Arrival

"I can't give him a chance. Old Liang needs to stick with me at all times." Si Borong was genuinely worried that the kid called Dongbo Xueying might sabotage him during the mission. "I'll let this kid off for now and won't hold it against him. Once the mission's over, heh heh... just wait and see what I do to him."

A twenty-two-year-old Silver Moon Knight?

The Silver Moon Knight rank was only one step below Title-level... but that step was like a chasm.

Ordinary knights could hope to break through to Silver Moon Knight with talent, aptitude, and powerful Battle Qi techniques backed by resources. Si Borong, for instance, had excellent talent and the support of his clan, so he had advanced smoothly to Silver Moon Knight... and then got stuck at Silver Moon Rank!

To advance from Silver Moon Knight to Title-level required a profound state of mind. One had to reach the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, then draw on the power of Heaven and Earth to break through to Title-level.

Unity of Heaven and Man?

Si Borong had been a Silver Moon Knight for years. Tang Xiong and Liang Yong had also been Silver Moon Knights for years, yet none of them had the slightest clue how to reach Unity of Heaven and Man.

Mages were different.

Knights relied on their bodies, while mages placed greater importance on intellect!

Mages had to study the world and analyze nature, investigating countless principles before they could master spells. That was why the stronger a mage became, the more extraordinary their intellect tended to be. Most who reached Silver Moon Rank as great mages were exceptionally intelligent. That was why Yu Jingqiu had left such a dazzling impression. So young, yet already so accomplished—if she continued studying and analyzing Heaven and Earth, she had a very good chance of reaching Unity of Heaven and Man during her remaining century or so of life.

Mages reached Unity of Heaven and Man through study!

For knights, reaching Unity of Heaven and Man was much harder! Many knights were simple-minded brutes who had no idea how to attain it. So even though people believed Dongbo Xueying was a twenty-two-year-old Silver Moon Knight, he clearly wasn't valued as highly as Yu Jingqiu. Most people assumed... Dongbo Xueying had simply relied on his excellent physical gifts to advance without a hitch, reaching Silver Moon Rank in one smooth run.

Dongbo Xueying had reached the master realm in spear technique long ago, where every movement came naturally. For over six years, he had lived and trained in a bamboo lodge on the mountain's back slope, contemplating nature and the world around him. His spear technique had grown ever more simple and natural, but he still hadn't reached Unity of Heaven and Man.

But his powerful body gave him the strength of a Title-level peak expert! And once his Strength Bloodline erupted, his power would double.

That was enough to place him among the top Title-level experts.

"A lucky kid dares to challenge me? He really doesn't know his place." Si Borong clenched his teeth in silence, then returned to the cabin.

"Jing Qiu." Si Borong walked over to Yu Jingqiu.

"What is it?" Yu Jingqiu opened her eyes. She had been sitting with her eyes closed, quietly meditating.

"When we attack the Lu Clan's castle, be careful. Especially around that Dongbo Xueying. He's too young and reckless. I'm worried he'll sabotage us behind our backs." Si Borong lowered his voice. "Stick with me and Old Liang when the time comes. We'll make sure you're safe."

"Why would he sabotage us?" Yu Jingqiu asked, puzzled.

"Just be careful." Si Borong left without explaining further.

Yu Jingqiu furrowed her delicate brows. She glanced at Si Borong in the distance, then at the black-clad young man Dongbo Xueying, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side. She wondered to herself, "They both went out onto the deck earlier. Did they have a conflict? Dongbo Xueying doesn't look like the reckless sort... I just hope nothing goes wrong on this mission."

She couldn't help feeling a little worried.

"Whoosh..."

Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged, his heartbeat gradually slowing, his breathing growing calmer. Yet his awareness of the world around him became ever clearer. He could sense each person's presence with remarkable clarity: Yu Jingqiu, Tang Xiong, Si Borong, Liang Yong, and the two people piloting the Flying Boat. He could even feel the violent winds outside.

His mind was still as water, a mirror reflecting the world and the natural forces around him.

The sky slowly darkened.

The silver-white Flying Boat continued through the clouds.

"We're here." Dongbo Xueying's breathing gradually returned to normal, as did the flow of his blood. He looked outside and sensed the Flying Boat slowing down.

"Everyone, get ready to disembark. We're almost at the Lu Clan's castle," said one of the Dragon Mountain Tower members piloting the Flying Boat.

"We're almost there?"

"The fighting's about to start."

Everyone stood up. They were about to face a major battle, but each of them felt differently.

Si Borong had never taken on such a dangerous mission before, so he had brought a Silver Moon Knight from his clan to guard him. He felt uneasy and nervous, and he also wanted to show Yu Jingqiu what he could do.

Tang Xiong, however, remained calm. He was an old man who had lived for more than a hundred and sixty years and experienced all kinds of storms.

Liang Yong was cautious, since he had to keep Si Borong safe.

This was Yu Jingqiu's first mission. She was a little tense, but a mage's temperament helped her face everything calmly.

And Dongbo Xueying? As a Title-level combatant, he felt no fear. He was simply curious about the Lu Clan's castle.

"Everyone."

Yu Jingqiu and the others stepped onto the deck. Looking down, they could see a magnificent castle below. The Flying Boat was only a little over three hundred meters above it, but the formations across its surface stirred up mist that concealed it. The people below couldn't see the Flying Boat at all.

"I'll cast a spell to cover everyone. We'll jump down and quietly infiltrate the Lu Clan's castle," Yu Jingqiu said. "If we can slip inside and kill Lu Huairu without being noticed, that would be ideal."

"Good. We'll follow your lead, Jing Qiu," Si Borong said at once.

"Having a great mage of Silver Moon Rank with us is a stroke of luck," Tang Xiong said with a hearty chuckle.

Clang. Dongbo Xueying drew the two sections of the spear shaft from the weapon case on his back and began joining them to assemble the Flying Snow Divine Spear.

Si Borong glanced at him with disdain, then flipped his hand. A two-handed greatsword appeared in his grip.

Everyone was ready for battle.

Whoosh—Yu Jingqiu, dressed in a blue robe and holding a staff, conjured a whirlwind that swept around them.

"We're going down," Yu Jingqiu said.

"Let's go."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

All five leaped from the Flying Boat at once. Any one of them could have jumped safely from a height of more than three hundred meters; the whirlwind was mainly there to guide their descent and keep them concealed.

Dongbo Xueying looked down. As they descended, the whirlwind carried them toward the roof of the Inner Castle. The Inner Castle looked like a strange, eight-sided beast sprawled across the ground. Wind began to rise below, howling and sweeping up leaves and weeds until some of the castle's soldiers could barely keep their eyes open.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

With the whirlwind's help, the five landed silently on the roof.

"Come on, let's get inside." Si Borong gripped his greatsword, brimming with fighting spirit.

"Buzz—"

The roof of the massive Inner Castle stretched far and wide. Now, blinding crimson light suddenly blazed across it, leaving Dongbo Xueying and the others with nowhere to hide.

"Intruders!" A cold voice rang out from inside the Inner Castle, echoing through every corner of the castle. "They're on the roof. Kill them!"

"Intruders!"

"They're over there! Kill them!"

The soldiers patrolling the outer castle walls and those stationed throughout the Inner Castle spotted them at once. More than two hundred Star-Breaking Crossbows immediately took aim! The Lu Clan openly had a Meteor-Rank great mage who was skilled in alchemy, as well as four Meteor-Rank knights. With such strength, it was only natural that their castle's soldiers were so well equipped.

"We've been spotted," Tang Xiong said.

"Hmph, so what if they've spotted us? We'll just kill them all," Si Borong sneered.

"Our target is the Lu Clan. If you try to stop us, you're only throwing your lives away." Yu Jingqiu spoke, staff in hand. Her voice was clear and cool, ringing throughout the castle. As she spoke, icy air spread across the surrounding miles, and the temperature plummeted.

Thick frost formed on the ground, freezing patches of earth solid. The enormous Lu Clan castle turned into a vast ice fortress, and frost coated the soldiers. They shivered uncontrollably.

"Cold... so cold!" Some soldiers shook so violently that they collapsed.

"Leave the Frost Domain and you'll live. If you stay in this cold, you'll freeze to death," Yu Jingqiu said. She still felt compassion for these weak soldiers.

"Whoosh."

Dongbo Xueying looked at the frost all around him and felt the bitter cold. He couldn't help but marvel. Yu Jingqiu was indeed best at ice magic. With a mere gesture, she had covered the entire castle with her Frost Domain. The cold was intense but not enough to kill anyone instantly. Her control was truly impressive.

Of course, if the soldiers stayed frozen for too long, they would still die.

"Move! Hurry!" The stronger soldiers immediately dragged the weaker ones away. Servants throughout the castle fled as well. The two or three thousand soldiers were helpless against the Frost Domain. They could only run. Shivering in the bitter cold, their fingers numb and senseless, they couldn't even operate their Star-Breaking Crossbows.

"Let's go." Yu Jingqiu held her staff, while Dongbo Xueying and the other three flanked her. They all leaped from the roof.

Since they could no longer sneak in, they would attack head-on.

"Hmph, a bunch of fools. Completely useless." Seeing the soldiers flee, Lu Huairu snorted and hurried down the corridor toward a hidden part of the Inner Castle. "Looks like I'll have to rely on myself and a few of my protectors. If you don't come in, fine. But if you dare enter the Inner Castle I built, you'll die."

Lu Huairu was confident.

His mechanisms, traps, and formations... even three or five Silver Moon Knights would die in them! And on top of that, a great Divine Envoy lived here. That gave him all the confidence he needed.