Chapter 266: The Killer is Ji You!
The Evil Seed’s Physical Body was powerful and possessed boundless strength, far surpassing that of the Barbarian Race.
The Human Race, on the other hand, was the weakest existence among the three races.
The Prodigies had just experienced that despair-inducing power and speed, especially Tu Ri, who, while fleeing, was struck down by an airborne punch, leaving a terrifying, black-red, and purple crater in his chest.
But at this moment, with Ji You’s sword strike, Xia Family First Brother, who had made everyone despair with his strength, fell off the cliff with a single cry.
At that moment, he felt the oncoming Qi surge as if the sky was collapsing.
Lithium!
The biting Sword Qi was like a thunderous strike from a frosty sky, pressing Bu Sheng’s hardened body after his evil transformation, sending him crashing into the bottom of the valley.
The strong Sword Qi cut through the earth waves raised by the chaotic battle in the valley, so much so that looking down from the air, a clear vacuum appeared in the thick smoke.
In the field, countless Prodigies instantly gaped, and even Huo Hong, whose eyes had lost their light, widened his pupils at this moment.
Boom!
Yan Qiubai, who was being choked by Xia Family First Brother, was flung to the ground. At the same time, a speeding black shadow sent Ji You, who was making his second sword strike, flying through the air.
Amidst the tremendous sounds of ancient trees and mountain rocks breaking, Ji You’s horizontally flying figure was engulfed by a surging cloud of dust.
The menacing Xia Family First Brother landed heavily, then roared to the sky, his cries filled with anger.
At the same time, Xia Family Second Brother, who had been brutally cut down the cliff, also climbed up.
His entire left shoulder had caved in, with flesh torn open and stark white bones exposed between the sword cuts.
The two brothers looked towards the direction where the dust wave had risen, their eyes surging with malevolence. He could vaguely recognize that the person who had come down from the cliff was the top ranker on the Tiandao Conference’s Profound Realm list.
Having obtained an Immortal Fate, he had always looked down on Sect Disciples, and even more so on private cultivators from the countryside.
Because even though their Bu family was in decline, they were still a Sect of a Sect, and Ji You was nothing more than an anomaly who had stumbled upon them.
He remembered that when he and his second brother were secretly watching the Tiandao Conference, they had said he could kill him with one punch. He never thought he would suffer a loss in their first encounter today.
“Son-in-law!”
On the cliff, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu shouted, their hearts in their throats.
There’s an old saying in Qingyun, “Concern breeds chaos,” so even with unparalleled confidence in Ji You’s combat strength,
they couldn't help but feel nervous.
And upon hearing that urgent “Son-in-law,” countless Prodigies in the field instantly looked at them in stunned silence.
Just then, a figure slowly rose from the settling smoke.
There are currently two known types of Evil Seeds: one is an Evil Seed from the ruins with no consciousness whatsoever.
The other type is like the Xia Family, capable of switching between Human Race Physical Body and retaining their consciousness.
But if further categorized, Ji You felt that even if they were all Xia Family, they were still different from each other.
Although the Bu family Disciples used as bait also had consciousness, they were often affected by Evil Qi, and were not entirely rational when malevolence entered their minds.
But these Xia Family brothers in front of him were distinctly different.
They were less affected by malevolence, and their physical strength and power were stronger than those Bu family Disciples he had killed earlier.
Ji You gripped the three-foot green blade in his hand, his arm tensed like a heavy Xuan iron bow, then he stomped his foot, and a whistle arrived.
At the same time, a dazzling Sword Qi rose, striking fiercely towards Xia Family First Brother, the heavy Sword Intent causing the mountains to tremble.
Seeing this, Bu Yao’s surrounding Evil Qi surged immensely, covering his entire body like a viscous liquid, and a pair of sinister sharp claws fiercely met the attack.
Almost at the same moment, Xia Family Second Brother charged out from another direction, attacking Ji You.
The brutal collision just now had created a significant distance between them, so the Sword Qi and the surprise attack had to cross half a valley.
And as that bright Sword Qi slashed down, Xia Family First Brother, who was moving ten miles in an instant amidst the strong winds, immediately felt something was wrong. Ji You’s sword strike from the cliff used pure strength, with no Qi leaking out.
It wasn’t until he and the sword strike were about to collide like a meteor that he could feel what kind of sword it was.
Boom!
Like collapsing mountains, Xia Family First Brother felt a searing pain in his arms as if they were being torn apart, and his entire body was sent flying horizontally.
Ji You’s blood Qi continuously boiled, his robust body as hot as a ball of fire. He stomped the ground and leaped up, intending to behead with a swing of his sword.
However, just as he leaped into the air, Bu family Second Brother, who had launched a surprise attack, had already reached him, and his sharp claws, imbued with Killing Intent, came slashing through the air.
This scene was quite similar to Tu Ri’s attempt to escape, only to be crushed by him from the air.
But as those sharp claws struck, what met them was a pair of slender, slightly bony left hands, clamping down hard on his wrist, and the explosive sound between their contact was deafening.
Ji You’s right hand was originally holding his sword to slash at Xia Family First Brother, but now that he had clamped Bu Sheng, his sword stance was broken.
So he suddenly let go, and the iron sword, filled with Sword Qi, vibrated wildly and floated in the air.
Ji You pulled Bu Sheng, his right hand, which had been holding the sword, clenched into a fist, and a scorching Qi continuously roared through his arm as he smashed it down fiercely.
Bang, bang, bang!
Bu Sheng’s chest emitted a series of muffled thuds upon impact, then visibly caved in at a rapid pace.
At the same time, powerful and scorching Qi penetrated his body, creating a hollow in the Evil Qi on his back, tearing the cloth garment he was wearing.
The light in Bu Sheng’s eyes quickly dimmed, and the Evil Qi on his body continuously dissipated.
However, his sinister sharp claws still, based on his body’s consciousness, clawed towards Ji You’s face.
But before he could strike, he was directly smashed in the face by a punch, breaking his hand bones, and the fractured bones instantly pierced through his skin.
“You clearly haven’t broken through the Profound Realm yet…”
“You’re right.”
“Why is your Physical Body stronger than ours—.”
“High-quality men are all like this.”
“?!”
Ji You swung his arm, pushing Bu Sheng with a forceful punch, directly smashing him into a deep pit.
Then, with an outward gesture, the Dao Sword returned to his hand with a hum. With a whoosh, the blade cut down fiercely, and amidst a gush of blood, Xia Family First Brother’s neck was severed at the root.
At this moment, Ji You raised his eyes, his pupils surging like flowing golden Divine Soul, then he lifted his sword and flew up, leaping fiercely towards the nearby mountain forest.
In the dense forest, Bu Yao, in his Evil Seed form, was frantically fleeing west, his roaring Evil Qi contaminating the entire mountain forest.
He was not one to abandon his family, but he knew that if he stayed, they would all die.
But as a scorching wave of Qi continuously approached, what greeted him was another heavy Sword Qi, like the splitting of the sky, and a graceful figure slashing his sword in mid-air.
“That guy is clearly just a scholarly-looking man.” Xia Family First Brother’s bloodshot eyes widened in terror, looking at the swordsman before him as if seeing a colossal beast.
Boom!
In the mountain forest, sword light surged, and the Evil Qi that had just been swaying the forest was instantly cut open, accompanied by an explosive sound that pierced the clouds.
The next second, a shattered body fell from the air, crashing violently into the already cratered valley floor.
That was Bu Yao’s body, shattered from neck to chest.
As the Evil Qi dissipated, those cracks turned into horrifying wounds, continuously oozing blood.
And his neck was empty, clearly severed.
At this moment, Ji You walked out of the dark mountain forest, holding the long sword in his hand. Along the way, his hair crown got caught on a branch, and he reluctantly spent a long time untangling it.
In fact, from Ji You’s appearance to the dust settling, it was merely a blink of an eye.
In everyone’s eyes, the entire process was Ji You swinging his sword to send Bu Yao flying, then smashing Bu Sheng, and finally severing both their heads.
And the scorching and biting Qi on his body had not yet dissipated, giving the Prodigies present a heart-pounding feeling, as if watching a fierce tiger emerge from the forest.
After untangling the branch caught in his hair crown, he walked to the base of the towering ancient tree and looked down at Bu Hui, who was sitting on the ground.
Bu Hui was truly terrified this time.
He never expected that in the blink of an eye, both his Elder and second brothers would be dismembered.
At this moment, Bu family Third Brother looked up at him, gripping his clothes with trembling hands: “Don’t kill me, I can tell you anything you want to know.”
“Really?”
“I’m timid, I’m most afraid of death, I’ll definitely tell you!”
Ji You was about to speak when he suddenly looked up towards the east, and the golden Divine Thought in his eyes began to surge again.
Because just now, he had felt a wisp of Qi quietly flash and then quickly disappear.
Ji You quietly regained his composure, and while pondering, he casually raised his sword and lightly sliced across his neck.
Bu Hui looked down in confusion, only to see large gushes of blood spreading across his chest. Seeing that the other party had lost his breath, Ji You reached into his arms, took out a money bag, then turned to Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu: “Found the location, let’s go.”
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu immediately bowed: “Yes!”
Bu Qirong was willing to risk being discovered to divert the Sect’s attention and send his three sons out, which showed how much he cared for his sons.
So, when he killed the three Xia Family sons, a trace of uncontrollable Qi was exposed, and although it was quickly hidden again, it allowed Ji You to confirm that they were nearby.
In the dark mountain forest, Ji You led Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu through it continuously.
However, by the time they reached the location he had just sensed, it was already silent, with no one in sight.
“Son-in-law, they seem to be gone.”
“It’s alright. There aren’t many places left for them to hide now. We’ll definitely find them, it’ll just take some time.”
Ji You sensed around him, then looked at Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu: “Do you two want to find a place to sleep for a bit?”
Ding Yao, with dark circles under her eyes, shook her head solemnly: “It’s fine, we’re not sleepy.”
“Really?”
“Really—”
“Truly a femme fatale—”
Ji You muttered, then sensed several Auras heading towards his location. He frowned and quickly left the area.
“Ji You hasn’t broken through the Realm yet? I thought he could rank alongside us.”
“He can’t get involved in the Dongping Mountain Range matter. Coming here is tantamount to suicide…”
After Ji You left, dust settled in the empty valley.
The injured people sat on the ground, staring blankly at the three corpses.
All their injuries were extremely severe; some had even drained their Spirit Origin during the battle and were now completely unable to move, with only their Divine Soul active.
Ji You came and went like the wind, suddenly appearing from the mountain forest, descending fiercely, powerfully suppressing and killing three people, then whistling away.
If not for the ground being full of pits and three corpses lying there, they would have even doubted if it was a dream.
But the body, hot as fire, the Sword Dao that seemed to split the heavens, the iron fist like a Divine Being beating a drum, and the posture that suppressed all directions, were deeply imprinted in their minds.
Jiang Yan clutched her chest at this moment, the image of the Sky Soaring Round Slash replaying constantly in her mind.
Huo Hong and Jiang Chenfeng continuously projected themselves, only to realize that Ji You just now seemed to be their imagined future selves.
“He—what Realm is he in now?”
Xie Chenyu coughed up a mouthful of blood, a question escaping his hoarse throat.
Yes, what Realm is he in now?
No one knew this, but their Xia Family First Brother and Xia Family Second Brother were indeed in the Yingtian Realm, plus their Physical Body after being corrupted by Evil Qi—
Thinking of this, everyone fell silent.
The two Bu family brothers, through their Evil Flesh, had combat power almost equivalent to the middle stage of the Yingtian Realm, and attacking together made them even harder to deal with.
Yet Ji You, in a short period, killed both of them with a suppressive posture.
So, no one dared to imagine what Realm his current combat power was in.
Jiang Chenfeng looked at Bu Hui’s corpse: “The money pouch—”
“?””
“The previously found corpses didn’t have money pouches, but there were torn money pouch strings.”
Hearing Jiang Chenfeng’s words, everyone was stunned again, then their eyes widened further. The scene of Ji You pulling away Bu Hui’s money pouch appeared in their minds, and they understood Jiang Chenfeng’s meaning.
Those previously found Xia Family Disciples were all killed by him.
He had arrived at the Dongping Mountain Range long ago, hiding within, then killing his way to this location.
Huo Hong, with broken legs, and Xie Chenyu, with fractured bones all over his body, were lying on their backs on the ground, listening to the discussions around them, their eyes seemingly becoming hollow.
In the time that followed, no one spoke again, remaining silent along with the mountain forest.
Before long, some began to lose consciousness due to their injuries, falling into a daze and then into a coma.
After an unknown period, a noisy exclamation erupted from the cliff, startling the silent mountain forest.
“There are people in the mountain!”
“It’s Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Yan and the others!”
“Someone is injured, quickly notify the Elder!”
The Evil Seed in the Dongping Mountain Range had its ferocity activated, rushing out of the ruins and roaring throughout the vast mountain forest, disrupting the entire search rhythm.
During this time, everyone from the Immortal Sect retreated to Zhuiying Gorge.
Because the Evil Seed had no thoughts and feared no injury, coupled with their immense numbers, countless people were injured and carried back by their fellow Disciples.
Among those rescued were Jiang Chenfeng and Huo Hong.
In fact, if the Evil Seed hadn't suddenly rushed out of the ruins, their unauthorized change in search area, despite being Disciples of different Immortal Sects, gathering together and going against the others, would surely have been suspected.
But it was precisely this sudden chaos that gave them an excuse, so everyone insisted that the Evil Seed surge had scattered them, causing them to gather.
The Disciple who found them and brought them back believed them, but it didn't prevent some from disbelieving.
Because there was one question they still needed to explain clearly: their extremely severe injuries.
Ordinary Evil Seed could not cause such severe damage to a Rongdao Realm cultivator, much less break the legs of Huo Hong, who had already touched the threshold of the Yingtian Realm.
Most crucially, the corpses of the three Xia Family sons were also found by them, which also required an explanation.
They had searched the vast Dongping Mountain Range for a month, and this was the first time they had seen the core figures of the Bu family, yet there were no survivors, only corpses.
For these Elders whose Lifespan was nearing its end, and for the important figures waiting for news in the mountains, this was an intolerable matter.
In the valley where bonfires leaped, the Elders of various Sects stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, their immense Aura constantly swaying, pressing down with a profound Aura on the injured individuals.
“We met near Zhuiying Gorge at that time, talked for a long time, then separated, but then encountered Evil Seed, so we regrouped on the way back.”
“Originally, we planned to walk and search for others, but unexpectedly encountered the three people from the Xia family,”
“and suffered an ambush.”
“We should have reported this immediately, but the Evil Seed disrupted everyone’s positions, and we didn’t even know where the messenger Disciples were.”
“But no matter what, this is the Disciple’s fault, please Elder, punish us.”
Jiang Chenfeng’s expression was extremely sincere. After speaking, he raised his head and looked at his Elder’s sharp eyes.
This person was Shang Yang, the chief Elder of the Asked the Dao Sect, and the current Sect Master of the Asked the Dao Sect’s clan uncle, already over two hundred years old.
Before coming to the Dongping Mountain Range, he had been in seclusion in the mountains for decades, his body already filled with a corrupt Qi, indicating he was at the end of his path.
At this moment, he raised his deeply lined face and stared intently at Jiang Chenfeng. After a long silence, he spoke: “What Realm were these three Bu family members in, to injure you all so severely?”
“They were at the early stage of the Yingtian Realm, and with their Evil Qi corruption, plus two of them working together, they should have had the combat power of the middle stage of the Yingtian Realm.”
“Nonsense!”
Shang Yang looked at him with sharp eyes: “If they were truly in the middle stage of the Yingtian Realm, how could you, with your strength, have killed all three of them?!”
Jiang Chenfeng opened his mouth: “It wasn’t us, it was Ji You who killed them.”
“Who?”
“A Tianshu Academy Disciple.”
Because there were no Tianshu Academy Disciples among this group who had gone against the arrangements, Elder Fang and Ge Elder were not among them.
So Shang Yang straightened up and looked at the Disciple next to him: “Go, invite Elder Fang from Tianshu Academy.”
“Yes!”
Actually, the people from Tianshu Academy had noticed early on that, besides themselves and the Chen Clan, all the Elders had gathered, suspecting they had some news.
Now, hearing someone come to invite them, they immediately went gladly.
And when they arrived, they found that the Elders of various Sects were looking at them with strange expressions.
Amidst the whispers, the words “Ji You” could vaguely be heard.
Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao from the Master's Courtyard also followed and waited outside.
After a long while, Elder Fang and Ge Elder walked out, their expressions unreadable, but their eyes clearly showed suspicion and solemnity.
“Earlier, I discussed with you about sending more people over. Was Ji You among them?”
Qin Rong was a little confused, not understanding why the Asked the Dao Sect people would invite them concerning sending more people, but after hearing the question, he still spoke: “We did ask, but Ji You is not in Tianshu Academy.”
Ge Elder stepped forward: “When did he leave?”
“Around Cold Dew.”
“How is that possible—”
Qin Rong and Ge Elder exchanged glances: “Two Elders, what exactly happened?”
Elder Fang looked up: “Several Disciples from other Immortal Sects encountered Bu Qirong’s three sons on the east side of Zhuiying Gorge. A battle ensued, but because they all returned alive, the Elders of the other Sects don’t believe their account.”
“Why is that?”
“Because those two had combat power almost reaching the Sky Soaring Upper Realm, and the strongest among these people had only just touched the threshold of the Yingtian Realm, yet they survived, while Bu Qirong’s three sons died.”
Qin Rong frowned instantly upon hearing this: “That’s indeed impossible, but why invite you two?”
Elder Fang was silent for a moment, then raised his sharp eyes.
“Because they said Ji You suddenly appeared and saved them, and drew his sword to kill the three Bu family members.”
“The Elders of various Sects questioned them separately and found that their descriptions of the battle process were identical, and they even all mentioned him punching through Bu family Second Brother’s chest with three punches, and taking Bu family Third Brother’s money pouch.”
“That scene must have been incredibly profound for them—”
