Chapter 24 Ji Ning at Full Power

Ji Ning suddenly frowned. "Why are the Northriver swords in my Zifu space trembling?"

He immediately sent his divine sense into his Zifu to investigate carefully. Within the Zifu space, various treasures floated, including three Northriver swords. Under the divine sense's investigation... he easily discovered that strands of gray and blood-red baleful aura and killing intent were coming from the outside, continuously surging toward the Northriver swords, being absorbed by them.

The Northriver swords, being demonic blood-forged weapons, absorbed baleful aura and killing intent so eagerly that they trembled.

"It seems I've killed too many Wanxiang-level monsters this time, and the baleful aura and killing intent are strong enough. Last time, when I killed two Wanxiang True Immortals, the baleful aura and killing intent weren't this strong." Ji Ning thought to himself. Only when he personally killed a great monster would the resulting killing intent and baleful aura cling to him, then be absorbed by the Northriver swords. Without the Northriver swords absorbing them... these baleful auras and killing intents would keep clinging to him, gradually fading over time, though some would still remain.

Even though Ji Ning had the Northriver swords to absorb them, some baleful aura still remained!

This was why those who slaughtered endlessly had such astonishing baleful aura and killing intent.

...

The dragon whale, three thousand zhang long, blotting out the sky and covering the sun, hovered high above, looking down. Its green-tinged eyes were full of coldness, and its voice rumbled like thunder: "Human, prepare to die!"

Ji Ning looked up, a faint sword-light glimmering in his eyes.

"Hmph." Ji Ning gave a cold snort.

Boom!

With the Shock Soul Seal as its core, his divine sense surged outward like a raging tide, rolling upward and crashing into the divine soul of the enormous dragon whale above.

Although the dragon whale great monster had been on guard, it still felt its divine soul tremble. Its massive body, hovering high in the air, suddenly plummeted downward, but quickly steadied and hovered again.

"Oh?" Ji Ning was startled. "It broke free instantly?"

Boom!

With a thought, Ji Ning sent his divine sense crashing over again.

The dragon whale great monster high in the air, struck by the divine sense impact, only showed madness in its eyes but clearly remained lucid.

"A formidable divine sense technique!" The dragon whale great monster looked down, its voice rumbling. "Human, your divine sense technique rivals that of a Primordial Daoist! But I am a divine beast with extraordinary talent, having lived over ten thousand years. The long years have tempered my Dao-heart and strengthened my divine soul. You cannot overcome me with mere divine sense techniques."

Ji Ning was secretly surprised. This dragon whale was indeed extraordinary, able to stay lucid under his divine sense assault.

But Ji Ning had anticipated this.

Because among Wanxiang True Immortals, some could match Primordial Daoists. Since they could match Primordial Daoists, they could generally withstand the divine sense attacks of Primordial Daoists. For example, his senior fellow apprentice 'Bloodshadow'. Bloodshadow was a Fiendgod Body Refiner with divine abilities, a two-clawed Yinglong Guard!

He cultivated the most painful 'Bloodshadow Indestructible Body'. To reach such a level with that technique, Bloodshadow's Dao-heart must be incredibly firm. Because of this, Bloodshadow at least was not afraid of the divine sense attacks of Primordial Daoists.

Also...

Earlier, when Ji Ning dealt with 'Dong Yi' of the Snowdragon Mountain, Dong Yi had escaped with his life, showing he could barely stay lucid.

After all, a Primordial Daoist was only one major realm higher than a Wanxiang True Immortal, though much stronger. But relying solely on divine sense attacks to sweep everything... at least against some truly top-tier elites at the Wanxiang level, it was insufficient. And this Wanxiang great monster 'Dragon Whale' was clearly such a being with a strong Dao-heart.

"Haha, since you can withstand my divine sense technique, don't be too cocky." Ji Ning shouted. "Take this sword strike!"

The over seven hundred flying swords floating around him immediately glowed, and the jade sword formed before him seemed to break through countless obstacles, flying upward with great difficulty... The jade sword-light seemed to move very, very slowly, as if cutting through layer after layer of countless hindrances. But this slowness was an illusion of the mind; in reality, it was incredibly fast!

The second stance of the Three-Foot Sword—Thorns Everywhere!

"Hmph!" The dragon whale great monster high above gave a cold snort. Its two long whiskers instantly lengthened, winding toward the incoming sword-light.

The beautiful jade sword-light, breathtakingly lovely, traced a nearly perfect arc in the air, easily evading the entanglement of the two whiskers and slashing directly at the dragon whale's head.

"Such a fast sword, such a terrifying sword." The dragon whale great monster was secretly alarmed. Its whiskers, a life-bound treasure for binding enemies and blocking attacks, couldn't even touch the opponent's sword-light?

Boom!

The dragon whale great monster let out a furious snort, and from its nasal cavity shot two visible streams of blue cold miasma, which enveloped Ji Ning's sword-light.

The sword-light, like a ghost, traced a huge arc in the air, evading the cold miasma, then stabbed down from above at the dragon whale's head.

Chi!

Too fast.

The dragon whale great monster couldn't block in time, and the sword-light pierced into its head.

This strike, powered by Wanxiang-stage elemental energy, condensed by the ninth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, and transformed into a single sword strike by Ji Ning's strongest sword technique... its power was unimaginable! Chi chi chi!!! It pierced through layer after layer of obstacles, but the dragon whale's body was too tough, like a magic treasure. After forcing its way in over ten zhang deep, the jade sword-light finally dissipated.

"Damn it." Ji Ning cursed inwardly. "Its hide is this thick."

The dragon whale was a full three thousand zhang long, and its head alone was several hundred zhang in size. Piercing only over ten zhang? It was just scratching the surface!

"Little human, even if I let you attack, you can't hurt me. Your sword-light... is just an itch." The dragon whale great monster burst into laughter, its rumbling voice echoing for a hundred li around.

Ji Ning finally realized how troublesome a Wanxiang-stage divine beast great monster, having used a divine ability, could be.

With such a body, no wonder it could escape with its life from a Primordial Daoist.

"Just an itch?" Mu Zishuo, standing nearby, turned pale. "Senior apprentice brother's Shock Soul technique is useless, and even his sword formation is just an itch. This Wanxiang great monster is too terrifying."

"Young Ji, if you can't win, run quickly! If you're late, you won't escape." The green-clad girl also sent a frantic telepathic message.

"Senior apprentice brother, should we flee?" Mu Zishuo also sent a telepathic message to Ji Ning.

Ji Ning glanced at the two, confidence in his eyes, and said loudly, "You dragon whale great monster, I was just playing with you earlier."

"Playing?" The dragon whale's two eyes, like small lakes, looked down. "Show me everything you've got. Otherwise, you'll never have the chance."

"A frog at the bottom of a well."

Ji Ning's hands suddenly held two Northriver swords.

"Oh?" The dragon whale great monster looked at the human youth below holding the long swords, as if seeing something incredible. "You, you don't mean to fight me in close combat? Haha, are you mistaken? Human boy, if you flee now, with your divine sense technique, I'm not sure I could stop you. But if you engage in close combat, you're just asking to die."

As a Fiendgod Body Refiner great monster, the dragon whale was naturally best at close combat.

"Young Ji, it's a Wanxiang-stage Fiendgod Body Refiner great monster, with divine abilities, and a dragon whale at that!" The green-clad girl was shocked.

But Ji Ning, with a tap of his foot, shot straight into the air, turning into a streak of light that leaped several hundred zhang, charging at the dragon whale above. As he soared, his eyes were cold and fierce. Holding a Northriver sword in each hand, his body was already enveloped in a red glow, rapidly expanding into a three-zhang-tall giant.

It was like a magnified Ji Ning!

"Fiendgod Body Refining! Heaven Earth Avatar?" The green-clad girl exclaimed. She quickly sent a telepathic message to Mu Zishuo, who also looked tense: "Does Young Ji have a chance fighting the dragon whale?"

"I don't know." Mu Zishuo stared upward, replying telepathically, "But I heard that before entering the Black-White College, senior apprentice brother made his name through close combat. I've heard he's best at close combat, very powerful... but I've never seen him truly fight up close."

"He's best at close combat?" The green-clad girl stopped asking, because the battle above had her on edge.

...

As Ji Ning shot upward, especially when he used the divine ability 'Heaven Earth Avatar', the dragon whale's two whiskers immediately coiled toward him, and it let out another furious snort, "Boom!" Two streams of cold miasma shot from its nasal cavity, spreading wildly, freezing the air and enveloping Ji Ning.

Earlier, the sword-light could dodge, but Ji Ning, despite his Windwing Evasion, couldn't match the speed of the sword-light.

Can't dodge?

Then...

Cut through!

"Break!" Ji Ning swung the Northriver sword in his hand, using the second stance of the Three-Foot Sword—Thorns Everywhere. Where the sword-shadow passed, the layers of cold miasma were sliced apart, and even the binding whiskers were knocked away. Ji Ning's speed slowed, but he reached the front of the dragon whale's head.

"Die." The dragon whale's entire massive body suddenly twisted, and its huge tail, blotting out the earth, slammed toward Ji Ning.

But Ji Ning leaped onto the dragon whale's massive body, using Windwing Evasion to charge toward its head.

The divine ability Heaven Earth Avatar already greatly increased Ji Ning's speed.

With Windwing Evasion, his speed and agility were even more astonishing... However, the dragon whale's body was three thousand zhang long, and during battles, enemies often climbed onto it. It dismissed this, as it had many ways to deal with them. Moreover, ordinary enemies couldn't even pierce its skin.

In an instant, Ji Ning dashed from the tail to the head.

"Die!" Ji Ning's eyes erupted with terrifying battle intent. After more than three years, he finally unleashed his strongest divine ability again—one of the truly fearsome divine abilities among countless since Pangu created the world, ranking in the top ten—the Star Picking Hand! At this moment, Ji Ning felt his blood boil and roar!

It had been so long, too long, since he had encountered an opponent that truly made him want to fight madly.

Even when he was very weak, with the Star Picking Hand, he had killed Xu Li True Immortal in one move. He had never truly fought freely with the Star Picking Hand...

"Come on!" Ji Ning's momentum was like a dragon.

"Something's wrong." The dragon whale great monster suddenly felt that the little ant 'human youth' on its body had a surge in aura, becoming terrifyingly powerful, giving it a sense of threat. This kind of threat usually only appeared when facing a Primordial Daoist.

"Go."

The dragon whale's body surface suddenly erupted with dense cold miasma, a vast amount freezing Ji Ning.

Boom!

Ji Ning's twin swords instantly turned into two sword rivers, with irresistible force, smashing through the cold miasma's obstruction, then with a "chi" sound, plunged into the dragon whale's body. The dragon whale's tough, magic-treasure-like flesh and blood shattered before Ji Ning's sword-light.