Chapter 307 Picking Up Dropped Equipment
“Boom!!!!”
After the world fell silent, a sky full of Sword Qi poured down like a raging sea, and deafening explosions erupted in the night.
A violent wave of Qi exploded in a ring, and everyone on and below the mountain covered their faces with their sleeves, only steadying themselves with the help of Spiritual Qi.
At this moment, beneath the Sword Qi wave, the Mystic Light Treasure Seal emitted a blinding golden glow, and the Six-Pronged Black Staff discharged crackling purple lightning.
The two intertwined into a net, forcibly resisting the overwhelming Sword Qi wave.
However, the mountain-shattering power of Xiao Chong Shan caused Shang Zha’s bones to crackle all over his body, and the sleeves of his arms shattered inch by inch, his face contorted.
“The world says that Tianshu Academy has a rogue cultivator, acting wildly and unrestrained, but I never expected you to be so audacious as to openly oppose the Five Great Immortal Sects!”
“Then what should I do? Four have already died—”
“?”
“Can you persuade the other four Sect not to be my enemies?”
Ji You whispered, his sincere and helpless voice causing Shang Zha to be momentarily stunned.
This question was actually the same as what the Dan Sect had faced initially; if the Immortal Sects wanted to capture alchemists, then whether five or six Sect came made no difference.
Just like now, Ji You had already killed four, so killing one more made no difference.
There was a big difference between not offending and offending one family, but little difference between offending four Sect and offending five Sect.
As Shang Zha was in a daze, he suddenly felt a sharp aura cutting at his face.
In the instant before he could react, Ji You had already shattered ten feet of blue bricks and burst forth, with shattered stones and sand exploding from the spiderweb-like cracks.
The gleaming Dao Sword hummed softly, reflecting a pair of chilling eyes.
Then, the Heaven-Circling Slash.
The wildly gushing Qi directly flattened the dust and sand waves in front, carving out a clear expanse in the night, and then the Sword Qi crashed down.
With a clang, the airborne Treasure Seal trembled incessantly from the slash and flew out horizontally.
Shang Zha gritted his teeth, and with a bang, he gripped the airborne Black Staff, slamming it fiercely into the incoming Sword Qi.
The roaring Sword Qi and the Black Staff’s lightning collided, creating sparks as brilliant as shooting stars, scattering everywhere.
The two instantly flew back several feet, and the ground between them was already riddled with deep pits and cracks covering the mountain.
Among the five Wujiang Realm cultivators who came up the mountain tonight, Shang Zha’s combat power was considered superior, but he excelled at using Magical Artifacts to counter enemies, not direct confrontation.
So, with just that one confrontation, he realized that if he were to be engaged in close combat, he would have no chance of winning.
Thus, the moment he landed, Shang Zha’s Qi surged, recalling the Treasure Seal that had been cut away, and at the same time, drawing a dazzling beam of heavenly light into the Black Staff.
The two Magical Artifacts intersected and spun in the air, emitting roars like a Dragon and a tiger, as he pushed them out with a flick of his palm.
Meanwhile, Ji You surged upward against the still-dissipating Sword Qi, his Dao Sword cutting out a crescent of cold light.
Upon contact, the explosive clang of metal on metal made the surrounding mountains tremble.
Like that bronze disc, the Treasure Seal that came crashing down also carried a terrifying aura, directly causing Ji You’s Dao Sword to whimper in agony.
And in that instant, the Six-Pronged Black Staff had already broken through the air and smashed heavily onto the Treasure Seal.
A bursting force instantly made his whole body tremble, and he was sent flying, a mist of blood instantly spraying from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, a hint of unnoticed fear flashed in Shang Zha’s cold eyes.
That Treasure Seal and staff, their power should not have been merely this much.
“Buzz!!!!”
Shang Zha’s mind stirred, and a ripple of illusory light spread from beneath his feet, and in an instant, he flew towards the Dan Sect’s mountain gate.
In fact, even at this moment, he didn’t understand why the situation had turned out this way, and the killing of cultivators of the same Realm had also caused his Dao Heart to become unstable.
The most crucial thing was that the mission had failed.
Because no matter what, he couldn’t take any alchemists away tonight, so there was no need for him to continue fighting.
Ji You, stepping forward at this moment, looked at the blurred figure of Shang Zha and suddenly waved his sleeve.
In an instant, the Grand Formation protecting the entire Dan Mountain boiled, transforming into countless Mystic Light that burst forth from the ground.
And just as the Grand Formation rose, a pair of fists, whose pressure made the air explode, also descended.
“Thief! How dare you!”
“Boom!!!”
In fact, ever since Huo Yu died, the chaotic battle at the Dan Sect had already stopped.
In the lingering night before dawn, everyone was looking towards the mountain gate.
A brilliant white light emanated from the dense forest on the mountainside, tearing a rift in the night like the rising sun, illuminating the peaks and rock walls with meticulous clarity.
That was the technique of the Asked the Dao Sect; for the Disciples of the Asked the Dao Sect on the Ninth Step, this was undoubtedly familiar and shocking.
But the Heaven-Circling Slash’s Sword Qi was equally formidable, instantly tearing apart that unrestrained Immortal Light, and the massive sword mark even caused the Dan Sect’s protective Grand Formation to tremble.
Then another beam of Immortal Light shot out, directly piercing through the nearby cliff.
The roaring and light continuously tore at the heavens and earth, accompanied by exploding fist winds, until at a certain moment, all sounds seemed to be invisibly snuffed out.
The rumbling explosions continued, the Immortal Light of techniques and the Qi of the Sword Dao constantly collided, finally stopping abruptly at one instant.
At this moment, before everyone’s eyes, above a hundred-foot-high wave of earth, Elder Shang of the Asked the Dao Sect erupted in a mist of blood, then plummeted down from that hundred-foot-high wave of earth.
And the swordsman holding the sword, covered in blood, fell into the surging waves, the remaining Sword Qi causing the iron sword in his hand to hum wildly.
Amidst the whistling mountain wind, the vast Dan Mountain fell into silence.
As the dust and sand gradually dispersed, people saw two figures, one sitting and one lying prone, in the downstream of the mountain stream.
Immortal Sect Old Dog, truly difficult to kill.
Ji You was sitting on a rock, panting, blood dripping from his arm resting on his leg.
After a long period of panting, he swallowed, immediately feeling a mouthful of metallic sweetness, which made him feel nauseous, and his eyes immediately looked warily at Shang Zha of the Asked the Dao Sect.
The white-haired Shang Zha was lying on the ground, breathing weakly, but he couldn’t even blow away the fallen leaves in front of him, only stirring up some fine dust.
Before long, his breathing gradually slowed, and his eyes dimmed little by little.
It wasn’t until those aged eyes completely clouded over that Ji You, enduring the pain in his body, bent down and reached out, feeling towards Shang Zha’s waist.
As he felt around, his eyes widened, and he found three storage gourds in his hand.
This old dog is indeed a treasure-hoarding Immortal.
Ji You suddenly remembered that there were still four old dogs he hadn't searched, so he propped himself up, dragging the Dao Sword in his hand, and walked towards the Ninth Step.
After a night of fierce battle, dawn had actually arrived quietly at this moment.
The eastern skyline was the first to loosen, first turning dark green, then slowly revealing a grayish white like a duck eggshell.
And as the first ray of dawn broke through the clouds, the mountain ridge gradually became clear, as if someone had dipped a brush in gold powder and gently traced along the undulating contours.
On and below the mountain, everyone gazed at the figure walking out of the dawn, remaining silent for a long time.
The semi-enclosed Dan Mountain meant that cultivators of Qingyun World only heard about battles, never witnessing them firsthand.
But tonight, they had personally witnessed a scene of one killing three.
And those who died were three great Wujiang Realm powerhouses.
For the Dan Sect, this was already a century-long catastrophe; before nightfall, many people had already prepared to die with the Sect.
When Chu Hong and Chen Ke gracefully ascended the mountain, when the bronze disc crushed towards the Sect Master’s sleeping quarters, many female alchemists of Yaoguang Hall had already placed Medicinal Pills to their mouths, ready to consume them.
Unexpectedly, with the falling swords all over the mountain, everything was cleared away like clouds and mist.
At this moment, the clatter of weapons suddenly sounded, and the Ninth Step, which had fallen into dead silence, suddenly began to have sounds again.
However, this time it wasn’t an attack on the mountain, but a retreat.
Seeing their own Elders dead, the Immortal Sect members retreated down the mountain in panic, first two or three, then a dozen, and then everyone surged towards the mountain gate like a tide.
So the scene in the dawn became Ji You ascending the mountain, while all the Immortal Sect members frantically avoided him and descended.
Ji You had already retrieved six gourds at this point.
Seeing the Immortal Sect members blocking the mountain gate Grand Formation, he waved his hand to dissipate a Mystic Light, allowing them to go down the mountain.
He didn’t even have the strength to speak now; only his original intention supported him in picking up the dropped equipment, unable to fight further.
Moreover, there were also Innate Realm cultivators among those Immortal Sect members, who were not easy to kill.
“Young Master!”
“Brother-in-law!”
“?”
Ji You turned to look at this moment, and saw Yuan Caiwei rushing down from the mountain, followed by Yuan Chen with his hair ornament disheveled, his red eyes staring at him in a daze.
In fact, Ji You killing three Wujiang Realm cultivators, even for this daughter of the Dan Sect, was unimaginable.
Her affection for Ji You came partly from his actions and partly from Yan Shuyi.
Although she and Yan Shuyi grew up together, Yuan Caiwei had always admired this Jianzhu Sister who single-handedly supported an Immortal Sect.
After coming out of Qi Ridge, the first time she became curious about Ji You was when she discovered that the high and mighty Jianzhu Sister actually liked him.
Later, hearing that he protected many children and saved many common people, she naturally couldn’t help but be moved.
But she really didn’t expect that when the Dan Sect was in trouble, he would actually be able to defend the entire Dan Mountain by himself.
Ji You reached out and placed his hand on Yuan Caiwei: “Help me up, I can’t quite stand.”
“I’ll take you back to heal.”
“There are still two people’s Storage Gourds on the mountain that haven’t been searched. Find someone to search them for me; don’t let anyone else take them.”
“Alright.”
Under the dawn’s first light, as the Sect Master’s command arrived, the Dan Sect Disciples descended from Yaoguang Hall and immediately began rescuing people.
And when they truly arrived at the foot of the mountain, they finally glimpsed how tragic last night’s battle had been.
The hill was shattered, countless rocks piled on the mountain path, and three of the Dan Sect’s Seven Halls were cut down, already a ruin. Most terrifyingly, the completely destroyed Nine-Layered Steps were covered in severed limbs and broken bones, with large swathes of blood flowing across the steps, a sight that was shocking to behold.
The Dan Sect Disciples, along with the members of those Sect, busily carried all the injured to the undamaged Tianquan Hall.
Then they fed Medicinal Pills to the injured and sat together, using their Dan Qi to catalyze the healing for everyone.
Yuan Li and the Elders also came to Tianquan Hall, instructing the Disciples to clean up the aftermath and jointly stabilizing the injuries of those family Old Ancestors.
After all this was done, Yuan Li took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Danyang Zi: “Give this to Caiwei, for Ji You.”
“Nine Profound Liquid?”
“It can help him quickly recover from internal injuries.”
Danyang Zi reached out and took the jade bottle: “As ordered.”
Yuan Li watched Danyang Zi leave, then walked out of Tianquan Hall, looking at the devastated landscape at the foot of the mountain. After a long silence, he slowly said: “Issue a command: the Dan Sect will seal the mountain from today onwards, withdrawing from the world and no longer receiving guests.”
The protective Formations of the Seven Great Immortal Sects were extremely strong; to break them from the outside, unless a Linxian Realm expert personally arrived.
So even if those Immortal Sect members returned empty-handed, after sealing the mountain, the Dan Sect would not have to worry about them making a comeback.
This was the best method Yuan Li could think of at the moment.
Dan Xunzi couldn’t help but look up at the Sect Master: “How will medicinal materials be brought up the mountain, and how will Medicinal Pills be transported?”
“Stop all of it.”
“This…”
“This is not merely a calamity for my Dan Sect, but only the beginning.”
Yuan Li did not explain where this calamity came from or how long it would last, but insisted on sealing the mountain.
However, before sealing the mountain, they still had one matter to resolve.
So, as the sun barely peeked over the mountain peak, they all went to the back of Yaoguang Hall.
And when they arrived at the back mountain, they found Yuan Bingqing, Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, and six others traversing through the mountain forest.
Seeing this, Danyang Zi called out to the six of them: “What are you doing here?”
The six turned around at the sound: “Greetings, Master, greetings, Elders. Junior Sister Caiwei entrusted us to search for something here.”
“Search for something?”
“She said it was a Storage Gourd, on the bodies near the Formation.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Li looked at the Mystic Light rising from the cliff, then walked towards the cliff with his six Disciples.
However, before they got close, they stopped, their eyes involuntarily freezing.
Amidst the towering Formation, Chu Hong and Chen Ke’s bodies lay motionless on the ground, their blood already congealed.
Seeing this scene, Wen Bin, Hong Zhen, and the others couldn’t help but clench their palms.
They had actually seen Chu Hong and Chen Ke ascending the mountain when they were in Yaoguang Hall. At that time, not only the female alchemists in the hall, but even they had already brought the Blood Dove Pill to their mouths.
But later, these two did not ascend the mountain and never appeared again.
What happened next made everyone forget about these two, until now, they realized that these two were killed first.
So he didn’t kill three Wujiang Realm experts alone, but five.
And the most crucial thing was the Formation base.
Everyone couldn’t help but look at the dozen or so ordinary black mountain rocks neatly arranged along the mountain.
Connected to the Sacred Artifact, gripping the mountains, the Formation base, which had the weight of the entire mountain range, was moved by him, one after another, from the foot of the mountain to the summit.
“It seems he wasn’t confident in a one-on-five fight at first, so he left a way out for the Disciples of Yaoguang Hall.”
Hearing Yuan Li’s words, Yuan Bingqing suddenly came to her senses.
She had thought until that very moment that the moved Formation base was merely a trap to kill people, but now, prompted by a single sentence, she finally understood.
This moved Formation base was used to protect the Disciples in Yaoguang Hall for their escape.
“What Realm is Ji You exactly?”
Yuan Li looked at the Formation base at the foot of the mountain for a long time, then couldn’t help but ask.
This was actually what many people wanted to know, lingering in their minds since the bronze disk was snatched bare-handed last night, and only now was it asked.
And the Dan Sect Elder, hearing this question, seemed dazed for a moment, then finally shook his head.
From his aura, Ji You was in the Tong Xuan Realm, but in a thousand years of Human Race history, where was a Tong Xuan Realm expert who could kill five Wujiang Realm experts?
After a long silence, the Dan Sect Sect Master temporarily lifted the Formation on the back mountain and ordered the Disciples to move the bodies out.
And Yuan Bingqing, entrusted by Yuan Caiwei, retrieved the Storage Gourds from the waists of the two.
As the sun rose high, behind the small bamboo courtyard, steam billowed from Yuan Caiwei’s medicinal pool.
Ji You was naked, soaking in the medicinal liquid, continuously absorbing the medicinal power from the pool.
He had shaped his Physical Body extremely tough through Body Refining, so external injuries were not obvious, but after killing five Wujiang Realm experts in one night, his internal injuries were already extremely severe.
Especially the battle where he slew Shang Zha.
This battle was not like killing the previous four, where there were enough opportune moments for trickery; it was a head-on clash, achieving a narrow victory by constantly seeking opportunities for close combat, and it involved many risky moves of trading injuries for injuries.
After soaking in the pool for a long time, Ji You’s surging Qi gradually subsided, and his tense muscles began to relax.
After this calamity, the Dan Sect would most likely seal the mountain.
This was much better than the Sect being destroyed, or Disciples being abducted and enslaved.
Moreover, such an outcome might already be the best scenario the Dan Sect had never even imagined.
Ji You suppressed his injuries with the medicinal power and turned to look at the two piles of spoils of war, stacked like small mountains, in front of him.
Among them were Spiritual Qi, weapons, and Magical Artifacts, all shining brightly, clearly not ordinary items.
Especially Yan Jingfu’s privately hidden Dao Sword; even unsheathed, a sharp Qi continuously emanated from it.
And the other pile belonged to Shang Zha, that Daoist with many treasures.
His belongings alone formed a small mountain, placed in a separate pile by Ji You, along with the previously confiscated bronze disk, golden light treasure seal, and hexagonal black object.
Among the five Wujiang Realm experts who ascended the mountain, Chu Hong and Chen Ke’s strength should have been the strongest, followed by Yan Jingfu, and then Huo Yu.
As for Shang Zha, he found him a bit peculiar.
Because judging by the power of his artifact-wielding attacks, his strength should have surpassed the other four, but when Ji You finally pursued him, he found that his combat power was not strong.
At that time, he felt that Shang Zha’s combat power, which surpassed his own, must be related to the artifacts he wielded.
He lowered his head and began to examine these three artifacts closely.
What disappointed him was that the disk and treasure seal, as well as the black object, were only made of rare and precious metals, with no other strange properties. The only difference was that they were covered with dense, intricate lines.
Ji You couldn’t understand it, but he still put them aside and continued to look through the other items.
As he flipped through, he suddenly saw an old book among a pile of Spiritual Qi.
Clearing away the Spiritual Qi, four large characters on the book entered his vision—Heavenly Pattern Grand Ceremony.
Ji You picked up the book, then gently opened it, his gaze constantly sweeping over it, then looking at the disk again.
It was a Formation diagram.
The bronze disk, the treasure seal, and the hexagonal black object were all inscribed with the killing Formations recorded in the book.
According to the book, these killing Formations could automatically draw in Spiritual Qi to operate, possessing immense destructive power.
Ji You instantly understood upon seeing this, thinking that no wonder Shang Zha needed so much time to recover after using the bronze disk once.
He had inscribed the Formations onto the weapons, using himself as an energy source to enhance the weapons’ inherent lethality.
However, after the array Master lineage was exterminated centuries ago, Formation techniques were said to have been lost.
Ji You continued to flip through, seeing various killing Formations constantly appearing before his eyes.
But just by roughly flipping through, he couldn’t discern any profound insights.
Not long after, Ji You put down this Formation diagram book and turned to look at the teapot on the tea table by the pool.
The temperature in the medicinal pool was very high, and he felt somewhat parched.
However, the medicinal power was said to need to circulate through the Meridians, so he couldn’t use Spiritual Qi at this time. He could only stand up from the pool with a splash.
He reached out to grab it.
And just as he stood up, swaying unsteadily, a clattering sound came from the small room opposite the medicinal pool, like the sound of porcelain accidentally breaking.
Hearing this sound, Ji You’s expression couldn’t help but become strange.
A woman’s heart is always complex.
Just now, Yuan Caiwei had brought him to the medicinal pool, prepared the medicinal liquid, and then put him in, before taking Wu Yue to the small room opposite.
That feeling was as if she was pure and had never been filled by him, so she couldn’t watch him bathe.
Turns out, she was watching all along, right?
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