Chapter 3: A Fight to the Death

Bo Zishan swept his gaze across the surroundings, looking at the area covered in frost and the area scorched black, at the large number of corpses, especially the innate creatures among the many corpses that made his heart twitch. He felt pained! These were all his subordinates. To refine the treasure bred from sin, he needed a large number of underlings to torment people, and even more powerful underlings to capture innate creatures.

"All destroyed." Bo Zishan looked at Ji Ning, his gaze full of coldness. "My disciples and servants have all been killed by you. The many fierce ghosts I've accumulated over a long time, nurtured for so long, were about to succeed. You forced me to stop. I, Bo Zishan, have actually suffered such a great loss at the hands of a little brat like you! I won't treat you badly. I will thank you properly and let you taste the torment of your soul!"

"He's a Zifu cultivator."

"He's a Zifu cultivator."

Many among the thousands of Dao soldiers were still shouting in terror.

"Are you a Zifu cultivator?" Bo Zishan stared at Ji Ning. His evil magic treasure was only a half-finished product, and this time it had been forcibly interrupted because of Ji Ning. Relying solely on that half-finished treasure, Bo Zishan was still among the top Zifu cultivators. But according to what his disciples had said, this Ji Ning was merely an eleven- or twelve-year-old youth from the Ji clan.

An eleven- or twelve-year-old youth who was a Zifu cultivator?

If true! Bo Zishan would instead be wary. Becoming a Zifu cultivator at such a young age likely meant he had encountered some stroke of fortune, and might have some hidden trump card.

"Zifu cultivator? If I said I'm not a Zifu cultivator, would you believe me?" Ji Ning said coldly.

Swoosh!

A small boat suddenly appeared under Bo Zishan's feet, and he stepped onto it, instantly flying far away to put distance between himself and Ji Ning. Bo Zishan, clad in a black robe, stared coldly at Ji Ning. He had already regarded Ji Ning as an equal opponent, so he had distanced himself from the start.

Immortal cultivators were divided into different categories. Those who practiced the divine body refinement path preferred close combat, while others who controlled magic treasures, poisons, puppets, and the like liked to keep their distance and then use their techniques. Getting too close was dangerous. Bo Zishan, for instance, favored using poisons and magic treasures.

"Bang." A black claw attacked Ji Ning from behind.

Ji Ning's magic treasure wings fluttered, tracing an arc as he dodged. The wind from the black claw tore the ground apart. A black-furred zombie roared as it chased Ji Ning.

"Bo Zishan, die!" Ji Ning dodged the black-furred zombie while summoning over four hundred flying sword magic treasures around him. Under Ji Ning's control, each sword emitted a faint white light.

"Indeed, there's no need to force it. Just go with the flow. By guiding the key points of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, controlling it becomes much easier." Ji Ning had been comprehending formations earlier and hadn't properly tested the 'Fifth Layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.' He had used it in the Water Mansion, but it had been too strenuous.

But now Ji Ning found it noticeably easier. As he continued to experiment, the 405 flying sword magic treasures grew more agile, and his divine sense controlled them with increasing ease.

"Magic treasures!" Bo Zishan, standing on the boat in the distance, changed expression. "He can control magic treasures to fly—he really is a Zifu cultivator! So many flying sword magic treasures... most of them are probably ungraded, but so many ungraded treasures combined will surely have considerable power."

"Roar~~" The low-roaring black-furred zombie chased Ji Ning, attacking again and again.

Relying on the Windwing Evasion technique, Ji Ning dodged with extreme agility, avoiding each attack. In a life-or-death battle, one must make the best use of one's strengths. That black-furred zombie was clearly immensely strong and had an indestructible body; fighting it head-on would be foolish. Ji Ning naturally understood that this zombie was probably raised by Bo Zishan. As long as he killed Bo Zishan, the zombie would no longer be a threat.

"Fifth Layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation." Ji Ning continuously controlled the large number of floating sword magic treasures around him, quickly familiarizing himself with the intricacies of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, making control easier and easier.

"Go!" Ji Ning's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light as he looked at Bo Zishan in the distance.

A flickering sword light condensed before him and shot out instantly, as fast as lightning, leaving only a faint trace in the air as it stabbed directly at Bo Zishan, who was standing on the boat. Bo Zishan had already produced a horsetail whisk magic treasure in his hand. Seeing this, he swung the whisk, which transformed into three thousand white threads, entangling the incoming sword light.

Both the boat and the whisk were graded magic treasures! Their power was extraordinary.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~"

"Not good." Bo Zishan's expression changed. He quickly manipulated the whisk, using the three thousand white threads to deflect and guide the sword light while emitting light, layer by layer weakening and canceling it out, until the sword light was completely consumed before reaching Bo Zishan.

Ji Ning's expression also changed. The power of the Fifth Layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation was certainly not weak. The Fourth Layer was already comparable to the power of a Zifu early-stage cultivator using a graded magic treasure. The Fifth Layer was probably on par with some powerful Zifu early-stage cultivators.

"He really is a Zifu cultivator." Bo Zishan looked at Ji Ning, his face contorted. "Such a monstrous talent at such a young age—how could I let you live?"

A black object resembling a beehive appeared in Bo Zishan's hand, quickly growing to a height of one zhang, covered in dense holes. With a buzzing sound, countless golden bee-like insects flew out from the holes, forming a massive swarm that surged toward Ji Ning.

"Poisonous insects." Ji Ning was startled. He quickly condensed another indestructible sword light before him. "Kill!"

Whoosh!

A sword light shot through the air, slashing into the dense swarm of golden insects. With a harsh, grating sound, the sword light killed several hundred poisonous insects before piercing through the swarm. By then, the sword light had shrunk to half its original size. It arced around and plunged back into the swarm, this time being completely consumed after killing another several hundred insects.

"This won't do." Ji Ning quickly fled using his magic treasure wings while dismissing the idea of using the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation to deal with the insects.

The Lesser Thousand Sword Formation consumed too much true essence. He had already used the Fifth Layer twice and the Fourth Layer once. Only sixty to seventy percent of his innate true essence remained. Those poisonous insects numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and each sword light only killed seven or eight hundred.

Even if his true essence were inexhaustible, the insects would reach him after just three sword lights.

"He's dead for sure." Bo Zishan watched Ji Ning.

"Water-Fire Lotus!"

Ji Ning let out a low shout. Around him appeared water lotus leaves and fire lotus leaves, which quickly closed together like a flower bud, protecting Ji Ning within.

"Three Water-Fire Lotuses." Ji Ning exerted all his strength. Each Water-Fire Lotus was formed from three water lotus leaves and three fire lotus leaves. The larger lotus enveloped the smaller one, so three lotuses layered over each other, with Ji Ning at the core, continuously executing the Windwing Evasion technique.

Because the black-furred zombie was still chasing him, Ji Ning dared not relax.

"Buzz buzz buzz~~~" The dense swarm of insects finally enveloped Ji Ning, frantically burrowing into the Water-Fire Lotus, easily piercing through the first layer.

The three Water-Fire Lotuses, with six layers of leaves in total, continuously rotated. As the insects burrowed in, many died under the grinding force of the water and fire leaves. But they quickly gathered and focused on one spot, drilling inward, passing through the second, third, and fourth layers... though many insects died along the way.

"A protective technique infused with the true meaning of the Dao! Where did Ji Ning learn this?" In the distance, Bo Zishan felt pained as his insects died in large numbers, but he was also shocked. While sword techniques and the like were precious, even moderately large tribes possessed them. But protective techniques like this were truly invaluable, hard to learn even in his sect.

How could he know... Ji Ning had comprehended this technique himself.

"Through the sixth layer!" Ji Ning held the Northmoon sword, desperately blocking the insects that had passed through the sixth layer. But these golden insects had tough carapaces, hard to destroy. After blocking a few, one bit into his body, piercing his armor and biting hard.

"Die." Ji Ning frantically stabbed the insects one by one with the Northmoon sword, while his wounds healed automatically.

"I can't go on like this. Although I have the divine body refinement for recovery, more and more insects will come... and I'll eventually be eaten clean." Ji Ning grew anxious. "These insects are all controlled by Bo Zishan. I just need to kill him."

Ji Ning ignored the insects, preparing for a desperate strike.

"He has a divine body." On the boat in the distance, Bo Zishan also grew impatient, his face full of anger. "His body recovers astonishingly, and he has that protective technique! Even if I can eat him, I'll lose most of my precious insects. This magic treasure isn't fully refined yet, and using it now will greatly harm the fierce ghosts, but I have no choice!"

Bo Zishan flipped his hand, raising a blood-red cloth banner that was surrounded by a layer of black light—materialized sin!

As the banner appeared, the surrounding world seemed to darken.

"Ji Ning, die!" Bo Zishan shook the banner in his hand.

"Bo Zishan, die!" Ji Ning, surrounded by three Water-Fire Lotuses and besieged by countless insects, also roared. Around him appeared 486 flying sword magic treasures. In this desperate moment, Ji Ning frantically tried to push his limits. Since the Fifth Layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation couldn't kill his opponent, he had to use the Sixth Layer!

The blood-red banner shook!

The 486 flying sword magic treasures floated, each gradually emitting a faint white light!

……