Ji Yichuan walked by himself on the stone brick road, his forehead furrowed in thought. He knew that this affair would be a tough trial for the Ji clan, but any organization which wanted to survive in this world would have to be able to endure repeatedly trials! After passing them, the roots of the clan would naturally grow deeper and grow more powerful. But if they weren’t able to pass them, then the clan would be exterminated! It would be lucky if even a few survivors managed to flee and pass down the bloodline. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 “Master. “Master.” Some of the servants knelt down on the side to welcome him. Yichuan walked into his residence, then headed back to the place where he normally stayed. Suddenly, a female servant hurriedly rushed over. Upon seeing Yichuan, she was so frightened, she immediately knelt down. “Why are you in such a rush? Consider your image!” Yichuan frowned and barked. “Master.” The female servant’s face was white with tension. “Madame, Madame, she...” Yichuan’s face instantly changed. “What’s wrong with Snow?” “Madame fainted!” The female servant said frantically. “Fainted?” Yichuan’s face instantly turned white. As an expert Ki Refiner, how could she faint? If his wife fainted, there could only be one reason. “Snow!” Yichuan instantly turned into a gust of wind, disappearing from that area. ---------------------------- Within the room. Yuchi Snow was quietly lying on the bed. Her face was rather pale, but her features were still so beautiful, so calm. “Snow.” Yichuan instantly appeared within the room. Seeing his wife lying there, he hurriedly walked forward and carefully inspected her. He couldn’t help but glance at the female servant. “What exactly happened?” The female servant was shaking in terror, and had knelt down long ago. “Master, the Madame had been drinking tea and was perfectly fine. Nobody touched the Madame, and nobody spoke with the Madame. But suddenly, the Madame’s body turned weak and she just collapsed. All of us panicked. I carefully lifted the Madame back into the room, while Keepleaf went to call you, Master.” “How could this happen.” A look of agony was on Yichuan’s face. “How could this happen! Quick, quick, go have Shaman Cao immediately come over!” “Yes.” The female servant immediately retreated, leaving behind only Yichuan and his wife in the room. Yichuan sat at the side of the bed, looking at his wife. He stretched his hand out to stroke her face, murmuring, “Is this day truly here? When you gave birth to Ning, I feared that this day would come. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. You will definitely survive. I will accompany you and we will both watch our son become into an incredible hero.” Moments later. A big-bearded old man dressed in filthy animal skins walked in. His body naturally carried an herbal fragrance. Shamans and apothecaries were a group of people who had a great deal of experience in natural herbs and remedies. The boundless world was a very miraculous place, and it had all sorts of curious types of things living within it. Even the most seemingly ordinary herbs, once combined in a certain manner, could have some unique effects. This Shaman Cao was one of the most skilled in herbs in the Ji clan of the West Prefecture. “Shaman Cao.” Yichuan looked towards the big-bearded elder. “My wife just fainted for no reason. You take a look.” “Commander, please step back.” Shaman Cao said in his hoarse voice, and Yichuan hurriedly moved to the side, stepping back to make way for him. Shaman Cao stretched out his dry hand, as skinny as a chicken claw, placing it against Snow’s forehead. Instantly, a spot of green light was birthed from Shaman Cao’s palm, and it began to slowly seep into Snow’s body. A very strong herbal odor began to fill the area. Shaman Cao closed his eyes. After a long time, Shaman Cao took his hand back. As for Snow, who had previously been in a state of unconsciousness, her eyebrows trembled, and then she opened her eyes. “Snow.” Yichuan, shocked and overjoyed, hurriedly went forward while at the same time looking at Shaman Cao. “How is my wife?” “Please forgive me for my inability.” Shaman Cao shook his head. “Commander, you’d best go invite the clan leader.” “The clan leader?” Yichuan’s heart clenched. The clan leader was the clan leader for the entire Five Prefectures of the Ji clan. His name was Ji Ninefire. An old fellow who had lived for nearly four hundred years, a true ancestor of the Ji clan. Of course, he was also a Zifu Disciple! Ji Ninefire loved to research, and had significant accomplishments in both formations, medicines, and poisons. In terms of medical treatment, he was naturally incomparably superior to Shaman Cao. “I’ll immediately take Snow over to him.” Yichuan said hurriedly. “No.” Shaman Cao said hurriedly. “Commander, you cannot be rash. The Madame currently can’t withstand any shaking or bumping. She needs to quietly recuperate. If you can invite the clan leader to come, that would be for the best.” Shaman Cao came to a halt. He knew that inviting the clan leader to come would be very difficult. Yichuan nodded, then immediately instructed a nearby maidservant, “Immediately go invite Commander Ji Redflower over.” Moments later. Redflower, dressed in red clothing, walked in. “Yichuan, what do you need me for?” “Aunty Flower.” Yichuan, upon seeing this person, hurriedly said, “I want to ask you to ride on your Azure Firebird and immediately head to the Central Prefecture. Invite the clan leader to pay a visit to our Western Prefecture.” “Invite the clan leader?” Redflower was startled. The clan leader had stopped managing the clan’s affairs long ago, and spent all of his time in research and training...even if Ji Young, the Prefecture Lord of the Western Prefecture went to invite him, the clan leader still probably wouldn’t come. “If I go invite him, would he come?” Yichuan said hurriedly, “Just tell him that I, Ji Yichuan, have a life-and-death matter and that I am asking the clan leader to come to the Western Prefecture City. The clan leader will definitely come.” Although Redflower was still puzzled at why Yichuan was so confident that the clan leader would definitely come, she still nodded. “Fine. I’ll go make a visit to the ‘City of Ten Thousand Swords’.” The Grand Xia Dynasty had erected countless commandery cities throughout the world. The Ji clan was only in control of a single one, the ‘City of Ten Thousand Swords’. This was the ‘Central Prefecture’ of the Five Prefectures of the Ji clan! As for the Eastern Prefecture, Western Prefecture, Southern Prefecture, and Northern Prefecture, they had all been built by the Ji clan, and had nothing special about them. “Sorry to trouble you.” Yichuan said in thanks. Redflower immediately left, then quickly mounted her Azure Firebird and left the Western Prefecture City, heading towards the City of Ten Thousand Swords! ---------------------------------- The maidservants in the room had left as well, leaving behind only Yichuan and his wife, Snow. “Yichuan.” Snow smiled, lifting her head up to look at her man. “Snow.” Yichuan sat by the side of the bed, holding his wife’s hand. Snow shook her head gently. “I know it. You know it too. When we returned from the Darknorth Sea and suffered that attack on the way back, we were very lucky to be able to survive and return. The past ten years have been very calm and very happy. I am already content.” “If, if that year, you hadn’t given birth to Ning...” Yichuan’s voice was somewhat hoarse. Snow gently shook her head. “This is our child. I had to give birth to him. Even though using the secret technique resulted in me losing some years of my life, it was worth it! I had been heavily injured. If I hadn’t given birth to Ning then, who knows if I would have been able to give birth later on. Ning has the blood of both of us in his veins. And what’s more, his life was bought using the life of my elder brother.” “Elder brother.” Yichuan still remembered that great battle they had fought on the way back. That great battle had changed the fate of three people. The Yuchi siblings, and himself, Ji Yichuan. “Quick, take my little sister and go! Quick, go!” The image of that tall, powerful back. That furious roar. Yichuan had never forgotten it. “If we gave up Ning, perhaps I would have been able to live for a few more years, but I wouldn’t have been able to have a child with you. I would have regretted it my entire life. He has the bloodline of the Ji clan, and he also has the bloodline of my Yuchi clan.” Yuchi Snow said gently, “I’ve had ten years by your side, and I also have an incomparably clever son...I am incomparably happy and incomparably satisfied. These past ten years, I have felt very blessed and very happy.” Yichuan gently held his wife’s hand. “Ning is my pride and joy.” Snow said slowly. “I don’t regret giving birth to Ning.” “Right.” Yichuan nodded gently. “I understand. Understand. In less than two hours, the clan leader will be here. Let the clan leader take a look. Perhaps it isn’t too terrible.” Snow nodded. “If I can live for another year or two, let’s not tell Ning about this for now. If I won’t be able to live for much longer, then let Ning return.” And then, Snow looked towards her man, her eyes shining. “Yichuan, I am so blessed to have had you and Ning.” “Alright.” Yichuan looked at his wife and said gently, “I feel the same way.” ---------------------------- But neither Yichuan nor Snow knew that right now, their son Ning was in dire straits. He was in the great mountain between the borders of the Ji clan and the Ironwood clan, which from afar seemed ordinary and unremarkable. Upon entering this mountain, however, one would fall into a pit of endless dark fog and never come out again. The protective lotus petals swiveled around him. Ning sat there in the lotus position, currently focusing on the [Nine Scrolls on Formations], constantly hypothesizing and thinking about how to break this formation as soon as possible. -------------------------- At the midpoint of the mountain. One miserable scream after another emanated from places throughout the midway point of the mountain. All sorts of furious, hateful curses, wild pleas, and sobs all constantly assaulted the ears, while in the center of the mountain, there were multiple pillars with men and women bound to them. At a glance, one could see over a hundred men and women, their bodies covered in scars. Beaten, humiliated, tormented...all sorts of cruel methods had been used on them. “Xiantian lifeforms? You still think you are Xiantian lifeforms? Hahaha, drink it all, drink some of this wonderful urine to quench your thirst!” The muscular servants were wildly tormenting them. Standing in the center of the mountain, there were six beautiful dressed men and women. They calmly watched all of this. “We’ve purchased more than a million ordinary slaves in this Swallow Mountain region, and seized nearly a hundred Xiantian lifeforms. However, we are still quite a ways off from the requirements of Master.” A black-clothed woman who had a scorpion on her shoulders said slowly. “Senior apprentice-brother is currently outside capturing Xiantian lifeforms. We’ll quickly be at the necessary numbers.” A handsome youth smiled. “However, one of Master’s spirit-beasts, Blackneedle, went to kill an enemy within the formation, but was instead killed. My fellow apprentice-brothers and apprentice-sisters, how do you think we should deal with this?” “Younger apprentice-brother, you are naturally talented. It’s best if you go.” “Younger apprentice-brother...” The nearby men and women all looked at the handsome youth. Seeing the situation, his face darkened. None of these fellow martial apprentices were fools. Although all of them has extraordinary abilities, since they knew that the person within the formation could easily kill the spirit-beast ‘Blackneedle’, none of them were willing to go. After all, going meant encountering some risk. Suddenly... Kakaka... From within the mountain, a location began to turn and swivel. One metal plate after another began to move open, revealing a corridor. Within the dark corridor, there was a hint of green light, and an icy cold aura swept out from within. “Master.” The six men and women all called out respectfully in unison.