Chapter 79: Escape from Death

Chapter 79: Escape from Death

Twenty-two black-robed individuals, each possessing formidable cultivation and having attained the Divine Martial Body, moved with flawless coordination in battle, leaving no openings. They trapped Ning Xiaochuan and the other five tightly within the valley.

The black-robed leader was the most powerful among them, her Profound Qi extending ten meters around her. When her energy surged, even boulders weighing hundreds of kilograms shattered with a resounding boom. Had Ning Xiaochuan not held her off, the six of them would have perished long ago.

Thud!

Gu Lande of the Great Dragon Martial Academy was struck in the back by a towering black-robed figure, blood gushing from the wound. Already crippled by the loss of an arm from the black-robed leader’s earlier attack, Gu Lande let out a pained scream as he staggered. Six black-robed assailants dragged him into their midst, hacking him into a bloody pulp with relentless strikes.

A young expert at the Second Level of the Divine Body Realm had fallen just like that.

The remaining survivors trembled in terror, their backs drenched in cold sweat, overwhelmed by despair. The black-robed individuals’ methods were too brutal—they slaughtered their enemies without leaving intact corpses, achieving the effect of Kill the Body and Destroy the Heart.

The black-robed leader unleashed the Second-Grade Mystic Artifact, the Bronze Treasure Wheel, sending it spinning into a whirlwind that ensnared Zijing of the Purple Veil Martial Academy.

Zijing, her figure graceful and shrouded in a mist of purple Profound Qi, attempted to counter with a sword technique, but escape from the raging winds was impossible. She was flung high into the air.

Boom!

When she crashed back down amidst the black-robed figures, she barely had time to steady herself before one of them decapitated her with a single slash.

Thud! Thud!

Zijing, too, was butchered into mincemeat.

These black-robed killers were resolute—beauty meant nothing to them. Anyone who opposed Dark Emperor City, even the most stunning woman in the world, would meet the same fate.

"Too savage! Too savage! They even kill peerless beauties—do they have no humanity left?" Murong Wushuang, drenched in cold sweat, gripped his Profound Qi Sword tightly as he followed closely behind Ning Xiaochuan, slashing desperately.

The deaths of two young experts at the Second Level of the Divine Body Realm had dealt a crushing psychological blow. Escape from the valley now seemed hopeless.

The black-robed leader retrieved the Bronze Treasure Wheel, channeling her Profound Qi into it before hurling it forth once more.

Whoosh!

The wheel spun violently through the air, absorbing wind energy and forming a vortex that coalesced into a monstrous, dragon-shaped hurricane.

The towering cyclone surged toward Ning Xiaochuan.

Just moments ago, this same Bronze Treasure Wheel had sent Zijing spiraling to her death. Ning Xiaochuan had no intention of sharing her fate. Planting his feet firmly, he bent his waist and roared, "Heavenly Thunder Bell!"

An invisible thunderous wave erupted from his mouth, unleashing a deafening sonic blast. The sound of heavenly thunder condensed into a massive bell five meters tall, spinning rapidly and generating its own hurricane as it collided head-on with the Bronze Treasure Wheel.

Boom!

The great bell shattered, releasing a deafening sound akin to Heavenly Thunder, dispersing the tornado pillar formed by the Bronze Treasure Wheel.

The tremendous thunderclap left all the black-robed individuals momentarily deafened, their minds blank.

"Profound Qi Sword!"

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Xiaochuan spread his hands, releasing a surge of Profound Qi from his body. Six Profound Qi Swords materialized around him, solidifying into tangible blades that shot out like six crimson streaks, piercing the hearts of six black-robed individuals.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The six black-robed figures collapsed, creating a gap in the previously impenetrable encirclement!

"Go!"

Ning Xiaochuan roared, leading the charge as he dashed toward the valley's exit.

Murong Wushuang, Dongfang Yi, and Xue Rihuo were jolted awake by Ning Xiaochuan's shout. Seeing the opening, their faces lit up with joy, knowing they were saved today.

All three escaped the valley!

Everything happened in an extremely short span of time. By the time the black-robed individuals regained their senses, Ning Xiaochuan and the others had already fled over 30 meters away, vanishing into the dense forest.

The black-robed leader stared at the Bronze Treasure Wheel lying on the ground, then turned his gaze toward the forest. "What a formidable 'Greatest Love-Obsessed Fool in the World,' to have cultivated such a rare divine ability like the 'Heavenly Thunder Bell.' Next time we clash, I must guard against this move."

"Third Leader, should we pursue?" a black-robed subordinate asked.

"No need! Ning Xiaochuan's cultivation is formidable. In Dark Emperor City, no more than three can confidently defeat him. If you chase after him, he’ll just pick you off one by one in the forest." The black-robed leader then asked, "How many Black Firewood Pearls have we collected?"

The black-robed individuals had already cleared the battlefield. A short-statured black-robed figure stepped forward, presenting eight Black Firewood Pearls. "Gu Lande had three on him, Zijing had two, and the others yielded three more. In total, eight."

"Losing eight young elites just to gather this handful of Black Firewood Pearls—the Four Great Martial Academies Alliance is truly disappointing," the black-robed leader remarked coldly.

Another black-robed figure spoke up, "With our strength, we should have taken down the alliance without a single casualty. These eight deaths were all Ning Xiaochuan's doing. He must be eliminated."

"No rush. Ning Xiaochuan is just a minor figure—we can kill him anytime. The priority now is collecting Black Firewood Pearls. Spread the news that we’ve captured Princess Qianxi. Demand the Golden Roc Prince's Manor deliver twenty Black Firewood Pearls in exchange for her life. If they fail to deliver within three days, don’t blame us for being merciless!"

The black-robed leader glanced at the eight corpses on the ground and unleashed eight strands of Profound Qi, shattering the Dark Pearls on their bodies. The toxic liquid inside spilled out, instantly corroding their remains into pools of pus.

"Won’t twenty Black Firewood Pearls be too much? What if the Golden Roc Prince's Manor can’t gather that many? Or worse, if no one dares to deliver the ransom? Would we really have to kill Princess Qianxi?" A black-robed subordinate voiced his concern.

The black-robed leader coldly glared at him and said, "Killing Yu Qianqian is nothing more than a trivial matter. Dark Emperor City dares to kill even nobility, let alone a mere princess."

After speaking, the black-robed leader shook her robes and walked out of the valley.

...

After escaping the valley, Ning Xiaochuan, Murong Wushuang, and the others swiftly traversed through the forest, only stopping to rest after fleeing dozens of kilometers away.

Dongfang Yi panted heavily, sweat pouring down his face. "These people are utterly lawless! They actually dared to slaughter warriors from the Four Great Martial Academies—even Gu Lande and Zijing were killed. This feud is irreconcilable now."

Murong Wushuang asked, "Brother Dongfang, do you know who your enemies are?"

Dongfang Yi froze for a moment before shaking his head in frustration.

Xue Rihuo said, "The Profound Qi they unleashed was black, which suggests they belong to a dark faction. Among dark factions, there are no more than three organizations with such formidable strength. Dark Emperor City is the most likely suspect—only they would have the audacity."

Ning Xiaochuan glanced sideways at Xue Rihuo, impressed by his reasoning. He was clearly a man with some intellect.

Xue Rihuo clasped his hands and bowed to Ning Xiaochuan. "Thank you, Brother Ning, for your timely assistance. Without you, we likely wouldn’t have survived today. Once the examination concludes, Dongfang Yi and I will surely present you with generous gifts to repay your life-saving grace. For now, we must bid you farewell."

After bidding their goodbyes, Xue Rihuo and Dongfang Yi quickly departed, soon vanishing into the forest.

"How strange. Why wouldn’t they travel with us?" Murong Wushuang wondered.

"Because they’re carrying quite a few Black Firewood Pearls and fear we might try to steal them. In short, they don’t trust us," Ning Xiaochuan said with a smile.

"Disgraceful! How dare they distrust us? If we wanted to take them, we’d do it openly. Stabbing friends in the back is something I’d never do," Murong Wushuang growled through gritted teeth.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "You can’t blame them. There are plenty who would betray their friends. In the Fire Demon Mountain Range, if you don’t stay vigilant, you won’t even know how you died."

That evening, news spread like wildfire, shocking all the examinees in the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

"Princess Qianxi of the Golden Roc Prince's Manor has been kidnapped by a mysterious organization. They’ve demanded twenty Black Firewood Pearls in exchange for her release. If the ransom isn’t delivered within three days, they’ll execute her."

The audacity of challenging the Golden Roc Prince's Manor sent waves of fear through the examinees, yet they also eagerly anticipated a direct confrontation between the Manor and the mysterious organization.

The best outcome would be mutual destruction—only then could they reap significant benefits.

Everyone speculated whether the Golden Roc Prince's Manor could gather twenty Black Firewood Pearls in time and whether anyone would dare negotiate with the mysterious organization for the princess’s ransom.

Not long after, news spread that the mysterious organization had massacred the alliance formed by the Four Great Martial Academies. Gu Lande, the chief of the Great Dragon Martial Academy, and Zijing of the Purple Veil Martial Academy were hacked to death by them.

This news caused another uproar. Originally, some of the genius disciples of the Golden Roc Prince's Manor had been preparing Black Firewood Pearls, but upon hearing this, they all hesitated.

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang were hiding in an underground pit, gnawing on roasted tiger meat.

Murong Wushuang held a massive tiger bone in his hand, his mouth greasy from chewing, and said, "Twenty Black Firewood Pearls—they really dare to demand such a price. The entire alliance of the Four Great Martial Academies probably hasn’t even collected twenty. If the warriors of the Golden Roc Prince's Manor fail to gather twenty Black Firewood Pearls, would they truly dare to kill Princess Qianxi?"

"That’s not impossible. In history, Dark Emperor City has massacred entire noble families, slaughtering over seven thousand people in a single marquis’s estate, leaving none alive—not even the chickens or dogs. It caused a massive uproar. Moreover, Dark Emperor City has assassinated emperors more than once. Three hundred years ago, at the height of their audacity, they assassinated the reigning emperor of the Yulan Empire—and succeeded. Whether they’d dare to kill Yu Qianqian… it’s truly hard to say!"

Ning Xiaochuan suddenly stood up and leaped out of the underground pit.

Murong Wushuang clutched the tiger bone, looking up at Ning Xiaochuan standing above ground, and called out, "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to hunt mystic beasts and improve my cultivation. I must break through to the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm within three days."

With a resolute expression in his eyes, Ning Xiaochuan strode into the flaming forest.

Regardless of whether the Golden Roc Prince's Manor would deliver the twenty Black Firewood Pearls, Ning Xiaochuan had already made up his mind—he would go!