In the south of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.

  “The spiritual Qi here is rich and has the breath of noble spirits. Is there a god here?” a man said thoughtfully. He overbearingly flew over Swordsmanship-seeking Sect with a terrifying gold light around his body, like the sun in the sky. He tried to break into the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect gate several times, but relented in the end.

  In the west of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.

  Demon aura was rolling, covering the sky and the sun. Among the mist was a pair of huge eyes like blood pools, releasing two rays of blood lights, slashing the void. As the light shone on the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect’s protective shield, there was a loud sound. The light was bounced back by the endless sword radiance and was slowly dissipated……

  In the southwest part of Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.

  A ray of sword light was shot across the sky, like the god conquering the world; it flew over the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountains for some time and seemed to notice something, disappearing eventually.

  In the east of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.

  A voice sounded. He was Fang Xiaoan from Tranquility Academy. “Ah, I smell a delicious aura here…… The breath of the dragon was in the air! Haha, Li Jianyi, do you think you can really cover up the truth? An innocent man is guilty because of having a treasure. Your Swordsmanship-seeking Sect will fall into an endless pool of blood……”


  On this day, countless powerhouses passed over the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.

  Although they didn’t act immediately, the undercurrents only temporarily retreated.

  The storm was around the corner.

  After all, the pillar of purple dragon Qi soaring up into the sky had been too dazzling, and the change in the heaven and earth aura around the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was very obvious. That place had become an unparalleled blessed land in half a day. The snow melted, while the grass and the trees were reborn. It was like a fairyland!

  Such changes were enough to attract the attention of the major forces in the entire Snow Province, and even those of the Northern Region.

  “Haha, Ji Yingnan, you can’t leave. Hand over the piece of the map!”


  “Give me the map or die!”


  “Cut the bullshit! Kill them, and find the map of the stele from their bodies. Being so important, he surely has that thing on him!”


  “The Ji family in the Jade province has already declined, so you don’t have to worry about it!”


  “The last Martial Emperor master of the Ji family died half a year ago, and they have no other masters to protect themselves. I heard that Ji Yingnan had a piece of the map. Haha, I didn’t expect that we would meet them. We’re so lucky……”


  There were various merciless threats and taunts in the air, but Ji Yingnan turned a deaf ear.

  Ji Yingnan inserted his sword into the snow and the sweat had soaked his hair.

  The north wind passed by, lifting his loose white robe, revealing a wound in his chest. Blood had soaked his white robe. He gasped; his eyes were cold but they burned with a hot fighting spirit.

  There was a girl on his back, about sixteen years old.

  The girl’s cheeks were thin, her hair was yellow. She was thin and small, and her body had not grown well. Her thin body had a disproportionately big head, and it looked uncoordinated.

  However, if someone looked closely, the sick girl looked very delicate. Her skin was fair and flawless, although a little too pale; her eyes were extremely bright, as if they were the clearest and the most innocent gems in the world. She was full of longing for life. Anyone would take pity on her.

  “Brother, we can’t go, please let me down!” The girl was tied to Ji Yingnan’s back by a few pieces of silk. Her voice was soft and weak, just like a thin string in the wind, but she looked elegant and noble.

  “It’s too cold on the ground.” Ji Yingnan shook his head.

  Twenty masters surrounded the brother and sister pair from all sides and flaunted their weapons. They were indifferent, approaching step by step. They had obviously decided to kill them both. They were smiling; that kind of cruel smile was similar to one made by a cat while it played with the rat it caught.

  “Kill!”


  Some of them were impatient and quickly attacked.

  The knife radiance burst out and became a dazzling white light; it blew the snow on the ground and in the air, rapidly rushing toward Ji Yingnan.

  Ji Yingnan held the sword backhand and stood still.

  The knife wind blew his long black hair back.

  Just as he was about to be struck by the sword, he swooshed to the left, pulling out the large sword in the ground, and rushing forward. A long sword scream was heard, but there was no dazzling light or a deafening explosion. Two figures ran through each other. Their swords sparked, and there was a slight friction sound of sword fighting.

  The north wind blew over.

  The swordsman stood stiff.

  Immediately, blood squirted from his neck, and he fell straight down.

  Ji Yingnan still kept the posture of holding the sword in a backhand position, gasping heavily. The wound on his chest had yet to close completely; blood spurted out and at the same time, there was another three-finger deep wound on his shoulder. Bones could be seen and blood was flowing out!

  “Injury for injury? Huh, we have twenty-one people. How long can you last?”


  Their leader was a young man holding a lupine. He looked malicious and insidious.

  That man was in his twenties but his eyes were sunken and black-rimmed. He was obviously over-indulgent. He looked too ruthless for his age. Snap! He closed his feather fan and ordered cruelly, “Kill him and leave the girl to me. She will be a buxom beauty after I raise her for some time. I will train her after that, my kennel still needs a beauty-dog!

  More than a dozen figures turned into streamers and slashed toward Ji Yingnan ruthlessly.

  The young man had a smile on his face, watching the prey struggle under siege, flapping his feather fan in a rhythmical manner. Each time he raised his fan, a silver awn would shoot toward Ji Yingnan silently.

  A figure flashed in the distance, moving closer to the young man and reporting respectfully. “Master, someone seems to be traveling to our location from the east!”


  “Oh? How many people?” The young man looked stern.

  “It looks like there is only one. He is approaching.”


  The young man’s sharp eyes became lazy again, and he said with a smile, “Don’t stop him, let him come…… Haha, the people who are in this ancient road are all outstanding geniuses of all major Sects. He surely has collected a lot of treasures by now; we can take them and then kill him later.”


  “Yes.” The figure bowed and acquiesced, then he quickly returned to his position in the distance to be on alert.

  The young man continued to appreciate the battle ahead.

  His name was Tang Baishuang.

  He was the young master of the Tang family in the Jade province of the Northern Region.

  The man and woman under siege in front of him were descendants of the Ji Family, another big family from the Jade province.

  The Ji family had once been very prominent, an overlord class family among the six provinces of the Northern Region. It had existed for tens of thousands of years. Once they had lots of powerful masters, even a Martial Emperor Master. That was a glorious time, even the Tang family could not be their match. But the Ji family had recently declined all of a sudden, and Tang Baishuang took it upon himself to arbitrarily hunt down the men of the Ji family which had only one son for several generations in a row, so he could ravage the little princess Ji Yingqi casually.

  That was truly a great opportunity.

  When they made the alliance on the altar, news came that there was still a missing piece of the map; Tang Baishuang knew it was his chance.

  Because the Tang family had accidentally learned that the young master of the Ji family, Ji Yingnan, had a bizarre stele, which was probably that piece of the map of the West Ancient Road.

  The Ji family had once been glorious, but it declined without a warning a hundred years before. The masters of the family died and the rest were scattered. Ji Yingnan’s generation had the least power in all the generations, and the little princess Ji Yingqi of the Ji family had suffered from a strange disease since childhood. It was said that only a medicine called “Nine Emperor’s heart-protecting Bamboo Shoots” could cure the disease.

  This time, in order to save his sister, “Little Sword Saint” Ji Yingnan even sold the entire Ji family’s last property to exchange a quota for entering the Sage Battlefield at any cost, bringing his sister who was not qualified to enter the battlefield. He entered the battlefield just to find the magic medicine, sparing no effort to save Ji Yingqi even in their direst hour.

  Ji Yingnan had the map but he didn’t appear in the altar meeting. There was only one reason. He felt that his strength was too low to contend with those big forces. Once he showed up, he might have suffered a series of secret attacks, so he chose to move on secretly. That way, he might be able to eventually enter the mysterious site……

  Unexpectedly, they were found.

  Tang Baishuang did not dare to provoke those powerful forces who had the pieces of the map, except for the brother and sister of the Ji family.

  If he killed the two silently and obtained the map, he then could bargain with those superpowers and enter the mysterious ruins to get a serving of the soup. That was the chance in front of him.

  The fighting was fierce.

  Soon, six members of the Tang family had fallen.

  But Ji Yingnan had more than a dozen wounds on his body.

  Blood was spilled, but he gritted his teeth and fought hard.

  Most of the time, to protect his sister riding on his back, he had to block the attacking sword with his body. In addition, the silver needle from Tang Baishuang left a toxin in his body, paralyzing his nerves. What was worse, he had lost too much blood. Ji Yingnan was very weak and his white robe had been completely ruptured, revealing his chest!

  “No wonder you are called Little Sword Saint. You can still hold your sword after all this time.” Tang Baishuang laughed ruthlessly. He turned and said to the members of his family, “Don’t you see? This Little Sword Saint cares a lot much about his sister. He blocked many attacks to protect this little girl. Come on! Cut that little girl! I’m wondering how many movements he can block!”


  Ji Yingnan’s face changed.

  In the next moment, the warriors around him stopped attacking him and began slashing at his sister instead.

  Ji Yingnan tried his best to protect his sister and even blocked the sabers with his body; more wounds were seen on his body.

  “Alas……” With a faint sigh, the girl on his back sighed softly. Her bright eyes were indifferent. She said softly, “Brother, let’s give them the map.”


  “That’s not going to happen.” Ji Yingnan was determined.

  He stepped sideways to avoid the sword slashing at his face but felt a pain in his thigh. That was a silver needle. He shook his head and said, “I’ve promised mom and dad that I would cure you, and now they’ve passed away, I must fulfill my promise. Without the map, we can’t enter the mysterious site and I can’t find the magic medicine.”


  “I’m very happy that I can live until now. Brother, don’t sacrifice yourself for me……” The girl’s tone sounded like a wise old man who had been through the vicissitudes of life. Even though those bright and starry eyes were still revealing the desire to live, there was also sorrow in them.

  A ray of sword light around her chopped her long yellow hair. The girl smiled bitterly, “I’m a bane, I brought disaster to our Ji family. Brother, you are the last hope of our family. Live on, our Ji family will have hope if you survive. Give up the map and put me down. Leave! Otherwise, we will both die here.”


  Ji Yingnan shook his head. There was a rock-solid expression on his handsome face. His sword eyebrows were making a deep scowl.

  As they were talking, he was shot by another poison needle, but he calmly shook his head and said, “Either we both die or live together!”


  “Aha, What a touching brother-sister relationship……” Tang Baishuang sneered in a sarcastic tone and shot a silver poison needle. “I am afraid neither of you can leave today……”


  As soon as he finished speaking……

  Something happened.

  Tang Baishuang suddenly felt a cold wind blowing behind his neck. That was a bitter chill and that was instantly spread all over his body.

  He looked back at once and found with disbelief that a handsome boy was standing in the ice tens of meters away, looking like a ghost as he quietly watched the fight.

  When did he arrive?

  Why did the warriors on the lookout did not stop him?

  An unpleasant feeling suddenly appeared in Tang Baishuang’s heart.

  This young boy in the green shirt was very handsome, with dense and straight black hair, slender body, sword eyebrows, and starry eyes. People would be overwhelmed by him simply standing there quietly. Tang Baishuang, who had always claimed to be a beautiful man, had a sense of inferiority at that moment. Even Little Sword Saint Ji Yingnan, who was known as the most handsome man in the Jade province, was far inferior to that young man.

  The man stood quietly in the snow. The snowflakes drifted down and he looked integrated with heaven and earth, as if no one was standing there.

  “Who…… are you?” Tang Baishuang was careful and took a step back.

  Somehow, he felt that the boy was familiar.

  But for a moment, he couldn’t remember where he had seen him.

  The young man didn’t look at Tang Baishuang. His eyes fell on the men who were fiercely fighting. He seemed to be thinking about something. But Tang Baishuang felt he had been completely ignored. The man didn’t put Tang Baishuang in his heart at all. Like a tiger in a forest, it would not care about an ant.

  “Who the hell are you?” Tang Baishuang was a little angry.

  That day, the Tang family had replaced the Ji family as the most prominent in the Jade province. It was rising vigorously. He was the eldest son of the Tang family, the heir to the family in the future. He had always been flattered and praised, even many people who were stronger than him didn’t dare to look down upon him like that. “How dare such a nobody be so arrogant?”


  Before he had finished his words.

  Whoosh!

  Light flashed.

  The young man disappeared, and in the next moment, he was in the middle of the battlefield.

  Before Tang Baishuang could understand what had happened, he saw that the man in the green shirt waving casually, and a series of soft sounds were heard. The dozens of the Tang family warriors who were besieging Ji Yingnan were blown off, just like rice paddies in a hurricane wind. Afterward, the man went to Ji Yingnan’s side in one step and grabbed Ji Yingqi’s thin right hand.

  “You……” Ji Yingnan was furious.

  How dare such a man be so rude? That was flirting. Was he one of Tang Baishuang’s dogs?

  He struggled hard and was going to stab with his sword.

  But shockingly, the long sword in his hand was shaking spontaneously, as if emitting a cry of sorrow, and was out of his control.

  Ji Yingnan was shocked.

  His sword was called Green Wind, which was an ancestral sword of the Ji family. Although it was not a Precious Weapon, it had been with him day and night; there was a trace of magical connection between the sword and him. At the moment, he felt that the sword was afraid of the man.

  That was a first.

  Ji Yingnan tried several times, and the sound of Green Wind even sounded unwilling.

  He found inconceivable that his body would refuse to move, being firmly locked by a powerful breath. He could not move at all, not to mention waving the sword. He finally understood that the man before him was definitely an unfathomable and peerless master.

  “This ring, Where did you get it?” The young man in the green shirt seriously looked at Ji Yingqi’s right little finger.

  On the thin and dry finger of the girl, a black snake-shaped ring covered half of her finger. The black snake was lifelike. The head and tail were connected in a circle. The tail was wrapped around the neck of the snake. Its head was raised and its mouth was open, revealing two fierce teeth. The snake’s eyes were red, radiating a slightly faint light…… That was an extremely delicate Black Serpent Ring.

  Ji Yingqi was puzzled.

  Although she had been unable to practice advanced martial arts since she had always been weak and sick, she could feel that the handsome young man who would make all girls blush and their hearts beat was definitely stronger than any man she had ever seen, and the brilliance in his eyes was intoxicating.

  She felt no malicious intent; instead, there was a hint of goodwill in the teenager’s expression.

  But she couldn’t remember when she had seen such a peerless genius.

  Was it because of this ring?

  Ji Yingqi looked up at the young man’s eyes and said quietly, “This Black Serpent Ring was an ancestral ring of my Ji family. There was a pair of them. Unfortunately, hundreds of years ago, my grandpa disappeared with the other ring……”


  “Oh.” The man nodded, then he released Ji Yingqi’s hand and stepped away.

  In a moment, Ji Yingqi felt a warm current pour into her body from the fingers of her right hand; it was a feeling she had never felt before. Thanks to the stimulation of that warm current, the pain that she had experienced day and night for fifteen years was miraculously relieved. She opened her mouth wide. That was unbelievable!

  Ji Yingnan felt that the pressure over his body was suddenly lifted; he could finally move.

  He withdrew and stepped back at once, looking at the teenager with vigilance.

  “Who the hell are you?”


  That was Tang Baishuang’s voice. The young master of the Tang family had been ignored twice and was bitterly angry because of it. The warriors who were blown off were not injured. They regrouped and were at the ready. Tang Baishuang’s shouting gave them a little courage and confidence. No matter how terrifying the man was, he was nothing more than a person.

  The young man in the green shirt turned around and glanced at the domineering young Master. After thinking for a while, he finally gave an answer that everyone wanted to know—


  “I’m Ding Hao.”


  “Ding Hao? What the……” Tang Baishuang shouted and he subconsciously wanted to curse.

  But a thought struck him almost at the same moment. He suddenly remembered who Ding Hao was and what the meaning of those two words meant. He was absolutely stunned and could only feel a chill run from his foot to his head. He wanted to die.

  Ding Hao!

  God, he was Ding Hao!

  The Saber and Sword Addict!

  The owner of the Heaven Sabre-Peerless Sword Tower!

  The man who had killed Ling Shixiong, Pan Yixin, and Yuchi Jin, the three powerful Martial Emperors, with one blow!