Chapter 36: Blood Feather Tower
Just as drastic changes were occurring at the Sword Marquis Manor, inside the Life-and-Death Battle Arena.
"Lord." A black-robed steward hurried anxiously before Bai Chong, handing him a slip of paper.
Bai Chong took the paper and glanced over it; his expression immediately turned incomparably grave.
The paper clearly read: "Jian Wushuang is in danger, rescue quickly, Clear Heart Forest, ten li outside the commandery city."
Bai Chong then looked down at the signature.
"A single smile topples a city — from Ji Wumeng of the Ji Clan."
"Ji Wumeng?" A trace of shock flashed through Bai Chong's eyes, then he immediately gave the order, "All golden-robed stewards, follow me now!"
In just a moment, seven figures with vast, surging auras shot out from the Life-and-Death Battle Arena.
Each of these seven figures had actually reached the Golden Core level, and among them, the leader, Bai Chong, had an aura that reached the very peak of the Golden Core stage!
……
Ten li outside the commandery city, Clear Heart Forest.
Atop the treetops, several figures stood silently waiting.
"They're here." The leader, a burly man with unkempt hair, stirred slightly.
Whoosh!
Ji Wuyue appeared on the treetop of one of the great trees, carrying Jian Wushuang on her back.
"Everyone, I'll leave the rest to you." Ji Wuyue said coldly.
"Ji Wuyue, you never told us before that this mission meant facing the Blood Feather Tower." One cold, thin young man spoke up.
"After this is done, the payment will be doubled. How about it?" Ji Wuyue's eyes were chillingly cold as she looked around.
"Fine." Immediately, the somewhat dissatisfied experts around her nodded one after another, their eyes showing a trace of fervor.
"I need you to hold back the Blood Feather Tower experts behind me for as long as you possibly can. Besides that, I've also found some helpers for you."
With that, Ji Wuyue raised her head and looked toward a corner of the sky, where seven figures were rapidly approaching, and they soon appeared before them.
"The Golden Dragon Guards of the Golden Dragon Hall?" As soon as Bai Chong arrived at Clear Heart Forest, he saw those extraordinary figures standing on the treetops, and he also saw the golden rings worn on the index fingers of their hands.
Every one of them wore such a golden ring, and that golden ring was the symbol of the Golden Dragon Guards.
"Lord Bai Chong." Jian Wushuang, who was completely restrained by Ji Wuyue and could barely move, was overjoyed at the sight of the newcomers.
"Jian Wushuang." Bai Chong glanced at Jian Wushuang, then looked at Ji Wuyue, his gaze suddenly turning strange. "You are... Ji Wumeng? No, not Ji Wumeng — you're Ji Wuyue!"
"That's me." Ji Wumeng nodded and said solemnly, "Bai Chong, when my elder sister was alive, she showed you kindness, and my brother-in-law regarded you as a close friend. Now that their only son is in danger, shouldn't you lend a hand?"
Bai Chong's face darkened. He looked solemnly at Jian Wushuang, then said in a low voice, "Take him and go quickly. As for the Blood Feather Tower people, I'll find a way to hold them off for a while."
"Thank you." Ji Wuyue expressed her thanks, then looked at the burly man beside her. "Abu, let's go."
"Right." The burly man nodded, and together with Ji Wuyue, he carried Jian Wushuang into the forest.
But just as they darted into the forest, a hearty laugh resounded through the heavens and earth.
"Haha, Ji Wumeng, where do you think you're taking that little brat? Don't you want the antidote anymore? I'm the only one who has that antidote, so you'd better obediently stay behind."
The voice carried a trace of evil. Hearing this, Ji Wuyue's eyes grew cold, but her steps did not pause in the slightest.
Not long after that laugh rang out, a series of violent booms immediately erupted — clearly, the experts of both sides had already clashed head-on.
"Golden Dragon Guards?"
"People from the Life-and-Death Battle Arena? You actually dare to block my Blood Feather Tower?"
"Hmph, vermin of the Blood Feather Tower — you think my Life-and-Death Battle Arena fears you?"
"Die!"
Roars and battle cries shot into the sky as the great battle erupted instantly.
Inside the forest.
"Those people — are they the ones hunting me?" Jian Wushuang turned his head and could see black-robed figures appearing behind them one after another. Those black-robed figures all wore masks — most wore silver masks, but a few wore golden masks.
"What exactly is going on? If all these people are here, then what about the Sword Marquis Manor? What about Elder Hong and the others?" Jian Wushuang shouted anxiously.
"Shut up." Ji Wuyue suddenly barked, saying coldly, "These people came for you. Since they've already arrived here, it means the slaughter at the Sword Marquis Manor has ended. As for Elder Hong and the others — they're already dead!"
"Dead?" Jian Wushuang was stunned.
"All five of them swallowed Crimson Blood Pills — pills that burn a person's life force, causing their strength to skyrocket in a short time. A martial artist can only swallow one in their entire lifetime, because once you take a Crimson Blood Pill, death is certain." Ji Wuyue said.
"What?" Jian Wushuang was greatly shocked. He finally understood why Elder Hong and the others' strength had suddenly surged so much before — they had taken those Crimson Blood Pills at the cost of their lives!
"Why? Why on earth?" Jian Wushuang couldn't help roaring.
"Why? Because of you. You awakened a Sword Soul — that's why all of this has happened." Ji Wuyue said.
"Sword Soul? What Sword Soul?" Jian Wushuang was still completely bewildered; he knew nothing of any Sword Soul.
"It seems you haven't noticed it yourself. Well, that's understandable — it's only just awakened, so it's normal that you can't sense it. But in the future, once your strength gradually rises, you'll be able to sense the existence of the Sword Soul." Ji Wuyue said.
"Just because I awakened a Sword Soul, they want to hunt me down? What exactly is this Sword Soul?" Jian Wushuang roared.
"I don't know exactly what the Sword Soul is, because I've never awakened one, and no one else has either. The only person who ever awakened a Sword Soul was one man — your father, Jian Nantian." Ji Wuyue's voice was clear and cold. "Haven't you always wanted to know why your father left four years ago, and why he later vanished without a trace, without a single word?"
"Huh?" Jian Wushuang's eyes widened. "Don't tell me — that was also because of awakening a Sword Soul?"
"Correct." Ji Wuyue nodded. "But your father was different from you — he only awakened his Sword Soul at the Golden Core stage. Not long after his Sword Soul awakened, the Blood Feather Tower somehow learned of it and immediately launched a hunt against your father. But at first they underestimated his strength, which allowed your father to narrowly escape disaster. Afterwards, your father feared he would drag you down, drag the Sword Marquis Manor down, so he chose to leave alone and begin a life of flight."
"And now?" Jian Wushuang asked quickly.
"Now? Your father has already fallen into the Blood Feather Tower's hands. As for whether he's alive or dead, I don't know either." Ji Wuyue shook her head with a bitter smile. "You only care about your father — don't you want to ask about your mother? Your mother, she..."
Just as Ji Wuyue said this, her figure abruptly trembled, and those seemingly peerless eyes, in this moment, actually turned scarlet and savage.
……
PS: Brothers, I don't know if you understood these two chapters. If you didn't, you can read them again, and if you still don't understand, that's fine too, because this is groundwork being laid — foreshadowing planted. To put it plainly, these are pits that have been dug, and quite a few of them. Keep reading with a bit of suspense in mind, and this book will only get more and more exciting.