Chapter 23: Sword Slaying the Demon Beasts

The green-robed girl stared blankly at Ji Ning beside her. Did he really just say that? Too... too overbearing!

The distant Wanxiang demons were startled, and one roared, "Human boy, kill us all? Just you?"

"You're asking for death."

"A mere human dares to be so arrogant."

"Kill him."

The group of Wanxiang demons were enraged but dared not act rashly. The nearby Dragon Whale demon raised a hand to quiet them all.

The Dragon Whale demon scrutinized the human youth before him. Ji Ning's calm composure puzzled him... What tricks did this human youth have to be so confident? Yet the earlier Wanxiang manifestation had shown... this youth was indeed merely a Wanxiang Adept.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through the Dragon Whale demon's mind. Finally, he said in a low voice, "I'll give you one last chance to live. Leave now!"

With his reputation, how could he be scared off by a few words from Ji Ning?

"Haha..." Ji Ning laughed, glancing at Mu Zishuo beside him. "Junior apprentice-brother, don't you think they're walking right into death?"

"They are walking into death." Mu Zishuo also smiled. He knew his senior apprentice-brother's methods. That 'Soulshaker Art' was comparable to a Primal Daoist's. Even Bei Hezhou's six elite Wanxiang Adepts had mostly died, despite having protective treasures bestowed by elders. Otherwise, they would have been completely wiped out.

These Wanxiang demons?

At most, it would take a bit more time.

"Leave quickly. Don't walk the path of death." The seven hundred and twenty-nine flying swords floating around Ji Ning coalesced into a jade sword suspended before him. Ji Ning reached out and lightly flicked the jade sword. *Clang~* It emitted a crisp sound. Clearly, the jade sword's sword-light had condensed to be as solid as a real flying sword.

"If you don't leave, I'll start a massacre." Ji Ning said calmly.

The distant Dragon Whale demon's pupils contracted, his emerald eyes blazing with light, his ferocious aura surging. He immediately shouted, "Use all your strength. Kill these two humans."

"We've been waiting for that."

"Leave it to us, big brother."

"Go."

"Slaughter him."

One by one, the Wanxiang demons began to revert to their true forms—birds, beasts, aquatic creatures—some with green eyes, some with three eyes, all of them rare breeds. Once in their true forms, they exuded overwhelming demonic aura. With screeches and roars, they all charged at Ji Ning and the others.

This scene startled the green-robed girl beside Ji Ning. She looked at him and sent a mental message: "Are you bluffing, or do you really have the means? Nine years ago, you hadn't even reached the Xiantian stage. Only nine years have passed... these are all Wanxiang-level demons. If you're not sure, run now."

"Little snake," Ji Ning teased with a smile. "Just watch."

Ji Ning lightly flicked the jade sword before him, listening to the crisp sound, then smiled: "Just a bunch of chickens and dogs! Junior apprentice-brother, let's move!"

*Whoosh!*

The jade sword before him instantly transformed into a streak of water-fire millstone light... swift as the wind, howling forth.

"Alright." From Mu Zishuo's hands flew two black streaks of light, which in midair turned into two black serpents, howling forward.

A sharp glint flashed in Ji Ning's eyes. The 'Soulshaker Seal' before his soul in his sea of consciousness blazed with light. A vast amount of divine will radiated outward, centered on the Soulshaker Seal. Under Ji Ning's control, it all pressed forward... Rolling divine will surged like a mighty tide, rolling onward, crushing all who resisted.

The speed of divine will surpassed even flying swords and puppets.

Before the sword-light arrived, Ji Ning's tide of divine will had already collided with the souls of the fifteen Wanxiang demons.

"Boom!!!"

The fifteen Wanxiang demons, originally filled with murderous intent and confidence, suddenly felt as if their souls had been brutally smashed by a heavy hammer from the colorless, formless tide of divine will.

"How can this be..."

"This..."

Before the terrified thoughts could fully form in their minds, they were all stunned.

The jade sword-light of the ninth level of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, incredibly gentle, howled like the wind and directly sliced into a golden-furred ape. The ape offered no resistance at all, letting the sword-light cut through it. *Whoosh~* The sword-light easily split it from head to tail into two halves, then howled onward to cut into the next, a white-furred fox. The fox was also instantly sliced through...

"Kill." On the other side, Mu Zishuo controlled the two black swimming serpents, also slaughtering wildly.

A serpent's tail lashed out, smashing a Wanxiang demon's body to pieces.

A serpent's tail coiled tightly, strangling a demon until its body broke.

...

Fast!

Too fast!

How fast was the sword-light? How fast were the flying puppets?

The distant Dragon Whale demon had been watching calmly, not taking the sword-light and puppets of Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo seriously. He believed his fifteen Wanxiang demons could definitely hold them off, even gain the upper hand: "Probably without me needing to act, these two humans will die."

No sooner had this thought arisen than he was stunned to see that, facing Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo's sword-light and puppets, his fifteen demons offered no resistance at all, letting the attacks hit them.

After all, these were great demons. If they didn't defend at all, even a Primal Daoist wouldn't dare use his body to block a sword immortal's sword-light, even if that sword immortal was merely a Wanxiang Adept.

"Whoosh!"

Sword-light danced; puppets flew.

In the blink of an eye, the sword-light had slain nine demons in succession. Most were killed with a single cut... except for the black-shelled giant turtle, whose shell wasn't broken on the first strike. On the second, Ji Ning's sword-light, like a skilled butcher, followed the seams and sliced in, finally killing the black turtle.

The other six demons were shattered into pieces by Mu Zishuo's puppets.

In that brief instant, all fifteen demons were slain!

"No!" The white-furred fox, cut in half, reformed its body and fled in terror.

"A Fiendgod Body Refiner?" Ji Ning chuckled lightly. "You can't escape."

The rolling, crushing divine will struck the white-furred fox again. The fleeing fox was stunned once more. The sword-light in the air howled again, gracefully and easily slicing its body apart. At the same time, a brilliant water-fire lotus bloomed around it, enveloping it completely. Soon, the fox's flesh and blood were ground to pieces, the divine power within consumed until nothing remained. It was dead beyond death.

All fifteen Wanxiang demons were dead!

"Killing Wanxiang demons is much easier than killing Wanxiang Adepts," Ji Ning muttered to himself. "None of them had protective treasures from elders."

Silence!

The entire wilderness fell silent. Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo both stood relaxed, smiling. But the green-robed girl beside them was stunned: "Fifteen Wanxiang demons, all powerful ones—many at the middle, late, or even perfect Wanxiang stage. How did they, facing this Ji kid, become utterly powerless and get slain in an instant?"

Because Ji Ning's divine will had bypassed her, she hadn't noticed his mental attack.

"Only a little over nine years," the green-robed girl stared at Ji Ning, dazed. "I'm a Void Green Snake. I've traveled to many places, had many adventures, and even become a disciple of an Immortal. I only just reached Wanxiang. How did this Ji kid... now kill Wanxiang demons like chickens? How did he become stronger than me?"

Back when they fought repeatedly in Dongshan Swamp, their strength had been comparable.

The Void Green Snake had been confident in her rapid progress, but now...

...

The distant Dragon Whale demon was first furious, then quickly calmed down. He stared at Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo, his voice low: "No wonder you're so confident. You possess a divine will technique. And your souls are strong too, unleashing a divine will technique that stunned all fifteen Wanxiang demons at once."

Ji Ning smiled.

Before entering the Black-White College, his soul was already at the 'divine sense' level. Now, over three years later, with improved insights, tempered sword-heart, and daily visualization of the 'Nuwa Painting' advancing his soul... even compared to a Primal Daoist, Ji Ning's soul was strong. Dealing with fifteen Wanxiang demons at once was nothing.

The pressure from these fifteen Wanxiang demons was less than that from Bei Hezhou's six Wanxiang Adepts!

But this Dragon Whale demon...

Ji Ning was confident he could handle it and had full confidence in escaping. But defeating or even killing it, he wasn't entirely sure. After all, the demon was gifted, a Fiendgod Body Refiner with divine abilities. Killing it would be extremely difficult.

"Leave quickly, and I'll spare your life." Ji Ning looked at the Dragon Whale demon, speaking coldly.

A cold gleam flickered in the Dragon Whale demon's eyes.

Backed by the momentum of having just killed fifteen demons, Ji Ning's words carried a certain intimidation.

"Killing those demons and thinking you can scare me off?" The Dragon Whale demon said hoarsely, "I was born in the North Sea, roamed many places, and entered this land to come to Yushan Great Swamp... I've roamed for ten thousand years. I've fought Primal Daoists several times. You, a mere Wanxiang Adept, want to scare me off? Dream on!"

Ji Ning looked at him from afar: "Then stop wasting words. Prepare to die."

"Die?"

The Dragon Whale demon burst into wild laughter, his voice like thunder, rolling for a hundred miles.

*Boom~*

He vanished from his spot, transforming into a vast mist that coalesced in midair into an enormous beast... with a dragon's head and a whale's body. Its dragon whiskers were a hundred zhang long, and the entire Dragon Whale's body was over a thousand zhang. As a water-green light blazed on its surface, its body slowly grew larger, reaching three thousand zhang in length.

The three-thousand-zhang Dragon Whale hung in the sky, blotting out heaven and earth, plunging the area below into darkness. An endless, fierce aura filled the air, making hearts tremble.

Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, and the green-robed girl all looked up.

"So big." Mu Zishuo's eyes widened.

"Ji kid, can you really handle it?" The green-robed girl's face grew even paler.

Ji Ning looked at it from afar: "Little snake, just watch!"