SlaySaga
patreon
Chapter 233: Returning to Kairong
🕑 Added 2025-06-18 18:52:02 +0000 UTCAll Novels || Martial God
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A crow landed on a lone tree by the roadside, spread its wings, wobbled on the dry branches, and let out two mournful cries, also thinking of its own concerns.
A scene of desolate winter, as if everything had fallen into contemplation.
Even within this old forest, it seemed to have lost its usual bustle and become cold and quiet.
On the snowy ground within the Canyon, two figures danced like wisps of smoke. Sometimes soaring over the ground like diving birds, sometimes running as swiftly as leopards. If ordinary people saw this scene, they might mistake them for mountain spirits and worship them endlessly.
Suddenly, they almost simultaneously stopped, revealing the two figures of a man and a woman.
They were precisely He Yiming and Yuan Lixun, who had been in the mountains for over four months.
"Lixun, your Light Body Technique has improved greatly." He Yiming smiled and nodded, saying with satisfaction.
Yuan Lixun's face flushed. "Yiming, I still can't grasp the Power of Wind you mentioned. I'm sorry."
He Yiming laughed, "What's there to be sorry about? Everyone excels in different areas. While you can't grasp the Power of Wind, the purity and power of your ice and snow True Qi are even beyond me."
He spoke these words with utmost sincerity.
After directly absorbing the liquid from the Dark Green Jade Bottle, the freezing aura Yuan Lixun could release was indeed superior to He Yiming's.
Although He Yiming could still win if they were to fight, he was currently a Single-Line Sky Realm expert, while Yuan Lixun had only advanced to the Hundred Scattered Heavens Realm a few months ago. Therefore, he had nothing to be proud of.
After more than four months of cultivation, under He Yiming's guidance, Yuan Lixun could now control her True Qi flow at will.
And when she accomplished this, she was genuinely happy.
Before, when she followed He Yiming, she often felt like a burden. But now, she had also advanced to the Innate Realm, and she was a special Innate master with powerful cold-element True Qi.
After being able to control her True Qi freely, although she was still not as strong as He Yiming, she now had the power to protect herself regardless.
However, aside from ice-element True Qi, she couldn't master other cultivation methods like He Yiming. Even with He Yiming's diligent guidance, there was no sign of success in transmitting the essence of wind element to her.
The two stopped running and walked slowly on the snow.
Their bodies seemed to have no weight at all, leaving no footprints even when walking on the snow.
The so-called "stepping on snow without leaving a trace" could be barely achieved by Acquired Stage experts, but to walk calmly on the snow and still achieve this, as they did, was much more difficult. Even some Innate experts who focused on powerful techniques might not be able to do it easily.
Walking side by side, even though they were in this desolate winter Mountain Valley, their hearts were filled with a warm feeling.
Especially Yuan Lixun, who was even more radiant and vibrant, as if reborn compared to before.
She was originally sent by the Yuan Family to be He Yiming's concubine, but by a stroke of fate, she actually became an Innate expert.
Now, even if He Yiming were to openly marry her as his wife, no one in the world would dare to speak out against it.
This feeling was beyond words, but her heart was overflowing with honey-like joy. Her brows were always relaxed and her eyes bright, completely different from before.
He Yiming also shared her joy during this period. Although they didn't voice it, both had a feeling that they wished these days would never end.
Suddenly, a loud eagle cry came from afar, and several dark shadows swept overhead, breaking the warm atmosphere between them.
He Yiming looked up at the sky, annoyed. Although he was a Single-Line Sky Realm expert, he still didn't have wings and couldn't go looking for trouble with these kings of the sky.
Shaking his head, He Yiming suddenly sighed and said, "What a pity."
Yuan Lixun was greatly surprised and asked, "What's a pity?"
He Yiming's gaze swept over the surrounding environment and he said, "Lixun, it's winter now, and the mountain environment is a great place for you to cultivate cold-element True Qi. But we don't have any cultivation manuals for cold-element True Qi in our hands, so we're letting such a good opportunity go to waste. It's truly a pity."
After reaching this level of cold energy cultivation, both He Yiming and Yuan Lixun discovered something that gave them a headache.
That was, they had no suitable cultivation manuals for Yuan Lixun.
He Yiming primarily cultivated Five Elements Cultivation Methods, and while he also possessed powerful cold-element energy, his situation could not be generalized. This extreme individual case had no reference value.
Although Yuan Lixun could slightly increase her True Qi content when cultivating Water Element Cultivation Technique, He Yiming knew that this small increase was merely better than nothing.
Yuan Lixun was stunned at first, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "It's alright, actually, I'm already very content."
He Yiming sighed softly. Ever since Yuan Lixun advanced to Innate and her scar naturally disappeared, her mindset had become extremely peaceful. Although she diligently cultivated every day, she always maintained a peculiar state of not forcing things and not giving up.
Such a peaceful state of mind even He Yiming secretly envied. Perhaps one day, she could naturally enter the realm of enlightenment. If that were the case, then even without a cultivation manual for cold-element True Qi, it seemed to not matter much.
The two chatted and laughed, finally returning to the secluded Canyon.
Here, like outside, it was deep winter. The flowers that bloomed everywhere in summer and autumn had long withered and disappeared.
Arriving at the stone wall, Yuan Lixun suddenly stopped, her eyes thoughtful.
He Yiming asked, "Lixun, what's wrong?"
Yuan Lixun shook her head and whispered, "Yiming, I miss home."
"Home..."
"Yes, I want to go back and see."
He Yiming nodded slightly. He had long known that among the Yuan Family, Yuan Lixun's greatest concern was her biological younger brother. It had been nearly two years since she left home. While their changes had been rich and varied, almost legendary, he wondered what things were like back home.
"Actually, I miss home too." He Yiming turned his head to look in one direction, then took her small hand, turned around, and said, "Let's go back."
Yuan Lixun was startled, "Now?"
"Of course." He Yiming grinned and said loudly, "Brother Bai, where are you?"
On the stone wall, a figure eerily appeared. Slowly, a thin layer of the surrounding stone wall disappeared, but in front of He Yiming and Yuan Lixun, One Hundred and Eight, the Humanoid Weapon, materialized.
If anyone else had witnessed this scene, even Single-Line Sky Realm experts like Zhuo Wanlian and Zhan Tianfeng, they would probably have been scared out of their wits and fled.
However, He Yiming and Yuan Lixun acted as if they saw nothing, as if such peculiar and legendary appearances of demons and ghosts were commonplace.
In fact, when One Hundred and Eight first displayed this miraculous ability, it had scared He Yiming and Yuan Lixun to the core, leaving them restless for three days and three nights, like startled birds.
However, after living together for a few months, no matter how powerful and strange One Hundred and Eight's abilities were, they both became oblivious to them.
And through this incident, He Yiming discovered that when it came to adaptability, Spirit Beasts had to stand aside; only humans, the spirits of all things, were truly capable of adapting to various harsh environments.
Being scared and scared, they just got used to it...
As for He Yiming and Yuan Lixun now, if judged solely by their courage, they were definitely among the top in their class. Even if a ghost truly appeared before them, they would surely let out a roar and drive it away.
"Brother Bai, my wife and I are leaving here to return home. Are you coming with us, or staying here?"
"Coming with you," One Hundred and Eight said calmly.
A knowing expression appeared at the corner of He Yiming's mouth. He said nothing about fulfilling promises; even for more White Stones, One Hundred and Eight had to follow him.
Yuan Lixun looked towards the cave and said, "Let's go in and pack up."
"No need, nothing to pack. Let's go."
Amidst laughter, He Yiming slightly exerted force on his wrist, immediately pulling Yuan Lixun along as they flew towards the outside of the mountain.
Behind them, One Hundred and Eight bowed his head, bent his waist, and stomped his crossed legs, then shot out like a rocket. Although his posture was not elegant, far from He Yiming's graceful and unrestrained use of wind element power, in terms of pure speed, One Hundred and Eight was definitely not inferior to He Yiming.
Not only that, but every step One Hundred and Eight took, seemingly stepping heavily on the snowy ground, did not cause snow to fly. Instead, it was like a glimpse of a fleeting shadow, like a snow fox gliding on the snow, leaving only an extremely subtle trace.
In an instant, the three of them had already moved far away from this place.
Besides He Yiming and Yuan Lixun, there was also a Humanoid Weapon that no one had known about for thousands of years.
He Yiming, who was running with Yuan Lixun, occasionally turned his head to look. His heart was filled with mixed emotions, because even he himself didn't know if bringing this person into human society was the right choice.
※※※※
Several days later, on the official road outside the capital of Kairong Country, three people walked side by side.
The man and woman were naturally He Yiming and Yuan Lixun. They were not disguised, but dressed as usual. However, One Hundred and Eight, who was walking beside them, wore a large straw hat that covered his entire body.
He Yiming did this out of necessity. One Hundred and Eight was not human after all, and he had not yet learned the ever-changing expressions of humans. Especially his eyelids, which never needed to close, and his gem-like eyes, were even more eye-catching.
Such a person would be the most eye-catching wherever he went. So, after leaving the mountain, He Yiming simply found a large straw hat to cover his face.
One Hundred and Eight had no objection to this. For him, as long as the employer's life safety could be guaranteed, or rather, as long as He Yiming could continuously provide Energy Stones, everything else was negotiable.
The wisdom of a Humanoid Weapon is sometimes that direct: one plus one equals two, simple yet most practical.
Soon, they arrived at the city gate.
Seeing this strange group of three, the leader of the city gate guards couldn't help but frown slightly.
He Yiming and Yuan Lixun were not warmly dressed; it seemed as if it were not the freezing winter but the scorching summer.
This alone showed that they were both cultivators, and high-level ones at that, powerful enough to be unaffected by cold or heat.
At the same time, behind them stood a tall man dressed in strange, unusual clothing.
For some reason, upon seeing the man whose face was obscured by the straw hat, the young captain, whose Inner Energy cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer, felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.
He didn't understand why, but his gaze towards the man was filled with a sense of fear.
He Yiming glanced at him, and immediately understood.
Seventh Layer Inner Energy was already a minor expert. Especially these city gate guard captains, they were all sharp-eyed individuals who had seen at least eighty thousand, if not a hundred thousand, people.
And at this moment, he was definitely showing a subconscious fear because he couldn't hear One Hundred and Eight's heartbeat or breathing, and he couldn't feel a trace of humanity from him.
As the three were about to enter the city, the young captain finally puffed out his chest, overcame his fear, and stepped forward, intending to stop them for questioning.
However, at this moment, He Yiming suddenly glanced at him.
In the eyes of others, this glance was utterly ordinary, seemingly no different. But in the eyes of that young captain, this glance seemed to possess supreme majesty.
At this moment, he seemed to become incredibly small, while the young man in front of him grew infinitely larger. His heart felt as if it were tightly clutched by some powerful and inexplicable force, and he even felt suffocated.
He Yiming smiled with satisfaction and strode into the city. The three of them moved seemingly not fast, but in an instant, they were gone without a trace.
After a long while, the young captain finally caught his breath. His subordinates, perplexed, came forward to ask questions. He trembled and ordered them to report immediately, but he no longer dared to pursue them.
Yuan Lixun glanced at One Hundred and Eight behind them. She knew that He Yiming did this because he was afraid that if the young captain questioned One Hundred and Eight, it would anger the Humanoid Weapon. If he were actually killed on the spot, he would probably die in vain.
Because throughout Kairong Country, even if Zhan Tianfeng personally took action, he might not be able to defeat One Hundred and Eight.
Led by He Yiming, they walked towards the Tufan Kingdom's manor.
Originally, He Yiming and his group intended to return to Taicang County after descending the mountain. But at the last minute, He Yiming remembered his one-year agreement with Mu Jintian.
So, he decided to give a heads-up before returning.
After all, he had taken two of Mu Jintian's treasures, and it would be too rude to leave without a word.
However, as they approached the manor, He Yiming suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed in that direction, a look of extreme surprise on his face.
At the same time, One Hundred and Eight's seemingly unchanging voice came from behind him.
"There are two evolvers like you inside. The energy fluctuations emanating from them are almost identical to yours."
Yuan Lixun was startled. Under He Yiming's encouraging gaze, she quietly sensed, and after a while, she turned her head joyfully and said, "Are there three Innate masters inside?"
He Yiming nodded slightly and said, "Yes, there are indeed three, but two of them are Single-Line Sky Realm."
"Are Master Zhan Tianfeng and Master Zhuo Wanlian both here?" Yuan Lixun asked in surprise.
"Zhuo Wanlian is indeed here, but the other one is not Zhan Tianfeng." He Yiming said with a smile. Just by looking at his expression, one could tell that he already knew the identity of the other person.
Yuan Lixun had only recently advanced to the Innate Realm a few months ago. For her, all Innate experts' auras were unfamiliar, except for He Yiming's. As for One Hundred and Eight, he had no aura to speak of.
So, even though she sensed three Innate experts, she had no idea who they were.
He Yiming blinked twice at her and said, "The other person is actually an old acquaintance of ours."
Yuan Lixun thought for a moment and immediately remembered, "Supreme Elder?"
Having been by He Yiming's side, she had met many Innate experts, but only four Single-Line Sky Realm experts, including He Yiming.
Since it wasn't Zhan Tianfeng, it could only be Yu Jinglei.
He Yiming nodded with a smile, but his heart was utterly puzzled. He vaguely guessed that Yu Jinglei's trip from Hengshan Mountain to this place was one hundred percent for him. But what exactly it was that warranted his presence was unknown.
Just as Yuan Lixun was about to ask further, the three auras simultaneously flared up.
They finally discovered He Yiming and the others approaching.
With a long laugh, He Yiming unreservedly released his restrained aura, echoing the momentum of the three Innate experts. At the same time, his hand firmly grasped Yuan Lixun's small hand, using this method to give her silent encouragement.
Yuan Lixun's beautiful eyes sparkled with brilliance. She finally took a deep breath, and the cold aura on her body actively spread out, making the surrounding temperature instantly even colder. The purity of the cold aura even faintly suppressed Zhuo Wanlian's cold aura.
This sudden change instantly startled the three people not far away.
Especially Yu Jinglei and Zhuo Wanlian, who could hardly believe their senses.
They could both sense that this was an unfamiliar cold aura, definitely from an Innate expert cultivating cold-element True Qi. However, this person's cultivation was clearly only at the Hundred Scattered Heavens Realm, yet the coldness emanating from them was even stronger than that of Zhuo Wanlian, who was at the Single-Line Sky Realm.
Such a thing, even for them, who were well-experienced, was the first time they had encountered it.
With a long roar, Zhuo Wanlian shot over like lightning. When he saw the three people in front of him clearly, he was immediately dumbfounded, turning into a wooden statue, unable to move anymore...
Chapter 234: One Hundred and Eight's Punch to Establish Dominance
