Burning Life

The cliff wind howled past, carrying gravel, and Chu Ning's robes flapped loudly as they were torn.

The moment weightlessness consumed his entire body, he surprisingly thought of the dusk when he climbed the old locust tree at the village entrance as a child.

Back then, he thought falling was the most terrifying punishment in the world, but now the darkness of the abyss threatened to swallow even the sound of his heartbeat.

"Crack!"

The hundred-zhang-deep abyss opened its giant maw, and the gilded carriage beside him split into pieces.

The moment the carved carriage shaft broke, twenty ingots of officially minted gold scattered like stardust.

The charred little beast in his arms was rapidly losing warmth, and its nine illusory fox tails peeled away inch by inch in the wind, drifting into the endless darkness like burnt incense ash.

He suddenly remembered the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox in Blazing Flame Valley that day, the proud tilt of its chin as it licked its wounds. This little one never learned to beg for mercy, even until its death.

At this moment, his mind felt instantly emptied, leaving only a dead silence.

Is this... is this all going to end here?

No!

Chu Ning gritted his teeth fiercely, forcing himself to calm down.

He couldn't die!

If he died, what would happen to Elder Sister? She's a weak woman; she'd eventually be driven to a dead end by the Wang Family!

If he died, what about Thunderclap Martial Hall? Lei Wanjun placed great hope in him, even promising him the inheritance of the martial hall in the future. How could he betray all that?

If he died, who would repay the blood debt owed to the Wang Family?

No!

The desire to survive surged like a tide, breaking through all fear.

A cold touch came from his fingertips.

Chu Ning's eyes snapped open, and he saw the curled-up paw of the Little White Fox still clinging to his blood-stained collar.

The Little White Fox's figure flickered unstably in the chaotic airflow. It curled up its body, as if it had given up struggling.

"No... I can't die..."

Chu Ning's heart pounded wildly. Survival instincts drove him to use his last ounce of strength to think of a way out, but the bottomless darkness was like an merciless death sentence.

The scorch marks on its back were deep enough to see bone, yet its azure eyes stubbornly reflected the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the clouds.

It was just like that day in Blazing Flame Valley, the proud tilt of its chin as it licked its wounds.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, trying to steady his posture, but the speed of his descent was too fast; he couldn't adjust himself in mid-air.

Suddenly, he saw the scattered gold around him.

The gold that originally belonged to the Wang Family's pawnshop was now falling into the abyss with him.

Gold...

The prompt from the Chaos Divine Order flashed in his mind.

[Golden Cudgel Spell repayment not yet completed]

One hundred taels of gold...

Right!

With a thought, he immediately sank into his Sea of Consciousness and summoned the Chaos Divine Order.

[Current Order Master's repayment for Golden Cudgel Spell: One hundred taels of gold, one year of lifespan]

The scattered gold ingots suddenly hovered in mid-air, their surfaces showing spiderweb-like cracks.

Strands of golden light were forcibly extracted, converging into the token like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The Chaos Divine Order's suction power suddenly surged. Chu Ning clearly saw his lifespan being frantically drawn away, a strand of black hair at his forehead turning white inch by inch.

He felt a part of his vitality being stripped away, as if he had aged slightly in an instant.

He raised his hand and touched his hair, discovering a streak of white among his originally jet-black strands.

Buzz—!

The moment Chu Ning's consciousness sank into the Chaos Divine Order, a strange golden light suddenly erupted from the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

The Golden Cudgel Spell was originally an invisible mark, but now, a radiant rune appeared on the snow fox's left front paw, as if flames were burning within its fur.

"Whimper—!"

The Little White Fox's eyes snapped open, a fierce struggle surging in the depths of its pupils. Its body trembled violently, as if trying to resist the binding force.

But the power of the Golden Cudgel Spell was like chains, penetrating deep into its Divine Soul and fiercely clamping down on its will.

At this moment, Chu Ning also clearly felt this mysterious connection.

It was a perception completely different from before, as if... he could hear the snow fox's heartbeat, sense its anger, fear, resistance, and even its combat instincts.

"Is this the power of the Golden Cudgel Spell?"

Chu Ning was deeply shocked. In that brief moment, he had even sensed some of the snow fox's combat intuition.

That keen perception of airflow changes, the ability to spot the slightest openings in an enemy's defense, even their attack patterns, flashed through Chu Ning's mind.

The night wind was like a blade, howling wildly through the deep Eagle Beak Cliff.

Though he had paid the price for the Golden Cudgel Spell, his descent didn't slow. It felt as if an endless darkness was about to swallow him whole.

Below was the dark, bottomless abyss of the cliff, the shadow of death enveloping his entire body.

"Not enough... I want to live!"

Chu Ning's eyes suddenly sharpened. He couldn't just stop here; he wanted to gain complete control over life and death.

At this moment, a prompt from the Chaos Divine Order flashed through his mind.

[Current available pre-paid Profound Tier intermediate flying technique: Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique]

Chu Ning suddenly understood and quickly took out the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique from his waist.

This was a true flying technique, capable of borrowing the power of heaven and earth to ride the wind, moving like a shadow with the breeze.

If he could master this martial art, he could find a way to survive this fatal fall.

He had no time to hesitate. The bottom of the cliff was getting closer, and the shadow of death hung over his neck like a sharp blade.

The taste of bloody foam with a metallic tang rose in his throat. Chu Ning roared into the gale, "Chaos Divine—!"

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the bronze token vibrated violently.

"Pre-pay!"

[The current Order Master is attempting to pre-pay for the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique using the Profound Tier intermediate technique: Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique. Pre-payment successful.]

[Pre-payment condition: Must pay one year of lifespan.]

[Repayment condition: Kill one Ninth Rank Martial Artist to succeed. Upon repayment, the next pre-payment effect will be enabled!]

[Current available pre-paid techniques and martial arts: Zero.]

Boom!

In an instant, a strange energy surged into Chu Ning's meridians, and the information of a brand-new martial art was instantly branded into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

Chu Ning felt his Blood Essence churn violently within his body, as if a savage hurricane was raging through his internal organs.

His meridians were torn apart, only to be instantly repaired by a more refined True Qi. His muscles felt as if they were struck by lightning, only to grow even tougher.

Pain! Intense pain!

But this was not just agony; it was an unprecedented transformation!

A faint blue glow appeared on the surface of Chu Ning's skin. His arms felt incredibly light, and an innate instinct for flight surfaced in his consciousness.

"What is this feeling?"

He suddenly opened his eyes. The world before him seemed to have slowed down. The trajectory of the airflow was clearly visible, and every change in wind direction was etched into his mind.

Wind!

Chu Ning suddenly realized that he could clearly perceive the flow of the surrounding air, even seeing how each current of air coiled around him.

This perception was like controlling an invisible force, a sense never before possessed by humans, now fully activated.

"Is this the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique?"

He abruptly adjusted his posture, and his falling speed instantly slowed, as if he were being supported by invisible wings.

At the same time, his forehead stung.

His lifespan was being stripped away. The corners of Chu Ning's forehead instantly turned white with frost, yet he laughed wildly, "Trading a year of my life for a chance to live? This is a bargain!"

A year of lifespan was no longer a heavy price for him.

The real test was the repayment condition.

A Ninth Rank Martial Artist...

But Chu Ning couldn't worry about that now.

Intense pain erupted from his Dantian.

The newly formed Qi surged like thousands of silver needles piercing his meridians, yet Chu Ning laughed heartily amidst the agony.

He spread his arms, letting the gale fill his sleeves. At this moment, every wisp of air that brushed against his skin became an extension of his limbs.

The thunder in the clouds resonated with his heartbeat.

"Sky-Rending!"

His downward momentum abruptly stopped. He lightly tapped the void with his toes, creating a ripple of air against the cliff face.

His body, which had been falling at high speed, managed to stabilize in mid-air.

The wind howled, and his robes flapped loudly.

Chu Ning hovered silently in mid-air, his eyes blazing like torches.

"It worked..."

At this moment, he had mastered the art of flight.

He slowly adjusted his breathing, his body drifting lightly in the air as he tested his control over direction.

"Whoosh—"

A wind blade whistled out from a crack in the cliff face. Chu Ning shifted his body, easily dodging it.

He floated in the air for a moment before slowly descending.

The ground at the bottom of the cliff was covered in rubble, and a dark aura permeated the area.

Chu Ning stepped onto a flat rock, landing steadily.

The moment he steadied himself, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, his heart pounding.

He survived...

He looked down at his hands, feeling the new power coursing through his meridians.

The Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique... it was truly miraculous!

A smile slowly spread across his lips.

Now, not only had he survived, but he had also mastered the true art of flight.

However, he did not relax.

He looked up towards the clifftop.

His enemies were still searching for him there.

He had to leave this place as soon as possible.

Around Eagle Beak Cliff, dozens of Wang Family martial artists, holding torches and with sharp eyes, searched along the edge of the mountain.

"Where is he?"

A black-clothed guard frowned, looking at Wang Zheng beside him. "We clearly saw him fall just now, how can we not even find his body? And the gold ingots that fell are also gone!"

Wang Zheng's expression was grim. He swept his gaze across the bottomless cliff and said in a deep voice, "Send people down to search! Even if he's smashed into a pulp, bring back the remains!"

However, after sending down several people, none of them found anything.

"Could it be... he's still alive?"

Everyone exchanged glances, seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"Impossible! Such a high cliff, how could he possibly survive?"

Wang Zheng snorted coldly, "Keep searching! Whether he's alive or dead, the Wang Family wants a definitive answer!"