Chapter 113: Ming Yang's Return

Chapter 113: Ming Yang's Return

The confrontation between Ning Xiaochuan and Princess Lanfei drew the attention of many, diverting the students' focus from the battles in the martial field to the two of them. Everyone was eager to know what had transpired between them.

Whispers and murmurs spread, and the gazes directed at them grew increasingly peculiar. Many speculated that Princess Lanfei had attempted to force herself upon Ning Xiaochuan, only to meet fierce resistance, leading to a clash between the two young prodigies.

"Truly, the morals of this age have declined. Women nowadays are far too brazen."

"The crux of the matter is Princess Lanfei's domineering nature. After all, she’s a royal—keeping a male consort isn’t unusual. But she picked the wrong target. Someone like Ning Xiaochuan, who is fiercely loyal in matters of love, would naturally resist to the death."

Hearing these remarks, Ning Xiaochuan remained composed, but Princess Lanfei could no longer tolerate them. She shot Ning Xiaochuan a venomous glare and coldly snapped, "We’ll settle this during the final battle. What are you all staring at? Do you believe I won’t gouge out your eyes? One more word, and I’ll cut out your tongues!"

With that, Princess Lanfei sent several warriors flying before striding away in a huff.

Ning Xiaochuan watched her retreating figure and exhaled deeply.

"Brother Chuan, what exactly happened?" Murong Wushuang asked.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "Nothing much. Just suffered some heavy losses."

Having said that, he retreated into a stone chamber to resume his cultivation, putting the earlier incident out of his mind.

By the end of the first day’s battles, all the warriors had returned to their stone chambers one after another, immersing themselves in rigorous training to prepare for the next day’s fights.

Ning Xiaochuan paid little attention to the results of the first day’s matches and thus didn’t inquire further.

As night fell, the Emperor's Ruins grew bitterly cold. Frost drifted from the sky, and howling gales swept through the area, their mournful wails echoing in the darkness.

All the students remained secluded in their stone chambers, cultivating diligently, with none venturing outside.

It was at this time that Ning Xiaochuan pushed open the stone door of his chamber, then gently closed it behind him. His figure swiftly vanished into the night as he dashed across the yellow sand. Ten minutes later, he arrived at an oasis some distance away from the stone chambers and settled beneath a poplar tree.

He retrieved the Cold Jade Vial and poured a single drop of Martial Venerable's Blood onto his palm, leaving it exposed to the open air.

Then, he waited.

Before long, a petite and graceful figure emerged from the wind, standing before Ning Xiaochuan before slowly kneeling. She cradled his hand in hers and extended a delicate, fragrant tongue to lap up the drop of Martial Venerable's Blood.

Slurp, slurp.

Princess Lanfei behaved like an obedient kitten, occasionally nuzzling Ning Xiaochuan’s palm affectionately, as if trying to please her master.

"So it’s true. As long as there’s Martial Venerable's Blood, she’ll be drawn to it, entranced, forgetting even her own identity. How can this be? Is she truly a Half-Corpse Slave?" Ning Xiaochuan pondered, utterly perplexed.

The Princess Lanfei before him bore no resemblance to the noble royal she usually was—she seemed more like a pet he had adopted.

"Is it because the Martial Venerable's Blood was extracted from corpse slaves, stimulating the residual Corpse Energy in her body and turning her back into a Half-Corpse Slave?" Ning Xiaochuan was deep in thought when Princess Lanfei reached out with her delicate jade-like hands to undo his clothes, loosening his belt. Her soft fingers slid into his chest, attempting to move downward.

"What are you doing?"

Ning Xiaochuan seized her wrist and pulled her hand away.

A dark line formed on his forehead as he tightened his robe and said, "There’s no need for you to serve me in this manner. Go back and wait for my next summons."

Princess Lanfei rubbed her sore wrist, looking utterly innocent, her eyelashes fluttering gently. Then she vanished into the night, disappearing without a trace.

Ning Xiaochuan stood up, intending to return to camp. Staying away for too long would risk drawing attention.

But the moment he rose, he realized something was wrong. He shouted into the darkness where Princess Lanfei had disappeared, "Hey! Give me back my belt!"

He wanted to chase after her to retrieve it, but then faint footsteps reached his ears. Instantly alert, he tensed.

Who is this? So strong? They managed to sneak up behind me without me noticing.

"Friend, show yourself," Ning Xiaochuan said coldly, lightning crackling in his palm. He channeled his Profound Qi to its limits, ready to strike with thunderous force at any moment.

The fact that Princess Lanfei had turned into a Half-Corpse Slave absolutely could not be revealed—the consequences would be dire. If someone had witnessed what just happened, Ning Xiaochuan would have no choice but to silence them.

With a backhanded flick, he unleashed the lightning, splitting a massive poplar tree in half. Behind it, a red glow emerged, revealing a small red dragon wrapped within.

Startled at being discovered, the small red dragon’s tail shot up in alarm, and it flapped its wings in a desperate attempt to flee.

But it didn’t get far before Ning Xiaochuan caught it.

Holding the small red dragon by its tail, Ning Xiaochuan demanded coldly, "Why are you in the Emperor's Ruins?"

The small red dragon clamped its mouth shut, shaking its head stubbornly, like a pig unafraid of boiling water.

"Not talking? Fine. I have ways to make you speak."

Ning Xiaochuan bound the small red dragon to a 5,000-kilogram boulder with a Mystic Beast Tendon, rendering it immobile.

A glowing dot formed between his brows, growing brighter like a scorching miniature sun. A golden beam shot from his forehead, aimed directly at the small red dragon.

BOOM!

The golden light struck a corner of the boulder, shattering it into dust.

"ROAR—!"

Trembling in terror, the small red dragon wailed pitifully, begging for mercy with desperate whimpers.

Ning Xiaochuan lifted its chin with a finger. "Alright, Little Red. Speak."

The small red dragon looked miserable, gesturing frantically and whimpering like a maiden being harassed.

After frowning in confusion for a while, Ning Xiaochuan finally understood. "You’re saying... Xin'er brought you into the Emperor's Ruins?"

The small red dragon’s expression turned solemn, and it nodded gravely.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "Why did you come to the Emperor's Ruins? Still trying to reclaim that Mystic Beast Egg?"

At the mention of the "Mystic Beast Egg," the small red dragon's eyes instantly brightened, and it nodded vigorously. But upon seeing Ning Xiaochuan's unfriendly gaze, it immediately shook its head just as hard.

Ning Xiaochuan frowned and said, "From now on, you stay by my side and are not allowed to approach Xin'er without permission. If you dare to plot against her, I’ll roast you into dragon meat."

The small red dragon trembled in fear and nodded repeatedly, like a pecking chick.

Since Princess Lanfei had taken Ning Xiaochuan’s belt, he wrapped the small red dragon around his waist as a makeshift belt and returned to the stone house to continue his cultivation.

The next morning, when Princess Lanfei woke up, she was startled to find Ning Xiaochuan’s belt clutched in her hand. How did this happen?

She quickly hid the belt, afraid someone might discover it.

"It must have been Ning Xiaochuan sneaking in again last night," Princess Lanfei gritted her teeth, her hatred for him growing even stronger.

Over the next few days, Ning Xiaochuan spent most of his time cultivating, occasionally visiting the martial field. If he encountered battles between strong opponents, he would stop to observe, studying their combat techniques and divine abilities.

Of course, he sometimes crossed paths with Princess Lanfei, but her glare was terrifying. If not for fear of gossip, she would have attacked him on the spot.

Princess Lanfei was accompanied by three young talents, all her suitors—handsome and highly skilled in cultivation.

"Your Highness, shall I teach Ning Xiaochuan a lesson?" One of them, dressed in luxurious robes, glared at Ning Xiaochuan with hostility.

Princess Lanfei lifted her snow-white neck arrogantly and said, "Whoever cripples one of his legs will be allowed to follow me from now on."

A beauty as noble as Princess Lanfei naturally had no shortage of suitors, but permission was required to stay by her side. Now, with such an opportunity before them, the three young talents were instantly roused to battle, each eager to cripple Ning Xiaochuan to win her favor.

Ning Xiaochuan sneered, "If any of you value your lives, feel free to try."

The three young talents were well aware of Ning Xiaochuan’s formidable strength and ruthless nature, so they hesitated, none daring to strike first.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head with a faint smile and turned to leave.

"Your Highness, are you certain that crippling one of Ning Xiaochuan’s legs is all it takes to follow you?" A cold, arrogant voice rang out.

Hearing this, Ning Xiaochuan turned to look, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The speaker was a man dressed in plain cloth, carrying a heavy black sword on his back. His gaze was resolute, his cheeks gaunt, and his lips sharp as a blade. He walked step by step across the yellow sand.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to him.

"Ming Yang," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Indeed, the man emerging from the yellow sand was none other than Ming Yang.

His sword intent was overwhelming, as if he himself were a blade. The words just spoken had come from his lips.

Ming Yang's cultivation had grown even stronger. In the past, when he carried his heavy sword, deep footprints would be left on the ground. But now, even when walking on yellow sand, no footprints remained.

This marked a tremendous improvement. Just how far had his cultivation advanced?

Princess Lanfei could naturally sense the formidable strength of this swordsman. A faint smile flickered in her eyes as she said, "As long as you can sever his leg, I will allow you to follow by my side."

"I once defeated him with a single sword strike. Now, I can kill him with just one. My sword only takes lives," Ming Yang stood straight on the desert, his expression utterly indifferent.

Princess Lanfei replied, "If you can kill him, that would naturally be even better."

Ning Xiaochuan also fixed his gaze on Ming Yang, the fighting spirit within him growing fiercer. "Then we'll meet on the martial field," he declared.

"I hope you can last until the final battle—don't let someone else defeat you first," Ming Yang said coolly.

Today marked the seventh day, and the list of the top seventy had already been finalized. Including the top ten from the Fire Demon Mountain assessment, this made a total of eighty contestants.

These were the strongest eighty of this generation, and over the next three days, they would compete to determine the final rankings, establishing the hierarchy of the young elites.

It was clear that Ming Yang intended to decisively kill Ning Xiaochuan on the martial field, reaffirming his dominance as a supreme powerhouse. That was why he refrained from attacking him now.