The Price of Freedom

Ji Ning and his Primaltwin combined their sword formations, forming a crude but incredibly effective joint assault. Many formation techniques required specific components to be performed separately and then combined, like the Ba Snake Formation or the Bixie Formation, to achieve a tremendous boost in power. The unintentional synergy between Ji Ning and his Primaltwin was more exquisite than many of those deliberate techniques.

“ROOOAR!”

The single golden flying sword transformed into an enormous, sinuous black divine dragon. The dragon let out a roar that shook the heavens.

This was the power of over three hundred supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords, amplified through the Grand Thousand Sword Formation!

Its might had already surpassed many of the divine abilities used by Fiendgod Body Refiners!

“What?!” The silver-armored youth in the sky changed expression. “Hold!”

“Hss.”

The coiling rope in the sky transformed into a green serpent that also hissed. This equally massive green serpent moved to intercept the black dragon.

The black dragon shot into the sky!

The green serpent coiled towards it!

“BOOM!!!” The air trembled violently, and then a wild burst of power radiated out in all directions. It washed over the four Bixie divine beasts, causing their bodies to tremble with a dull hum as they easily weathered the shockwave. The weaker black-robed Loose Immortals had long since fled far away.

The surrounding canyon, however, was not so fortunate. It rumbled and cracked apart as gravel was ground to dust. Large sections of the canyon walls began to collapse.

The ancient castle at the canyon’s heart had a dark light flickering across its surface, which blocked all the incoming shockwaves.

“Not good.” The silver-armored youth’s face fell. The green serpent in the sky had completely collapsed, reforming back into its original rope. Meanwhile, the black divine dragon, still brimming with power, coiled arrogantly in the sky, eager to continue its attack. “This Ji Ning is incredible. He hasn’t even become a Celestial Immortal yet, but the power of his immortal swords is this devastating.”

“Want to capture me, Commander? Your strength isn’t enough!” The leather-clad Ji Ning and the black-robed Ji Ning shouted in unison.

The black dragon in the sky roared again and dove downwards.

“I don’t believe it. I refuse to believe it. I have to capture him.” The silver-armored youth grit his teeth. He could not accept failure. The consequences were something he couldn’t bear. He formed a hand-seal and bellowed, “Asura!”

Powerful immortal energy surged, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. In the sky, a tall, gaunt, and ugly Asura warrior formed, gripping a trident. It pointed its weapon at Ji Ning and roared, “Little thief, die!” It charged forward.

“Guardian Dragon!” The silver-armored youth changed his seal again.

Another golden divine dragon appeared in the sky, roaring as it dove down.

“Trap!”

At the same time, the great rope in the sky transformed into a bizarre, double-headed green serpent, its tail ending in a second head. It hissed as it shot towards Ji Ning.

Maintaining these three secret arts and controlling a magic treasure was an immense burden on the silver-armored youth.

“Break, break, break for me!” Both the leather-clad and black-robed Ji Ning simultaneously controlled the Grand Thousand Sword Formation. The over three hundred supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords once again condensed into a single, razor-sharp golden flying sword. This golden sword transformed into a black divine dragon in the air. Now, there were two black dragons in the sky.

Maintaining two simultaneous Fourth Level sword-light manifestations of the Grand Thousand Sword Formation was Ji Ning’s current limit.

“Trap him.”

“I must trap him.” The silver-armored youth’s eyes held a maddened gleam. “I endured so many years just for a chance at transcendence. I won’t be punished again! Never!”

The ugly Asura warrior, the golden guardian dragon, and the double-headed serpent all attacked at once.

The two black dragons met them head-on.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

The air was filled with explosions, and shockwaves rippled out in every direction.

“Hahaha… Commander, this little trick of yours isn’t enough.” Ji Ning laughed loudly. The sword-light dragons from his Fourth Level Grand Thousand Sword Formation had smashed through the Asura warrior and the guardian dragon before finally dispersing.

“Suppress!”

The silver-armored youth suddenly waved his hand, and seven great seals appeared in the air. Each seal was covered in a hazy light and inscribed with ancient characters. They floated in the sky like immense mountains, their power linked by flowing streams of light, acting as a single entity. “Suppress him!” The silver-armored youth pointed furiously at Ji Ning.

The seven great seals began to descend from the sky, rapidly combining as they fell until they merged into a single, gigantic mountain that slammed down towards Ji Ning.

“Break!”

Ji Ning pointed at the sky. The two black dragons from his sword formation shot upwards, like fish swimming against a powerful current.

The gigantic mountain smashed down. The two black dragons shattered instantly. Ji Ning’s pupils contracted. He immediately activated his divine ability, transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall giant with three heads and six arms. His true body extended all six enormous palms to slap the descending mountain. “BOOM!!!” The heavens and earth seemed to split apart. Ji Ning’s true body was driven deep into the ground, the surrounding earth shattering and collapsing outwards in all directions. He was buried up to his chest.

With a quick shake of his body, he emerged.

“Haha, Commander, quite the skill you’ve got there.” Ji Ning looked at the silver-armored youth with a smile.

The silver-armored youth’s face was dark and gloomy.

“Damn it, damn it!” He was furious. He had seen Ji Ning’s strength. He admitted the sword formation was powerful, but in terms of pure power, Ji Ning was still far beneath him. The Commander was among the top-tier of all Celestial Immortals!

But this wasn’t a battle to the death. The goal was to bind the opponent in that rope!

If this were a pure contest of strength, he could use his seven Pure Yang (low-grade) seals to unleash his most powerful attacks. But this time, he had to capture his enemy. He had to divert his attention to control the rope, spending significant mental energy to unleash its maximum binding power. Binding a Fiendgod who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art was not an easy task.

Dividing his attention between the rope and the seals meant he couldn’t use the seals at their full power.

“You win!” The silver-armored youth looked at Ji Ning, his voice low. “I can’t kill you, and I can’t capture you.”

He was clearly a level stronger than Ji Ning.

Yet he couldn’t capture him!

This was the terror of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art… Unless the gap in strength was simply too enormous, allowing him to break Ji Ning’s defenses first and then bind him. That gap was not present here.

The canyon had long since been reduced to rubble. Floating in the air above the ruins were the silver-armored youth, the group of Bronze Demon Guards, Ji Ning, and Mu Northson.

The Commander had finally conceded. He couldn’t kill Ji Ning, and he couldn’t escape punishment. His only option was to minimize his losses to lessen the penalty.

“Good.” Ji Ning nodded with a smile. “That’s what I call wise.”

Mu Northson’s eyes held a look of release. Just moments before, Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Commander had all sworn vows upon the Heavenly Dao. Ji Ning swore he would never reveal the secrets of the castle as long as Mu Northson was freed. Mu Northson swore the same.

And so, the silver-armored youth was forced to free Mu Northson.

“Commander, please open the formation and let us leave.” Ji Ning stood in mid-air, while Mu Northson, standing beside him, seemed to come back to life, a new vitality flowing through him as hope filled his heart.

“Hold on.”

The Commander let out a long sigh. “Before you go, let me tell you one more bad bit of news.”

Ji Ning and Mu Northson’s faces changed simultaneously.

Bad news?

“I lost badly today.” The Commander sighed. “The security around this forbidden area was so tight. Even the puppet experts we captured all swore vows not to escape, for doing so would mean instant death. I never imagined anyone could infiltrate… and run into someone who cultivates the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. Just my luck.”

“Get to the point. What are you trying to say?” Ji Ning frowned and barked.

After his dramatic sighing, the Commander looked at them and sneered, “Qu Huan, the man in charge of certain menial tasks in the castle, is dead. If I’m not mistaken, Mu Northson has already taken his relative’s soul.”

Mu Northson yelled, “So what?”

“Have you ever heard of ‘Soul-Prison Jade’?” The Commander grinned. He felt a little satisfaction at being able to antagonize these two.

“Soul-Prison Jade?” Mu Northson and Ji Ning’s expressions changed. Ji Ning had learned about such common knowledge in the Three Realms during his time at Mount Innerheart, so of course he knew about Soul-Prison Jade. As for Mu Northson, his expertise in puppetry meant he had naturally heard of this legendary material.

Soul-Prison Jade: Once a soul enters Soul-Prison Jade, it becomes one with the jade, unable to ever separate. It is nourished by the jade, however, and can exist permanently as long as it is not attacked or destroyed. Puppet masters usually implant the jade into their puppets, allowing the soul within to control the entire construct, granting it incredible agility and intelligence.

“Did you not recognize it?” The Commander smiled. “That crystalline orb holding the soul is made of Soul-Prison Jade!”

“What?!” Mu Northson was both shocked and enraged.

“It’s over.” Ji Ning looked at his junior brother. The soul of Yu Xia was now trapped within a Soul-Prison Jade orb. She would be forever unable to leave, forced to live in that tiny space for all eternity. This was an incredibly painful existence, and she would never have a chance to be reincarnated.

“Perhaps this is for the best,” Ji Ning thought.

Everything had two sides.

It was agonizing for Yu Xia to be imprisoned in Soul-Prison Jade, unable to leave or reincarnate.

But this way, she could be with Mu Northson forever.

“Mu Northson.” The silver-armored youth sneered from afar. “Your relative’s soul can stay with you forever. Aren’t you happy? But don’t forget, she is trapped in that tiny space forever, suffering endlessly! That suffering will accompany her for an endless age, until the day she is attacked and destroyed, and her soul is scattered to the winds.”

Mu Northson clenched his teeth. “Xia…”

He was filled with guilt.

Ji Ning sighed to himself. The Commander laughed heartily, “See how good I am? I specifically told you this news. Now, get out of here.”

“Let’s go.” Ji Ning gave the distant Commander a cold look, then stored Mu Northson directly into his随身仙府 (mobile immortal estate). He shot into the sky. The grand formation above did not block him, and he flew off into the distance before using a spatial teleportation to disappear completely.