Chapter 11: The Battle That Made His Name

"Excellent!" Beishan Baiwei in the elegant chamber was so excited his face turned red, and beside him, Hun Wuqi also had a look of surprise in his eyes.

"I never imagined Brother Ji Ning could so effortlessly slay the rhinoceros demon," said Hun Wuqi. "That footwork, that swordsmanship... truly incredible."

Beishan Baiwei nodded repeatedly.

"Impressive." Beishan Baiwei grinned from ear to ear and immediately shouted, "Beishan Hu, I told you earlier you were talking nonsense, and now you have to swallow your words!"

...

Beishan Hu's face turned ashen. Both the seemingly ordinary youth below and Beishan Baiwei's words just now made him feel as if his heart was blocked—unbearably uncomfortable!

...

"Truly formidable, such formidable swordsmanship," Qu Gongzi said, looking down from above.

...

"Able to effortlessly slay the rhinoceros demon—was it divine power or sword technique?" A young man in black furrowed his brow as he looked down at the hall below.

...

The Fire Child, who looked like a six or seven-year-old boy with a golden collar, now wore a thoughtful expression as he stared at Ji Ning in the hall below. "That sword strike... such formidable power. It shouldn't be a divine ability! The profundity of the sword technique—could it have reached the Dao Domain level? Not likely. He's merely a Zifu Disciple; it's improbable that his realm could be so high. But that sword strike... could I have been mistaken?"

...

Although there were many formidable figures present, Ji Ning's sword had been too fast. Only the Fire Child vaguely judged that this strike had reached the level of the 'Dao Domain,' yet he dared not be certain.

The sealing formation was lifted.

"The cultivator sent by Beishan Baiwei wins!" announced Lady Ziyi, then looked at Beishan Baiwei. "Do you wish to continue the betting battle?"

"Bet," said Ji Ning, who stood there, speaking up.

In the elegant chamber above, Beishan Baiwei was startled and immediately sent a voice transmission to Ji Ning: "Brother Ji Ning, you still want to bet?"

"As long as this Beishan Hu can send someone out, I'll bet with him," Ji Ning transmitted back. "Don't worry. It's already remarkable that he could send out a rhinoceros demon. It's likely very difficult for him to send out anyone stronger. Even if there is someone stronger... I am confident I can slay him. As for the bet, I can also stake the nine hundred taels of liquid essence I just won."

Ji Ning's voice transmission carried absolute confidence.

He had already taken the initiative to let Beishan Fox send out a second person—how could he back down now?

"Good." Beishan Baiwei's eyes lit up.

"Beishan Fox, my brother Ji Ning is down there ready to fight. Weren't you just shouting so loudly? As for the stakes, nine hundred taels of primal liquid, even one thousand eight hundred taels—I can take them all! I'm just afraid you don't dare!" Beishan Baiwei sneered, a hint of contempt and disdain in his eyes. With just that simple sentence, his tone, and his expression, he immediately made Beishan Fox, standing in the distance, fly into a rage, his face turning red.

……

North Mountain Fox's face turned ashen. He looked at a few friends beside him and said in a low voice, "Having suffered such a great humiliation, I am determined to kill this Ji Ning."

"Killing Ji Ning is difficult," Zhou Li shook his head. "This man's movement technique is astonishing, and his swordplay is extremely formidable. Even the rhinoceros demon who used divine abilities was slain by him..."

"He is not without weaknesses," said another middle-aged man in blue. "His divine power is only at the late Zifu stage, and his elemental energy is merely at the early Zifu stage. His methods in qi refining are almost negligible. Only in close combat does he excel. So as long as we prevent him from getting close, we can win most of the battle."

North Mountain Fox's eyes lit up.

Right.

This Ji Ning was only strong in close combat. If he couldn't get close, he would soon lose.

"Someone!" North Mountain Fox immediately called out, "Summon the White Witch."

North Mountain Fox said to his friends beside him, "This White Witch was gifted to me by the White Witch Cult. I intended to enjoy her thoroughly, but now that I've suffered this humiliation... I can't afford to indulge. Although the White Witch is slightly weaker than the rhinoceros demon, she is just the one to counter this Ji Ning."

"White Witch Cult?" The few people beside him, including Zhou Li, were taken aback.

The White Witch Cult...

It was not a sect within Anchan Commandery. It was now trying to infiltrate Anchan Commandery, and offering a witch to North Mountain Fox was just one of its methods. Zhou Li and the others dared not comment on this matter.

Soon, a barefoot woman in a white robe with patterned edges entered. She had long black hair reaching her hips and eyes that exuded a seductive charm. Her entire being radiated endless allure... Her gaze lingered on North Mountain Fox, and he felt a warmth in his lower abdomen.

"Truly a temptress," North Mountain Fox gritted his teeth and said, "White Witch, the White Witch Cult gave you to me. Your life, your everything, belongs to me."

"This servant understands. Everything I have is yours, young master," the White Witch said in a soft voice that seemed to tickle the heart.

North Mountain Fox nodded. "Now, that brat named Ji Ning in the hall below killed my rhinoceros demon. I can't calm this anger. I order you... to go and kill this Ji Ning."

"This servant go kill Ji Ning?" The usually calm White Witch was stunned.

Earlier, she and the other servants had been in a side room and had seen everything below through the window. She knew very well how formidable Ji Ning was! She judged herself to be far inferior to the rhinoceros demon in strength, and compared to Ji Ning... she had no confidence at all.

Moreover, the White Witch Cult had sent her precisely to captivate North Mountain Fox!

"Hmm?" North Mountain Fox frowned. "You won't go? Then what use are you?"

"No," the White Witch cursed inwardly at the ruthlessness of this direct descendant of the Anchan North Mountain clan, then quickly said, "Young master, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I have no confidence at all in killing this Ji Ning. I saw how he killed the rhinoceros demon just now."

North Mountain Fox shook his head. "You need not worry about that. This Ji Ning is very weak in qi refining, only strong in close combat. As long as you prevent him from getting close, you are sure to win. I recall you have a secret technique for binding that is quite formidable."

The White Witch gritted her teeth.

That was nothing but a technique for bedchamber pleasure. When she and North Mountain Fox made love, she had once rapidly lengthened her hair and even bound herself... At the time, North Mountain Fox had asked about such methods during their lovemaking, and the White Witch had boasted that once bound, even that stupid rhinoceros demon couldn't break free. Who would have thought she would now face a desperate situation?

"You are skilled at binding enemies, and what the White Witch Cult is most famous for is poisonous insects, especially 'raising gu with one's own body,' which is quite renowned," North Mountain Fox said.

The White Witch's face turned pale.

Sacrificing her body to nurture a gu?

This was indeed the method that made the White Witch Sect feared by all sides, but performing the sacrifice of one's body to nurture a gu—if luck was good, it would only severely deplete one's vitality. If slightly worse, it could mean death.

The White Witch looked at the Beishan Fox before her... She understood now: this Beishan Fox was forcing her to fight to the death to kill Ji Ning.

"You can choose to go, or die," Beishan Fox said coldly.

The White Witch gritted her teeth: "Your servant will go down."

"Mm," Beishan Fox nodded. "With your White Witch Sect's techniques, you are just the right counter for her. There is still a glimmer of hope."

"Go to the hall and kill Ji Ning," Beishan Fox commanded.

"Yes." The White Witch turned and walked out, her swaying figure causing Beishan Fox's eyes to gleam with lust. He sighed softly: "What a pity to waste a beauty, but beauties are plentiful. Ji Ning must be killed—this bitter anger must be eliminated." He turned and looked down through the window at Ji Ning below, his eyes full of murderous intent.

"Beishan Baiwei, you just won nine hundred taels of primal liquid and now you want to give it back to me? Fine, I'll gamble with you again and let you return that nine hundred taels."

...

In the hall.

Ji Ning stood alone, a faint smile on his face, calm and composed.

Since he had decided to reveal his sharp edge, how could a single battle be enough?

"Hm?" Ji Ning looked ahead. A barefoot woman in a white robe descended from the suspended corridor stairs. Her long black hair reached her hips, and her swaying figure was full of allure.

"She's here to fight me?" Ji Ning frowned in confusion. "This woman seems more suited to seduction."

The White Witch walked to the corner crystal and poured in primal force.

Miss Ziyi announced loudly: "The cultivator sent by Lord Fox is at the perfected Qi Refining Zifu stage."

"Only Qi Refining? Qi Refining is inherently at a disadvantage against Divine Body Refining, yet she dares to come," Ji Ning mused. "She must have some tricks." Although his Divine Body Refining was only at the seventh level of the Crimson Bright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, the crystal tested the purity of divine power and judged strength based on purity.

The Crimson Bright Diagram of the Nine Heavens was the foremost Divine Body Refining method throughout history. Even at the seventh level, its purity was comparable to the late Zifu stage of Divine Body Refining.

"Hum!"

The sealing formation lit up again.

Within the massive light barrier, only Ji Ning and the White Witch remained.

One was a seductive witch sect woman, the other a clean-faced youth in animal skins.

"I was forced to come, please go easy on me," the White Witch said, bowing slightly.

Ji Ning just smiled and said nothing.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the White Witch's black hair, which reached down to her hips, began to glow with an eerie red light on every strand. The black hair rapidly lengthened... in an instant, it filled the sky, countless strands of black hair surging toward Ji Ning to entangle him.

"Not good." Bei Shan Baiwei, in the upper chamber, was startled. "If he gets bound, Ji Ning will be in trouble."

"Ji Ning excels at close combat, but his yuan power is only at the early Zifu stage; his ability to control magic treasures for attack is too weak." Hun Wuqi also grew anxious.

Seeing the hair strands covering the sky and earth as they closed in, Ji Ning revealed a smile. He understood her tactic: "So she wants to bind me."

Splash, splash, splash...

Rainwater appeared out of thin air around him, pattering down, cool and refreshing on the skin. Countless raindrops instantly filled the entire space enclosed by the sealing formation.

"Layers of water walls." Ji Ning's gaze fixed on the oncoming black hair.

Instantly, layer upon layer of water walls condensed out of thin air, each one extremely resilient. Over the past half year, Ji Ning had created the "Rainwater Sutra," greatly elevating his level of insight. He had also significantly enhanced the power of the "rainwater" in his Rainwater Sword Domain, especially in the execution of the water walls, which he had studied and pondered for a long time.

He had even specifically comprehended a technique called "Layers of Water Walls," whose subtlety nearly rivaled that of "Silken Rain into Threads," and was specially designed to bind enemies.

"Sssss..." Countless black hair strands struggled to approach Ji Ning, but the layers of water walls resiliently coiled around them. This spell of the White Witch was originally a technique for bedchamber pleasures, extremely strong in binding. The hair strands themselves had far too little penetrating power to break through the layers of water walls.

Countless hair strands hung in midair, easily blocked by the layers of water walls.

...

"Rainwater Sword Domain!" Fire Ganzi suddenly stood up, tossing the bone in his hand onto the low table, staring down at Ji Ning.

...

"A Dao Domain, and it's rainwater, the Rainwater Sword Domain!"

...

"A Zifu cultivator, with a Dao Domain?"

The formidable figures who had been calmly watching the battle were all shocked. To reach the Dao Domain level at merely the Zifu stage... this was simply legendary. Even they had not been so accomplished at the Zifu stage.

"A Zifu cultivator comprehending a Dao Domain? Damn, damn. With so many people witnessing this today, word will surely spread. If the sect finds out that I rejected such a monstrous genius because of my refusal, I'll be in big trouble." Zhou Li, standing beside Bei Shan Hu, had a grim expression.

...

The emergence of the Rainwater Sword Domain startled all parties.

Ji Ning, in the hall, remained very calm.

"Concede, and I'll spare your life." Ji Ning stood there, surrounded by rainwater, looking at the distant White Witch.