Seeing as Jiang Lingzhu and Nie Xian suddenly appeared, Nie Tian temporarily dispelled the thought of asking Zheng Bin about the Ghostly Fire Wolf.

Nie Tian, who was sitting down quietly for a long, long time finally got up, and looked at the duo from afar.

As compared to before, Jiang Lingzhu and Nie Xian, who were both wearing black clothes, were distinctively much thinner than before.

Other than the two eyes of Jiang Lingzhu’s, that were still bright and alert, the other places on her were filthy. The black clothes of hers, that she was wearing on her body, were also in tatters and there were also a few holes at the corners of her clothes. 

Nie Tian only gave it a glance and already knew that those holes were caused by a sharp weapon piercing through it.

Nie Xian, who similarly came from the Nie Family, wasn’t any better than Jiang Lingzhu. The black clothing, that represented the Lingyun Sect, looked as though it had been torn to pieces and sewn back together anew.

Suddenly looking at him, Nie Xian was just like a beggar that was mixed in as a part of the Black Cloud City’s community, extremely dirty and disordered.

“Zheng Bin, water! Quickly give us some water to drink!” When Jiang Lingzhu walked over, she loudly shouted out: “How come you guys are here? Did you guys encounter any Prison Government disciples in the volcanic region?”

“Ah! Nie Tian!”

After coming close, she suddenly saw Nie Tian and couldn’t help but to cry out involuntarily.

“Nie Tian!” Nie Xian also had a look of disbelief on his face, “Y-you’re still alive?”

In Jiang Lingzhu and Nie Xian’s eyes, Nie Tian should’ve been already dead.

How was it possible for Nie Tian, who had ventured alone and wandered about in the barren land, not to be killed by the Ghost Sect and the Blood Sect?

When they had been intercepted by Yu Tong and Mo Xi, Yu Tong had once taken out the Blood-Searching Compa.s.s, and explicitly told them that no matter where they escaped to, Yu Tong would still be able to ferret them out.

Yu Tong had the Blood-Searching Compa.s.s in her hands and as such, it was impossible for Nie Tian, who had been alone, to escape from her line of sight.

How was it possible that Nie Tian alone, who Yu Tong had locked her sight on to, escaped from her?

Both her and Nie Xian thought that Nie Tian would have already died by the hands of the Ghost Sect and the Blood Sect long ago. They would’ve never thought, that they would actually still be able to meet Nie Tian at this place.

“Long time no see. Seeing that you guys are fine, I too can relax.” Nie Tian smiled and said.

“Jian Xuan! What are you still daydreaming about? Quickly give them some fresh water!” Zheng Bin ordered.

Jian Xuan, who had almost been killed by Nie Tian, came to his senses and hastily retrieved canteens, making small rounds, as he handed the fresh water to Jiang Lingzhu and Nie Xian.

Jiang Lingzhu didn’t look anything like a wise and virtuous woman. After a grand round of drinking, her elegant and straight neck was covered in sparkling and translucent droplets of water.

Nie Xian was also letting the water pour down his throat, drinking the fresh water in the other canteens, until there was nothing left. Only then did he weakly sit down in contentment.

“Nie Tian, you… weren’t found by the Ghost Sect and the Blood Sect?” Nie Xian asked, puzzled.

“A Ghost Sect disciple had his attention on me. However, I killed him.” Nie Tian softly explained.

Nie Xian looked deeply at him and nodded, saying: “Well done.”

The first time that they encountered danger, Nie Tian had suddenly appeared and forced the Blood Sect’s Yu Tong to retreat. At that time… he already couldn’t see through this younger brother of his.

He faintly guessed that there inevitably must have been some miracle that he couldn’t comprehend, that had happened to Nie Tian’s body. 

If he had only encountered a Ghost Sect disciple, he believed that Nie Tian, who was able to force Yu Tong to retreat, would really be able to kill his opponent.

After Jiang Lingzhu finished drinking another bottle of fresh water, she described the ambush, that they went through, under the inquisitive gazes of Zheng Bin and the others.

Before they were about to pa.s.s through the barren land, and were about to step into the volcanic region, the Ghost Sect and the Blood Sect had caught up to them. A battle had broken out in an instant.

When they were battling, the Blood Sect’s witch, Yu Tong had suddenly stepped into the Houtian Realm. Her strength rose suddenly and sharply. With all kinds of Forbidden Techniques from the Blood Sect, her G.o.dly powers were greatly released, making it so that they were powerless to contend against her.

They couldn’t see a shred of hope for victory, after Yu Tong had advanced into the Houtian Realm, and was an existence in the Green Illusion Realm, who was practically a paragon.

In order to survive, they could only disperse and escape, making it impossible for Yu Tong to trap everyone in the same place and kill them all.

Jiang Lingzhu and Nie Xian, who had escaped from the battlefield, had been pursued by the Ghost Sect’s Mo Xi along the way, and he had been attempting to kill them. They had wasted a tremendous amount of strength, and only then were they able to hurry to this place in a sorry-looking figure.

After the Lingyun Sect’s Ye Gumo had separated from them, they didn’t meet him again. His fate was unknown.

En route of them returning, they didn’t encounter An Ying and the others from the Ling Bao Court and they similarly didn’t know about the situation of An Ying and the others.

“If the person, who was pursuing you guys, was the Ghost Sect’s Mo Xi, then… there should be many survivors from the Ling Bao Court.” After Nie Tian finished listening to them talking, he suddenly relaxed.

“What do you mean? Mo Xi was pursuing us with the intention to kill, then the Blood Sect’s Yu Tong should have her eyes on An Ying and the others. Yu Tong is even more frightening compared to Mo Xi. How can you think that An Ying and the others can hurry over alive?” Jiang Lingzhu curiously asked.

“That is because the Blood Sect’s Yu Tong first viewed the Grey Valley’s Yuan Feng and Yun Song as her targets. After Yuan Feng and Yun Song were killed, that witch… then considered me as her target to pursue and kill again.” Nie Tian’s tone was still considered relaxed, “Without the witch around, relying only on those Blood Sect people alone, it’s impossible to kill everyone in An Ying and Pan Tao’s group.”

“What? Yu Tong made you her target?” Jiang Lingzhu was greatly surprised, “How is it that you have survived until now?”

Nie Xian was also suddenly shocked. The expression, that he had on his face when he looked towards Nie Tian, was one of extreme complexity. 

They were different from these people in the Black Mist Sect. They had really experienced Yu Tong’s formidable power. Yu Tong’s strength, after she had broken into the Houtian Realm, was extremely powerful, causing all of them to feel extremely fearful.

It could be said, that only because Yu Tong had stepped into the Houtian Realm, they had no other choice but to disperse and escape, not daring to battle again.

Yu Tong practically used the power of one person to completely defeat all of the defences, that everyone had around their hearts!

Since such a frightening Yu Tong, viewed Nie Tian as her target after killing and beheading Yuan Feng and Yun Song, it was practically impossible for Nie Tian to survive.

“He is able to survive, because after Yu Tong killed Yuan Feng and Yun Song, Yu Tong sustained injuries and she experienced a steep decline in her strength.” Li Xi used Nie Tian’s words to explain.

Jiang Lingzhu gave Li Xi a judgemental look and furrowed her brows, saying: “What do you know?”

Li Xi’s expression crumpled.

“When Yuan Feng and Yun Song escaped, they sustained different degrees of injuries and consumed even more energy compared to Yu Tong.” Jiang Lingzhu looked at Nie Tian with a strange look on her face, “When Yu Tong, who stepped into the Houtian Realm, was pursuing and killing everyone, she was in peak condition. I don’t think that with Yu Tong’s strength, killing Yuan Feng and Yun Song, who didn’t have the slightest of fighting spirit left, would consume much of her energy.”

“As for injuring Yu Tong…” She shook her head and said: “Then that would be even more impossible.”

“You’re lying to us?” The expression on Zheng Bin’s face went cold, as he said to Nie Tian: “Did you really encounter Yu Tong or not? Is that Yu Tong really pursuing you with the intention to kill?”

“Liar!” The young girl with the oval-shaped face, who was called Han Xin cried out.

The look in the eyes of the remaining people from the Black Mist Palace held slight discontentment, when they looked towards Nie Tian.

“Nie Tian, your strength… I really cannot see through it. However, I feel that if Yu Tong didn’t breakthrough into the Houtian Realm, you should be able to escape alive.” Jiang Lingzhu hesitated for a moment and quietly said: “However, she stepped into the Houtian Realm already. Yu Tong, who advanced into the Houtian Realm, is really very, very frightening! For you to want to arrive here alive from her Houtian Realm hands, it is really not possible.”

Nie Tian, who everyone was suspicious of, laughed bitterly in his heart and secretly told a lie. For him to want to not leave even the faintest of trace, it really wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t possible for him to tell Jiang Lingzhu, that he had comprehended the First Form of the Angry Fist from that strange, mysterious ground, which might had far exceeded his imagination.

Therefore, he was silent for a moment, when he suddenly let out an embarra.s.sing laugh, saying: “I really encountered the Blood Sect’s Yu Tong. However, after Yu Tong killed Yuan Feng and Yun Song, she ran into that Black Ice Python from the glacier region. The Black Ice Python is the strongest spirit beast in the Green Illusion Realm. It was during the time, that Yu Tong was killing and beheading the Black Ice Python, that she was inattentive and sustained injuries.”

The Black Ice Python had already thoroughly left the Green Illusion Realm and should definitely not reappear again in the future. The Black Ice Python was a Grade Two spirit beast and its strength was similarly as formidable as Yu Tong’s. It was considered suitable for him to use the Black Ice Python as his shield.

“As it turns out, that Black Ice Python was still there, then it’s no wonder.” Jiang Lingzhu suddenly believed him, “That Black Ice Python certainly is also very powerful. It already opened up its intelligence and seemed like it was going to become a Grade Three spirit beast very soon. It shouldn’t be too possible for Yu Tong to want to kill and behead it, without paying some sort of price.”

“You should tell the truth.” Zheng Bin said in a cold voice.

“So the reason you’re alive is because Yu Tong first killed Yuan Feng and the Black Ice Python. I even thought… how amazing you were, huh.” Han Xin said disdainfully.

“Isn’t it that he is plastering gold on his own face by not voicing out the existence of the Black Ice Python, and wanting to tell us how he is out of the ordinary?” Li Xi also mocked him.

Nie Tian rubbed his nose and chuckled sheepishly, feeling disinclined to bother with them.

After that, Zheng Bin continuously questioned Jiang Lingzhu about the details of battling with the Ghost Sect and the Blood Sect, wanting to get a full understanding of the Ghost Sect and Blood Sect’s strength, as well as knowing how to face them after the discussion. 

Nie Tian, who had been mocked one round through by the Black Mist Palace, was also embarra.s.sed to bring up the matter with the Ghostly Fire Wolf and also just sat there, feeling bored, beside Nie Xian.

Even though Nie Xian was filled with curiosity, but he didn’t ask Nie Tian at this time, rather he took out the spirit stone that the Lingyun Sect had bestowed upon him, as he started to recover his strength. 

After a while, Jiang Lingzhu and Zheng Bin’s discussion ended. Contrary to what one might expect, she wasn’t in a hurry to immediately recover, rather she pointed towards Nie Tian and said: “You come with me for a while. I have something to say to you.”

Nie Tian was blank for a moment. Seeing as Jiang Lingzhu was already heading towards the other side of the mountain wall, he had no choice but to get up and quietly catch up to her. 

……

Translator: Nnnata
Editor: Sietse
From XianXiaWorld