novelraw Chapter 221 : Nothing More Than This
Chapter 221 : Nothing More Than This
Chapter 221: Nothing More Than This! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
As they spoke, the Six-Armed Demon behind Jiang Hong suddenly lowered one of its arms. While shielding his figure, it also pinched Ji Yuan's Liushuang Flying Sword between its fingers.
It didn’t budge an inch.
Indeed, he had some skill. What kind of demonic art was this... Ji Yuan grew increasingly cautious. Another Canglan Flying Sword's sword embryo shot out, slicing through the air with a flash of spiritual light and nailing the Six-Armed Demon's finger.
"Hiss—"
A blood-colored glow flickered, and that finger was shattered inch by inch.
The Liushuang Flying Sword broke free from its control.
The flying sword embryo withdrew the moment it struck, not lingering at all.
If a Liushuang Flying Sword was destroyed, so be it, but if the sword embryo was damaged, it would be a significant loss.
Ji Yuan had probed with two techniques but still couldn’t gauge the opponent’s depth. All he knew was that Jiang Hong’s demonic art was extremely powerful.
Once combat began, Jiang Hong no longer spoke.
He gripped the Blood Blade with both hands, raising it high. Simultaneously, the demon phantom behind him also grasped a Blood Blade. In that instant, the hairs on Ji Yuan’s back stood on end.
Black Demon Armor activated.
Fivefold Protection Talismans reactivated.
At the same time, he leaned back and dispersed into black mist, but the formation forced him to recondense almost immediately. Fortunately, he retreated to the formation’s edge.
If Jiang Hong dared to strike down with this blade, it would definitely damage the formation.
"Heh."
A mocking laugh rang in Ji Yuan's ears, and the Blood Blade in the Six-Armed Demon’s hand suddenly scattered, turning into countless tiny blood blades that encircled Ji Yuan from all directions.
"Go!"
Ji Yuan reached into his sleeves and pulled out dozens of offensive talismans with each hand.
Without another word, he threw them out.
Talismans clashed with blood blades, causing utter chaos in the air.
Ji Yuan urged Fenghuai downward and, in the blink of an eye, landed on open ground. As he put away Fenghuai, he also gripped the Thousand Souls Banner.
Holding it with both hands, he sensed the immense Yin energy within and swept it left and right.
Countless gray phantoms flew out again, charging at Jiang Hong in the sky.
Around Ji Yuan, Yin souls also appeared, casting his image like a world-ending demon. He grinned viciously, saying, "Fellow Daoist, it's dangerous out here. Why not take refuge inside my Human Emperor Banner?!"
"Arrogant!"
Jiang Hong shouted angrily, leaping straight down from the sky. The Six-Armed Demon stayed in place, its body spontaneously igniting with blood-colored flames.
The Yin souls that had tried to bite it were incinerated like moths to a flame.
With a thought, Ji Yuan hurriedly stopped the remaining Yin souls. Since they couldn't consume the Six-Armed Demon, there was no point in letting them die.
Jiang Hong landed lightly, forming hand seals. Around him, three ferocious tiger phantoms reappeared.
The tigers crouched low, then leapt straight at Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan stepped back and activated the Blood-Remnant Saber.
A blood-colored flood dragon shot out from behind him to meet the three tigers.
They clashed.
The blood flood dragon conjured by the Blood-Remnant Saber was no match and was pinned to the ground within a breath.
"Go again."
The Liushuang Flying Sword launched once more, followed closely by the Mirage Needle, with the Cloud Palace Sword Embryo bringing up the rear.
In an instant,
A mist rose over a radius of one li, enveloping Jiang Hong.
Standing beyond the mist, Ji Yuan had already returned the Thousand Souls Banner to his back. Now in his hands was the Mountain-Smasher Halberd.
He gripped it with both hands and thrust forward forcefully.
Strike and smash mountains!
With the barrage of techniques, the three tiger phantoms and the blood-colored flood dragon vanished within a breath.
With a thought, Ji Yuan recalled the Cloud Palace Sword Embryo.
Just as the Mirage Needle was about to pierce Jiang Hong's forehead, a sword suddenly appeared before him.
A three-foot-long sword, blue and red throughout.
Its hilt was crafted from a baby's skull, and its blade bore no blood groove—only five small swords on each side.
Ten in total.
As soon as he drew the sword, the ten small swords detached and formed a miniature sword formation in front of him.
It trapped the Mirage Needle.
In less than a breath, the Mirage Needle was... gone.
Ji Yuan, having refined the Mirage Needle, could clearly feel it had vanished.
Though not a life-bound magic treasure, its loss was no small matter. But this bizarre method surprised him.
Child-Mother Sword.
Though he didn’t know its exact name, Ji Yuan recognized the sword’s origin.
Main sword in hand, the ten small swords could form a sword formation.
'Lower-grade spiritual artifacts can't last a breath... This bastard must be about to go all out.'
As Ji Yuan scanned his storage pouch with Divine Sense, the Yin ghosts around him gradually returned.
The blood flames on the Six-Armed Demon extinguished. Its already hazy form dimmed further and transformed into a stream of light, returning to Jiang Hong.
The extinguished blood flames now reignited on Jiang Hong.
As such, the Thousand Souls Banner, known for its quantity, was now far less effective.
Moreover, the ground cleared by the Yin souls was once again sprouting blood hands, and blood rain began to drip from the sky covering the formation.
Though Yin souls protected Ji Yuan, he noticed that where the blood rain touched the ground, it instantly corroded deep pits.
'Looks like this formation is far more dangerous than expected.'
Ji Yuan formed a grasping motion with his right hand.
Another black flag appeared.
Yin Ghost Flag, emerge!
Instantly, thick black mist surged from the Yin Ghost Flag, engulfing Ji Yuan. The weakened Yin souls, eroded by blood rain, immediately dove into the mist and became lively once more.
Like fish in water.
With the Yin Ghost Flag deployed, the Yin Ghost Formation began devouring the blood formation.
As the master of the formation, Jiang Hong immediately felt it.
"You're a formation master too?!"
There was a clear tone of surprise and disbelief in Jiang Hong’s voice.
Among pill, formation, talisman, and artifact masters, formation masters were the rarest.
Jiang Hong remembered how happy his mother had been when he first showed talent in formations.
But now, this Qiu Qianhai who suddenly appeared not only had many techniques but was also a formation master... It seemed today he had truly met his match!
Ji Yuan reversed his grip and planted the Yin Ghost Flag into the ground. As the Yin energy spread and devoured the area, he pulled a small iron box from his storage pouch and placed it beside the flag.
The iron box expanded with the wind, becoming the size of a house in moments.
Yet Ji Yuan didn’t rush to activate the [Formation Room]'s effects.
The Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation was not like the Yin Ghost Formation; it could be deployed instantly. Ji Yuan planned to save it as a trump card—if not to kill Jiang Hong, then at least to destroy his formation.
In the blink of an eye,
As the Yin Ghost Formation emerged, Jiang Hong threw out the Blood Infant Child-Mother Sword.
Main sword in hand, the ten sub-swords flew straight into the Yin Ghost Formation.
"Ding ding dang dang."
Clashing sounds rang out within the formation. Jiang Hong, linked to both the formation and the Child-Mother Sword, saw clearly...
Qiu Qianhai had pulled out a massive bronze cauldron.
An upper-grade spiritual artifact bronze cauldron, which suppressed all ten sub-swords in an instant.
"Spiritual artifacts—just how many do you have, damn it!"
Jiang Hong cursed in anger. From the Bone-Melting Yin Claws back at the Wei Family, to the Liushuang Flying Sword, flying needle, halberd, the Treasure Armor he wore...
Having many spiritual artifacts was one thing.
But using them without apparent consumption, as if his spiritual energy remained unaffected?
So, while controlling the Child-Mother Sword, Jiang Hong also pulled out a... talisman treasure.
The image on the talisman was a massive blade, identical to the one he had used earlier.
Once activated, a powerful wave radiated out.
The moment Ji Yuan sensed the talisman treasure, he didn’t hesitate. He too drew a talisman treasure from his pouch.
Offensive Talisman Treasure—Giant Deer Sword!
Both talismans activated. Jiang Hong retrieved his Child-Mother Sword.
Ji Yuan also withdrew his slightly corroded Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron.
He winced slightly.
"Brat, so many spiritual artifacts, you know formations, and even have talisman treasures... Don’t tell me you also have a Nascent Soul stage mother?"
In the distance, a blood-colored great blade slowly formed above Jiang Hong’s head.
Above Ji Yuan, a massive cyan sword condensed.
Hearing Jiang Hong's remark, the first image that flashed through Ji Yuan’s mind was Hua Yaoyue...
Master was probably at the Nascent Soul stage, but unfortunately, she wasn’t his mother!
Once talisman treasures were activated, all other techniques paled in comparison.
Ji Yuan retrieved the remaining Yin souls. No need to let them die pointlessly.
He even stowed away the recently placed Yin Ghost Flag.
Jiang Hong also recalled his Child-Mother Sword.
Just as their talismans were about to clash, Ji Yuan... pulled a flask of wine from his storage pouch and took a swig.
In an instant, the spiritual energy in his dantian ignited like fire, and his aura surged dramatically.
Such an obvious change naturally didn’t escape Jiang Hong’s notice.
Seeing this, he finally felt somewhat at ease... Starting to take pills meant he really couldn’t hold on much longer. By the looks of it, he was at his limit.
With that thought, the blood-colored saber above his head came slashing down.
Ji Yuan also urged his Giant Deer Sword to intercept the saber.
The two collided in mid-air.
“Boom—”
The spiritual radiance from the direct clash of Talisman Treasures rippled outward, making the entire formation tremble thrice.
Both Ji Yuan and Jiang Hong were thrown back by the rampant energy, sent flying in opposite directions.
Even Ji Yuan, with his Foundation Establishment Physique, felt his vital energy surging chaotically within. A flash of green light passed over Jiang Hong’s body, instantly resolving all his injuries.
“Again!”
Jiang Hong let out a savage grin and activated the Talisman Saber once more...
Blade and sword clashed—each time more ferocious than the last.
At the same time, Ji Yuan was secretly shocked. Thankfully, he had just “opened Wushuang” earlier; otherwise, even the Giant Deer Sword wouldn’t have been able to block this saber.
After all, Talisman Treasures themselves didn’t differ in rank, but the magical treasures used to make them certainly did.
Clearly, the Giant Deer Sword was inferior to this blood-colored saber. It was only thanks to the Peerless Wine that Ji Yuan barely managed to stand his ground.
After over a dozen fierce exchanges, both the sword and the saber were on the brink of collapse, and even the blood-colored formation was riddled with cracks, nearly collapsing.
After one more clash—
Accompanied by a deafening “Boom”, both blade and sword finally shattered. But even so, a powerful surge of energy swept out in all directions.
Ji Yuan seized the momentum and leapt back several times, reaching the edge of the formation.
The Yin Ghost Flag, which he had previously retracted, was planted into the ground again, and the Yin Ghost Formation spread outwards once more.
Just as he looked up, he saw Jiang Hong retrieve another Talisman Treasure from his storage pouch.
It was no longer the blood-colored saber from before.
No good. Ji Yuan thought. I’ve got Talisman Treasures too, but continuing like this would just be mutual attrition... As this thought flashed through his mind, he also took out another Talisman Treasure from his storage pouch.
Thousandfold Chains.
Whether he used it or not, he couldn’t afford to appear weaker in momentum.
The moment Ji Yuan revealed his second Talisman Treasure, Jiang Hong hesitated a little.
One person having a Talisman Treasure while the other didn’t—that was a one-sided domination.
But if both had them, it was as if neither did.
Just like before.
At Jiang Hong’s slight pause, Ji Yuan seized the opportunity—his right hand flicked, and a child was thrown out.
The Yin Child, standing atop a skull, instantly appeared before Jiang Hong.
“Huh—”
Jiang Hong reacted at once. Just as he thought to retreat, he heard the sound of a bell ringing.
“Jingle—”
The Yin Child shook the Seven-Slaughter Infant Cry Bell in his hand.
Back at the Ghost-Seeking Pit, even someone with a divine soul as strong as Ji Yuan had briefly fallen prey to this bell’s effects.
Let alone Jiang Hong, whose divine soul wasn’t enhanced.
So the moment he heard the bell, his body froze.
Good opportunity!
Ji Yuan had originally intended to throw a Heavenly Thunder Seed, but that was too slow.
Three Canglan Sword Embryos shot out from his dantian and reached Jiang Hong in the blink of an eye.
“Shh—”
Just as Jiang Hong, jolted awake by the divine soul pain, opened his eyes—those three flying swords were already right in front of him.
His eyes widened uncontrollably, and then a soft sound echoed in his ears.
“Crack—”
The jade pendant hanging on his chest shattered at just the right moment.
Thankfully, it managed to block the three flying swords.
Continue!
With a thought, Ji Yuan summoned two more Yin Ghosts from the Yin Ghost Flag. They flew straight to Jiang Hong, each grabbing one of his arms, seemingly trying to tear him apart.
Meanwhile, the three sword embryos kept weaving back and forth relentlessly.
In almost an instant, the once evenly-matched battle had tilted—Jiang Hong was at a clear disadvantage.
But Ji Yuan didn’t relax in the slightest. The methods of a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s son couldn’t possibly end here!
Sensing everything around him, Jiang Hong’s expression had grown incomparably dark.
“Courting... death!”
Jiang Hong gritted his teeth, spitting each word with venom.
And at that moment, Ji Yuan saw the blood-colored flames on his body suddenly flare up.
His entire figure turned into a fireball, scorching everything around him.
The two Yin Ghosts that had been pulling at him were instantly reduced to Yin energy and vanished under the flames.
Sensing danger, Ji Yuan immediately recalled the three sword embryos.
“Corpse Servants, is it?!”
“You think only you have Corpse Servants?!”
As Jiang Hong shouted, two streaks of blood-red light flew from his sleeves, landing beside the Yin Child and surrounding him.
Two blood-robed female corpses—virtually identical in appearance.
Twins!
Both at mid Foundation Establishment Stage.
“Run!”
The instant the thought crossed Ji Yuan’s mind, the Yin Child urged the skull beneath his feet and flew into the distance.
The two blood-robed female corpses each controlled a willow-leaf flying dagger, chasing close behind.
“Next.”
Jiang Hong spoke, and a Scarlet Chain Python slithered out from his sleeve. It was initially as thin as chopsticks, but once it hit the ground, it grew into a massive snake as thick as a water bucket.
Judging by its aura, Ji Yuan could tell—it was a late Second-Tier demon beast!
Jiang Hong leapt up, landing steadily atop the python’s head. Blood flames danced across his body, his wide sleeves billowing—fully displaying the demeanor of a Demonic Cultivator.
But just as he thought he could now take on two opponents at once, he heard Qiu Qianhai across from him let out a cold laugh.
“That’s it?”
With those words, Ji Yuan finally released the Ice Flood Dragon.
Since its advancement to Second Tier, this was the first time Ji Yuan had unleashed it in battle.
So the moment the Ice Flood Dragon appeared, it let out a series of roars toward the sky.
Cold mist surged in all directions, almost freezing the entire formation.
Regardless of anything else, just by its presence upon appearing, the dragon-like Ice Flood Dragon completely suppressed the Scarlet Chain Python.
“Go.”
Jiang Hong had already concluded—this Qiu Qianhai had to be the personal disciple of some Nascent Soul old freak, and one held in very high regard at that. Otherwise, how could he have so many tricks?!
As the Scarlet Chain Python moved, the Ice Flood Dragon gave chase.
And so it became Corpse Servant vs. Corpse Servant, Spirit Beast vs. Spirit Beast.
Jiang Hong still had to face Ji Yuan alone.
But just as he thought he could use the formation to suppress Ji Yuan...
He suddenly sensed another formation rapidly expanding.
His Blood Pattern Divine Fiend Formation didn’t even have time to react before it was enveloped by another formation.
This... another of Qiu Qianhai’s formations?!
This damn dog even knows so many formation arts?!
The moment Jiang Hong sensed the new formation, he knew—he was most likely going to lose.
And he’d lose to a nobody.
Eyes bloodshot with rage, he still couldn’t withstand the violent detonation of countless Stardust.
“Boom—”
“Boom—”
One explosion after another.
The already near-collapsing Blood Pattern Divine Fiend Formation, battered by Talisman Treasures, couldn’t even last an instant—it was obliterated.
And next came Jiang Hong himself.
To ensure the kill, Ji Yuan had summoned most of the Stardust around Jiang Hong before detonating it.
Its power far surpassed a single Heavenly Thunder Seed!
The moment the explosion rang out, Ji Yuan had already stowed away the Yin Ghost Flag and left the area.
He didn’t even look back—he knew, if he moved any slower, he’d be gravely injured!
As for the Ice Flood Dragon and the Scarlet Chain Python that hadn’t gone far—they had no choice but to endure the blast.
Even though Ji Yuan had recalled most of the Stardust, the Ice Flood Dragon was still blasted until blood seeped from its scales.
Not to mention the Scarlet Chain Python, which took much more of the explosion’s brunt.
The Yin Child, having fled farther, was comparatively unharmed.
Ji Yuan urged the Sky-Splitter Boat, instantly reaching the edge of the ancient battlefield.
Only then did he turn back to look at the explosion.
The blood-colored formation was gone. Amid the booming blasts, a giant crater had formed on the ground, followed by clouds of dust rising into the air.
Dead...? Most likely not!
The son of a Nascent Soul Cultivator doesn’t die that easily.
The explosion had ended, with only residual shockwaves remaining.
Ji Yuan didn’t hesitate for even a moment. Holding the Liushuang Sword in one hand, he urged the Sky-Splitter Boat and charged straight back into the center of the battlefield.
Strike while he’s down—take his life!
Today, Jiang Hong had to die.
But before his boat could get close, Ji Yuan saw Jiang Hong rising from the ruins—clothes tattered, drenched in blood, with only a Heart-Guarding Mirror embedded in his chest.
His entire figure was enveloped in golden light.
Ji Yuan’s flying sword was deflected the moment it got near—completely unable to approach.
“Qiu Qianhai, is it.”
Bleeding from all seven orifices, Jiang Hong glared at Ji Yuan, his bloodshot eyes nearly bursting as he roared:
“I, Jiang Hong, will kill you!!!”
His furious howl echoed throughout the ancient battlefield.
Ji Yuan tried various methods but couldn’t even touch this Young Master Jiang.
He knew—today, he likely wouldn’t be able to keep him here.
He didn’t even know what method this was...
As Jiang Hong’s body floated higher and higher, Ji Yuan—his face pale—looked up.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his blue robe tattered, the hem flapping wildly in the residual wind of the battlefield.
Though he looked up at Jiang Hong, his gaze was full of disdain.
A mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Jie jie jie... so this is the so-called son of a Nascent Soul Cultivator?”
“To me, Qiu Qianhai, you’re nothing but a chicken or dog!”