Chapter 11 The Power of Taiji

A staff swung down, countless snowflakes swirling around the long staff, its power surging.

Facing the Snow Demon Ape's staff, Ji Ning just stood there silently.

Xiuke the Celestial had also said that this was merely a clone of the Snow Demon; if he could defeat it in one move, Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke would go with him. In his heart… Ji Ning still wanted to help this Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke, after all, his wife's master 'Patriarch Lü' and Xiuke the Celestial were fellow disciples. Lü Dongbin had once studied under two great Daoist powers.

One was Lord Sanqing, the other was the Heavenly Venerable of Carefree Bliss.

Simply because of his relationship with Patriarch Lü, Ji Ning wanted to give Xiuke the Celestial a hand. Of course, compared to Lü Dongbin, Xiuke the Celestial's status was far inferior. In ancient times, Lü Dongbin was the most favored peerless genius, but unfortunately his ambition was too great as he cultivated both Buddhism and Daoism, and it was only during this tribulation of the Three Realms that he finally broke through, achieving the strength of a top-tier Dao Ancestor.

"Whoosh." The long staff came slashing down.

Swish.

Ji Ning's sword light moved. As soon as he struck, he activated the Star Picking Hand divine ability, making the power of this sword strike astonishing: "This Snow Demon clone is too slow." The bizarre and unpredictable sword light was about to cleave into the Snow Demon's body.

But the Snow Demon's long staff twisted slightly, unexpectedly blocking Ji Ning's sword.

"Oh?" Ji Ning's expression changed slightly. He followed up with a thrust of his longsword.

Pfft.

The sword tip pierced through the Snow Demon clone's head.

The Blood Drop Style of the Brightmoon Sword Art.

"Whoosh~~~" The Snow Demon clone completely dissipated, turning into swirling snowflakes, while the Snow Demon's voice rang out across heaven and earth: "If that's all you've got, it's far from enough. Haha… I'll be waiting for you ahead on the path."

"How did it feel?" Xiuke the Celestial walked over.

"I underestimated him earlier," Ji Ning said. "His clone's strength and speed were average; I thought I could kill it with a single easy sword stroke, but who would have thought his staff technique was so formidable that I had to put in a bit more effort."

Xiuke the Celestial nodded: "The earlier Sea Yaksha clone was very weak, easily killed. But this Snow Demon clone is much more troublesome… As for the Snow Demon's true body, it is even more powerful. Its strength lies in having almost no weaknesses. Perhaps there are weaknesses, but at least I can't find them."

"Almost no weaknesses?" Ji Ning frowned.

"Don't worry. Actually, you don't have to defeat him. As long as your strength reaches a certain level, he will voluntarily retreat," Xiuke the Celestial said with a smile. "You killed the Snow Demon clone in one move just now, and your sword technique is quite impressive. So I'll go with you."

Ji Ning nodded.

Strictly speaking, Ji Ning's move just now appeared to be one, but it actually started with the Shadowless Style and then turned into the Blood Drop Style. Xiuke the Celestial said this because he really didn't want to be trapped here in solitude any longer.

"Let's go." Ji Ning waved his hand, and Xiuke the Celestial, offering no resistance, was taken into Ji Ning's immortal mansion.

…

Ji Ning carried a Pure Yang Immortal Mansion with him, in which there was also one of Ji Ning's true body clones. Of course, as the master, Ji Ning had partitioned the mansion's areas; he didn't want Xiuke the Celestial to know about the existence of the other clone for now. Few in the Three Realms knew this secret.

Whoosh.

Riding the Wishful Spirit Serpent Shuttle, he advanced along the floating wooden bridge.

Snowflakes drifted, covering the endless world.

"What beautiful scenery."

Ji Ning smiled.

He continued forward. After more than an hour, the Wishful Spirit Serpent Shuttle suddenly stopped. Ji Ning's expression changed as he looked ahead. On the bridge in the distance sat a golden-furred ape. The long staff placed before this golden-furred ape also exuded pressure, clearly a formidable treasure. The ape was sitting cross-legged, chin in hand, waiting for Ji Ning with a bored expression.

"Finally here. I've been waiting for you a long time," the golden-furred ape said, standing up and stretching. "Your flying treasure is too slow."

Ji Ning willed it, put away the Wishful Spirit Serpent Shuttle, and landed on the floating wooden bridge, holding a blood-colored divine sword in each hand, gazing at the Snow Demon's true body in the distance: "Although the Snow Demon's true body's aura is much stronger than the clone's, it seems… not as strong as the Sea Yaksha's true body's aura."

"Hehe, what, are you thinking my aura is weaker?" the Snow Demon cackled. "Don't compare me to that Yaksha. That fool Yaksha can't even fully control his own strength, relying purely on brute force. But I control every bit of my power, can conceal my aura, change my aura, change my appearance—I can do anything."

"Change."

The Snow Demon's true body instantly transformed into Xiuke the Celestial.

"Change again." It then turned into Ji Ning.

The aura was exactly the same.

Ji Ning was secretly startled. This was practically the technique of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.

"So, kid, a true expert cannot be judged by appearance," the Snow Demon's true body said with a laugh. "The stronger the expert, the more they tend to conceal their aura, even becoming like grass, wood, or ordinary stones, without any pressure at all."

Ji Ning couldn't help nodding.

Right. Take the Source Elder he had once encountered; when the Source Elder transformed into an old gardener, Ji Ning truly thought he was a mortal, feeling not the slightest hint of aura or pressure.

"Come on, show me what you've got," the Snow Demon's true body shouted.

"Out!" A fierce light flashed in Ji Ning's eyes. Around him, seven hundred and twenty-nine Pure Yang flying swords appeared, rising and falling. A vast amount of dharma power poured into them, and after transformation, condensed before Ji Ning into a sharp jade sword.

"Seems you have some tricks," the Snow Demon said, carrying the golden staff on his shoulder, grinning.

Ji Ning lifted his eyelids.

Swish!

The jade sword shot through the air, leaving a rainbow trail, and slashed at the Snow Demon with uncanny unpredictability.

"Bang." The Snow Demon, wielding the golden staff, gave it a casual shake, smashing it into the jade sword, which shattered.

"Oh?" Ji Ning's expression changed. "Go, go, go."

One jade sword after another flew out.

But the Snow Demon advanced leisurely, the golden staff vibrating casually a few times, the staff head forming circles, easily smashing into the seemingly mysterious jade swords. Bang, bang, bang—he shattered three more jade swords.

"Is that all you've got?" the Snow Demon's true body said, eyes wide, looking very disappointed. "That's no fun at all."

With that, the Snow Demon, carrying the golden staff, suddenly dashed forward, turning into a golden streak.

"My Shadowless Style is unpredictable, combined with the ninth level of the Grand Thousand Sword Formation, yet he blocked it so easily. I have to use heartforce." Ji Ning hadn't expected to be pushed this far so soon. A jade sword condensed before him again, turning into a rainbow, directly slashing at the Snow Demon's true body.

The Snow Demon dashed forward.

The jade sword shot through the air.

The two closed in an instant.

"Die." As the thought arose in Ji Ning's mind, the heartforce within the jade sword erupted. The jade sword's speed and power surged, becoming even faster, following an unpredictable arc as it slashed at the Snow Demon's true body.

"Oh?" The Snow Demon's true body finally showed a solemn expression. The staff he had been carrying was now held with both hands.

Whoosh. The staff shook, and circles appeared in the air, with faint black and white streams of energy emerging on the staff.

Bang!

It smashed into Ji Ning's jade sword again. Even with the fourth level of heartforce, the sword was shattered.

"Interesting." The Snow Demon's true body's eyes lit up. "Haha, again, again!"

The Snow Demon's true body dashed forward rapidly, his footwork also bizarre and unpredictable, sometimes left, sometimes right, approaching along a zigzag path.

Clearly, the Snow Demon's true body was getting serious.

"He blocked even the fourth level of heartforce?" Ji Ning's heart sank. Each use of heartforce consumed a lot; he could only release a dozen or so jade swords.

"Go, go, go." Ji Ning gritted his teeth.

Three more jade swords shot out, only one of which contained the fourth level of heartforce. The real was mixed with the false, the false with the real.

"Hahaha…" The Snow Demon's true body laughed wildly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three consecutive explosions. Even the jade sword that suddenly erupted in power was smashed to pieces.

"What!" Ji Ning realized he was in big trouble.

By then, the Snow Demon's true body had already closed in. Ji Ning had no time to think. He put away the Pure Yang flying swords, shook his body, and transformed into three heads and six arms, charging at the Snow Demon's true body with six divine swords.

Clang~~~

With the heavy and powerful staff technique, Ji Ning was sent flying backward at the moment of contact.

"Such strength." Ji Ning flew backward, crashing into the frozen sea. With a bang, the frozen sea trembled but remained unscathed. Ji Ning tumbled and rolled backward, then quickly flew up again.

"If I don't use the Star Picking Hand, I probably can't match him in strength."

Ji Ning felt a headache coming on.

The Star Picking Hand consumed divine power too quickly. With three heads and six arms amplifying his strength, plus six divine swords against his opponent's single golden staff, Ji Ning thought he might win by outnumbering him. Who would have thought he'd be sent flying at the first exchange?

"Although his strength is not as great as the Sea Yaksha's true body, it's still much greater than mine. His staff technique is also profound and unpredictable, his footwork and body movement astonishing—he seems completely without flaws. For Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke to be able to evade the Snow Demon with his body movement is truly impressive." Only now did Ji Ning realize how remarkable Xiuke the Celestial's body movement was.

"I have to use my advantage."

Ji Ning had to resort to some cunning.

"Haha." The Snow Demon's true body laughed wildly, leaping off the floating wooden bridge and smashing down toward Ji Ning on the ice.

With three heads and six arms, Ji Ning held six divine swords. When the Snow Demon's true body reached him, he moved.

Facing the descending staff, Ji Ning ignored it. All six of his divine swords struck at the Snow Demon's true body. You do your thing, just smash; with the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, he didn't care. As long as his divine swords killed the Snow Demon, he would succeed.

To ensure success, Ji Ning even activated the Star Picking Hand simultaneously, all six arms erupting with astonishing power.

"Hahaha~~~"

The Snow Demon's true body twisted his staff, and the black and white streams of energy appeared again, forming a huge vortex that entangled all six of Ji Ning's divine swords. Then the Snow Demon's true body struck down with his staff!

Bang~~~ The staff smashed into the six divine swords and then into Ji Ning's divine body, sending him flying backward. With a boom, he crashed into the ice, which cracked and splintered into numerous fissures.