Chapter 335: Director, It

Ji You was sprinting through a dark and chaotic void, spiritual energy rapidly depleted forming violent winds around him, making his immortal robe snap and flutter fiercely.

Along the way, his mood had sunk to its heaviest point.

For he had just sensed the pressure of the Linxian Realm—not just one, but multiple—rapidly retreating from the ruins.

That meant his deduction was correct: the Sacred Artifact had truly been controlled; otherwise, even if these demonic cultivators had reached the Linxian Realm, they would never dare show themselves under the Sacred Artifact's might.

With a howling rush, Ji You finally chased the malice to a familiar place.

The site of the Youxian Gathering: Rihua County City.

After the corpse tide erupted, nearly every city in Qingyun Realm that housed aristocratic clans had been reduced to ruins by the demonic seeds—but this great city now stood intact upon the earth.

Ji You gripped his longsword tightly and stepped into the city gate; before he had even taken a full step, he saw a towering black light far ahead, stretching into the heavens.

Continuous streams of black qi surged violently from above to below within that black light.

Right now, before Kunmen—the towering Daoist arena rising to the sky, rivaling the northern frontier walls.

The figures who had earlier clashed fiercely with the major immortal sects in the forest now appeared here, gazing at the golden-eyed figure within the city gate, their expressions heavy with gravity.

"He actually found his way here…"

"Lord Bai had concealed his aura throughout the journey, and with Young Master Chu having used the altar to obscure heavenly fate, this place should not have been detectable at all."

"This boy has always been extraordinary."

Bai Zhengze's single sentence plunged the gathering into silence.

Indeed, this was not the first time he had made people feel extraordinary.

He sensed the Heavenly Book within five days of entering the Heavenly Book Academy, shattered methods with brute force during the Autumn Duel, severed the Warlord's blade atop the Snowfields; though he had not broken through since, when news next reached them, his combat power had already rivaled Wujiang.

At first, few in Qingyun Realm paid him any attention—but every time they did, he surpassed their expectations.

On several occasions, he had unknowingly disrupted their plans, forcing them to resort to indirect measures.

And today, beneath the obscured heavenly fate, he had followed right behind.

ZZZZ!

A faint breeze swept past; Ji You, chasing the malice through the city, suddenly came to a halt.

The force of his abrupt stop shattered the ruins beneath his feet with a thunderous explosion; in that instant, a terrifying iron blade slashed through the air, cleaving apart the tea house already reduced to rubble.

The figure wielding the blade showed a flicker of surprise—unaware his stealth had been detected—then heard a crisp, clear sword hum beside his ear.

The Dao sword surged upward; their two figures instantly recoiled from the collision.

At that moment, Ji You spun around and saw a sword descending from the heavens.

His body blasted backward a hundred zhang, his aura blazing like fire, propelling him forward like a cannonball toward the west.

In an instant, a sword qi shot straight into the heavens; Ji You's Dao sword twisted sideways and carved a circular slash around the sky.

The violent friction with the air made the blade instantly scorching hot, then the Dao sword descended like a mountain.

The heavy sword qi flashed like lightning, instantly slicing through a sonic boom.

Amid a shower of sparks, the approaching figure was slashed back, forced to retreat and create distance.

Ji You lifted his head and gazed ahead.

Li Yunlang, the direct scion of the Li family of Zhongzhou; Zhuang Zixin, scion of the Zhuang family of Lingzhou; besides them, his younger brother Zhuang You, Zhu Yao, elder brother of Zhu Shun, and Wei Bo, scion of the Wei family of Qingzhou.

They were nearly the same age, all very young; their auras collided invisibly, stirring up furious gales.

Ji You's gaze swept over them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

If any one or two of them had appeared here alone, he might not have seen the connection—but now that all five stood together, it was impossible not to recall the former Heavenly Dao Assembly.

For these men had all entered the Sage's Sacred Ground.

Ji You's mind involuntarily recalled the malice he had sensed at the shattered center of the Sage's Sacred Ground, and the celestial anomalies others had described afterward: blood mist, corpse tides.

He had long suspected the Sage's Sacred Ground had problems due to that malice, but found no clues—until now, he finally saw some leads.

Meanwhile, Li Yunlang and the others were staring at him, their bloodshot eyes filled with complex emotions.

During the Heavenly Dao Assembly, Ji You had shattered them completely; though they were all among the Ten Tongxuan Prodigies, everyone knew the vast gap between the first and the other nine.

Now, having gained immortal fortune and surged in realm, each time they fought, they carried an aura of swallowing the world, as if they could shatter anything.

Yet even together, under ambush, they still could not overpower him.

Ji You stood sword in hand, facing them; his aura burned hot and searing, making their hearts pound like drums.

But he was doomed…

At this moment, a powerful sword qi, wreathed in black-red smoke, erupted violently through the city.

Zhuang You slashed forward with icy expression; he was a direct disciple of the Heavenly Sword Peak, possessing the combat power of a Rongdao cultivator, now wielding the might of a Shenyu cultivator, his sword art terrifyingly potent.

Ji You reacted instantly, using his sword to block—but was still violently shoved back three zhang by the terrifying sword art.

At the instant Zhuang You struck, the remaining four moved as one: thunderous iron swords, razor-sharp iron blades, and the black-red heavenly light surged toward him.

Darkened heavens, chaotic winds howled.

Beneath intense killing intent, Ji You braced himself against Zhuang You's blade while his left arm swelled violently.

His powerful fist slammed into the right side, exploding the Tian Guang Yin in Wei Bo's hand, then seized his right shoulder and slammed him forward.

In this situation, his opportunities were few—he could only kill the weakest first to gain a sliver of survival.

At that moment, a blade of light, cold as a winter moon, slashed down with thunderous force.

BANG!!!!

Ji You was violently flung away; the fierce blade qi slashed diagonally down his shoulder, instantly tearing his back fabric open with spurting blood.

In that same instant, Ji You's eyes glazed over from the blade strike.

"Wei Bo, kill him!"

As the blade descended, Zhu Shun roared.

His blade had struck true; now he only needed one final kill.

Wei Bo, dragged through the air by Ji You, instantly glared with murderous intent; Tian Guang Yin coalesced in his palm, radiating chilling killing intent that made the scalp crawl.

But before that killing intent could strike, Ji You suddenly swung a horizontal punch.

CRACK! Wei Bo's hand clutching the technique was shattered outright; as he screamed in agony, another fist smashed straight through his sternum.

Then, summoning his sword again, Ji You spat blood and charged forward once more.

The muscles across his back stood out in rigid blocks, like iron plates, twisted tightly together.

That was his body locked in place before the blade even fell—both shoulder blades pushing all muscle mass into a single compressed mass; the blade had left a deep wound on his back, yet never touched vital organs.

His clothes weren't cut open—they were torn apart by his own muscles.

Zhu Shun murmured softly, his eyes reflecting Ji You's charging figure.

But at this very moment, an even stronger sword qi rose faster than his.

Zhuang You, with Shenyu combat power, slashed his sword forward; the razor-sharp aura instantly targeted Ji You's neck.

Yet at that instant, a figure hurtled in, his fingertip sword piercing the air with a deafening, ear-splitting hum that echoed across the entire city.

Gravity crashed down from above; the sword qi snapped instantly, and Zhuang You and the others were blasted like a tidal wave into the inner reaches of Rihua City.

Chai Hu landed, turned, and squinted at the sunken-chested Wei Bo, his eyelid twitching slightly.

Attacked by five, trapped in a killing trap—he still managed to kill one.

Most crucially, the one he held was, by any measure, a beginner Wujiang cultivator.

It was like giving absurdity a door to the absurd, absurd to the extreme.

After gazing at him for a long moment, Chai Hu's heart churned with complex thoughts before he snapped back, then turned to stare at the towering black light ahead, watching it rise for a long while, his eyes narrowing slightly.

So they had used the Heavenly Dao Ritual as a base, creating a barrier between the Sacred Artifact and the Heavenly Dao.

"Can it be resolved?"

"Though I don't know what that black light is, it's not a sophisticated technique—kill the ritualist, and it's over."

Chai Hu swung his arm sharply; with Qiu Yangyang and the other five upper realms who had arrived, they leapt into the air, stomping the ground.

As they stepped into the city, radiating boundless immortal light, the upper realm demonic cultivators also surged forward, corrupted and murderous.

"Ji You, you ungrateful disciple—who told you to come alone?!"

Ji You, blood trickling from his lips, had just caught his breath when Cao Jingsong and Wen Zhengxin rushed up from behind.

Even Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, disregarding their status, squeezed into the crowd, circling him, scanning him with grim expressions; only when they confirmed he was unharmed did their tension ease slightly.

"What exactly happened? I'm completely lost about this 'essence' business."

"In the counterfeit Sacred Artifacts, the sect leaders extracted essence from the original Sacred Artifact, using it to control it. Some of the demons have already reached Linxian Realm. Now that the Sacred Artifact is suppressed, they're preparing to strike the immortal sects."

Ji You, breathing heavily, explained the situation clearly.

"You've always had no love for the immortal sects—why are you playing the hero this time? You…"

Cao Jingsong was furious at his recklessness, but his words froze mid-sentence; Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu's agreement died before it could leave their lips.

It wasn't complicated—think carefully, and it became clear.

The Sacred Artifact stolen—the most endangered person was his cold, unrivaled wife.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had already understood what their Lord faced the moment they heard Ji You shouting near the Great Wilderness Forest.

Their Lord possessed the highest cultivation talent in the world—but she was too young, lacking sufficient time to reach Linxian Realm.

If the Sacred Artifact failed, the most endangered would be their Lingjian Mountain.

They had worried all the way—until now, seeing their lord's beloved husband risk his life for her, their anxious eyes flickered with a glimmer of warmth.

As her personal maids, their hearts naturally favored their Lord; seeing the man she loved willing to die for her, they felt joy for her.

Meanwhile, the Lu sisters still didn't know who truly controlled the courtyard they wished to enter, their expressions puzzled.

"Now that the location's found, don't rush. The Hall Master should be able to resolve this. Those demons? Just a bunch of crude cultivators who forcibly ascended."

"Correct. No matter how meticulously planned, once exposed, it's all about who's stronger."

Cao Jingsong and Wen Zhengxin offered Ji You words of comfort.

I have to admit, these demons' plan was truly meticulous; if Ji You hadn't pinpointed their location, they might have actually succeeded.

But since the final link has been exposed, the situation is now different.