The journey was lonely, and there was no one in the wilderness.

Desolate northern winds whistled and blew, causing withered trees to sway in the violent wind.

The violent wind swept up the wind and sand, and its strength was great. It was like sharp steel nails striking against one's skin, causing one's entire body to feel pain, and even opening one's eyes was somewhat difficult.

Amidst the violent winds, 2 figures—1 young and 1 old—were speeding through the sandstorm. Their clothes were stained with dirt, and it was obvious that they had been running for a very long time.

Ou Yangming laughed and said, "Senior He, we've arrived at the ancient city. I didn't expect to spend so much time on this trip."

"Yes, the journey has been tiring. My old body can't take it anymore." Even though He JIan said so, he was still in high spirits. The sword case on his back started to make thudding sounds. With just a glance, one could tell that something big had happened to him, and it was something good.

Although He Jian could not find a way to rebuild his foundation when he went to Mount Return Sword again this time, he saw the light again just when he was losing hope. Ou Yangming had promised to rebuild his foundation, which truly surprised him.

The 10 statues outside the ancient city were still the same. Their colors were mottled.

Similarly, the streets in the city were old and stained with a faint grey color.

The streets were bustling with people. Ou Yangming and He Jian looked at each other and saw the satisfaction in each other's eyes.

Outside the city, without the protection of the statues, they could be attacked by monsters at any time, hence they were constantly tense. They only relaxed when they entered the city.

The Longevity Alley was quiet. When they reached the entrance of the alley, Master Duan looked flustered with fear in his eyes. He quickly walked over and said anxiously, "Brother Yu, Master he, Lil' Man's in trouble!"

"Huh? What Happened?" Ou Yangming's eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked over.

Jian's face turned cold, and a pure sword intent spread out.

Master Duan was slightly startled, and his face was filled with shock. He thought to himself, 'Is this still Old He? How could he be so terrifying?'

In the Longevity Alley, Master Duan was the most ordinary one. Jiang Yingrong was the daughter of the Jiang family's patriarch. She had astonishing talent since she was young and had 3 threads of the Dragons' bloodline. She was only 2 threads away from reaching atavism. This kind of talent could make her one of the top 10 powerhouses in the Jiang family. As for He Jian, he was stronger than the rest of the generation as he blocked 3 moves from a Venerable One as a Spiritualist. Master Duan was the only one with an insignificant identity. He was a blacksmith, which was a noble identity in the ancient city but as compared to Jiang Yingrong and He Jian, this was nothing. It seemed too ordinary and mediocre.

As for Ou Yangming, he was even more blessed. He was the God-favored one of this era.

In the entire Spiritual Realm, no one could compare to him.

After a few breaths, Master Duan came back to his senses and answered in a low voice, "Shopkeeper Jiang brought the 3 children back to the Jiang family but on the way, they encountered people from Ji Qi's clan, which are the Blood Dragons. They wanted to take Lil' Man away."

"What happened after that?" Ou Yangming's voice was very soft, but there was a strong killing intent in the depths of his voice.

Master Duan glanced at Ou Yangming through the corner of his eyes and saw that he was calm, so he replied softly, "After that, Shopkeeper Jiang revealed his identity, and the Blood Dragon Clan retreated reluctantly. Just when Shopkeeper Jiang thought that all of this was over, the Ji family launched a sneak attack on Lil' Man. They were as fast as lightning, and they poisoned him. He hasn't woken up yet, and no one knows if he's dead or alive." His voice became softed, and he felt his heart skip a beat as if the air around him had frozen.

"The Blood Dragon Clan... Hmph!" Ou Yangming sneered when he heard this. Ji Qi had come to find trouble with him as soon as he had entered the ancient city. Now, the Ji family made Lil' Man half-dead. He would definitely take revenge for this, and he would return the favor 10 or 100 times over. The young fellow was usually easy to get along with, but he hid his fierceness and coldness in places that others could not touch.

He Jian's sword case was also jumping non-stop. The longswords in the case seemed like they were about to be unsheathed, and they emitted sharp lights.

They fell silent for a moment, leaving only the whimpering sounds of the winds.

After a long while, Ou Yangming's expression was calm as he said, "Senior He, I'm afraid that my previous promise will have to be delayed for a while. Lil' Man was personally entrusted to me by his grandfather, so I can't watch him get into trouble. I hope you can forgive me, senior."

He Jian waved his hand and responded, "What are you saying, Brother Yu? Lil' Man's also considered my disciple, so I won't just leave him be."

Looking at this, Master Duan felt as if he had seen a ghost. His mouth parted, and his pupils contracted.

There was only one thought in his mind. 'Is this still the taciturn He Jian? Why is there a hint of flattery in his voice?' He was in a complete mess. He had spent the longest time with He Jian, so he knew clearly what kind of bad temper he had. How should Master Duan put it? He Jian was like a stone in a latrine—smelly and hard. If he was not fond of a person, he would not reply to the person no matter what the person said. Nonetheless, this inherent impression of him had just been broken.

Master Duan was extremely curious. 'What exactly happened during their trip? What ability does the young fellow have for Old He to be convinced?'

Ou Yangming did not know what Master Duan was thinking. He continued, "Senior He, this matter shouldn't be delayed. I'm really worried about Lil' Man, and I hope that you can accompany me to the Jiang residence." He knew that since He Jian had joined the Black Dragon Clan, his status was certainly not low. If he had an acquaintance to go with him, it would be easier to handle things.

"Okay!" He Jian did not hesitate and nodded lightly.

They came and left in a hurry. They left in a flash, leaving Master Duan in a mess in the wind. He could not figure anything out.

※※※※

The Jiang family was unquestionably one of the biggest forces in the Big Ruins.

They occupied lands of 5,000 kilometers, and they were all fertile lands, which were incredibly precious in the cursed land. That was because nearly 70% of the Big Ruins was filled with yellow sand. The rest of the places were either dangerous or secret realms, and there were not many places that were suitable for living. The Jiang family took up a lot of land. Behind them was a mountain range, and in front of them were fertile fields. One could imagine how powerful they were.

The Jiang Residence was located in front of the mountain range, shocking everyone from different places.

There were many pavilions. Even though they were not carved, they were extraordinary. They were made up of dozens of courtyards.

Streams, summer flowers, and all kinds of strange fruits could be found in the pavilions. This was a rare paradise in the cursed land.

In a huge square outside the Jiang Residence stood a statue of a black dragon that was 333 meters tall. Each of its scales was lifelike, pitch-black, deep, and emitted a cold light. Its claws were tremendously sharp. The eyes of the black dragon were especially domineering as it stared at the sky.

Numerous disciples of the Jiang family sat cross-legged under the black dragon as they did breathing exercises.

Inside a female's bedroom of the Jiang residence, everything was gorgeous. A bottle of censer that was held by a person was emitting purple smoke. The fragrance was light and elegant.

On the pink bed, a 6 or 7-year-old child's eyes were tightly shut. His brows were knitted together as if he had fallen into a nightmare. There was not a hint of blood on his face. His aura was faintly discernible as though he would die at any moment. His clothes were taken off, revealing his wheat-colored skin. He was Lil' Man.

An old man with white hair, wearing a white robe and white cloth shoes, pointed his finger in the air.

A silver needle flew out and pierced into Lil' Man's Tianling acupoint. With a slight force, the silver needle flew back, and the tip of the needle was stained with a wisp of black blood. The old man took a glance at the blood, put away the silver needle, and sighed heavily.

His name was Jiang Zhihai, and he was the person who was best at medicine in the entire Jiang family. His cultivation was only that of an Intermediate Spiritualist, but he was highly respected in the clan, and his position was even higher than that of the pavilion elders.

Jiang Yingrong did not say anything. She raised her hand and led Jiang Zhihai into the hall. After making a pot of tea, she asked softly, "Elder Zhihai, how's Lil' Man?"

Her face was slightly pale, and her pupils were dark. It was obvious that she had overworked herself.

Jiang Zhihai had a complicated look on his face. He glanced at Jiang Yingrong and cupped his hands. "Young Lady, the poison's very rare. It has invaded his internal organs. Besides, the child's Bloodline Power seems to have been extracted when he was young, and it's somewhat lacking. I… I can't do anything about it! Looking at the current situation, I can only extend his life for a week at most. I hope that you'll forgive me, Young Lady," he said these words with utmost sincerity.

"Elder Zhihai, please think of a way." Jiang Yingrong was anxious and felt her head buzzing.

Ou Yangming had entrusted Lil' Man to her. In the end, only a few days had passed and such a big incident had happened. This made her feel guilty.

The old man's face darkened, and he responded, "Young Lady, I really can't do anything..." After saying that, he stood up, cupped his hands, and left.

Jiang Qingcheng combed her ponytail and looked bitter. She whispered, "Mother, why did those people want to harm Lil' Man?"

Jiang Yingrong's face softened a little, and she forced a smile. "They're bad people. They have a grudge against Lil' Man. In the past, it was fine because Lil' Man didn't show up. Now that he did, they were surely going to make a move. I just didn't expect that my identity as the patriarch's daughter wasn't enough to suppress them. Well, as long as Lil' Man's dead, why would the Jiang family go to great lengths for such a child?" Her voice was very soft. Even she did not know why she was telling Jiang Qingcheng these things.

"Oh!" Jiang Qingcheng nodded.

"Where's Lil' Lan?" Jiang Yingrong asked. Lil' Lan was too young, and she was not as strong as Lil' Man. The scene of Lil' Man being seriously injured had deeply affected her.

"She's in the room. She doesn't want to talk, and she doesn't want to come out," Qingcheng answered. Her figure had become taller, and her calves were slender and straight. Even her breasts had become bigger.

Jiang Yingrong sighed. She had never thought that so many things would happen during her return.

Looking at the sky outside the window, she could not help but think, 'What would he do if he encountered such a situation?' She thought of Ou Yangming's domineering back view again.

After thinking for a while, her mind was still in a mess, and she could not think of anything.

Jiang Qingcheng walked to her side and gently pulled her hand. She said in a low voice, "Mother, I want to sleep with you tonight."

"You're already so old, and you still want to sleep with me?" Jiang Yingrong brushed her nose.

"I've always slept with you when we were in the Longevity Alley. Why can't I sleep with you now?" Jiang Qingcheng mumbled. When she came to the Jiang Residence, she always felt that she was out of place. Her cultivation base was not as high as the rest, and she did not do things as shrewd as the others, whose words were full of deep meanings. The little girl was a simple person. She did not want to guess what people were trying to say, so she was not used to it.

Her mother, who was in front of her, was her greatest reliance.