Chapter 48

Three black sly beasts were advancing across the wasteland.

"Master," Qiuye couldn't help but say, "Jiang He's child harbors great hatred towards you. If we let him grow up, it might be detrimental to you in the future."

Jining glanced at Mo Wu on the other side.

Qiuye quickly added, "It wasn't Mo Wu who told me, but I know you are unhappy. After much thought, I still feel I should speak up."

Jining sighed and said, "I hate Jiang He, but his child has no grudge against me. Why should I take revenge and involve his son?"

"But in tribal wars, threats are usually eliminated..." Qiuye tried to interject.

"I understand," Jining nodded, "For the survival of the tribe... using any means is not wrong! But can a small child influence the Ji family? Our Ji family has ruled this land and executed countless people. The number of those who secretly hate us is unknown. Our Ji family can rule not because we don't offend people, but because we are strong!"

Qiuye seemed to be deep in thought.

"Even if you don't offend people, if you are not strong, others will still destroy you," Jining said calmly. "But if you are strong, those enemies will be resentful in secret but respectful on the surface. After a hundred years, their descendants will likely truly submit to our Ji family."

"And for a strong person to cultivate, the heart is even more important," Jining said.

Heart and heaven in harmony! Heaven and man as one!

The heart perceives the Dao, comprehending the true meaning of the Dao!

Jining was very clear that a cultivator must point directly to the heart. The more transparent and clear the heart, the faster one can progress in cultivation.

"Going against the heart, one will be troubled, and the path of cultivation will stagnate or even regress," Jining shook his head. "I, Jining, if I want to kill someone, I will only kill that person and will not involve his wife and children! This is my heart!"

In his previous life, Jining was always alone amidst his illness, and a solitary person would get used to thinking. The more one thinks, some become mad, while others see through their hearts and become wise. Jining saw through his heart, which made him more open and calm. In this life, if he hadn't seen through his heart, how could he have the perseverance to persist in daily hard cultivation?

Qiuye and Mo Wu exchanged glances.

The heart?

They didn't understand!

"Alright," Jining saw their expressions and shook his head, "Don't think about it. Let's go to the Winged Snake Lake."

"Master, are we not going to the Black Tooth Tribe? Didn't you say... you would take care of Chuncao's younger brother?" Qiuye asked.

"Not in a hurry," Jining shook his head. "I will go to the Winged Snake Lake first, slay the great demon Winged Snake, and then go to the Black Tooth Tribe... The root of all this trouble is the great demon Winged Snake. One of Chuncao's two younger brothers was killed by the great demon Winged Snake. I will use the death of the great demon Winged Snake to console Chuncao, and then take her only younger brother to the Western Mansion City."

"Let's go."

Jining lightly tapped the black sly beast's belly, and it immediately sped up.

Qiuye and Mo Wu also followed in the direction of the Winged Snake Lake.

...

Traveling during the day and resting at night, even with the black sly beasts' swift pace, it took more than three days to reach near the Winged Snake Lake.

"Salute the Master."

Ten black-armored guards knelt down in unison.

Jining, sitting on the black sly beast, nodded and instructed, "Mo Wu, Qiuye, you two rest at this outpost for now. It's only a few dozen miles to the Winged Snake Lake, and you can't go any further. I will go to the Winged Snake Lake alone."

"Yes," Mo Wu and Qiuye respectfully replied.

Jining dismounted the black sly beast and, with a swift leap, disappeared from the sight of the ten black-armored guards, Mo Wu, and Qiuye. This made the ten black-armored guards, who were seeing Jining's agility for the first time, widen their eyes in disbelief.

The Winged Snake Lake was now a forbidden area.

The Ji family had arranged several scattered small teams, each consisting of ten black-armored guards, to monitor the great demon Winged Snake from different directions around the Winged Snake Lake.

******

"Ripple, ripple, ripple~~~" The Winged Snake Lake, spanning a hundred miles, was vast, and even without wind, the waves rose three feet high.

Jining stood on the shore, looking at the Winged Snake Lake, and said softly, "This lake is truly unfathomable. Even if I can control water, if I enter the water... my speed will be far inferior to the great demon Winged Snake."

The deeper it goes, the greater the water pressure, and the more difficult it is to control water.

The human race can only exert less than one-tenth of their strength underwater, while aquatic creatures can perform exceptionally well.

"I am now strong, but compared to a fully mature great demon... I am at most a bit stronger," Jining thought. This was after he had cultivated the "Wind Wing Escape Technique" and comprehended the true meaning of the Dao. After all, the fourth level of the "Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart" was only equivalent to the late innate stage of other divine and demon body cultivators.

Compared to the great demon Winged Snake, he was still slightly lacking in strength.

Swoosh!

Jining took a step and directly leaped a mile, walking on the water as if on land.

"Winged Snake!" Jining suddenly shouted.

"Winged Snake!" "Winged Snake!" "Winged Snake!"... The sound rolled like thunder, quickly spreading and penetrating the lake water to the depths.

A moment later—

In a deep, winding nest at the bottom of the lake, the great demon Winged Snake was coiled and sleeping, its large scaly wings protecting its body.

"Winged Snake!" A voice penetrated the water and reached this point.

The great demon Winged Snake suddenly opened its crimson eyes.

"What's happening?" The great demon Winged Snake growled, "Go and investigate quickly."

"Yes."

Outside, some small aquatic demons were shouting in fear, though most humans couldn't understand their language, they could understand each other.

...

Two black-armored guards were hiding in the weeds by the Winged Snake Lake.

"Winged Snake?"

"Someone is provoking the Winged Snake." The two black-armored guards exchanged glances, showing surprise, and then looked into the distance. However, they were dozens of miles away from Jining and couldn't see him.

"I'll keep an eye on it, you go and report."

There were over ten black-armored guards by the Winged Snake Lake, always on watch. At this moment, three black-armored guards closer to Jining saw his figure. These black-armored guards were specially dispatched from the Western Mansion City and naturally recognized Jining.

"It's Master Jining."

"Master Jining is provoking the Winged Snake? But Master Jining is truly remarkable, walking on water as if on land, just like Commander Ji Yichuan before!"

"Stop talking, go and report this quickly."

...

The black-armored guards were shocked and quickly began to relay the message back to their respective teams. However, considering their speed, it would probably take a day for the message to reach the Western Mansion City.

Jining still walked calmly on the vast lake.

Ripple, ripple~~

A large green shrimp's head and a large black fish's head emerged from the water, looking into the distance.

"A human youth?" The two small demons looked at each other.

Ripple!

They quietly dove into the deep water and quickly swam towards the great demon Winged Snake's underwater nest.

"Great King, Great King, there is a human youth on the surface of the water," the green shrimp and black fish demons growled.

"A human youth?" The great demon Winged Snake's scaly wings spread, and its crimson eyes looked at the two small demons, who trembled and nodded.

"But this human youth walks on water just like Ji Yichuan before, the water doesn't even sink," the green shrimp demon said, and the black fish demon nodded, "Yes, yes."

"Floating on water without sinking?"

The great demon Winged Snake transformed into a black mist and then into a black-clothed man.

The black-clothed man stood there, his narrow eyes full of suspicion. Being inherently suspicious, and having been chased and trapped by several innate beings of the Ji family multiple times, he had become like a frightened bird. Now, a human youth who could walk on water appeared to provoke him, how could he not be suspicious?

"Have you seen him before?" The black-clothed man looked at the two small demons.

"No, no, we remember the few innate beings who came to our Winged Snake Lake clearly. This human youth is definitely not any of them," the green shrimp demon said, and the black fish demon nodded.

The black-clothed man nodded, "I'll go and take a look."

Swoosh!

He quietly emerged from the underwater nest, though in human form, his speed in water was much slower than his original form. However, his original form was too large, and once it appeared on the surface, it would cause a significant disturbance and be easily discovered.

"Who is it?" The black-clothed man quickly and quietly raised his head above the water, looking around.

He immediately saw a youth wearing animal skins about eight miles away, walking on the water with a very refined appearance. There were no other human strong beings around the youth.

"It's him!"

The black-clothed man's narrow eyes instantly emitted a terrifying murderous light.

Killing intent!

Hatred!

It surged in his heart, even making the surrounding water tremble.

Jining, sensing something, turned his head and saw him. Although the great demon Winged Snake was in human form, Jining still immediately recognized him.

"Great demon Winged Snake!" Jining shouted angrily.

The black-clothed man gave Jining a cold look and then slowly submerged back into the deep water.

"Winged Snake." Jining quickly walked on the water and soon came to this spot, looking down and shouting, "Don't you want to kill me? Don't you hate me to the bone? Come on, come on... I'm waiting for you to come and kill me right now."

In the deep water.

The black-clothed man's narrow eyes burned with anger. He really yearned to rush up and devour Jining's flesh and blood at this moment.

"That red snake was killed by me personally."

"Ha ha ha, I killed it with one sword, it was so fragile." The voice from above continuously provoked the great demon Winged Snake's inner rage.

The black-clothed man's body trembled slightly, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart: "I can't be hasty, I can't be hasty. If I am hasty, I will fall into the Ji family's trap. Previously, Dugu Ridge and the Ji family only agreed to confine me to the Winged Snake Lake for a hundred years, and at most, the highest-level Purple Mansion Realm beings would not intervene. But it didn't say that innate beings couldn't act against me."

The human race and the great demons fought fiercely.

However, there was a taboo boundary: the true leaders of both sides would not use their power to bully the weak. The Purple Mansion Realm old demons would not kill... and the Ji family's Purple Mansion Realm cultivators would not come out to kill.

After all, the Purple Mansion Realm was the foundation.

Once the Purple Mansion Realm beings fought and fell, it would shake the foundation of the tribe. Whether it was the human race or the demon race, they did not want to shake their foundations.

"Jining is alone, with no one around him." The black-clothed man's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "But how could he come to die? There are probably some innate beings like his father Ji Yichuan hiding nearby using some concealment formations. Once I rush out, I will likely be surrounded and attacked."

******

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{Piaotian Literature}