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"How dare you! You dare to steal my treasure? Stay here obediently!"
A deep, middle-aged voice echoed from all directions, as if it came from everywhere, blocking the way.
Qi Yuan ignored Ji Yin's angry voice and used all his strength to unleash his Thunder Escape Technique. His speed surged, surpassing even that of a late-stage Jindan cultivator.
Suddenly, a wave of powerful Xuanyin demonic energy swept in. Wherever it passed, the sun and moon dimmed, and the sea roared.
It was Wu Chou!
Qi Yuan's expression darkened. Two ancient treasure flying knives shot out from his storage bag. Instantly, chilling blade energy and dazzling yellow light filled the air.
*Whoosh!*
The ancient flying knives streaked forward, aiming directly at the oncoming demonic energy.
A loud boom followed.
Black and yellow lights flashed, and the demonic energy was sliced apart by the flying knives, scattering into the void.
Wu Chou's figure suddenly appeared, coughing blood, his expression solemn as he looked at Qi Yuan with fearful eyes.
In such a short time, his strength was already completely outclassed by Qi Yuan.
He had been injured in a single move!
Such terrifying strength...
As Wu Chou appeared, the ancient flying knives immediately targeted him and slashed again at high speed.
The rapidly rotating knives were like golden wheels, radiating a terrifying aura.
Wu Chou's face changed. His figure vanished and reappeared ten feet away, evading the attack.
The flying knives couldn't keep up with Wu Chou's escape technique and returned to Qi Yuan on command.
This was just a stalling tactic.
A dreadful aura was rapidly approaching and would arrive soon.
Thunder rumbled.
Qi Yuan continued his flight, but before he got far, a pair of twin-blade magic weapons emerged from the void, forming a deadly pincer attack.
Such a fierce strike would make even a late-stage Jindan cultivator hesitate.
But Qi Yuan didn't dodge. Instead, he extended his hands from his sleeves. His palms glowed with colorful light as he reached out to grab the weapons.
If Wu Chou's life-bound weapons were broken, would he still be able to escape?
Qi Yuan didn't want to deal with this clown later while distracted.
Wu Chou saw Qi Yuan going for his life-bound weapon and grew uneasy. Remembering Qi Yuan's previous battle record, a sense of dread crept in.
"Return!"
Wu Chou tried to recall his weapons, hoping to wait for a better opportunity.
But in the next moment, his face turned pale with horror.
Qi Yuan had already grabbed the twin-blade weapons.
Dual cultivation of body and magic—what kind of monster was this?
Qi Yuan held one of the weapons in his left hand, cast a spell with his right, and snapped it in two. *Crack!* The weapon broke and became useless. He did the same to the other blade, then tossed both pieces into the sea to feed the fish.
Wu Chou's life treasure had been destroyed.
His face turned ashen. His spirit collapsed. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, his body trembling. In the air, he now resembled an old man on the brink of collapse.
Suddenly, the two ancient flying knives pierced through his body, extinguishing his vitality.
Injured and weakened, Wu Chou couldn't defend against Qi Yuan's finishing blow.
His body fell into the sea, where low-level sea monsters quickly devoured it.
"Boy, you dare kill my disciple! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Ji Yin's enraged voice roared in Qi Yuan's ears.
Though Ji Yin was only in the early Nascent Soul stage, his spiritual sense allowed him to witness the battle.
But despite his speed, the fight had ended too quickly. He hadn't had the chance to save Wu Chou.
Qi Yuan's two flying knives returned to him. He didn't flee again. Wu Chou's interference had bought enough time for Ji Yin to arrive.
Sure enough, a terrifying, wrathful pressure descended upon him.
For any cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage, just being targeted by such a presence would bring despair and send them scrambling for an escape route.
But Qi Yuan remained calm and steady. He hadn't wanted to face a Nascent Soul cultivator prematurely, but that didn't mean he was afraid.
Being suppressed by spiritual sense?
Then let Ji Yin taste what that's like.
Ji Yin's figure slowly descended, his face cold, his eyes filled with disdain—as if Qi Yuan's life were already in his hands.
But in the next instant, a spiritual sense equal to that of a mid-Nascent Soul stage slammed into Ji Yin's consciousness. He staggered, and his arrogant demeanor was shattered.
Ji Yin's eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Qi Yuan.
How could his spiritual sense be so strong?
He was only in the late Jindan stage but had the spiritual sense of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
This boy must possess some kind of extraordinary treasure. If he killed Qi Yuan and took it, he might break through to mid-Nascent Soul in no time.
Greed filled Ji Yin's face. He could barely wait to seize Qi Yuan's storage bag and soul.
"Boy, don't think your spiritual sense alone is enough to defeat me. If you surrender now, this ancestor may spare your life."
But even as Ji Yin spoke, he sensed danger from Qi Yuan's unwavering expression and cursed inwardly at the boy's cunning.
A bronze Heaven-Piercing Spear suddenly descended from the sky, slamming into the sea with terrifying force, killing countless low-level sea creatures.
Ji Yin had already fled its range. His face darkened as he raised his hand, condensing magic into his palm. A small orb of black and red light spun rapidly…
It shot toward Qi Yuan, growing to several feet wide, distorting the void as it passed.
It was the Yin Demon Slash from the Xuanyin Scripture.
In the original text, Han Li used it to cleave Wen Tianren's bronze shield in half.
Although Ji Yin couldn't concentrate it as long as Han Li could, his superior cultivation still made it formidable.
Ten bronze shields flew out from Qi Yuan, overlapping with green light to form a barrier.
Qi Yuan had anticipated an encounter with a Nascent Soul old monster and had prepared over a dozen bronze shields. If not for limited mana, he would've used more.
*Crack! Crack!*
Seven shields shattered in succession but successfully blocked the Yin Demon Slash.
Ji Yin was dumbfounded. Where had this boy gotten so many identical treasures?
Could he truly possess a heaven-defying opportunity not of this world?
In that case, he absolutely couldn't be allowed to escape.
At that moment, the sky darkened. Clouds twisted into eerie faces. The wails of countless wronged souls echoed overhead.
Even Ji Yin, known for his cruelty, was shaken by the sight and looked warily at Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan held up the Wanhun Blade. Hundreds of feet of black blade energy pierced the clouds.
Within a hundred-mile radius, the world darkened. Evil energy gathered on the blade.
Burning a thousand Foundation Establishment ghosts could raise its power to Nascent Soul level.
Hundreds of malicious spirits swirled around the blade, shrieking and howling.
How many people had this kid killed?
His methods were more brutal than Ji Yin's!
Ji Yin's expression flickered as his mind grew unsettled.
A pair of black and gray rings flew from his fingers—one glowing blue, the other golden. Each bore mysterious runes.
They interlocked, forming a circular shield of blue and gold light.
The Yin Yang Ring!
Qi Yuan's black blade energy struck the ancient treasure, bending space itself. Then both forces exploded apart.
Nearby islands shattered. Tremors spread into the sea, causing a tsunami. Waves surged over ten feet high. Rain poured from the sky, mixed with island debris.
The massive battle naturally drew passing cultivators. They assumed two Nascent Soul monsters were dueling.
More and more onlookers arrived—members of the Star Palace, the Four Great Chambers of Commerce, Liulian Hall, Qingyang Gate, Sacred Demon Island, Wanfa Gate, and others.
Someone finally recognized them and shouted, "That's Ji Yin, the Patriarch of Ji Yin Island, fighting the newly-risen number one Jindan expert, Qi Yuan!"
"What? Qi Yuan dares challenge a Nascent Soul stage cultivator? Has he broken through?"
"No, but that black blade energy clearly surpassed the Jindan stage!"
"Shut up! They're fighting again—watch the show!"
…
At the center of the storm:
Ji Yin unleashed all his treasures, each move capable of killing a late Jindan cultivator.
Qi Yuan had the Five Elements Futian Tower above his head, its glowing shadow protecting him. Relying on his life-bound treasure's defense, he traded blows with Ji Yin evenly.
Ji Yin was shocked. This kid's magic power was too deep. After all this time, he didn't even seem tired.
Wearing him down wouldn't work.
If word spread that Patriarch Ji Yin couldn't beat a Jindan-stage brat, how could he show his face in the Chaos Star Sea?
Although still fighting, Qi Yuan subtly maneuvered toward the island where Ruyin had set up a formation.
He also quietly stored away extra magic weapons, wary of exposing them to so many witnesses.
If Ji Yin died, it could be kept quiet.
Even if he survived, he wouldn't dare tell anyone.
After all, some things must be kept for oneself.
Luckily, Wen Tianren's three ancient treasures from the Three Illusionary Seas could help against Ji Yin's attacks.
"Boy, to force me to this extent… you've made quite the name for yourself."
Ji Yin finally lost patience. He tore open a body pouch at his waist, releasing eighteen crimson coffins.
Strange runes covered the coffins, inducing illusions in anyone who stared too long.
A black light streaked through them, unlocking their seals.
The coffin lids flew off. A thick wave of corpse qi filled the sky.
*Tiandu Demon Corpses!*
These were once Jindan-stage cultivators, refined with Tiandu Corpse Fire.
The eighteen corpses leapt out, green-skinned, clad in black armor, eyes burning with black fire.
Barehanded, they had inch-long claws and rows of yellowed fangs.
Qi Yuan recoiled in disgust. The stench was overwhelming.
Why did demonic cultivators love refining corpses so much? Ji Yin, the Six Paths Saint—always with corpses.
Even Yin-Yang Demon Corpses…
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