The Dragon’s Gambit

“Good,” Ji Yichuan said, his eyes flashing with cold light. “This concerns the very survival of our Ji Clan. We cannot afford to worry about offending a mere garrison commander.”

Ji Ning, Ji Liuzhen, Granny Shadow, and the old servant A Xing all nodded in agreement.

A garrison commander wielded significant authority. The six hegemons of the Yan Mountains were required to pay heavy taxes to the Grand Xia Dynasty, and they delivered them directly to Yan Mountain City! Beyond tax collection, the garrison commander also bore the responsibility of supervising the region on behalf of the Grand Xia Dynasty.

If he truly decided to make trouble using his supervisory and tax-collecting duties… he could cause the Ji Clan immense hardship in the future.

But that was all it would be—hardship. Compared to the annihilation of their entire clan, it was a price they were willing to pay.

“Once we sign a contract with the Grand Xia Dynasty, we will have their protection. A mere garrison commander won’t be able to touch us,” Ji Jiuhuo said. “Since everyone is here, I’ve already chosen the battlefield for our confrontation with Snowdragon Mountain. Let’s move out.”

“Where will we fight them?” Ji Ning asked.

“Oxhorn Mountain, eight hundred li south of Ten Thousand Swords City,” Ji Jiuhuo replied.

“Oxhorn Mountain…”

Ji Ning was intimately familiar with the terrain of the Ji Clan’s territory. The moment Ji Jiuhuo spoke, he knew exactly where it was. Oxhorn Mountain was a peak rising from the wilderness, its summit split into two prongs like a pair of ox horns, which is how it got its name.

“I’ve already sent a messenger,” Ji Jiuhuo said. “He’s riding a tamed bird to Snowdragon City to inform them that our Ji Clan will set up our formation at Oxhorn Mountain and await their assault. At a messenger bird’s speed, he should reach Snowdragon Mountain in about five hours.”

Ji Ning and the others nodded.

Five hours?

By then, it would be around noon! Of course, the messenger was riding only an ordinary tamed bird, far slower than a Xiantian demon beast or a Zifu Disciple’s mount.

“I’ll retract the mirage formation now. We leave immediately.” Ji Jiuhuo had previously set up a mirage formation to guard against ambushes.

Swoosh!

A massive gourd rose into the air. The six Ji Clan members and their two spirit beasts stood or sat upon it as it tore through the skies.

Oxhorn Mountain was just over three hundred li away. They arrived in moments.

“There it is.” Ji Jiuhuo pointed at the twin-horned mountain below. “From Oxhorn Mountain, we have a commanding view of everything around us. The surrounding terrain is all open wilderness… nothing to obstruct our sight. If any Zifu Disciple from Snowdragon Mountain comes, we’ll spot them from afar.”

Ji Ning, Ji Yichuan, and the others all nodded.

Swoosh!

They descended, and Ji Jiuhuo put away the gourd. They landed on the mountaintop.

“I’ve prepared six grand formations, the culmination of centuries of research,” Ji Jiuhuo said, gesturing at the area around them. “It will take me about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to set them all up. Even if Snowdragon Mountain sends a formation master to break them, six formations will take a very long time to dismantle. During that process, we can use the formations to launch sneak attacks, harassing them and slowing their progress. If we can stall them, the Grand Xia Dynasty’s envoy will arrive in three days. Once he does, we win.”

“Yes. Once the envoy arrives, they won’t dare to make a move,” Granny Shadow agreed.

“Even if we have to fight to the death, we must delay their formation-breaking efforts,” Ji Liuzhen said solemnly. “If we fight them head-on, with their crowd of Zifu Disciples, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Only by relying on the formations can we fight them. The slower they are at breaking them, the better our odds. Ideally, we could even kill the formation master they’ve brought along.”

Ji Jiuhuo shook his head. “They’ll definitely protect their formation master. They’re probably hoping we’ll launch a reckless assault. Killing him directly won’t be easy.”

Ji Yichuan nodded. “We need to focus on stalling.”

Six formations!

Every formation Snowdragon Mountain broke would bring the Ji Clan one step closer to annihilation.

“Patriarch,” Ji Ning said solemnly, “I have a formation as well. That makes seven.”

“Oh?” Everyone turned to look at him.

“You have a formation?” Ji Jiuhuo asked in surprise. “Was it Beisheng’s? He was from Snowdragon Mountain, so he should have had some formation knowledge.” Though he said this, Ji Jiuhuo wasn’t very hopeful. In his eyes, Beisheng was an amateur. He himself had spent centuries studying formations and had only managed to piece together six using the clan’s treasures.

“No,” Ji Ning said, shaking his head. “I had a special encounter. The most valuable thing I gained was this formation.”

“A special encounter?” Everyone was shocked. Ji Yichuan stared at his son, immediately recalling the time Ji Ning had vanished at Winged Serpent Lake. He and his wife had been worried sick.

Ji Yichuan spoke. “Ji Ning has indeed had a special encounter—a brush with death. But I didn’t know he had obtained a powerful treasure from it.”

Ji Ning nodded. “Patriarch, take a look.”

Ji Ning flipped his hand. A black, gleaming dragon pearl, its surface covered in exquisite, beautiful runic patterns, appeared in his palm. Along with it came four black scales that seemed to shroud the surrounding air in a black mist. The moment they were revealed, their mere appearance—especially the faint pressure of a dragon-shaped phantom within the pearl—sent Ji Jiuhuo and the others into a frenzy of joy.

“A dragon pearl?” Ji Jiuhuo exclaimed. “Is there a dragon soul inside?”

“Look at these runes. I’ve never seen such beautiful runes on a treasure in my entire life,” Granny Shadow said, running her fingers over the scales.

“Incredibly complex patterns,” Ji Jiuhuo said in awe.

Ji Ning said, “Patriarch, once you refine it, you’ll understand.”

“How could I possibly refine it? A treasure like this… in our Ji Clan’s millennia of history, we’ve never owned anything like it!” Ji Jiuhuo shook his head repeatedly. Although the Ji Clan had its heirloom treasures, they were mostly one-use Dao talismans. They had never possessed a long-term treasure of this obviously priceless caliber. “A treasure like this isn’t meant for our Ji Clan to use. Under normal circumstances, using it would invite plunder. But with our survival at stake, there’s no room for hesitation. Still, Ji Ning, you should be the one to refine it.”

“Patriarch, didn’t you say that if things get dangerous, you’d have me leave immediately?” Ji Ning said helplessly. “If I leave… am I supposed to take the formation with me?”

“Oh…” Ji Jiuhuo hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll refine it and use it for now!”

At a moment of life and death for the entire clan, Ji Jiuhuo would not have hesitated.

But just by looking at the materials and runes of this formation, he could tell how incredibly precious it was.

Whoosh.

Ji Jiuhuo stretched out his right hand. Surging Yuan power flooded into the dragon pearl and the four scales. There was no trace of foreign energy within the treasure, so it was instantly refined.

“What a treasure! What a treasure!” As soon as Ji Jiuhuo refined it, he understood its mysteries. His eyes went wide. “This is… this is too…”

Even though he had expected something extraordinary, Ji Jiuhuo was still stunned.

“Patriarch?”

“Big brother?”

Granny Shadow, Ji Yichuan, and the others all stared at him.

“What a treasure!” Ji Jiuhuo’s eyes bulged with excitement. “Our Ji Clan has hope! Real hope! We have a real chance now! A real chance!”

“Just tell us what it is already! I’m dying of curiosity!” Granny Shadow urged.

Ji Jiuhuo spoke, his voice trembling with excitement. “This formation is divided into five parts. I can control it all by myself, but it needs four Zifu Disciples to assist me. The four Zifu Disciples will stand in different positions. One will be the core of the ‘Dragon Head Formation,’ another the core of the ‘Dragon Body Formation,’ a third the core of the ‘Dragon Tail Formation,’ and the last the core of the ‘Dragon Claw Formation.’ I will sit at the center and control the dragon pearl.”

“The first benefit for the five of us in the formation is that we can share our Yuan power with each other, just like Dao-soldiers! Even if we are attacked, the damage will be distributed across the entire formation. It will be weakened first, and then split among the five of us.”

Ji Liuzhen, Granny Shadow, and the others were all thrilled.

The mere fact that their Yuan power and defense were unified was enough to make their strength skyrocket.

“That’s only the first benefit,” Ji Jiuhuo said excitedly. “I can’t even fully explore all its mysteries right now. Just the dragon soul alone… we can use it to attack! We don’t even need to act ourselves. We can just command the dragon soul to fight for us. It’s like Dongzi Qi’s Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation, but this formation of ours is far more refined than that one.”

“Hurry! Set it up immediately! We need to study it and familiarize ourselves with its mysteries!” Ji Jiuhuo said, his excitement palpable.

“Right, right, right!” Everyone nodded.

Ji Ning nodded as well. He knew very well that this kind of formation required a high level of formation mastery from its operators. The deeper their understanding, the better they could utilize it. Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo might not be as gifted as Ji Ning himself, but he had spent centuries studying formations. In terms of pure formation mastery, he was not far behind Ji Ning at all.

“By the way, Ji Ning, what is this formation called?” Ji Jiuhuo couldn’t help but ask. “I’ve never seen such a brilliant formation. This single formation is far superior to my six put together.”

“The Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation,” Ji Ning said.

“Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation.” Ji Jiuhuo recited the name silently to himself. Then he transformed into a streak of light and began setting it up. The formation required advance preparation. The dragon pearl could be carried on his person, but the four scales had to be placed in advance.

…

Time passed, minute by minute. Under the cover of night, the Ji Clan trained on Oxhorn Mountain, familiarizing themselves with the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation. Their spirits were soaring.

“So this is how it works. Incredible.”

“We can have the blackflame dragon attack without us having to lift a finger. Or we can… become the dragon’s claws or tail and attack ourselves. Our personal involvement will give the blackflame dragon even greater power.” Ji Liuzhen was ecstatic. He had never seen such a profound formation.

“And within the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation, space is sealed and all illusions are supreme. It’s the most profound mirage formation imaginable. We can attack whenever we want, and if we need to retreat, we can vanish into the mirage. Snowdragon Mountain won’t be able to find us at all.” Ji Jiuhuo laughed heartily.

Ji Ning was excited too.

Although he had expected it, actually trying it out was a different matter. As a mere early-stage Zifu Disciple, he could now, through the formation’s shared Yuan power… the Patriarch and the others were at the peak of the Zifu stage! With their Yuan power combined, Ji Ning could tap into power that surpassed even a peak Zifu Disciple. With such power fueling the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, its might would be absolutely terrifying!

“Come on, Snowdragon Mountain.” Ji Ning was filled with confidence.