Chapter 76

The Azure Flame Bird and the Black Snake were anxiously waiting high in the sky. They had been ordered to find Ji Ning, but after the Black Snake called out three times, there was no response at all.

"Could Young Master not be around here?" The Black Snake was extremely anxious.

"Brother Black, look down," the Azure Flame Bird said in a human voice.

The Black Snake looked down and saw that the originally calm mountain was suddenly filled with a large number of armored Dao soldiers. Ice and frost enveloped them, flames burned, and these Dao soldiers and innate spirit Dao soldiers formed arrays, creating eight dragon-like shadows. The pressure from these dragon shadows startled the Azure Flame Bird and the Black Snake in the sky.

"Dao soldiers, can thousands of them unite?" The Azure Flame Bird and the Black Snake were terrified. The major overlords in Yan Mountain did not have such means; only the army of the Great Xia Dynasty stationed in Nanshan City had such capabilities. "That power, if we go up, we might be easily killed."

"Look, Young Master Ji Ning."

They saw a youth in animal skin, exuding boundless madness, appear in front of the thousands of Dao soldiers. It was Ji Ning!

"How can Young Master Ji Ning resist the combined force of thousands of Dao soldiers?"

"Ji Ning, run quickly!" The Black Snake shouted anxiously from the sky.

...

The innate spirit beings bound inside the mountain were also anxiously and uneasily watching the outside. The flames and frost outside made their hearts tremble.

"Young Master Ji Ning, that Purple Mansion cultivator is refining an evil magical treasure and can't spare a moment to help. Run quickly!" Meng Yu shouted anxiously.

"Ji Ning, leave quickly, or it will be too late," Ji Wuyu also shouted hoarsely.

"Leave quickly!"

The innate spirit beings of the Ji clan shouted anxiously. They had been trapped for so long, often hearing people discuss and seeing some ghosts enter the depths of the mountain... They knew that there was a Purple Mansion cultivator at the bottom of the mountain refining an extremely evil magical treasure. If he were to free his hands, what would happen?

"What, thousands of Dao soldiers united?" The bound innate spirit beings suddenly saw the large number of Dao soldiers being burned by fire and frozen by frost, forming dragon-like shadows. They could only glimpse part of it, but it still made their hearts tremble.

"Run quickly."

"Ji Ning, leave quickly!" They were all extremely anxious.

...

Hearing the anxious shouts of Uncle Black in the sky and the voices of Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, Wa Qiong, Ji Shan, and others bound inside the mountain, Ji Ning, who had already been poisoned, became even more frenzied. Run? Why should he run? Running would also mean certain death. If he could kill the Purple Mansion cultivator, there might be a glimmer of hope.

"Kill!" Ji Ning looked at the thousands of Dao soldiers in front of him and unhesitatingly unleashed his strongest killing move.

Buzz~~

Suddenly, over three hundred sword artifacts appeared around Ji Ning. Each sword was faintly glowing with a white light and also resonated with the power of heaven and earth. After Ji Ning's achievements in array formations improved, he could now easily control the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, unlike before when he had to control it by rote. Now he understood some of its subtleties and knew how to guide the flow of power.

"What is that!"

"How can sword artifacts fly?"

"Flying magical treasures?"

The eight innate spirit Dao soldiers among the thousands of Dao soldiers were stunned. Seeing the hundreds of flying swords hovering, they almost instantly thought of a Purple Mansion cultivator. At least a Purple Mansion cultivator could control flying magical treasures, which had become common knowledge. Now, this youth was controlling magical treasures.

They couldn't imagine that Ji Ning had reached the 'Divine Sense' level in his divine soul, allowing him to do this.

"It's a Purple Mansion cultivator, Master, it's a Purple Mansion cultivator. That youth is a Purple Mansion cultivator!" One of the innate spirit Dao soldiers shouted in a shrill voice.

"Die." Ji Ning instantly controlled the sword light in front of him.

Whoosh!

The sword light immediately drew a beautiful curve in the air, leaving a tragic trail, and easily pierced through the chest of the handsome youth. The handsome youth stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it: "Purple Mansion, Purple Mansion..." Even in death, he couldn't believe it.

"No." The burly man was just about to shout when he was also pierced by the sword light.

Their Dao soldier formation had not truly merged into a single dragon but was divided into eight dragon-like shadows. Each dragon shadow was formed by an innate spirit Dao soldier and hundreds or even a thousand acquired Dao soldiers. In terms of defense, it was actually inferior to the combined force of the nine innate Dao soldiers in the second level of the Water Mansion.

Even in close combat, Ji Ning, with the True Intent of Water, had a chance to win, though it would be a tough battle and he would face a siege.

But now...

With the fourth level of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, this was the power of a Purple Mansion cultivator using an entry-level magical treasure. Even if the other side had nine thousand Dao soldiers and nine innate spirit Dao soldiers combined into a dragon, Ji Ning still had the strength to fight. Let alone now, when the other side was scattered like sand, it was truly like cutting melons and slicing vegetables.

"Purple Mansion cultivator!"

"It's a Purple Mansion cultivator."

A sword light drew a beautiful curve, piercing through the eight innate spirit Dao soldiers. No matter how they tried to escape, their speed was incomparable to the sword light. Even with the help of the acquired Dao soldiers, they were directly cut down.

"It's a Purple Mansion cultivator."

"Purple Mansion cultivator."

Piercing screams echoed throughout the mountain. These innate spirit Dao soldiers were filled with resentment and unwillingness. They never thought that this youth named Ji Ning would be a Purple Mansion cultivator! To fight a Purple Mansion cultivator? They died unwillingly. If they had known, they would never have come out.

...

"What."

"This..."

The Azure Flame Bird and the Black Snake in the sky were dumbfounded. Below, Ji Ning controlled hundreds of sword artifacts, hovering and condensing a sword light to sweep all around. This was a power of a different level, like an innate killing an acquired. The sword light easily killed the eight innate spirit Dao soldiers. Once the eight innates died, the acquired Dao soldiers could no longer form a large formation.

"Ji Ning, he's a Purple Mansion cultivator?" The Black Snake, who had watched Ji Ning grow up, was also stunned.

...

Even Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, Ji Shan, and others who had been anxiously urging Ji Ning to escape from inside the mountain were stunned. From their angle, they couldn't see Ji Ning, but they could see the large number of Dao soldiers through the cave entrance. They saw the black-armored Dao soldiers, the innate Dao soldiers, being easily pierced by a dazzling sword light, each innate Dao soldier falling dead.

And as they died, they all screamed in agony and resentment: "Purple Mansion cultivator!" "It's a Purple Mansion cultivator!"

"Is it a Purple Mansion cultivator?" Meng Yu and the other unfortunate innate spirit beings captured by other forces in Yan Mountain were also dazed. Could there be another Purple Mansion cultivator besides Ji Ning?

And at that moment—

Bang!

A black shadow leaped out from the dark cave entrance. His green eyes scanned the bound innate spirit beings inside the mountain. There were still some ordinary servants inside the mountain who had not participated in the battle. Two of them, unfortunately, were not too far from the cave entrance. As soon as the black-haired zombie appeared, the black corpse aura around his body invaded these two unfortunate servants.

"Ahh."

"Ahh." These two unfortunate servants, who were not Dao soldiers, were ordinary. They immediately let out piercing screams as they were invaded by the corpse aura and soon turned into pools of water.

The black-haired zombie then took a step and stepped out of the cave entrance.

"Be careful, Young Master." Meng Yu shouted anxiously.

******

After Ji Ning saw the innate spirit Dao soldiers being killed, he retracted the over three hundred sword artifacts. He was only at the initial stage of innate spirit, and his innate true essence was not thick enough! If he controlled thousands of sword artifacts, he would probably exhaust himself in one go. Even with these over three hundred sword artifacts, he could only use them ten times.

His true opponent was the truly terrifying Purple Mansion cultivator.

"Roar~~" A roar echoed, and a black shadow flew over.

"Is it the Purple Mansion cultivator?" Ji Ning's feathered wings trembled, and he immediately dodged, drawing an arc. The black shadow also crashed to the ground, creating a deep pit over ten zhang wide, which made Ji Ning's face change.

The black-haired zombie stared at Ji Ning, surrounded by black corpse aura.

"This guy is so strong and fast," Ji Ning was shocked, even recalling the black-haired monster from the third level of the Water Mansion. However, this black-haired zombie gave Ji Ning a sense of evil and gloom, and there was black mist around his body, which the monster in the Water Mansion did not have.

"Kill." The black-haired zombie stared at Ji Ning and charged at him again.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Ji Ning's feathered wings trembled like a ghost, dodging each time. Although it was quite dangerous, he could still dodge. Occasionally, his Beiming Sword would stab the black-haired zombie, leaving only a white mark.

"This guy seems like the black-haired monster in the Water Mansion, strong, fast, and incredibly resilient. However, his strength is much weaker," Ji Ning realized after the first clash. The black-haired zombie's use of strength was very crude, while the black-haired monster in the Water Mansion had a soul, and its steps and palm techniques, though simple, were profound and impossible to dodge.

"Not even at the Subtle Realm, definitely not the Purple Mansion cultivator. The antidote to the poison I was poisoned with is likely on the Purple Mansion cultivator. He hasn't come out, so he must be busy. I must seize the opportunity to eliminate him as soon as possible." Ji Ning understood that the Purple Mansion cultivator must have his reasons for not coming out.

I must strike while he is vulnerable.

Whoosh!

Ji Ning's feathered wings trembled, drawing a curve to dodge the black-haired zombie. The black-haired zombie howled, trying to chase Ji Ning, but with the Wind Wing Escape Technique, Ji Ning was not something it could catch.

"Ji Ning?" A cold, sharp voice suddenly came from the mountain, and Ji Ning saw a man in a wide black robe standing by the dark cave entrance. The man had long, disheveled hair, a pale, bloodless face, and green, eerie eyes that made Ji Ning even more startled than the black-haired zombie.