Chapter 330: Tear Through the Encirclement!

In ordinary times, faced with the kind of scene—where the world's great clans were trapped in a death trap, a spectacle the common folk loved to watch—he would never step forward to protect them.

In fact, he might even lend a hand.

But he alone could not stand against those thousand-year-old clans who had plotted for years, especially given the ambush tonight, whose strength far surpassed everyone's imagination.

Under these circumstances, he could only choose to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Sect.

Yes, the Immortal Sects and clans of Qingyun Realm were both cold and greedy, but they were still slightly better than those who could harm their own kin.

This was a rotten world where one could only choose the lesser evil to avoid the worst.

With a clang, Ji You drew his sword and charged forward, bringing down a devastating slash upon the Spirit Traveling demon seed with unprecedented gravity.

The sword intent cleaved the heavens, triggering explosions from all directions.

Simultaneously, the demon seed swung its claw, crushing the cliffside with the weight of a mountain, unleashing a gale and thunderous lightning from its venomous talons.

"BOOM!!!!"

In the instant the night itself was crushed into boiling chaos, Ji You's sword trembled violently under suppression, while the murderous talon, radiating terrifying pressure, came crashing down upon his head.

It was supreme, unfathomable power—like a sudden flood, like a collapsing mountain—air and light twisted between its black claws.

In the gorge, countless warriors locked in battle with the demon seeds raised their heads, staring at the lone figure holding the line.

Without doubt, Ji You was the most complex figure among the younger generation in the eyes of the world's great clans.

He entered the Heavenly Book Academy alongside Chu He, but due to the shadow of Chu's second son, he was never favored, and his path had been fraught with hardship.

Yet no one had foreseen that, when an unstoppable disaster came crashing down, it would be he who stood sword in hand to hold the line.

At this moment, disciples of the Heavenly Book Academy were desperately breaking through toward the northeast, holding back the corpse tide behind them while unable to help but glance back at the figure who seemed to block the bursting dam—his gaze more complicated than when they'd seen him kill three in an instant.

Ji You had been in the Heavenly Book Academy five years, often used by other disciples as a benchmark for comparison.

But the place he now stood in was no longer a battlefield he could possibly join.

Yet when the Spirit Traveling demon seed, wielding the power of ten thousand paths and ten thousand hectares, came crashing down, the Guo and Tao families, positioned behind him, immediately charged westward at the cost of grievous injury, seeking to tear open the corpse tide.

Their goal was not to flee outright, but merely to escape behind Ji You, to the rear of Elder Yu and Elder Wang.

For in their eyes, though Ji You carried himself with pride, he was the one least capable of holding the line.

Indeed, his combat power rivaled Wujiang, and due to his physical strength, it far exceeded expectations.

But the enemy he faced was a Spirit Traveling demon seed.

The two Wujiang elders of the He and Zuqiu clans had joined forces to barely hold their ground, yet still suffered constant grievous wounds; in their view, Ji You's arrival with his sword merely delayed the collapse of the line for an instant, unable to truly alter the battle.

Ji You would die, the line would break at him immediately, and the Guo and Tao families' position would be the first to face lethal assault.

"Lord Guo?!"

"This place is perilous—you cannot hold it! The Guo family has come to assist you!"

"?!"

Aside from the Heavenly Book Academy, which had been split into sixteen squads, the other clans had entered the gorge independently.

The Guo and Tao families now moved as one, surging like a reverse current and instantly scattering the Ma and Miao families who were fighting the demon seeds nearby.

The gorge was filled with countless demon seeds; the Ma and Miao clans were overwhelmed, swept away by the tide, and pushed behind Ji You.

In this environment brimming with lethal danger, they knew perfectly well that the sudden move by the Guo and Tao families was because Ji You's position was the weakest point in the defense.

Even other clans nearby—He, Zuqiu, Chai, Shi—could not help but tremble at the Guo and Tao families' swift, decisive action.

Yet the Ma and Miao families did not sit idle; the moment they were shoved aside, they lunged back.

In life-or-death moments, face meant nothing; these cultivators who had always avoided conflict now drew their blades instantly, and tension erupted amid the chaos.

But the Guo and Tao families were powerful, and with the demon seeds continuing their assault, the Ma and Miao families could not push back.

Meanwhile, all continued slaying demon seeds while worrying about the lethal threats from all sides.

With Ji You's arrival, the nearly collapsed line held once more; over a dozen Spirit Traveling elders and more than twenty Wujiang elders of the Heavenly Book Academy continuously sought openings to replenish with spirit stones, pressing forward against the corrupted greats.

Some activated life-saving artifacts, slamming them down; others unleashed renewed beams of killing light that pierced the night, causing cliffs to collapse and waves to surge.

"The front won't hold much longer—if all the elders die, even one extra second of life is meaningless."

"Stop holding back—give everything you have. Follow me and tear open the corpse tide."

Behind the lines, He Lingxiu snapped sharply, leading the Heavenly Book Academy disciples in relentless strikes toward the northeast.

This was the direction meant to lure them in—and the only direction not yet fully encircled.

But as the corrupted ones drew the tide, the slaughter here grew increasingly difficult.

Yet they had no other chance—if they failed to break out here, they would truly be slaughtered in place.

Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and Cao Jinsong joined in, pouring out their spiritual energy wildly, knowing that every moment they cut forward meant Ji You could retreat sooner.

As for the Lu sisters, they, along with Bai Ru and other outer academy disciples, continuously shattered spirit stones behind them, releasing torrents of refined spiritual energy to replenish He Lingxiu and the others.

As expected, the frontline elders of the Heavenly Book Academy were truly at their last breath; many were already battered and bleeding from exhaustion.

The Chai clan's elder had even had his arm shattered, his entire side riddled with horrific wounds.

With a thunderous crash, the Shi clan's elder swept his sleeve, activating an artifact to block an attack, spat blood, dragged the Chai elder back, then both fought together in desperate tandem.

This gruesome scene left all hearts numb with despair.

But the greatest concern remained the north.

Ji You's sword art, released toward the heavens, was as fragile as glass—lasting only an instant before being crushed under the black venomous claws, exploding into countless sparks, then instantly swallowed by surging malevolence.

The boiling killing intent surged like a tidal wave, pulverizing sand and stone within a hundred zhang into powder, the venomous claw descending with a piercing shriek.

Ji You swung his sword again, but was instantly blasted ten zhang back, spewing blood from his mouth, a crimson bloom bursting across his chest—strikingly vivid against his white sword robe.

But no moment of respite was granted; the sharp venomous claw, undiminished, came crashing down again, aimed straight for his crown.

Seeing this, the Guo and Tao families could not help but rejoice at their precise grasp of the situation—and their swift, decisive maneuver.

Honestly, Ji You holding off the demon seed alone multiple times was already astonishing enough.

But this desperate defense clearly could not last more than a few more attempts.

Yet what they had not anticipated was that the battle shifted in an instant.

As the demon seed brought its claw down to claim his life, a clear, piercing sword cry pierced the sky through the swirling dust.

Amid the rolling dust, Ji You's right hand curled like a hook, and from the sea of yellow sand, he tore out another emerald blade.

The moment the sword trembled, flying sand and rolling stones froze in place.

The rigid sword qi pierced the boiling night, erupting in blinding white light that collided with a thunderous boom.

He now understood the enemy's strength, speed, and physical resilience.

The gap was vast; outright killing it was extremely difficult.

But fortunately, he did not need to kill the demon seed—he only needed to buy time for those behind him.

The key, then, was to endure as long as possible, and the only way was to protect himself from grievous injury.

And sometimes, the best defense was the fastest offense.

In an instant, the swordlight surged like a falling galaxy; the Dao sword named Guiquilai, moving at extreme speed, flattened the surrounding dust and, in a flash of lightning, slashed toward the demon seed's skull.

Ji You's combat power and the demon seed's were not true Wujiang or Spirit Traveling levels; unlike the elders who channeled heavenly Dao into devastating techniques, this battle was more like close-quarters slaughter.

On the trembling cliff, the demon seed whirled in horror, its crushing talons grinding the incoming sword qi to dust.

As the shockwave exploded, Ji You's left foot shattered the rock, his body becoming a white streak as he surged forward—his third sword, descending from above, pierced straight through its chest.

The razor-sharp sword intent bloomed like a full moon, thundering forward.

"BOOM!!!"

Continuous, majestic sword qi cut through the night; the grand slashes shook all around.

Compared to the demon seed, towering over two zhang tall, its knotted muscles bulging like piled boulders, Ji You—with his scholar's bearing—looked more like a furious, titanic beast, relentlessly closing in and slashing.

Each swing of his arm sliced through vast sections of the cliff; the corrupted demon roared endlessly, clenching its claws to crush the cunning sword qi.

Time and again, the demon tried to exploit the opening between Ji You's strikes, aiming to smash his crown—but it never succeeded.

BOOM—the malevolence surged like a wave.

Ji You's lips and teeth were crimson; his incredibly hardened body now bore multiple horrific wounds—but the Dao sword in his hand grew ever faster, ever sharper.

Power erupted from his flesh, flooding his arms; each sword strike sent ripples through the air, carving waves like crashing tides.

Three masters riding flying swords watched from above, their expressions grim.

From high up, one sees clearly.