Chapter 99: The Assessment Ends (Chapter 10)

Chapter 99: The Assessment Ends (Chapter 10)

"Ning Xin'er!"

Ning Xiaochuan caught up, retracting his Wings of Rage as he landed on the ground, staring at Ning Xin'er from a distance.

Hearing his voice, Ning Xin'er quickly wiped away her tears and turned around in disbelief, her eyes fixed on the young man standing in the distance. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face once more.

"Brother!"

She threw herself into Ning Xiaochuan's arms, her small hands clutching him tightly, as if afraid he would vanish the moment she let go.

"Brother, is it really you? You're not tricking me, are you? You're not a ghost here to scare me, right?" Ning Xin'er lifted her tear-streaked face, staring intently at Ning Xiaochuan before reaching out to touch his face repeatedly.

Only after confirming he was truly alive did she burst into loud sobs. "I overheard some of the martial artists who took the assessment saying you were killed by a Supreme Sword Dao practitioner, struck down from the mountain peak with no remains left. But I refused to believe it! I searched and searched, scouring the mountains every day, just hoping to find your bones and bring them back to the Marquis' estate for burial. I couldn’t bear to lose you, brother. I would never abandon you. Never!"

Moved, Ning Xiaochuan gently stroked her hair. "I was saved by a senior expert and didn’t die in the mountains. But tell me—weren’t you pushed off the waterfall by Yao Jindao, Zhuo Yichan, and Hua Ruyue? How did you survive?"

Ning Xin'er glanced at the small red dragon. "When I fell from the top of the waterfall, I landed right on Xiao Hong’s back. That’s how I escaped."

"Such a coincidence?"

Ning Xiaochuan fixed his gaze on the small red dragon, grabbing it by the neck and demanding sternly, "What are your true intentions? Why did you deliberately approach my sister?"

The small red dragon froze, its tiny claws flailing as it let out a series of "ao ao ao" sounds, as if trying to explain itself.

Ning Xin'er interjected, "Brother, don’t be so harsh on Xiao Hong. I already asked it—it was bathing under the waterfall when I accidentally fell on it. If anything, I should be thanking it."

The small red dragon nodded vigorously, shooting Ning Xiaochuan a reproachful look that seemed to say, "You’ve got it all wrong! This dragon is innocent!"

Ning Xiaochuan decided not to press the matter further. As long as Ning Xin'er was alive, that was all that mattered.

The dark night sky suddenly began to turn increasingly red, as if stained with blood.

From the Demon Palace atop Blood Mountain, the shrill cries of Undead Servants and spectral soldiers echoed, accompanied by the mournful roars of Dragons. Their eyes were fixed on the blood-red sky, their voices reverberating throughout the entire Fire Demon Mountain Range.

"ROAR—"

The mystic beasts in the Fire Demon Mountain Range seemed to sense something as well, howling toward the sky in unison.

The entire Fire Demon Mountain Range was in turmoil.

Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xin'er both looked up at the sky.

An hour ago, the sky had been black.

Now, it had turned completely blood-red—crimson and terrifying.

A force that weighed heavily on the soul emanated from the Demon Palace, spreading across the entire Fire Demon Mountain Range and even extending throughout the entire Yulan Empire.

In the Yulan Empire, all Martial Venerables sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the Fire Demon Mountain Range. One by one, aged martial artists emerged from their secluded cultivation, standing atop high places to gaze toward the direction of the Fire Demon Mountain Range. They saw a blood-red cloud gathering on the horizon, forming the shape of a massive heart, as if demonic flames were burning.

"This is an ill omen. It seems that after eight centuries of prosperity, the Yulan Empire is about to face turmoil," muttered an old Taoist standing atop a vermilion palace in the Imperial City, his eyes filled with deep worry.

At the same time, a command was issued from the Emperor's Martial Palace and sent to the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

The one-month assessment period had come to an end.

At the foot of Blood Mountain, Ning Xiaochuan also felt an ominous premonition. Gripping Ning Xin'er's hand, he said, "Let's leave this place first. I sense something major is about to happen."

Ning Xiaochuan led Ning Xin'er to the cliffside stone cave where the Ugly Old Crone resided.

The Ugly Old Crone stood at the edge of the cave, staring solemnly at the blood-red sky. She cast a stern glance at Ning Xiaochuan and asked gravely, "When you retrieved the Ancient Cauldron, where did the elixirs inside it go?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "They were eaten by a giant heart."

Hearing this, the Ugly Old Crone showed no surprise, only letting out a long sigh. "As I thought. It seems it is about to break free from the Demon Palace's suppression and emerge ahead of time."

Curious, Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Senior, what exactly is this 'it' you speak of?"

The Ugly Old Crone ignored his question, her temper turning cold and sharp again. "Leave tomorrow. Get out of the Fire Demon Mountain Range. This was never a place you should have come to."

With those words, she took the Ancient Cauldron and vanished into the darkness, leaving no trace of where she went.

By dawn, she still had not returned.

"Brother, where did the Ugly Granny go?" Ning Xin'er asked.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "Someone of her stature acts beyond our comprehension. Since she told us to leave the Fire Demon Mountain Range, it's best we depart as soon as possible."

The Demon Palace atop the mountain had quieted, and the sky had returned to its normal color. Yet, Ning Xiaochuan couldn't shake the feeling that the Fire Demon Mountain Range had changed irreversibly. Staying any longer would be perilous.

Ning Xiaochuan, Ning Xin'er, Murong Wushuang, Yu Qianqian, and of course, Princess Lanfei—the five of them carefully made their way through the Five-Colored Miasma Forest, heading toward the outskirts of the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

The underground stone cave leading to Dragonfall Valley was guarded by an Undead Servant. The cave echoed with the creature's howls, the force of its cries cracking the entrance, as if it might burst out at any moment.

Naturally, the five of them dared not take that route again and had no choice but to brave the Five-Colored Miasma Forest.

Fortunately, their cultivation levels were not weak, and they encountered no major dangers along the way.

Princess Lanfei's condition was quite peculiar. After being refined in the Ancient Cauldron and absorbing a considerable amount of Elixir Qi into her body, her cultivation had actually advanced by one realm, reaching the Fourth Level of the Divine Body Realm. However, she hadn’t spoken a word the entire journey, only occasionally glaring at Ning Xiaochuan with hatred, grinding her teeth incessantly.

Ning Xiaochuan always felt a chill down his spine. Every time he turned around, he could see Princess Lanfei’s furious gaze, as if he owed her a great debt.

Had she remembered that night when he beheaded her with a single slash?

The Ugly Old Crone had said that after being refined in the Ancient Cauldron, Princess Lanfei would completely transform from a Half-Corpse Slave back into a living person. So, it was only natural that she would recall how she had died at Ning Xiaochuan’s hands last time.

But what Ning Xiaochuan didn’t know was that while Princess Lanfei had indeed recovered many of her memories, they only extended up to the moment when he had lifted her skirt with his sword.

In other words, after he had lifted her skirt—whether he had killed her or taken her chastity—she had no recollection whatsoever.

All she knew was that when she woke up again, she was lying on a stone bed, her entire body aching, her limbs weak.

Moreover, not far from the stone cave, she had found her clothes—tattered and stained with blood.

When she saw the blood on her clothes, she lost her mind.

She understood.

She understood everything.

And it was precisely because of this that she was filled with such fury, wishing she could tear Ning Xiaochuan—the man who had taken her purity—into a thousand pieces. But her injuries hadn’t fully healed yet, so for now, she could only endure. Once she returned to the Imperial City, there would be countless ways to kill him.

When the five of them emerged from the Five-Colored Miasma Forest and arrived at the initial assembly point designated by the Emperor's Martial Palace, the examination had already ended, and all the examinees had been taken away.

"We're too late. Everyone probably thinks we died in the Fire Demon Mountain. Brother Chuan, what do we do now?" Murong Wushuang asked.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "We have no choice but to make our own way back to the Imperial City—and we must hurry. Once the examination concludes, the Heavenly Gate will close. Even if we possess Black Firewood Pearls, we won’t be able to become disciples of the Emperor's Martial Palace."

Ning Xiaochuan took out a cloth bag containing eighty-five Black Firewood Pearls. Six had been obtained from the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s nest, twenty had been borrowed from Yu Tiadi, and the rest had been looted from the Second Leader of the Dark Emperor City and Princess Lanfei.

Ning Xiaochuan gave one Black Firewood Pearl each to Yu Qianqian and Murong Wushuang.

As long as they possessed a Black Firewood Pearl, they could enter the Emperor's Martial Palace.

After some thought, Ning Xiaochuan ultimately gave one to Princess Lanfei as well.

Though they were enemies, Ning Xiaochuan had already killed her once. In his eyes, their grudges were settled.

If she dared to oppose him again, he wouldn’t mind killing her a second time.

After accepting the Black Firewood Pearl, Princess Lanfei shot Ning Xiaochuan a venomous glare and said, "This Black Firewood Pearl is what I deserve, Ning Xiaochuan. This isn’t over between us. I’ll make you regret what you did to me that night."

With those words, she vanished into the forest with a flicker of movement.

Murong Wushuang and Yu Qianqian both stared at Ning Xiaochuan with playful, questioning eyes.

"Brother Chuan, what exactly happened that night? Before you beheaded her, did you do something else? Did you deliberately leave that part out when telling us?" Murong Wushuang showed great interest.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head and said, "Princess Lanfei's condition was very unstable—she was likely still a Half-Corpse Slave, so her mind must have been severely damaged. It’s normal for her to say strange things. Let’s not dwell on this anymore. We should leave the Fire Demon Mountain Range first."

The group of four quickly made their way out of the Fire Demon Mountain Range and headed toward the Imperial City.

A small red dragon stealthily followed behind them, also leaving the Fire Demon Mountain Range. It raised its head to glance at the four figures ahead before flying toward the Imperial City as well.