In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 284, Part 3: Sworn Brotherhood

Ning Xiaoxi stood a step behind Tianji. Apart from the black earth and the acrid smell, faint miasma began to appear beneath her feet, a hundred miles away from Shuanghui City.

The large number of decaying corpses and rotten leaves, coupled with deliberate burning, turned this place into a natural paradise for the generation of poisonous miasma.

"My lord!" Ning Xiaoxi's voice echoed in the desolate space, "Since I came here, from the royal city to the northern lands, from the northern lands to the west, and then from the west to the southern state. The coexistence of celestial masters and demons in the north was only the last vestige of prosperity. The vast yellow sands of the west have buried all traces of humans, demons, and monsters, and the blockage of communication can quickly erase any good or bad deeds. But this southern state..."

Tianji narrowed his eyes slightly, neither turning around nor responding. The miasma that was spreading around his feet was pushed away by an invisible force.

“In just over a month, a million corpses have been shed.” Ning Xiaoxi took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tianji. “The royal family’s goal is very clear: they want to control the fate of the human race.”

The indifferent expression on Tianji's face was gone; loneliness and desolation crept onto his brow.

"Where is the master? What does the master want? To fight for his life?"

A dignified aura emanated from Tianji: "I was born as an auspicious omen, so naturally I must strive for a glimmer of hope for all living beings."

"What if there is no such chance of life?"

A radiant aura slowly enveloped Tianji's body. "I will do everything in my power, what is a little bloodshed to me!"

"Now that we have a foothold in these three thousand worlds, let's make the most of it!" The clear and resonant voice carried the clang of metal.

Tianwei's handsome face appeared on the other side of Tianji. The aura surrounding Tianji paused for a moment, then dissipated. Ning Xiaoxi shuddered; she had sensed it—it was the demonic aura clearly emanating from Tianwei.

"Hehe, that's rare!" Tianji's smile, though devoid of genuine laughter, held a glimmer of light. "Does the old man know you left Bingzhou?"

“He’s just too afraid of losing.” Tianwei said sadly. “The losses he’s experienced before were too painful, and it’s understandable that he doesn’t want to go through that again.” After saying that, she turned to greet Ning Xiaoxi, “Girl, long time no see!”

Ning Xiaoxi also turned her head and looked at his underage face through Tianji's eyes. Following Tianji's words, she asked, "Did you run away from home?" She dared not ask him why he didn't hide his aura.

"No, you two are just making a mess of things. If I don't show up soon, I'll be out of the picture, right?"

Ning Xiaoxi smiled, "Our foundation of trust is not yet solid enough."

Tianji raised his hand and slapped Ning Xiaoxi on the back of the head, "You don't even trust me, and you're talking about trust with him? You must be joking."

Ning Xiaoxi tilted her head to look at Tianji, "You know all this!"

"Hmph, I thought everyone was as slow-witted as you."

Ning Xiaoxi saw a smile on the sky, a smile like the sun breaking through the clouds, which made Ning Xiaoxi mesmerized.

Tianji couldn't help but roll his eyes, ignoring Ning Xiaoxi's infatuated expression. "The Demon Clan has no chance anymore. Yizhou is a good place. Although the Jian family is a small family, they can only survive now because they are small."

"The direct descendants of the Jian family have been transferred to the capital."

“That’s the hostage the king wants,” Tianwei continued. “I am the hostage from Bingzhou.” She then pointed at Tianji with her finger. “He is the hostage from the Mohist school.”

"I thought the hostage of the Mohist school should at least be at the Tianxian level."

Tianwei said in a low voice, "Tianxian's heart has turned to the royal family, and the Mo family has basically given up on him. Therefore, he cannot be a hostage."

Ning Xiaoxi nodded knowingly, "Oh, it's a family matter, I understand!"

Tianwei nodded knowingly.

Tianji looked left and right, and said, "I'm still here."

“We know!” The two nodded.

"Your Majesty has taken hostages from all the major families and the direct descendants of the feudal lords in the capital, but is this really going to work?" Tianwei didn't think it was a good idea. "If this son is no longer useful, then just appoint another one. Even if the good one is taken away, at most you can appoint a bad one. Are you really going to sacrifice hundreds or thousands of lives for one son?"

Listening to Tianwei's rambling, Ning Xiaoxi recalled the strategies of alliances and marriages she had read about before. Indeed, it was a very Chinese practice.

"It's impossible to stop it, it's just a temporary peace of mind, or a reasonable excuse for what might happen in the future." Ning Xiaoxi deeply admired the wisdom of her ancestors!

"I think it's unnecessary!" Tianwei prefers a direct approach.

"But why did you go all the way here instead of going to the capital?" Ning Xiaoxi asked, puzzled.

He said you're a bit difficult to deal with, and that it would be best if the three of us met to see if we could avoid internal strife.

"Ah! It really worked." Ning Xiaoxi nodded. "Just like he said, he's on the verge of becoming my enemy. If I hadn't met with you today and talked to you, I might have drawn my sword the moment I saw him next time."

"Wow! It's already this intense?"

"Ask him!" Ning Xiaoxi said unhappily, pointing her chin at Tianji.

Tianji sighed, "You're still blaming me? You're still blaming me! What about what happened on the Arctic ice sheet?"

Ning Xiaoxi's eyes widened. "You dragged me into that too? I... I even recycled them!" Those ten were clearly hanging on the branches of the mulberry tree!

Tianji's eyes lit up, and he stared at Ning Xiaoxi, "Really?"

"You...don't...know?" Ning Xiaoxi said slowly and deliberately, realizing that she had been tricked by Qing Li.

Tianji laughed, "Now I know."

Tianwei asked curiously, "What is it? What is it?"

Tianji tapped his forehead, "You're a demon, don't get involved in our demon affairs."

"Who's the demon? Who's the demon? You're the demon, your whole family are demons!" Ning Xiaoxi retorted.

"Yes, my whole family are demons!" Tianji lowered his head and looked down at her with disdain, and Ning Xiaoxi immediately lost her temper.

Tianwei was unhappy. "You have secrets! We have a common goal, how can you have your own little secrets?"

Ning Xiaoxi straightened up. "You're a demon, he's a monster, and I'm just one person. The three of us have the same goal: to slay demons and monsters. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Tianwei raised her hand, "We can skip the matter of the demons. We all know they're beyond saving, so there's no need to discuss it anymore."

Ning Xiaoxi stared intently at Tianwei. Demons are indeed ruthless!

After exchanging a glance with Ning Xiaoxi, Tianji said to Tianwei, "You know I've been trying to find a space where the demon race can live."

Tianwei's eyes lit up. "You found it?"

“No.” Ning Xiaoxi’s eyes flickered as soon as Tianji said this. “However, I have found the black dragon’s remains and have begun to study spatial secrets. Given the current momentum of the royal family, this may be our last chance.”

Ning Xiaoxi remained silent. Was he really going to lie to her face like that?