Chapter 46: Astral Combat Body

The Cloud Marquis’ voice could be heard coming from the carriage. “Marquis Jiange’s direct descendant? Are you Ning Qianwen’s son or Ning Qianwu’s?”

Ning Xiaochuan was neither humble nor pushy about it as he replied, “Ning Qianyi!”

“Oh?”

The Cloud Marquis’ shock could be heard from his voice. “So you’re Ning Qianyi’s son. I see, I see. That’s right, you should be at this age right now.”

Ji Hanxing was quite skeptical as well as she glanced at Ning Xiaochuan worryingly. Was he really Ning Qianyi’s only son?

That man had been unrivaled, even the Cloud Marquis had lost to him four times.

The Cloud Marquis said, “Since you’re the son of that man, I’ll let today slide. Stand down! I’m here to capture a wanted criminal and nobody will stop me. Those who block my path shall die.”

“Whoosh!”

Luo Mufeng led the Cloud Marquis’s personal army as they entered Begonia Manor.

Since the Cloud Marquis had already given the order, anyone going against the order would be seen as going against the Empire. He had the right to even kill a direct descendant of Marquis Jiange.

“Haha! It looks like the Cloud Marquis is quite a big shot, so much so that you don’t even see Marquis Jiange’s Residence as a threat.” A bold and thick voice could be heard from the wind. It was like a thunderclap.

“Gallop!”

A herd of Ironhoof Bloody Wolves with soldiers on them came from the distance. All of them were filled with killing intent.

The man at the front was riding a green giant dragon.

The dragon’s body was as big as a mountain and each step it took would shake the ground. The dragon let out a long cry which caused unrest to the people hundreds of miles away.

The man jumped down from the back of this humongous dragon. His entire body was filled with Qi. He glided tens of miles before landing just outside Begonia Manor and standing beside Ning Xiaochuan. He then glanced at the Cloud Marquis’s personal army and yelled, “Kneel down!”

The soldiers of the personal army knelt down instantly under this man’s dominance.

Everyone was shocked.

Who exactly was this guy that dared to challenge the Cloud Marquis?

He was even able to shock the Cloud Marquis’ powerhouses down to their knees with just his voice alone.

Ning Xiaochuan and Ji Hanxing stood beside this man and could clearly sense the powerful energy coming out from him. It literally felt like the sea and he seemed to be able to destroy an entire city by just stepping onto it.

It was an incredibly astounding feeling!

Although the man looked like he was in his thirties, his true age must have been more than fifty years old. The man’s posture was straight and he was in battle armor, which had a cape behind him. His eyes were especially sharp and filled with bloodlust as it carried a very strong sense of arrogance, so much so that only a handful of people dared to look him in the eyes.

A typhoon appeared as this man inhaled.

Far away, the herd of Ironhoof Bloody Wolves and the green giant dragon turned into Qi as they were absorbed into his mouth and disappeared from the empty field.

“Soul Shadows!” Ji Hanxing stared at the man in fear as she knew that this man stood at the pinnacle of the world.

Ning Xiaochuan nudged Ji Hanxing with his shoulder and asked, “What’s a Soul Shadow?”

Ji Hanxing took two steps back and stared at Ning Xiaochuan. “That’s something only the best martial artists can create. A normal person only has Three Souls and Seven Spirits, but the martial artists who reach the end of their Cultivation are able to absorb something else into their souls. This forms into what we call Soul Shadows and is able to greatly strengthen their Souls and Spirits.”

“Take the pack of Ironhoof Bloody Wolves and that green giant dragon you saw earlier as an example. They don’t really exist. Instead, they’re just the man’s Soul Shadows! It’s really strange however, as the legend says that Soul Shadows are hidden within the body and exist as latent strength. How did he make his Soul Shadows appear?”

Ning Xiaochuan stared at this man. Perhaps he was also a descendant of Marquis Jiange’s Residence?

“How dare you stop the Cloud Marquis’ carriage from moving? Don’t you know that this is the border of the Imperial City? You’ll have to take a step back even if you’re God!” Someone shouted.

That man stared at him coldly. “Yue Wuyang, it’s been ten years and you seem to grow bolder and bolder. How dare your commander scream at me.”

“Oof!”

All the man did was to glare at him and the soldier in armor vomited a mouthful of blood instantly, falling to the ground!

He was able to kill a person by just staring at them!

The Cloud Marquis’ words revealed this man’s identity. “Ning Qiancheng, you really have returned!”

This man was the second son of Marquis Jiange, Ning Qiancheng.

He was also Ning Xiaochuan’s father’s second elder brother.

Ning Qiancheng had been away from the Imperial City for ten years and had been fighting in wars the entire time. Latest intel had said that he had led a legion of two million soldiers in a raid against the Tianji Dynasty and would return in a few days.

This news had created an uproar in the Imperial City as many were guessing just how Ning Qiancheng would be rewarded once he returned to the Imperial City. Some even said that he might be knighted as a Noble.

Now, the legend had returned.

Ning Qiancheng glanced at these soldiers and said, “Yue Wuyang, you were a match for my third brother last time. I can’t believe you can hold your own against his son now! It looks like, after all these years, you’ve gone backwards!”

Cloud Marquis said, “I’m merely acting on behalf of the Empire, sharing the burden with His Highness, and thinking about society. Ning Qiancheng, are you really going to go against His Empire? Against his decree? Against society?”

Ning Qiancheng said, “You’re just a Promoted Noble who didn’t inherit your title from the previous generation. How dare you barge into Marquis Jiange’s Residence’s Manor? Who gave you the nerve to do such a thing? Do you even have His Highness’ decree?”

The Cloud Marquis’ power and authority in the current empire was massive and he was a hot topic in the Yulan Empire. No average Noble would dare to speak to him in such a manner.

Only Ning Qiancheng, who had no fear of anything, dared to speak to him this way.

Ten years ago, Ning Qiancheng was an infamous man within the Imperial City. He even dared to punch the prince and break down the Empire Instructor’s door back then. He was literally a tyrant within the Imperial City.

Ning Qiancheng stared at these soldiers and said, “Do you really think that we, Marquis Jiange’s Residence are going to be bullied just like that? Or do you really believe that the Cloud Marquis is more prestigious than Marquis Jiange’s Residence? How dare you invade our manor! Do you believe me when I say that I’ll chop all of your heads off?!”

The soldiers looked at each other, fearing for their own lives.

Marquis Jiange’s Residence’s influence had not waned for the past eight hundred years and the Cloud Marquis had only been around for a few years. In terms of actual influence and strength, the former was on a totally different level.

“Let’s go!” The Cloud Marquis said coldly.

Hence, the army that had surrounded Begonia Manor went away like a flash flood.

Ji Hanxing rode her Dragon Elephant beside the Cloud Marquis’ carriage. “Marquis, why are we afraid of Ning Qiancheng? Official Tian must be hiding inside Begonia Manor. Once we’ve captured Official Tian, even Marquis Jiange’s Residence would have to be involved in this.”

“Hanxing, you’re still too inexperienced. Ning Qiancheng has successfully raided a Grade Four Dynasty and has significantly contributed to the Yulan Empire. He showed his strength when he returned. If we were to really go against him, we’d only win by a slight margin, if we even succeed. This is the first reason.”

“Secondly, Marquis Jiange’s Residence has been around in the Yulan Empire for the past eight hundred years. They’ve spread deeply throughout every corner of the Empire. The court, Imperial Harem, barracks, and society. They hold power everywhere and even His Highness would have to think twice if he wanted to go against these True Nobles. We won’t be able to shake Marquis Jiange’s Residence at all, even if we found Official Tian in Begonia Manor.”

“Thirdly, it’s true that we don’t have definite evidence. We can’t guarantee that Official Tian is really inside Begonia Manor.”

Ji Hanxing said, “However, those footprints really did come from Begonia Manor. Official Tian must have been saved by Ning Xiaochuan.”

The Cloud Marquis replied, “Are you certain that this is not a trap set by Marquis Jiange’s Residence and Official Tian? What if they led us here on purpose? How are we supposed to clean up this horrible mess if we don’t find Official Tian in Begonia Manor? How would the enemy attack us then?”

Ji Hanxing squinted. “I understand my lack of diligence. It really does feel like a trap since Ning Xiaochuan can’t cultivate any Combat Qi at all, yet was able to save Official Tian. Marquis, do you think that Marquis Jiange’s Residence has teamed up with the Dark Emperor City to fight against us?”

“We can’t determine that as of yet and it’s something we can’t just say. Please be extremely careful from now on. Marquis Jiange’s Residence and the Dark Empire City aren’t something you can mess with. They might be able to kill you with a word,” the Cloud Marquis muttered.

Cold sweat started covering Ji Hanxing. “There’s one more thing that I don’t understand. wasn’t Ning Qiancheng supposed to return two months from now? Why has he already returned?”

“What you saw earlier isn’t really his body. It’s just his Astral Combat Body!” The Cloud Marquis said.

The Astral Combat Body!

No wonder Ning Qiancheng was able to appear with his Soul Shadows when he returned. That was merely his Astral Combat Body.

If his Astral Combat Body was this strong, just how strong was the actual person then?

Ji Hangxing stopped abruptly and said, “Marquis, I’m going to stay back. I’m very certain that Official Tian is still within Begonia Manor.”

“Stay then! However, you must be careful. If you see Official Tian, you must escape immediately. That’s because he’ll certainly notice you the instant you find him. It’s not an easy task to run away from him and you could say that this is going to be your first challenge.”

The Cloud Marquis put his hand out of the carriage as a white Mystical Pill appeared in his palm then fell into Ji Hanxing’s hand.

“Please consume this Dragon Wing Mystical Pill when you’re in trouble. It might just save your life.”

Hence, the Cloud Marquis’ carriage slowly disappeared into the distance.

Ji Hanxing jumped down from the Dragon Elephant’s back as she secretly went back to Begonia Manor.

…