Chapter 15 Desperate Situation

Ji Ning and Yu Wei were wary but unafraid. In their eyes, the one among the six who required the most caution was 'Dan Zhu the True Immortal.' Now that Ji Ning's Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens had broken through to the twelfth level, he was fully confident he could defeat Dan Zhu the True Immortal. He did not know that among the six before him, while Dan Zhu was formidable, Blackstone the True Immortal and Nine Deaths the True Immortal were even more terrifying.

The dark-skinned, bald, barefoot youth suddenly grinned.

Instantly, streaks of light flew in all directions like lightning—ancient, simple Fuxi Staffs.

Fuxi Staffs! A formation! Ji Ning was startled. Among the top geniuses, few studied formations.

Hummm~~~

Lines of light connected, runes swirled, and a sealing formation covering a range of ten li descended, trapping both Ji Ning and Yu Wei as well as the six themselves.

Alright, said the dark-skinned, bald youth calmly. I've set up the seal. They can't escape. Whether to kill or release is up to you. He sat cross-legged near the edge of the formation's light barrier, his crooked staff stuck into the ground beside him. He sat there, clearly unwilling to intervene.

His talismans were already sufficient. Setting up a sealing formation to trap the enemy was the extent of his camaraderie. Fight? He couldn't be bothered. Deep down, he was not a bloodthirsty person.

Ji Ning, said Xiamang Qi coldly. Hand over all your talismans obediently, and you two will live. Otherwise... death awaits!

Hand over the talismans! Zhuanxu Qi also shouted.

Hand them over, the silver-haired girl Feixue the True Immortal shouted as well.

The three of them still lacked enough talismans, so they were the most eager.

Dan Zhu the True Immortal smiled. Fellow Daoist Ji Ning, to tell you the truth, there are those in this team stronger than me. I advise you not to resist. Hand over the talismans and save your lives. You have cultivated for a short time and have a bright future. There's no need to force this Immortal Feast.

Come and take them if you can, said Ji Ning from a distance, his tone cold. Dream on if you think I'll hand them over.

With Ji Ning's words,

A massive water-fire lotus bloomed, layers of water petals and fire petals beautiful and endless, spinning continuously.

Ji Ning and Yu Wei were protected within the giant water-fire lotus.

Stop wasting words with them, said the silver-haired girl coldly. Attack. A fly-whisk appeared in her hand. She swung it, and thousands of white threads rose into the air, forming a strange beast head—a ferocious white skull with layered, interlocking fangs.

The white beast head opened its massive maw and bit down toward Ji Ning and Yu Wei.

The water-fire lotus protected the two.

Crack~~~ The beast head's teeth bit into the water-fire lotus, the countless interlocking fangs easily crushing a layer of petals.

Ji Ning was secretly alarmed, but it was expected—none of those who survived to the end were pushovers.

Kill, said Zhuanxu Qi, forming hand seals. Black streaks of light flew from his body, transforming midair into six massive black serpents that rampaged, also tearing through layers of petals to strike at Ji Ning and Yu Wei.

Too stubborn, Dan Zhu the True Immortal sighed softly. Her eyes brightened slightly.

Invisible divine will instantly assaulted Ji Ning and Yu Wei.

Yu Wei's face turned pale.

Ji Ning felt the needle-like divine will stab at his soul, but now his soul and divine body were fully integrated, greatly enhancing his resistance. He blocked it directly.

Nine Deaths, kill! Xiamang Qi roared, transforming into an eighteen-zhang-tall giant. His whole body gleamed with golden light, his aura overwhelming. He gripped a warblade and charged through the shattered lotus petals toward Ji Ning and Yu Wei.

Ji Ning? Seems impressive, said the dirty girl with a grin. She also grew to twenty zhang tall, but her body exuded no aura, as if utterly ordinary. Bare-handed, she charged forward.

In an instant, all five attacked simultaneously.

Scram!

Ji Ning also swelled into an eighteen-zhang giant, his aura vast and mighty. He bellowed, and invisible divine will transformed into swords, blades, and spears, assaulting Dan Zhu, Feixue, Nine Deaths, Zhuanxu Qi, and Xiamang Qi. When a Daoist reached the Yuan Shen stage, the soul's growth was greatest in the short term.

Similarly, when a divine-body cultivator reached the Yuan Shen level, the improvement was also greatest. Ji Ning had reached the twelfth level, and his soul, nourished by his divine body, had surged astonishingly, nearly matching his second soul.

This assault made all five change expression.

Break! Ji Ning, his aura overwhelming, wielded two massive immortal swords. With a sweeping strike, a dazzling sword-light directly cleaved the white beast head.

Boom!

The white beast head was shattered, dissolving into countless white threads that flew back. The silver-haired girl gripping the fly-whisk showed surprise.

Go! Ji Ning's sword-light swept horizontally after cleaving the beast head, sending the six black serpents that charged first flying back.

Kill!

Then Ji Ning took a step and appeared before Xiamang Qi, his sword-light slashing directly at him.

I'll block! Xiamang Qi was intimidated by Ji Ning's ferocious momentum and dared not act recklessly, focusing on defense. Clang~~~ With a deafening crash, the eighteen-zhang giant Xiamang Qi flew backward like a meteor, slamming into the distant sealing barrier before falling to the ground.

Too strong!

Xiamang Qi, Zhuanxu Qi, and Feixue the True Immortal were all stunned.

Ji Ning's advantage over them was overwhelming—one-on-one, he could likely kill them in two or three exchanges.

Swoosh. The dirty girl stepped forward to meet Ji Ning, extending her hand like a blade, striking at him. The palm strike was exquisitely subtle, and Ji Ning felt its profound mystery—in terms of finesse, it surpassed his own swordplay.

Ji Ning's sword also howled forth.

Boom!

Sword-light and palm collided. The dirty girl was knocked back three heavy steps, while Ji Ning retreated one step.

What! Ji Ning was shocked. In his last few months in the Brightmoon Diagram of the Waters world, he had always used the Star-Picking Hand when attacking; he dared not hold back, as none of his opponents were easy. Even against Xiamang Qi, using the Star-Picking Hand hadn't killed him in one blow—clearly, all who survived were formidable. But this girl dared to block his sword bare-handed and succeeded—it was absurd.

You all go after the woman. Leave this Ji Ning to me, said the dirty girl, clearly excited.

Ji Ning shook his body, manifesting three heads and six arms.

Wielding six swords, he charged straight at the dirty girl. If you don't want to die, get out of the way.

Rare to meet a good opponent, the dirty girl met his charge.

Kill, kill, kill! Ji Ning showed no mercy. With three heads and six arms, his sword-light was like lightning and a curtain. But the dirty girl, using only her palms, blocked most of the sword-light with swift movements before her body. The remaining strikes that hit her left only minor wounds.

Her body is like a magic treasure? My full-powered sword can shatter an Earth-ranked treasure, yet it only leaves a small cut on her skin? Ji Ning was astonished. I can't get entangled with her.

Ji Ning flickered and charged toward Feixue and Zhuanxu Qi.

You're mine, the dirty girl also shook her body, manifesting three heads and six arms. Like flowing water, she moved with Ji Ning, her six palms striking and chopping at him repeatedly.

What's going on? Ji Ning grew anxious.

The girl clung to him tightly, her body like a magic treasure, daring to block his attacks head-on. He couldn't break free.

...

Feixue, Zhuanxu Qi, Xiamang Qi, and Dan Zhu all simultaneously struck at Yu Wei.

Black and white.

Taiji.

Yu Wei stood there, a black phoenix and a white phoenix circling her like an iron wall, fending off the four attackers. The massive white beast head, six black serpents, and Dan Zhu's secret seal technique—a huge translucent seal in the air—smashed repeatedly at the two phoenixes.

Junior apprentice-brother, Yu Wei urgently sent a mental message.

Senior apprentice-sister, Ji Ning understood. She couldn't hold out. Though her strength had greatly increased and she excelled at defense, facing four attackers simultaneously was too much.

Ji Ning, with three heads and six arms, roared, Get out of my way!

You? Not enough, the dirty girl, also with three heads and six arms, clung to him tightly.

Even fighting Xiamang Zishan hadn't been this frustrating. This girl's body was like a treasure, and her comprehension of the Dao was extremely high—her every move was profound, completely entangling him. He couldn't escape.

Junior apprentice-brother, Yu Wei's voice echoed in Ji Ning's mind.

Ji Ning also saw the scene in the distance.

Boom!

The white phoenix finally collapsed. The eighteen-zhang-tall Xiamang Qi charged forward with his warblade.

Go! In desperation, Ji Ning deployed the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation. Over seven hundred flying swords hung in the air, condensing into a thread of sword-light that shot toward Xiamang Qi. Though Ji Ning's close-combat strength had surged, the power of the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation had not improved much.

Clang. Xiamang Qi blocked the sword-light with a single slash of his blade, his body trembling slightly, but he still lunged at Yu Wei.

Only a single black phoenix remained, struggling to block the great seal, the black serpents, and the white beast head.

Xiamang Qi closed in. Yu Wei tried to retreat, but trapped within the sealing formation and attacked from all sides, how could she escape?

Clang. Xiamang Qi's warblade parried the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation's sword-light, while his left hand suddenly took on a bizarre, multicolored hue, faintly tinged with black aura. That chilling hand reached directly for Yu Wei.

Ten Thousand Poison Sting! Yu Wei's face changed drastically.

Pfft.

Though she struggled desperately, her close-combat skills were no match for Xiamang Qi, a divine-body cultivator. His left index finger, wreathed in black aura, pierced through a gap in her magic treasure and stabbed into her abdomen. The terrible poison instantly invaded her entire body. Yu Wei's face turned ashen and dark.

...