Chapter 161: A Grave Crisis

Chapter 161: A Grave Crisis

The students of the Emperor's Martial Palace who entered the Emperor's Tomb Forest all met with misfortune. Some were tainted by Foul Energy, some poisoned by Corpse Poison, and others had their bodies invaded by Yin Evil. A total of 351 individuals now lay on the ground, the majority of whom were second-year students.

Each of them was a rare talent, a peerless genius. If they were all to perish here, it would be an immense loss not only for the Emperor's Martial Palace but for the entire Yulan Empire.

Now, everything rested on Ning Xiaochuan and Yue Mingsong. The fate of these afflicted students depended on the two of them.

"To be honest, that Senior Sister Ji is really something. She actually dared to challenge the leader of the Cloud Alliance. Truly admirable," Yue Mingsong remarked as he approached a female student whose body had been invaded by Yin Evil. He wrapped his hands in Profound Qi and carefully helped her up, cautious not to let the Yin Evil seep into his own body.

Ning Xiaochuan glanced briefly at Ji Hanxing in the distance and said, "Ji Hanxing is a woman of principle. In her worldview, there is only absolute right and wrong. If she truly believed I was in the wrong, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill me."

Ning Xiaochuan recalled his encounters with Ji Hanxing at Haitang Manor. At the time, he had sheltered Tianchenzi of the Dark Emperor City, but without concrete evidence, she had been powerless against him. Had she found irrefutable proof, she would have already struck him down.

As for the deaths of the three disciples of the Cloud Marquis, it had been their own fault—they had sought to kill Ning Xiaochuan by any means necessary, and thus met their end at his hands.

Ji Hanxing surely knew the truth behind the matter, which was why she hadn’t acted against Ning Xiaochuan.

Of course, that didn’t mean she would help him either.

Yue Mingsong lifted the female student and placed the Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearl over her heart, but the effect was minimal. It could only barely protect her Heart Meridian, unable to expel the Yin Evil from her body.

Shaking his head lightly, Yue Mingsong said, "It’s no use. The Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearl is too low-grade. It can only dispel Foul Energy—its effectiveness against Yin Evil and Corpse Poison is much weaker."

Foul Energy and Yin Evil were enigmatic forces—real, yet intangible. No matter how high one’s cultivation, they could not be expelled without special means.

Only unique Martial Arts Divine Abilities, Mystic Pills, or Mystic Artifacts could achieve such a feat. The Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearl was one such artifact, but its low rank limited its efficacy.

"For now, just focus on suppressing the Yin Evil and Foul Energy within them. Once we escape the Emperor's Tomb Forest, we can ask the elders of the Martial Palace to heal them," Ning Xiaochuan suggested.

Ji Hanxing approached, gripping her Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear, her voice cold. "There’s no way out now. The exit of the Emperor's Tomb has been sealed by a horde of Blood Fiend Generals. Moreover, the Natives’ experts have set up formations at the entrance. Even if the elders of the Martial Palace arrive, breaking through won’t be easy."

Yue Mingsong frowned. "Then what do we do? Aren’t you all supposed to be experts? Why not join forces and carve a path through?"

Ji Hanxing’s eyelids lowered slightly as she gently traced the blade of her spear. "The Natives have a Witch King-level figure overseeing the area. If we don’t provoke them, we might survive. But if we charge in recklessly, we’ll only be courting death."

Yue Mingsong's expression also changed as he said, "Then what should we do? Are we just going to wait here to die? If a figure of the Witch King's level finds us, won't we all end up buried alongside the Heavenly Emperor?"

Ji Hanxing replied, "I don’t know how soon someone of the Witch King’s caliber will find us. All I know is that if you don’t figure out a way to treat them now, half the students here will die long before the Witch King arrives."

"What can we do? Ah, forget it..." Yue Mingsong let out a long sigh and took out six Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearls. "I only have six left. Yu Tiadi and the other seven each have one—you can ask them to donate theirs. The Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearls can dispel Foul Energy and offer some resistance against Yin Evil. They should still be able to save some people."

Ji Hanxing flicked her sleeve, taking the six pearls from Yue Mingsong, then strode toward Yu Tiadi and the other seven.

Meanwhile, Ning Xiaochuan went to examine the students afflicted with Corpse Poison, hoping to find a cure. Only by understanding the poison’s properties could he refine Intermediate Elixirs to treat them. Of course, this was extremely dangerous—one misstep, and he might end up poisoned himself.

Yu Tiadi and the other seven had all hung their Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearls around their necks while recuperating their vitality. Ji Hanxing walked up to them and thrust her Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear into the ground, producing a piercing dragon-like screech. In a cold voice, she demanded, "Hand over all your Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearls."

These eight were all proud prodigies, each with formidable family backgrounds, and naturally, they had no intention of obeying Ji Hanxing meekly.

Yu Tiadi sneered, "Sorry, but these pearls were bought at a high price. They’re our lifelines now—we won’t give them to anyone."

Though the Foul Energy in their bodies had been temporarily expelled, who could guarantee it wouldn’t return? With the Emperor's Tomb so treacherous, losing their protective talismans would mean certain death. They weren’t about to surrender them willingly.

Ji Hanxing’s eyes turned icy as she swung her Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear, sending Yu Tiadi flying before pinning him down with the spear’s weight.

Knowing he was no match for her, Yu Tiadi didn’t bother resisting. Instead, he said coldly, "I am the young prince of the Kirin Prince's Manor, its future heir. Do you dare kill me?"

"You think I wouldn’t?"

Ji Hanxing thrust the spear downward, piercing through his golden armor and sinking into the flesh beneath his ribs, leaving a wine-cup-sized hole as she pressed toward his heart.

"Ugh... Fine, I’ll hand it over!" Trembling, Yu Tiadi tore the pearl from his neck and threw it at Ji Hanxing. His eyes burned with murderous intent—this grudge was now etched in blood, and he would repay it tenfold in the future.

Ji Hanxing couldn’t be bothered to press him further and turned her gaze to the remaining seven.

The others, seeing even Yu Tiadi submit, realized Ji Hanxing was not to be trifled with. Fearfully, they handed over their pearls.

Once she had collected all eight, Ji Hanxing turned and left without another word.

"Young Prince, Ji Hanxing is utterly insolent, relying on the Cloud Marquis’s backing! How dare she even injure you!" someone fumed.

Yu Tiadi clutched the wound on his chest, gritting his teeth, and said, "The Cloud Marquis is nothing but a fart, just a commoner marquis!"

Yu Tiadi was an extremely proud man who had never suffered such a humiliation in front of so many people. Even if he were to inherit the throne in the future and become the Qilin King, this incident would surely remain a scar, a humiliation that others would bring up time and again.

Thus, his hatred for Ji Hanxing burned fiercely, and he swore in his heart that he would reclaim the dignity he had lost today.

Ji Hanxing gathered fourteen Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearls, arranging them into a circular formation. She placed the seventy-five students tainted with Foul Energy inside the formation, using its power to cleanse the corruption from their bodies.

Those students invaded by Chilling and Desolate Energy were also placed near the formation, as its power could suppress the energy within them to some extent.

"Yu Qianqian!" Ning Xiaochuan spotted her among the crowd, her body invaded by Chilling and Desolate Energy. He quickly removed the Nine-Yang Evil-Warding Pearl from himself and placed it around her neck.

Just as Ning Xiaochuan was about to channel his Martial Arts Profound Qi to help expel the energy from her body, the Demonic Sword within him suddenly stirred.

A thought flashed through Ning Xiaochuan’s mind—could the Demonic Sword actually absorb Chilling and Desolate Energy?

Considering this possibility, he cautiously controlled the power of the Demonic Sword, wary of it devouring Yu Qianqian’s Blood Qi.

When Ning Xiaochuan pressed his palm against Yu Qianqian’s snow-white wrist, the Demonic Sword indeed began to slowly rotate, absorbing the Chilling and Desolate Energy within her.

It was an icy current, colder than frost itself, stinging Ning Xiaochuan’s Meridians with pain.

Yet, he also discovered that as the energy was absorbed, the flexibility of his Meridians increased. Some of the Freezing Energy even fused into his Meridians, causing them to undergo sublimation and transformation.

Could the process of the Demonic Sword absorbing Chilling and Desolate Energy also enhance his physique and unlock greater potential?

Realizing this, Ning Xiaochuan was overjoyed. Improving his physique meant improving his innate talent.

Currently, he was a "Once-in-Four-Centuries Talent," already among the top in the Yulan Empire—but that was far from enough. He wanted to grow even stronger, to reach even greater heights.

Soon, the Chilling and Desolate Energy within Yu Qianqian was completely absorbed by the Demonic Sword. Her pale face gradually regained color, and her eyes fluttered open weakly, staring at Ning Xiaochuan for a moment before closing again. She mumbled incoherently, "Why… why is it… this guy again?"

Hmm?

Yu Qianqian’s eyes snapped open, her pupils filled with shock as she realized she was indeed lying in Ning Xiaochuan’s arms. Her oval face instantly flushed red. "Where is this? Why are you here? What did you do to me?"

She immediately pushed Ning Xiaochuan away, shielding herself.

Ning Xiaochuan asked curiously, "Were you dreaming just now?"

"No! Absolutely not! Nothing like that…" Yu Qianqian’s face was tinged with embarrassment, her almond-shaped eyes misty and delicate, like a bud on the verge of blooming.

Yue Mingsong cackled. "What’s there to guess? With my years of experience, when a girl makes that kind of expression, she was definitely having a dream just now."

A dark line appeared on Yu Qianqian’s forehead as she gritted her pearly white teeth, grinding them audibly.

"What time is it now? How can you still laugh?" Ji Hanxing walked over with a cold face, like an iceberg capable of freezing everything in the world.

Earlier, she had deliberately noticed Ning Xiaochuan treating Yu Qianqian and asked, "Ning Xiaochuan, do you have a way to expel Chilling and Desolate Energy?"

Ning Xiaochuan's heart tightened slightly. He hadn’t expected Ji Hanxing’s observation to be so sharp. The Demonic Sword absolutely could not be exposed, so he had no choice but to lie. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It’s the Northern Abyss Divine Art. The Northern Abyss Divine Art can absorb Chilling and Desolate Energy and convert it into Martial Arts Profound Qi."

Once again, Ning Xiaochuan pushed everything onto the Northern Abyss Divine Art.

Yue Mingsong exclaimed in shock, "Heavens! The Northern Abyss Divine Art is truly incredible! Not only can it refine the Blood Fiend General, but it can even absorb Chilling and Desolate Energy!"

Yue Mingsong’s exclamation was heard by Xiao Cheng, the leader of the Cloud Alliance, and Han Fu, the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, among others in the distance. Their eyes burned as they stared at Ning Xiaochuan, their pupils filled with greed.

They had naturally all heard of the Northern Abyss Divine Art—a technique even more formidable than the Blood Devouring Demon Art. If they could force Ning Xiaochuan to hand over this divine technique, with their talents, becoming the world’s top expert would be just around the corner.