First Encounter with Leng Bingning

The Ancient Martial World.

Flames of war raged everywhere, with shattered landscapes and burning villages scattered across the land. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, mingling with the shouts of warriors and the clashing of weapons and martial techniques.

Whoosh!

A sinister raven streaked across the sky, landing on the withered branch of a tree struck by lightning.

Gu Yan surveyed his surroundings.

This was a village, clearly located within the territory of the Thunder Sect.

Yet, what should have been a safe haven under the Thunder Sect's protection had now been reduced to ruins by invaders.

The Thunder Sect had always held a natural geographical advantage, its lands rich in thunder-attributed minerals—perfect materials for crafting weapons.

This had long made them a target for other sects.

Only fear of the Thunder Sect's leader had maintained a fragile peace.

But now, with the Thunder Sect's leader, Lei Tian, dead, the surrounding sects had bared their true fangs.

Watching the village consumed by flames, Gu Yan sighed softly. Such was the way of the Ancient Martial World.

Then—

A scream pierced the air from the distance.

"No! Please, spare us!!"

Thud!

A woman in simple cloth robes stumbled out of the village, dragging a young girl—about the same age as Shi Tou and the others—by the hand.

But the woman was already wounded, blood pouring from her abdomen. She collapsed just outside the village.

"Mom!"

The girl fell too, scrambling desperately to hold her mother.

Yet before she could, a warrior from another sect seized her by the hair, yanking her up.

A man in White Phoenix Manor robes held the girl aloft, while another stomped on the woman's body, cursing, "Worthless wretch! A mere mortal making me waste my time!"

"Ugh—!"

The woman could only groan in pain, too weak to speak.

"Mom!"

The girl thrashed, but it was futile.

Within moments, the woman bled out and died.

The girl stopped struggling, her eyes hollow as she stared at her mother's corpse.

Gu Yan, in the form of the raven, observed everything in silence.

Heaven and Earth were merciless, treating all beings as expendable.

Martial warriors saw mortals as nothing more than insects—such was the cruel law of this world.

From birth, one's fate might already be sealed.

Because the Thunder Sect had once annihilated the Leng Family, Gu Yan had killed Lei Tian. Without Lei Tian's protection, the other sects had moved to destroy the Thunder Sect.

This... was karma.

Originally, only ten sects had launched this war of plunder. But now, it seemed a chain reaction had begun, drawing more and more factions into the conflict.

Perhaps... it was because he had sent his own forces to intervene.

No matter.

The White Phoenix Manor had also been among those who besieged the Leng Family.

In that case...

The raven's eyes gleamed faintly.

Hum!

In an instant, the souls of the entire village—including the girl's mother—were absorbed into his body.

Since this innocent bloodshed was indirectly his doing, he would bear the karmic responsibility.

Gu Yan's goal had always been vengeance against the forces that had destroyed the Leng Family.

But openly intervening would only entangle him further. So... it was far simpler to absorb the souls of the dead and store them within his claws.

Once the girl died, he would take her soul too and slaughter the White Phoenix Manor men.

In this chaotic world, perhaps becoming a soul stored within his claws was the best fate this girl could hope for.

Yet just as this thought crossed his mind—

A sudden, frigid wind swept through the area.

Crack—!!

In the blink of an eye, the ground for miles around turned to frozen wasteland!

Even the burning village was encased in ice.

"W-what's happening?!"

"Gah—!! My hand! My hand's frozen solid!"

The warrior holding the girl stared in horror as the blood on his arm instantly crystallized into icicles. Beneath his sleeve, his skin was coated in thick frost.

His arm stiffened, frozen mid-air, completely immobile.

Beside him, his companion had already turned into an ice statue.

!!!

Before the warrior could react, a woman clad in pristine white robes materialized amidst the frozen wasteland.

Her figure stood out starkly against the icy backdrop, as if she were one with the cold itself.

Her long hair fluttered in the wind, but most striking were her eyes—cold and indifferent.

"L-Leng...!"

The warrior tried to speak, but the wind tore his voice apart.

The woman didn't answer. Her gaze swept the area before settling on the warrior and the girl in his grasp.

"Why slaughter the village?"

Her voice was calm, yet it pierced straight into the warrior's mind.

"Ugh—!"

He couldn't respond—the cold had already robbed him of consciousness.

Swish! A flurry of ice crystals passed by.

The man froze into a statue, lifeless.

The woman's expression didn't change. She reached out, pressing a finger to the unconscious girl's forehead.

Instantly, the ice around the girl melted away.

Thud.

The girl collapsed, unconscious.

The woman gazed at the pale, tear-streaked face before her, her thoughts drifting back to the day she had left the Leng Family.

Was her younger sister... still alive?

Then—

Whoosh!

The sound of fluttering wings cut through the silence.

A raven landed atop the frozen warrior's head.

Under Leng Bingning's slightly narrowed eyes, it spoke:

"Leng Bingning, I never took you for the compassionate type."

Gu Yan's tone was flat, but inwardly, he was calculating.

Leng Bingning was here, in the Ancient Martial World?

Then who was the Leng Bingning he had seen in the mortal realm?

Leng Bingning was, in fact, a character who only appeared in the later stages of the original story—the elder sister of Leng Qingqiu, who had gone to the Ancient Martial World to train.

Eventually, she had even become the leader of the Ice Heart Sect, mastering its supreme technique, the Ice Heart Art.

But!

Long before this, Gu Yan had met Leng Bingning in the mortal realm.

It was during a banquet at the King of Hell Palace, where Leng Bingning and Mei Xue had made an appearance.

Later, when he ventured into the Fifth Forbidden Land, Leng Qingqiu had even disguised herself as Leng Bingning to tease him.

So, in Gu Yan's mind, Leng Qingqiu and Leng Bingning must have known each other long ago.

If Leng Bingning was here now... had Leng Qingqiu sent her for some purpose?

Leng Bingning regarded the raven calmly.

A flicker of doubt crossed her mind.

When had this raven appeared?

She was certain she hadn't sensed its presence earlier.

A talking raven... was it a demonic beast?

But... it seemed the other party recognized her.

Yet, in her memory, no member of the sect was skilled in transformation arts.

Not to mention...

Leng Bingning grew increasingly wary. She realized that this talking raven before her was emanating a...

familiar aura.

Chaotic, dark, evil—a concentrated malice.

Boom! It hit her all at once.

Leng Bingning swiftly summoned an ice sword into her hand—shing!

She pointed it at the raven, her voice icy. "You... are the Night King."