Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"I’ve seen plenty like you. They all come in talking tough, but most can’t even withstand a single round before they start crying for their mothers. Soon, we’ll see which is harder: your bones or your mouth!"

Xing Xian had a playful, cruel smile on his face as he spoke, tapping on the prominent parts of Ning Xuan’s skeleton.

Then, his expression turned to shock. The next moment, a fiery gleam flashed in his eyes.

"All of you, get out and stand guard! No one is allowed inside without my command!" Xing Xian suddenly ordered, his voice sharp and severe.

The jailers were all astonished.

"He’s the champion of the Star Domain Assembly. I have to ’personally’ take care of him!"

The jailers snapped back to their senses and began to congratulate Ning Xuan one after another.

"You’re in for a treat, lad. It’s been a long time since the boss took such a special interest in someone!"

"Exactly! When you get down to the Nine Springs, all the seniors who died here will be green with envy."

"Kid, enjoy the wonderful time you have left!"

Before leaving, the jailers all cast envious glances at Ning Xuan. Each of them was a slick old fox, and their flattering remarks toward Xing Xian were never repetitive.

Once they had all left, Xing Xian eagerly began to feel the bones. After a moment, he muttered excitedly, "What marvelous Treasure Bones! These will definitely fetch a good price!"

He continued to mumble in a state of agitation, "This find is too big for me to handle alone. I need to contact my Master!"

"They have masters who teach this sort of thing?" Ning Xuan asked in surprise.

Xing Xian glanced at the room full of torture instruments and smiled. "Of course. It’s no secret, so I might as well tell you. My master is Ding Heyan of the Grand Court. He is known as the ’Divine Blade of Carving Oxen’! He can remove a complete skeleton without killing the person!"

"Impressive!" Ning Xuan couldn’t help but marvel.

"Wait a minute! With such a precious body, your Bloodline must be just as astonishing!" Realizing this, Xing Xian immediately pressed his palm over Ning Xuan’s dantian.

A moment later, his voice trembled as he spoke. "A Sa... Sacred Body! You actually possess one of the only twelve types of Sacred Bodies in existence!"

Before Ning Xuan could reply, Xing Xian burst into a crazed laugh, very nearly driven insane. For him, this was an indescribable gift!

"No, absolutely no one can know about this! Not even my Master! If he found out, he would surely eliminate me to take it all for himself! The Treasure Bones are mine, and the Bloodline is mine! It’s all mine!"

Having calmed down slightly, Xing Xian was practically delirious. He paced back and forth in front of Ning Xuan, muttering that last sentence over and over.

Ning Xuan remained silent, attempting to break the Prohibition laid down by Wang Dingchen. In fact, he had been assaulting the Prohibition from the moment Xing Xian had taken charge of him. However, Wang Dingchen’s methods were truly formidable, making it quite troublesome.

Ordinarily, Ning Xuan wouldn’t have been in a rush, but with Xing Xian acting this way, he had to speed things up. After all, if this guy was anything like Wan Yue’er, it would be a true tragedy for him.

A small wisp of True Yuan, which Ning Xuan had kept hidden, now hovered above his dantian.

A single spark can start a prairie fire!

Ning Xuan immediately activated the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture!

As Ning Xuan circulated his energy, Xing Xian, who had been pacing neurotically, suddenly spun around and bellowed, "Who?!"

His words had barely faded when a cloud of black mist appeared before him.

Xing Xian’s reaction was undeniably fast, but he was still a step too late. The black mist passed through his chest and solidified into a tall human figure. The newcomer faced Ning Xuan, with his back to Xing Xian.

Xing Xian tried to turn his head, but his body began to dissolve like sand, crumbling away in an instant. Soon, only a small pile of black ash remained on the ground. Not a single bone was left.

"I didn’t expect it to be you." Ning Xuan’s gaze shifted from the ash to the newcomer, his face showing no sign of panic. Instead, he looked as if he were greeting an old friend.

But this newcomer was no friend—he was an enemy. It was Zang Peng.

"On the dueling platform, why did you throw the match against Luo Ji?" This question had been troubling Ning Xuan for some time. Now that the man himself had arrived, he naturally had to ask.

"Since you know my origins, why even ask such a question? You’re not as smart as the Old Ancestor said you were," Zang Peng shook his head, slightly dissatisfied.

A flash of Spiritual Light illuminated Ning Xuan’s mind, and he immediately retorted, "You did it on purpose! You wanted me to get first place! After all, killing some random Ning Xuan is different from killing the champion of the Star Domain Assembly! If I won, then you eliminated me, your standing with the Blood Spectre would be completely different!"

"It seems you are quite smart after all. But you’re wrong about one thing. I’m not going to kill you. The Old Ancestor wants you alive."

As Zang Peng spoke, he reached for Ning Xuan. With Ning Xuan’s body already restrained, it would save him a lot of trouble. He could take him directly back to the Chaos Boundary Sea and report the completion of his mission.

However, the unexpected happened.

Just as Zang Peng was about to succeed, Ning Xuan—who should have been restrained and unable to move—suddenly vanished. His hand caught nothing but air!

Sensing a lightning-fast rush of wind past him, Zang Peng reacted instantly. He would not allow Ning Xuan to escape right under his nose.

One in pursuit of the other, they quickly burst from the prison cell. The sky was now wide open to them as they sped away from Tian Shu City!

This guy’s not bad, quite fast!

Without even turning his head, Ning Xuan could clearly pinpoint Zang Peng’s location. He wasn’t panicked, however, because this was all part of his plan. Zang Peng was a rare and formidable opponent, and Ning Xuan wanted to find a suitable place to test his mettle.

At last, Ning Xuan found the ideal location and descended directly.

The next moment, they stood on opposite banks of a wide river.

Zang Peng surveyed the surroundings—rugged rocks, shady trees, and lush riverside vegetation. He couldn’t help but shake his head. "This place you’ve chosen isn’t so great."

In fact, Zang Peng had realized from the very start that Ning Xuan was luring him here intentionally. He had originally thought Ning Xuan would choose an open field, a place where his own abilities would be more restricted. He was sure Ning Xuan must have realized that. They had even passed such a place earlier, but Ning Xuan hadn’t stopped, choosing this location instead.

Is it arrogance, or absolute confidence?

As if reading his mind, Ning Xuan sighed. "I wanted to, but that other place had people."

"You’d risk your own life for a mere shepherd boy?!" Zang Peng frowned in disbelief.

In that grassland, for miles around, there was nothing but a few old cows and a single shepherd boy. For his sake, this guy actually... Is he out of his mind?!

Ning Xuan shook his head. "You’re not human. You’re just a thing. You wouldn’t understand."

Zang Peng raised an eyebrow. He knew Ning Xuan was insulting him, but he saw no reason to get angry. After all, Ning Xuan was strong, and he didn’t want to capsize in the gutter by making a careless mistake.