Fifty thousand li southeast of Hanyang Pass lay the border between the states of Zhao and Jin. The landscape was characterized by rolling hills and dense forest, the climate was hot and humid, and the area was teeming with venomous insects. Many parts of this region had been uninhabited since ancient times.

For the most part, the region still retained the characteristics of the Shaman realm. The realm stones of the human realm were slowly expanding their influence in this direction, but it would likely be a few more centuries before it reached this area. That said, the surroundings had already undergone some changes and were no longer as humid as before.

Because this region was neither suited for human habitation nor comfortable for the Shamans to live in—not to mention that the humans’ army would occasionally sweep through the place—this land of several hundred li had become a no man’s land. Neither race had settled down here.

Meanwhile, a small flying boat bearing the emblem of a minor clan was flying through the region. Less than ten zhang long, it wasn’t particularly fast, and its design was unremarkable. It was one of the most common types of flying vessels in the western regions.

The flying boat had just flown past a hill when suddenly, three iron chains shot out from the primitive forest below!

The iron chains rose into the sky and sank their sharp hooks into the flying boat like venomous dragons, forcing it to a halt!

The transport shook violently, trying to break free. However, each iron chain was tied to a huge, three-zhang-tall beast and pulled from three different directions. In the end, the flying boat was pulled down to the ground.

Suddenly, a dozen or so light dots—each one a different color—flew out of the flying boat. At the same time, a medicinal scent permeated the air, invigorating the spirit. The light dots formed sets when they flew toward the three beasts, then merged into one when they arrived atop the creatures. Rain began falling from the conjoined lights, causing the three beasts to let out a long howl and grow weak in the limbs. They eventually collapsed where they stood.

However, the flying boat was of mediocre quality. It simply couldn’t withstand three powerful shocks. A massive crack appeared in its hull, and it slowly plummeted to the ground. Several passengers leaped out of the flying boat at the same time dozens of people flew out of the dense forest and surrounded them.

A jet-black strip of light suddenly emerged from the woods, zigzagging through the air as it swept toward the passengers!

One female passenger immediately let out a harsh cry and tossed out a jade bottle, blocking its path.

Medicinal scent permeated the surroundings as soon as the jade bottle appeared. At the same time, a redwood medicinal cabinet appeared above her head. The shelves of the cabinet swung open to unleash a number of glowing medicinal ingredients, cutting the black strip to pieces.

As it turned out, the female passenger was an Avatar Trueman. The other four passengers looked quite young, and they were all in the Dao Foundation stage. They were probably her disciples.

The medicinal cabinet opened and closed repeatedly as it unleashed over a dozen beams of light, each one exuding a different Dao essence of medicine. Although each beam was individually weak, they combined into an aura of grim, ruthless destruction. The temperature plummeted, and a biting wind resembling the frosty gales of the far north swept through the area.

The black strip gradually slowed down amidst the frosty gales, its deadliness a far cry from what it was at the beginning.

A cultivator wearing black from head to toe appeared in front of Trueman Ning Xi. His voice sounded deep and raspy when he spoke, and he was clearly using an unfamiliar accent. “As expected of Trueman Ning Xi. Your Soup of Frost is quite the eye-opener. But if this is the extent of your abilities, then this will be your burial ground!”

Trueman Ning Xi sneered. “You think you can kill me while keeping your face hidden? Bring out the rest of your allies already. Otherwise, forget killing me, you would be lucky to survive this encounter!”

A couple more beams of light flew out of the medicinal cabinet. When they flew into the Soup of Frost, its temperature suddenly skyrocketed, and its attribute flipped from yin to yang. The next moment, an unbelievably hot gale of yang containing countless tiny blades erupted, slicing and dicing the black strip to itsy bitsy pieces.

Several wounds split open on the black-robed man’s body, and the faint stench of blood spread across the air.

A muffled grunt of pain escaped the black-robed man’s lips. Seemingly embarrassed and angry, he growled, “Your Shuofang Yang Astral Powder is impressive alright! That is why you must die!” 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A thick green cloud suddenly appeared above Trueman Ning Xi’s head. She had no idea when or how it appeared!

Green tendrils immediately wrapped around Trueman Ning Xi’s body, numbing her senses and slowing her down. The medicinal cabinet above her head also turned gray and dilapidated like it had been battered by the wind and rain for a terribly long time.

Ning Xi furrowed her brow in anger. “You dare collude with the foreigners? Still, do you think that mere poison can threaten me?”

The medicinal cabinet opened and closed furiously, unleashing dozens of herbs that combined into a panacea of poison. When it poured on top of the medicinal cabinet, parts of it instantly became as good as new. However, not only did the panacea fail to cure the poison completely, the still affected parts were decaying at an accelerated rate. Locked in a vicious battle, the poison and the cure became stuck in a stalemate.

The black-robed cultivator declared with a cold chuckle, “You cannot defeat both of us together, Trueman Ning Xi. Just give it up and surrender the item. We may let you live if you do so. When the battle between the two lords has come to an end, you’ll be able to go home, and we’ll still be on good terms. Wouldn’t that be best?”

“You can keep dreaming!” Trueman Ning Xi declared without hesitation.

The black-robed cultivator chuckled again. “You know full well that the Ancestor would never allow that object to appear in the Shattered Realm, yet you still insist on putting yourself in danger. Why go to such length? The Ancestor is merely curious about that object; he wouldn’t go so far as to take the life of a junior.”

Trueman Ning Xi harrumphed and said coldly, “It is one of the Palace’s ultimate treasures. I would rather die than surrender it to you. Even if you did manage to take it from me, you will never figure out its secrets.”

“That is for the Ancestor and my seniors to worry about, not me. Anyway, a long night is fraught with dreams[1], so I’m going to count to three. If you don’t surrender by then, then don’t blame me for taking drastic measures. Your disciples won’t be making it out alive as well.”

Trueman Ning Xi said, “I have one last question. How did you know that I am traveling west, and how did you track me down?”

The black-robed man simply let out another cold chuckle and said nothing.

Trueman Ning Xi suddenly turned her head and stared at her four disciples with a growing look of sorrow and deep disappointment. “I’ve raised you all since you were children. The reason I brought you all with me on this journey is because I wished to give you the chance to prove yourselves and truly grow. Not once did I imagine that the traitor would be among you. Whoever you are, step forward now and save yourself some dignity.”

The black-robed man scoffed, “You’re about to die, so why are you still putting on airs? Since you refuse to hand over that thing, then I shan’t hold back any longer. Please finish the job, Your Lordship!”

A speck of the intent of endless desolation suddenly emerged from the distance. Trueman Ning Xi turned as pale as death when she sensed it!

An arrow appeared from the very, very distant mountains and reached Trueman Ning Xi in just an instant. She was bound by the black strip and the green qi right now, so it took her everything she had just to take an evasive action. The arrow brushed past her calf, and everything below her right knee disappeared just like that!

At the same time, a corner of the medicinal cabinet vanished into thin air!

Another two arrows appeared in the distance. One struck Trueman Ning Xi squarely in the chest, and the other the medicinal cabinet in the air, leaving large holes in them.

“It... It was you....” Trueman Ning Xi started falling as the light slowly faded from her eyes.

The black-robed man was just about to catch her when his senses pricked, and he looked up in the sky all of a sudden.

The broken medicinal cabinet in the sky had suddenly exploded to smithereens, scattering dots of light everywhere. They merged seemingly randomly in the air and formed all kinds of unfathomable Dao spells. In the end, they grew into a rampaging storm of Dao arts that destroyed everything within a hundred zhang!

The black-robed man had no choice but to defend himself against it. He could not move for a time.

Suddenly, several light dots merged into a beam of light and entered the body of a male disciple! Then, the male disciple disappeared from head to toe as if erased from existence. He was gone.

Shocked and aghast, the black-robed man scanned Trueman Ning Xi’s lifeless body once before shouting furiously, “She doesn’t have it! It must have gone to the boy just now! Chase him!”

1. Meaning that the longer something is dragged out, the likelier it is that a problem will arise. ☜