The Sword Formation Annihilates

High in the sky, the Greenflame Bird and the Black Snake waited anxiously. They had been sent to find Ji Ning, but although the Black Snake had called out three times, there had been no response at all.

“Could the young master not be in this area?” the Black Snake said, growing frantic.

“Brother Black, look below,” the Greenflame Bird said, speaking in the human tongue.

The Black Snake immediately looked down. The previously quiet mountain below had suddenly erupted with activity. A vast number of armored Dao-soldiers had appeared, and the area was shrouded in frost and wreathed in flames. These Dao-soldiers, along with the eight Xiantian lifeform soldiers, had joined together in a formation that manifested eight illusory flood dragons. The pressure emanating from those phantom flood dragons shocked even the Greenflame Bird and the Black Snake high in the sky.

“Dao-soldiers… thousands of them, able to unite?” The Greenflame Bird and the Black Snake were both terrified. None of the major powers in the Yan Mountains possessed such methods. Only the armies of the Grand Xia Dynasty, stationed in Nanshan City, had this kind of capability. “If the two of us go down there, we’d probably be wiped out with ease.”

“Look, it’s Young Master Ji Ning!”

Standing before those thousands of Dao-soldiers was a boy dressed in animal skins, emanating an aura of boundless frenzy. It was Ji Ning!

“How is Young Master Ji Ning holding them off against thousands of united Dao-soldiers?”

“Ji Ning, flee!” the Black Snake shouted from high above, his voice filled with desperation.

…

Inside the mountain belly, the Xiantian lifeforms who had been bound were also watching the scene outside with anxious dread. The flames and frost beyond the cave mouth filled them with terror as well.

“Young Master Ji Ning, that Zifu Disciple is in the middle of refining an evil magic treasure and can’t extricate himself for the moment. Flee, quickly!” Meng Yu shouted, his voice frantic.

“Ji Ning, leave now! If you delay, you won’t be able to escape,” Ji Wuyu said, his voice hoarse and rasping.

“Go!”

The Xiantian lifeforms of the Ji Clan all cried out in desperation. Having been trapped here for so long, they had often heard the captors’ conversations and had seen malicious specters burrow deep into the mountain’s depths. They knew there was a Zifu Disciple at the bottom of the mountain, refining some incredibly evil magic treasure. Once he finished and could turn his attention to them, it would be all over.

“What? Thousands of Dao-soldiers united?” These bound Xiantian lifeforms suddenly saw the countless Dao-soldiers, some ablaze with fire, others frozen solid, linking together in formation to manifest the phantoms of flood dragons. They could only glimpse part of it, but it was enough to shock them to the core.

“Flee!”

“Ji Ning, get out of here!” One after another, they cried out in desperation.

…

Hearing Uncle Black’s frantic shouts from above, hearing the voices of Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, Wa Qiong, Ji Shan, and the others who were bound inside the mountain belly, Ji Ning, who was already deeply poisoned, grew even more frenzied. Flee? Why should he flee? Even if he ran, he would die for sure. If he could fight to the death and kill that Zifu Disciple, there might be a thread of hope.

“Die,” Ji Ning said, staring at the thousands of Dao-soldiers before him. Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his most powerful killing move.

Huum~~~

Over three hundred flying swords materialized in the air around Ji Ning, each one glowing with a faint white light, drawing upon the awesome power of Heaven and Earth. Now that his understanding of formations had deepened, he was able to execute the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation with much greater ease. He no longer relied on rigid, rote memorization; instead, he had begun to grasp some of its deeper mysteries, understanding how to guide and leverage its power.

“What is that?!”

“Sword-arts… flying?”

“Flying magic treasures?”

The eight Xiantian lifeforms among the thousands of Dao-soldiers were dumbfounded. Seeing hundreds of flying swords suspended in the air, they almost instantly thought of one thing—a Zifu Disciple! It was common knowledge that at the very least, a Zifu Disciple was required to control a flying magic treasure. But now, this youth was actually commanding such treasures.

How could they possibly know that Ji Ning’s soul had already reached the level of ‘Divine Sense’, the only reason he could accomplish this feat?

“He’s a Zifu Disciple! Master, he’s a Zifu Disciple! That youth is a Zifu Disciple!” one of the Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldiers screamed, his voice sharp with terror.

“Time to die,” Ji Ning said coldly, immediately directing the sword-light that was coalescing before him.

Swish!

That streak of sword-light traced a beautiful, graceful curve through the air, leaving a stunningly tragic trail in its wake. It effortlessly pierced through the chest of the handsome youth. The handsome youth’s eyes flew wide open, filled with disbelief. “Zifu… Zifu…” Even in death, he could not accept it.

“No!” The burly man barely had time to shout before the sword-light pierced straight through him.

Their Dao-soldier formation had never truly merged into a single flood dragon. It was only scattered into eight phantom flood dragons. Each phantom flood dragon was formed from a single Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldier and several hundred, or even a thousand, Houtian Dao-soldiers. Their combined defensive power was actually inferior to the nine Xiantian Dao-soldiers Ji Ning had faced in the second trial of the aquatic palace.

Even in close combat, Ji Ning, with his comprehension of the ‘True Meaning of Dripping’, had a chance of winning. Of course, it would be an extremely arduous battle, and he would have to contend with being surrounded by all sides.

But now…

With the power of the fourth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, which rivaled the might of an early Zifu Disciple using a graded magic treasure, he could have fought on equal terms even against a formation of nine thousand Dao-soldiers and nine Xiantian lifeforms united into a single flood dragon. Against a scattered, disorganized force like this, it was like slicing through melons and vegetables.

“A Zifu Disciple!”

“He’s a Zifu Disciple!”

A single thread of sword-light traced a beautiful curve, effortlessly piercing through all eight of those Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldiers. No matter how they tried to flee, their speed was incomparably slower than that streak of sword-light. Even though the surrounding Houtian Dao-soldiers tried to block it, they were simply cut through.

“He’s a Zifu Disciple!”

“A Zifu Disciple!”

Miserable, despairing screams echoed across the entire mountain. These Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldiers were filled with infinite resentment and unwillingness. They had never imagined that a youth named Ji Ning would actually be a Zifu Disciple! Fighting a Zifu Disciple to the death? They died without ever having a chance. If they had known, they would never have come out.

…

“What…”

“This…”

High in the sky, the Greenflame Bird and the Black Snake watched, utterly stunned. Below, Ji Ning was controlling hundreds of flying sword treasures, wielding a single thread of sword-light to sweep across the battlefield. It was a power on an entirely different level, like a Xiantian lifeform slaughtering Houtian mortals. That single streak of sword-light easily killed the eight Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldiers. With the Xiantian soldiers dead, the Houtian Dao-soldiers could no longer maintain their formation.

“Ji Ning… he’s… a Zifu Disciple?” The Black Snake, who had watched him grow up, was completely bewildered.

…

Even inside the mountain belly, Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, Ji Shan, and the others, who had been frantically urging Ji Ning to escape just moments before, were now stunned. They couldn’t see Ji Ning from their angle, but they could see the vast formation of Dao-soldiers through the cave mouth. They saw those Dao-soldiers in black armor—the Xiantian lifeforms—pierced through one after another by an incredibly dazzling streak of sword-light. One by one, the Xiantian soldiers fell to the ground, dead.

And as they died, they all cried out in grief and fury, “A Zifu Disciple!” “He’s a Zifu Disciple!”

“A Zifu Disciple?” Meng Yu, the other members of the Ji Clan, and even the unfortunate Xiantian lifeforms from other Yan Mountain powers who had been captured here were all stunned. Had another Zifu Disciple, besides Ji Ning, come to attack?

And at that moment—

BANG!

A black shadow leaped out from the dark, open pit that had appeared on the mountain belly floor. His green pupils swept across the bound Xiantian lifeforms. There were also some ordinary servants inside the mountain belly who hadn't joined the battle. Two unfortunate souls were too close to the pit when the black-furred zombie appeared, and the black corpse-taint that surrounded his body immediately flooded over them.

“Ahh!”

“Ahh!” The two unlucky servant boys, who weren't even Dao-soldiers and were thus very weak, let out miserable screams as the corpse-taint invaded them. They quickly dissolved into puddles of water.

The black-furred zombie, however, simply strode forward and out of the cave mouth.

“Young master, be careful!” Meng Yu shouted frantically from inside.

After Ji Ning had killed all the Xiantian lifeform Dao-soldiers, he withdrew his three hundred-plus flying swords. After all, he was only at the early Xiantian stage of Ki Refining; his true Ki was not yet deep or plentiful. If he tried to control thousands of swords, he would probably drain himself in a single attempt. With these three hundred-plus swords, he could only manage about ten uses.

His true enemy was that terrifying Zifu Disciple.

ROOOAR! A furious roar rang out as a dark figure came flying towards him from afar.

“Could that be the Zifu Disciple?” Ji Ning’s wings, a magic treasure, fluttered, and he immediately swerved in an arc to dodge. The dark figure smashed into the ground with a thunderous crash, creating a crater over ten zhang wide. Even Ji Ning’s expression changed.

The black-furred zombie glared at Ji Ning, surrounded by a black, mist-like corpse-taint.

“This thing’s insanely strong and fast,” Ji Ning thought, alarmed. It reminded him of the black-furred monster from the third trial of the aquatic palace. However, this black-furred zombie gave off an evil, filthy feeling, and it was surrounded by black mist. The monster from the aquatic palace’s third trial hadn’t.

“Die,” the black-furred zombie growled, charging towards Ji Ning once more.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Ji Ning’s treasure-wings vibrated, making him appear like a ghost as he dodged repeatedly. Although the dodges were perilous, he managed to avoid the zombie’s attacks. Occasionally, one of his Northsea swords would stab the black-furred zombie, but it only left a white mark on its skin.

“This thing is like that black-furred monster from the aquatic palace—incredible strength, speed, and incredibly tough skin. But it’s much weaker,” Ji Ning observed after a few exchanges. This black-furred zombie’s use of its strength was clumsy and stupid. The monster in the aquatic palace, however, had possessed a soul. Its footwork and palm strikes, though seemingly simple, were so profound that dodging them was impossible.

“It can’t even be considered to have reached the ‘Subtlety’ level. This definitely isn’t the Zifu Disciple. The antidote for the poison I was hit with is most likely on that Zifu Disciple. He hasn’t come out yet, which means he can’t spare the attention. I have to seize this chance to finish him off,” Ji Ning reasoned. The fact that the Zifu Disciple hadn’t emerged meant he was in a bind.

He had to strike while the iron was hot and finish him.

Swish!

Ji Ning’s treasure-wings vibrated, tracing a curved line as he dodged past the black-furred zombie. The zombie howled in fury, trying to chase him, but how could it ever catch Ji Ning when he was using the ‘Windwing Evasion’ technique?

“Ji Ning?” A cold, sharp voice suddenly came from within the mountain belly. Ji Ning looked over and saw a man in a loose, wide-sleeved black robe standing by the dark pit that had opened in the mountain belly’s floor. The man’s hair was disheveled and loose, his face was pale and bloodless, and his green, gleaming eyes were even more shocking to the heart than the black-furred zombie’s. (To be continued…)