Chapter 26: Crushing Defeat

Layers of water walls stood erect, and the water-fire lotus bloomed.

The seventy-two flying swords, from different directions, formed a huge arc, piercing through layer after layer of water walls, through the water-fire lotus, and stabbed directly at Ji Ning.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!... Sounds rang out as Ji Ning, holding the Northmoon swords in both hands, executed his sword technique. A curtain of water formed by sword light appeared around him. Despite the siege of the flying swords, he focused solely on defense, managing to block all seventy-two flying swords with his two blades.

Whoosh!

A flying sword slashed across Ji Ning's thigh, sending blood splattering.

Chi!

A flying sword pierced through Ji Ning's abdomen.

"Ji Ning, come back, come back quickly!" Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo, who was controlling the entire Black Dragon Locking Heaven Formation, sent an urgent telepathic message.

"No." Ji Ning was unwilling.

"Quickly! Your life is more important than ours. Don't fight anymore, come back!" Ji Jiuhuo's voice was filled with anxiety and pain.

Ji Ning gritted his teeth and ignored the patriarch. He had to fight, to give it his last effort, because... he truly didn't want to fail.

He didn't want to fail.

He didn't want to see them die!

He didn't!

...

In the distance, Xu Li's expression changed: "As expected of one who has comprehended the Dao Domain. His sword technique is truly formidable; his defense is watertight. Even if I occasionally wound him, it's under his control."

After all, the pressure from the siege of seventy-two flying swords was immense. Ji Ning occasionally used his body and the feathered wings behind him to block the swords...

"Kill!" Ji Ning, struggling to fend off the seventy-two flying swords, suddenly a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

Among the six hundred flying swords hovering behind him, more than five hundred lit up. A sword light condensed before Ji Ning, radiating a sharp aura.

Swoosh!

The sword light shot through the air instantly.

This was the seventh layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. While maintaining the water-fire lotus and water walls and executing his sword technique, Ji Ning could only spare half his mind to control the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, barely able to unleash its seventh layer.

"Kill, kill, kill!" Ji Ning seemed frenzied, repeatedly condensing sword lights before him, which shot out like rain.

"Kill him!" Ji Ning's eyes held both longing and fear—the deep-seated fear of failure! When he found himself unable to even approach Xu Li under the siege of seventy-two flying swords, he realized... he was likely to fail. His greatest advantage in fighting Xu Li was his movement technique!

But now, unable to get close, how could he win?

Was he about to fail?

If even he failed, then the Ji clan could not stop them. They would have to fight with their lives, to block them.

Then his father Ji Yichuan, Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo, Granny Ying... they would all have to risk their lives.

"Die, die, die!" Ji Ning's eyes were filled with killing intent.

He had to fight!

One last fight!

Threads of sword light turned into rain, streaking toward Xu Li.

Xu Li stood there sneering: "You really don't give up, do you?" A black rope floating around him quickly coiled in circles, surrounding him. The thick, long rope covered most of the space. When the threads of rain attacked, the black rope shifted slightly and dispersed them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The rope simply twitched and moved, scattering the incoming rain.

The Earth-ranked magic treasure, Black Serpent Rope, was too powerful; it easily shattered the sword lights of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.

"Go."

The last thread of rain arced and struck directly at Nong Zidao, who was protected by the others.

"Killing Nong Zidao is also a victory!" Ji Ning's eyes in the distance were wild with madness.

"Roar~~~"

The snow-white flood dragon descended gently, landing on Xu Li, Nong Zidao, Lu Huang, and the other nine cultivators. In an instant, Xu Li, Nong Zidao, and the others were all inside the snow-white flood dragon.

Just as Ji Ning and his group could be inside the black dragon, Xu Li and his group could enter the snow-white flood dragon.

"Bang!" That thread of rain stabbed fiercely at the snow-white flood dragon.

The dragon scales on the surface trembled, and the rain completely dissipated.

Failed.

"Hahaha," Nong Zidao laughed from inside the flood dragon, "This Flood Dragon Formation was set up by Uncle-Master Xu Li and the eight of us. Even if you had Uncle-Master Xu Li's strength, you'd find it hard to break the dragon, let alone being far weaker than him."

The flood dragon coiled.

Everyone was inside the dragon, with Xu Li at its head, gazing at Ji Ning from afar.

"Our Snowdragon Mountain is famed across the endless lands for the 'Snow Dragon Soaring Heaven Formation,'" Xu Li said with pride. "Though this Flood Dragon Formation is a simplified version, once set, the nine of us are as one. Even going all out, I couldn't break it, let alone you."

...

In the distance, Nong Zidao and Xu Li spoke smugly. Ji Ning listened, but his mind was elsewhere: "Is it... is it forcing me to take the final step?"

"Must I really let Father and the others risk their lives?"

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a ripple passed through space. Ji Ning, wielding the Rainwater Sword Domain, sensed a strange object shaped like a 'spindle' crossing space to reach him, though his eyes didn't see it.

"Not good." Ji Ning snapped to alertness. The feathered wings behind him flapped, and he executed the Windwing Evasion technique to pull away. Though he held the Northmoon swords, they were needed to block the seventy-two flying swords besieging him. If he relaxed, those swords would chop him into mincemeat.

Pfft!

Despite Ji Ning's desperate dodge and even deliberate guidance, the spindle pierced through his abdomen.

"Boom!"

Elemental energy erupted!

Ji Ning's incredibly tough Fiendgod body was blasted with a hole larger than his head. His left waist was completely severed, connected only by some muscle on the right.

"Grow." Ji Ning pulled away using the Windwing Evasion technique while manipulating his divine power. Flesh and blood rapidly regenerated, and the huge hole in his waist quickly closed.

"Quick, come back!" Ji Jiuhuo roared via telepathy, "Ji Ning, if you don't come back now, none of us will die in peace!!!"

He was frantic, truly frantic. He had told Ji Ning to return earlier, but Ji Ning insisted on struggling. If this continued, Ji Ning might die.

Ji Ning gritted his teeth in pain.

Leave!

"Swoosh." With a flap of his wings, he rushed into the nearby demonic energy, which was filled with darkness. Xu Li and the others just watched, not daring to venture in.

"Ji Ning! You've been hit by my Black Blood Godneedle!" Xu Li shouted, "I can sense your location now. If you come close again, don't expect to leave alive."

...

Halfway up Oxhorn Mountain.

Figures streaked in as beams of light. Ji Liuzhen, Granny Ying, and the others all arrived, gathering there.

Swoosh.

Ji Ning also arrived.

"Ji Ning." Ji Jiuhuo looked at this youth, who had risked his life again and again. He sighed, "Ji Ning, our Ji clan has wronged you."

"Patriarch." Ji Ning's eyes reddened.

"You've done enough, more than enough." Ji Jiuhuo patted Ji Ning's shoulder gently, "In any larger, more powerful tribe, a peerless genius like you would never be forced to fight like this. Our Ji clan has wronged you. You killed Tong Yu and a group of Zifu cultivators; you've done plenty."

"If we truly can't withstand this, it's heaven's will that our Ji clan cannot pass this trial." Ji Jiuhuo said softly, "Don't be angry, don't be pained. A tribe rises and falls. All we can do is give our all, and that's enough. And heaven sending you to our Ji clan is already boundless grace."

Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning, "I know, with you here, our Ji clan will surely prosper, surely!"

Ji Ning gritted his teeth, his heart trembling!

"Things have come to this." Ji Jiuhuo's gaze swept over Granny Ying, Old Servant A Xing, Ji Liuzhen, Ji Yichuan, and the Earth Dragon and other demon beasts, "You all know how dire the situation is. There's a sealing formation outside; we have no retreat."

"This time, we fight to the death!" Ji Jiuhuo was calm, but his eyes burned.

"Fight to the death!"

Ji Yichuan, Ji Liuzhen, and the others all had determination in their eyes.

None flinched!

None feared!

If they feared, they wouldn't have come to Oxhorn Mountain.

"Listen to my orders." Ji Jiuhuo said directly, "We must do our utmost to prevent Nong Zidao from focusing entirely on breaking the formation. Delay them as much as possible. So, Earth Dragon, you go first to delay them. When you die, the Celestial Crane goes up."

Earth Dragon and Celestial Crane, the two Zifu spirit beasts transformed into a blue-armored man and a white-clad girl, looked at each other with bitterness in their eyes.

"You two can only blame your bad luck. Fight with all your might." Ji Jiuhuo said, "If you die fighting for our Ji clan, you can still enter reincarnation. If you resist, I'll make you both vanish here and now."

"We obey."

The blue-armored man and white-clad girl bowed their heads.

Once a contract was made, they had to obey their master's orders absolutely. Otherwise, the master could annihilate their souls.

"After the Celestial Crane dies, Yichuan, you go." Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Yichuan.

"Mm." Ji Yichuan nodded.

He could only be a Zifu cultivator for half an hour, contributing the least to the Black Dragon Locking Heaven Formation, so he naturally had to be the first from the Ji clan to charge.

"After Yichuan dies, Liu Xing, you go." Ji Jiuhuo looked at Old Servant A Xing.

Old Servant A Xing nodded.

"After Liu Xing dies, Ji Ying, you go." Ji Jiuhuo looked at his sister.

Granny Ying also nodded.

"After Ji Ying dies, Liuzhen, you go." Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Liuzhen, "I'll follow right after."

No one objected.

Ji Ning, watching this, felt great pain and quickly said, "Patriarch, I'm the strongest. I can go to delay them too. I can launch repeated sneak attacks to distract Nong Zidao, preventing him from focusing on breaking the formation."

"Didn't you hear what Xu Li said?" Ji Jiuhuo shouted, "You've been hit by the Black Blood Godneedle. He can sense your location. If you get close, he'll surely set up layers of traps against you. It's fine if we die, but if you die, you're not letting yourself down—you're letting down the Ji clan, understand?"

Ji Ning gritted his teeth.

"Ji Ning." Granny Ying said hoarsely, "If you dare go again, I'll kill myself right in front of you."

"Granny Ying..." Ji Ning's heart trembled.

"Ji Ning." Ji Yichuan looked at his son and exhorted, "Don't make our deaths worthless."

...