The Zifu Lake

When the sword-thread from Ji Ning's Lesser Thousand Sword Formation stabbed toward her, the willowy He Xing's expression changed drastically. "Such terrifying sword-light! No time to hesitate!" Her green hair suddenly erupted with blinding green light, and her entire body became covered in a faint layer of green light. The sword-thread that had just pierced her protective golden light struck the green light-screen. The screen trembled, its surface showing faintly twisting runes, but in the end it shattered with a bang.

What remained of the sword-thread was now extremely weak—so weak it couldn't even pierce He Xing's protective Dharma robe.

"Big brother," He Xing said urgently. "The talisman token Master bestowed—it was broken in a single blow."

Terrifying.

This single thread of sword-light possessed power approaching that of a casual strike from a Wanxiang Adept. Even the talisman token their master had gifted them could only withstand one blow.

"Little sister, we have to fight to the death," He Fang said through gritted teeth. "Don't cling to any faint hopes. We must put ourselves in a position of certain death to find even a thread of survival."

"Mm." He Xing nodded.

Both siblings had looks of absolute finality in their eyes. Their auras suddenly surged explosively, and a layer of bloody light spread across their skin.

"Forbidden arts!" The encircling Ji Ning, Ji Jiu Huo, Granny Shadow, and the old servant A Xing all changed expression.

Forbidden arts…

These were generally taboo techniques that burned one's own lifespan. They required immense sacrifice. Once used, the damage was extremely difficult to repair. But precisely because the cost was so high, a cultivator's power would skyrocket after using them.

"Come on, kill us if you can."

"Come on!"

After activating their forbidden arts, He Fang and He Xing's eyes were filled with madness.

"They're cornered beasts now," Ji Jiu Huo sent a mental message. "Although we have them surrounded, they're still Zifu Disciples, and they've used forbidden arts. If we get careless, one of us might die. We have to be careful. The advantage is ours. Better to pass up an opportunity than to gamble our lives. We just need to find one opening, and we can kill them."

"Mm." Granny Shadow narrowed her eyes.

Old servant A Xing just stared silently at the He siblings, controlling his massive hammer.

Ji Ning sent out a second thread of sword-light.

The four of them attacked together!

They viciously besieged the He siblings. Among those five Zifu Disciples, He Fang and He Xing were actually average in strength, ranking below Dong Ziqi and Mu Si. But Ji Jiu Huo, Granny Shadow, and Old Servant A Xing were all old monsters who had lived for nearly four hundred years. These three old fellows were actually considerably stronger than the siblings. And that's not even mentioning the monstrous Ji Ning!

Only after using their forbidden arts were the He siblings barely able to fend off the combined assault of four.

"Lowdown, crafty Ji Clan." He Fang and He Xing screamed curses as they manipulated their magic treasures to defend. Because they had activated forbidden arts, the power with which they controlled their treasures had clearly increased dramatically—especially the curtain of water that flew out from that clay pot, which could actually forcibly block the sword-threads of Ji Ning's Lesser Thousand Sword Formation!

Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

The opponent was a Zifu Disciple. He himself only had perfected Xiantian level true ki. Being able to force the opponent to use forbidden arts by leaping an entire major realm was already something the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation could be proud of.

"Big brother, that Ji Ning is too strong." He Xing's eyes held despair. "I'm using all my strength just to hold him off."

"I'm barely holding on over here too." He Fang was simultaneously taking on the other three.

Suddenly—

Both He Fang and He Xing produced black-light talismans in their hands. They instantly activated them. Each talisman transformed into dozens of beams of black light that shot toward Ji Jiu Huo and the other three! Ji Jiu Huo, Granny Shadow, and Old Servant A Xing were all startled and hurriedly used their techniques to block. Ji Ning, meanwhile, held his twin swords, a Water-Fire Lotus revolving before him.

Boom boom boom.

Those black lights pierced straight through the Water-Fire Lotus but were blocked by Ji Ning's Northsea swords.

Ji Ning was forced heavily back six steps, cracking the ground beneath his feet.

"Powerful." Ji Ning glanced at his abdomen. It had been pierced through, leaving a hole. But in the blink of an eye, his abdominal muscles grew back rapidly, leaving not even a scar.

"Ji Ning, if it weren't for you, we would have been injured by that attack—maybe even one of us would have died." Ji Jiu Huo felt a surge of terror. Those black lights had been too fast. If they had pierced their bodies… all three of them were Ki Refiners. A single mistake could have meant instant death.

Granny Shadow sent mentally, "Those two truly are from a sect. They have so many tricks up their sleeves. One moment of carelessness and we could fall. Let's widen the distance. If we're further away, we'll have more time to react."

"Mm." Ji Jiu Huo nodded. "They can't hold out much longer. We just need to endure a bit more, and they'll be dead for sure."

Ji Ning frowned as he listened.

The three of them were all Ki Refining Zifu Disciples. They didn't dare close in to fight, because at close range some attacks were too fast to dodge and could easily kill them. It wasn't wrong for them to keep their distance… but he himself was a Fiendgod Body Refiner! If they dragged this out, how long would it take? It was time for a decisive strike.

"Chieftain, leave this to me." Ji Ning sent his mental message, and at the same time a pair of feathered wings appeared on his back. The wings suddenly trembled. Like a roc taking flight, Ji Ning shot forward, instantly appearing before He Fang and He Xing.

"Be careful!" Ji Jiu Huo, Granny Shadow, and Old Servant A Xing were all startled, but they knew Ji Ning was a Fiendgod Body Refiner—and more importantly, that he was training in the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens. They were somewhat reassured.

"Perfect." He Fang and He Xing were startled at first, then overjoyed.

They had been holding in a belly full of fire.

Ji Jiu Huo and the others had been too crafty. They insisted on keeping their distance, refusing to give them a chance to fight to the death! The two of them had been completely suppressed, unable to make even the slightest mistake. If they slipped up even once, they'd be killed the moment the opportunity arose. But who could keep from making mistakes forever? Just as they were growing desperate, Ji Ning charged in.

"Even if we kill you and then die ourselves, it will be worth it."

"The genius of the Ji Clan!"

The He siblings went mad, ready to stake everything on killing Ji Ning.

But Ji Ning was like a roc, swooping in and arcing through the air to attack He Xing directly. His target was He Xing, who had already exhausted her protective treasure. Before him flew a thread of sword-light, and in his hand the Northsea sword executed his strongest technique—Silk Rain Forms Threads!

Shiiing!

Sword-light flashed.

He Xing's beautiful head flew into the air, her eyes still filled with shock and disbelief.

"You… you…" He Fang stared at Ji Ning.

On Ji Ning's head was a wound, one that had even cut across his brow. But the wound healed in an instant. The reason he had been able to kill the Zifu Disciple He Xing in a single exchange was certainly because his swordsmanship far surpassed hers—but also because Ji Ning had used a mutual-destruction tactic, letting her sword stab at him in order to kill her in one blow.

"You… you've reached the Zifu stage in Fiendgod Body Refining too?" He Fang couldn't believe it.

Fiendgod Body Refining was far more difficult than Ki Refining.

Ji Ning had been controlling the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, which was clearly a Ki Refining technique. And Ji Ning was only sixteen years old! He Fang and He Xing had assumed that at his age, he had probably only opened his Zifu in Ki Refining. They thought his Fiendgod Body Refining was still at the Xiantian stage. With ordinary Fiendgod Body Refining techniques, the head was a vital point even at the Xiantian stage. Even with the number one technique, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, one's entire body only became free of weak points at Xiantian perfection. That was why He Xing had tried to gamble on killing him.

"Little sister." He Fang stared at the corpse on the ground and let out a sudden wail. "Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziqi… avenge us… destroy the Ji Clan!!!"

"Fall back." Ji Ning's expression changed. His feathered wings immediately trembled as he tried to retreat.

Boom!

He Fang's body exploded.

The Zifu within his body was like a vast lake, one that had been storing endless waters—the liquid true ki. The moment He Fang detonated his Zifu, all that liquid ki in his Zifu lake instantly vaporized, transforming into a raging flood of vitality. He was willing to blow his body apart to release it all at once. The amount of true ki produced was simply terrifying.

The surging, endless vitality blasted outward in every direction! The violent waves of power instantly swallowed the retreating Ji Ning.

BOOM!!!

"Ji Ning!"

"Ji Ning!" Ji Jiu Huo and the other two, far away, were all struck with horror.

Clang…