As Qin Fei proclaimed himself emperor, the State of Zhao finally officially declared its demise, and a new country, the State of Qin, was born. On the second day after the establishment of the Qin State, disaster also followed. The three empires of Xiyue, Nanxiang, and Zhongsheng declared war on Qin at the same time, and each raised 200,000 troops to gather at the border, hoping to conquer Qin in one go.
However, at this time, the three great immortals announced a message to the entire Mortal Continent - the maximum cultivation limit of the Xuanyuan Sword Array in Mortal Continent was reduced to the fifth level of Qi Refining. Anyone who exceeds this limit will be strangled by the Xuanyuan Sword Array! In addition, all monks are no longer allowed to interfere in the country's internal affairs, and all sects are to evacuate the mortal continent within three months!
This news is nothing short of a bolt from the blue, especially for the various sects headed by the five major sects. This means that they can no longer seize resources from the Mortal Continent, nor can they receive a steady stream of personnel. At first, many monks were still hesitant, but after a few courageous monks used Taoist methods that exceeded the fifth level of Qi Refining and were strangled by the Xuanyuan Sword Formation in full view of the public, no one dared to doubt this. The news is true or false.
Countless monks and sects began to evacuate the Mortal Continent one after another. They did not fight with each other, but left peacefully. Suddenly without the support of the sect, the three empires of Nanxiang, Beiling, and Zhongsheng simultaneously pointed their finger at Dongyou and raised their troops to attack. However, after Dongyou experienced the "Xuanyuan Secret Realm", its population dropped sharply, and several large empires The city almost became an empty city. The three empires marched in and quickly carved up Dongyou.
The two emperors of Nanxiang and Zhongsheng were busy using troops against Dongyou and could not take care of Qin for a while, but they gave Qin Fei a chance to breathe. Qin Fei personally wrote a handwritten letter to the Emperor of the Xiyue Empire, and the two parties reached an alliance and took the opportunity to attack the Zhongsheng Empire. The Nanxiang Empire also took advantage of the chaos and marched towards the Zhongsheng Empire. Suddenly, the entire Mortal Continent was turned into a pot of porridge.
Ling Ning also received the order from the sect to evacuate. He originally wanted to leave with Qian Meier, but Qian Meier replied to the message saying that there were some problems in the family and he had to leave first. He asked a few questions, but Qian Meier didn't reply, which made him feel a bad feeling in his heart.
Zi Chen's words still lingered in his ears. Between the clan and him, how would Qian Meier choose? He didn't dare to think about it.
Qin Xi has one month to go out of seclusion. This time he wants to take this good disciple with him, so he can't go after Qian Meier immediately. Besides, he still has some unresolved matters, so it's not time to leave yet.
One month later, Beiling Empire, Wancheng.
After two autumn rains, the people in the city put on thicker clothes. It was very cold at this time, so Ling Ning drank all the wine in his glass. He leaned half on the railing of the restaurant and looked down at the passers-by. He exhaled a long breath of mist and felt a little dazed for a moment.
As if he was back in the past, he was sitting in his usual seat, looking at the pedestrians below; it seemed as if there was another group of graceful girls in front of him, holding paper fans and passing through the crowd; as if the girl in purple raised her head, he Then he met her pale pink eyes that were like beautiful crystals...
But this was just his fantasy, and in the blink of an eye, everything disappeared. The restaurant is still the same restaurant, and the seats are still the same, but the mood is completely different. The feeling of revisiting my old place is really indescribable.
Ling Ning smiled bitterly and shook her head to dispel the memories that kept flooding in her mind, and took another drink. The alcohol was rising, gradually dispelling the sadness in his heart.
Turning his attention to the store, two men at the table next to him were chatting. One of them said: "The weather is getting so damn fast. It's so cold all of a sudden!"
"That's right, come on, let's do it!"
After finishing the glass, another man said: "Hey, have you heard about it?"
"What did you hear?"
"It's about Jian Ling Zong, Jian Ling Zong!"
"Oh? Oh! Are you saying that those immortals don't use immortal magic? Hey, it has spread throughout the entire continent! I didn't believe it before, but look at how many Taoists have come down from the mountains this month? All of them are gray-haired and disgraced, but how can they still have their usual dignity?"
"Haha, that's right! You don't know, I have a relative's child who lives in the mountains, and he has gone home now! He said that he is not allowed to practice now, and these outer disciples can only be sent away!"
"Were you also present at that big event that happened in the city?"
"Oh? I was not in the city at that time, but I heard them say that it seemed like... someone was torn into pieces by an invisible knife in the city?"
"Humph, I was right there! You didn't know that the one who died was the Taoist priest named Guo! He was the one who always ran rampant in the city! More than half a month ago, he flirted with a woman in the city, but her husband was not happy. He picked up the pole and fought with him. The Taoist priest sneered and raised his hand to cast a spell. Unexpectedly, a golden light suddenly appeared from the sky, and then Taoist Guo was dismembered alive! That scene... tsk tsk tsk..."
"Granny, it seems those Taoist priests really can't use magic! Then they're not much different from us!"
"Isn't that right? After the bitch named Ling came to power, the people in our city will suffer! If he opens a fucking store, he will get 99% of the profits, and even pay back! And his son of a bitch, we don't know in the city How many young ladies have been ruined by him!"
"Hmph, if I had said anything bad about them before, I would have worried about having my head split apart! Now, hey, if they hadn't been hiding in the mountains, they would have been beaten to death by now!"
"Who says it's not the case! There is a group of people blocking them at the foot of the mountain every day now. These dog Taoist priests will catch one and chop them down directly. We will ensure that no one is unjustly, falsely or wrongly convicted!"
"Why don't you just rush up the mountain?"
"The mountain road is rugged, and the life and death of several people who have gone up it are unknown. After all, it is a deep-rooted sect. Even if it is about to fall, it cannot be easily defeated."
"I see that there are a lot more people in the city recently. I heard that they are all waiting to loot the Jian Ling Sect!"
"Hey, a phoenix on the ground is not as good as a chicken. There are so many good treasures on the mountain, and there are many people who are greedy. But Jian Lingzong is not easy to mess with. I heard that these Taoist priests will evacuate within three months. I don't know if it is true. Fake, it won’t be too late for us to go up after they evacuate..."
Hearing this, Ling Ning knew that Ling Dao and his son had offended many people during the period when they were in power. However, the century-old accumulation of Jian Ling Sect was not trivial and could not be easily attacked by a group of mortals. These people's plans would probably come to nothing.
He cast his gaze towards the towering mountain peaks, secretly thinking that with the greedy and violent characters of Ling Dao and his son, they should still be "searching" for treasures on the mountains, and it was time to settle the grudge between him and Jian Lingzong.
The cold wind howled, the moonlight was like frost, and the main hall of Jianling Sect looked like a sleeping giant beast.
Ling Ning, who was as tall as the wind, walked casually in Jianling Sect. Looking at the familiar buildings in front of him, he couldn't help but think of the time he spent here. Arriving in front of an exquisite house, the door opened with a creak. The house was in a mess, as if it had been looted by robbers. Spider webs could be seen everywhere, and a thick layer of dust accumulated on the broken tables and chairs.
To Ling Ning, this room was extremely familiar. It was the room he had lived in since he was a child. But at this moment, the original comfort zone has turned into a pile of meaningless rags. He sighed, trying to find some good memories among the broken furniture.
The half-cut wooden sculpture of a puppy in the corner caught his attention. This was given to him by his father on his seventh birthday. In my memory, although his father was very strict and always urged him to practice, he would also take him down the mountain to play on his birthday. He also gave him many small gifts, and this puppy was one of them. However, these small gifts are now broken. Lost.
Standing in the room, thoughts about his father suddenly came to him like a tide, and the corners of his eyes soon became moist.
Suddenly there was a "squeak" and the door opened.
Ling Ning turned around suddenly and shouted softly: "Who is it?"
"Big... senior brother... it's really you! It's really you! I... I thought I was dazzled... it's me... it's me! I'm your junior brother, Shouhou'er!"
"Skinny Monkey..." Ling Ning took a closer look and saw that it was actually Shouhouer, his junior brother who had grown up with him! Although Shouhou'er is much older than him, his father Ling Yuan took Ling Ning in first, so Ling Ning became the senior brother. When he was young, Shouhouer often took him to play in the mountains and took good care of him, just like an older brother.
We haven’t seen him for a long time. Skinny Monkey still looks like a boy of twelve or thirteen years old, but he has gained a lot of weight, his face has become rounder, and his double chin and belly have also grown.
"Skinny monkey, you are getting fatter! I almost didn't recognize you!"
The two looked excited and hugged each other.
"Senior brother, senior brother! Do you know how much I...I missed you after you left! And the sect master...the sect master died so tragically!" Thin Monkey said as he cried bitterly, unable to control himself.
"Skinny Monkey, are you okay? Do you... do you know where your father's body is buried?"
"I'm not good! Senior brother, after the tragic death of the sect leader, you also... Those of us who have followed the sect leader have been tortured to death by Ling Dao and Ling Yun, the beastly father and son! My body is crippled, and Junior Brother Hao's legs are broken , Xiao Liuzi had his tongue cut out alive and was begging for food at the foot of the mountain...our junior sisters...they were all insulted! They even found wild dogs and beggars to humiliate them! The sect leader's body was even thrown into the mountain stream, Let the beasts compete for food! Senior brother! I'm useless! I'm useless! I can't help them, and I can't avenge the sect master. I'm a waste! I'm a bastard! I'm a beast!" The thin monkey became more and more excited as he spoke. Excited, almost fainting. It can be seen that these things have been suppressed in his heart, and it was not until today that they burst out.
Ling Ning held him tightly, tears welling up in his eyes. When he heard the tragic fate of these brothers and sisters, he was so angry that he wanted to tear the father and son apart! After hearing that his father was thrown down the mountain, he was so angry that he trembled all over and wanted to scream loudly to relieve the grief in his heart.
"Get up! Get up! Junior brother, get up! You don't have to be afraid. Now that there are restrictions on the Xuanyuan Sword Formation, they have lost all their mana. I am here to settle the score with them and their son this time! Are they still on the mountain?"
"Yes! I'll take you there!"
"Walk!"
Ling Ning grabbed the thin monkey's arms with both hands and was about to lift him up, when suddenly there was a flash of light, followed by a sharp pain in the lower abdomen! He subconsciously pushed the thin monkey away and took a few steps back. When I touched my abdomen, there was blood dripping from it, and there was a dagger stuck in it! He pulled out the dagger, and the blade glowed blue under the moonlight. It was extremely poisonous!
"Why?" Ling Ning stared at the thin monkey in disbelief. He only felt that his body was gradually weakening and he could no longer stand. His true energy seemed to be sealed and turned into a puddle of solidified paste.
"Why?" Thin Monkey wiped the snot and tears from his face and stood up. All the previous sadness disappeared in an instant, replaced by snake-like hatred and undisguised cold murderous intent.
"Why don't you know? Yes, yes, you are a superior senior brother! How do you know what a person like me thinks? Let me tell you, I hate you! I also hate Ling Yuan! You know that I am better than How older are you? Twenty years old! I'm twenty years older than you! But why do I still look like this? It's because when I was twenty years old, Zongli gave me the Foundation Establishment Pill that was originally supposed to be given to me. 'Give it to you! It caused me to go crazy and injure my meridians, so I will never grow up! Just because you are the son of the sect master, all the good things are yours? Before Ling Yuan came, our Sword Ling Sect was at the foot of the mountain He has always been unscrupulous, and the businessmen at the foot of the mountain still had to "pay taxes" to us. As soon as he took office, all these were gone! You are talented, you will definitely be able to go to Fairy Dust Continent in the future, what about me? Those of us with poor qualifications Where are the people? Who has cared about us? I wanted to save some money to go home and live a good life, but now I have nothing! Why? Why did Ling Yuan change everything as soon as he came? Let me tell you, there are more than just people who hate him Me alone! He is a hypocrite!"
"I won't allow you to insult my father!" Ling Ning wanted to step forward and fight, but her feet gave way and she fell to the ground with a thud. After struggling several times, she couldn't stand up.
"Hahahahaha!" Thin Monkey laughed heartily, "Stop struggling, hehe, I haven't told you yet... your damn father was also poisoned by this poison - Hua Gong Powder! Ah, I forgot Let me tell you, I personally served him that cup of poison! I also put it in the tea with my own hands! Hahahahaha!"
"Beast, beast...beast!" Ling Ning's eyes seemed to be able to spit out fire, but now he could only stare at him and couldn't do anything else!
At this moment, rows of torches suddenly lit up outside the window, as bright as day.
"Junior Brother Hou, have you succeeded? Bring that kid out!" A voice sounded outside the window. This voice was very familiar to Ling Ning. It was Ling Dao's son - Ling Yun!
"Boy, you're unlucky if you don't die in my hands! Wait a minute...hehehe...you'll suffer it!" Skinny Monkey grabbed Ling Ning's collar and threw him out of the window like trash.
With a "pop", Ling Ning fell heavily to the ground. The surroundings were brightly lit and surrounded by people, led by Ling Dao and his son!
"Hey, eldest nephew, long time no see! Tsk tsk, you're still so polite. I can't bear this huge gift! Hahahaha!" Lingdao laughed wildly with pride.
"Sect Master, I'm glad you have fulfilled your destiny!" Thin Monkey said with a slight salute.
"Good junior brother! You have made a great contribution! The girl in my house will be yours tonight! This is just a small reward, and the bigger one is yet to come. You can wait to receive the reward tomorrow! More Not to mention, at least 100,000 spiritual stones! Hahaha!" Ling Yun showed a ferocious smile on his lips, he stared at Ling Ning as if he was looking at a piece of meat on a chopping board.
"Thank you, deputy sect master! Thank you, sect master!" Thin Monkey's face showed ecstasy and he quickly thanked him.
"You! Why did you betray my father? Why!"
"You still don't understand? Nephew, your father is stingy. He can't bear to spend money! He doesn't allow us to make money! Damn it, what are we doing in this barren mountain? Isn't it just for food and drink? Hot? He cut off our financial resources as soon as he came, do you think he can survive?"
"Yes, my father should have been the sect leader. Why did he become the sect leader as soon as he came? And you, why do you, you idiot, sit on my head? Do you deserve it?"
"If you want to blame...it's your father who is a fool and doesn't know how to adapt! My eldest nephew, I'll teach you one more time, remember! In this world, the strong one always speaks, and whoever stands is right!"
"I will cut off every piece of flesh from your body today! Damn it, Shui Yuetian's little bitch is all because of you, otherwise she would have been my crotch!"
Ling Yun pulled out the long sword from his waist and stabbed Ling Ning's thigh with the sword. The moment it touched the skin, the long sword broke into two pieces with a "ding" sound!
Everyone was stunned. Ling Yun was stunned while holding up the broken sword.
Ling Ning jumped up from the ground with a calm expression and patted the dirt on his body.
Everyone was startled. Ling Dao pointed at him and said, "You...you...you weren't poisoned?"
The skinny monkey was so frightened that he took two steps back and said, "No...impossible...I obviously stabbed it in! There was blood! Could it be...that the Hua Gong Powder doesn't work?"
Ling Ning smiled slightly and said: "Hua Gong Powder is indeed useless to me, your dagger did not pierce my body, all of this is just an illusion. I understand now, I understand why you betrayed your father, and I understand Why did you betray me? It turns out that all this is for the word 'profit'."
Ling Dao suddenly shouted: "Impossible! How could you dare to use Taoism? Why didn't the Xuanyuan Sword Formation come? Impossible! There must be something wrong, hurry! Come on, kill him!"
Everyone drew their swords and rushed towards Ling Ning, but Ling Ning stood still, made a few hand seals, and shouted softly: "Demon Fire·Demon Lotus Stab!"
A coquettish lotus bloomed with him as the center, and the petals formed by the flames shot out in all directions, piercing the surrounding enemies! Then, as if the flames came alive, a wall of fire surrounded the city, surrounding the enemies who were fleeing in all directions.
Seeing that Ling Ning's Taoist magic was fine, some disciples quickly used their hand seals to perform Taoist magic, but without exception, they were all strangled to death by the Xuanyuan Sword Formation! When Ling Dao and his son saw this scene beyond their comprehension, they were so frightened that they could not speak. They could only huddle on the ground and hope that Ling Ning could not see them.
All the disciples present were burned to charcoal one by one by the demonic fire, and heart-rending screams came one after another. In the end, only Ling Dao and his son, whose faces were as pale as earth, were left.
Ling Ning looked cold and said calmly: "I have something to ask you. If you answer honestly, I will let you die happily. Otherwise, huh, I will burn your son for seven or forty-nine days to let him survive. You can’t ask for death.”
"I...I must say it, but...but you let my son go! I beg you!"
"Father! I...I don't want to die yet! I don't want to die! Ah!"
Ling Dao and his son collapsed on the ground, and a pool of yellow and white substance flowed out from their crotches. The smell was very pungent.
"Ling Dao, you are not qualified to bargain with me. Didn't you just say that? In this world, the strong one always speaks. Whoever stands is right! Since I stand, you can only say what I say. Accept fate!"
"If you don't go around my son, I won't tell you until I die!"
Unexpectedly, this cunning old guy could remain calm before his death. Although he did not have the capital to negotiate, Ling Ning wanted to give him a chance.
"Ling Dao, you didn't kill me to death before... Well, I can let one go, you or your son, you can choose for yourself."
"Is this true?"
"certainly."
"Okay, let my son go, and I promise to tell you the truth about whatever you ask."
"No! Please spare my father! I beg you...Dad! I can't live without you! I can't!"
"Yun'er, shut up! You are still young, you should live a good life! Dad is old and has enjoyed everything he should have. There is no regrets..."
"No, I can not……"
"That's enough!" Ling Ning interrupted the conversation between the two. This kind of scene of "a loving father and a filial son" was not what he wanted to see. "Ling Dao, tell me, how much do you know about my life experience?"
"I just know that you...you were picked up by Ling Yuancong...from the Fairy Dust Continent...other than that, I really don't know anything else."
"Then why did my father come to the Mortal Continent? Did he make any mistakes?"
"I only heard that it seems to be related to a woman. Those are things far away in the Fairy Dust Continent. I really don't know much. You'd better go to the Fairy Dust Sword Ling Sect and ask."
"Is there anything left by my father?"
"There are some belongings, but the rest are really nothing. I heard that he has his own residence in Xianchen Jianling Sect. You can go there to look for it..."
"That special envoy Chen Ping, where is he? What is his origin? What grudge does he have against my father?"
"Chen Ping was sent by the Xianchen Sword Ling Sect. The purpose of his coming was to the Xuanyuan Secret Realm... After the Xuanyuan Secret Realm was closed, he hurriedly packed up the Jian Ling Sect's belongings and returned to the Xianchen Sword Ling Sect with those belongings seven days ago. . As for what grudge he has with your father, we don’t know very well, but we heard that in the early years, the Fairy Sword Ling Sect had very harsh conditions when selecting disciples, and would often let the brothers who started at the same time kill each other and compete with each other in order to obtain the inner sect. The qualifications of a disciple...I think your father's departure from Xianchen Sword Lingzong and his grievances with Chen Ping are all related to this..."
Ling Ning secretly thought that she was still late, but sooner or later the day would come when she would settle accounts with him, so she was not in a hurry.
"Finally, hand over all your belongings and let me see if they are enough to buy your son's life."
Ling Dao reluctantly took off a dark bracelet from his hand. This bracelet seemed to be made of black jade. There was visible spiritual power lingering on the surface. It was obviously a treasure.
"Everything is inside, you can take it!"
Ling Ning reached out to take it, and when she saw that the owner's mind had been wiped from the bracelet, she immediately recognized its owner with blood. I used my spiritual sense to sense the contents inside, and found that there were piles and piles of spiritual stones, probably nearly 10 million pieces! Although they are all low-grade, they are still a considerable fortune. In addition, there are some clothes, herbs, weapons, and treasures. Although the quantity is not large, they are all high-quality products.
Ling Ning, who had always been "penniless", couldn't help but be overjoyed to suddenly have so many assets, but she still pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "Is that all?"
Ling Dao sighed and said: "They were all taken away by Chen Ping, and these are the only ones I secretly left behind..."
Ling Ning nodded, then stretched out his palms and hit the heads of Ling Dao and his son accurately. Blood spurted out for both of them, and their whole bodies went as soft as noodles.
"You...you don't keep your word! You promised to let my son live..."
"Don't worry." Ling Ning said coldly, "Looking at your son's 'filial piety', I will spare your lives, but your meridians have been shattered by me, and you will be useless in this life. Live well and atone for your sins. Bar."
"You..." Ling Dao pointed at Ling Ning tremblingly. The father and son have done many evil things. If they become disabled, their enemies will definitely come to seek revenge. This punishment is really worse than killing him!
Ling Ning sneered twice, turned around, walked to the corner, and kicked the thin monkey who was pretending to be dead. Seeing that he could no longer pretend, the thin monkey quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "Elder brother! Please spare me, elder brother! Don't kill me." Me, you should also destroy my cultivation! I beg you to spare me, I don’t dare to do it anymore! I beg you, I watched you grow up..."
Ling Ning looked at him and said expressionlessly: "I don't let them die, I want them to live and suffer torture. But you, my good junior brother, how can I be willing to let you suffer?"
"You...what are you going to do? Ahhhh!"
The bright red demonic fire engulfed the thin monkey, and his shrill screams echoed throughout the valley, making it particularly creepy at this night. It took a long time before it turned into a puddle of black ashes.
Ling Ning looked at the cold bright moon, feeling no pleasure from revenge. Looking at the place where he had lived since childhood, he only felt endless sadness in his heart.
"Father, I really miss you..."
