This Time, Victory Is Assured

Th-this... isn't this just fooling around?

Under the starry night, on the Lotus Platform racing northeast, Ji Mo held his right hand before him in a sword-finger gesture. His face was dark with frustration, his expression indescribably tangled.

From time to time, he turned to look at the two figures behind him—one burly, the other especially burly. He wanted to say something, yet whenever the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back helplessly.

Brother Xiong came to help me, and even brought along this body cultivation expert. What more can I say?

But as the young master of a clan, how could he so easily throw himself into danger?

If something happens to Brother Xiong later, I truly will regret it for the rest of my life.

Ji Mo could even hear the muttering from the two men chatting behind him.

"Young Master, flying in the sky is pretty fun too. Feels way faster than riding wolves."

"Stop calling me Young Master. I call you Third Uncle, you call me Hou Di," Wu Wang said, glaring at General Xiong San. "Cultivators can use Spiritual Consciousness to investigate everywhere. You just exposed our identities outright."

General Xiong San scratched his head and muttered softly, "Didn't Ji Mo's friend use some sneaking and hiding method?"

Wu Wang patiently began explaining some common sense.

"Brother Ji is only an early Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. What we may face are Immortal Realm experts.

"The hiding methods of low-realm cultivators are difficult to conceal from high-realm cultivators. We must be prepared at every moment for a fierce battle should we encounter powerful enemies."

"Hehe." General Xiong San rubbed his huge hands excitedly. "The chief threw me back home to protect you all these years. I've been stifled to death!"

Wu Wang: ...

Ji Mo turned and said, "Brother Hou Di, this matter truly has nothing to do with either of you. I intend to leave the Northern Wilds at once."

"To be honest, Brother Ji," Wu Wang said with utter sincerity in his eyes, "going to save Fairy Ling was not my decision. I have little interest in women—or rather, at this stage, little interest in women.

"If Brother Ji will not go, please leave behind a way to contact them. General Xiong San and I can go ourselves."

"This..." Ji Mo's eyes brimmed with emotion.

What kind of spirit was this?

The warm hospitality of the Northern Wilds human race was fully embodied in this young master.

So it turned out those concerned for the future of humanity were not merely...

"Nephew Hou Di," General Xiong San asked in confusion, "was this really Lord Cangxue's order?"

"Yes." Wu Wang frowned in thought, strands of Spiritual Consciousness already spreading across the widest possible range. "I do not know the precise reason either, but surely it cannot be because Mother saw that Fairy Ling was beautiful and told me to rescue her."

General Xiong San tried hard to recall it. Soon, he grinned and shook his head, saying disdainfully, "The women of the Human Domain are all so skinny. Ugh."

Wu Wang suddenly asked, "By the way, Brother Ji, does that Wang Lin who saved you earlier have a powerful sect backing him?"

"Just an ordinary immortal sect," Ji Mo sighed. "For an ordinary sect to nurture such outstanding talent was already no easy feat, and then he saved me...

"I am ashamed to receive such kindness. I do not know how to repay it."

Ji Mo drew a soft breath and could only raise his vigilance to the utmost, observing all around while steering the Lotus Platform.

The Human Domain truly lay too far from the Northern Wilds. Even immortals crossing the West Sea and Eastern Sea to reach this place would need at least three to five days. Moreover, high-level immortals would not easily enter dangerous ground for the sake of a few young disciples.

If this was a trap, the Human Domain's fighting strength would certainly suffer losses. In the end, the disaster would affect far more than a few people or a few dozen people.

At this moment, he could only rely on himself.

Ji Mo clenched his left hand, his gaze incomparably resolute, but soon regret rose in him again... There were still so many regrets in this life. He had yet to meet many young maidens of other races. Truly...

"Brother Ji, slow down. Enter the forest ahead to the left, staying close to the ground."

Wu Wang suddenly spoke. Ji Mo instinctively followed his instructions, and the Lotus Platform swiftly descended from the sky, plunging into that sparse grove.

"Brother Xiong, what is it?"

Wu Wang did not answer. Instead, he pulled a Crystal Ball from the leather pouch at his waist and lightly tapped it with one finger.

Light flickered faintly inside the Crystal Ball. Soon, thirty-six stars appeared, continuously shifting and rearranging into formations before finally revealing a blurry image.

It was a pool of water. Ling Xiaolan, soaked from head to toe, lay collapsed on the bank. Three bloody claw marks extended from her back to her arm, a terrifying sight.

Wu Wang pondered for a moment, then asked quietly, "Where did Granny Yin go?"

Ji Mo said, "Perhaps she went to lure away the Fierce Beast. Or perhaps she could not defeat it and let Fairy Ling escape first."

"The Star Invocation Technique shows that she is still thirteen hundred li from here."

Wu Wang said, "If I remember correctly, that is northwest of Blood Soil Forest. Several ten-thousand-year Fierce Beasts are active nearby year-round, and it is not far from the sleeping ground of a discovered thirty-thousand-year Fierce Beast."

Ji Mo immediately nodded and looked at Wu Wang.

Wu Wang asked curiously, "Brother Ji, did you not notice anything unusual?"

"Well... it is too quiet around us?"

"Let us continue onward."

Wu Wang said, "From here on, we fly close to the ground. I will tell you the direction. Do not go too fast, but do not go too slowly either.

"If we encounter anyone else, Brother Ji may save them as you see fit. But the task assigned to me is to rescue Ling Xiaolan."

"Brother Xiong's willingness to act has already left me not knowing how to express my gratitude." Ji Mo looked at the Crystal Ball and vaguely understood why Wu Wang had come along.

So this was the Northern Wilds' Star Invocation Technique? It truly was wondrous.

Wu Wang smiled. "The Star Invocation Technique is the signature art of the Northern Wilds. Once outside the Northern Wilds, it becomes difficult to sense the origin of star power. In particular, scouting and search-type Star Invocation Techniques suffer greatly diminished effects."

Ji Mo agreed. His sword fingers swayed lightly, and the Lotus Platform resumed its rapid flight close to the ground.

Wu Wang occasionally spoke to correct his direction. The boundless grasslands around them gradually became mountain forests filled with jagged, strange rocks.

Before they knew it, a faint mist had risen in the sky. Roars of Fierce Beasts sounded from time to time in the darkness, and now and then they could hear snores like crashing waves striking a shore.

About an hour passed like this.

At some point, the earth had turned crimson. Every so often, the skeletons of colossal beasts could be seen strewn through the mountain forest, hardened like stone by the passage of too many years.

"Stop."

Wu Wang suddenly spoke. Ji Mo, tense from head to toe, trembled in his sword-finger gesture. The Lotus Platform came to an abrupt halt, nearly throwing all three of them off.

General Xiong San gripped the two short axes resting on his shoulders. His playful expression had vanished, replaced by utmost solemnity.

Ji Mo hurriedly asked, "Did that spherical magic treasure discover another anomaly?"

"We are still over three hundred li from the pool where Ling Xiaolan is," Wu Wang said. "Let us split up first. Continue forward while General Xiong San and I take a detour.

"Pay attention to scouting the surroundings. Avoid areas where ambushes are likely. Taking a longer route does not matter."

"Alright!"

Hearing Brother Xiong's arrangements, Ji Mo instead felt relieved.

A moment later, the Lotus Platform continued speeding close to the ground. Ji Mo turned back, only to see Wu Wang and General Xiong San standing quietly where they were. Though his stomach was full of doubts, he did not dwell on them and continued charging toward Ling Xiaolan.

A moment later, General Xiong San, who had not moved a single step, asked softly, "Young Master, how are we getting there?"

Wu Wang did not answer. With his hands behind his back, he pondered for a while before saying, "No hurry. Let us first see whether he gets ambushed."

"Huh?"

General Xiong San's eyes widened. "Could that pretty boy be trying to set us up?"

"That possibility is very small," Wu Wang said. "I will explain it to General San later. But General San may have to suffer a little grievance first."

General Xiong San laughed. "Come on! I'll carry Young Master!"

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Wang grabbed his arm. Starlight gathered around both of them, concealing their forms in the night as though they had vanished completely.

A pair of shimmering, multicolored star wings unfurled behind Wu Wang. Carrying General Xiong San, he slowly rose into the air, seeming to merge among the stars.

Although the Star Invocation Technique was power borrowed from the Star God, did not increase one's lifespan, and weakened outside the Northern Wilds...

It was truly irresistible.

Was this going a little too smoothly?

Within the forest beside the pool, Ji Mo hid in the crown of a tree. A long sword, a whisk, and a lotus flower floated around him. Watching the unconscious beauty in the distance, he felt somewhat doubtful.

Although Ling Xiaolan was severely injured, her life was not in danger.

And she lay right beside the pool. No matter how he looked at it, she resembled... resembled... bait.

Ji Mo repeatedly investigated the surroundings but found no trace of the Fierce Beast from before, nor any signs of a great battle.

If Ji Mo's deduction was correct, Granny Yin should have lured that Fierce Beast away and temporarily placed Ling Xiaolan here.

Where were the others?

Ji Mo did his best to spread out his immortal consciousness, but soon sighed in disappointment.

More than ten rising talents... Perhaps among them were heroes who could have cultivated into immortals.

Ji Mo hesitated for a while before deciding to rescue Ling Xiaolan first. He would then dash away at his fastest speed and flee back along the route they had come.

Where is Brother Xiong?

He looked around several times, only feeling that Brother Xiong was mysterious and unfathomable. That Star Invocation Technique of his was quite remarkable at investigation.

Move!

A trace of golden light bloomed in Ji Mo's eyes. His internal aura surged, and a three-inch-tall figure seemed to sit cross-legged within his chest as he prepared to rush out.

Suddenly, he stopped, suppressing his aura. His immortal consciousness detected two figures rapidly approaching from afar. Focusing his gaze, he was instantly overjoyed and leaped down from the canopy, taking several steps forward to greet them.

Several afterimages appeared in the forest, and a clear aura spread out. The two incoming figures appeared before Ji Mo.

Ji Mo hurriedly asked, "Senior Granny Yin! How are Wang Lin's injuries?"

The elderly woman supported a young cultivator with a horrifying wound across his chest. Who else could it be but Wang Lin, who had blocked a claw strike for Ji Mo earlier?

"His life is not in danger, but his Golden Core has been destroyed. Re-forming it will likely be harder than scaling the heavens," the old woman sighed. "After I lured away that Fierce Beast, I searched everywhere. In the end, I only found Wang Lin.

"Nephew Ji Mo, how are your injuries?"

"I am fine now." Ji Mo frowned tightly and took the unconscious Wang Lin from her. "Senior Granny Yin, let us retrieve Fairy Ling and leave quickly.

"This disaster happened because I overlooked too much. Once we return, I will certainly accept punishment."

The old woman gently offered Ji Mo a few words of comfort. She wrapped Ji Mo and Wang Lin in Magic Power, leading them toward the pool.

Yet before they had taken two steps, they both halted and looked toward the pool.

There, a long sword appeared out of thin air amid wisps of dissipating starlight, pressed against Ling Xiaolan's snow-white neck.

That familiar open robe, the casually loose hair, and the somewhat stiff smile at the corner of his lips made Ji Mo's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

"Brother Xiong? What are you doing!?"

It was Wu Wang in disguise.

Wu Wang smiled. "Brother Ji, it seems that apart from your high emotional intelligence and your skill at dealing with people, your only virtue is cherishing beauty.

"If I am not mistaken, Ling Xiaolan is very important to you all, yes?

"Brother Ji, release Wang Lin and come forward. Granny Yin, stay where you are."

As he spoke, Wu Wang pushed the long sword forward. A faint mark immediately appeared on Ling Xiaolan's neck.

But Granny Yin's face darkened. Leaning on her cane, she stepped half a pace forward and said coldly, "Junior, do not be so arrogant! If you harm one of the Human Domain's immortal seedlings of this generation, I will make sure your clan cannot swallow what it has bitten off.

"Withdraw at once!"

"So I really cannot scare you people." Wu Wang withdrew his sword and muttered, "I came to save people. How could I hurt people? The logic does not quite work."

Ji Mo visibly relaxed and said bitterly, "Brother Xiong, this joke of yours truly..."

Buzz!

A whistling sound suddenly came from the side. A battle-axe appeared from thin air and hacked straight toward Wang Lin's neck!

In that split second between lightning and flint, Granny Yin struck out with astonishing speed, immediately grabbing Wang Lin by the shoulder and flinging him behind her.

But the battle-axe was merely a feint. A huge hand snatched up Ji Mo with the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears.

Borrowing the force of Granny Yin's palm strike, by the time General Xiong San's figure fully emerged, he had already seized Ji Mo and retreated to Wu Wang's side.

Wu Wang smiled. "Brother Ji, did you see? In Granny Yin's eyes, you—the second immortal seedling and descendant of the loyal Ji Family—are far less important than Wang Lin, a promising cultivator from an ordinary sect."

Ji Mo hurriedly said, "Brother Wang Lin is injured..."

Wu Wang raised a hand, signaling him not to speak. With his hands behind his back, he took two steps forward and looked at Granny Yin with a smile.

"Senior seems to have been somewhat careless. You placed Fairy Ling here, yet did not even set up half a formation."

Granny Yin fell silent briefly, then sighed. "If I had set up a formation, the spiritual power fluctuations might have more easily attracted that Fierce Beast. I could only resort to this inferior strategy."

"Oh? Do Fierce Beasts not mostly search by scent and aura? Even without the Fierce Beast that attacked you, this is the most densely populated region of Fierce Beasts in the Northern Wilds."

Wu Wang narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Could it be that Senior did not go far just now?"

"That is correct," Granny Yin immediately said. "I was searching nearby earlier."

"Where did you lure that Fierce Beast?"

"North."

"North?"

Wu Wang smiled. "If I did not remember wrongly from when I memorized maps at seven years old, within a thousand li north of here, there are about thirteen ten-thousand-year Fierce Beasts, as well as a Chujian that has lived thirty-seven thousand years.

"Fierce Beasts have their own rules for their territories. If a new ten-thousand-year Fierce Beast had appeared and wandered about everywhere, this place should be quite lively by now."

Granny Yin's expression darkened as she said coldly, "Perhaps that Fierce Beast possesses a method to conceal its tracks."

"Indeed, that was what I thought as well," Wu Wang said blandly. "Perhaps that Fierce Beast is hiding nearby, concealing its aura and ready to pounce at any moment.

"Then let me ask Senior one more small question. It will not delay Senior for long."

"Please speak, Young Master Xiong."

"Why were the only survivors Brother Ji, Fairy Ling, and this Brother Wang?"

Wu Wang stood with his hands behind his back. Even his disguised face carried a trace of majesty as he smiled.

"Could it be that some power in the Human Domain wishes to raise this Wang Lin into some future great figure, and deliberately arranged this journey into the Northern Wilds?

"Having shared hardship on this journey, if things went a little more smoothly, Brother Wang could later use some methods to win a beauty's heart, as well as Brother Ji's trust.

"On my way here, I asked Su Qing. The Heavenly Origin Mystic Maiden Sect possesses the Mysterious Maiden's Heart Sutra, which can provide immense aid to a Dao companion's cultivation and magical combat. That is why a sect of female cultivators can rank among the ten great immortal sects and possess considerable influence in the Human Domain.

"Although Brother Ji has no immortal sect background, he is descended from a prestigious family. The youngest son of a family loyal through generations is often the most favored.

"Behind Brother Ji should be the frontier soldiers guarding the Human Domain.

"With the aid of those two, as long as Brother Wang's cultivation advances by leaps and bounds... Tsk, what a scheme."

Ji Mo stared wide-eyed at Wu Wang, unable to speak for a moment.

"What is Young Master Xiong talking about? This old woman does not quite understand," Granny Yin said coldly. "But I must admit, Young Master Xiong's speculation is quite splendid.

"Do not waste time here. We might as well return to Young Master Xiong's clan territory first."

A Crystal Ball appeared before Wu Wang. He said calmly,

"I do not wish to let something of unknown origin enter my home. Do not worry, Senior. I will first use the truth-speaking method within the Star Invocation Technique to investigate the source of that trace of Fierce Beast aura within Wang Lin's divine soul.

"That aura is hidden quite deeply. Ordinarily, one would have to peel apart his soul to see it, but we possess a special gift from the Star God..."

"Enough!"

Granny Yin's face darkened with anger. She stepped forward, and a vast aura surged around her. The roar of crashing waves rose through the forest as the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth abruptly boiled!

"You're courting death!"

At the same time, a figure darted swiftly through the woods, and a faint scent of blood drifted through the air.

Xiong Laosan murmured, "Young Master?"

"Go. End this quickly. Ji and I will join forces against this old hag."

"Right!"

Xiong Laosan answered, hefting his short axe as he leaped straight into the forest, where he let out a furious roar.

Gulp.

Ji Mo's Adam's apple bobbed. Right now, he only wanted to say one thing: he was merely a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator... w-what had he done to deserve this?

"Brother Xiong, Granny Yin's strength rivals that of an immortal!"

"So what?"

Wu Wang curled his lip. Facing the Magic Power ahead, surging like mountains calling and seas roaring, he stood firm as an ancient pine, still unshaken.

The handsome young master stood amid the clouds; in the Northern Wilds, only after him came heaven!

He swept away all mighty foes beneath the skies, yet still wandered carefree as an immortal amid the mortal dust!

All spirits must have a ruler; at the end of a thousand Dao, ten thousand swords would be buried!

March onward, do not look back. A young man's spirit was at its height—why fear even if the earth collapsed and threw heaven into chaos!

"Mother, save me!"

Granny Yin and Ji Mo both froze. Stars suddenly flickered high in the sky, and an incomparably brilliant silver-white bolt of lightning smashed down upon Granny Yin's head. She had no time at all to evade it.