Feng Qi hadn't expected Jian Ji to suddenly appear at a time like this.
He suspected that it might have been the energy Mu Yan released while healing his injuries that gave Jian Ji a trace to follow.
Looking up at the sky, a silver and a fiery red figure collided above.
In that instant, silver sparks clashed with flaming embers, scattering like raindrops from the air.
The Silver Dragon Spear and the Burning Heaven Sword scraped against each other, tearing the space open with their friction. The shockwaves from their clash turned into howling gales sweeping in all directions.
"Heh!"
At that moment, Mu Yan suddenly let go of her silver spear, then abruptly swung her left fist. Her entire arm became wrapped in silver light and struck straight into Jian Ji's chest.
Feng Qi could clearly see Jian Ji's chest cave in under the blow at a visible rate.
But even after taking such a heavy punch, Jian Ji's expression stayed calm. Flames erupted from the Burning Heaven Sword, which instantly engulfed his body.
The wounds on his body visibly regenerated in the blink of an eye.
His snow-white hair also darkened and returned to jet-black, vibrant and full of life in just a single breath.
Jian Ji's left hand formed a sword-finger gesture and suddenly jabbed at the surface of Mu Yan's fist.
Boom!
Sword aura and the power Mu Yan unleashed clashed violently, creating a storm that sent both figures flying backward through the sky.
Just as she stabilized her footing, Mu Yan decisively launched another round of attacks.
With a wave of her hand, the Silver Dragon Spear returned to her grip. She twisted her wrist and the spear began spinning violently, stirring up a white whirlwind as it pierced forward, slamming straight into the approaching Burning Heaven Sword.
Spear and sword collided once again, and the impact unleashed energy ripples visible to the naked eye, expanding outward in layers. The resulting shockwave even scattered the clouds hanging in the sky.
"Burning Heaven!" Jian Ji's hoarse voice finally rang out.
The moment the words left his mouth, the flames on the Burning Heaven Sword surged violently, unleashing waves of razor-sharp sword energy. A sword energy domain rapidly took form.
Within the sword domain, a Sword Graveyard slowly emerged.
One million ancestral swords responded to Jian Ji's call, trembling in resonance.
The sword intent within the ancestral swords took shape, manifesting into various sword spirits that soared into the sky. In the blink of an eye, one million sword spirits charged at once. The scene was nothing short of overwhelming.
The countless sword spirits formed a massive lotus-shaped sword formation. As it rotated, the released sword energy ground through space like a millstone meant to erase all existence, slowly pressing toward Mu Yan.
"Step aside now, and I'll spare your life."
Looking at Mu Yan, Jian Ji's long hair swayed without any wind. His tone was cold and detached.
Hearing those words, Mu Yan suddenly realized Jian Ji wasn't here for her.
That thought made her turn and glance toward Feng Qi. A suspicion flickered in her heart.
"You want me to step aside? Do you think you're worthy?"
A bright smile bloomed on Mu Yan's face as she directly faced the approaching sword lotus.
"Wanna give it a try?"
As Jian Ji's provocation landed, golden mist flickered in Mu Yan's eyes. She looked back at him and said calmly,
"Little one, if it weren't for my current injuries, you'd already be dead. You really think you're that strong? Since you refuse to see reason, then in the name of Yao Ri… I sentence you to death!"
As her words fell, Mu Yan slowly raised her left hand above her head—and then clenched it tightly.
Instantly, her left hand became wrapped in golden light.
A stream of energy burst from her palm, piercing through the seemingly impenetrable sword energy domain and scattering across the sky.
In that moment, the dazzling stars in the sky suddenly dimmed, as a golden sun slowly emerged from the edge of the heavens.
The entire city of Winterfell was shaken by the sight.
The northern territory endured half a year of polar night. For six whole months, not even a sliver of sunlight would be seen.
But now, a corner of the sun had appeared in the sky.
From that distant sliver of sun, countless beams of golden light exploded forth, and the clearly visible pillars of radiance blasted down onto the sword energy domain in the blink of an eye.
The sword domain was instantly riddled with holes as the light tore through it.
The sword spirit entities formed from the consciousness of the ancestral swords were also annihilated one after another under the sweeping bombardment of the golden light beams.
Even Jian Ji wasn't spared. Though he quickly summoned the Burning Heaven Sword to shield himself, he was still left battered and disheveled.
Just as Mu Yan was about to seize the opportunity and unleash a fatal attack through her true body, a faint trace of blood-red light suddenly flickered on the visible edge of the sun high above.
And then… the sun abruptly sank, vanishing from the sky.
The northern stars, freed from the sun's suppression, resumed their dazzling brilliance.
"You little fatty… what did you just do?!"
Mu Yan growled through clenched teeth, eyes filled with fury.
As the terrifying attack abruptly dissipated, Jian Ji—whose expression had been twisted with pain—suddenly realized this was his opening.
Without a second of hesitation, his figure flashed and appeared in front of Mu Yan. The Burning Heaven Sword slashed down.
Countless sword shadows followed behind, launching a ferocious assault from all directions.
Mu Yan's reflexes were sharp. Her silver spear stomped into the air and summoned a phantom silver dragon that reared its head and roared, coiling around her to block the relentless sword aura from every side.
The two figures weaved in and out of the sky, and the pace of their battle intensified noticeably.
It was clear that without the sun's protection, Mu Yan was already at a disadvantage in her duel against Jian Ji.
The current Mu Yan was far from her peak condition. Faced with Jian Ji's vicious strikes, she could only stay on the defensive.
But Mu Yan's combat instincts were razor sharp.
No matter how hard Jian Ji pressed, he couldn't break through her flawless defense.
Down below, Feng Qi watched the battle closely. From time to time, he turned to look toward the north, hoping—desperately—for Mu Qing to arrive.
Feng Qi believed that once Mu Qing arrived, they would definitely be able to defeat Jian Ji.
Still seeing no sign of Mu Qing in the northern sky, he turned his gaze back toward the battlefield where Mu Yan and Jian Ji clashed.
That was when he suddenly noticed—Jian Ji's eyes were locked directly onto him.
Just as he frowned in confusion, a flash of light passed through Jian Ji's eyes, and in that instant, Gu Sha—who was standing behind Feng Qi—stepped forward and pushed him away.
The next moment, Feng Qi saw Gu Sha's body being hurled back violently. The crimson battle blade in his hand now had two gaping holes.
As Gu Sha hit the ground, Feng Qi was filled with confusion.
He didn't understand why Jian Ji had attacked him.
Was Jian Ji's true target not Mu Yan at all... but him?
That thought stirred unease deep within him.
Then a sudden realization struck.
He remembered how Mu Yan had activated his Fist Momentum and Blade Momentum flames while healing him.
And the Blade Momentum he had awakened... came from the Demon Blade.
Jian Ji and the Demon Blade were ancient nemeses. He would be incredibly sensitive to the aura of the Demon Blade. If that was true, then Jian Ji had come here not for Mu Yan—but for the Demon Blade.
At the same time Feng Qi reached this conclusion, a storm was also rising in Jian Ji's heart.
He'd been locked in battle with Mu Yan for a while now, but the Demon Blade had never shown itself.
Yet the faint trail of the Demon Blade's aura had led him to someone he didn't recognize.
What shocked him most was—this stranger's body held the exact same Blade Momentum as the Demon Blade itself.
Jian Ji instantly realized… he might've been wrong from the start.
The presence he sensed wasn't the Demon Blade—it was this person, this stranger who carried Blade Momentum so similar it could fool even his instincts.
It was absurd. Impossible.
How could someone exist with such perfect compatibility with the Demon Blade?
The burning will to fight in Jian Ji's heart twisted into a raging intent to kill.
He couldn't imagine what the Demon Blade might become if it found a perfect host like this.
This person... had to die.
With just a single glance, Jian Ji had sentenced Feng Qi to death in his heart.
He had never believed in destiny. But now—he did.
So to prevent the Demon Blade from ever finding this person, he had to kill him now, before it was too late.
Realizing his first strike had been blocked, Jian Ji spun around and jabbed his sword-fingers toward Mu Yan.
Instantly, interweaving sword energy erupted from his fingertips, sending Mu Yan flying over one hundred meters back.
Then Jian Ji pointed straight at Feng Qi.
Blinding white sword energy burst forth, piercing through the air as it flew toward Feng Qi.
Before Feng Qi could even react, Gu Sha once again leapt in front of him, without hesitation, throwing himself against the sword energy.
His already damaged battle blade was snapped in two by the force of the attack, and his body crashed straight into the sword energy.
In the blink of an eye, crisscrossing wounds appeared all over Gu Sha's body. He staggered, blood pouring from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground.
"Feng… old… go… now…"
Seeing Gu Sha in such a miserable state, Feng Qi forced himself to his feet and began running with everything he had, pushing his battered body toward the distance.
Staying behind now would be irresponsible—not just to himself, but to Gu Sha as well.
It was clear Jian Ji's true target was him. If he stayed, Gu Sha wouldn't just be seriously injured—he might die because of him.
Only by leaving could Gu Sha have a sliver of hope to live.
Even more importantly, the information he'd obtained from Mu Yan had to be brought back to the Crimson Research Institute.
This was the culmination of everything every traveler on this timeline had worked for. He couldn't let their efforts go to waste.
He had to make it back to Star City—alive!
As he ran, his body swayed, barely keeping himself upright. He almost tripped and fell.
Just then, several figures emerged in the distance, rushing toward him at full speed.
They were members of the squad stationed in Winterfell City—led by Di Cong.
Clearly realizing how dire the situation was, they immediately reached Feng Qi, one of them slinging him over their back and taking off toward the airport at top speed.
There, the Tiger Soul private jet was already on standby, ready to depart at a moment's notice.
As he watched Feng Qi being carried away, Jian Ji's eyes filled with murderous rage.
His figure vanished in a flash, turning into a stream of firelight as he chased after Feng Qi with the Burning Heaven Sword in hand.
Mu Yan caught up at the same moment.
She slapped her hand in front of her, summoning a warped spatial teleportation array into existence.
Stepping into the portal, her figure reappeared directly in front of Jian Ji, her silver spear sweeping forward to block his path.
"Your opponent is me!"
"Too bad. You're not important to me." Jian Ji's voice was cold. As soon as he spoke, he tried to slip past Mu Yan and resume his pursuit of Feng Qi.
But Mu Yan spun her Silver Dragon Spear in a sweeping arc, warping the space around them.
Her stance resembled a dance, graceful yet deadly. With each movement, her spear stirred the very air, and just as Jian Ji passed by her—his momentum was twisted by the spear's trajectory.
He didn't just pass her by.
Instead, he arced through the air in a wide circle… and was sent right back to where he started.
"Spatial interference? You actually have this kind of ability?" Jian Ji exclaimed in disbelief.
"Little guy, there's a lot you still don't know!"
Mu Yan didn't waste time on more words. She launched another series of attacks.
The two figures clashed again in midair, their battle reigniting in a violent blaze.
But this time, it was clear that Jian Ji had no intention of getting dragged into a prolonged fight with Mu Yan.
His sword energy domain appeared once more.
Without the protection of the sun, Mu Yan was visibly struggling to hold her ground within the sword domain.
Jian Ji took the opportunity to shift his gaze once again in Feng Qi's direction.
With a flash, he broke free of the domain and launched himself toward Feng Qi again.
Sensing what was happening, Mu Yan hurriedly conjured another spatial passage, trying to escape the domain and intercept Jian Ji before he could reach Feng Qi.
But just as she was about to exit the sword domain—
The Burning Heaven Sword came flying straight at her.
The raging sword energy crashed down like a tidal wave. The spatial channel Mu Yan had just created was instantly shattered under the pressure of the sword aura.
Staring toward the direction Jian Ji had left, Mu Yan's heart burned with urgency.
She raised her left hand high again, attempting to summon the power of her true form.
But after clenching her fist, the blazing sun at the edge of the sky didn't appear in response to her call.
At that moment, Jian Ji stretched his hand toward Feng Qi.
Light gathered at his fingertips, condensing into a flaming longsword made entirely of sword energy, which in the blink of an eye shot toward Feng Qi.
It looked casual, but it carried terrifying destructive power.
Di Cong didn't hesitate—he instantly shoved Feng Qi toward the squad member at the front, then turned and charged toward the incoming sword energy without a second thought.
"Go!"
With a roar, Di Cong gathered all his strength and threw out a full-force punch against the flaming sword energy.
As the sword energy wrapped around his body, a voice echoed in his mind—the stern voice of the sword-carrying drill instructor.
"Mighty Tiger Fist, First Form—Fearless Tiger! Remember, when facing the enemy, hesitation will drag you straight into the abyss of death!"
At the moment Di Cong's fist collided with the blazing sword energy, the courage in his heart surged to its peak.
Boom!
His body exploded, but that punch still shaved off a large portion of the sword energy's strength.
Before the sword energy could stabilize again, a second figure hurled himself forward.
Like Di Cong, he too chose to sacrifice himself without hesitation.
Another full-force attack further weakened the flaming sword energy.
A third figure. A fourth figure…
In Feng Qi's bloodshot eyes, he watched helplessly as the members of the Winterfell garrison squad threw themselves forward one by one, sacrificing their lives to stop the attack.
"Qi-ge, I personally trained this batch of students. They've got great potential. I recommended them to hold the fort in Winterfell City."
"Elder Feng, I'm Di Cong. Someday, I'll prove myself to you."
"Elder Feng, I've been undercover for years now. When are you going to call me back?"
…
Watching Di Cong and the others die one after another, flames of fury surged in Feng Qi's heart.
But he knew—he absolutely couldn't act recklessly.
Even if he could still enter Blood Source Form, he couldn't use it now.
He had to get his head back to Star City. He couldn't fall here.
When the blazing sword energy finally dispersed, only two members of the squad were left alive.
But before they could catch their breath, a second wave of sword energy followed close behind.
In that critical moment, a twisted space appeared in front of them. Mu Yan emerged from the rift and, with a wave of her hand, scattered the flaming sword energy. Her cold eyes locked directly on Jian Ji.
"You've really pissed me off."
"I'll kill him first. Then I'll come back for you."
Jian Ji clearly had no interest in dealing with Mu Yan anymore. His eyes never left the direction Feng Qi was fleeing.
But before he could make a move, Mu Yan struck first.
Yet Jian Ji's face curved into a smile. He stepped forward and instantly summoned a sword energy domain to envelop Mu Yan. However, this time, the Burning Heaven Sword didn't follow him into the domain.
Sensing something was off, Mu Yan looked up—only to see the Burning Heaven Sword transforming into a blazing stream of fire, shooting straight toward Feng Qi.
"Elder Feng, we'll hold them off! Keep running! There's a team waiting at the airport ahead!"
The last two remaining squad members didn't hesitate. They turned around and leapt at the Burning Heaven Sword, trying to block it with their lives.
But their attacks were meaningless against the Burning Heaven Sword. Before they even touched it, their bodies were shredded apart by the stray sword energy surrounding it.
…
Far north of Winterfell City, Mu Qing, mid-flight, suddenly felt her heart pound violently.
A vague sense of crisis pierced her soul, making her chest tighten with pain.
Her eyes instantly turned crimson. The jade-colored arcs of electricity surrounding her transformed into a deep blood-red.
Roar!
Mu Qing's body was gradually consumed by an uncontrollable, brutal rage.
A mysterious crimson shadow slowly hovered behind her.
In that moment, her vision blurred. Then in a flash, her body crossed from the northern district to the eastern district of Winterfell City.
There was no need to search. Her sight locked onto Feng Qi in an instant.
Her figure flickered again, and she appeared right in front of Feng Qi.
She twisted her body, and with one step, unleashed a devastating punch toward the incoming Burning Heaven Sword.
A dominant, world-crushing aura exploded from her.
Boom!
Thunder cracked out of nowhere. The ground quaked and caved in. Her crimson-cloaked fist howled upward like a dragon, and the raging wave of crimson energy surged into the sky, wrapping around the incoming Burning Heaven Sword.
The force of the punch even dyed the sky red.
Before the seemingly indestructible Burning Heaven Sword could touch her fist, it was already trembling under the assault of the crimson storm. It couldn't hold for even a few seconds before being blasted back, staggering in the air.
The devastating force of that punch rippled outward.
Nearby windows shattered one by one. Plants were uprooted and flung across the city, crashing into buildings.
Only Feng Qi, standing behind Mu Yan, was untouched—shielded by the crimson energy surrounding her.
As he looked at Mu Qing standing tall with her fist still extended, Jian Ji, inside his sword domain, had a look of utter disbelief on his face.
Floating not far from him, Mu Yan was all smiles.
"The Crimson Power… you really didn't let me down!"