After Refusing Marriage to the Dao of Slaughter Patriarch (15)

The young sword cultivator had black hair, white clothes, and lips as crimson as blood—a touch of vibrant color.

He was clearly just a young man who had not yet reached adulthood, with a cultivation base merely at Foundation Establishment, yet the oppressive feeling in that instant surged forth like a drowning tide, almost submerging Yi Hui.

So much so that in a split second, what Elder Yi Hui felt was not the anger of being contradicted by a young junior, but an indescribable fear.

Even though the other party looked so gentle and beautiful, resembling a precious treasure kept by a Patriarch, with gorgeous features fully accustomed to being cherished.

The elder of the Bumeng Sect tensed his body slightly, ready to intervene at any moment—if Yushui Sect's Ji Zhaixing had an accident at the Bumeng Sect, they would not be able to absolve themselves of the blame.

But unexpectedly, Elder Yi Hui did not make a move. This was probably due to his wariness of the Yushui Sect and the fact that he was in the wrong first.

A low, hoarse, and dry voice issued from the throat of this Golden Core elder: "Then, Daoist Ji, how do you wish to teach him?"

He was retreating again and again.

Ping Jushao's expression went from gradually calming down to becoming panicked and uneasy again.

The youth's pale and beautiful fingertips rested lightly on the hilt of his sword. Ji Zhaixing lowered his eyes, and the surging wind around him gently brushed up his black hair. His expression, which seemed to contain a tender warmth, would almost give people the illusion that Ji Zhaixing was an exceptionally easy-to-talk-to person.

The cultivators heard his voice.

Gentle and smooth, like a breeze lightly brushing across the heart.

Yet, he said gently,

"He wanted to destroy my junior brother's dantian," Ji Zhaixing said with a smile on his lips. "And so do I."

Blood for blood.

In that instant, the last trace of color faded from Elder Yi Hui's face. His expression was gloomy, and his voice sounded almost as if squeezed from his throat. "Daoist Ji, do not reach out for a yard after taking an inch—"

Ji Zhaixing lowered his head and muttered to himself, "It seems Elder Yi Hui hasn't been taught well either."

In a flash, Yi Hui's mind was flooded with hot blood, and some kind of emotion that made him break down crushed outward. A palm strike containing the power of his Golden Core cultivation was thrust toward Ji Zhaixing.

That Golden Core elder of the Bumeng Sect was already extremely shocked and stood up to reprimand, "Yi Hui!"

This palm strike showed no mercy. A moment after Yi Hui struck out, his pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly felt some regret. The wrath of the Yushui Sect absolutely could not be provoked by him. If something happened to Ji Zhaixing...

However, the anticipated tragedy did not occur.

The spiritual energy in that palm strike was gently pushed away by Ji Zhaixing. It was merely a slight sway of his sleeve, revealing a touch of faint cyan veins on a wrist as white as snow.

It was such a frail hand, yet it easily dissolved the power of Elder Yi Hui's palm strike.

Yi Hui knew very well that in his impulsiveness just now, he had absolutely held nothing back, and he was momentarily stunned.

This seemed to be the horn for battle.

The sound of the wind and the clamor around him all ceased. A bleak chill crawled up his spine in a flash, as if Yi Hui were standing amidst snowy mountains, with the wind condensing into a shuddering cold.

Yi Hui realized that the people around him had all disappeared.

The other cultivators, and even Ping Jushao, were gone. Only he remained, along with the Ji Zhaixing before him—incomparably gorgeous yet like a demon.

Cold sweat, or perhaps the sound of his throat bobbing slightly.

Yi Hui shouted in near desperation, "Sword Domain? Whose Sword Domain is this—"

Then, his frenzy abruptly stopped when he met Ji Zhaixing's pair of icy-cold eyes.

"You are not at the Foundation Establishment stage." His teeth seemed to chatter with an unspeakable fear. Only then did Yi Hui realize that when he had casually probed Ji Zhaixing's cultivation, the faint aura of true essence he sensed was not because the other party was at the Foundation Establishment stage with such low spiritual energy that it wasn't worth mentioning, but rather because—

"You are at the Golden Core stage," Yi Hui stated with certainty.

Or perhaps, his cultivation was even higher than his own, reaching a high-tier Golden Core stage that he couldn't detect.

Ji Zhaixing seemed to maintain that same indifferent expression—quiet, calm, yet dazzling.

He said, "Elder Yi Hui, it's understandable that you want to protect a disciple of your sect." Ji Zhaixing then continued, the corners of his lips curving slightly upward in a subtly provocative manner, "So do I."

And in the eyes of the cultivators outside, Ji Zhaixing and Elder Yi Hui were still in their line of sight, but it was as if they were in another profound space—untouchable and unapproachable.

At the same time, they also heard what Yi Hui said.

So... so Ji Zhaixing's cultivation was actually—

How old was he? Not even twenty.

No wonder the Yushui Sect Master accommodated him in everything, even going so far as to bestow the position of Young Sect Master upon Ji Zhaixing. Looking at it now, it was clearly a calculated move—only in the name of the sect could such a heaven-defying genius be tied down!

The manifestation of such a massive Sword Domain even alarmed the Bumeng Sect's Sect-Guarding Elder. That Patriarch with little lifespan remaining awakened from his deep slumber and probed with his divine sense. A trace of genuine shock at the formidable younger generation flashed through his aged, cloudy, yet exceptionally clear eyes.

Yong Lianyin raised his head and gazed at the black-haired, white-clothed, incomparably resolute sword cultivator, his eyes also filled with emotion. "So it is a Sword Domain..."

Because he came from a dilapidated small sect, even though he had entered the top hundred, his position was not very good, and he was crowded by people on all sides. Hearing Yong Lianyin muttering to himself, someone leaned over and asked curiously, "You know what a Sword Domain is?"

"It is a domain that can only be cultivated by a sword cultivator favored by the Heavenly Dao. According to records, the sword cultivator with the lowest cultivation base to ever possess a Sword Domain," Yong Lianyin slightly lowered his head, "was at the Nascent Soul stage."

That person was shocked, almost to the point of disbelief because it too greatly exceeded their understanding. They asked hesitantly, "Are you saying that Ji Zhenjun is actually a Nascent Soul patriarch..."

"No, he isn't." Yong Lianyin smiled slightly, his expression somewhat downcast. "But isn't it precisely because of that, that it's even more terrifying?"

Being inside an enemy's Sword Domain was equivalent to having one's path of retreat severed; there was nowhere to back off, and one could only meet the battle head-on.

Although Yi Hui had not completely recovered from the shock of Ji Zhaixing having Golden Core cultivation, he was very clear about one thing: no matter how stunningly brilliant and exceptionally talented Ji Zhaixing was, he had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage before leaving this small world. That meant that, in any case, Ji Zhaixing had only broken through to the Golden Core stage less than half a year ago.

His age was what made Yi Hui dread him the most, but it was also Yi Hui's greatest bargaining chip.

At this moment, Yi Hui was already regretting confronting the Yushui Sect and a Golden Core Patriarch for the sake of a disciple. Yet, outwardly, he remained steady. "Daoist Ji, a battle between two Golden Cores will likely not end until one dies. Why don't we both take a step back..."

"There is no stepping back," Ji Zhaixing said extremely calmly. "For as long as I represent the Yushui Sect, I will absolutely not take a single step back."

Ji Zhaixing's voice had always been very soft, and him saying such words was nothing more than an understated remark. Yet, it caused the noses of those disciples from the Yushui Sect to sour slightly with emotion.

This was no longer a battle between two Golden Cores.

But a conflict between sects.

"Good, good..." Elder Yi Hui said 'good' several times in a row.

His face darkened slightly, and he hesitated no longer, choosing instead to strike first.

Yi Hui had no physical magical artifact; his artifact was the ability to control living souls.

Because the burden of slaughtering was too heavy, he had not used them in combat for many years. Now, however, he was truly pushed to a dead end. With a sweep of his sleeve, countless ink-black, formless living souls flew out, tearing toward Ji Zhaixing.

The cultivators below the platform were now genuinely astonished and invigorated.

They probably wouldn't get to witness a spell battle between Golden Core Patriarchs even once in their fleeting, mayfly-like lives. Who could have thought they would be so fortunate to see one here?

Within the Sword Domain.

As those living souls, reeking of heavy bloodlust, lunged forward, Ji Zhaixing's sword merely shifted and slashed slightly. The blade carved a perfect arc, forcefully tearing apart more than a dozen living souls. A pale red bloodline on the sword's body, perhaps due to the blade being unsheathed, gradually stained with crimson, becoming incredibly bright. It was like a living creature, akin to the sword's veins.

Yi Hui's expression turned somewhat unsightly.

The living souls he had fed with blood seemed to be disregarded entirely by the other party.

That sword slaughtered tirelessly.

Yi Hui released countless more living souls. However, whether they were minor souls cultivated for only a few years or fierce souls created from hundred-year-old demons, they all seemed no different under Ji Zhaixing's sword.

Surrounded and attacked by living souls, the black hair draped over Ji Zhaixing's shoulders didn't have a single strand out of place. His pale wrists showed not a speck of taint from the hostile energy. With his thick, raven-black eyelashes slightly lowered, his expression was almost exceedingly gentle.

The fear and chill at the bottom of his heart plucked more clearly at the tense string in Yi Hui's mind.

This wasn't an exchange of blows at all, but a one-sided oppression.

Because no matter what action he took, Ji Zhaixing's footsteps didn't seem hindered by his spells, without even half a moment of hesitation.

Ji Zhaixing was already very close to him.

The sword hung down, its tip pointing to the ground. The resentment of the living souls turned into black blood, slowly gathering and dripping onto the earth.

Yi Hui had originally wanted to launch a sneak attack, but now he couldn't even stand steadily.

He saw Ji Zhaixing's dark, profound eyes—bottomless, making it almost impossible to discern any emotion within them.

That sword rested against his dantian. Yi Hui's emotions churned; a sense of incomparable torment almost made him faint in that instant—

Ji Zhaixing said softly, "You lost."

"Are you still going to protect him?"

That was probably the darkest moment in Yi Hui's life.

In his earlier daze, he had even thought that Ji Zhaixing was going to kill him.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Ji Zhaixing couldn't possibly kill a Golden Core elder in front of so many people.

Even though Yi Hui felt that he dared to.

Even so, Yi Hui no longer had any capital to be arrogant. His voice was slightly hoarse as he whispered, "I will leave it to Ji Zhenjun to handle."

The Sword Domain dispersed.

Ping Jushao was almost going crazy; he couldn't believe his master had lost. When he realized Ji Zhaixing was walking towards him, he didn't cry and beg, but rather resentfully demanded that Ji Zhaixing kill him.

It made sense; for a cultivator, having their dantian crippled was far worse than being killed quickly.

But Ji Zhaixing's face didn't show even a sliver of emotion or sympathy.

Nor any hesitation.

Ping Jushao, his consciousness nearing chaos, spoke without thinking, "Is your Yushui Sect going to make an enemy out of the Jinghua Dao?"

Yi Hui had no strength left; otherwise, he really would have liked to slap Ping Jushao again to make him shut up.

The gazes of the other cultivators fell upon Yi Hui, burning like glaring light, stripping him of even a sliver of the dignity of a Golden Core Patriarch.

Ji Zhaixing was unmoved.

His expression was peaceful, as if he were just doing an ordinary chore.

With a wave of his hand, a surge of true essence shot into Ping Jushao's dantian, churning like a sharp blade, just like the strike he had dealt Qi Baishan.

An extremely foul, bloody stench spread out.

Ji Zhaixing's footsteps paused slightly. His gaze fell upon the injury on Ping Jushao's dantian; his eyes narrowed a fraction as he looked at it for a moment longer.

What flowed out from Ping Jushao's wound was actually shriveled, vaguely humanoid-shaped black semi-fluids, no longer than the length of a palm.

Yi Hui's mood right now was hardly any better than when he had learned that Ji Zhaixing was at the Golden Core stage.

Cultivators had exceptional eyesight. Seeing such a bizarre sight, they began to discuss animatedly.

"What kind of filthy things are flowing out of his dantian?"

"Just looking at it makes me, really somewhat, ugh—"

Ping Jushao's face seemed to have turned into a block of wood. He went to press down on the things flowing from his dantian wound, but when his hand touched them, it melted into white bones, yet he acted as if he felt nothing at all.

......

Today's Hanlin Sword Trial had only held one match before it was concluded due to these unforeseen events.

However, even though there was only one match, the subsequent Golden Core duel was enough to grant many cultivators insights. It was a once-in-a-century encounter, enough to make them feel the trip was highly worthwhile.

Ji Zhaixing was heading to the Bumeng Sect's Healers' Courtyard, accompanied by two Golden Core elders—one from the Bumeng Sect, and the other being Yi Hui.

Elder Yi Hui's footsteps and mouth didn't stop for the entire journey.

He kept thanking and apologizing, occasionally showing a gloomy look of hatred, though that was directed toward Ping Jushao.

—Given the situation with Ping Jushao's dantian, even a blind man couldn't pretend not to see it. It all came to light after an interrogation using the Soul-Searching Technique. It turned out he had obtained a secret art allowing him to refine other cultivators' Dao bodies into his dantian, enabling him to steal their cultivation and root bones.

Ping Jushao had refined a total of eleven people into himself. He wasn't a demonic cultivator, yet he was worse than a demon. Because he had specifically targeted disciples with some aptitude but from impoverished backgrounds, it had shockingly gone unnoticed over all these years.

This was an absolutely earth-shattering scandal. One could easily imagine that the reputation of the Jinghua Dao would suffer greatly for a very long time to come.

Yi Hui had endured it time and time again to restrain himself from executing Ping Jushao on the spot. Instead, he had people escort him back to the Jinghua Dao to interrogate him on the full details of the matter, so that no lingering poison involved in this could be spared.

As for Ji Zhaixing, who brought this matter to light, Yi Hui couldn't show any anger towards him. Otherwise, as Ping Jushao's master, he was already implicated; if people were to suspect that he, or even the Jinghua Dao itself, had ordered Ping Jushao to commit such unconscionable acts, their reputation would truly be completely ruined.

Furthermore, Yi Hui originally intended to mend fences with Ji Zhaixing. After all, making an enemy out of him was absolutely not a good thing.

Amidst Yi Hui's gratitude and apologies, Ji Zhaixing maintained that same calm and indifferent expression.

Speaking of which, in that instant, he was actually somewhat bewildered.

...Good thing he didn't use a sword at that time.

With such chaotic thoughts, Ji Zhaixing arrived at the Healers' Courtyard.

Qi Baishan's injuries were very severe.

Even if he had killed Ping Jushao, it wouldn't have been able to undo the trauma he had suffered in the slightest.

Ji Zhaixing stood guard by the bed, his eyes lowered, seemingly pondering something. And Elder Yi Hui, being the master of the chief culprit, very tactfully stayed silent.

Before Ji Zhaixing, Qi Baishan had always acted cute and obedient, seemingly unable to stay still for even a moment—and now, him being this quiet was truly not a good thing.

The medical cultivator in charge of treating him said, "Daoist Qi is currently still unconscious. He is drawing upon the spiritual energy within his body to rebuild his spiritual platform, but with his dantian damaged, it is extremely difficult to gather this spiritual energy..."

Yi Hui asked, "Does he need to take a Myriad Spirit Pill?"

The medical cultivator said with difficulty, "I'm afraid it would have very little effect. Daoist Qi is unconscious and unable to refine and absorb the pill."

Ji Zhaixing: "Please tell us, Daoist, what should be done."

The medical cultivator replied, "If he could consume the lifeblood of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he might be able to wake up."

This lifeblood referred to heart's blood fully infused with true essence and cultivation. Once ingested, it would instantly turn into spiritual energy, allowing it to be consumed even in an unconscious state, but it would cause some damage to the cultivator providing the blood.

Actually, in the Scripture Pavilion of the Mingling Sword Sect, Ji Zhaixing had seen a few types of pills that took effect upon ingestion just like a cultivator's lifeblood, with much better medicinal efficacy than directly using lifeblood. It was just that there was no time to refine them right now. He then asked, "Would the lifeblood of a Golden Core cultivator do?"

The medical cultivator was truly surprised, even stuttering slightly, "Naturally, naturally it would be better..."

Yi Hui's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, 'Could it be that Ji Zhaixing wants me to draw my blood?'

Sigh, his cultivation. Steeling his heart, Yi Hui didn't wait for Ji Zhaixing to speak and took the initiative to say, "Then use mine."

Ji Zhaixing shot him a mild glance.

For some reason, Yi Hui actually perceived a subtle sense of disgust in that glance.

Ji Zhaixing said, "I'll do it."

Yi Hui: "Ji Zhenjun, there is no need to be polite with me..."

Ji Zhaixing lowered his eyes slightly: "My junior brother wouldn't want it."

Yi Hui: "..."