pertwk Chapter 353 Mid-Nascent Soul Stage, Encirclement and Killing Intent
Chapter 353 Mid-Nascent Soul Stage, Encirclement and Killing Intent
Chapter 353 Mid-Nascent Soul Stage, Encirclement and Killing Intent
Time flies, seasons change, and another year has passed.
Ji Yinglong sat cross-legged in the cold stone hall of the family's forbidden area, the light of a communication jade slip at his fingertips flickering more than a hundred times.
For more than three hundred days and nights, the messages sent back by his spies remained consistent.
The Qingyun Cave Heaven, the cave he considered his for the taking, was quiet and still.
Chen Yi, Ning Bu'er, and Xuan Yin Fairy have not stepped out of their cave dwelling since he left a year ago.
The temperature inside the stone hall froze inch by inch, reflecting Ji Yinglong's emotions.
He slowly opened his eyes, and in those deep eyes, there was not a trace of the composure of a Nascent Soul Ancestor, only the gloom of an impending storm.
"Seclusion?"
A soft whisper echoed through the empty hall.
Ji Yinglong's knuckles turned slightly white from the force, and an image uncontrollably surfaced in his mind: that scoundrel named Chen Yi was enjoying the bliss of having two women on his left and right.
One dragon and two phoenixes.
This thought, like a poisoned thorn, pierced his proud Dao heart, almost causing him to lose control of his millennia-old composure.
An unnamed fire burned through my chest and internal organs.
But he was Ji Yinglong after all.
He forced a breath of turbid air into his dantian, and the violence in his eyes turned into a bone-chilling coldness.
He had absolute confidence in the soul poison he had personally planted.
Yin and Yang, Dragon and Snake Transformation.
This was no ordinary poison, but a supreme restriction that directly targeted the very source of the soul, a slave contract branded on Ji Yinglong's will.
It is absolutely impossible for a mere few Nascent Soul stage cultivators to unravel this.
He could even imagine that even if that brat Chen Yi slept side by side with Xuan Yin and Ning Bu'er, he wouldn't be able to truly gain anything.
As long as the poison in his soul remains, the Fairy Xuan Yin will forever be in his grasp.
Once she falls in love, once her soul and spirit merge, all she can think of and imagine is the image of Ji Yinglong.
That extreme separation between spirit and flesh was enough to drive any man mad, and to cause Xuan Yin Fairy herself unbearable pain.
But this did not calm the restlessness in his heart.
Confidence is one thing, reality is another.
According to his script, the Fairy Xuan Yin should have been injured in spirit by now, and would have come to the Ji family on her own initiative, kneeling at his feet and begging for his mercy and salvation.
But the other party did not.
More than a year of silence is itself a silent provocation.
Things spiraled out of his control.
Ji Yinglong stood up, his wide sleeves fluttering without wind, and in a flash, he appeared on the family's star-gazing platform.
"The clan's master of divination cast a hexagram for me."
His voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it contained an undeniable authority.
In order to deduce the changes that had occurred between Fairy Xuan Yin and Ning Bu'er, they invited a fourth-level lower divination master from their clan who had been in seclusion for many years and whose lifespan was nearing its end.
The ancient tortoise shell rotated within the complex magic circle, radiating spiritual light. Finally, three copper coins fell, and the divination was complete.
The grandmaster's aged face was full of fatigue. He handed over a jade slip, his voice hoarse.
"Ancestor, the divination indicates that Fairy Xuan Yin is protected by a rare treasure, which should be a spiritual treasure."
Furthermore, the hexagram also points to something of extreme yang and strength, most likely—a fourth-order thunder brew.
"The combination of these two can temporarily suppress the divine soul imprint in her body, rather than eradicate it."
Ji Yinglong took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
The divination ends here.
The master clearly stated that he could only see the cause and effect directly related to Fairy Xuan Yin.
When he tried to turn his divination towards Chen Yi, wanting to explore the role this child played, the hexagram turned into chaos, and the secrets of heaven were obscured by a more powerful force.
It can't calculate anything.
Ji Yinglong crushed the jade slip, and powder slipped through his fingers.
"Fourth-Tier Thunder Brew—"
He slowly uttered those four words, each one carrying a chilling coldness.
"Things belonging to my Ji family have still been leaked out."
His voice wasn't loud, but it made the air in the entire observatory seem to freeze.
"Pass on my order: have Ji Wuchen and Ji Mingyuan from the second branch of the family come to see me immediately."
Before long, two figures appeared one after the other in the cold stone hall.
Ji Wuchen remained calm and composed, while Ji Mingyuan behind him appeared much more respectful, bowing his head and not daring to look directly at the ancestor on the main seat.
Ji Yinglong's gaze was like two unsheathed swords, piercing straight at Ji Wuchen.
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.
"Dustless".
Ji Yinglong spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a mountain-like pressure.
"Where did you get that bottle of fourth-tier Thunder Brew in your hand? It shouldn't be from the second branch of the family, right?"
Ji Wuchen's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, then he recovered as usual. He raised his head to meet Ji Yinglong's gaze and calmly replied, "Ancestor, wasn't it agreed that I would handle this matter entirely, and the clan would no longer interfere?"
"That was before!"
Ji Yinglong's voice suddenly rose, and with a cold snort, a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire hall.
"Now that the situation has changed, the rules naturally need to change as well!"
"Speak. As long as you tell me the source, I, your ancestor, will not only forgive you for what you did, but I will also compensate you."
He paused for a moment, then threw out a bargaining chip that nearly made Ji Mingyuan's heart stop beating.
"From now on, you will have full authority to use the clan's secret territory."
Ji Mingyuan, who was standing next to him, suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with horror.
A secret place within the clan!
That is the foundation upon which the Ji family has inherited its legacy, the core strategic resource within the core! Such important authority is actually being handed over to a junior like Ji Wuchen?
The ancestor's regard for him has reached such a level!
However, something even more shocking happened to Ji Mingyuan.
Faced with this overwhelming reward, Ji Wuchen simply looked at Ji Yinglong quietly, and then slowly shook his head.
"I can't say."
His voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.
"I have sworn a solemn oath to the Heavenly Dao regarding this person's identity. If it is revealed, my cultivation will never advance again, and my soul will be in chaos."
He paused, then added something even stronger.
"Furthermore, my Ji family will inevitably suffer annihilation because of this in the future."
"you!"
Ji Yinglong suddenly stood up from his seat, and a powerful killing intent erupted, causing the entire stone hall to tremble violently.
He stared intently at Ji Wuchen, his gaze seemingly piercing through his very soul.
But Ji Wuchen remained standing there, neither dodging nor avoiding, calmly facing his rage.
He was the successor jointly chosen by the family elders and Ji Yinglong, and is the hope for the future of the Ji family.
Even if he openly defies him now, Ji Yinglong cannot actually kill him.
After a long while, the terrifying killing intent slowly subsided.
"snort!"
Ji Yinglong sat down heavily, letting out a cold snort, his tone full of disdain and sarcasm.
"You think I can't find out even if you don't tell me? The clan's divination master has already deduced that it's Chen Yi! I'll capture him, extract his soul, and refine his spirit. Let's see how long he can keep up his stubbornness!"
Upon hearing this, a faint smile suddenly appeared on Ji Wuchen's face.
The smile was faint, yet it made Ji Yinglong's heart skip a beat.
"If our ancestor could truly and accurately determine through divination that it is Chen Yi, why would he bother asking me?"
"Just take him down."
Ji Wuchen's voice was calm and collected, yet it struck Ji Yinglong's heart like a heavy hammer.
Try to trick him!
This kid actually saw through his intentions in an instant!
Ji Yinglong's expression shifted rapidly, alternating between light and dark.
indeed.
He had previously instructed the divination master to expend his own life force to forcibly deduce the cause and effect between Chen Yi and Lei Niang, only to find nothing.
Chen Yi had absolutely no connection to this matter, not even in terms of divine secrets.
This is the most illogical part!
Why would a complete stranger appear in Fairy Xuanyin's cave? And why did Fairy Xuanyin gain a means to combat the poison of the soul after his appearance?
Two possibilities flashed through Ji Yinglong's mind in an instant.
Either Chen Yi really had nothing to do with this, and it was all just a coincidence.
Either Chen Yi possesses a power far surpassing that of a fourth-tier divination master from the Ji family, who has laid down extraordinary means to isolate him from all celestial secrets.
Either way, it means he can no longer act rashly.
"I understand."
Ji Yinglong waved his hand, his voice returning to its usual calm and undisturbed tone.
"You, get out of here."
Ji Wuchen bowed respectfully, turned and left, his steps steady and without the slightest hesitation.
Only after his figure completely disappeared outside the palace gate did Ji Yinglong turn his gaze to Ji Mingyuan, who had remained silent.
"Let's think of a way to lure that kid named Chen Yi out of Qingyun Cave."
His voice was cold and cruel.
"You just need to get him out; you don't need to do anything yourself."
"Someone will deal with him later."
After giving all these instructions, Ji Yinglong pondered for a moment, then took out a blank communication jade slip, immersed his divine sense into it, and inscribed a line of words.
He wanted to send another letter to Fairy Xuanyin.
The letter was earnest, expressing the speaker's desire to personally visit again to discuss the principles of Yin and Yang and resolve the speaker's urgent crisis.
The jade transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the sky.
However, this time, the streak of light vanished without a trace.
One day, two days, ten days —
There was no reply to the jade slip for a long time.
Six years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In Qingyun Cave Heaven, the light curtain of the fourth-order grand formation flowed silently like ripples on water, completely isolating the cave from the outside world.
Deep inside the cave, the brocade quilt slipped down, revealing a section of a smooth, jade-like calf.
Her ankles were slender, and her jade-like toes gleamed with an alluring crimson hue in the dim stone chamber.
On the ground, undergarments, bodices, and stockings were carelessly discarded, scattered everywhere, with a faint fragrance wafting in the air.
Ning Bu'er lay languidly on Chen Yi's chest, her jet-black hair spread out, a few strands playfully scratching Chen Yi's chin.
Her eyelids were slightly lowered, her long eyelashes trembled, and she seemed unwilling to move even a finger.
Chen Yi wrapped one arm around her soft, boneless waist, feeling its amazing elasticity and warmth.
Six years.
The spiritual energy surged continuously through their meridians, and each cycle brought a sense of perfect harmony.
This is not merely physical pleasure, but a resonance between the soul and magical power.
The abundant spiritual energy of Qingyun Cave, combined with the insights gained from Ji Yinglong's magical powers seven years ago, made the six years of seclusion remarkably fruitful.
Chen Yi could clearly sense that the nascent soul in his dantian was more than twice as solid as it had been six years ago. It was radiant and powerful, and he had firmly established himself in the mid-stage of the nascent soul realm.
Ning Bu'er, who was clinging to him, also had a deep and profound aura. His demonic flames were restrained, but they were even more explosive.
Her cultivation level was on par with his.
With a thought, Chen Yi unleashed his divine soul power from his invisible sea of consciousness, instantly piercing through the barrier of the fourth-order grand formation and extending outwards.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, every rustle of grass in the wind is clearly visible.
This is the divine consciousness of the late Nascent Soul stage.
A feeling of being in control of everything arises spontaneously.
He could "see" the wisps of purplish-black demonic flames within Ning Bu'er's body, the destructive power contained within which had reached the level of the late Nascent Soul stage.
What reassured him even more was that the thunder soul deep within her sea of consciousness was becoming increasingly condensed, crackling with lightning, and filled with the most powerful and yang-like divine power to break through magic.
They are no longer the same people they were before.
Chen Yi silently calculated in his mind that if he were to face a true late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in a head-on battle, his chances of winning would still be slim.
But if they just want to leave, there's absolutely no way the other party will let them stay.
This is the confidence they gained through six years of hard work.
His divine sense swept over another cave not far away.
The atmosphere there was aloof and cold, yet powerful enough to make one's heart tremble.
Mysterious Yin Fairy.
Her aura had stabilized at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, just a hair's breadth away from touching that legendary threshold.
The demonstration by Ji Yinglong seven years ago touched her far more deeply than it did Chen Yi and the other person.
Chen Yi could sense that Fairy Xuan Yin had already found the door to the path to becoming a deity, but was still missing two keys.
One is a fifth-order divine soul, powerful enough to bear the might of heaven and earth.
The other weapon is a fifth-order demonic flame, powerful enough to incinerate all laws.
This second key requires the Thunder Spirit Essence Liquid in his possession to forge.
Ideally, it should be a peak fourth-tier or even near-fifth-tier Thunder Spirit Marrow Liquid.
Chen Yi withdrew his divine sense, his gaze becoming deep and unfathomable.
He could feel the occasional glances from Fairy Xuanyin. There was no jealousy or resentment in her gaze, only the satisfaction of an elder looking at a junior, and a faint sense of relief.
She entrusted her best disciple to her.
She also took advantage of this opportunity to glimpse the path she had been pursuing all her life.
Each taking what they need is also a good outcome.
However, besides good karma, there are also bad consequences.
Chen Yi's consciousness sank into a mysterious and profound realm.
This is the divination technique he has mastered over the past few years, using himself as an anchor point to perceive the cause-and-effect relationship between heaven and earth.
In his perception, countless lines converged from all directions, among which two were the thickest, filled with chilling killing intent, and locked onto Qingyun Cave Heaven and onto him.
One direction, from the west, glittering with gold, yet exuding an undeniable domineering and cold aura.
Vajra Temple.
The cause and effect lines clearly show the reasons behind them.
His Thunder Spirit Body Refinement Method was actually the biggest variable in the rise of the Nine Yin Demon Flame lineage, enough to allow this demonic technique to break free from its shackles and unleash unprecedented power.
This is a battle for the orthodox tradition, a fight to the death.
From another direction, coming from the Ji family, the killing intent was more direct, filled with enraged tyranny and possessiveness.
The ancestor of the Ji family, Ji Yinglong.
The reason is even simpler.
He, Chen Yi, blocked that ancestor's path to dual cultivation.
These two deadly threats, like two sharp swords hanging overhead, never dissipated for a moment in the six years since.
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