perception, the Innate Qi within the child's body was exceptionally dense.

"No wonder he managed to endure in the Sea of Flames until now. Thinking about it carefully, the crying just now seemed to contain some kind of technique as well?"

"Could he truly be someone born knowing?"

Dragon Mountain Daoist looked at Ning Qi with ever greater astonishment.

Without a doubt, this was an uncarved jade.

His innate foundation was profound, and his spirituality was extraordinary. He was also incomparably intelligent.

"Manor Lord Ning, you and your wife left behind such an intelligent child. You can rest in peace. Don't worry—I'll take him as my disciple and raise him to adulthood. I'll teach him properly. As for the Culprit who killed you, I'll investigate to the very end!"

Looking at Snow Plum Manor, which had been devoured by the Sea of Flames, Dragon Mountain Daoist silently made up his mind.

The next day.

Dragon Mountain Daoist held Ning Qi as he stood before a grave containing only their clothes and crowns.

This was the tomb he had erected for Ning Qi's parents. The fire had been too fierce the previous night. Apart from Ning Qi, there had been no survivors in the entire manor, and not even their bones could be found.

Ning Qi had eaten the food Dragon Mountain Daoist borrowed and had now woken up.

He looked at the grave before him, his expression complicated.

Having just transmigrated, he had become an orphan. Yet the loving feeling of his birth mother, Jiang Xuemei, still surfaced in his mind from time to time. They had sacrificed themselves to protect Ning Qi. Such kindness could never be forgotten.

"One day, I will certainly avenge you and repay blood with blood."

Ning Qi said silently in his heart.

He remembered that "Lord Feng" from the previous day and those Culprits. An icy killing intent surged through his heart.

That man had not only killed his birth father and mother, but had nearly caused him to perish in the Sea of Flames.

This vengeance had to be repaid!

With Max Level Comprehension, he only needed a stable environment in which to grow, and he could develop at astonishing speed. Avenging himself in the future would absolutely not be difficult. Moreover, that day would not be far off.

And now.

He already had a stable environment in which to grow.

Dragon Mountain Daoist sighed. Countless thoughts rose in his heart before finally transforming into a benevolent smile. He lowered his head to look at Ning Qi.

"Little fellow, from now on, you are the ninth disciple of me, Dragon Mountain Daoist!"

"Come back to the mountain with me!"

Now that he had Ning Qi with him, this was not the time to investigate the Culprit. He first had to settle Ning Qi, then investigate slowly later. A force capable of annihilating Snow Plum Manor overnight was absolutely no weakling. After all, Ning Ye and his wife had not been weak either.

Seeing the smile spreading across Ning Qi's lips, Dragon Mountain Daoist's mood improved somewhat as well.

Holding Ning Qi, he drifted away.