"Su Xie narrowed his eyes slightly."
"Little Friend Su, to be honest, this Snow Moon Sect is not a faction within the Desolate Country, but a major power within the Northern Domain, whose foundation rivals that of our Xuan Pavilion headquarters."
Pavilion Master Chen explained with an ugly expression.
He simply couldn't understand why such a major power from the Northern Domain would send people to this tiny Northern City.
"You guys came here because of my sister, didn't you?"
Su Xie glanced at the women in white, his mind already diving into the memories of the original owner.
In the original owner's memories, Su Yu wasn't his only sister.
Su Yu was a cousin, the daughter of Su Xiaofeng.
He also had a full sister named Su Ning.
Ever since his parents left the Su Family when he was young, his sister Su Ning had been spotted by an Elder of the Snow Moon Sect for her exceptional talent and taken to the Northern Domain to cultivate.
Over the past few years, no one knew what had happened to her in the Northern Domain, as she had been completely out of touch.
"That's right, because of your sister Su Ning! Today, we came here precisely to wipe out your Su Family!"
High in the void, the leading woman in white sneered, her tone growing increasingly arrogant.
"Why? Did something happen to my sister in the Northern Domain?"
Hearing this, a cold glare gradually flickered in Su Xie's eyes.
"Heh, what is there to ask about a dead person? Better worry about yourself first!"
Another woman in white scoffed, then stamped her foot, shattering the surrounding void and unleashing a piercing chill that shot straight toward Su Xie.
This strike!
Inordinately fierce, it was clearly intended to kill Su Xie outright!
"Haha, the Su Family is finished!"
The purple-robed man sneered, utterly gloating.
"Hold on!"
At that moment, Pavilion Master Chen made his move. Striking out with both palms, a powerful gust of wind swept forward, instantly blocking the blast of frost.
"A mere branch of the Xuan Pavilion dares to make a move against us?"
The leading woman in white looked somewhat annoyed.
In the Northern Domain, others might fear the Xuan Pavilion, but her Snow Moon Sect certainly did not, let alone this tiny Xuan Pavilion branch in Northern City.
"Everyone, this Little Friend Su is an honored guest of our Xuan Pavilion. Exactly how has he offended you to warrant such a lethal attack?"
Pavilion Master Chen took a deep breath. Facing the Snow Moon Sect, he was truly powerless.
"Hmph, if you want to blame someone, blame his sister Su Ning!"
A hint of jealousy surfaced on the faces of the many women in white. Then, joining forces, they beat Pavilion Master Chen back and simultaneously lunged to kill Su Xie.
Watching several bolts of extreme murderous intent rush toward him,
Su Xie's eyes flashed with ferocity as he grabbed his sword and dodged aside.
"Cloud-Treading Step!"
In an instant, Su Xie executed a movement technique from his past life, gradually growing adept and at ease.
"Such incredible speed!"
A woman in white exclaimed in surprise.
"Hmph, let's see how long a rat like you can hide!"
The leading woman in white shouted angrily, waving her hand to unleash a blast of vital energy as she relentlessly pursued Su Xie.
Faced with this formidable power,
the people of the Jiang and Xu families scattered in all directions, retreating far out of the way!
"You want to kill me? Then don't blame me for playing for keeps!"
Su Xie let out an angry shout, raising his sword to meet the attack head-on.
Though he had no desire to provoke the Snow Moon Sect, in the face of their relentless aggression, his patience had run completely out!
"One Sword Slashes the Heavenly Gate!"
Su Xie flashed through the air, instantly appearing behind one of the women in white.
"You're courting death!"
The woman in white was utterly stunned, never expecting an ant from this backwater place to dare counterattack her directly.
Yet,
just as she raised her hand to gather a cold, killing aura,
Su Xie's sword sliced right through it like a hot knife through butter, severing one of her arms clean off!
"Pfft!"
The woman in white shrieked in agony, her face contorted with pain as she plummeted from the void.
"You're actually a Sword Immortal?"
The leading woman in white looked shocked.
She hadn't expected that while Su Ning was already peerlessly brilliant within the sect, her younger brother was equally astonishing!
The remaining women in white shouted furiously, "Bastard! How dare you harm someone from the Snow Moon Sect, you deserve to die!"
"Kill him! He must not be allowed to live!"
The leading woman in white wore a face as cold as frost as she began to channel a martial technique, intending to kill Su Xie with a single blow.
Hum!
Yet,
at that exact moment,
from another distant corner within Northern City, a surge of sword qi violently swept across the sky!
A continuous, roaring blast of sword qi shot rapidly through the void!
"This power!"
Feeling the terrifying force contained within the sword qi, the many women in white turned pale with fright and scattered in all directions.
"Which little female brat dares to disturb this old man's peace?"
"I'll give you three breaths. Get back where you came from, and don't ruin this old man's good mood!"
When the terrifying sword qi arrived, it hovered slightly in the void without directly slashing at the women in white.
Instead, an elderly voice echoed out.
"Who are you, senior?"
Faced with this intimidation, the women in white were truly frightened.
After all, the strength of this single sword and the might contained within it were enough to obliterate the entire Northern City!
"Haha, who am I? Do I need to state my name just to awe a bunch of juniors like you?"
"Three!"
"Two!"
Old Man Ning in the distance couldn't be bothered to explain further and began counting down directly.
Just as he reached two,
the terrifying sword qi hovering above the heads of those women in white began to pulse with the ominous intent to strike immediately!
The sight scared them into fleeing helter-skelter!
Chapter 21: Parting with Old Man Ning, to meet again another day.
"Hmph, Su Xie, is it?"
"Another day, you'd better not come to the Northern Domain, or else that will be your doom!"
The next moment,
the leading woman in white shot Su Xie a venomous glare before taking her people and sneaking out of Northern City in disgrace.
"They're just leaving like this?"
Seeing this, Jiang Mang's expression changed drastically.
"Not good! Quickly lead our clan members out of Northern City!"
Xu Wolf also cried out in alarm. Seeing the Snow Moon Sect members depart, he reacted swiftly, throwing open the back door of the Xu Family mansion and preparing to flee in a panic.
"Kill them!"
Su Xie's gaze turned cold, and he immediately led the Su Family and Xuan Pavilion forces in pursuit.
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea,
Jiang Mang and Xu Wolf were slain on the spot by Su Xie's sword.
As for the Jiang and Xu families, they were completely erased from Northern City!
After sweeping away those two families,
Su Xie raised his hands in a slight cupped-fist salute toward the distant Old Man Ning: "Senior Ning, thank you for your help during this time. This is the lower volume of the Sword Cultivation Technique, and our transaction is now complete."
With that, Su Xie flicked his finger, and a jade slip flew out.
Receiving the complete Sword Cultivation Technique, Old Man Ning looked somewhat surprised: "Kid, hasn't the one-month period expired yet? You're handing the lower volume over to me already?"
"If I were to constantly rely on Senior Ning to make a move, then my path of cultivation would be destined not to go very far."
"From now on, I want to rely on my own strength to sweep away all obstacles."
Su Xie smiled calmly.
If he couldn't even manage this much, he would hardly be worthy of being a past generation Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor.
"Good lad, your temperament isn't bad. So be it, I'm about to leave Northern City anyway. Before I go, I'll grant you three life-saving trump cards as compensation for ending our transaction early."
As his words fell,
Old Man Ning formed hand seals with both hands, unleashing his full combat power as sharp sword qi continuously erupted from his body.
"Form!"
Old Man Ning shouted, stamping his foot hard.
That fierce sword qi was matchless, instantly transforming into three terrifying streaks of light!
"Kid, these three strands of sword intent are condensed from my full strength. You can release them at a moment of life-and-death to keep yourself safe and sound."
With a wave of his large sleeve, Old Man Ning sent the three streaks of light flying straight into Su Xie's hands.
Su Xie took a look.
The three streaks of light gradually dissipated, transforming into three miniature flying swords!
"Then this junior thanks Senior."
Su Xie didn't put on false airs and accepted them directly. He could feel just how terrifying the might contained within those three miniature flying swords truly was.
"Mm."
Old Man Ning stroked his beard and nodded slightly. As he prepared to leave, he cast one more look at Su Xie.
"Kid, who knows when we'll meet again after this parting? Perhaps by that time, I will no longer be in this world, or perhaps I will have left the Desolate Country, tracked down that broken sword, reforged it, and raised it once more to recreate the glory of the past!"
"But for now, I have only one question to ask you."
Old Man Ning uncorked his wine gourd and took a leisurely sip.
"Senior Ning, please speak."
Su Xie said with a solemn expression, sensing that the place Old Man Ning was heading toward must be fraught with immense danger.
"Kid, do you consider yourself half a disciple of mine?"
Old Man Ning asked with a smile.
"I do. Since... this junior stole one of Senior's ultimate techniques, I am half your disciple."
Su Xie also smiled faintly.
"Hahaha, good! Having those words from you is enough for me, boy!"
"Kid, I'm rooting for you. The future Sword Dao of the Northern Domain will surely have a place for you. Who knows, in the years to come, with your mastery of the Sword Dao, you might even achieve that legendary status of a Sword Immortal! If I could have a Sword Immortal as a disciple, even if I were to lose on this trip, it would be enough to face the world with pride!"
Old Man Ning chuckled softly, instantly recovering his former high-spirited vigor.
"Kid, one last thing: when you reach sufficient strength, open this brocade pouch. Consider it an unreasonable request from me."
The gaze Old Man Ning cast at Su Xie was filled with appreciation, growing fonder the more he looked at him.
If only this kid could become his own granddaughter-in-law.
"Senior Ning, rest assured. If I am able to accomplish this matter, I will do my utmost."
Taking the brocade pouch, Su Xie nodded.
"Hahaha, kid, my little granddaughter has a rather haughty personality; I hope you won't blame me when the time comes."
With a burst of weathered laughter,
Old Man Ning took a grand step into the sky, his majestic figure treading upon mighty sword qi as he drifted farther and farther away.
Su Xie gave a slight bow in his direction, then tossed the brocade pouch in his hand, utterly baffled.
Just what kind of matter could possibly be tied to Senior Ning's granddaughter?
Soon, Su Xie pushed the thought aside, tucked the brocade pouch away, and walked toward the Su Family estate.
...
The next day.
Because the Mo, Xu, and Jiang families had been eradicated,
there were no longer Four Great Clans within Northern City; it had become a domain dominated entirely by the Su Family.
After plundering the resources of those three families,
the foundation of the Su Family began to steadily consolidate, developing toward a booming zenith.
Early in the morning, inside the Su Family estate.
In a cultivation chamber, Su Xie began circulating the Devouring Heaven Formula.
Before him were piled some treasures previously acquired from the Xuan Pavilion, along with others scavenged from the three great families.
"Devour!"
Su Xie shouted.
His body suddenly levitated into mid-air as the treasures at his feet were instantly drawn in by the Devouring Heaven Formula, transforming into a torrent of pure energy that Su Xie continuously absorbed.
Hoo!
As time ticked by,
the spiritual energy radiating within the cultivation chamber grew increasingly intense.
I know not how much time passed,
when a scorching beam of light suddenly soared into the sky!
Rumble!
In an instant, thunder erupted across the entire firmament above the Su Family.
The color of the heavens and earth shifted!
A streak of purple Qi expanded limitlessly across the vault of heaven, instantly sweeping across a radius of hundreds of miles!
"It's a heaven and earth anomaly!"
Witnessing this sight, Su Xiaofeng's expression turned to shock, and he led numerous clan members rushing toward the cultivation chamber where Su Xie was located.
"Haha, my nephew is a True Dragon! A true True Dragon!"
Su Xiaofeng looked up to the sky and laughed, repeating those words over and over, excited to the extreme.
"Qingshan, younger brother, did you see this? Your son is a True Dragon, and he has actually triggered a heaven and earth anomaly! Yet he is still a youth under twenty years old!"
"In this regard, he is even more outstanding and astonishingly brilliant than you were back then!"
Su Xiaofeng glanced at the distant firmament and muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Northern City,
upon seeing that heaven and earth anomaly,
Qin Ying lightly pursed her lips and couldn't help marveling: "As expected of Senior Ning's disciple."
"Princess, before his departure, Old Man Ning said this youth could help us defeat the enemy at Heavenly Pass. But within Heavenly Pass, the enemies our army must face are all major powerhouses. Can this kid really pull it off?"
Old White glanced at the mutated firmament, his gaze burning with a hint of worry.
"Since Senior Ning said he can, then he certainly can."
Qin Ying smiled sweetly, then snapped her fingers: "Let's go, let's head to the Su Family and see what level this True Dragon has reached."
Chapter 22: Two letters, a latent dragon breaking out of the abyss!
At the same time, outside Northern City, in a lush bamboo forest.
"Senior Ning, this is the Fire Spirit Wine sent over by our Xuan Pavilion headquarters."
Watching Old Man Ning lying sideways in the void, Pavilion Master Chen offered the wine gourd.
"Not bad, this Fire Spirit Wine still packs enough of a kick."
Old Man Ning lazily took the wine gourd and took a sip, instantly looking full of vim and vigor.
Watching the heaven and earth anomaly rising from the direction of the Su Family, Pavilion Master Chen smiled: "Over these past few years, there have been very few people in this Desolate Country capable of triggering such an anomaly."
"I'm afraid that in just a few years, with Little Friend Su's aptitude, he will surely step into the Northern Domain to contend for supremacy."
Pavilion Master Chen said with a look of anticipation.
By now, he had forged a friendly connection with Su Xie; if Su Xie could go far, he would naturally bask in some of the reflected glory.
"As for this kid, how far his future path can go still depends on himself."
"However, this kid is exceptionally loyal and values relationships deeply. Your Xuan Pavilion won't lose out by befriending him."
High in the void, Old Man Ning brushed away the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and glanced at the anomaly far on the horizon.
For a moment, his expression was quite complex.
Just moments before, his divine sense had scanned the jade slip Su Xie had handed him earlier.
Within that jade slip were recorded not only the lower volume of the Sword Cultivation Technique and the sword technique mental formula for One Sword Slashes the Heavenly Gate, but also a mysterious Sword Dao divine ability.
Any single one of these items, if placed in the Northern Domain, could spark a bloody storm!
Without a doubt, it added to Old Man Ning's repertoire of life-saving trump cards.
"Heh, was this kid afraid that this old man would lose?"
Taking another sip of the Fire Spirit Wine, Old Man Ning shook his head with a chuckle, then turned and vanished into the firmament.
"Senior Ning, the road ahead is perilous, please travel safely!"
Watching Old Man Ning depart completely, Pavilion Master Chen bowed slightly in his direction.
From the dark-robed old woman, he had also learned just how perilous of a life-and-death journey Old Man Ning's trip was. Not only was he returning to the Northern Domain to retrieve that broken sword and reforge it, but upon doing so, he would also have to face *that* person!
Such a figure compelled one to feel a deep sense of respect.
"When that day arrives, I'm afraid the entire Northern Domain will become quite spectacular, wouldn't you say?"
Pavilion Master Chen muttered to himself, casting his gaze once more toward the anomaly on the horizon.
...
Su Family.
Inside the cultivation chamber.
As the heaven and earth anomaly gradually faded,
Su Xie's aura also steadily stabilized, his gaze burning like torches as a flash of golden light crossed his eyes!
"Have I finally broken through to the Xiantian Realm?"
Su Xie brought his hands together in front of him, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air as a feeling of immense invigoration washed over him.
At present,
his realm was consolidated around the Third Level of Xiantian Realm.
If he didn't use any martial techniques and relied purely on physical strength, his true combat power would be enough to rival the Peak of Xiantian Realm.
Coupled with various martial techniques and sword techniques, he could slay a true Spirit Gathering Realm powerhouse!
After all, if he couldn't fight above his realm, he would hardly be worthy of being a past generation Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor.
At the same time, as his strength grew bit by bit, the grade of treasures required for his Devouring Heaven Formula became increasingly precious!
"This bit of strength is still pitifully weak! I need to find those five pieces of Frenzied Dragon Bone as soon as possible!"
With a solemn expression, Su Xie stepped out of the cultivation chamber.
"Xiaoxie, have you broken through to the Xiantian Realm?"
Su Yu looked Su Xie up and down and said with a contemplative smile.
"Sister Yu, this is an intermediate martial technique I previously purchased from the Xuan Pavilion. With your current cultivation, it should be quite sufficient."
Su Xie handed over a martial technique manual.
Su Yu's talent wasn't top-tier, but she had reached the First Level of Houtian Realm, which certainly made her a standout within Northern City.
In truth, when Su Xie was the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor in his previous life, he had also perused many cultivation methods and divine abilities belonging to empress-level figures.
It wasn't that he was being stingy and unwilling to transcribe them for Su Yu; rather, given Su Yu's current strength, she truly couldn't make use of them. Furthermore, carrying a treasure was a crime in itself, and such powerful techniques might backfire and bring a fatal disaster upon Su Yu.
By the same logic, Su Xie had only given Su Xiaofeng a high-grade martial technique along with some trump-card treasures.
These treasures were more than enough to ensure the Su Family's foundation in Northern City remained prosperous and undiminished for a decade.
Regarding this,
Su Xiaofeng and his daughter did not refuse. They knew that only by raising their own strength to achieve self-preservation could they avoid becoming a burden to Su Xie.
"Xie'er, the Su Family received two letters today!"
At that moment, Su Xiaofeng spoke with a bitter smile and a hoarse voice.
"Two letters? Who sent them respectively?"
Su Xie narrowed his eyes slightly.
Su Xiaofeng pulled out an opened letter: "This one was sent by your sister Ning via carrier pigeon."
"She said she's been doing very well in the Snow Moon Sect all these years, and told us not to worry."
Hearing this,
Su Xie glanced over the letter, his expression involuntarily sinking.
Having experienced the pursuit and assassination attempts by the people sent previously by the Snow Moon Sect, he did not believe for a second that his sister Su Ning's days within the sect were all smooth sailing.
Otherwise, Su Ning would not have gone all these years without returning to the Su Family to visit them even once.
"Sister Ning, when the day comes, I will naturally come to the Northern Domain myself to see how you're really doing in the Snow Moon Sect."
A glare flickered in Su Xie's eyes, fueling an even stronger desire to increase his strength.
Otherwise, if his sister Su Ning were bullied within the sect, he wouldn't even have the strength to protect his own kin.
"Xie'er, this other letter is a letter of annulment of engagement sent by the Huyan Family of the Imperial Capital."
After saying those words, Su Xiaofeng seemed to age quite a bit all at once.
"What? Annulment of engagement?"