Marquis Of Grand Xia Chapter 58: The Longest Night
*cough cough*
As he clutched at the bleeding wound on his chest, Ning Chen doubled over from a bout of violent coughing. Without wasting anymore time, he focused his silvery Qi into his right hand and instantly froze the wound, paying no more attention to it.
As for the other wounds on his body, they weren"t lethal so treating them now wasn"t a priority. For now, finding Mu Chengxue was all that mattered.
Ignoring the last remaining guardsman, he wheeled off to the house he was about to search before he got interrupted. A short distance away, a mortified Shadow Dragon guardsman glared at the man standing before him with an expression that was outwardly hostile yet inwardly afraid. "Prince Yan, I"ll be sure to report today"s incident to His Majesty, word for word, you"d better be prepared."
"Haha." Prince Yan chuckled before taking off after Ning Chen.
"This Prince will be waiting!"
Hearing that, the Shadow Dragon"s face went through a mult.i.tude of shades before disappearing in a stream of light.
He had to report his findings to the Xia Emperor immediately. This kid"s growth was simply too frightening, to think he was able to surpa.s.s all of the Shadow guardsmen in just a few months.
And that bow in his hands...that was an even greater threat. That arrow just now was even strong enough to strike fear into his heart.
The pair on the other hand, didn"t care one bit about the departing guardsman and merely carried on searching the houses.
As the night dragged on, the moonlight shone down on a slightly hunched over figure seated on wheelchair; within his eyes was a growing sense of fatigue contrasted with an equally strong determination. Behind that figure was another who silently followed the teen, neither too close nor too slow.
Suddenly, the heavens underwent a shocking change. Within the nine heavens, the flash of a sword shimmered in the night sky like a crescent moon, and with a sudden boom, slashed down into the distance.
*boom*
Another overwhelming presence rose to block the terrifying slash. It was a slightly weaker move but it was just enough to block the sword.
"Mu Chengxue."
His body violently trembled as he stared at the brillant sword flash. Promptly turning the wheels on his wheelchair, he rushed off into the distance ahead.
There"s no mistaking it, that was her aura!
The Prince"s eyebrows jumped as he looked at the departing teen; taking a couple of quick steps forward, he transformed into a green light as he chased after him.
In just a few moments, the two experts in the air had already exchanged over ten blows. While their faces weren"t clear, their auras were frighteningly powerful.
A short while later, the battle halted and the crescent moon slowly descended from the nine heavens. With robes as white as snow and an exquisite face that was just as cold, she looked more like an immortal with that detached look on her face.
"Mu Chengxue!"
The black wheelchair came to a stop as he lifted his head to stare at the beautiful girl. His face lit up with joy which slowly froze up, and then like his heart, sank rapidly.
What he saw was beauty that, like her coldness, was perfect yet surreal.
There was a coldness in her eyes that seemed like a blade or sword as it sliced apart his heart and left him gasping for air.
She had really forgotten about him…
"Uggh."
The sudden revelation crashed into him like thunder, tearing open his persistent internal wounds in an instant as he swiftly lost control over his Qi. With a dull grunt, he threw his head back and spat a mouthful of blood into the air.
The next moment, his body was caught in a raging tornado of silver and dark gold lights that seemed to consume each other as they collided together. The tremors in his psyche finally caused his previously unstable cultivation base to crumble, kicking him down from the sixth-grade.
Prince Yan"s expression darkened as he took a step forward and appeared a second later right behind the teen. Gathering the Qi into his ring finger, he pointed it right at his Qi Ocean and yelled.
"Steady your mind!"
With a sonorous grunt, he activated another 30% of his cultivation and forcefully suppressed the True Qi in his body.
A distance away, Mu Chengxue quietly observed the scene with a set of cold eyes that didn"t waver in the slightest.
With the collapse of realm, the Heavenly Scrolls began to reveal themselves yet Ning Chen didn"t seem to care about his injuries one bit and even forced out the Scroll of Life within him. His bloodied mouth spat out another mouthful of blood, coloring the golden scroll red.
"Do you still remember this? You gave it to me, for body strengthening." His bloodied lips cracked into a jovial smile, from the crevices of his teeth flowed a stream of blood that turned his tunic into an unbearably gory mess.
"The Scroll of Life."
Her placid face finally showed a sign of change. However, it wasn"t recognition that dawned upon her but rather a bone-chilling iciness.
"You, you must die!"
It was a cold voice that not only destroyed his last bit of longing but destroyed his remaining bit of determination as well.
In that instant, the crescent moon descended upon him as the color drained from the world around him.
*boom*
Yet as that sword dove in for the kill, the Peacekeeper made its move as well, blocking the lethal strike at the last moment. The look on Prince Yan"s face was graver than it had ever been as he declared in a slow, deliberate voice, "With this Prince here, no one will harm him today!"
The Scroll of Life was right before their very eyes, dripping blood as it floated there. Yet this piece of connection wasn"t able to summon forth that bit of lost memory. From today onwards, this scant few inches between them became a sheer cliff separating the two.
"HAHAHAHA."
It was a crazed and soulless laugh that resounded across the deserted streets of Sword City. Under the fluorescent lighting of the moon, it seemed that more much chilling.
*dang*
Sword clashed with sword, heavy collided with light. On one hand was Prince Yan and the Peacekeeper, on the other was the Xiantian, Mu Chengxue. Using his heavy sword to counter her light sword, the battle escalated in an instant.
The Legend versus the Xiantian. What was supposed to be a one-sided fight ended up turning into a stalemate thanks to the opposing sword types wielded by them.
It was then that another powerful aura entered the scene. Seeing the Scroll of Life floating before Ning Chen, his face immediately darkened.
So the scroll wasn"t in the hands of that princess, Xia Miaoyu, after all. It was in the hands of this teen!
The Qi surrounding the Divine Child"s body was in chaos at the moment. He had just battled with Mu Chengxue and had expended a significant portion of his cultivation base. After a short rest, he had managed to recover 70% of it.
This new adversary caused the wrinkles on the prince"s forehead to further deepen. Boosting its weight by another 30%, he dispersed the heavy Earth Qi around the Peacekeeper in a bid to slow down his lightning fast opponent to the best of his abilities.
A short distance away, the sauntering Divine Child flickered in the air several times, appearing ever closer to Ning Chen with each flicker. Without wasting any time, he slammed his palm down onto the teen.
This person, must die!
*bang*
In that moment of danger, another sword flew out of the sword rack and rushed into the waiting left hand of the prince. Glancing at Ning Chen"s side for a moment, the prince swung out and blocked the palm strike with his sword.
"This Prince has already declared, today, no one is allowed to harm him!" His voice calm and solemn, within it was a unyielding determination that brooked no questions.
With twin swords in hand, the current legend of Grand Xia faced off against the two t.i.tans. As the last line of defence guarding the shaken teen behind him, there was no way he was going to allow anyone to take another step past him.
The eyes of the Divine Child and Mu Chengxue grew even colder as they stared the man hindering them from their goal, the Scroll of Life.
*whoosh*
The snowy silhouette flickered and with a speed invisible to the naked eye rushed forward. At the time, the Peacekeeper made its move as well. With the resonance he had with the sword"s aura and the slowing Earth Qi aiding him, he barely managed to block the sword of Mu Chengxue.
At the same time, the Divine Child"s feet shifted slightly, stirring up the winds and clouds in the sky. Lightning crackled across the sky as the heavens and earth itself rumbled.
With the ocean blue sword in his left hand, he countered the overwhelming force of the lightning using the soft, soothing energies of water. The endless streams of shimmering water connected with the lightning and smoothly directed it down into the ground.
In the face of the two juggernauts of the younger generation, the overwhelmingly powerful legend of Grand Xia had finally met his match. With 90% of his attention focused onto defense, he barely had any opportunity to attack in such a perilous situation.
Swiftness met with heaviness; hardness met with softness. In the midst of this unending exchange of blows, his flawless swordplay began to show signs of crumbling under the pressure of the onslaught.
Over ten moves later, the heavy sword in the prince"s hand began to slow down. A shadow flashed across his side, barely grazing his right sleeve and causing the fabric to soundlessly flutter to the ground.
Prince Yan"s furrowed his brows as he glanced at the sword stored deep within the sword rack, a tinge of doubt flashing across his eyes while he did so.
He was barely able to handle Mu Chengxue by himself let alone with the Divine Child aiding her. This battle was one that couldn"t be won.
In that moment of hesitation, his sword stance faltered bringing his defenses down along with it. His left sword hand trembled from the impact and started to feel numb.
Sighing a helpless breath, he finally decided to draw that slumbering sword. Suddenly, a heaven-rendering aura exploded from behind him. A split second later, the silhouette of three arrows flew right past the corner of his eyes with terrifying speed as they rushed right for the Divine Child.
This sudden change was exactly the opportunity he needed to break this stalemate. His body shifted, with practised movements, the two swords combined together for an attack. The Peacekeeper knocked away the lady with a swing, after which a vast tidal wave blasted forth from the ocean blue sword. Without checking if his attack was effective, he immediately grabbed the crippled teen and disappeared in a stream of light.
Mu Chengxue tried to chase after them but was promptly restrained by the tidal wave; thus, she was too late to stop them.
*boom boom boom*
At the other side, the Divine Child successfully caught the three arrows but ended up being forced back three paces. While his cultivation hadn"t recovered fully yet, he still managed to walk out of this exchange completely unscathed.
A hundred li outside of the Deserted City, the fleeing pair came to a stop amidst a vast plain. It wasn"t that the prince wasn"t willing to flee any further, but rather it was that the teen wasn"t able to hold on much longer.
Those last three arrows had used up all of his Qi. Even when he was at his peak condition, he had never tried to fire off a second arrow, let alone with his currently injured body and declining cultivation.
"Hang on."
Seeing the weakening aura and unending stream of blood around him, the prince"s heart sank. His wounds weren"t that bad a while ago, but due to his declining cultivation realm, his True Qi had started to run amok and worsen his wounds.
What was even worse was that Ning Chen used the last bit of True Qi he needed to suppress his wounds on those three arrows. With his body instantly deprived of this much needed energy, there was nothing stopping his wounds from worsening.
"Argghh."
A pained grunt spewed forth from the teen"s mouth. His body shuddered, after which he promptly tilted his head to side and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as he slowly fell unconscious.
"Hngh." Prince Yan took a step forward and imbued his vast aura into the teen"s body, forcefully restraining the True Qi within him.
"This isn"t solving the situation..." A moment later, he withdrew his palms. He knew that saving people wasn"t his speciality so he had no choice but to think of another solution. Grabbing onto the teen with his right hand, he transformed into a stream of light once more and sped off into the distance.
Not long after the pair left, a white silhouette appeared on the scene. Glancing at the bloodstains, the figure"s eyebrows knitted together, after which the figure promptly turned around and left.
Back at Peerless City, Prince Yan had just arrived with Ning Chen in tow. Forcefully pushing open the giant gates to Prince Tai"s manor, he immediately sprinted for the main hall.
A moment later, a deep booming voice resounded across the entire estate, "Second Brother, come out quickly, there"s someone that needs your aid."
The shout washed over the entire estate, startling everyone awake in an instant. Prince Tai quickly made his way to the main hall and found, to his dismay, a dishevelled Prince Yan.
This was clearly the result of a momentous battle.
He knew better than anyone how accomplished this third brother of his was in the field of martial arts. There weren"t that many in this world who could force this extraordinary man into such a state.
Just as he was about to ask, he was interrupted by the man himself with a raise of his arm, "We can talk about the rest later, first we need to save the boy."
It was then that Prince Tai noticed the injured teen lying slumped against his wheelchair. Reaching forth with his hand, he check the boy"s meridians. His face grew dark. His meridians were in complete disarray.
The questions in his heart grew even deeper as he discovered that the chaos was the result of the boy"s cultivation base being shattered. However, with his genius of Third Brother by his side, how could such a thing happen.
What was even more shocking was that, this boy wasn"t a eunuch at all!
It was at that moment that Xia Nianyi entered the main hall. Looking at the bloodied and unconscious Ning Chen, her heart burned with curiosity. However, instead of relishing in the teen"s misfortune, she felt a solemn and difficult to describe feeling in her heart.
Suppressing the mult.i.tude of questions in his mind, Prince Tai glanced at his sibling and asked in a serious voice, "You realize how steep the price will be in order to save him?"
In this world, there was no such thing as a free favor; it was impossible to expect him to render aid to just anybody for no reward.
Prince Yan didn"t directly answer his sibling but answered with only two words, "Save him."
Prince Tai"s eyebrows knitted together once more as he stared at his obstinate brother before finally nodding his head in a resigned manner. "Nianyi, fetch me the Revolving Heaven Pill."
"Understood." She immediately left for the pill room without wasting another word.
As her back disappeared into the distance, Prince Yan gazed at the severely injured teen and couldn"t help but sigh in his heart.
In this world, there was only facts, not sentimentality...
Footnotes:
Credits:
Special thanks to Steve Granger, Kaung Thant Win Naing, and Antoine Thompson!!