Chapter 309: Fairy Sword Maiden

Chapter 309: Fairy Sword Maiden

Though Nie Lanzhi was young, she could distinguish right from wrong. After what had just transpired, she sensed that this Minor Marquis might not be as bad as she had thought. She lowered her voice and said, "My sister, Senior Brother Ye, and martial artists from the Mo Family, Cuiyun Sect, and Yanhua Sect entered Muteng Forest together, heading for Dragon Valley. But on the way, we were ambushed by a group of mysterious figures. Their cultivation was incredibly powerful—half-human, half-beast—and they carried many formidable Forbidden Military Artifacts. The burly man chasing me earlier was one of them. Are they... the legendary Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp?"

The name of the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp was infamous, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard it—like death itself. Even the elders in her sect spoke of them with grave expressions, knowing they were an utterly terrifying force.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded inwardly, thinking, The Jade Emperor must have sent experts from the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp to intercept young talents from other factions heading to Dragon Valley, preventing them from forming contracts with the Dragon Clan.

Nie Lanzhi, frightened by the name, pleaded anxiously, "Minor Marquis, my sister and Senior Brother Ye are still surrounded by a large group of experts. Please, will you go save them?"

Ning Xiaochuan found it somewhat amusing. "Why should I save them?"

"Your martial arts are so strong—you definitely can! Even though you're from the imperial court, I can tell you're different from other princes. You're a good person." With no other options and deeply worried for her sister and Senior Brother Ye, she could only turn to Ning Xiaochuan for help.

Ning Xiaochuan said sternly, "Who told you everyone from the imperial court is bad? We all serve different masters. I wonder how the elders of your Tianyin Sect are teaching their disciples."

A sudden thought struck him—If the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp is ambushing martial artists from the Tianyin Sect and Yiyuan Sect, could Yu Ningsheng also be under attack? Though her cultivation was high, the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp had Martial Venerable-level experts. He couldn't help but worry for her.

"Fine. Lead the way."

Ning Xiaochuan decided to see just how many experts the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp had deployed.

Overjoyed, Nie Lanzhi quickly retraced their steps, guiding him back to the ambush site. As she walked ahead, she hesitated several times before finally mustering the courage to ask timidly, "Minor Marquis... I’ve heard that in the imperial court, there’s a kind of person who can’t... be with women. Congenital deficiency—no, wait, premature demise? They don’t grow beards or Adam’s apples..."

Ning Xiaochuan stopped dead in his tracks, glaring at her coldly, his expression sour. "Do I look like a eunuch to you?"

"N-no!" Nie Lanzhi stammered.

Ning Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes. "Are you doubting my... capabilities because I haven’t made any advances on you?"

"That’s not what I meant! I just wanted to ask if you’re... that kind of person!" She shook her head frantically.

"What kind of person? A eunuch?" Ning Xiaochuan was utterly speechless. Sometimes, one really shouldn’t restrain themselves too much, or else others would always think you’re abnormal. He took a deep breath, his mood sour as he said, "Do you want me to prove it by pulling it out for you to see?"

Nie Lanzhi shook her head vigorously, frightened like a startled rabbit, and quickly darted forward.

This was originally a canyon with steep cliffs on either side, but now the cliffs had been flattened, leaving ruins and rubble everywhere, thick smoke billowing into the sky.

Dozens of bloody, mutilated corpses lay on the ground. The head of the Mo Family, Mo Lingyun, Zhang Linxi of the Cuiyun Sect, and Wang Daoyi of the Yanhua Sect all lay dead. Among them, half of Mo Lingyun’s body had been eaten by a Mystic Beast, leaving only his upper half on the ground.

They were all renowned Martial Artists, respected figures who commanded awe in their domains. Yet now, they had all turned into cold, lifeless corpses.

"All... all dead..."

Nie Lanzhi had grown up in the Tianyin Sect and had never witnessed such a bloody scene before. Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead, and she nearly vomited on the spot.

The Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp was indeed ruthless and merciless, leaving no survivors. Once they engaged in battle, they were no different from wild beasts.

However, the remains of Nie Lanxin and Ye Nan Tian were nowhere to be found, suggesting they likely hadn’t died at the hands of the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp.

Boom!

Ning Xiaochuan stomped the ground, sending a surge of Profound Qi underground. The earth immediately sank, rocks tumbling as all the desiccated corpses were buried beneath the soil.

Nie Lanxin and Ye Nan Tian possessed extremely high cultivation. Even if surrounded, they wouldn’t have fallen so easily. They must have fought their way out while retreating.

Ning Xiaochuan circled the battlefield, searching for clues, and soon found traces of their escape. He followed the signs of battle left on the ground, continuing his pursuit.

After about half an hour, he came across the corpse of a Martial Artist from the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp.

It seemed he was on the right track.

Ning Xiaochuan leaped into the air, soaring 100 meters high. He channeled Profound Qi throughout his body and activated his Five Senses. His gaze pierced through the distance, spotting billowing dust 150 km away, where flashes of blade light and Blazing Flame flickered. Faintly, the sound of a zither could be heard, carrying a murderous aura.

"Due north, 150 km away."

Ning Xiaochuan landed and grabbed Nie Lanzhi’s shoulder, activating Rainbow Teleportation. His figure flitted like a ghost across the treetops, covering hundreds of meters with each movement.

Nie Lanzhi had never experienced traveling at such speed before. Her jet-black hair streamed straight behind her from the wind.

This Minor Marquis didn’t seem much older than her, yet his martial prowess was unfathomable, leaving her in awe.

Whoosh!

Soon, Ning Xiaochuan retracted his movement technique and stopped, releasing Nie Lanzhi as they stood at the edge of a battlefield shrouded in thick, fog-like smoke.

At the center of the battlefield, a graceful and beautiful woman was playing a zither. With a press of her slender, snow-white fingers on the strings, dozens of women emerged, brandishing swords as they clashed with seventeen elite warriors from the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp.

It was none other than Nie Lanxin, the most outstanding female disciple of the Tianyin Sect.

Four years older than Nie Lanzhi, her cultivation was at least forty times higher, granting her the strength to slay veteran Martial Artists. Alone, she held off seventeen elite warriors from the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp.

This Martial Arts Divine Ability left even Ning Xiaochuan in awe. If her cultivation were to step into the Martial Venerable realm and she were to unleash this Soundwave Divine Ability, she could likely annihilate tens of thousands of troops in an instant.

The world is vast, and indeed, dragons and tigers hide among the masses—there are always peerless outstanding individuals concealed in unknown places. Nie Lanxin's talent is at least at the level of being unmatched for two thousand years. If news of her spread to the Imperial City, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

In other eras, the Yulan Empire would hardly produce such a supremely gifted genius even once in a thousand years. But now, just among those Ning Xiaochuan knows, the number of once-in-a-millennium talents has already exceeded three.

Perhaps this era is the future the Heavenly Emperor foresaw before ascending to godhood—knowing that many outstanding individuals would emerge on the land of the Yulan Empire, he left behind a drop of Divine Blood, intending it for a destined individual. He did not want these prodigies' talents to be suppressed due to a lack of resources.

Whoever possesses fortune strong enough will obtain the Divine Blood, soaring to the heavens and gaining the qualifications to contend for the Martial Path's Pinnacle in the future.

The soundwaves were like blades—even from a hundred meters away, they could slice through trees and send rocks flying, creating a haze of dust.

"This is my sister's Martial Arts Divine Ability, the Fairy Sword Maiden!" Nie Lanzhi's heart swelled with joy.

The Fairy Sword Maiden was a Soundwave Divine Ability, ranked first among the Tianyin Sect's many divine abilities. Its offensive power was immense, requiring a Mystic Artifact-level instrument to perform. When executed to its peak, this divine ability could instantly summon tens of thousands of white-clad fairies soaring through the void, wielding swords capable of slaying gods and buddhas.

Both Nie Lanxin and the experts of the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp sensed an outsider intruding. Assuming it was reinforcements for the other side, the battle immediately escalated to a fever pitch.

"Nie Lanxin is hailed as the Tianyin Sect's top beauty, bearing the title of a celestial maiden. If we capture her, each of us can enjoy her body once," a Hundred-Banner Captain said.

"Haha, rest assured, Captain. Nie Lanxin has already been poisoned by at least six types of Beast Poison. She won't last much longer. By then, she might even turn into a lust-crazed bitch, begging us to take her."

These seventeen Martial Artists from the Mystic Beast Slaughter God Camp were all top-tier experts, including one Thousand-Ride Captain and three Hundred-Banner Captains. They shattered Nie Lanxin's soundwaves and advanced toward her step by step.

Hearing their vulgar words, Nie Lanxin's delicate brows furrowed slightly as a surge of killing intent erupted from her body, sweeping in all directions.

Seated at the center, her ethereally beautiful figure was enveloped in white Profound Qi. Her two-meter-long black hair defied gravity, floating like willow catkins in the air.

Her face was veiled, and her eyes shimmered with celestial radiance, exuding an aura of icy calm. While suppressing the Beast Poison within her body, she plucked the strings of her zither, unleashing her Martial Arts Divine Ability.

A Hundred-Banner Captain drew the Divine Slaying Crossbow to its full-moon tension and fired an arrow trailing a one-meter-long tail of Profound Qi. It pierced through Nie Lanxin's soundwaves and struck the cyan zither neck.

Boom!

The ancient zither exploded into splinters.

A massive Profound Qi Shield formed around Nie Lanxin's body, blocking the Divine Slaying Crossbow's arrow. She unfurled her "Holy Light Wings"—a pair of nine-meter-long white luminous wings sprouted from her back, radiating blinding light.

Her figure was enchanting, with a slender and softly rounded waist, and full, voluptuous curves at her chest. Though layered in plain robes, the undulating contours were impossible to conceal.

This was a true peerless beauty, exuding an otherworldly fragrance that captivated the soul. Every inch of her skin emitted a soft, radiant glow, as if a holy fairy had descended upon the earth.

With a flap of her Holy Light Wings, she soared into the air, transforming into a streak of light as she attempted to flee.

Above, the clouds stirred as a massive Cyan Divine Bird, over 60 meters long, emerged from the mist. Its colossal body blotted out half the sky.

It had been lying in wait within the clouds, biding its time until Nie Lanxin activated her Holy Light Wings before launching a devastating attack.

A claw wreathed in Lightning struck down, slamming onto Nie Lanxin’s head and instantly shattering her Holy Light Wings.

The power of this Cyan Divine Bird was terrifying, nearly reaching the level of a Martial Venerable.

A drop of blood, crystalline like a ruby, spilled from Nie Lanxin’s lips, scattering into the sky.

Already weakened by six types of Beast Poison, she had been relying on her formidable cultivation to endure. But with her Holy Light Wings destroyed, she plummeted straight down from the heavens.