Douluo Continent

Ning Fengping had been born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the second greatest sect in the world and wealthy enough to rival a nation.

Although his talent was mediocre, and he might never break through to the Soul King realm in his lifetime.

With the reputation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, the world's number one support-type Martial Soul, he could have lived a peaceful life under his sect's protection.

But he had met Jiang Ning, a woman with an ordinary Martial Soul and meager Soul Power, yet one who had captured his heart at first sight.

According to the sect's rules, they were supposed to find a powerful battle Soul Master as a spouse.

The sect elders had fiercely opposed them, but they had not extinguished the flame in his heart. Instead, they had stirred the insignificant streak of rebellion buried deep within him.

For the freedom and love he yearned for, he had chosen to leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and travel far away with Jiang Ning.

In the end, they had settled in a remote little village on the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Life was poor, yet peaceful and happy.

Before long, Jiang Ning had become pregnant, bringing endless anticipation to their little family.

He named the child "Bai," signifying purity and a new beginning, hoping he could stay far from sect disputes and live an ordinary, genuine life.

Yet this hard-won peace had been utterly shattered just days ago.

A group of roaming Wolf Bandits had set their sights on their village.

Ning Fengping was the village's only Soul Elder, with three Spirit Rings. If he had been a battle Soul Master, perhaps he could have organized an effective resistance.

But the tragedy was that his Martial Soul was the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, making him a purely support-type Soul Master!

Even if he desperately enhanced the villagers' speed and strength, he could not make up for the absolute disparity in combat power.

Jiang Ning was a one-ring Soul Master, but she was weak after childbirth, and her fighting ability was practically negligible.

After witnessing his neighbors and friends being brutally torn apart, Ning Fengping knew the village could not be defended.

He could only drag his weakened wife along, hold his swaddled son in his arms, and rush out of the village amid the chaos, hoping to fight for a sliver of survival.

But Wolf Bandits possessed an acute sense of smell and powerful tracking abilities. Their hunger for living prey drove them to cling relentlessly to Ning Fengping and his family.

His thoughts spun in a flash. Ning Fengping knew this could not continue.

His wife's strength had already run out, and the Wolf Bandits would arrive in moments.

When that happened, not one of their family of three would survive.

He abruptly stopped and shoved Jiang Ning forward with all his strength.

"Jiang Ning, take Xiao Bai and go first! I'll hold them back!"

Ning Fengping's voice was hoarse, yet filled with unquestionable resolve.

"A-Ping..."

Jiang Ning staggered, then looked back, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

How could she not understand? Her husband was going to trade his life for the faintest chance of survival for her and their son.

Ning Fengping looked deeply at his wife, as though he wished to carve her features into the depths of his soul.

Then he swiftly removed an ancient ring from his finger.

He stuffed the ring into Jiang Ning's hand while taking a fine steel longsword from his Soul Tool.

"Go!"

Ning Fengping growled.

He no longer looked at his wife. Resolutely, he turned to face the ever-nearing shadow of death.

He drew a deep breath. Soul Power surged within him, and a crystal-clear pagoda gleaming with seven-colored light appeared in his left palm.

"Seven Treasures Turn, Glazed Tile Light!"

Ning Fengping called out softly as three Spirit Rings lit up around him in succession.

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, first: Strength!"

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, second: Speed!"

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, third: Soul!"

Three streams of colored light shot from the pagoda and enveloped his body.

The powerful enhancement instantly flooded his entire body.

This was the only thing he, a support-type Soul Master, could do—apply every enhancement to himself and make one final stand with a body unsuited for battle.

He gripped the longsword tightly with both hands, locked his gaze on the Wolf Bandits charging at the front, and let out the most frenzied roar of his life as he charged forward!

"A-Ping—!"

Jiang Ning let out a heart-rending cry, tears blurring her vision.

But she knew her husband's resolve had been set. She could not let his sacrifice be in vain.

She clenched her lower lip until it nearly bled, hugged the child in her arms with every ounce of strength she had, then turned around and dragged her leaden legs onward, fleeing desperately into the unknown.

Behind her came the sharp clash of weapons, the mad howls of Wolf Bandits, and Ning Fengping's suppressed groans of pain and death-defying roars.

Every sound felt like a blunt knife gouging into Jiang Ning's heart.

She did not dare look back. She ran desperately, letting the icy wind cut across her face like knives and letting her tears freeze on her cheeks.

She did not know how long she had run—perhaps an hour, perhaps several.

The sounds of battle had long since vanished behind her, leaving only the wind howling by her ears.

The sky gradually darkened as pitch-black night blanketed the entire plain, and the temperature plummeted.

The night wind began to gnaw at her already exhausted body.

Jiang Bai in her arms seemed to sense both his mother's despair and the harshness of their surroundings. He let out a weak cry, but soon fell silent again from exhaustion.

That faint cry rang in Jiang Ning's heart like an alarm bell.

I can't fall... I absolutely can't fall... for Xiao Bai...

Her consciousness had already begun to blur, and only sheer willpower kept her moving.

Her gaze searched laboriously through the darkness. At last, far ahead, she saw a faint light, yet it shone as brightly as a star.

It was a village!

Hope, like the last Core Flame, rekindled within the nearly extinguished fields of her heart.

She did not know where she found another burst of strength. Staggering but utterly determined, she moved toward that light.

Closer, and closer still.

She could vaguely make out the village's outline and see that the light came from a solitary courtyard near its entrance.

At last, she stumbled to the courtyard's crude wooden door. Her body could no longer hold on, and she slumped weakly against it.

Using her final shred of strength, she raised an arm that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and knocked on the door ring.

"Knock... knock knock..."

The sound was weak, yet exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"Who is it?"

A somewhat aged female voice sounded from inside, laced with confusion, followed by the old woman's muttering.

"So late at night..."

Footsteps approached from afar.

"Creak—"

The wooden door was pulled open from within.

Deprived of the door's support, Jiang Ning, whose strength had long been spent, immediately lost her balance and collapsed limply inside.

"Ah! What happened?"

The old woman who opened the door was startled by the figure suddenly falling in and cried out.

By the dim yellow light spilling from the house, the old woman saw a young woman lying on the ground, clutching an infant tightly in her arms.

The woman's face was deathly pale, her eyes tightly shut, and her breathing faint. Her clothes were torn and covered in dust and dried blood, leaving her in a pitiful state.

"Miss? Miss?"

The old woman crouched down and anxiously patted Jiang Ning's cheek, trying to wake her.

Jiang Ning did not react at all. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still alive.

The old woman's gaze fell upon the tightly wrapped infant in Jiang Ning's arms. The baby's little face was bluish from the cold, and his breathing was weak.

"Hiss... She has a child with her?"

The old woman sucked in a cold breath, her face instantly filling with pity and concern.