Marquis Buyi

Ning Chen's fall from the cliff briefly shocked everyone present. Yet after the shock passed, they still had to face reality once more—the Divine Son was still standing there, completely unharmed.

Of course, he could not be called entirely unharmed. Jun Shaoqing had suffered some injuries after all, but they seemingly had no effect on him.

Suddenly, the void trembled faintly. A figure clad entirely in black appeared beside Jun Shaoqing, carrying a cyan longsword.

The Dark Dragon Guard, who had been hiding in the shadows under the Xia Emperor's orders, could no longer remain silent. His sword flashed forth, sweeping toward the Divine Son.

"Such a skulking coward is beneath contempt."

A trace of cold indifference flashed through Jun Shaoqing's eyes. He darted ten paces forward, then took another step. Afterimages flickered in succession as he thrust out a finger, its force capable of shattering an army.

The Dark Dragon Guard's ambush failed. He raised his sword to block the attack, but a tremendous force crashed into him. The longsword in his hand shattered at once, and with a bang, the finger force pierced through the blade and struck toward his dantian qihai.

"Pfft!"

The violent force instantly dealt a heavy blow to the Dark Dragon Guard's inner sea of qi. The spinning vortex collapsed along with it, and for the moment, he could not muster even a shred of cultivation.

With three people gravely injured, none could withstand the Divine Son's edge. Despair filled the crowd. At that very moment, an incomparably powerful blade aura swept in from the distant horizon, severing the nine heavens as it slashed down between the Divine Son and the others.

With a thunderous boom, a massive fissure split open between the cliffs, separating the Divine Son from the crowd.

"Divine Son, this is not a place where you should appear. Please leave." A calm voice drifted over from the distant horizon.

"The Martial Marquis of Great Xia."

Jun Shaoqing's pupils contracted. In this place, the only one who could possess such strength was the legendary Marquis Buyi.

The powerful blade aura radiated a shocking pressure. Even the four experts present, all above the ninth rank, felt that irresistible majesty. This strike from the Martial Marquis of Great Xia had already transcended the acquired realm, leaving everyone present far behind in the dust.

"Half-step Xiantian." Jun Shaoqing softly spoke the four words. As his thoughts sank, he could not help but feel astonished. Without question, this Marquis Buyi already had one foot in the Xiantian Realm.

What a terrifying truth. The Martial Marquis of Great Xia, who had guarded Shanmen Pass for sixteen years without emerging, had actually reached such a horrifying realm.

"Retreat."

Jun Shaoqing knew that this journey could no longer yield any result. He was not afraid, but neither would he choose this moment to fight a Martial Marquis of Great Xia at the half-step Xiantian level.

He calmly glanced at the Great Xia princess in the distance. Jun Shaoqing's brow furrowed again and again, then his figure flickered several times before vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

It seemed he needed to return to the divine hall once more. The Eternal Night Divine Canon recorded that the Scroll of Life had been hidden within the Ziyin Dynasty a thousand years ago. After the Ziyin Dynasty was destroyed by Great Xia, the Scroll of Life vanished without a trace. He had thought it had been taken away by surviving descendants of the Ziyin Imperial Family, but it seemed that was not the case.

This journey had not been in vain. Several heavenly books of the cult had remained scattered outside for far too long. It was time to reclaim them one by one.

That woman from the Northern Mongol Royal Court had sent that letter at far too opportune a time. She presumably did not know about the Scroll of Life, yet why had it all coincided so perfectly?

No matter what, that woman's intelligence was always too frightening. With one hand, she had manipulated this farce between Zhenji Kingdom's marriage alliance and Great Xia.

Unfortunately, man's calculations could never surpass heaven's calculations. An interloper had disrupted the game. Still, the Northern Mongol Royal Court had suffered no losses. The foolish ruler of Zhenji Kingdom could not resist the temptation of profit and chose to believe that woman's words, only to lose everything down to the last coin.

It was impossible to deliver twenty thousand warhorses within a short time. Even at the fastest pace, it would take nearly half a year. Half a year was not long, yet it was enough time for countless things to happen.

After Jun Shaoqing departed, Marquis Buyi's powerful aura also withdrew. He did not say another word.

At the cliff's edge, the three experts above the ninth rank were all in a sorry state. The Dark Dragon Guard, who had appeared later, was the most seriously injured. His dantian qihai had nearly been crippled by the Divine Son, and recovering in the short term was simply impossible.

Xia Miaoyu was in somewhat better condition. Though the princess of Great Xia was still young, a martial arts prodigy was different from ordinary people. In terms of foundations, she was instead the strongest among the three.

Sword Enshrined coughed up blood repeatedly. He should already have been resting quietly to regulate his breathing, yet this stubborn old man bade Xia Miaoyu farewell.

Xia Miaoyu knew what Sword Enshrined intended to do and did not stop him. She merely took out two pills and handed them to him. They were exceedingly precious pills. One was to treat his injuries; as for the other... she hoped it would still be of use.

Sword Enshrined swallowed one of the pills, then, beneath everyone's shocked gazes, leaped straight down the cliff.

"Madman."

The Dark Dragon Guard coughed up blood and mocked him faintly.

Xia Miaoyu glanced at the Dark Dragon Guard, a faint cold sneer flashing through her eyes. Why had a Dark Dragon Guard been following them? She knew better than anyone. The Xia Emperor in Great Xia's Heavenly Edict Hall was far from as mediocre as the world believed. In truth, it was not difficult to understand. How could a mediocre man possibly sit upon that dragon throne, the most powerful seat under heaven, within the Heavenly Edict Hall?

The procession continued onward. Though exhausted, everyone knew the road ahead was safe. After all, the distant pass was watched over by a Martial Marquis of Great Xia. No blind fool should come seeking death again.

Among the procession, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy lowered his head even further, his expression changing again and again. He had never imagined that this Martial Marquis of Great Xia, who had always blocked Zhenji Kingdom's southern path, had become so powerful.

How laughable that they had previously kept sending people to probe the depths of this Martial Marquis. It was hard to imagine what price Zhenji Kingdom would have paid if this Martial Marquis of Great Xia had truly flown into a rage then.

Each person harbored their own ghosts, and none spoke. They slowly headed toward distant Shanmen Pass. Only the ravaged earth beside the cliff and bloodstains everywhere bore witness to the terror of the battle just fought.

Between the cliffs, the cold wind howled as an aged figure rapidly fell.

After jumping from the cliff, Sword Enshrined's sword became his sole means of survival. On solid ground, he was an expert at the peak of the ninth rank. Yet amid this ten-thousand-zhang abyss, he was merely a mortal struggling to survive.

Under heaven, aside from beings above the Xiantian Realm, no one could face such a ten-thousand-zhang cliff unharmed.

The sword in his hand had been given to him by a Martial Marquis. Most within the palace knew only that he was Sword Enshrined, but his true surname was Bai, and his given name was Wu.

Even fewer knew that the Bai Family had, long ago, merely been a servant branch of the Changsun Lineage. He had entered the palace more than thirty years ago, when the previous Xia Emperor had only recently ascended the throne.

Thus, very few people knew of his connection to the Changsun Lineage.

The sword in his hand had been a gift from Marquis Qinghe, the head of the Changsun family, when he was granted his marquisate.

This sword was very important to him, but now he could no longer spare the thought to cherish it.

Again and again, the blade struck protruding rocks along the cliff wall, sending shattered stones and sparks flying. This ancient sword, which had accompanied him for over thirty years, gradually broke apart under the violent friction.

The ancient sword seemed to possess a spirit and began to tremble and hum violently. How high was this ten-thousand-zhang cliff? No matter how tough the ancient sword was, it could no longer endure such savage impacts.

Sure enough, when Sword Enshrined was no longer far from the ground, a crisp bang rang out. The blade shattered into fragments that scattered in all directions. A flash of sorrow passed through Sword Enshrined's eyes. He kicked off with his feet and landed safely on the ground.

Sword Enshrined buried the ancient sword's hilt in the yellow earth beneath the cliff and said hoarsely, "If you have a spirit, then protect him and let him remain alive."

That palm strike from the Divine Son had sent Ning Chen flying more than thirty zhang. His landing spot certainly would not be near Sword Enshrined's current location.

Based on Ning Chen's trajectory, he still had quite a long way to travel.

Below the cliff was a lush land. Ancient trees towered into the clouds, and wild beasts rarely seen in ordinary times roamed everywhere. Sword Enshrined searched for a long time, yet still could not find any trace of Ning Chen's fall.

"Chirp!"

Then came a piercing cry from the nine heavens. A gigantic black shadow flew across the sky toward the west. Sword Enshrined looked up, but paid it no mind.

About half an hour later, Sword Enshrined searched the most likely area for Ning Chen's landing once more, yet still found no trace of him.

This inconceivable situation stirred intense unease in Sword Enshrined's heart. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. His expression changed drastically, and with a stomp of his foot, he shot rapidly westward.

How fast could a ninth-rank peak expert travel when sparing no cost? Perhaps few in the world knew. Within the flourishing ancient forest, a cyan figure streaked past like a stream of light, so fast that even the naked eye could no longer follow.

"Chirp!"

A quarter of an hour later, the piercing cry sounded again. Sword Enshrined stomped off the ground and soared upward, like a massive cyan sword cleaving through the void. With a single strike, he split apart the enormous shadow that blotted out the sky.

"Splash!"

Amid a mournful, shrill cry, blood rained down from the sky. The black shadow split into two and crashed to the ground.

Sword Enshrined moved in a flash and caught Ning Chen amid the rain of blood. After examining him carefully, sorrow surged within his heart.

His meridians were shattered, both leg bones broken, and his breath was so weak that only his final thread of life remained. At any moment, he could fall into eternal sleep.

Sword Enshrined took out the pill Princess Miaoyu had given him and fed it to Ning Chen. Then he stomped down and hurried toward the southwest.

Returning a thousand li to Jiangling in a single day was not impossible for a ninth-rank expert. The marriage procession had traveled for nearly half a month, but Sword Enshrined returned in one day. A day later, covered in dust from the road, he appeared outside the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

After entering the palace, Sword Enshrined did not report to the Xia Emperor. Instead, he headed directly for Weiyang Palace.

If anyone in this world could save Ning Chen, the Empress Dowager was certainly one of them.

Within the main hall of Weiyang Palace, Changsun was startled upon hearing that Sword Enshrined sought an audience. Then a thread of unease rose in her heart, and she immediately ordered that he be admitted.

Qing Ling stood at the side, her expression equally uneasy.

Should Sword Enshrined not have been accompanying the marriage procession? Why had he suddenly returned—and come to Weiyang Palace as well?

The next moment, when they saw Sword Enshrined, his clothes stained with blood and covered in travel dust, both Qing Ling and Changsun's expressions changed.

"Empress Dowager."

Sword Enshrined knelt and laid Ning Chen down. Lowering his head, he said, "I beg the Empress Dowager to save him."

Before Changsun could speak, Qing Ling's delicate figure flashed, and she was already before them. Her slender hand trembled as she reached for Ning Chen's pulse. The next instant, her face turned deathly pale.

"How could this happen?"

Changsun clenched the armrests of her chair tightly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart as she asked in a deep voice.

Sword Enshrined remained kneeling and briefly recounted what had happened.

"What an Eternal Night Divine Cult. What a Divine Son."

Changsun slammed her palm against the table and rose to her feet, rage filling her face. They had actually dared to openly attempt the murder of a princess of Great Xia. Their audacity truly pierced the heavens.

"Go summon the imperial physician," Changsun said immediately, snapping back to her senses.

"No!"

"No!"

Two cries of refusal rang out in succession. Sword Enshrined and Qing Ling's expressions changed drastically as they spoke to stop her.

Changsun looked at the two of them, her brows knitting in confusion.

Qing Ling stepped forward and whispered several words into Changsun's ear. Immediately, Changsun's expression turned extraordinarily ugly as well.

"Good. Very good."

The veins stood out on Changsun's tightly clenched hands. She was so furious that she could no longer speak.

No wonder this boy had always wanted to run. No wonder he had seemed so afraid of her. So he had been hiding such an earth-shattering secret in his heart.

"Those old eunuchs from the Eunuch's Quarters should be dragged out and fed to the dogs." The malice in Changsun's heart was difficult to quell as she spoke coldly and viciously.

"Empress Dowager."

Seeing Changsun's fury, Qing Ling's expression changed. She too knelt before the hall.

This was no longer the time to pursue responsibility. Ning Chen had already reached the border between life and death. If they did not think of a solution now, it would truly be too late.

With a bang, Sword Enshrined's aged body bowed down, and he knocked his head against the floor. "I beg the Empress Dowager to save him."

Changsun's breath paused. Looking at Ning Chen lying on the ground, covered in blood and unconscious, the anger in her heart gradually subsided.

"Let this palace think."