Chapter 73: The Roadblock

"Brother Yuanzhen, I didn't expect that the Ji Clan's foundation would be even deeper than we imagined!" An old man walked out of the rainforest, exuding a powerful eighth-rank qi aura.

"So it's Brother Bangning. Why did only you, an eighth-rank Great Wu Shi, come to chase us? Where is Brother Zhaojun?" Ji Yuanzhen sneered.

This time, the three-clan alliance dispatched two eighth-rank Great Martial Masters, one an elder of the Ding Clan and one an elder of the Lin Clan.

The Xu Clan also dispatched two eighth-rank Great Martial Masters.

"Did Brother Yuanzhen take secret medicine again? But medicine cannot last, and taking too much is not good for the body. I alone am enough to deal with you; why bother the Lin Clan elder again?" Ding Bangning said unhurriedly, his gaze toward Ji Yuanzhen filled with naked mockery and sarcasm.

"Why must you insist on exterminating us? Can't you leave a way for our Ji Clan to survive? As long as Brother Bangning is willing to leave a way for our Ji Clan, I am willing to offer all the wealth accumulated by the Ji Clan over generations." Ji Yuanzhen stared at Ding Bangning, his tone softening.

"At this point, why must Brother Yuanzhen say such naive words?" Ding Bangning sneered mockingly.

"Yes, it is indeed naive!" Ji Yuanzhen sighed long and hard, then his face suddenly sank, and a powerful aura burst forth from him.

"Kill!"

Ji Yuanzhen stomped his foot hard on the ground, splashing rainwater everywhere, and charged toward Ding Bangning with his large saber.

"Kill!" The people behind Ji Yuanzhen also roared and charged out.

"Clack!"

A flash of lightning tore through the rain curtain, reflecting the saber light and illuminating Ji Yuanzhen's twisted and fierce old face.

Ding Bangning was inexplicably startled, but then remembered that Ji Yuanzhen was already at the end of his rope, and a cold smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of his mouth. He thrust his long spear out with a roar, creating a sky full of cold light.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Saber and spear clashed rapidly in the air, creating rolling air currents that prevented the rain from getting in.

Every point of the long spear accurately struck the saber.

"Step! Step! Step!" Ding Bangning finally retreated, exhausted under Ji Yuanzhen's frantic hacking.

Ji Yuanzhen was overjoyed at the sight and wanted to swing his saber to kill, but suddenly his internal qi became chaotic, as if his abdomen were twisted in pain, a turbulent, sea-churning agony.

Ji Yuanzhen's face turned pale, and his body stalled slightly.

Just at this moment, a powerful murderous aura, stirring up surging air currents, rushed toward him.

Ji Yuanzhen was startled and hurriedly held his saber horizontally to block, shifting his body to the side.

He deflected this suddenly launched sword strike.

On the left, however, a flash of cold light swept past, and his left shoulder felt cold, blood splashing everywhere.

It was a hall master of the Tyrant Blade Sect who took advantage of the situation to slash over, cutting off a piece of skin and flesh from Ji Yuanzhen's left shoulder.

"Ji Yuanzhen, you are old!" The hall master showed a ferocious grin, holding a saber as large as a door panel, and turned his saber strike toward Ji Yuanzhen's neck.

Ji Yuanzhen swung his saber to block.

The Lin Clan swordsman on the right and the Ding Clan elder in front followed closely to kill.

Ji Yuanzhen swung his saber frantically, but had no choice but to retreat step by step.

As Ji Yuanzhen retreated step by step, two Ji Clan disciples and death warriors fell into the rain.

The two groups of men on the left and right of the ancestral hall also fell into a bitter battle, blood splashing everywhere mixed with rainwater.

At the back door of the ancestral hall, Ji Wenyue, with a young child tied to her back, turned her head to glance at the back of her grandfather, who was fighting to the death to win a path of survival for them. Then she resolutely turned her head and, following the family head and the best of the Ji Clan's second and third generations, ran wildly toward the dark mountain forest under the night rain curtain.

Her face was full of water droplets; she couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.

In the blink of an eye, the group of people who held the last hope of the Ji Clan disappeared under the rain curtain.

But Ji Yuanzhen and the others didn't dare to relax at all; on the contrary, they charged even more frantically.

They wanted to leave the last glimmer of hope for the Ji Clan.

"Brother Yuanzhen, why bother? With such a big piece of fat as your Ji Clan, do you think the Xu Clan will completely let go and give it to our three clans?" Ding Bangning saw Ji Yuanzhen charging around like a wounded beast, extremely fierce, so he wasn't in a hurry to fight him with all his might, but instead swung his spear while coldly attacking his mind.

Sure enough, Ji Yuanzhen's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he no longer had the heart to fight, wanting to withdraw from the battlefield to chase after Ji Wenyue and the others.

Ding Bangning wasn't in a hurry, just pressing step by step.

This time, the four clans split half their forces to hunt down the stragglers of the other families, and the other half to hunt down the Ji Clan with all their might.

Now that this dilapidated mountain village had been surrounded, the Ji Clan was destined to be unable to escape.

Now it was time to preserve strength in preparation for the clash with the Xu Clan in the mountain village after exterminating the Ji Clan.

Because once the common prey disappeared, the conditions for their temporary cooperation would no longer exist.

"Family Head Ji, this old man has been waiting here for a long time!"

Seeing Ji Shouli Shouli led people to rush out from the back door of the ancestral hall and had just rushed to the mountain path behind the village when an old man in black was already standing in the rainforest.

Behind him stood more than twenty martial artists, none of whom were lower than the fourth-rank, at least half of whom were Great Martial Masters, and one was even a seventh-rank Great Wu Shi in his prime.

"Xu Zhicheng!" Seeing Ji Shouli Shouli's face changed drastically, and he gritted his teeth.

"Will you bind yourselves, or shall we kill you one by one?" Xu Zhicheng said coldly.

"Wennan, Wenbin, later you take Wenyue and charge from the right side; don't worry about us!" Seeing Ji Shouli Shouli whispered, then roared suddenly.

"Kill!"

Seeing Ji Shouli Shouli took the lead, leading people to charge forward with sabers.

Xu Zhicheng waved his hand lightly, and the martial artists behind him charged forward.

The two armies collided under the rain curtain.

In just an instant, blood splashed everywhere, staining the rainwater on the ground.

Ji Wennan and Ji Wenbin saw the two armies colliding, gritted their teeth, and protected Ji Wenyue from left and right, growling: "Let's go!"

Ji Wenyue gritted her teeth, her eyes red, and ran wildly toward the deserted right side following her two cousins.

"Want to leave!"

Xu Zhicheng, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, gave a cold smile at the sight, tapped his toes on the ground, and his whole body soared into the air like an eagle.

While in mid-air, he grabbed the scabbard with one hand and the sword hilt with the other, and drew.

A sharp cold light tore through the rain curtain, killing toward the Ji Wennan and Ji Wenbin brothers who were charging in front.

With one sword strike, the sword qi was like frost.

Ji Wennan and Ji Wenbin felt as if all the blood in their bodies had frozen.

Both subconsciously thought about turning and fleeing, but then suddenly realized that if they fled, Ji Wenyue would have to face this terrifying sword strike directly.

"Kill!" The two roared, the veins on their foreheads bulging, and they swung their sabers to hack forward.

"Clang! Clang!"

Sparks splashed everywhere.

The two retreated repeatedly, their tiger mouths aching, and their large sabers almost flew out of their hands.

"You must be Ji Wenyue, truly a natural beauty. What a pity! The Xu Clan gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it!" Xu Zhicheng swung his sword to force the two Ji Clan disciples back, his precious sword pointing at Ji Wenyue from afar, a look of regret appearing on his face.