Chapter Seventy-Two: The Ill-Intentioned King of Deer

A sudden thought flickered through Black Demon Ancestor’s mind, and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the depths of the Cloud Wilds. Yet, upon reflection, it seemed unlikely. He said, “Though that brat Ning Bai Xia is being held up and can’t come to help, he must have already notified the experts of the Immortal Celestial Sect to come to their aid. We must seize the Soul Devouring Sword before the reinforcements from the Immortal Celestial Sect arrive.”

“It was all the incompetence of those useless fools at the Jiangning branch hall. If they had discovered sooner that the Soul Devouring Sword had ended up at the Tianyuan Auction House, the situation wouldn’t be so disadvantageous for us now. Even if we recover the sword this time, we’ll still have to guard against retaliation from the Immortal Celestial Sect afterward.”

“Ning Bai Xia is bound to rely on the strength of his sect to go head-to-head with the Nine Nether Hall. This was within our expectations. At worst, we just retreat back into the Nine Nether Hall. No matter how formidable the Immortal Celestial Sect is, they can’t do anything to us. The matter of most urgency is to get the Soul Devouring Sword. With it in hand, I’ll be the legitimate master of Nine Nether Peak. The old geezers in the hall are no pushovers either and will likely be here soon. When that happens, who the sword will end up with is hard to say.”

“Don’t worry, Master. Even if they arrive, Ning Bai Xia, that star of calamity, will keep them at bay.”

“You leaked their whereabouts to Ning Bai Xia?” Black Demon Ancestor shot his disciple a sidelong glance, frightening Yao Chen so much that his heart quivered, dreading that his master might end his life on a whim. Just as he was about to explain, he heard that eerie, croaking laugh: “You’re even more cunning than I am, boy. I like it.”

“Thank you for your praise, Master. I merely think that the position of Nine Nether Peak’s master is rightfully yours. Once you reclaim it with the Soul Devouring Sword, you will surely lead the Nine Nether Hall to new glory.”

Flattery never fails. Yao Chen’s sycophancy made Black Demon Ancestor’s whole body tingle, and his wrinkled old face lit up with delight, as though the Soul Devouring Sword was already in his grasp. He had no idea, however, that the sword had already been carried deep into the Cloud Wilds by Ning Mofei.

The herd of Scarlet Cloud Deer followed, the journey calm and uneventful. Occasionally, they sensed powerful auras nearby, but as soon as the herd let out a chorus of cries—especially the sharp, ringing call of Red Flame—the threats quickly faded away, and no expected dangers materialized.

“This time, thanks to my fourth brother, I’ve had the chance to enjoy the scenery deep within the Cloud Wilds. When I return, I’ll have something to boast about to Grandfather,” Ning Zhongwu laughed heartily, braving the biting wind.

Flattered, Ning Mofei grew even more excited, urging Red Flame onward, leaving the others behind in the distance.

At last, the thick mist shrouding the Cloud Wilds came to an end. The fog thinned, forming a faint boundary at the edge of space. Ning Mofei spurred his mount forward, causing the dim barrier to ripple. Suddenly, his joyful smile froze, a strange darkness flooded his eyes, and a chilling aura emerged.

“Go back! Damn it, you fool!”

Ning Mofei’s furious shout echoed within the spatial barrier, but his body, astride Red Flame, broke through and disappeared beyond it.

“What’s wrong with Fourth Brother?” Ning Zhongwu shouted, alarmed.

Yu Youwei’s gaze turned instantly frigid.

They galloped side by side to the edge of the barrier; as the deer’s head struck it and was bounced back, the two leapt up together. Yu Youwei’s Greenshade Sword sliced open the barrier, while Ning Zhongwu smashed through with a punch. They burst through almost simultaneously and stopped abruptly.

Red Flame stood a hundred paces beyond the barrier, head half-turned. Ning Mofei sat upright on its back, eyes closed. Both deer and rider were eerily still, which made Ning Zhongwu deeply uneasy. “Fourth Brother, what happened?”

Ning Mofei turned his head toward him, and in that glance was a cold, desolate menace, making Ning Zhongwu feel as if he were being stared down by a viper—danger in its purest form.

“It seems you’ve forgotten my warning,” Yu Youwei said coldly, her sword a streak of green light pressing against Ning Mofei’s brow. “I told you, when survival is at stake, heaven and earth will turn against you. If I ever judge a threat must be eliminated, I won’t hesitate. Did you think I was joking?”

“Sister-in-law, don’t!” Ning Zhongwu cried, watching as the swordtip pierced his brother’s brow and blood began to flow, yet not daring to intervene.

The cold, lonely aura only intensified. Darkness as deep as ink filled Ning Mofei’s eyes, though he forced down his anger and spoke: “This deer harbors ill intent. It’s bound by the formation here and cannot leave Cloud Wilds for long. If it goes beyond its limits, it will be seriously injured or die, and the Ning family fool will suffer the backlash.”

“If Mofei dies, will it survive?” Yu Youwei sneered, pressing a little harder with her sword.

Ning Zhongwu was stunned. But, having survived many battles, he quickly regained composure. Even as blood ran down his beloved brother’s face, he gritted his teeth and did not interfere.

“The Ning family fool won’t die—at worst, he’ll fall unconscious. Let him ask the deer himself,” Ning Mofei’s body trembled, the darkness fading from his gaze, leaving only confusion in those black-and-white phoenix eyes. “Youwei, I just had a terrifying dream.”

“Ask Red Flame what’s going on. If it dares to hide the truth, even if you suffer the backlash, destroy it,” Yu Youwei intoned gently, the first part an instruction to Ning Mofei, the latter a threat to the Scarlet Cloud Deer King, though her voice was soft as ever.

The Scarlet Cloud Deer King could not forget the fate of the thirty venomous crocodiles Yu Youwei had captured at the Poison Dragon Pool. The little white bear’s divine beast aura could suppress the entire herd, and Yu Youwei could strip them to the bone with ease—a truly dreadful prospect. The deer king had no idea that the creature it truly feared was now in a dormant state before its next advancement, nor that, outside the formation-shrouded Cloud Wilds, the little white bear dared not unleash its aura lest the laws of heaven punish it for crossing borders.

Staggering back a few steps, the deer king’s eyes pleaded. Ning Mofei spoke for it: “It was just like the rest of the herd, unable to cross the spatial barrier. This time it wanted to try, relying on the contract to see if it could follow me out. It meant no harm.”

“Try? Then let me try too—see if I can slice a grown Scarlet Cloud Deer to the bone without letting it die! Is that possible?” Yu Youwei flicked her sword, pointing it back the way they had come.

“No!” Ning Mofei leapt from Red Flame’s back, clutching Yu Youwei in panic. “Red Flame knows it was wrong. It won’t do it again. Youwei, please don’t hurt the little deer.”

Yu Youwei had only meant to threaten and now relented. “Very well, I’ll spare it this once.”

“Damn it! This is outrageous. After all this trouble, the herd can’t leave because of the formation!” Ning Zhongwu raged, cursing the heavens, as if he had overlooked Ning Mofei’s strange episode and never questioned why Red Flame feared Yu Youwei.

Fixing the Scarlet Cloud Deer King with a cold glare, Yu Youwei declared, “Then I’ll take Mofei myself. We’re not far from the Immortal Celestial Sect now, and the Dark Shamans won’t dare parade about in the cultivation world. I can handle one or two of them.”

“That won’t do! I’m coming with you,” Ning Zhongwu refused flatly.