The Blackflame Dragon’s Tail

Ji Ning sat within the colossal dragon tail, surrounded by layer upon layer of massive, clearly visible scales.

“Mm?” Ji Ning heard a rumbling sound and furious shouts.

Cries of “Form up!” and “Set the formation!” echoed from afar. Ji Ning’s ears twitched and he smiled. “They’ve made their move.”

According to the plan, among the several Ji Clan experts in this operation, Ji Ning was the strongest. He would only strike at the critical moment… For now, there was no need for him to act.

A short time later.

“Whoosh!”

A human figure came flying over. It was Ji Yichuan, clad in white beast-hide.

“Father.” Ji Ning rose to his feet.

“Here.” Ji Yichuan waved his hand, and six flying swords materialized in midair before him. “These were obtained after Liuzhen killed four Zifu Disciples. One of those Zifu Disciples was controlling multiple flying swords; we got five from him alone. In total, these six flying swords came from the four of them.”

Ji Ning didn’t hesitate. He immediately accepted them.

“That’s excellent.” Ji Ning was extremely excited. They had already exchanged some treasures among themselves earlier; some things were useless to one person but urgently needed by another. In a life-or-death moment like this, no one would argue or hold back—everyone acted with decisiveness. For example, Ji Ning had given the poison insects he acquired from Beizi Shan to Ji Jiuhuo, and Ji Jiuhuo and the others had known from before that Ji Ning urgently needed graded flying swords. However, previously they had only managed to scrape together five flying swords.

Adding the two left behind by Beizi Shan, that made only seven flying swords in total. Not enough to form even a single formation matrix of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation! But with these six additional flying swords… it would finally be enough.

“These six flying swords are all graded treasures.” Ji Yichuan said.

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded. “With these six graded flying swords, my strength will increase by quite a bit. I’ll make sure to properly slaughter those Snowdragon Mountain Zifu Disciples!”

Ji Yichuan actually revealed a rare look of joy on his face. “This time was truly satisfying. The Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation you provided is incredibly powerful! A single ambush and we killed four Zifu Disciples. Without the formation’s support, any one of those ambushes could have ended with our deaths.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded.

The Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation… he had obtained it from the aquatic palace. Naturally, it was extremely formidable.

“Be ready. When we need you to go into battle, the Patriarch will send you a sound transmission. Prepare yourself.” Ji Yichuan instructed, then transformed into a streak of light and departed swiftly.

Ji Ning immediately began to infuse his elemental ki into the flying swords, hurrying to refine these graded treasures. Although, as the artifact spirit of the aquatic palace had said, it would be much better if the core flying swords all came from the same source and were of a higher grade… unfortunately, in his current situation, he was in no position to be picky. Being able to get enough graded flying swords was already a blessing.

…

Black mist filled the area.

Nong Zidao, Tong Yu, and the others advanced cautiously through the mist. The Immortal Crane and the Earth Dragon had returned to their original beast forms, following closely behind Nong Zidao and Tong Yu.

“This black mist illusion formation is nothing to worry about.” Nong Zidao finally spoke. “I’ve already thoroughly investigated its mysteries. I can also sense the locations of Dong Ziji and the others. Just follow my instructions now… we’ll be able to reunite with them soon.”

“We’ll follow Senior Apprentice-Brother Zidao.”

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Zidao is truly skilled.” The surrounding Zifu Disciples, who had worn grim expressions, finally showed a hint of relief.

Earlier, as soon as they entered the formation and called out, Dong Ziji and the other eight Zifu Disciples in the distance had responded… After exchanging a few loud shouts, Tong Yu and Nong Zidao learned that four of their fellow disciples had already been killed in an instant! This filled Tong Yu and Nong Zidao with extreme fury and vigilance.

Nong Zidao called out clearly, “Junior Apprentice-Brother Ziji, we’re coming over now. We’ll be there soon.”

“Boom!”

“Kill!”

“Kill those old bastards of the Ji Clan!”

A burst of furious shouting and the sounds of battle came from afar, startling Nong Zidao, Tong Yu, and the others. Soon, the sounds of fighting subsided.

Tong Yu frowned and shouted, “Dong Ziji! Are you all alright?”

“We’re fine.” A voice came from afar. “The eight of us have been maintaining our joint formation without a moment’s slack. Just now, a huge dragon claw suddenly attacked… it was a bit more powerful than the first ambush. We suffered a slight loss, but with the eight of us defending together, we’re quite strong. No one died.”

“Alright. We’ll be there shortly.” Tong Yu said.

“Let’s hurry over.” Tong Yu looked at Nong Zidao beside him. “That was a dragon head attack earlier. Now it’s a dragon claw attack. This little Ji Clan actually possesses such means.”

Nong Zidao said gravely, “It’s likely a formation the Ji Clan acquired by chance over the past few millennia. It seems quite formidable. Let’s hurry and join up.”

Right at that moment—

Whoosh!

The surrounding black mist suddenly grew thicker, and an icy, bone-piercing chill could be felt.

“Move forward… Stop… Turn left… Stop.” Nong Zidao guided them easily. Suddenly, his expression changed. “Hm?”

“What is it?” Everyone looked at him, waiting for his command.

“It changed.”

Nong Zidao’s face turned ugly. “There are multiple layers to this formation—a formation within a formation. We’ve been caught in an even more powerful maze formation.”

“Can you break it?” Tong Yu looked at him.

“It’s very difficult.” Nong Zidao examined his surroundings, gently waving his hand to feel the bone-piercing chill.

“How long will it take to break the formation?” Tong Yu pressed.

“I don’t know!” Nong Zidao shook his head. “At the very least, half a shichen. At most, a day or two.”

The surrounding Zifu Disciples immediately changed expressions. Tong Yu was astonished. “That long?”

…

Ji Ning sat cross-legged within the colossal dragon tail of the Blackflame Dragon. Suspended around him were over seven hundred flying sword artifacts. Among them, nine flying swords shone the brightest, their white light far more intense than the others. A hazy white glow continuously emanated from them, quickly gathering in front of Ji Ning to coalesce into a single strand of sword-light.

“Mm. With nine graded flying swords forming one formation matrix and acting as the core of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation’s seven hundred flying swords, the power has clearly increased dramatically.” Ji Ning revealed a joyful expression. “However, the graded flying swords also place much more pressure on my soul.”

Using ungraded flying swords to form the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation… and using Human-ranked flying swords to form it… were two completely different matters. The difficulty of controlling them skyrocketed, and the power also skyrocketed!

“Currently, I’ve only added nine graded flying swords. I’ve comprehended the Sword Domain before, and my soul has grown considerably. For now, I can still execute the ninth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.” Ji Ning had a feeling that if he added dozens of graded flying swords, or even a few hundred… the number of flying swords he could control would drastically decrease!

“Ji Ning!” A deep, resonant voice came.

“Patriarch.” Ji Ning’s face lit up.

“We have a big problem now.” Ji Jiuhuo’s voice transmitted to him.

“What problem?” Ji Ning grew worried.

“Among these Snowdragon Mountain Zifu Disciples, especially in the second batch that just entered the formation, there’s one named Nong Zidao. I’ve heard of his reputation. This Nong Zidao is extremely skilled in formations. He could easily break our black mist illusion formation. I was forced to use the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation’s own maze formation to trap him.” Ji Jiuhuo transmitted.

Ji Ning’s expression changed.

The Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation… also possessed a maze effect, and it was far more sophisticated than the Ji Clan’s own maze formation.

“There’s also one named Tong Yu among them. I’ve never heard of him before. But his strength is enormous.” Ji Jiuhuo transmitted. “Among our six Ji Clan members, you are the strongest. The second strongest is the old servant A Xing. Just now, Old Servant A Xing attacked Dong Ziji’s group of eight first. The eight of them were constantly maintaining their joint formation, so A Xing couldn’t do anything to them. However, I noticed that Tong Yu and Nong Zidao weren’t in a joint formation. I thought there was an opportunity, so I had A Xing attack… Unexpectedly, when A Xing used the Blackflame Dragon’s claw to attack, that Tong Yu actually blocked it all by himself!”

“Blocked it alone?” Ji Ning was shocked.

“His strength is very high. Old Servant A Xing made a sneak attack and then immediately retreated.” Ji Jiuhuo said. “Right now, there are two batches of enemies in the formation. The second batch is clearly far stronger than the first. So we have to wipe out the first batch of Zifu Disciples as soon as possible. Otherwise, once they join up, we’ll have even less of a chance.”

Ji Ning nodded.

“You are the strongest among us. Head out now to attack Dong Ziji and his group. I’ll guide you on the direction. Then, follow my orders.” Ji Jiuhuo said.

At the same time, the black mist in front of Ji Ning quickly parted, revealing a path.

“Alright. I’ve been waiting impatiently!” Ji Ning rose abruptly and shot forth along the path.

…

Dong Ziji and the other seven were on high alert, constantly maintaining their joint formation. A white, glowing Eight Trigrams Diagram covered the eight of them.

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Ziji, be careful! This is the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation!” The anxious voice of Nong Zidao came from far away.

“Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation?” Dong Ziji and the other seven looked at each other, all sporting expressions of confusion and ignorance.

From the distance, Nong Zidao shouted urgently, “We were just attacked by a dragon claw as well. Senior Apprentice-Brother Tong Yu repelled it in one blow. I recognized it immediately—it’s the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation! This is an ancient formation! There are complex versions and simplified versions… Legend has it that the Marquis of Anchan’s estate possesses a Heaven-ranked grand formation called the ‘Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation’. The version the Ji Clan is using must be a simplified Human-ranked formation. But even at the Human rank, its power is astonishing. This time, we are truly in danger. We must go all out, or we risk losing our lives.”

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Tong Yu and I will do our utmost to break the formation. We cannot afford to be distracted. For now, we won’t be able to look after you. The eight of you… take care of yourselves.” Nong Zidao’s voice echoed.

Dong Ziji and the other seven looked at each other, their faces grim.

It seemed this formation had forced even Nong Zidao and Tong Yu to give it their all… which showed just how threatening this formation was.

“What Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation? I’ve never even heard of it. Senior Apprentice-Brother Nong Zidao only knows of it because he’s studied a vast number of sect formation manuals. How could the Ji Clan have such a powerful formation?”

“Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation?”

Dong Ziji and his companions all wore ugly expressions.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got.” Dong Ziji looked at the seven fellow disciples around him. “This time, it’s a battle to the death. Either the Ji Clan dies, or we die! Don’t hold back any of your life-saving trump cards.”

Their mindsets had all changed.

They had begun with the mindset of going on a pleasant excursion. The instant death of four fellow disciples had shocked them, but they had still believed that once Senior Apprentice-Brother Tong Yu and Senior Apprentice-Brother Nong Zidao joined up with them… all danger would vanish. But now, even Nong Zidao had said that this time, they truly had to fight for their lives.

“If I’d known we would have to fight to the death, I wouldn’t have come to this Yan Mountain.” Though their hearts were bitter, faced with life and death, everyone prepared for a desperate struggle.

A mere hundred zhang away from them.

The tip of a colossal dragon tail was right there, and Ji Ning was within it. Over seven hundred flying swords floated around him, ready for slaughter.

“Ji Ning, attack!” The Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo’s sound transmission echoed in his ears.

“KILL!”

A fierce light flashed in Ji Ning’s eyes.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the entire colossal Blackflame Dragon performed a tail-sweeping motion. The dragon tail swept out, attacking the eight on-guard Zifu Disciples directly!