"Is it a breakthrough?" A figure said as he looked up from the plaza of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. His white scholar robes fluttered elegantly in the wind.

It was Nangong Hao.

"Junior Nangong, to think that she has also achieved a breakthrough less than a month after you. We seniors are truly an embarra.s.sment compared to the both of you, " A middle-aged man who had the two characters Heavenly Dao on his chest sighed.

"Senior is too humble, "Nangong Hao merely shook his head and muttered. He gripped the translucent long sword in his hand tightly.

"We are not being humble. Junior Nangong had received private lessons from the master since his first day in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. It is not something we can ever hope to match up to," The middle-aged man smiled and said nothing more.

At that moment, the figure in the horizon fell gracefully into the backyard once again. Her pink long dress flowed gently as she descended.

A small spot of light could be seen on her forehead, illuminating her gorgeous features.

The figure slowly lifted her head and walked gracefully forward. She stood out even amongst the bed of flowers, making the other blossoming beauties pale in comparison. This was because she was the Pride of the Heavens, Chi Guyan.

"Miss, you have finally achieved a breakthrough. The Pavilion Leader had visited many times, he says if…" The woman in green dress, Yue er, walked forward in excitement upon seeing Chi Guyan.

"Did anything happen in the Great Xia Dynasty?" Chi Guyan waved her hands slightly and interrupted Yue er.

"Yes, something big happened!" Yue er nodded and immediately continued, "Lord Hou had sent several letters. From what I know, the Great Xia Dynasty just fought a war with the Holy Barbarian Empire!"

"The Northern Barbarian Empire had been planning this all these years. This is not surprising," Chi Guyan nodded and replied calmly.

"Miss is right," Yue er said before presenting the letters respectfully to Chi Guyan. She then said, "This war seems to be started by the Crown Prince when he tried to usurp the throne. In the beginning…"

As Yue er continued with her story, Chi Guyan frowned.

"The Northern Barbarian made use of this chance to launch a surprise attack. They even employed the help of a Demon King? Prince Liqin of the First Rank is dead as well…" Chi Guyan felt slightly depressed at this news and went into a daze.

"Yes, the old lord is killed by the Demon King. However, this is still the fault of the Northern Barbarians!" Yue er clenched her fist in anger as she stared at Chi Guyan.

"Continue on."

"Yes!"

"Qian Wu used the Near-Life Gate to summon the Demon King. At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi that shameless brat, oh… I mean, Young Master Fang appeared…"

"You say that Ping Yang was taken by people from Ling Yun Tower?" Chi Guyan"s eyes were sparkling with brilliance by the end of the story.

"Yes, the person who took her away was Cang Yue from Ling Yun Tower. This has already been confirmed. Princess Ping Yang is in Ling Yun Tower right now. The credit for this information belongs to Young Master Nangong. He just achieved a breakthrough around a month ago. Upon hearing this news, he had helped me gather more information," Yue er said.

"Nangong Hao also achieved a breakthrough as well?" Chi Guyan expression changed slightly as she cast her glance in the direction of the Great Xia Dynasty before continuing, "What is the situation now?"

"It is already over. Prince Yan had placed heavy armored knights in ambush at Man Ling Guan. Upon receiving orders, they destroyed the capital city of the Northern Barbarian Empire, trapping the ten thousand strong army in the Northern Lands and depriving them of food and other resources. The King had no choice but to ask for a peace settlement from the Great Xia Dynasty and pay for all the damages caused by the war," Yue er spoke with a sense of pride, especially when she reached the end of the story.

"Hm," Chi Guyan nodded and said nothing more. She then lifted her head slightly and stared into the horizon, saying, "That shameless fellow has less than half a year to live?"

"Yes, I heard that Young Master Fang was seriously injured in the battle of the Southern Region. If he cannot attain the Saint state in half a year, he might not be able to live. Miss understands this as well, it is not easy to reach that state. Furthermore, he is still at the Supernatural State and had not progressed in a year or so, I"m afraid half a year…"

"Yue er, you said that the Pavilion Leader is looking for me?"

"Yes, the Pavilion Leader asked for you to meet him at the Divine Rain Pond the moment you are out. Yue er heard amazing stories about the Divine Rain Pond. After Nangong Hao entered the pond last month, he became stronger than all of the seven seniors. Nangong Hao even left many letters that described his experience in the Pond of the Sage. Miss, please pardon me for saying this, but I feel that Nangong Hao is your… Hey, where are you going? The Pond of the Sage is to the right!"

"I"ll be going out for a while," Chi Guyan seemed as though she did not hear Yue er.

"Oh, are you going to the Star-Gazing Peak?"

"No, I am descending the mountain."

"Descending? Miss, it is less than a month and a half"s time to the biannual election of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. Are you going to pay respects to Prince Li of the First Rank of the Great Xia Dynasty?"

"Old Lord!" Chi Guyan shuddered and hesitated for a while before she shook her head and said, "No, I have to make a trip to Black Moon Island."

"Black Moon Island? Why is miss going to Black Moon Island? That is the world of the Nine Pinnacle Mountain. I heard that the Black Moon Island had extremely strong security as there is a Thousand Year Fire Herb on top of the mountain. It was rumored to have regenerative capabilities. Is Miss going to get that revered herb?"

"I will come back in a month and a half"s time."

"Young miss, are you really going? The Pavilion Leader is still waiting for you at the Divine Rain Pond. Even if you have to go to Black Moon Island, it will not be too late after your trip to the pond."

"Time is running out!"

"Time? Hm, usually, it takes ten days upon entering the Divine Rain Pond. A trip to the Black Moon Island takes around two months. I think we have time! Young miss can first go to the Divine Rain Pond and make a trip to the Black Moon Island after the election!"

"He will arrive at the Heavenly Dao Pavilion in a month and a half"s time!"

"Him? Who?" Yue er stared at Chi Guyan in confusion. She did not understand the meaning of her words.

Chi Guyan fell silent as she continued walking forward. A few moments later, her figure had completely disappeared into the night, leaving only traces of the night breeze.

Yue er stood dumbfounded in her original position.

Is time running out?

Will he be arriving in a month and a half"s time?

Who could it be?

Wait a minute!

Could it be Fang Zhengzhi?

Yue er"s eyes widened upon that thought. Her face paled as a dangerous idea flashed through her mind.

Black Moon Island, one and a half month, Fang Zhengzhi"s arrival!

The Thousand Year Fire Herb!

When these terms were connected by an idea, Yue er felt a s.h.i.+ver down her spine. This was because the joke that she had made earlier seemed to be coming true.

Chi Guyan was really going to the Black Moon Island for the Thousand Year Fire Herb!

"Young miss… young miss is really going to get the Thousand Year Fire Herb for that shameless brat. This cannot be, how could she do such a thing? She is the Pride of the Heavens!" Yue er shuddered at the thought as perspiration dripped from her forehead. She muttered, "No, I have to inform the Pavilion Leader immediately. Young miss, I do not mean to betray you, but there are three sages on Black Moon Island!"

Great Xia Dynasty, Northern Lands, River of Trust Residence, Huai An County, Northern Mountain Village.

As a small village close to the Cang Ling Mountain, the Northern Mountain Village was not ravaged by air like the River of Trust Residence and Huai An County.

The mountains were still filled with lush greenery and the water was clear and pristine.

A winding stream could be seen from the village entrance. A small fish flailed about in the river, reflecting the glorious sun rays.

"The Northern Mountain Village sure is lucky!"

"yes, the road from Huai An County to Northern Mountain Village is simply too wide. I have heard that the Northern Barbarian Army had already reached the city gate of Huai An County when they were stopped forcefully.

"What do you mean? Didn"t the Yan Cloud Calvary arrive then?"

A few farmers were discussing the events of the war while going about their daily ch.o.r.es.

"Shut up!" At that moment, a figure appeared behind these farmers. The figure had wrinkles all over his face and looked extremely weathered, though his back was still unusually straight.

"Chief!" The few farmers immediately shouted with respect. That was because this figure was the chief of the Northern Mountain Village, Zhang Yangping.

Ten years ago, Zhang Yangping brought Fang Zhengzhi and his family to the Northern Mountain Village, which enabled it to flourish and prosper. The villagers were extremely grateful to him.

"What do you mean by the Yan Cloud Calvary? There was none of those! The Yan Cloud Calvary did not come to the Northern Barbarian Village, do you understand!" Zhang Yangping shouted with his hands by his waist. He was clearly infuriated.

"This…" The few farmers exchanged glances quizzically and asked, "Chief, why is this so? It was clear that the Yan Cloud Calvary…"

"Are you guys trying to kill Fang Zhengzhi?" Zhang Yangping hollered.

"Of course not…"

"Then stop asking! Do you not know how important military matters are? Why would the Yan Cloud Calvary not rush to Golden Scales City immediately and made a detour to the Northern Mountain Village during a war? We know that Fang Zhengzhi is helping us. But does the Emperor know? Deploying the military troops on his own accord and delaying the pace of the battle is a serious crime!" Zhang Yangping became more agitated as he spoke, a the end, he even started choking on his words.

"Chief, we understand now! Please calm down!"

"Yes, we are clear after hearing your explanation. This is bad. The Emperor probably will not let him off easy."

"I heard that Fang Zhengzhi is already a Rank 3 courtier. That is a very high-ranking. The Emperor would probably look at his previous contributions and give him a lighter sentence.

The farmers had a look of worry on their faces after listening to Zhang Yangping.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves kicking the ground could be heard. A few hundred soldiers clad in golden armor then appeared in their field of vision.

"Not good, they are here!"

"It looks like the royal guards. The Emperor is here to charge Fang Zhengzhi!"

"This is all because of us. We cannot let the Emperor blame Fang Zhengzhi for this. We must protect him with our lives!"

Zhang Yangping stared at the golden armor as the expression on his face changed. If they were ordinary soldiers, he would not have been this worried.

After all, ever since the Northern Barbarian Army infiltrated the area, they had seen too many of them.

However…

The soldiers standing in front of them were clearly of a special ident.i.ty. The golden armor was the trademark of the royal guards from Flame Capital City. Their motive was obvious.

Hundred over royal guards quickly arrived in front of Zhang Yangping and the farmers. They then stopped in their tracks as their commander quickly scanned the area.

"May I ask if you are villagers from Northern Mountain Village?" The royal guard asked after a few moments.

"Yes, I am the chief of Northern Mountain Village. I didn"t know that the royal guards were pa.s.sing by. Please forgive me for my bad hospitality!" Zhang Pingyang replied and knelt down immediately.

"Chief? Oh, please rise. Our motive this time around is to meet with Master Fang. Can I trouble the chief to bring us there?" The commander immediately dismounted from his horse and helped Zhang Yangping up.

"Master Fang?" Zhang Yangping"s eyes darted around. Following which, he smiled and said, "I think the royal guards are mistaken. There is no one called Master Fang in the Northern Mountain Village."

"The chief must be joking around. We are here to meet Fang Zhengzhi!"

"Oh, Zhengzhi? He… is not around!"

"The chief is really a humorous guy. We are here upon a royal decree. I hope that the chief can lead us to him!"

"Royal Decree? Then he is really not around!" Zhang Yangping immediately answered upon hearing those words.

"Really not around?" The commander squinted his eyes upon hearing those words. After which, he mounted his horse and said, "Since the chief is not willing to lead us there, we will have to find Master Fang ourselves!"

After a command, the hundred over royal guards continued on their journey and walked past Zhang Yangping, heading in the direction of the Northern Mountain Village.

On the other hand, Zhang Yangping stood dumbfounded in his original position. He did not expect the royal guards to barge into the village to look for Fang Zhengzhi.

He was merely an ordinary villager. How could he block the way of the royal guards?

"Chief, what do we do now?" The few farmers rushed into the Northern Mountain Village with a worried expression on their faces.

"Wait a minute, I think we dug some traps at the entrance to our village…" Zhang Yangping finally recollected himself after a while. He then remembered something.

"Yes, we dug some!" The farmers nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the sound of a horse whimpering in pain could be heard. The second cry then followed, then the third…

Zhang Yangping was horrified.

The farmers who were with him also turned pale immediately. Apart from them, Fang Zhengzhi, who was standing right at the entrance of the village and holding half a meat bun in his hands was also startled by what he saw.