A deal was struck: millions of spirit stones in exchange for the snake's life.
The white snake transformed into a creature no thicker than a thumb and only a few inches long. Xu Xian secured it with a length of spirit rope, binding it at its seven-inch mark and tying its mouth shut before hanging it from his waist.
Throughout the process, the snake allowed itself to be handled without the slightest hint of resistance.
It had just been reborn from its snake core and was currently extremely weak. Forget Xu Xian—even an ordinary qi refining cultivator would likely be too much for it to handle.
A former demon god was now reduced to a mere serpent.
This was all because of that towering Sword Tower.
It looked at Xu Xian as if he were a deity. The primary reason for this was the fleeting, world-shaking sword intent that had radiated from the Sword Tower for a single instant.
Xu Xian might not remember it, but the snake had seen it clearly.
It was clearly just a phantom, lasting only a moment, yet its beast king stage physical body had been shredded in an instant.
If that snake core hadn't been formed by its former beast god stage self, it would be thoroughly dead by now.
It didn't know how Xu Xian had done it, nor did it know the origins of that Sword Tower. However, it was certain of one thing: the tower it had glimpsed was no product of the mortal realm.
Such an entity could only exist in the heavens.
Therefore, Xu Xian's background had to be immense.
Furthermore, this youth was eccentric and ruthless, making him impossible to read. One might say he looked refined and elegant, like a scholar, yet he carried such a massive heavy sword. When he fought, he swung it with a whistling ferocity that was truly brutal.
He crushed those in the same realm, remained invincible against those one realm higher, and could even hold his own against those two realms above him.
Ultimately, he had killed a being three realms stronger than himself. Every fiber of his being screamed 'do not provoke.'
Was he also immune to lust? Ridiculous!
At least he was greedy. If not for that, the snake would truly be dead.
It had no other thoughts for now; it simply wanted to preserve its life and wait for an opportunity. It figured that while Xu Xian was ruthless and clever, he probably wouldn't kill it. After all, it was a Xiushe, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Snakes. He couldn't possibly be blind to its value.
Once it grew stronger, it would be a great asset to him. Besides, he loved money. As the human saying went, 'greed for wealth comes before lust for beauty.' Such people were the easiest to manipulate.
Xu Xian, of course, didn't care about the snake's messy calculations. He wanted money, and that was it.
After securing the Xiushe, Xu Xian didn't linger. He tried to wake the little book spirit but failed, so he prepared to leave on his own. Although he couldn't mask his aura without the little book spirit, his luck had turned for the better, and he was in excellent condition. With the nascent soul powerhouses dead, he felt that even a frontal breakthrough wouldn't be much of a problem.
Just as he was about to depart, he sensed people approaching through the dense forest. Xu Xian quickly hid in the shadows to avoid them.
Before long, dozens of armored soldiers appeared in his line of sight. These men were either at the core formation or foundation establishment stages. Judging by their attire, they weren't ordinary soldiers but high-ranking military officers.
Seeing the scene before them, the officers' expressions turned grim.
"What on earth happened here?"
"The great snake is dead."
"That’s the Marshal's blade..."
They searched the area and found only a notched mountain-cleaving blade. Finding no sign of Min Zhan, the officers' faces grew even more solemn as they gathered to discuss the situation.
One worriedly asked, "Could something have happened to the Grand Marshal?"
Another countered, "Impossible. That woman left first last night, and there was no one else here. This snake could only have been slain by the Marshal."
"Then where is he?"
"Perhaps he went to attend to other matters."
His reasoning was logical and won the agreement of most. After all, if the Grand Marshal were dead, who could have killed the snake?
"What should we do now?"
"What else can we do? That woman already sent word back. With the gold spirit incense, the news will reach the Wendao Sword Sect in half a day. Their experts will arrive before nightfall. We must evacuate immediately."
"Someone go take the news to the Sovereign."
"What about this place?"
"Burn it all. Leave no evidence."
"Understood..."
Hidden in the dark, Xu Xian felt the weight on his heart lift slightly. From their conversation, he knew the message had been sent and Nangong Ning was safe. This was rare good news after days of struggle.
As for what came next, he likely wasn't needed. Once the gold spirit incense carried the message back, there was no need to wait for sunset. By the Hour of the Monkey at the latest, the sect's experts would arrive in Yecheng territory. Whoever was behind Min Zhan was as good as dead.
The spirit incense of the Wendao Sword Sect came in three colors: green, black, and gold.
Green was the most common, used for daily communications. Every prefecture office in the one hundred and eight cities of the Northern Borders kept a stock. Green spirit incense could be lit with ordinary fire and was the slowest; drifting back from Yecheng would take about three days.
Next was black spirit incense. This was for the exclusive use of Wendao Sword Sect disciples to transmit important intelligence. It required spiritual power to ignite and was faster, reaching the sect from here in a day and a half.
As for the gold spirit incense? No matter which corner of the Northern Borders it was lit from, it would arrive within five hours. Unlike the black or green varieties, this was the equivalent of an eight-hundred-mile emergency courier in the mortal world. It was a war incense.
When the gold incense burned, the Sword Suppression Hall deployed. It was used specifically for war. Once the gold spirit incense returned, there would be no questions asked; the drums of war would thunder, and the sect would march to leave nothing standing.
Of course, not just anyone could light the gold incense, nor did many possess it. In the entire Wendao Sword Sect, only a Sword Pavilion Elder was authorized to carry it. Regular Elders and Hall Masters were not permitted.
Coincidentally, Xu Xian was ranked eleventh in the Sword Pavilion and enjoyed the privileges of an Elder. Before he left, Wen Qingxue had specifically placed it in his hand, warning him not to play around with it. She told him that if this incense was lit, the entire sect would enter a state of total war.
At the time, Xu Xian had simply rolled his eyes at her. Was he really that unreliable? Moreover, he never expected he would actually need to use it. This was the Wendao Sword Sect, and this was the Northern Borders. Who would be crazy enough to start a rebellion? He had even teased Wen Qingxue about it.
Unexpectedly, his words had become a prophecy.
After the group left, Xu Xian followed them. In the dense forest, he quietly dispatched a low-ranking officer at the qi refining stage. He stripped the man of his armor to disguise himself, then boldly walked out, blending in with the chaos.
The Black Armor Cavalry seemed to be retreating in an orderly fashion, but in reality, they were leaderless.
Shortly after Xu Xian left, a forest fire was ignited, spreading deep into the Snake Valley.
'Burning it is fine,' he thought. 'It cleans the slate.'
After leaving, Xu Xian did not head toward the sect, nor did he search for the treasure the white snake had mentioned. Instead, he dove back into the woods. Before doing anything else, he had one unfinished piece of business.
He had to save those infants. He needed to give himself closure, and he owed it to the five who had died: Ruan Zhong, Song Qingshu, and Feng Shisan. If they hadn't been trying to protect those children, they might not have died. He couldn't let their deaths be in vain.
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