With a bang, the great doors were forced open.
Fang Ling walked out of the world behind the doors, one step at a time.
He was covered in blood, but his eyes were terrifyingly calm.
Wu'er Tu screamed, purple blood spilling continuously from his mouth.
The tomb doors were bound to his life, and their destruction had inflicted tremendous backlash on him.
The backlash was horrifying, nearly robbing him of most of his life.
Not a trace of Wu'er Tu's earlier composure remained. Fear ruled him completely.
He was about to flee, but Fang Ling stepped forward, instantly appeared before him, and seized him by the hair.
Holding Wu'er Tu by the hair, he hurled him into the air.
Then, gathering his strength, he unleashed an Ascending Dragon Fist, sending him flying once more.
Where the White-Clad Woman could not see clearly, he raised his hand, condensed a Blood Sword, and plunged it down through the top of Wu'er Tu's head.
The Blood Sword greedily drank in the blood's baleful energy, draining him dry in an instant.
Then he raised his right hand, his palm turning into a vortex that devoured the life essence within Wu'er Tu.
The life essence flowed into him like scattered starlight, making Fang Ling's powerful frame shudder with exquisite pleasure.
This ancient being had possessed a high cultivation level-the late Jade Balance Realm.
But his original cultivation had been higher still. It had only fallen because he had slumbered for so long.
Thus, for Fang Ling, this was a tremendous feast of nourishment.
He could clearly feel his Blood Sword and physical body growing stronger. Compared with what he had felt before, the difference was like clouds above and mud below.
I'm beginning to understand why Sword Master only kills the strong...
Killing a thousand, even ten thousand weaklings, isn't as satisfying as killing a single powerful foe!
Looking at Wu'er Tu's shriveled corpse, he flicked out a fireball and burned it to nothing.
He turned to look at the Lost Ancient Mine, then immediately headed back to Dragon City without lingering.
He had originally thought this was merely Jin Buhan's hiding place. Now it seemed he had been far too naive.
The sudden appearance of that ancient being from the Ancient Tomb Race struck him as eerie. Perhaps more than one ancient being lay sleeping here.
The Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly larva was surely one of them.
And the Tongyuan sword soul might well have belonged to some powerful being, only escaping its age-old confinement by accident...
When he returned to Dragon City, no one from the White Family sought him out or asked him anything.
It was as though they knew nothing and cared about nothing.
After cleaning himself up, Fang Ling climbed onto the bed and settled into quiet meditation.
He recalled the two battles in the Lost Ancient Mine, taking stock of what he had learned from them.
To him, these experiences were precious and worth pondering carefully.
Early the next morning, he was cultivating in his room.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door, and a gentle voice asked, "Benefactor, may I come in?"
"Come in!" Fang Ling opened his eyes and spoke calmly.
A slightly haggard-looking woman pushed open the door and entered. She was Bai Ying, the White Family Eldest Daughter.
"I am Bai Ying. My respects, benefactor!" She bowed gracefully to Fang Ling.
"Please rise, Miss Bai," Fang Ling said. "You haven't recovered yet. There's no need for such ceremony."
Bai Ying smiled faintly and said, "I'm much better already. I should have come to thank you sooner, Young Master Fang."
"If you hadn't saved me, Young Master Fang, I'm afraid I would not have had long left to live."
"Please sit, Miss Bai!" Fang Ling invited her.
But then he did not know what else to say. He had never been good at conversation.
Bai Ying was reserved as well. After sitting down, she stared at the teacup before her, unable to utter a word for quite some time.
The atmosphere in the room grew awkward. Fortunately, Bai Jiang arrived just then.
"Ying'er, have you properly thanked Young Master Fang for his great kindness?" Bai Jiang asked, looking at his daughter.
Bai Ying quickly nodded. "Yes..."
"My medicine should be almost ready, so I'll go back and take it."
"I'll take my leave, Young Master Fang!"
She fled faster than a rabbit, vanishing in a flash before Fang Ling could reply.
At the sight, Bai Jiang did not know whether to laugh or cry and shook his head helplessly.
"My daughter rarely deals with outsiders, so her manners are somewhat lacking. I'm afraid she's made a fool of herself before you, Young Master Fang!" he said, looking at Fang Ling.
"Not at all. Your daughter truly has the bearing of a young lady from a distinguished household. She certainly lives up to being your daughter, White Family Head," Fang Ling said.
Though these were polite words, Bai Jiang was still delighted to hear them, and his face beamed with a smile.
"Whatever else may be said of my daughter, she's obedient and sensible. She's never once given me, her father, cause to worry."
"Ahem, right. Someone wishes to see you, Young Master Fang."
"Her background is far from ordinary. Despite her youth, she has already reached the Heavenly Balance Realm. She doesn't seem to be from our Southern Sun Kingdom."
"Oh? Is she a woman dressed in white, accompanied by a gravely injured old woman?" Fang Ling asked.
"Precisely!" Bai Jiang replied.
"The two of them arrived at the estate gates last night, seeking lodging."
"Seeing that they were no ordinary people, I dared not slight them and arranged for them to stay in the west courtyard."
"Just now, the woman in white came to me and asked me to help her find someone."
"From her description, I knew the person she sought was you, Young Master Fang."
"But I dared not make the decision on my own, so I did not tell her you were staying here."
"That's why I came to inform you. How would you like to handle this, Young Master Fang?"
"I have no quarrel with either of them. Let them come!" Fang Ling said.
"Very well!" Bai Jiang nodded, then immediately turned and left.
Before long, he brought the White-Clad Woman and the old woman to Fang Ling's room.
Once he had brought them there, he tactfully took his leave at once.
The White-Clad Woman carefully helped the old woman sit down, then raised her head to look at Fang Ling.
"I am Shangguan Haiyue. Thank you for saving our lives last night, young master," she said.
"I had no intention of saving you," Fang Ling said calmly. "It was merely a coincidence."
"That isn't important," Shangguan Haiyue said. "What matters is the outcome."
"We of the Shangguan family repay every grudge and return every kindness."
"If you hadn't killed that strange being last night, Granny Yu and I would certainly have died."
"This is my Shangguan family's Mysterious Wind Token. Whoever holds this token is an honored guest of our family."
"If you encounter trouble in the future, simply show this Mysterious Wind Token. It should help turn danger into safety."
"Our Shangguan family has some renown in the Southern Dipper Domain. Most powers are willing to show us some respect."
"The Shangguan family... do you mean the Formation-Arts Family in the Jade Kingdom?" Fang Ling asked.
"That's right." Shangguan Haiyue nodded, her face full of confidence as she spoke of her lineage.
This was the Shangguan family's pride. In the art of formations, no power in the Southern Dipper Domain could compare with them.
"By the way, I still don't know your name. Which power do you belong to?" Shangguan Haiyue asked.
"I am Fang Ling. I have no sect, school, or kin. I'm merely an unaffiliated wanderer roaming the world," he replied.
At this, Shangguan Haiyue's delicate brows drew together, and she was about to speak. But the old woman beside her suddenly reached out and gave her a few light pinches, signaling her not to say more.
"I left in a hurry this time and didn't bring many treasures with me."
"For now, I have nothing else to give you besides this Mysterious Wind Token."
"Why don't you come back to the Jade Kingdom with me?" she asked.
"Once we're at my home, I'll have my father give you more treasures to repay you for saving our lives."
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Shangguan, but that won't be necessary," Fang Ling replied.
"I'll accept this Mysterious Wind Token. Consider the favor you owe me repaid."
Before you continue