Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilderness Chapter 128: Living with Honor, Not Mere Survival

The wind howled and the rain lashed down, the sea churning in a violent frenzy. Under the dim, overcast sky, a small island emerged from the waves: Qimen Island.

Ah Hu had consulted the nautical charts; Qimen Island belonged to the Qi State, a lonely outpost far from the mainland. Nothing was yet known of the conditions on the island. However, the strange, desolate landmass was drawing ever closer. High above, the Qizhou cultivator continued to circle on his sword.

On the decks and in the structures of the merchant ship, figures stood amidst the lashing wind and rain, staring at the island, each dreading the misfortune that awaited them. Yu Ye stood with Tao Feng, Yu Xin, He Qingnian, An Yunsheng, and Luo Chen. When peril descends, past disputes and grievances become trivial. As fellow travelers from the Great Marsh, they had to face the enemy together. Whether they could survive this crisis was now a matter of fate.

"Life and death are ordained by Heaven, but the outcome lies in human effort," Yu Ye muttered to himself.

Tao Feng and the others no longer acted on their own initiative, promising to follow his lead. He neither accepted nor refused. Until they reached Qimen Island and gauged the true strength of the Qizhou cultivators, he dared not act rashly, nor could he shoulder the burden of everyone's survival on the ship.

Life and death are ordained by Heaven, but the outcome lies in human effort. This phrase revealed his helplessness, and it was the only answer he could offer his fellow disciples. He had originally thought Guiyuanzi would be the greatest variable in this journey, and in their moment of crisis, he had turned to him for help. But who would have thought that the old man was lost in a drunken stupor, indifferent to the life or death of others? If Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan were still here, they might have been allies, though Tao Feng’s concerns were not unfounded—those two Qi-refining experts were certainly not benevolent men.

"Thud!"

With a dull impact, the ship lurched. The sails collapsed with a clatter, and an anchor plunged into the sea. The ship ran aground on the beach, still ten yards from the shore.

"Everyone, off the ship!" the man in the sky commanded, descending toward the sand.

Five fierce-looking men stood on the shore. Though dressed in common attire, they were clearly experts at the fifth level of Qi-refining or higher. A hundred yards to the right, another large ship was anchored. Whether it was the five men, the anchored ship, the distant forests, or the unfamiliar island itself, everything was shrouded in a heavy, rain-soaked mist.

"Thud!"

Another dull sound echoed as a bamboo ladder was lowered from the ship's side. Ah Hu was the first to descend, followed by the others.

"Splash, splash—"

Yu Ye climbed over the railing, sliding down the wooden ladder into the waist-deep seawater. The spray, mixed with wind and rain, drenched him from head to toe. Ignoring his soaked clothes, he waded slowly toward the shore. As they gathered on the beach, the five Qizhou cultivators watched them with hostile, predatory eyes.

The middle-aged man who had descended from the sky stood atop a reef, his voice cold. "Twenty-eight souls on the ship, yet I count only twenty-seven..."

This Foundation Establishment cultivator had been monitoring the ship the entire journey. If anyone were hiding, they could not escape his powerful spiritual sense. Before he could finish his sentence, a voice cried out:

"There is still one cook—"

An old man appeared at the ship's railing, waving his hand, only to stumble and tumble over the edge. A few members of the Chen family rushed to catch him, but he fell into the water. As they helped him up, he coughed violently, "Cough, cough..."

Yu Ye glanced back at Guiyuanzi, his brow furrowing tightly. The old man was feigning madness again. Could he truly stand by and watch them all fall into such peril?

"The boatman and his crew, stop right there!" the middle-aged man commanded. He pointed to an empty patch of ground and added, his tone brook no argument, "The six foreign cultivators, surrender your storage rings and your personal magical artifacts. Go over there and wait for your judgment—"

The group huddled on the shore, at a loss. The disciples among them looked at each other, their faces pale with anxiety. For a cultivator, surrendering one's storage ring meant total submission, and the final outcome was all too predictable.

However, there were more than six cultivators on the ship. The middle-aged man, losing his patience, barked at the disciples, "You, you... and that woman, all of you, get out here!"

Tao Feng and the others knew there was no escaping, so they walked toward the designated area, casting sidelong glances at Yu Ye, their expressions complex. Yu Ye stood in the crowd, head bowed, keeping his distance. He had intentionally suppressed his defensive aura, letting the rain and seawater soak him, while using a technique to hide his cultivation level. Even the Foundation Establishment master from Qizhou could not see through him. In contrast, the disciples were dressed in distinctively refined robes, and Meng Qingqing, being a woman, was still protecting herself with her own aura. If calamity was coming, it was clear why.

"Life and death are ordained by Heaven, but the outcome lies in human effort. Sigh..." Tao Feng seemed to understand Yu Ye's words, sighing softly, "I am not reconciled to this..."

At the same time, the middle-aged man roared, "Are you all deaf? Hand over your storage rings!"

Tao Feng stopped. In the bitter wind and rain, his companions stood beside him in terror. The middle-aged man remained on the reef, as arrogant as ever, while the five Qizhou experts circled them, their short swords glinting with cold light.

Tao Feng looked back. Yu Ye ignored him, silently watching Guiyuanzi. The "expert" he had counted on was sitting in the mud, head drooping, emitting a soft, snoring sound. Tao Feng shook his head in despair, then turned back with a proud smile. "Heh..."

Before the laugh could fade, a voice transmitted directly into his mind: "Brother Tao, step back!"

Tao Feng stood tall, declaring with heroic resolve, "This concerns the honor of the Great Marsh Daoist sects! I would rather die than retreat!"

The middle-aged man, waiting to collect the rings, was angered by the defiance. His face darkened as he raised his hand, summoning a bolt of sword light. "Ignorant brat, you seek death..."

Tao Feng did not back down. He drew his flying sword, shouting, "Fellow Daoists, better to die with honor than live in shame! Fight!"

The middle-aged man was less than two yards away, and his fierce sword light struck in an instant. With Tao Feng’s level of cultivation, how could he block a strike from a Foundation Establishment expert? Just as he prepared to face death, a force yanked him into the air. A blue dragon shadow flickered into existence, but it was a step too late. With a loud "bang," the incomplete dragon image shattered. His protective aura collapsed, and his shoulder exploded in a bloody hole. He cried out as he was sent flying, but beside him, someone had been pulled along—it was Yu Ye, who had saved his life in the nick of time.

The middle-aged man was enraged. "A bunch of ungrateful wretches! Kill them all!"

"Thud—"

Tao Feng hit the ground. Yu Ye rolled with him, covered in mud and water. Before he could even stand, he spat out a mouthful of hot blood.

Tao Feng ignored the pain of his sword wound, reaching out to help him, his voice trembling: "Brother Yu..."

He saw the middle-aged man and two of his thugs charging toward Yu Xin, He Qingnian, An Yunsheng, and Luo Chen, while the other three men drove their flying swords toward the Chen family youths. They intended to slaughter them all!

Yu Ye shoved Tao Feng aside and leapt up, spitting out blood. Looking at the panicked Chen family youths and the murderous Qizhou cultivators, a wave of desperate fury filled his chest. He muttered bitterly, "Life and death are ordained by Heaven, but the outcome lies in human effort!"

They hadn't even set foot on Qizhou soil, and death was already upon them. He had foreseen today's danger, but he hadn't expected it to arrive so suddenly. He disliked head-on conflict, but now he was forced to face life and death directly.

Two sword lights were already within a few yards, the two men following close behind. Ah Hu and the Chen family youths retreated in panic. Meanwhile, Yu Xin and the others were already surrounded by the middle-aged man.

"Brother Tao, go help Yu Xin!" Yu Ye shouted, flashing forward. As his mana surged, a burst of mist exploded around him. Before the mist could dissipate, his figure vanished.

Tao Feng sealed his wound and rushed toward Yu Xin’s group.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two blue dragon shadows appeared out of thin air, intercepting the incoming flying swords. Just as the two men were about to trigger their spells, their limbs grew stiff and their movements slowed. Simultaneously, a figure emerged from the ground, flicking his fingers to release two invisible sword qi. "Puff, puff!" Blood sprayed, and the two men collapsed.

Just as Yu Ye struck, a bolt of sword light flashed like lightning. Unable to dodge, he threw out both hands, a dragon shadow circling him. He had just summoned the Heavenly Dragon Shield when a deafening "boom" echoed. The dragon shadow shattered instantly, and the backlash of mana slammed into him. He was pushed back, his feet carving deep furrows into the beach as mud splashed everywhere.

In that instant, a figure leapt into the air. The Foundation Establishment master had abandoned the others to charge straight at him. Perhaps the death of his subordinates had driven him into a rage. He sneered, "Heh, I didn't expect to be fooled—a little rat at the third level of Qi-refining hiding here!"

In that moment, Yu Ye knew he had the ability to flee, but he dared not run. If he did, everyone from the Great Marsh would die here. Today, he had to face life and death, and he had to face a powerful, vicious enemy.

As Yu Ye retreated, he tapped his toes and sprang up, intending to lead the enemy away from the beach. He feared collateral damage to the Chen family youths and wanted to give Tao Feng and the others a chance to deal with the remaining three Qizhou cultivators. But before he could turn, he was enveloped by a sharp killing intent. A sword light arrived in front of him; it was too late to dodge...

"Boom—"

With a thunderous sound, the sword light passed through his body. Yet, there was no blood—only a faint silhouette that vanished into the wind and rain.

The middle-aged man thought he had succeeded, but as he landed, he paused, his expression changing. An invisible killing intent struck his protective aura with a "bang." He scrambled to dodge, but another burst of killing intent pierced his back. Furious and terrified, he drove his flying sword toward his rear.

"Bang!" The figure stumbled.

It was indeed that third-level Qi-refining brat, emerging from the ground to ambush him. He was using sword qi; no wonder its power was so startling. The middle-aged man drove his flying sword, intending to kill Yu Ye while he had the chance. The boy’s sword qi was formidable, but his cultivation was lacking. With care, he could surely finish him off.

Just as he focused his murderous intent, however, various restrictive spells flew at him from all directions. The middle-aged man felt his limbs grow heavy, his movements hindered. He was forced to recall his flying sword to break the restraints. Unexpectedly, the boy, who had been fleeing, took the opportunity to return, flicking two more bolts of sword qi.

Cold light flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He spat out a mouthful of essence blood, his aura surging violently. With a loud crack, he broke free from the restraints, using the momentum to drive his sword to block one bolt of sword qi, dodging the other, and then viciously lunging at the cunning, hateful boy.

Caught off guard, Yu Ye could not react in time. In this life-or-death moment, he prepared to use his transformation technique again.

At that exact moment, a figure rushed in. Taking advantage of the middle-aged man’s lack of defense, a sword pierced his heart from behind with a "puff." He had used his secret technique to break the restraints, but he had no time to protect his body with mana. This tiny lapse cost him his life.

Tao Feng laughed aloud: "Ha! I, Tao, have killed a Foundation Establishment expert..."