Chapter 232: A Drop of Blood Forms a Tiger

Chapter 232: A Drop of Blood Forms a Tiger

"Whoosh!"

The Mystic Beast hide tent was sliced apart by a streak of purple Sword Qi, torn into fragments that fluttered to the ground like butterfly wings.

Ning Xiaochuan, Ji Hanxing, and Duanmu Linger stood inside the tent, their gazes fixed on the surrounding army—hundreds of soldiers armed with crossbows, Short Swords, and spears.

The soldiers encircling them numbered over a thousand, an elite battalion, with a third wielding Forbidden Military Artifacts. Their bodies radiated thick waves of Blood Qi.

Xiao Cheng stood at the forefront of the formation, his hands clasped behind his back, spine straight, his cold and sharp eyes locked onto Ning Xiaochuan. "Ning Xiaochuan has colluded with the Demon Sect's witch, attempting to steal military intelligence. Such treachery is unforgivable. Kill him with a volley of arrows!"

"Boom!"

Ji Hanxing slammed her Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear into the ground, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the tip. Her icy glare froze the soldiers in place, making them hesitate to act.

"Which eye of yours saw me colluding with a Demon Sect witch?" Ning Xiaochuan retorted.

"The one standing beside you—isn't she the Demon Sect's witch?" Xiao Cheng pointed at Duanmu Linger, his expression smug, as if victory was already his.

His gaze clashed with Ning Xiaochuan's, their Profound Qi colliding midair, producing sharp hissing sounds. The tension between them was palpable, a battle of wills before any physical exchange.

"Creak—"

Three hundred crossbows were drawn taut, their arrowheads aimed squarely at Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger.

The arrows, enveloped in Profound Qi, took on a spindle-like shape. If not for Ji Hanxing standing at the center of the tent, they would have already been loosed.

Ning Xiaochuan's lips curled slightly. "Xiao Cheng, what gives you the right? I am a Prince, a descendant of nobility. You? A mere commoner, daring to strut before me? You haven’t even entered military service—do you even have the authority to command troops?"

Though Xiao Cheng possessed remarkable martial talent and was the Cloud Marquis's top disciple, his birth status paled in comparison to Ning Xiaochuan's.

In the Yulan Empire, only the descendants of nobility were considered true aristocrats, standing above the rest.

Moreover, Xiao Cheng was still a student at the Emperor's Martial Palace and had yet to enlist. By military law, he had no right to mobilize troops.

"Think you're so impressive? Strength in martial arts determines everything. The weak are destined to be crushed. Attack!" Xiao Cheng barked.

As the Cloud Marquis's chief disciple, he wielded considerable authority in the military.

Ning Xiaochuan retrieved the Imperial Authority Token, gripping it tightly as he glared at the surrounding soldiers. "Who dares lay a hand on me?"

The token's golden light blazed brilliantly, its radiance striking fear into the hearts of the soldiers. None dared move.

This was the Imperial Authority Token—a symbol of supreme imperial power!

The soldiers wavered, their eyes flicking between Xiao Cheng and Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan channeled the aura of a Martial Venerable, his essence, energy, and spirit peaking as if a true Martial Venerable had descended. His oppressive presence crushed the soldiers' morale as he thundered, "You dare not kneel before the Imperial Authority Token? Do you wish to rebel?"

The combined might of the token and Ning Xiaochuan's Martial Venerable aura sent waves of terror through the soldiers, forcing them to their knees.

Who would dare defy imperial authority? Such defiance was a crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan.

Xiao Cheng had not anticipated such an outcome. Had he known, he would never have mobilized the army to deal with Ning Xiaochuan.

A silent curse echoed in his heart—This is bad.

Ning Xiaochuan issued another command: "Xiao Cheng, the chief disciple of the Cloud Marquis, dares to slander me, blaspheme imperial authority, and scorn military law. His crimes warrant execution. Seize him!"

The soldiers hesitated briefly, but under the weight of Ning Xiaochuan’s Imperial Authority Token, they swiftly drew their bows and aimed at Xiao Cheng, releasing a volley of arrows.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hundreds of arrows tore through the air with a piercing whistle.

Xiao Cheng’s martial cultivation was profound. The Primordial Silver Ring on his wrist flew out, transforming into a massive silver halo seven meters in diameter, shielding his body and shattering the incoming arrows.

A second wave of arrows followed, trailing long streaks of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, their force terrifying.

This was an elite military unit—every soldier’s cultivation was formidable.

Xiao Cheng stomped the ground, his speed skyrocketing as he charged through the rain of arrows, breaking them with his body. He emerged from the barrage and unleashed a colossal palm strike.

The Heaven and Earth Profound Qi trembled violently, space itself seeming on the verge of tearing apart.

Ning Xiaochuan condensed the Sun-Moon Seal, one hand turning crimson, the other deep blue.

Around the blazing sun and full moon, profound energy fluctuated, representing the dual forces of yin and yang. Converging together, they formed the Yin-Yang Sun-Moon Diagram—a scroll-like manifestation woven from Martial Arts Divine Abilities.

The clash between Transcendent Realm experts was earth-shattering. The entire military camp was swept up in the chaos, dozens of tents sent flying.

Boom!

Over a dozen flagpoles snapped, collapsing and crushing a large group of soldiers beneath them.

Xiao Cheng’s cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm. His formidable physique granted him combat prowess far surpassing others in the same cultivation realm, even allowing him to contend with eighth-level Transcendent Realm Martial Artists. Below the Martial Venerable level, few could rival him.

A single palm strike from him shattered the ground, sending over a hundred elite soldiers flying dozens of meters away.

"Ning Xiaochuan, dare you face me alone?"

Trapped in the soldiers’ encirclement, Xiao Cheng dared not unleash his full strength. If he killed these imperial troops, he too would face military punishment.

Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger mounted the Tai Sui Beast.

Ning Xiaochuan cast a glance at Ji Hanxing. "The past case from eleven years ago—stop investigating. You’ll never uncover anything."

This was the reason Ning Xiaochuan had sought Ji Hanxing in Linluo City—to deliver this warning.

Because he feared that if Ji Hanxing dug deeper, she might stumble upon the Dark Heavenly King… or even the Jade Emperor.

If she encountered the Dark Heavenly King, death would be inevitable.

If she uncovered the Jade Emperor’s involvement, her fate would be even worse.

This was Ning Xiaochuan’s advice to her.

"Xiao Cheng, we’ll meet again in the Imperial City!"

Ning Xiaochuan urged the Tai Sui Beast into the underground world, vanishing from the camp.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

Xiao Cheng soared into the air, hurling the Primordial Silver Ring into the ground in an attempt to suppress Ning Xiaochuan.

From beneath the earth, a colossal divine monument emerged, wreathed in demonic clouds and bound by chains, its surface etched with ancient inscriptions. It repelled the Primordial Silver Ring, sending it flying back into Xiao Cheng’s grasp.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Cheng landed where the Annihilation Divine Monument had been and stomped fiercely, shattering the earthen monument into fragments.

"Ning Xiaochuan, you cannot escape."

Xiao Cheng summoned his mount, the Scorpion Lion, landing on its back before giving chase toward the Imperial City.

Ji Hanxing narrowed her eyes, mounted her Dragon Elephant, and gripped the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear as she pursued.

"All Dragon Elephant Divine Warriors, heed my command—return to the Imperial City!"

Ji Hanxing issued the order and charged out of Linluo City atop her Dragon Elephant.

Xiao Cheng's final strike was blocked by Ning Xiaochuan using the Annihilation Divine Monument, but the impact still left Ning Xiaochuan severely injured.

For three days, Ning Xiaochuan traveled through the dark, damp underground world, recuperating from his wounds.

Three days later, he arrived at the edge of the Moshate Desert, storing the Tai Sui Beast inside the Mystic Beast Manual for rest and summoning the Double-headed Stone Beast as his new mount.

He and Duanmu Linger rode atop the Double-headed Stone Beast, traversing the Ancient Path across the largest desert in the Yulan Empire—the Moshate Desert.

The Double-headed Stone Beast sprinted at full speed, its stone body grinding with a screeching sound.

"You have the Imperial Authority Token in hand, so why does Xiao Cheng still dare to kill you?" Duanmu Linger was puzzled.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Do you truly believe the Imperial Authority Token is supreme? Only one's own strength can truly intimidate others."

He placed a Transcendent Pill into his mouth, sitting cross-legged on the Double-headed Stone Beast's back as he circulated the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi to rapidly refine the Pill Qi.

Though Ning Xiaochuan had only exchanged a single move with Xiao Cheng, he could still sense the overwhelming power Xiao Cheng had unleashed. At his current cultivation level, he was no match for Xiao Cheng.

For now, his only option was to flee back to the Imperial City as quickly as possible.

There, he could rely on the Jian Pavilion Marquis House's influence—at the very least, no one would dare to openly move against him.

In the shadows, he could also leverage the power of the Ghost Manor, ensuring he wouldn't be as isolated and vulnerable as he was now, constantly at risk of death.

"I must strive to break through to the Transcendent Realm Fourth Layer before returning to the Imperial City."

Ning Xiaochuan felt the urgency—Xiao Cheng could catch up at any moment.

For most Martial Artists, refining a single Transcendent Pill would take at least ten days.

But Ning Xiaochuan had cultivated the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi to the seventh level, granting him sixty-four times the absorption speed. Refining a Transcendent Pill completely would take him no more than three to five days.

However, not every Transcendent Pill consumed would guarantee a breakthrough in cultivation.

For the same Martial Artist, the effects of a second Transcendent Pill would be significantly weaker, and the third would be even more diminished.

After three days, Ning Xiaochuan fully absorbed the pill, expelling impurities from his pores. His bones and physique grew stronger, and every drop of his blood seemed to contain the essence of a dragon and tiger.

He made a small cut on his finger, letting a drop of blood fall to the ground. The blood instantly transformed into a mist, condensing into the form of a divine tiger that let out a mighty roar.

One drop of blood, one tiger.

This was a sign of reaching an extremely high realm in martial arts—his flesh and blood had transcended the mundane.

Ning Xiaochuan's combat power had increased significantly, but he was still far from reaching the Transcendent Realm Fourth Layer.

The higher the cultivation realm, the harder it was to break through. Even with pills, advancing one's cultivation was no easy task.

"If I can return to the Emperor's Martial Palace and cultivate within the Heavenly Palace, my strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds."

Ning Xiaochuan still had two days of cultivation time in the Heavenly Palace, equivalent to two years of cultivation in the outside world. One of his goals in returning to the Imperial City was to utilize these two days to fully enhance his cultivation.

The Nine Death Cliff and the Imperial City were tens of thousands of miles apart. Ning Xiaochuan continuously switched mounts; when the Double-headed Stone Beast collapsed from exhaustion, he summoned the Tai Sui Beast to travel underground.

Several times, Ning Xiaochuan nearly encountered Xiao Cheng, but his powerful mental transmission allowed him to detect and evade in advance. Now was not the time for a direct confrontation with Xiao Cheng.

The journey was perilous, with not only Xiao Cheng in pursuit but also a group of mysterious figures tracking Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger from the Nine Death Cliff.

Ning Xiaochuan suspected that these were additional Demon Sect experts dispatched by the Lifeless Dao Leader—another wave of enemies.