第十四章 小千剑阵初显威

Chapter 14: The Lesser Thousand Sword Formation Shows Its Might for the First Time

Two figures transformed into streaks of light, swiftly rushing toward the cave dwelling of this demon mountain. One was a golden-robed man with an aquiline nose, the other a thin, dark-skinned youth. They were demon kings of two nearby demon mountains... The Prison Wilderness Great Swamp was extremely dangerous; even great demons needed to look out for one another.

In the surrounding area, eighteen Wanxiang great demons had formed an alliance. Once danger arose, they would immediately crush a signal talisman. The other seventeen great demons would instantly know and must rush over as fast as possible!

For this, the eighteen Wanxiang great demons had sworn oaths by the Heavenly Dao. Because they supported each other... they occupied this area, and incidents of great demons being killed were rare.

"Big Brother crushed the signal talisman. I wonder if he encountered some lone demon or a cultivator!"

"Both of us are stronger than Big Brother. If we attack together... whether it's a lone demon or a cultivator, we'll kill them all."

The two old demons transmitted messages to each other.

The eighteen great demons had been ranked by years of cultivation, not by strength. Big Brother was a Black Tusk Elephant demon, the one who had cultivated the longest.

"Third Brother, Fifth Brother, attack together and kill those two cultivators!" Suddenly a loud shout came from the distant cave dwelling.

"We've been exposed!"

The two Wanxiang great demons exchanged glances. They had wanted to ambush, but now there was no time.

"Kill!"

They transformed into streaks of light and charged directly toward the stone gate of the cave dwelling.

...

Inside the cave dwelling, Mu Zishuo was struggling against the dark-faced man. Ji Ning, holding the hand of a child beside him, looked at the child's terrified expression and comforted him: "Don't worry, just stay by my side and don't run off."

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, three streaks of light blasted in from outside—a sharp blade and two awls, all extremely sharp and imposing.

"Hmph." Ji Ning moved his mind.

Whoosh!

Beside Ji Ning, densely packed flying swords appeared, totaling seven hundred and twenty-nine. Among them, the core heavy sword formation of eighty-one flying swords consisted of nine 'Nine Yang Sword Formation flying swords', thirty-six water-type Mortal-grade top-quality flying swords, and thirty-six fire-type Mortal-grade top-quality flying swords.

The other eight heavy sword formations consisted of four formations of three hundred and twenty-four flying swords, all water-type, and another four formations all fire-type.

Water and fire encircled!

Nine Yang as the core!

"The ninth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation!" Ji Ning's powerful divine sense fully controlled these seven hundred and twenty-nine flying swords. The swords formed a water-fire momentum, water and fire mutually restraining and generating each other, one yin and one yang. With his insights into formations, controlling them was much easier. This pure and refined sword formation also made Ji Ning feel very comfortable.

"Over seven hundred flying swords, all Mortal-grade top-quality or supreme-grade." Ji Ning sighed inwardly. "And with one water and one fire, controlling them is incredibly smooth."

So many flying swords placed an immense strain on the soul.

But Ji Ning managed to control them all.

"Sssss..."

The flying swords undulated, each surface emitting a faint white light.

In front of Ji Ning's chest, a strikingly beautiful white flying sword condensed. This white flying sword was like suet jade, its surface glossy and extremely beautiful. The entire sword emitted a faint luster... as if it were an immortal's treasure.

This was the sword light of the ninth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.

With such high-quality Mortal-grade flying swords and his powerful divine sense controlling them, Ji Ning's current power was nearly the theoretical limit of the 'Lesser Thousand Sword Formation' at the Zifu stage. Such power even surpassed many divine abilities like 'Heavenly Transformation' and 'Blazing Heart Eye'.

"Go!" Ji Ning smiled slightly.

This white flying sword, like suet jade, shot through the air, tracing an arc, accompanied by the murmur of flowing water.

Whoosh~~~

The three incoming streaks of light were all entangled and obstructed by this flowing stream.

"That one in animal skins is indeed more formidable." The dark-faced man, locked in combat with Mu Zishuo, was startled. "He alone can simultaneously block the combined attack of my two brothers."

Boom! Boom!

The aquiline-nosed golden-robed man and the thin dark-skinned youth also entered the cave dwelling, looking at Ji Ning with caution.

"Third Brother, Fifth Brother!" The dark-faced man transmitted urgently. "You two deal with the one in animal skins; I'll handle this kid. Go all out and kill them."

"Alright, Big Brother."

"Okay."

The two newly arrived Wanxiang great demons also noticed that the one maintaining human form and remotely controlling treasures was not someone they could easily suppress.

"Human cultivator, die!" The two great demons roared. The aquiline-nosed golden-robed man instantly transformed into a majestic golden-feathered eagle in flight! The thin dark-skinned youth turned into a pitch-black four-hoofed beast with two yellow curved horns on its head.

"Die!" The dark-faced man also turned into mist and condensed into a long-trunked elephant with black tusks.

The three great demons instantly reverted to their original forms!

The power of the treasures attacking Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo immediately surged!

"Junior Brother Shuo," Ji Ning transmitted. "Can you hold on?"

"Don't worry, I haven't used all my tricks yet." Mu Zishuo transmitted confidently.

"Good."

Ji Ning smiled.

At that moment, the golden-feathered eagle swooped down, its pitch-black claws tearing through the air. The claws instantly expanded more than tenfold, ripping the air with a piercing shriek... visible ripples appeared in the air. The power of this claw far exceeded the earlier treasure attacks.

Demons differed from humans; their bodies were naturally strong and possessed innate talents.

For instance, some demons could naturally control water. Even without practicing divine body refinement, demon bodies contained immense strength. They could even refine certain parts, like 'horns', 'claws', or 'tails', into treasures. These were true life-bound treasures, with astonishing power when used.

"Rumble~~~" The entire cave dwelling trembled. The four-hoofed beast lowered its head and charged at Ji Ning with a thunderous stomp. The two yellow curved horns on its head began to lengthen, becoming sharper. Its steps were heavy, causing the cave dwelling to shake and collapse.

The full force of the two great demons was terrifying.

"Hmph."

Ji Ning shook his head.

"Die."

The white flying sword condensed from the ninth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation streaked across the sky. In midair, a massive water-fire millstone phantom appeared, with a fierce wind swirling at its center. The white flying sword, at the center of the water-fire millstone, transformed into that wind.

Fast!

This was the Millstone Sword, second only to the second stance of the 'Three-Foot Sword' among Ji Ning's many sword techniques. It could be called the Three Talents Millstone Sword or the Water-Fire Millstone Sword. Though named after a millstone, it was incredibly fast.

Where the sword light passed...

Water and fire howled, the millstone turned into a blur!

"Not good." The golden-feathered eagle sensed immense threat but still madly grabbed with its claws.

Whoosh!

Too fast. The millstone sword light easily evaded the claws and sliced across the golden-feathered eagle's body. The eagle's tough, treasure-like feathers offered no resistance, and the sword light cut through. The water-fire millstone sword light then turned to strike the charging four-hoofed beast below.

"Third Brother!" The four-hoofed beast was terrified. His third brother had been killed in an instant! Third Brother's eagle claws were renowned in the area; ordinary eagles were good at catching snakes, showing how swift their claws were. But a Wanxiang great demon's life-bound treasure claw couldn't catch a sword light.

Such sword technique!

He had never heard of it.

This was a sword immortal! Ji Ning, upon first entering the Black-White College, had already intimidated everyone with the first stance of the 'Three-Foot Sword'. Now, the Water-Fire Millstone Sword, derived from the 'Lesser Five Elements Sword Record', was far more powerful than that first stance. Executed with the nearly perfect ninth-layer Lesser Thousand Sword Formation's sword light, its power and speed were beyond what a Wanxiang great demon could match.

"Flee." The four-hoofed beast stomped the ground, shaking the cave, then turned and crashed into the stone wall to escape.

Boom!

The stone wall shattered, but the millstone sword light, like a gust of wind, chased after and struck.

The four-hoofed beast dodged desperately, even detaching its sharp curved horns to meet the sword light.

The sword light flashed!

Boom~~~

The four-hoofed beast's body, carried by inertia, rushed out of the cave dwelling before splitting in two, crashing into rocks outside, shattering them and toppling trees. Its two halves lay nearby, blood foaming from its mouth, and soon it breathed its last.

"Die!" Mu Zishuo, seeing his senior brother's might, also roared.

Two black serpents coiled around each other, tails linked, forming a huge black ring that entangled the fleeing Black Tusk Elephant. The ring tightened and squeezed... With a squelch, most of the elephant's body turned into pulp, and it died horribly.

The golden-feathered eagle lay on the ground, already lifeless.

Three Wanxiang great demons had fallen.

Ji Ning waved his hand and collected the golden-feathered eagle's corpse and the four-hoofed beast's corpse. Mu Zishuo also collected the Black Tusk Elephant's corpse.

"It's going to collapse." Mu Zishuo rushed out.

Ji Ning, leading the young child, had already left the cave dwelling. The entire cave was full of cracks, and with a rumble, it collapsed.

"Haha, we got three great demon corpses in one go. As long as we stay for three months, we'll become Yinglong Guards." Mu Zishuo was excited.

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded lightly.

With the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation formed by over seven hundred Mortal-grade flying swords, its first display brought Ji Ning joy.

"Kid." Mu Zishuo looked at the young child beside him. "How did you end up on this mountain?"

The young child was dazed. These two had easily killed the three great demons that seemed so terrifying, whose mere aura made his heart tremble. It was unbelievable. When asked how he got here, the child was stunned for a moment, then tears flowed as he pointed into the distance: "There."

...