Chapter Sixteen: No Mercy When Striking

"Danger?" The Mad Immortal Wu and Whitewater Marsh were both startled, but they did not doubt Ji Ning's words at all. Moreover, as time passed, they too sensed danger approaching through their instincts.

The Mad Immortal Wu, in particular, felt a chill of fear, which shocked him: "What kind of danger is this? Why is the threat so intense? It hasn't even happened yet, and I'm already terrified?"

"Ji Ning?" The Mad Immortal Wu looked at Ji Ning.

"Uncle Bai, prepare to set up the formation. Absolutely do not let anyone approach Master. Brother Wu, you be careful too." Ji Ning instructed, his eyes burning like candle flames as he observed in all directions.

All the distant light, refracted and reflected, continuously gathered into Ji Ning's eyes.

Over sixty thousand li away.

"There!" Ji Ning clearly saw a black ship in the distant midair, with eight figures standing on it. At the head was a blood-robed man exuding overwhelming ferocity. Behind him stood seven black-robed men.

Ji Ning knew of some famous rogue cultivators and Earth Immortals in Anchan Commandery and had seen their portraits.

"Blood God Sovereign and the Seven Dharma Kings?" Ji Ning was startled. "How did they know my master was undergoing his tribulation here?"

Earlier, his master had teleported them directly to the volcanic island in the North Sea. Neither he nor the Mad Immortal Wu knew exactly where that island was. Could his master have leaked the information? Impossible!

"No wonder many Earth Immortals in the Grand Xia Dynasty have been ambushed during their tribulations," Ji Ning thought. "It seems the hand behind this... has some special means to locate where Earth Immortals undergo their tribulations."

This made Ji Ning even more wary.

What exactly was this hidden force?

No wonder even Patriarch Subhuti was terrified. Just the ability to know the location of an Earth Immortal's tribulation was already inconceivable.

"As my master said, I cannot fight such a force head-on. Opposing a mysterious power like that would only lead to death!" Ji Ning vaguely felt that this calamity was like a surging tide—anyone who tried to block it would be shattered. Even Patriarch Subhuti dared not stand in its way. If he did, he would be crushed.

"I dare not provoke the hand behind this."

"But a small fry like the Blood God Church? That's nothing."

Ji Ning understood.

…

"It's the Blood God Church," Ji Ning immediately transmitted to the Mad Immortal Wu and Whitewater Marsh. "There are eight of them: the Blood God Sovereign and his Seven Dharma Kings."

"What? The Blood God Church? No wonder the danger I sensed was so terrifying." The Mad Immortal Wu's face changed drastically, and he transmitted urgently, "Ji Ning, the Blood God Sovereign's power has grown greatly; he can now match a Celestial Immortal. His Seven Dharma Kings have also grown in strength, each probably on par with me. With their eight combined, I can't stop them. I'd probably die in a single breath!"

Thirty years ago, the Seven Dharma Kings of the Blood God Church were just ordinary rogue cultivators, barely matching rogue cultivators of over a hundred thousand years.

But now each had grown to the level of a rogue cultivator of about five hundred thousand years, close to the Mad Immortal Wu!

"I know," Ji Ning said solemnly.

"What do we do? How do we stop them?" The Mad Immortal Wu was anxious and uneasy. "They're too strong, far beyond us. Ji Ning, you can match Senior Beixing, but there are eight of them. If even one goes after Junior Apprentice Brother Diancai, he'll be killed!"

When undergoing the Heartworld Tribulation, one was completely immersed in the world of the tribulation, utterly defenseless.

So Ji Ning and the others not only had to defeat the enemy but also block all eight. If even one slipped through...

"Leave it to me." Ji Ning's eyes were sharp. "Brother Wu, enter the sealing formation now and protect my master closely. As for them, I'll handle them. If any slip through, they're yours."

"Alright." The Mad Immortal Wu did not hesitate. Whitewater Marsh let him enter first.

Ji Ning's candle-flame eyes watched the black ship approach from afar.

…

The black ship drew closer.

Soon it entered within ten thousand li. The Blood God Sovereign and his men could now see the sealing formation in the distance.

"A sealing formation," Bloodzi sneered. "It seems that Immortal Diancai has already passed the Wind, Fire, and Thunder Tribulations and is now undergoing the Heartworld Tribulation. If we hadn't come... he might have succeeded and become a new Celestial Immortal. What a pity—the soon-to-be Celestial Immortal of the Black-White College will die by our hands."

Hum~~~

A powerful divine sense swept over, pressing down on the eight of the Blood God Church, and a voice roared: "Blood God Sovereign, Seven Dharma Kings, please leave at once."

"Ji Ning? No wonder you're the top genius of the Immortal Feast Competition. Your divine sense can cover ten thousand li." Bloodzi's divine sense clashed with Ji Ning's. "Ji Ning, is your master undergoing his tribulation? Don't deny it—we know everything. Tsk, I see the ones protecting him are you, Wu Feng, and your Whitewater Marsh beast. How weak! With such strength, you can't stop me."

Bloodzi was utterly confident.

"Bloodzi, leave now, and I, Ji Ning, will remember this mercy." Ji Ning's divine sense transmitted angrily. "But if you make a move, then between me and the Blood God Church, it will be a fight to the death!"

Bloodzi sensed the madness in Ji Ning's voice and was startled.

Then he sneered: "Fight to the death? Even the Northson clan of Anchan can't do anything to me. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

"Seven Dharma Kings, I'll handle Ji Ning. You deal with Wu Feng and that beast. While you're at it... kill Immortal Diancai." Bloodzi transmitted. "Can you handle it?"

"Rest assured, Sovereign."

"Sovereign, leave it to us."

The Seven Dharma Kings were confident.

They were most wary of Ji Ning, given his mysteriousness, but if they were to face the Mad Immortal Wu and a beast, they were full of confidence. The seven of them together could easily crush Wu Feng. As for the Whitewater Marsh beast? According to intelligence, it was only at the Wanxiang level back then. Even if it had reached the Void level now, its Dao insights probably hadn't improved much.

Killing it would be easy!

"Good!" Bloodzi laughed. "Let's do it!"

Boom!

The black ship rapidly closed in: three thousand li, two thousand li, one thousand li...

"Move!" Bloodzi transmitted.

"Go!"

The Seven Dharma Kings soared into the air, each arrogant and unrestrained. Seven black shadows shot up, and blood-colored light flowed around them, forming a blood dragon over a thousand zhang long. The dragon had distinct scales, long drifting whiskers, and eyes full of killing intent.

Called the Seven Dharma Kings, they naturally had a formation technique. When they were weaker, they had used it to dominate Anchan Commandery. Now, with the formation, they could match a rogue cultivator of a million years.

Whoosh~~~

The blood dragon flew to one side, avoiding Ji Ning. Meanwhile, the black ship flew straight toward Ji Ning. At the ship's bow stood Bloodzi, his eyes filled with ferocity and madness. His divine sense clashed with Ji Ning's: "Ji Ning, you can block me, but you can't block my Seven Dharma Kings. Your master is doomed. As for you... I'd like to see how strong the top genius of the Immortal Feast Competition really is!"

"Hmph." Ji Ning stood there, smiling coldly.

But his heart tightened.

To protect his master, he had prepared thoroughly. The eight from the Blood God Church seemed strong, but Ji Ning was confident he could block them. There was no way they could threaten his life. Yet the instinctual sense of danger was unmistakable. Where was the real danger lurking?

"I'll have to deal with it as it comes," Ji Ning thought.

…

The Mad Immortal Wu stood dozens of zhang from Immortal Diancai, with seven flying swords floating before him. He was deeply worried: "Ji Ning says he'll block them, and I'll handle any that slip through. But now the Blood God Sovereign is going after him, and the Seven Dharma Kings are coming for me. How can I stop them? I'm a rogue cultivator who's lived for hundreds of thousands of years—dying is no big deal. But Junior Apprentice Brother survived the Six-Nine Tribulation; if he's killed by the Blood God Church, that would be too unjust."

"No matter what, even if I have to give my life, I must protect Junior Apprentice Brother." The Mad Immortal Wu gritted his teeth, watching the blood dragon fly closer.

The Seven Dharma Kings transformed into a blood dragon, its aura overwhelming.

As the blood dragon approached, it swung its tail—actually a collection of Immortal-rank treasures, including flying swords and ribbons, forming the dragon's tail!

Boom~~~

The tail lashed out, striking the sealing formation and causing it to crack.

Just then, Whitewater Marsh, who had been lying quietly, stood up. Simultaneously, a black-robed youth appeared beside him—Ji Ning's second true body. Sensing danger, Ji Ning had placed his main body outside the formation as the first line of defense, while his second true body stayed inside as the second.

"Trying to harm my master!" The black-robed Ji Ning's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and nine black, ethereal flying swords appeared around him.

"Nine?" The Mad Immortal Wu was delighted. "So there are nine top-grade Immortal-rank flying swords! And Ji Ning hid his second true body here. This kid... he scared me half to death. But can his second true body stop the Seven Dharma Kings?"

The Mad Immortal Wu knew he couldn't stop them himself.

Everything depended on Ji Ning.

Rip~~~

Nine sword scars tore through the sky, leaving deep furrows like plowed fields.

The nine sword scars intertwined, forming a vast sword net that enveloped the blood dragon.

"Break!" The blood dragon roared deeply, the sound mixed with the voices of the Seven Dharma Kings, and its tail lashed out again.

Rip!

Chi.

Whoosh.

Each of the nine sword scars was comparable to an ordinary Celestial Immortal. Together, they surpassed the power of Ji Ning's main body. In a head-on clash, the blood dragon's strongest tail shattered first. Immortal-rank treasures flew back, and the entire blood dragon collapsed. Then the nine sword scars curved and slashed toward the Seven Dharma Kings.

"Die." The black-robed Ji Ning's eyes were ice-cold.

…