The Fiendgod's Dust

Even with his Windwing Evasion technique carrying him backward at full speed the moment he sensed the danger, Ji Ning still felt the endless shockwave hammering into his back. He was sent tumbling through the air before crashing into the ground, carving out a deep crater.

“Ji Ning, are you alright?”

“Ji Ning!”

Ji Jiuhuo and the other two hurried over, their faces filled with concern as they stared into the deep pit. Within it, Ji Ning lay embedded in the earth, blood staining the ground around him. Even the Dharma treasure wings on his back were twisted and bent. But even as they watched, the wounds on his body began to visibly close. He reached out a hand, pushed himself up, and slowly rose to his feet.

“I’m fine,” Ji Ning said hoarsely. The sheer force of the blast had affected even his throat. He climbed out of the crater, and the horrific, shocking wounds on his back swiftly knit themselves together. In the blink of an eye, every last injury on his body had fully healed, leaving not even a scar behind. His Dharma armor automatically shifted shape, returning to the beast-hide form his mother had stitched for him.

Ji Jiuhuo and the others could only stare in amazement. This was the aspect of the Fiendgod Body Refining path that Ki Refiners envied the most.

If it had been them, they would surely have died.

“The detonation of a Zifu lake… truly terrifying,” Ji Ning murmured in awe.

Opening a Zifu was the first step on the immortal path. The Zifu was like a lake, filled with liquefied Ki. It was the very foundation of a cultivator’s power. Just as a fruit tree needs soil to flower and bear fruit, a cultivator needs their Zifu lake to advance to the Wanxiang stage and, eventually, the Primal stage. Zifu Disciples continuously accumulate Ki, expanding their lake wider and wider…

But when all that accumulated Ki is detonated at once, the first thing it kills is the cultivator themselves. Only then does it harm others.

“This is why the three of us dared not get close. It was only because you are a Fiendgod Body Refiner that you could withstand it,” Ji Jiuhuo said.

“Impressive,” Ji Ning said softly.

“The life force of a Fiendgod Body Refiner is even more impressive,” Granny Shadow said hoarsely.

At another location.

Within the Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation, illusory blood-colored dragons coiled and swam. At the formation’s center, bathed in a bloody light, stood Dongzi Qi. His face was dark and grim, and his eyes burned with a killing intent so fierce it could scorch the world. He desperately wanted to charge out and slaughter. But those cowards of the Ji Clan never dared to show themselves before him.

“Little Sister! Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziqi, avenge us! Destroy the Ji Clan!!!” A shrill, desperate cry rang out, followed immediately by a thunderous explosion.

Mu Si, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. Sorrow flickered within them. “He Fang and He Xing are dead.”

“Dead. And they detonated their Zifu lake. They were pushed to the very edge,” Dongzi Qi said, his voice hoarse. Rage filled his eyes. He, Dongzi Qi, had actually been backed into this corner… by the insignificant Ji Clan! His face twisted with fury, and he let out a savage howl. “I swear by my Dao, I will exterminate the Ji Clan! I will annihilate them all!!!”

His roar boomed through the air.

“Annihilate the Ji Clan! Annihilate them all!!!”

Ji Ning’s expression shifted slightly. He could feel the madness and murderous intent woven into those words. Beside him, Ji Jiuhuo said coldly, “If we don’t kill them, they’ll annihilate the Ji Clan regardless of whether we hand over the vassal token. They came here to kill us. They must be prepared to be killed themselves. Howling now… that’s just the cry of a coward.”

“Let’s go. We’ll deal with Dongzi Qi,” Granny Shadow said through gritted teeth.

“Alright,” the old servant A Xing echoed.

Ji Ning’s own killing intent was boiling over. For enemies like these, who sought to wipe out the Ji Clan and leave them no path to survival… Ji Ning felt not a shred of pity.

“Ji Ning,” Ji Jiuhuo said, frowning. “Go to your father immediately. Help them kill Ju San.”

“My father?” Ji Ning was startled. Had something gone wrong with his father, Ji Yichuan, and Ji Liuzhen, who were working together to deal with that ‘Ju San’?

“It’s Mu Si,” Ji Jiuhuo said urgently. “He’s casting a spell, causing countless vines to grow wildly and spread rapidly. They’re about to reach your father’s position. Once those vines touch Ju San, Dongzi Qi and Mu Si will be able to use them as a bridge to join up with Ju San instantly. If those three manage to combine forces, killing them will become much harder.”

The mist and miasma before Ji Ning parted, forming a clear passage.

“I’m going.” Ji Ning vanished, a blur of motion as he shot forward.

“We’ll handle Dongzi Qi and Mu Si,” Ji Jiuhuo said, turning to Granny Shadow and Old Servant A Xing. “We may not be able to kill them, but we need to disrupt Mu Si. Ideally, we’ll force him to drop his concentration on this spell. Spreading vines across such a vast area must be consuming a great deal of his mental energy and Ki.”

“Alright.” Granny Shadow and the old servant both nodded.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The three of them sped off towards Dongzi Qi’s position.

Ji Ning raced forward, even spotting some of the spreading vines. He used his Windwing Evasion to leap over them, careful not to touch them.

Soon.

The sound of explosions rumbled in the distance. The mist before him thinned, and Ji Ning could make out two figures in the distance. It was his father, Ji Yichuan, and his clansman, Ji Liuzhen.

“Hm? Father isn’t using a Dharma treasure… could it be that he hasn’t opened his Zifu yet?” As Ji Ning drew closer, he noticed that Ji Liuzhen was the one controlling a Dharma treasure in battle against a burly man named Ju San in the distance. His father, Ji Yichuan, was swinging his sword, unleashing streaks of sword-light. The light was like flowing water, shooting towards the distant Ju San. Those streaks of sword-light were like stubborn threads, constantly trying to bind him.

Ji Liuzhen was the main attacker, with Ji Yichuan providing support!

“Damn it!” Ju San roared in frustration.

“Judging by what the Clan Leader said earlier, it seems my father is a Zifu Disciple. But why have I never seen him use a Dharma treasure?” Ji Ning wondered. “Even back when I was attacked by the Winged Serpent, when we were hunting it down, my father never used one. Why is that?”

He had asked his father before, but Ji Yichuan always dodged the question.

“I’ll ask the Clan Leader after the battle is over.” Ji Ning pushed the question to the back of his mind. In both hands, he held a Northsea Sword. With a flap of his Dharma wings, he shot into the air.

The explosion of He Fang’s Zifu lake had already destroyed one set of his Dharma wings. Fortunately, he had several spare sets of these ungraded treasures.

“Father! Uncle Liuzhen! Leave Ju San to me!” Ji Ning shouted as he transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at Ju San.

Ji Yichuan and Ji Liuzhen both turned their heads. “Ji Ning!”

“Hahaha, come then!” Ju San, who had been feeling powerless despite his strength, was overjoyed to see Ji Ning charging straight at him. He was a Zifu-level Fiendgod Body Refiner! Fiendgod Body Refiners loved close combat. Ji Liuzhen and the other one had been keeping their distance, and Ju San, who wasn’t particularly skilled in movement techniques, had been unable to catch them.

He had been constantly battered while being unable to pursue.

What utter agony!

Although he had also opened his Zifu for Ki Refining, he hadn’t spent much effort on controlling Dharma treasures. His primary focus was on close-quarters combat.

“Come, come, come! Let me see how impressive this genius of the Ji Clan really is.” A pair of black wings spread from behind Ju San as he rushed to meet Ji Ning, his movements noticeably more agile.

“Dharma wings?” Ji Ning’s eyes lit up when he saw the wings on Ju San’s back. Most Fiendgod Body Refiners would have a pair of wings for greater mobility. “They should be graded treasures. I was just thinking that now I’ve broken through to the Zifu stage, I need a pair of graded Dharma wings.”

Boom!

The two of them clashed. One was a member of the Snowdragon Mountain sect, having trained in the common Fiendgod Body Refining method, the [Mighty Fiendgod Basic Entry]. Despite its humble name, he had still reached the early Zifu stage. The [Mighty Fiendgod Basic Entry] might sound unremarkable, but it was far superior to the Ji Clan’s flashy-sounding methods like the [Future Buddha Sutra] or the [Bloodfiend Indestructible Body]. The more powerful the sect, the more modest their techniques’ names often were.

The other, though of humble origins, trained in the undisputed number one Fiendgod Body Refining method of the Primordial Fiendgod Era—the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]—but was merely at the perfect Xiantian level.

Bang! Bang!

Ju San wielded a great axe, while Ji Ning fought with twin swords.

When they clashed…

It was like two young Fiendgods from the ancient era locked in combat. The ground beneath them trembled and cracked, sending碎石 flying in every direction. Both of them had Dharma wings and fought at close quarters, neither afraid of taking minor damage. Injuries constantly appeared on Ju San’s body.

“His axe technique is quite refined. And the axe itself is large enough that he can use it like a shield for defense,” Ji Ning thought to himself.

“Ji Ning has also broken through to the Zifu stage in his Fiendgod Body Refining!” Ju San was even more shocked. “And he uses twin swords, with incredibly profound sword techniques. I’ve spent nearly a hundred years immersed in my axe art, yet I can’t compare to him… I’m on the defensive everywhere.” So far, he had only left two wounds on Ji Ning’s body, and those had been from times when Ji Ning had traded blows. But his own body had been covered in over a hundred cuts, all of which had naturally healed.

Ji Ning’s sword technique grew increasingly ferocious.

“Faster, faster, faster.”

Ji Ning understood that against an opponent using a heavy weapon like a great axe, he had to be fast. The faster he was, the more openings Ju San would reveal.

“Like the wind.”

“Like fire.”

The sword in Ji Ning’s left hand and the sword in his right executed completely different techniques. One sword was as elusive as the wind, while the other burned like raging fire. Both were stunningly fast. The combination of one being subtle and the other being violent, when used together, doubled their power.

“Faster! Even faster!” Ji Ning pressed his attack, overwhelming Ju San.

Ju San was panicking.

Whoosh!

A single, ethereal, wind-like sword stroke slid along the edge of Ju San’s great axe. It also slid across Ju San’s waist. Blood sprayed into the air, and Ju San was cleaved in two.

“My chance.” Ji Ning instantly entered a state of frenzy.

Lightning Flash!

Ji Ning executed this technique with both swords simultaneously. There was no subtlety, no violence, just pure speed. One streak of sword-light after another poured down onto Ju San’bisected body, chopping it into even more pieces. But Ju San’s head was still bellowing, “A Fiendgod Body Refiner isn’t so easy to kill!”

“Water-Fire Lotus.” Ji Ning unleashed his final, ultimate technique.

The countless shredded pieces of Ju San’s body were swept into the manifestation of a Water-Fire Lotus. The water lotus leaves and fire lotus leaves rotated slowly in opposite directions. After nearly five years of training, the grinding power of the Water-Fire Lotus was astonishingly strong. These defenseless chunks of flesh and blood were ground into dust.

Grind! Grind! Grind!

The pulverized flesh madly tried to condense, trying to reform into a human body. But the Water-Fire Lotus just kept grinding.

Boom! The last of the flesh was scattered, turning into fine powder. It could no longer reform.

Ju San was dead!

“I managed to get a set of graded Dharma wings ahead of schedule.” With a wave of his hand, Ji Ning collected the Dharma wings, the great axe, the Dharma armor, the storage treasure, and everything else Ju San had dropped.

Ji Ning turned his head.

In the distance, he saw Ji Liuzhen and Ji Yichuan, both unable to hide their astonishment. Watching two Fiendgod Body Refiners fight to the death was a display of pure, brutal madness. It was a clash of irresistible forces; the moment one side stumbled, the other would pounce and trample them, giving them no chance to recover. It was only because Ji Ning had the Water-Fire Lotus that he had been able to finish off Ju San in one go.

“Let’s go,” Ji Ning said hurriedly. “Father, Uncle Liuzhen, let’s rendezvous with the Clan Leader immediately.”

There are only two left now!

“Only two?” Ji Liuzhen and Ji Yichuan felt a surge of excitement. They hadn’t expected the Ji Clan to achieve such a glorious victory in this battle. Now, only the two strongest enemies remained.

“Let’s kill them.”

Ji Ning, Ji Yichuan, and Ji Liuzhen transformed into streaks of light, racing to meet up with Ji Jiuhuo and the others.