At the same time… thousands of kilometers away…

　　Deep into the Heavenly Qing Mountains… situated in the Qing Prefecture of the Da Qi Kingdom…

　　The mountain was so high that it seemed to be soaring into the sky.

　　There was a palace on the top of the hill. It was surrounded by a number of other buildings. Several human figures could be seen stepping in-and-out the palace; they seemed to be extremely busy.

　　This palace was the headquarters of the union. It was formed by the seven big Sects of the three Kingdoms.

　　There was a majestic palatial hall in the depth of the palace – far away from other buildings. It was quite distinct from the other buildings in its periphery. It looked superior to the nearby buildings as it stood out from the crowd.

　　The rear part of the hall was supported against a steep cliff. There were no disciples around to guard the hall. Suddenly, a faint voice burst out from inside the hall. The people inside the hall seemed to be engaged in a dispute over something.

　　‘Ping!’ Suddenly, a rattling sound resounded in the hall; as if a cup had shattered into pieces.

　　Then, the back door of the hall opened. The gap in the door was enough to allow a person to pass through it conveniently. Two beautiful figures flashed and stepped out of the door. They started to advance towards a bamboo grove in the vicinity of the cliff. They didn’t turn their heads even once.

　　One of them was clad in white. She had an exquisite figure. There was a pleasant and graceful aura around her. This made her look like a heavenly goddess. She was none other than the Demon Witch of the Tian Yin Sect.

　　The other girl was dressed in golden. Her appearance wasn’t as charming as the Demon Witch’s. However, her figure was extremely voluptuous. Each of her actions carried a seductive charm. She was Jin Xiao Chai of the Black Demon Sect.

　　“Any matter these old fools discuss … ends up in a squabble. They never arrive at a unanimous decision without wasting much time. To be honest, they aren’t concerned about success and failure. It’s useless to talk to them,” the corners of Jin Xiao Chai’s mouth curled-up as she spoke.

　　“Don’t expect much from them. The seven big Sects would’ve have been fighting with only words… if the barbarians hadn’t launched such a large-scale invasion,” the Demon Witch said with a faint smile. There was a trace of ridicule in her tone.

　　“Hehe… you’re right! We should rather be thankful to these barbarian people. Now, we sisters can see each other frequently.” Jin Xiao Chai turned her head and looked at the Demon Witch. Then, she spoke with a loving and innocent expression on her face.

　　“You aren’t a little girl any more. So, don’t say such words. The barbarians’ invasion isn’t a trivial matter. We can’t afford to be careless. Otherwise, the several hundred years of the history of our seven big Sects will be crushed by the barbarians,” the Demon Witch wrinkled her delicate eyebrows as she spoke in a chiding tone.

　　“They’re nothing but a bunch of barbarians; that’s all. They aren’t as dangerous as you think,” Jin Xiao Chai curled her lips and replied in a tone of disapproval.

　　They continued to discuss the matter until they arrived in the bamboo forest.

　　The green bamboos were swaying back and forth in the soft breeze. This had added a nonchalant and secluded aura to the forest. It served as a sharp contrast against the incomparable silhouettes of the two beautiful ladies.

　　“I’ve recently heard that Shang Heng’s corpse was found in the Yue Yang Mountains of the Fu prefecture; he was known by the name of ‘Cold Sword’. Are you responsible for this?” Jin Xiao Chai asked.

　　“He was a sly and treacherous man. I don’t understand why Miss Yun was so easily swindled by his flattering words. He had been residing in the Fu prefecture by concealing his identity. Fortunately, the barbarians’ invasion drove him out of his hideout. Otherwise, it would’ve been very difficult to track him down.” A cold look flashed in the Demon Witch’s eyes. She then replied in a non-committal tone.

　　“Humph! Men are unfaithful heartbreakers. He didn’t receive a fair punishment. You let him off very easily. He should’ve been chopped into pieces. Then, his soul should’ve been imprisoned in my Black Snake Jar… so that he could be tortured by the painful and poisonous bites for eternity. It’s regrettable that Miss Yun died for such a man,” there was a gloomy expression on Jin Xiao Chai’s pretty face as she spoke in an angry tone.

　　The Demon Witch’s eyes flashed as she heard these words. Suddenly, a pair of warm eyes appeared in her thoughts; they had a trace of stubbornness to them. This memory filled her heart with a sudden realization.

　　Jin Xiao Chai didn’t notice the change in the Demon Witch’s expression. She continued, “I’ve heard that the only disciple of Miss Yun is still fighting the barbarians on the battlefront. I’ve seen her once. She’s called Miss Xuan. She seems to share similar characteristics with her master Miss Yun. Why don’t you transfer her to a safer place?”

　　“I tried once. I called her back to our Sect. But, she seems to be even more stubborn than Lan Yun. She insisted on strengthening herself by going through life-and-death situations,” the Demon Witch replied helplessly.

　　Jin Xiao Chai let out a long sigh.

　　“However, it’s not bad for her. She may not progress further if she doesn’t experience the hardships of life-and-death situations. Several young disciples of the seven big Sects have made a remarkable progress during these past two years owing to the fights against the barbarian race. A number of new promising characters have also appeared from various Sects,” the Demon Witch said.

　　“If you are saying this… then there should be some reason behind it. Anyways, it’s said that you seem to be more warm-hearted than before… when it comes to these trivial matters. I haven’t seen you care about the situation of these young disciples before,” Jin Xiao Chai narrowed her eyes and said.

　　“My master was injured by Mang Shang. She hasn’t recovered yet. So, I must share some part of her responsibilities,” the Demon Witch replied in an indifferent tone.

　　“Oh! If you say so, Miss Xue. I know that you have a very keen eye for talent. So, I’m really curious to know which disciples in the seven Sects have the potential to attract your attention. Just tell me a couple of names,” Jin Xiao Chai asked curiously.

　　“Miss Xuan participated in a difficult mission on the battlefront around six months ago. She had to mount a sneak attack on one of the strongholds of the barbarian race along with her team mates. I was worried about her. So, I followed her team. I then noticed a disciple of your Sect. His name was Shi Mu. He was a strong and courageous guy. Moreover, his wisdom was really admirable.” The Demon Witch didn’t reply for a while. She then said slowly.

　　“Shi Mu? It seems like I’ve heard this name before. What does he look like?” Jin Xiao Chai asked in a curious manner.

　　“He’s a tall guy with bronze skin, and decent facial features. He’s proficient in using a blade. Oh! By the way… he’s also a Charm Magician,” the Demon Witch’s elegant eyebrows plunged into a frown as she spoke the words – Charm Magician.

　　“Oh! So, it’s really him. I remember him now. He had made a good impression on me as well. Speaking of which… he should thank me for bringing him to our Black Demon Sect. Miss Xue, you seem to care a lot about this disciple – Shi Mu. You don’t usually remember the appearance of an ordinary disciple.” Jin Xiao Chai thought for a while. She then smiled and clapped her hands. But then, her beautiful eyebrows creased as a thought crossed her mind. Her eyes gleamed with a suspicious look as she looked at the Demon Witch.

　　“I just think that he has a great potential. Moreover, he belongs to your Sect. So, I thought that I should remind you to pay attention to him.” The Demon Witch didn’t pay attention to her suspicious words. She replied in the same indifferent tone.

　　Suddenly, Jin Xiao Chai’s silhouette flashed as she appeared in front of the Demon Witch, “Miss Xue, you had promised me in our childhood that the two of us would stay together forever. Also, that you would never like any other person. Don’t you remember your words?”

　　Jin Xiao Chai threw a fervent look at the Demon Witch. She then stretched out her hands, and touched the white and flawless face of the Demon Witch.

　　“It was a joke which I told you as a kid. Don’t take it so seriously. I don’t want to hear you mention it ever again.

　　“I’ve some business to take care of. So, I’ll take my leave now.”

　　The Demon Witch drew one step backwards, and gently shunned Jin Xiao Chai’s hand. Her facial expression looked cold. She then floated in the air and departed.

　　Jin Xiao Chai continued to gaze at the receding figure of the Demon Witch for a while. Then, she stamped her foot furiously. A menacing look flashed across her eyes.

　　Her facial expression returned to its normal state after a while. She looked calm. There wasn’t a slightest trace of anger on her face. Instead, a broad smile flashed across her pretty face. She then began to walk towards the opposite direction.

　　*** ***

　　Shi Mu had been choosing remote paths for the past three days. He had managed to safely return to a hidden cave located in the middle of a hill.

　　This place was a lot bigger than the underground mine he had stayed in before. Moreover, it was one of the most important strongholds of the union in the Rui prefecture. More than a hundred disciples of seven big Sects had been assigned to this stronghold. It was headed by an accomplished Hou Tian warrior.

　　Shi Mu’s identity as the ‘Flaming Blade’ had greatly contributed to his special identity as a Charm Magician. It had earned him quite a bit of fame. Therefore, almost all the disciples of this stronghold knew him. Several disciples noticed that his entire body was covered in wounds as he returned to the stronghold. All of them seemed startled. But, none of them dig into the details as they knew their limits.

　　Shi Mu had been made a part of a team of twenty disciples when he had set out on the mission. But, only Shi Mu had returned; that too… covered in severe wounds. So, everything was self-explanatory.

　　“So, this is what happened?”

　　A loud and clear voice burst out from a stone room situated deep into the cave. There was a trace of shock and anger in that voice.

　　The voice belonged to a person named Jin Chen. He looked like a thirty-year-old youth. He was tall and well-built, and had a muscular body. He looked more like a barbarian because of his huge built and height. Shi Mu was quite tall. But, Jin Chen was even taller than him – almost a person’s head taller in size.

　　“I’ll certainly report this matter to the union. By the way, Brother Shi did a wonderful job by bringing back such important information to us. You should get ten extra feat points apart from the basic rewards for this great contribution. You don’t have to go out for the next few days. You should take proper rest to heal your wounds”

　　Shi Mu obeyed. He received the identity token from him, and went to his room.

　　A moment later…

　　Shi Mu sat cross-legged on his bed. The upper part of his body was bare.

　　His wounds weren’t bleeding anymore. However, lots of scars and bruises could be seen all over his skin; it was a breathtaking sight.

　　He picked-up a piece of soft and shining golden armor from the pile of his bloodstained clothes. A trace of sorrow flashed through his eyes as he looked at the armor.

　　He had fought over hundred battles against the barbarians during the past two years. He had always relied on this armor. He had been really lucky since this armor had protected him and sustained all kinds of attacks. Otherwise, he would’ve received several serious wounds. However, the armor was now seriously damaged.

　　This battle was one of the fiercest battles he had gone through so far. However, it wasn’t as dangerous as the battle he had fought with the Xian Tian Warrior — Zong Yuan — a few months ago… when he and his team members had been assigned to infiltrate the barbarians’ granary stronghold.

　　His armor had been badly damaged because of the converging attack of the three barbarians. It was too tattered to be of any use.

　　Shi Mu forced a smile and put the golden armor aside. He then fished out a bottle of green ointment. He started to apply the ointment on his wounds. He felt a refreshing feeling that began to cool his wounds.

　　This ointment was given to him by Miss Ke. She had given him this bottle on the day she had been transferred to another stronghold by the order of her Sect. It was quite effective at healing the blade wounds. However, it couldn’t be compared with Ke’s wood-style Healing Technique.

　　He couldn’t help but think of the days when the two of them had fought side-by-side. She wouldn’t have left his wounds unattended like this if she was here. Then, he wouldn’t have to depend on this ointment to treat his wounds.

　　Shi Mu sighed and shook his head. Then, he started to operate the Real Qi within his body. He wanted to heal his injuries using his Real Qi in combination with the ointment.

　　His Blood seemed to have strengthened a little after he had consumed the Black Blood and Soul Pill that was given to him by the Demon Witch. This pill had also helped him with his practice of the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants. In addition, his self-healing capabilities had also improved remarkably.

　　His injuries got seventy-eighty percent restored within a span of four-five days owing to his frightening restoration strength.

　　However, he hadn’t sat idle during this period. He had spent most of his time in refining another set of low-grade magic charms. He had used most of his magic charms during the ambush he had encountered a few days ago.

　　He also hadn’t forgotten about the especially-made Moonlight Sea Urchin daggers. He had requested Zhao Ping to make a few more daggers for him. But, he hadn’t got an opportunity to return to his Sect to collect them due to the intensity of the war’s situation.