Chapter 24: Taking Root

Ji Ning looked at the twenty-three alien beasts in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Kill."

Ji Ning didn't hesitate at all, immediately approaching silently. Any powerful figure would act upon seeing such a scene, because not taking the 'Ten Thousand Treasures Golden Essence' would be foolish! The deceased Lord had only left Ji Ning fifty million cubes, not much more valuable than a single Ten Thousand Treasures Golden Essence.

This Ten Thousand Treasures Golden Essence was far more precious than the Eternal Divine Blood from before.

"Whoosh." Ji Ning used the Shadowless Escape Technique, quietly drawing near.

One million miles, five hundred thousand miles, three hundred thousand miles.

The largest among the group of beasts prostrate and sucking in power suddenly raised its head, looking toward Ji Ning. Its deep eyes flashed with anger, and it let out a roar: "Roar~~~" The roar was piercing, tearing through the void, and countless streams of void-tearing air rushed directly toward Ji Ning.

"Found out. Kill." Ji Ning's speed instantly surged, reaching ten times the speed of light. At the same time, dark golden lightning and ice-white water currents erupted from his body, and a vast thunder-water vortex world enveloped all the beasts.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Like stones shattering.

Eleven smaller beasts exploded in succession, their armor-like bodies cracking and then annihilating into ashes.

In the first exchange, nearly half of the twenty-three beasts died.

"Kill the invader." The largest beast roared, and the other armored beasts charged furiously at Ji Ning.

"Clang, clang, clang."

Ji Ning manifested three heads and six arms, wielding six North Rainbow Swords, blocking the beasts'围攻.

While blocking, Ji Ning felt a strange penetrating force rapidly transmitting to his body during the exchanges, drilling through the Lord's armor and seeping into him, numbing his divine body.

"Such a bizarre attack. With the Lord's armor, I still feel this. If it were an ordinary Fourth Step Dao Lord, they'd probably fall here." Ji Ning relaxed inwardly. Due to their unique growth environment, these beasts had varied abilities; some were naturally adept at terrifying illusions, some at formations, and some at speed, reaching a hundred times the speed of light.

If he encountered something that countered him, Ji Ning would be in real trouble.

But these armored beasts seemed peculiar in offense, yet Ji Ning feared them least. With the Lord's armor and a divine body comparable to an Eternal treasure, harming him was truly difficult.

"Kill."

Ji Ning's sword arts were profound, far surpassing these armored beasts in realm.

Pfft.

A flash of sword light pierced through an armored beast's head, which then exploded, its internal organs shattered.

Pfft, pfft, pfft...

Ji Ning's sword was incredibly sharp; the Ultimate Sword Dao's 'Drip of Blood' had immense penetrative power. These armored beasts could block Ji Ning's thunder-water vortex world but not his sword. Soon, only three beasts remained in the air—the largest ones with the strongest armor.

Even Ji Ning's sword couldn't penetrate them.

"Roar."

"Invader."

"Damned invader." The three strongest armored beasts were enraged, attacking even more wildly, each exchange sending a penetrating force into Ji Ning's divine body.

Ji Ning suddenly put away five swords, leaving only one. His six hands grasped this single sword, raising it high. As he slashed down, the speed was sometimes drifting like a leaf, sometimes fast as lightning, with endless power naturally accumulating like a volcano about to erupt.

"Bang!" Ji Ning's sword, seemingly a head-on collision, actually followed a drifting curve, avoiding the beast's claws and striking directly on its head.

He was bullying these beasts for their low realm. Against a Fourth Step Dao Lord like Clearwind Saint, even if Ji Ning pushed speed to the limit, Clearwind could block all his swords.

A low rumble.

The armored beast trembled. Though its internal organs were tough, they couldn't compare to a cultivator's divine body, which was uniform inside and out. The beast's outer armor was extremely tough, but its internal organs were relatively fragile. Under Ji Ning's most powerful strike, its organs were shattered, killing it instantly. Its body went limp, flying backward and floating in the void, occasionally twitching, with blood flowing from its nostrils and mouth.

"One more." Ji Ning's footwork was like a sword, instantly reaching ten times the speed of light. He flashed before another armored beast, which roared in fury.

"Bang!"

Another boom.

Struggle was futile. It too was struck on the head, flying backward with no sign of life.

"Just you left." Ji Ning's gaze fell on the largest armored beast, the one that had first detected him.

"Invader, you've entered our clan's territory. You're dead." The beast spoke lowly, its armor darker and its power noticeably denser.

"Bang."

Ji Ning flashed and struck down.

Six hands gripping one sword, he struck the beast's head again. The boom shattered the surrounding void, and the beast was knocked back a step. It calmly looked at Ji Ning, eyes full of killing intent.

"What!" Ji Ning's expression changed.

Its armor was ridiculously tough.

But why couldn't a direct blow kill it?

"Whoosh." The beast pounced, its tail sweeping.

Ji Ning again gripped six North Rainbow Swords, pushing speed to the limit, the thunder-water vortex world suppressing his opponent.

"Pfft." "Clang." "Boom."

Sometimes piercing.

Sometimes low.

Sometimes soft.

Various sounds spread, the void constantly shattering and reforming. Ji Ning and the largest beast fought madly.

"Whoosh~~~" Two sword lights, like soft ropes, quickly bound the beast tightly.

"No, no." The beast struggled fiercely.

"If you could break free, that would be a joke." Ji Ning smiled. "Against such a fierce armored beast, softness overcomes hardness." The swords binding it were his North Rainbow Swords, forged by Emperor Qi Fire for Ji Ning, suitable for all sword paths as a lifebound divine weapon.

It could be fierce, cold, or strange...

Combining hardness and softness.

Hard like a heavy sword, soft like a rope. That was the North Rainbow Sword.

"Collect." Ji Ning took out a gourd and uncorked it.

Whoosh~~~ The largest beast, struggling in fury, flew into the gourd's mouth. Then two sword lights flew out and landed on Ji Ning's back. Ji Ning waved his hand, collecting the other beast corpses; their armor could be used as refining materials.

"Finally dealt with." Ji Ning sighed in relief. Though the victory seemed quick, he had used every means.

"Ten Thousand Treasures Golden Essence." Ji Ning's gaze fell on the distant golden essence. That was what he wanted.

Ji Ning stepped forward, reached out his right hand, grabbed the golden essence, and pulled.

Crackle crackle~~~~

Countless golden streams trembled, as if invisible ropes connected to the golden essence.

"What's going on?" Ji Ning was startled. He tried pulling again, but the golden essence seemed rooted, unmoved. The golden mist within millions of miles trembled again. When Ji Ning stopped, the mist calmed.

"So this golden mist is related to the golden essence." Ji Ning understood. Then he pulled with all his strength.

Bang!

The surrounding void exploded. The golden essence was yanked into Ji Ning's hand and then stored in his cave world.

"Rumble~~~" The endless golden mist began to surge violently, rushing in all directions, thinning and even disappearing. Soon, the area around Ji Ning became utterly pure, without a trace of golden mist.

Ji Ning stared blankly.

For hundreds of billions of miles around, there was no golden mist. It only began beyond that range.

Ji Ning looked toward the direction of the Azureflower Mark resonance. In the golden mist hundreds of billions of miles ahead, a massive outline was faintly visible, like a towering cave.

"A cave?" Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

For hundreds of billions of miles, all was pure. Armored beasts stared blankly; the golden mist had suddenly vanished. Then their gazes fell on the white-robed youth in the distance.

"Roar~~~"

"Invader."

"Kill."

Thousands of armored beasts within hundreds of billions of miles all fixed on Ji Ning, roaring in fury and charging.

...