A Favor Returned in One Move

The monotonous, tedious three days had brought Ning Chen more than all his previous days combined.

He had not noticed that ever since his cultivation had entered the second rank, the wounds on his body had recovered much faster than before.

After being treated with the miraculous Golden Sore Medicine produced by the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the arrow wound that had pierced through his left chest near the shoulder no longer hurt as badly, and the old man's sword wound was no longer anything serious.

In truth, he had always been curious about what exactly the palace's Golden Sore Medicine was made of, but he had never had the chance to ask.

Of course, besides the miraculous Golden Sore Medicine from the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the main reason was that he wielded his sword with his right hand while all his wounds were on the left. Otherwise, no matter how good the medicine was, it could not withstand him tormenting himself like this.

Xia Miaoyu, Sword Enshrined, and even the four hundred Imperial Guards had all watched Ning Chen's method and progress in practicing the sword, yet no one had ever disturbed him.

Diligent, yet foolish. That was Xia Miaoyu's assessment.

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

Diligent, extremely diligent. That was what most of the Imperial Guards thought.

Xia Miaoyu was a martial arts prodigy, so naturally she looked down on Ning Chen's progress with the sword. Sword Enshrined could not be called a genius; all his life, he had believed that diligence could make up for clumsiness, so he could barely accept Ning Chen's progress. As for most of the Imperial Guards, their eyesight was not sharp enough, so they were essentially just watching the show.

Yet no matter who it was, none could deny Ning Chen's diligence. He was diligent, very diligent, exceedingly diligent.

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

When they returned, it was already past midnight. The moment Ning Chen came back, he sat on the ground and regulated his breathing, his pale face frightening to behold.

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

Fortunately, nothing happened that night!

No one knew where Sword Enshrined and Ning Chen had gone or what they had done. The only two who knew returned that night and immediately went back to regulate their breathing, their expressions terrifyingly grim.

By the fourth day, the endless journey finally revealed a glimmer of hope. Standing on the mountain road and looking into the distance, they saw a city resting upon the boundless earth, and everyone's spirits were immediately lifted.

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

Marquis Buyi was a legendary title. He had guarded Shanmen Pass for sixteen years and had never returned to the imperial capital. When he first made his name, most of the soldiers in the army today had only just been born, so they knew little about this Martial Marquis.

But everyone knew that Marquis Buyi was not a hereditary Martial Marquis. He had climbed up step by step from the ranks of common folk. The two words "Buyi" were both encouragement and praise for his origins.

Great Xia's Ten Martial Marquises were all legendary figures, immensely powerful in both military strategy and martial prowess. Great Xia had many marquises, but throughout the ages, the number of Martial Marquises had never exceeded ten.

They were Great Xia's highest martial strength, figures who suppressed the nation's destiny. The existence of each one placed crushing pressure upon the surrounding nations.

Why had the Changsun Lineage been able to produce an Empress? The greatest reason was that the Changsun Lineage had two Martial Marquises.

Among the Ten Martial Marquises, Marquis Qinghe had been granted his title during the reign of the previous Xia Emperor and sat in the northwest. Northern Martial Marquis guarded the northern frontier against the Northern Mongol Royal Court, while Marquis Buyi held the northeast, deterring Zhenji Kingdom.

In the most difficult western region, Blood-clothed Marquis stood alone against all threats, keeping the Eternal Night Divine Cult from daring to invade lightly.

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

In the south, barbarian tribes ran rampant and invaded from time to time. Seven years ago, Great Xia had sent Marquis Jiyu to suppress them, causing the southern barbarians to vanish without a trace for a time.

In the southeast, another of Great Xia's Martial Marquises was stationed there as well, tasked with deterring a nation even more shameless than Zhenji Kingdom.

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

Eight of Great Xia's Ten Martial Marquises had guarded the borders year-round. Only two were exceptions: one was Marquis Taiping, whose title had been granted comparatively recently; the other was Great Xia's God of War, Marquis Kaixuan, who stood first among the Ten Martial Marquises.

The two words "Kaixuan" represented only the simplest four words: undefeated in every battle!

The Ten Martial Marquises were the symbol of Great Xia's invincibility, the support in the hearts of Great Xia's people. Thus, when the wedding procession saw Shanmen Pass in the distance, the oppressive feelings they had carried all along the journey finally loosened.

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

Shanmen Pass looked close, but it was actually still far away.

The rising sun was always bright and gentle, making people relax without realizing it, lowering their vigilance along with their guard.

They had forgotten that their day-and-night journey had actually been to evade one person.

Beneath the newly risen sun, when everyone turned back, they discovered that the demon in their eyes, that Divine Son, was slowly walking toward them draped in morning light.

It had to be said that Jun Shaoqing truly suited the name Divine Son, especially at this moment. The dawn behind him radiated dazzling brilliance. As he walked forward step by step, he was like a divine king descending upon the world, pressing down upon everyone present until they could scarcely breathe.

What was despair? Despair was seeing hope just ahead, only to discover that it was still impossibly far away.

After more than ten days of hardship, the wedding procession had nearly reached the safest place, only to encounter an obstacle they could not cross at the closest point.

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy smiled brilliantly, with a thread of twisted cruelty within that brilliance. He hoped the Divine Son would slaughter everyone, and it would not matter even if Jun Shaoqing killed him as well.

Not many in this world truly understood the Divine Son. They only knew he was a young man so powerful it defied reason. The facts proved that the rumors had not exaggerated in the slightest; the battle from a few days ago had fully demonstrated that.

Someone who had not reached the Innate realm could actually stir changes in heaven and earth, and he had wielded the power of heaven and earth to an utterly terrifying extent.

Rumors had even begun to spread that this generation's Divine Son might possess the legendary Eternal Night Divine Physique.

It was a terrifying possibility, but whether it was true or not, there was no doubt that this generation's Divine Son was monstrously powerful.

Only a peak ninth-rank expert could deal with another peak ninth-rank expert. Xia Miaoyu and Sword Enshrined were the only people in the wedding procession qualified to contend against him.

Yet after last night, the sword in Sword Enshrined's hand was unfortunately no longer at its peak.

The mountain road was rugged. The procession had come from north to south, and a cliff lay not far to the west. They did not even have a chance to flee. If they fell, perhaps Xia Miaoyu and Sword Enshrined might survive, but everyone else would surely die.

On the narrow mountain road, they faced their most powerful enemy.

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

Xia Miaoyu met his gaze without yielding in the slightest. Whether as Great Xia's Princess Consort or a princess, she had no reason to retreat.

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

The three stood wordless in confrontation for a moment. No one spoke a single word.

When words did not align, even half a sentence was too much. Perhaps this was exactly that.

In the end, Sword Enshrined's sword moved first. Of the three, he was now the weakest, so he had to create an opportunity for the princess.

A sword without fault, swift beyond measure. Even space failed to react before the incomparably fast blade carved a black gash through it.

Ning Chen's pupils contracted. He had once received a sword strike from the old man, and compared to this, the strike he had taken was truly insignificant.

Yet this seemingly unsolvable sword was caught between two fingers. At the instant they touched, the earth beneath the two men split apart, dust and sand flew skyward, and the force of their clash rippled dozens of feet away.

With the sword's momentum blocked, Sword Enshrined's expression did not change. His hand twisted around the hilt, the blade rotated, and it advanced another three inches.

Jun Shaoqing loosened his fingers and shifted slightly aside. With a flick of two fingers, he knocked the blade away, then formed a finger seal with his right hand and struck toward Sword Enshrined's sea of qi.

At that moment, Xia Miaoyu's figure had already arrived. Amid frost filling the sky, a slender hand mercilessly pressed toward Jun Shaoqing's chest.

"Oh?"

With an approving sigh, a strange glint flashed through Jun Shaoqing's eyes. He retreated, avoiding Xia Miaoyu's attack rather than choosing to meet it head-on.

The next moment, the sword edge came again. Between every move, Sword Enshrined showed no defensive posture, leaving himself no path of retreat with each strike as he did everything possible to leave Xia Miaoyu an opening.

Xia Miaoyu understood with cold mercilessness. Not once did she move to relieve Sword Enshrined's plight. Every attack targeted the opportunities he had desperately fought for, seeking to grievously wound the Divine Son in a single blow.

The two joined forces. One was merciless to himself, the other merciless to others. For a moment, they actually forced the Divine Son to retreat again and again.

"Not bad."

Jun Shaoqing caught the thrusting sword with one hand and exchanged a direct strike with Xia Miaoyu using the other.

"Great Xia's experts, you have made me see you in a new light."

His hand turned, and a raging gale surged around Jun Shaoqing. Vast true qi exploded outward, instantly throwing both of them back.

Drip.

A drop of blood flowed from Jun Shaoqing's hand. For the first time in the battle, red had been drawn.

Thunder of Darkness.

Jun Shaoqing raised his right hand level. Heaven and earth around them suddenly changed, thunder descended in an instant, and bolts of black lightning cried like a thousand trembling birds, their might shaking heaven and earth.

Seeing the Divine Son unleash another ultimate move, Sword Enshrined's figure instantly vanished, his sword piercing toward Jun Shaoqing's chest.

Jun Shaoqing frowned and caught the blade between two fingers of his left hand. Yet he had not expected that Xia Miaoyu would arrive in an instant behind Sword Enshrined. Her palm struck Sword Enshrined's back, and with the two of them joining their strength, the ancient sword instantly broke through the two fingers and stabbed into Jun Shaoqing's chest.

"Urgh."

With a muffled groan, Jun Shaoqing endured the agony and forcibly countered. Lightning in his right hand crashed down, and blood immediately stained both their mouths as they were sent flying more than a dozen yards away.

Pfft.

Using his sword to support himself, Sword Enshrined knelt on one knee and vomited a mouthful of blood. He had clearly suffered severe injuries.

On the other side, Xia Miaoyu also coughed up blood, her face pale, though she was in slightly better condition than Sword Enshrined.

Strong. Undeniably strong. So strong it was terrifying, so strong that not the slightest shred of hope could be seen.

The next moment, Jun Shaoqing had appeared before Sword Enshrined, one palm descending with killing intent laid bare.

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

At that moment, a black iron sword appeared. So weak, so immature, yet without the slightest hesitation, it stabbed toward the Divine Son with righteous resolve.

Qing Ling had once said that without reaching the Innate realm, the physical body could not undergo transformation. No matter how strong someone was, they could not ignore blades and swords.

Jun Shaoqing was very strong, but he had not reached the Innate realm after all. Therefore, no matter how weak this sword was, he could not turn a blind eye to it.

"You do not know whether you live or die."

A chill flashed through Jun Shaoqing's eyes. His descending palm turned and crashed toward the owner of the iron sword.

With a bang, amid a sky full of blood, the iron sword shattered completely, and its owner was hurled away, flying dozens of yards.

Yet ten yards away lay the cliff.

In that instant, Xia Miaoyu had already reached Sword Enshrined's side. Her figure flashed, and she retreated ten steps away.

Still suspended in the air, Ning Chen saw this and smiled in satisfaction. His smile was brilliant, stained with blood, like a peony blooming.

He had repaid the old man's kindness.

Sword Enshrined, whom Xia Miaoyu had saved, saw the figure falling through the air toward the cliff like a kite with its string severed. His aged eyes contracted sharply, and it felt as though something had gripped his heart, leaving him so oppressed he could scarcely breathe.

"No!"

Sword Enshrined reached out to grab him. His mind shook, and he vomited another mouthful of blood, but he no longer had the strength to stop it...