He Is a Disciple of the White Emperor!

Listening to Yuan Qi's impassioned declaration, Qi Yuan spoke after a long silence: "My guarding the City of No Return has nothing to do with Great Xia. Simply because I am the Guardian of the City of No Return." He had no desire to accept unearned favors from others. Hearing this, Yuan Qi didn't understand at first. But soon, he came to realize. This Guardian had to be the kind of person who held all living beings in his heart. Though not a man of Great Xia, he was unwilling to see the Southern Lands fall into the hands of the Northern Lands, journeying alone to the Central Plains to hold the City of No Return. Not bound by petty families or small kingdoms, he stood for all common people beneath the heavens. *This is what a true grand cultivator is!* The reverence in Yuan Qi's heart grew even deeper. However, thinking of his elder brother, he ultimately asked in a heavy voice, "Dare I ask, Senior, when you arrived at the City of No Return, did you see any soldiers who came from Great Xia—the Song Battalion?" "Not long after I arrived, two ordinary soldiers of the Song Battalion came here. "They said they were ambushed on the road and wiped out. Only the two of them escaped, heavily wounded. In the end... they couldn't hold on for more than a few days and died here in the City of No Return." Qi Yuan recalled those two men. One was named Zhang Sheng, the other Chen Jiao. *If the two of them had changed their names, perhaps their fate wouldn't have turned out like this,* Qi Yuan thought to himself. "They are buried deep within the City of No Return." Hearing this, Yuan Qi's heart sank heavily. Before coming here, he had already harbored such suspicions. Faced with the truth, the pain stabbed even deeper into his heart. His grandfather, his father, his elder brother—three generations of his clan had all died in the City of No Return. "What you have strapped to your back should be Daughter's Fragrance, right?" Qi Yuan caught a faint scent of wine. "It is," Yuan Qi replied gravely. He had traveled thousands of li to reach the City of No Return so that the soldiers here could taste the wine of their homeland once more, to let them know that Great Xia had never forgotten them. "When Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao arrived, the wine they drank had spoiled. Since you brought good wine, you can go pay your respects to them." Qi Yuan still remembered the Daughter's Fragrance Chen Jiao had raised before his death; its taste was truly awful. Probably only Chen Jiao and Zhang Sheng could have drunk it with such relish. "Allow me to offer a toast to Senior first," Yuan Qi said, reaching to unstrap the wine from his back. "I don't drink." With that, Qi Yuan flew up onto the city wall. Looking out over the vast desert in the distance, he declared loudly, "From now on, you people of Great Xia shouldn't come to the City of No Return anymore. "With me guarding this place, it's impregnable. No one can steal my base. "Even if you do come, just bring some military banners." Qi Yuan didn't know how many years he would guard this place. Having more military banners around was always good. Otherwise, if they failed to attract demonic monstrosities, that would be bad. Hearing this, Yuan Qi felt mixed emotions. Looking at the slender figure on the city wall, he bowed solemnly. From the moment he set foot on the road to the City of No Return, he had never intended to return. He did not know on which day the city would fall and he would perish, but he was not afraid. *** In Jialan City, Guardian Dong Long had a full beard, and his hair was mostly gray. He stood atop the towering, magnificent city walls. The military banners of Great Sui were planted high, flapping loudly in the wind. The Guardian glanced at Liu Wentai, surprise in his eyes. "He is unwilling to come?" The Guardian of Jialan City was truly surprised. Great Xia was a small nation, its power not even a tenth of Great Sui's. Over the course of ten-odd years, having lost the City of No Return, Great Xia was about to be absorbed into Great Sui. Now that the City of No Return had a new Guardian, and a Nation Protector at that, Dong Long naturally harbored intentions to recruit him. "What a pity." Since the other party was unwilling to come, Dong Long could not force the issue. One man guarding a solitary city, with no reinforcements and no supplies—one day, he would inevitably be drowned beneath an ever-stronger army of demonic monstrosities. He was lamenting the passing of a hero. "Step down." Since he wasn't coming, Dong Long thought no more of it. Right now, the counteroffensive army he had organized against Mi Sang had reached a critical juncture. He had to execute Mi Sang and the other Demon Controllers. Once this matter concluded, he could return to Great Sui. When he had left the capital, his granddaughter had just been born; when he returned this time, perhaps the great-grandson he had never met would already be getting married. *** Kill! Kill! Kill! Beneath the City of No Return, Qi Yuan held his sword, looking at the army of over a thousand demonic monstrosities before him. His eyes glowed blazing red as he slaughtered relentlessly. The powerful monstrosities were like laughable weeds in Qi Yuan's hands, continuously harvested by his broken sword. His experience bar skyrocketed madly. Monstrosity Origin was also continuously accumulating. Qi Yuan noticed that—perhaps due to the Monstrosity Origin—the more he killed, the more excited he grew, seemingly thirsting for blood. Like a cold-blooded, merciless war machine, he plunged back and forth through the monstrosity army. In less than half an hour, the army of over a thousand demonic monstrosities was completely slain by him. "Call it a day!" Just like in the past, Qi Yuan blew the blood from his broken sword, then returned to the city wall. The city walls stood tall and majestic. With Qi Yuan guarding them, no monstrosity had ever set foot atop them again. On the wall, Yuan Qi looked at Qi Yuan, who seemed as valiant as a heavenly god descended to the mortal realm, his eyes filled with veneration. "Congratulations, Mister, on repelling the enemy once again and slaying over a thousand demonic monstrosities!" "No big deal, just scratching an itch." Qi Yuan glanced at Yuan Qi beside him. Three years had passed since Yuan Qi arrived at the City of No Return. His face was much more chapped, weathered, and sallow than when they first met. The once-handsome youth had turned into a weather-beaten middle-aged man. "Senior, there is another joyful piece of news! Just yesterday, Guardian Dong Long of Jialan City laid siege to Mi Sang and shattered the monstrosity army! Mi Sang fled heavily wounded, so this region will enjoy a few years of peace!" Yuan Qi spoke with great excitement. In his heart, he also held immense admiration for Guardian Dong Long of Jialan City. After all, whenever Great Xia guarded the City of No Return, the outcome was always total annihilation. Yet Jialan City had successfully counterattacked! How could that not be exhilarating! Now that Mi Sang was severely injured, the pressure facing the City of No Return would be drastically reduced. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Hopefully, more of the fleeing monstrosity army will come to the City of No Return." He felt nothing toward such thrilling news. Seeing this, the smile on Yuan Qi's face faded. Night fell, cloaking the world in darkness. A familiar voice echoed in Qi Yuan's ear once more. "You're looking more and more like a demonic monstrosity." Inside the underground palace, Ning Tao's pale face bore deep exhaustion. She looked at Qi Yuan, whom she had trapped, her expression exceptionally complicated. "Do I look like a monstrosity?" Qi Yuan's consciousness shifted from the City of No Return to that clump of flesh. "Not like one—you *are* one." Hearing Qi Yuan's voice, a smile appeared on Ning Tao's small face. "I'm suspecting more and more that you are the legendary Blood Demon that brings calamity to all living beings." Ning Tao smiled, seemingly smug that she had deduced Qi Yuan's identity. "Since I'm the Blood Demon, isn't keeping me locked up here very dangerous for you?" Qi Yuan said. "Let's make a deal. You let me out." "If I let you out, wouldn't you get your wish and go bring calamity upon all living beings?" Ning Tao smiled sweetly. "I'm petty-minded. I don't want you harming all living beings; I only want you to ruin me alone." "You actually doubt my character? While I may not be a paragon of virtue, I often help others for the joy of it. "That nonsense about some Blood Demon bringing calamity upon the world is completely fabricated out of thin air. "Ruin you? I am Liu Xiahui, immune to temptation even with a beauty on my lap!" Qi Yuan declared. "The Revered One is the foremost figure of the Northern Lands, one of the two supreme powerhouses in this world. How could her words be false?" Ning Tao looked at Qi Yuan. "Be good and behave. If you don't, this humble girl will hand you over to the Revered One. "Then, you won't ever get to see your charming little wife again." "Not seeing you suits me just fine," Qi Yuan retorted immediately. Perhaps under the influence of the Monstrosity Origin, every time Ning Tao appeared before him in a black dress and black stockings, the scene of tearing his junior sister Jiang Lingsu's dress that day would inevitably pop into his mind. Moreover, that scene had undergone mutations. Not only did he tear Jiang Lingsu's dress to shreds, but he also pinned Ning Tao against the wall, stripped off her stockings, and wrapped them around Jiang Lingsu's jade legs. Aside from lust, the other six sins of the Monstrosity Origin were also affecting Qi Yuan. Particularly when his consciousness entered this clump of parasitic flesh, the Seven Deadly Sins were amplified even further. If he didn't see Ning Tao, maybe these bizarre images wouldn't crop up in his head—which would be just fine. Of course, today Ning Tao wasn't wearing stockings; her tender white feet were wrapped in silk socks thin as cicada wings, her dainty, exquisite jade feet small enough to fit within a single palm. "Can you really bear to leave this humble girl all alone here, enduring unbearable loneliness for a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years?" Ning Tao stared at Qi Yuan, a thick desire for control gleaming in her eyes. "If I really were the Blood Demon, keeping me here would mean disaster is looming right over your head," Qi Yuan grumbled. "None of the Sovereigns in the Northern Lands would let you off." Ever since cultivating the *Qi Yuan Scripture*, Qi Yuan felt as though all the world were drunk while he alone was sober; the more he looked at anyone, the more he felt there was something wrong with their head. Hearing this, a flash of frost passed through Ning Tao's slender, somewhat aloof eyes. "I am the one who summoned you. Only I can decide your fate. If anyone else wants to kill you, they have to ask me first." "It's truly a waste that you aren't playing an overbearing female CEO," Qi Yuan deadpanned, powerless to complain further. *** Five years later. In the Demon Controller faction of the Northern Lands. A burly man clad in iron armor appeared, making the ground shake with his steps. Looking at Mi Sang not far away, mockery filled his eyes. "What a useless piece of trash. Yuzhou has nine cities in total. You fought for so many years yet failed to take them, and in the end, you were severely wounded and fled with your tail between your legs. You've truly disgraced our Northern Lands." The burly iron-armored man laughed, and his subordinates burst into laughter as well. Mi Sang's face was grim. "Yuzhou's strength is formidable; it's not so easy to conquer." "Hmph, trash shouldn't make excuses for themselves," the burly iron-armored man said. "Setting Jialan City aside, take the weakest one, the City of No Return—it's guarded by only a single Nation Protector, yet you couldn't take it down. Absolutely laughable." At the mention of the City of No Return, a look of wariness surfaced in Mi Sang's eyes. "The City of No Return is not that simple. That Guardian is no ordinary Nation Protector. "Wu Tong, aside from yourself, none of the men under your command are a match for that Guardian. "Even if I gave you ten years, you wouldn't take the City of No Return." "Mi Sang, you'd better just stay here and tend to your wounds properly. If you can't conquer Yuzhou, I, Wu Tong, will!" With that, Wu Tong strode away with his subordinates. Inside the room, the grim look on Mi Sang's face took a long time to dissipate. Beside him, an ordinary-looking woman said indignantly, "Wu Tong goes too far!" Hearing this, Mi Sang did not grow angry; instead, a relaxed expression appeared on his face. "Don't curse him. I should actually thank him properly for going to Yuzhou in my place. Otherwise..." Hearing this, the ordinary-looking woman looked puzzled, unable to fathom her master's meaning. Mi Sang looked at her and said slowly, "Do you really think I was no match for Dong Long of Jialan City?" "Master is wise and martial; taking down Dong Long is naturally a trivial matter. It was Dong Long who sent someone to ambush you..." Hearing this, Mi Sang felt somewhat disappointed. Indeed, there were too few clever people in this world, and not many who understood him. "My defeat against Dong Long was intentional, all so that I could leave Yuzhou," Mi Sang said proudly. "Yuzhou is a death trap. With Wu Tong going there, heh heh... he will certainly die." The ordinary-looking woman was bewildered upon hearing this. Wu Tong was at the peak of Nation Protector, an existence just half a step away from becoming a Terrestrial Myth. Mi Sang continued, "Do you remember that Guardian of the City of No Return?" Hearing this, hatred flared on the woman's face. "The Seven-Colored Sisters all died at his hands!" The Seven-Colored Sisters were Mi Sang's right-hand subordinates. At first, the weakest, Cai Xia, was sent to attack the City of No Return, but failed to return, dying there. Later, Cai Xia's elder sister Cai Yi led even stronger demonic monstrosities there, only to perish outside the city walls. After that, two more of Cai Xia's elder sisters went, and they perished as well. Finally, Cai Xia's eldest, second, and third elder sisters went together—including two Nation Protectors and numerous powerful monstrosities—yet none returned. It was truly a case of striking the little one only for the older one to come, and beating the older one only for the eldest to come. When Mi Sang emerged from seclusion back then and learned of the demise of the Seven-Colored Sisters, he found it almost unbelievable. At first, he also wanted to deploy his armies to annihilate the City of No Return. However, he calmed down later. He thoroughly investigated the ins and outs of the whole matter. And he arrived at a terrifying truth. "When the Guardian of the City of No Return first arrived, he was merely a Hegemon-level cultivator. "Yet in just a few short years, he grew stronger with every battle, advancing to Nation Protector—and he's no ordinary Nation Protector at that! "Such people possess tremendous fortune. You must kill them in a single decisive strike. Otherwise, sending people one after another to die like the Seven-Colored Sisters only turns them into stepping stones for him!" Mi Sang was extremely cautious. "He's actually that formidable?" The ordinary-looking woman thought of something and quickly asked, "Master, why didn't you assemble an army of demonic monstrosities to slay him while he was still weak?" Mi Sang rolled his eyes at her. *When he was weak, how the hell was I supposed to know who he was?* Now, that Guardian of the City of No Return had already come into his power. If Mi Sang sent another army of monstrosities, who knew if he himself would become the next Seven-Colored Sisters? Looking toward the sky, he suddenly said, "Do you know of the foremost figure of the Southern Lands, the White Emperor?" "I do. He is an existence just as powerful as the Revered One." "Decades ago, a group of the White Emperor's disciples left the White Emperor Palace. "By the White Emperor's decree, these Imperial Disciples came to the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities to temper themselves. "The Guardian of the City of No Return possesses tremendous fortune and grows stronger the more he fights. I suspect he is a disciple of the White Emperor." Mi Sang voiced his deduction. It was precisely for this reason that when attacking Jialan City, he had deliberately rushed in to court defeat, ultimately fleeing the battlefield heavily wounded. All to escape that quagmire of trouble in Yuzhou. "A disciple of the White Emperor?" Excitement surfaced in the ordinary-looking woman's eyes. "If we captured him, wouldn't that be an incredible windfall?" She was thrilled. That was a disciple of the foremost figure of the Southern Lands! If they captured him, even the Sovereign might personally grant her an audience. Hearing this, Mi Sang was rather speechless. "I shouldn't have told you this. With your head, it's probably hard to understand. "Is capturing a disciple of the White Emperor useful? Besides, are the White Emperor and the Revered One really in a relationship as simple as mere enemies? "We should meddle less in the affairs of big shots." Hearing this, the ordinary-looking woman felt aggrieved, not knowing what she had said wrong.