A Favor for One Move

The past three days, though monotonous and dull, had been more fruitful for Ning Chen than all the previous days combined.

He hadn't noticed that ever since his cultivation reached the second rank, his injuries healed significantly faster than before.

Thanks to the miraculous Golden Sore Medicine from the palace, the arrow wound through his left chest near his shoulder no longer hurt as much, and the elder's sword wound was no longer a serious issue.

He had always been curious about what the Golden Sore Medicine was made of, but he never had the chance to ask.

Of course, besides the miraculous Golden Sore Medicine produced by the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the main reason for his speedy recovery was that he wielded his sword with his right hand, and all his wounds were on his left side. Otherwise, no matter how good the medicine, it couldn't withstand his constant exertion.

Xia Miaoyu, Sword Enshrined, and even the four hundred imperial guards all observed Ning Chen's sword practice methods and progress, yet no one ever disturbed him.

Diligent, foolish, was Xia Miaoyu's assessment.

Diligent, barely acceptable, Sword Enshrined's view differed slightly.

Diligent, very diligent, was the thought in most imperial guards' minds.

Xia Miaoyu, a martial arts genius, naturally looked down on Ning Chen's progress in sword practice. Sword Enshrined, not a genius himself, believed in hard work compensating for lack of talent, and found Ning Chen's progress barely acceptable. Most imperial guards, lacking discerning eyes, were simply watching the spectacle.

However, no one could deny Ning Chen's diligence. He was very, very diligent.

On the third night, Sword Enshrined picked up his ancient sword and led Ning Chen far away from the camp.

When they returned, it was past midnight. Ning Chen immediately sat down to meditate, his face frighteningly pale.

For the first time, Sword Enshrined returned to his tent to rest, his aged face unable to conceal his exhaustion.

Fortunately, it was an uneventful night!

No one knew where Sword Enshrined and Ning Chen had gone or what they had done. The only two who knew returned to meditate that night, their expressions terribly grim.

By the fourth day, the endless journey finally showed a glimmer of hope. Standing on the mountain road, looking into the distance, a city sat on the vast land, immediately boosting everyone's spirits.

That was Shanmen Pass, the city guarded by Marquis Buyi, one of Great Xia's Ten Martial Marquises.

Marquis Buyi, a legendary title, had guarded Shanmen Pass for sixteen years without ever returning to the Imperial City. When he became famous, most of the soldiers in the current army were just being born. Little was known about this Martial Marquis.

However, everyone knew that Marquis Buyi was not a hereditary Martial Marquis but had risen step by step from a commoner. The two characters "Buyi" (commoner) were both an encouragement and a commendation of his origins.

All ten Martial Marquises of Great Xia were legendary figures, immensely powerful in both military strategy and martial arts. While Great Xia had many marquises, the number of Martial Marquises had never exceeded ten for thousands of years.

These were Great Xia's highest military powers, figures who suppressed the nation's destiny, and their mere existence put immense pressure on surrounding nations.

Why could the Grandson lineage produce an Empress? The biggest reason was that the Grandson lineage had two Martial Marquises.

Among the Ten Martial Marquises, Marquis Qinghe was already enfeoffed during the previous Xia Emperor's reign, stationed in the northwest. Northern Martial Marquis guarded the northern borders, resisting the Northern Mongol Royal Court. Marquis Buyi held the northeast, deterring the Zhenji Kingdom.

And in the most difficult west, Blood-clothed Marquis single-handedly held his ground, preventing the Eternal Night Divine Cult from easily invading.

In the southwest, due to the presence of Du'e Temple and its terrifying abbot, Great Xia also had a Martial Marquis stationed there.

To the south, barbarians ran rampant, invading sporadically. Seven years ago, Great Xia dispatched Marquis Jiyu to suppress them, causing the southern barbarians to temporarily disappear.

In the southeast, one of Great Xia's Martial Marquises was also stationed, aiming to deter a nation even more shameless than the Zhenji Kingdom.

As for why Great Xia also stationed a Martial Marquis in the relatively peaceful east, few people knew.

Eight of Great Xia's ten Martial Marquises were stationed outside year-round. Only two were exceptions: Marquis Taiping, who had been enfeoffed for a relatively short time, and the other, the military god of Great Xia, Marquis Kaixuan, who was ranked first among the Ten Martial Marquises.

The two characters "Kaixuan" (triumphant return) represented only the simplest four words: invincible in battle!

The ten Martial Marquises were a symbol of Great Xia's invincibility and the hope in the hearts of Great Xia's subjects. Therefore, when the escort party saw Shanmen Pass in the distance, their suppressed spirits immediately relaxed.

However, they seemed to have forgotten that they were still on the mountain road.

Shanmen Pass seemed close, but it was actually still very far.

The rising sun was always bright and gentle, making people unconsciously relax, even letting their guard down.

They had forgotten that their endless journey was actually to avoid someone.

Just as the sun began to rise, when everyone looked back, they found that the devil in their eyes, the Divine Son, was slowly approaching, bathed in the morning light.

It must be said that Jun Shaoqing truly lived up to the name Divine Son, especially at this moment. With the morning light shining brightly behind him, he advanced step by step, like a divine king descending, pressuring everyone present to the point of breathlessness.

What is despair? Despair is when you are about to see hope, only to find that hope is so out of reach.

After more than ten days of travel, the escort party was about to reach the safest place, yet at the closest point, they encountered an insurmountable obstacle.

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy smiled brilliantly, a hint of perverse cruelty in his smile. He hoped the Divine Son would kill everyone, even if it meant killing him too.

Not much was known about the Divine Son in the world, only that he was an unreasonably powerful young man. Facts proved that the rumors were not exaggerated in the slightest; the battle a few days ago fully demonstrated this.

A person who had not yet reached the Xiantian Realm was already able to cause changes in heaven and earth, and could even use the power of heaven and earth to a terrifying degree.

There were even rumors circulating that this generation's Divine Son might possess the legendary Eternal Night Divine Physique.

This was a terrifying possibility, but whether true or not, this generation's Divine Son was undoubtedly monstrously powerful.

Only those at the peak of the ninth rank could deal with a peak ninth-rank expert. Xia Miaoyu and Sword Enshrined were the only ones in the escort party qualified to contend with him.

However, the most unfortunate thing was that after last night, Sword Enshrined's sword was not in peak condition.

The mountain road was winding, with the party traveling from north to south, and a cliff not far to the west. There was no chance to run. If they fell, perhaps Xia Miaoyu and Sword Enshrined could survive, but everyone else would surely die.

On the not-so-wide mountain road, they faced their strongest enemy.

Jun Shaoqing's calm and indifferent gaze fixed on Xia Miaoyu. He had only come for the Scroll of Life and had no interest in anyone else.

Xia Miaoyu's gaze met his unflinchingly. Whether as a princess or a county princess of Great Xia, she had no reason to back down.

Great Xia had been invincible for a thousand years, and thus, its people were proud, from commoners to officials and rulers.

The three stood in silence, confronting each other for a moment, neither speaking a word.

Perhaps this was a case of "no more words needed when minds don't meet."

Finally, Sword Enshrined's sword moved first. Among the three, he was currently the weakest, so he had to create an opening for the princess.

His sword strike was flawless, incredibly fast. The space itself didn't even have time to react before a black fissure was carved into it by that exceptionally swift strike.

Ning Chen's eyes narrowed. He had once taken a blow from the old man's sword, and compared to that, the one he had taken then was utterly insignificant.

However, this seemingly unresolvable sword strike was caught between two fingers. The moment they connected, the ground beneath their feet instantly cracked, dust flew up, and the shockwave rippled out ten zhang.

With his sword thrust blocked, Sword Enshrined's expression remained unchanged. He twisted the hand holding the sword, rotating the blade and advancing it another three inches.

Jun Shaoqing loosened his fingers, slightly shifted his body, and flicked his two fingers, deflecting the sword's edge. Immediately, he condensed his right hand into a finger and thrust it towards the former's qi sea.

Just at that moment, Xia Miaoyu's figure arrived. Amidst the pervasive frost, a slender hand mercilessly struck towards Jun Shaoqing's chest.

"Oh?"

With a light sigh of admiration, a strange glint flashed in Jun Shaoqing's eyes. He retreated, evading Xia Miaoyu's attack, choosing not to confront it head-on.

The next moment, the sword's edge returned. Sword Enshrined's every move was without defense, each strike leaving no room for retreat, fully dedicating himself to creating opportunities for Xia Miaoyu.

Xia Miaoyu understood with cold indifference. Her movements never sought to relieve pressure; every strike aimed precisely at the opportunities Sword Enshrined desperately fought for, intending to severely wound the Divine Son with a single blow.

The two collaborated, one merciless to himself, the other merciless to others, and for a time, they forced the Divine Son to retreat again and again.

"Not bad."

Jun Shaoqing grabbed the thrusting sword with one hand and met Xia Miaoyu's strike head-on with the other.

"The strong ones of Great Xia, you have truly impressed me."

With a flick of his hand, a wild tempest surged around Jun Shaoqing's body, and a vast surge of true energy exploded outwards, instantly pushing both of them back.

Thump

A drop of blood trickled from Jun Shaoqing's hand. In this battle, it was the first time he had bled.

"Thunder of Darkness!"

Jun Shaoqing held his right hand flat, and the surrounding world suddenly changed. Thunder instantly descended, streaks of black lightning like a thousand chattering birds, their might shaking heaven and earth.

Seeing the Divine Son unleash his ultimate move again, Sword Enshrined's figure instantly vanished, his sword thrusting towards the former's chest.

Jun Shaoqing frowned, his left hand's two fingers clamping the sword's edge. However, he never expected that behind Sword Enshrined, Xia Miaoyu would instantly appear, pressing her palm against Sword Enshrined's back. With their combined strength, the ancient sword instantly broke through his two fingers and pierced into the former's chest.

"Ugh."

With a muffled groan, Jun Shaoqing endured the intense pain, forcefully countering. His right hand's thunder roared down, and both their mouths immediately stained red, sending them flying back dozens of zhang.

Pfft

Propping himself up with his sword, Sword Enshrined half-knelt on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, clearly severely wounded.

On the other side, Xia Miaoyu also spat out a mouthful of blood, her face pale, but her situation was slightly better than Sword Enshrined's.

Strong, undeniably strong, terrifyingly strong, so strong it left no hope.

The next moment, Jun Shaoqing's figure was already before Sword Enshrined. His single palm descended, revealing clear killing intent.

Xia Miaoyu wanted to save him, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as that palm fell.

Just at that moment, a black iron sword appeared, so frail, so naive, yet without hesitation, it fearlessly stabbed towards the Divine Son.

Qing Ling had once said that without reaching the Xiantian Realm, the physical body could not transform, and even the strongest person could not ignore blades.

Jun Shaoqing was very strong, but he had not reached the Xiantian Realm after all. Therefore, no matter how weak this sword was, he could not ignore it.

"Asking for death."

A cold glint flashed in Jun Shaoqing's eyes. The descending palm twisted and slammed towards the owner of the iron sword.

Bang! Amidst a shower of blood, the iron sword shattered completely, and its owner flew out, flying for dozens of zhang.

However, ten zhang away was a cliff.

Just at that moment, Xia Miaoyu had arrived beside Sword Enshrined. Her figure flickered, and she retreated ten steps away.

Ning Chen, still in the air, saw this scene and smiled contentedly, his smile brilliant, stained with blood, like a blossoming peony.

He had repaid the old man's kindness.

Sword Enshrined, rescued by Xia Miaoyu, saw the figure falling through the air, like a kite with a broken string, plummeting towards the cliff. His aged eyes constricted violently, and his heart felt as if something was clutched tightly, a suffocating dullness.

"No!"

Sword Enshrined reached out to grab, and in his agitated state, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, but he was powerless to stop it...

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