About 40 miles south of the Whitemoon tribe, there stood Devil Valley. In the distance, a sorrowful sound could be heard from the valley. Inside a grotto in the lee of the valley, Junior Leopard cleared a plot of empty land and fried the ground around it with Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire Technique. Then Junior Leopard sat on the ground along with a few children. Two fires were lit, one for roasting a blood wolf that he killed on the road and the other for heating water. Therefore, small though the grotto was, a thick warmth still emanated out of it.
Several kids sat on the ground without a single word. But from their expressions, they were distinctly relieved and even revealed their comfort. After stepping out of Whitemoon tribe, under the suffering of wind and snow, they walked on for 40 miles. Although Junior Leopard had the protection of his Internal Qi, for them, at the such a young age, the trip was seething with hardships and pains. If they continued to walk, there would be someone that couldn't endure it.
The blood wolf on the support had been grilled through. Drops of golden grease trickled down from the support from the blood wolf with a crackling sound. Some drops splashed against the body and face of several kids. Even if they racked with the burning tingling, they didn't care at all. After going through the disastrous severe winter, these kids that had already survived, couldn't cower just because of a little bit of scorching grease. Except for that bloke that had been punished by Junior Leopard, they rushed to the roasted wolf, staring greedily at Junior Leopard. He was fixing his malicious eyes on Junior Leopard, but his hungry belly had already exposed his real thoughts.
"Boy, don't force yourself. Though you want to take revenge on me, you need a meal first!" Junior Leopard laughed. He tore a chunk of wolf meat and threw it to that bloke. Whereafter, the wolf was divided into several parts and Junior Leopard distributed them to the kids. At last, he began to gnaw a wolf leg.
As though it was endless, the blizzard still went on. Hailstones impacted against the surrounding rocks at full tilt, leaving incessant whomps. The grotto Junior Leopard stayed in was comparatively narrow with one or two chunks of hailstones coming in from time to time.
"I say, have you ever seen such a severe blizzard before?" Junior Leopard asked inadvertently, gnawing the wolf leg.
"Never!" The speaker was that girl who held her daughter. Junior Leopard knew her name, Tana. In Great Jin's language, the name's meaning was "pearl".
Among these kids, only she was somewhat familiar with Junior Leopard and dare to talk a little in front of Junior Leopard. The other kids, except that Tana's fiance, were still afraid of Junior Leopard. In fact, at their age, they were confused about what happened and why their parents demanded that they follow this strange person to leave their tribe.
"It seems that it was really providence!" Junior Leopard said with a wry smile. All the way from Great Jin to Northern Yuan, they heard plenty of rumors and legends. When all kinds of rumors, legends, clues and foreshadowings were interweaved into a string, Junior Leopard awkwardly found that this war between Great Jin and Northern Yuan seemed to be premeditated by Great Jin, at least by Yunzhou's Governor, Ma Tianchang. Only by interweaving all things into a line to form a conspiracy, could you find an explanation. But he didn't know what he needed in order to interweave all the things, clues, legends and rumors into a line.
"If all of these really really lead to a conspiracy, Yunzhou's Governor, Ma Tianchang is indeed too horrible. On one hand, he cracks down on the behavior of the Northern Yuan, preventing them from pillaging folk's fortunes and grains, as well as the robbery of Nothern Yuan's rangers. While on the other hand, he opens fairs in quantity, the number of which far outnumbers what common people think, in order to make Nothern yuan gain what they want without any military force and the cost is far better than what they would have to spend if they used military force. Hence, the people of Northern Yuan can produce by themselves and depend on the imported goods from the fairs since Jin's commodities are of a better quality, priced lower and there are more varieties. That is to say, during Ma Tianchang's over ten year tenure in office, he's used his time to establish a stranglehold on Northern Yuan's lifeline via the fairs and has been waiting for an opportunity to take complete control over Northern Yuan thoroughly!"
His mouth gnawing the wolf leg and his finger slowly drawing on the ground, Junior Leopard pondered the course of event, "This opportunity appeared very suddenly but was actually quite normal. This event was the death of Wali Khan. Over tens of thousands of years, numerous kings of the prairie had passed away. However, only this time when Wali Khan died, did Ma Tianchang begin to close fairs and restrict the import of the commodities to prairie. In the meantime, Wang She killed several princes all at once, which incurred the chaos of the whole prairie and provoked the three Grandmasters. Such a sensational event naturally conceals Ma Tianchang's insidious means. After this unprecedented tempest, Northern Yuan is set to find that they had nothing at all!"
"If it is really as I think, then this is a conspiracy, Ma Tianchang must possess two conditions. First, he foresaw this tempest a year in advance and even the death of Wali Khan is also part of his meticulous plan. Second, he can command Wang She. If he truly had the ability to reach these two demands, he is either a monster or a demon!"
A soft sound wakened Junior Leopard from his contemplation and stirred several of the kids sitting beside him. Junior Leopard was in a trance and looking outside the grotto where one would be ensanguined as if they were a bloody gourd.
Evidently, that person also looked at Junior Leopard and then changed his expression. He didn't expect that he would encounter Junior Leopard here. They looked at each other in consternation.
"Wang... Chief Wang, why are you here?"
This person was really unable to bear his nag, especially like Wang She. After his nag, Wang She abruptly appeared in front of him, which was unduly weird. And he felt it was not true.
"Zhou Bao? Why are you here?"
Chief Wang, apparently, found it to very strange to come across Zhou Bao here. Moreover, there were seven or eight kids, sitting beside Zhou Bao. Seeing their attire, Wang She could deduce that these kids came from the tribes of the prairie. But it seemed that they had no relations with Junior Leopard.
However, before he could voice his confusion, he voilently fell to the ground. With one hand used to support his body, his facial muscles began twitching and mouthfuls of blood began squirting out from his mouth. The sight of which made Junior Leopard's heart palpitate.
"Chief Wang, are you OK?"
Junior Leopard didn't dare to think a lot. He hastily helped Wang She into the grotto and checked on his injuries.
"It's unnecessary! I have suffered from that old devil's Star-shattering Hand. It will take me three years to recover!" Waving his hand arduously, Wang She pushed Junior Leopard away and sat with his legs crossed on the ground, "Put the fire out! That old devil is chasing me. If he sees the flame, something bad will happen!"
As soon as Junior Leopard heard those words, he flicked his sleeve to put the piles of fire out without any delay. The small grotto descended into darkness at once.
"I heard that Kunlun Master has left and only Dark Lord Mie Chen and Living Buddha with Golden Body are chasing you?"
"Ba Siba has left, too. But I was wounded by Kunlun Master and Ba Siba before. Furthermore, the cultivation of Mie Chen is higher than mine by a lot, so I have suffered such a big loss!" Wang She said quietly, "What did you come to Northern Yuan for?"
"Chief Wang, you are in Northern Yuan all the time, I'm afraid that you don't see the current situation. Now the whole world is turbulent and Northern Yuan will come to its end soon. I believe that, very soon, the whole prairie will belong to Great Jin, so many people are vying to pick bargains in the prairie!"
"That is to say, that guy's plot has been achieved?" Although the fire has been put out, Junior Leopard still clearly saw a cold smile flashing through Wang She's face. "So you have also come here to pick bargains, boy. But why did you just pick these kids?"
"I picked bargains indeed, unluckily!" Junior Leopard said, wearing a bitter smile. Junior Leopard, honestly told him the event from beginning to end.
"Did that really happen? It is so interesting that the Whitemoon tribe should collect something valuable. I wonder what profits you received, that you would actually assent to their condition?"
Keeping silent, Junior Leopard pulled out that box and delivered it to Wang She. Like Junior Leopard, even though Wang She was amid the darkness, his vision remained normal as before.
"Eh, how interesting! It would be worthy to care for 70 or 700 kids for these two valuables, let alone only seven kids!"
"It's not worth shit!" Junior Leopard secretly scolded in his heart. Junior Leopard said in his heart that if Wang She took secrets, he was bound to kill these kids the moment they left the tribe.
"But you really are an idiot. For such a thing, you can rob them directly, there's no need to care for so many redundant kids! You just seek trouble for yourself!"
As expected, Wang She's next sentence began to deride him, "You, such a boy, have a high cultivation and many grotesques, but you don't understand the perils of Jianghu, and you have a tender heart. They may look pathetic now, but they will likely kill you in the future. You'd better end their lives!"
The grotto was so dark that these kids were unable to see their expressions, but darkness couldn't prevent sound from flowing into the kids' ears. So they heard Wang She's words clearly. The kids were so innocent that they lacked a sense of crisis. Though the words frightened them, only Tana and that eldest boy, were shocked with fear, a burst of chill suddenly spread out from his head to his caudal vertebra.
"I am an angel, so I can't do such a wicked thing!" Junior Leopard replied, "They've been entrusted to me by the people, so I have to be faithful to the people. It is my business, you needn't worry about it!" Junior Leopard said with discontent. When Junior Leopard spoke the words "I'm an angel", Wang She was astounded.
Nonetheless, Wang She realized Junior Leopard's meaning from his words, so he didn't linger on this matter. Wang She closed the wooden box and returned it to Junior Leopard, "You're calm and your breathing is peaceful, so I guess your cultivation has reached Level Five?"
"I ascended to Level Five some time ago!" Junior Leopard said, "I wonder what advice you will give me?"
"No advice for you, I only want to warn you that Dark Lord Mie Chen had remained nearby. If only we two are here, we won't need to worry that he'll find us, but with the addition of these kids, it is difficult to hide the trace of us!"
Junior Leopard understood what Wang She meant. Both of them mastered the Snake-like Breath Holding Skill. On such a stormy night beset with hailstones, if they hid here, even if Dark Lord Mie Chen really stepped into the Mysterious Realm, he would find it hard to find their trace, let alone an expert of the peak of Level Nine. But these several kids here were ordinary people, if they were staying with them, it would be too easy to find their trace.
"There's no way. I have an idea. This grotto is so huge that I can help you seek a safer shelter!" Junior Leopard said.
"This could work! But as I'm regulating my breathing and have severe injuries, I can't move my body for long!"
"Then, Chief Wang, do you have any trump cards?" Junior Leopard asked quietly, with a ghastly killing intent in his tone. "Chief Wang clearly knows what abilities I have. If you have some awesome celestial device, I think, I should still have a chance to win, even if Mie Chen is an expert of the peak of Level Nine!"
"Your confidence has grown since we first met. I wonder what's giving you so much confidence! Though you are equipped with External Elixir, which is equal to the cultivation of Level Six, Mie Chen has dominated the prairie for about 100 years and is counted as one of the most powerful men. Do you think you can kill him with petty tricks? If he was that easy to be killed, he wouldn't be one of three Grandmasters of Northern Yuan!" Wang She said coldly, "I admit, you have some ability, but it is just a scoff in front of a Level Nine expert!"
"So, how about if I join hands with you?" Junior Leopard asked quietly, "You are also a Level Nine expert. Moreover, you are besieged by three Grandmasters and you've managed to survive until now, you must be more brilliant than Dark Lord Mie Chen. The reason why you are in a tight corner is mainly due to you being outnumbered. You are hurt now, but I believe that you must have a trump card. So how about joining hands with me to kill this Supreme of Demons and give up on this life of running away in fear?"
"Hum, as I said, you're too confident. I don't really understand why you are so confident." Wang She sneered, "I do have a trump card, but it's the last one. I will use it to perish together with him. You can wait and profit from the spoils after he and I are both seriously injured!"
"I have faith in you!" Junior Leopard said with laughter, "In addition, recently I have had a bit of insight in the way of practice and have practiced a few new means which don't pose any threat against a Level Nine expert when one to one. However if I do them off base, I also believe that they have some lethality!"
"I'd like to see what makes you so confident! Did you learn those two secrets that the Whitemoon tribe gave you? Even if you have, with your present cultivation, you are unlikely to be able to fully display their power!"
"Poison Cold Shield, Asura Yin Evil Needles, Infinite Trembling Contemplation, Three Realms Division!"
Junior Leopard didn't say anything, but he wrote four means down on the ground using his finger. Among them, except for the Three Realms Division, although the Asura Yin Evil Needles were brilliant, they were nothing for a Level Nine expert. But Poison Cold Shield and Infinite Trembling Contemplation astounded Wang She.
Poison Cold Shield couldn't poison a Level Nine expert, but could consume their Gang Qi effectively. For Infinite Trembling Contemplation, it was a secret skill that nobody practiced successfully. How could he make it?
"Can you execute these moves?"
Wang She didn't ask Junior Leopard where these means came from. He just asked, pointing at words "Infinite Trembling Contemplation".
"Of course not, however, it can!" Junior Leopard chuckled, pointing the External Elixir beside his ears.
"If that is the case, we may have a chance!"
Wang She squinted his eyes slightly. Seeing the four means that Junior Leopard wrote down on the ground, his heart moved. Though Dark Lord Mie Chen was excellent and had chased him tens of thousands of miles on the prairie as though he was a homeless dog, he could get away at this time. In his current physical condition, he couldn't recover without a year. Under these circumstances, he was doomed to be chased by Dark Lord Mie Chen, so he might as well risk his life to fight with Dark Lord Mie Chen.
"Notwithstanding his excellent power, Mie Chen didn't exceed the peak of Level Nine and ascend into The Mysterious Realm. Though his cultivation is higher than mine, I wasn't easy to be bullied, furthermore, Junior Leopard is such a freak!"
He had seen it, too. Albeit with only Level Five cultivation, his cultivation of two External Elixirs had reached Level Six, so he was on the brink of entering the gate of Level Seven, with the combat capability of Level Seven. Most importantly, the four means he wrote were all lethal.
Moreover Dark Lord Mie Chen was chasing after him. He had no precautions towards Junior Leopard. As long as the execution was right, they might be able to get one of the three Grandmasters of Northern Yuan to remain here forever.
Wang She wasn't an indecisive person. If he was, he wouldn't have assented to Ma Tianchang's request to step into prairie and to snuff the three princes out. He wouldn't be in such situation where he was been chased by the three Grandmasters of Northern Yuan. He wouldn't be able to survive until now.
As Junior Leopard said, he also had a trump card. If he fought with Dark Lord Mie Chen alone, he was unlikely to succeed, but if adding Junior Leopard's means, the result would be different.
Thinking till here, his mind also turned vivacious.
"Ok, now that you have such means, it will be a pity if this chance slipped away!" Wang She said, taking out a dark red elixir from his bosom and placing it into his mouth. "I will go out to attract Mie Chen's attention right away. You'll come up from behind. Pick a optimum time and we can take action in unison. I believe that you wouldn't let me down with your means!"
Junior Leopard just smiled and nodded.
Wang She wiped the blood off his face and stood up. Except for his pale complexion, nobody could tell that he was seriously injured.
"Boy, you can't imagine how mighty a person at the peak of Level Nine is! Be careful!" After talking, with a slight shout, he rushed out of the grotto and headed into the blistering blizzard.
"You stay here. Don't move! I will be back quickly. If I can't come back, well, good luck!" Junior Leopard talked with these kids, with a flit, he followed Wang She and left the grotto.
The winds were still wailing. However, when Junior Leopard applied Dragon Flying Technique, he felt different, totally different!
Violent wind power was absorbed into Junior Leopard's acupoints and he rotated it. Therefore, Junior Leopard wasn't blown away amid the violent snowstorm. Instead his speed became faster and faster and his steps bigger and bigger, almost every step was more than one hundred feet. He followed Wang She closely, not affected by the gap of their cultivation.
He ran in the wind, stretching his arms and unconsciously revealed the Change of Great Roc of Nine Changes of Heavenly Birds.
It was said that Nine Changes of Heavenly Birds was a peerless martial arts of ancient times in which there were all-embracing skills, so it was unlikely to be comprehended in a short time. Because these skills were created through imitating nine heavenly birds of ancient times, there was a special mental cultivation method.
Taking the Change of Great Roc for example, it was said that the Roc soared up to 90,000 miles into the sky. In the legend, for a great Roc, this heavenly bird of antiquity times, its wings seemed to touch the clouds of the sky. When water hit 3,000 miles, a Great Roc skyrocketed 90,000 miles, inhaling the cloud spirit and bearing the blue sky, it was carefree and unfettered.
Recently, Junior Leopard practiced the Carefree Skill, being enlightened, and applied the Dragon Flying Technique. This violent blizzard met the condition of "Great Roc flying along with wind", so his speed soared severalfold. Between breaths, he surpassed Wang She ahead of him. His hands vibrated again, disappearing from the sight of Wang She with a sound, which stunned Wang She.
"Wow, where did this bloke learn such an aggressive body movement?"
So aggressive!
When the Dragon Flying Technique was applied with the Change of Great Roc, it was indeed... "aggressive".
Though Wang She was injured so heavily that he could only draw out 70 or 80% of the power of his normal body movement, to see Junior Leopard suddenly do so before him... At that moment, he felt that though he was in his heyday, if he didn't use Gang Qi but only his body movement techniques, he feared that he would be inferior to this bloke!
"How does this bloke practice the martial arts? Why am I finding it difficult to ascertain it?" Wang She pondered in the heart. But quickly, he didn't have time to think that. In the distance, he saw a dark shade rushing towards him like fleeting thunder and lightning. That shade arrived before him in the blink of an eye.
"Dark Lord Mie Chen! Damn it! Didn't he get hurt too? How did he catch up with me so quickly?" Wang She muttered in his heart. With a sink of his figure, he fell down into the valley. Now that Dark Lord Mie Chen had found his trace, there was no point in running forward.
"This is Dark Lord Mie Chen of three Grandmasters in Northern Yuan!"
He was hidden in the darkness, seeing black smoke coming in torrents. The overwhelming power that could destroy the darkness enveloped the whole Devil Valley momentarily.
"Wang She, you can't escape. Come out and accept your death immediately!"
His roaring rolled in like thunder. His aggressive and domineering sense penetrated into people's heart. Junior Leopard couldn't help but feeling a sense of chill. There was an impulsion to escape, rising up in the depth of his heart,.