Under the thick night, Shengjing City was lit up with continuous lights.
However, above Ni Mountain at this moment, a massive Flying Sword pierced through the layers of clouds under the night sky, roaring towards Wanzhuo Mountain.
The three Hall Masters controlled the sword with their magical power, maintaining its high-speed flight.
Hearing the huge winds roaring at them, all the Disciples couldn't help but hold their breath, filled with intense unease about the impending events.
“Who attacked the Dan Sect?”
“We only received a distress signal; who it is, we still don't know.”
Ji You looked at Wang Xin'an shaking his head, frowning slightly, and brushed his hand over the three long swords at his waist.
He now had seven swords, but he still only brought three.
Because with each additional sword, the consumption of Divine Thought increased, and some battles required speed, while others required endurance.
Ji You was currently training his Divine Thought daily, essentially wanting to make himself both strong and long-lasting.
After a long while, the surrounding night grew increasingly dense, a chilling sensation swept over them, mixed with an indescribable smell.
A Disciple looked from afar and realized they were already far from Shengjing, with endless wilderness beneath them.
“We're about to land, stabilize yourselves!”
“Remember to float three feet above the ground with Spiritual Qi!”
As Qin Zhangshi's steady voice rang out, the Flying Sword, controlled by Spiritual Qi, suddenly tilted downwards, plunging into a mysterious, misty mountain forest.
The Disciples immediately flew to the ground, and the Flying Sword heavily smashed a deep crater into the ground, sending sand and dust flying.
However, no one had time to look at the Flying Sword, because as far as the eye could see, more than a dozen carriages on the mountain path were overturned, Medicinal Pills scattered everywhere, but there were no Dan Sect Disciples in sight.
And in the distance, mountain mist continuously spread, with figures moving within it, appearing dense and numerous.
“Remember, your mission is to rescue the Dan Sect Disciples; do not get entangled in prolonged combat!”
“The enemy's identity is unclear; do not be careless and lose your lives!”
The three Masters-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard shouted in a deep voice and then soared into the air, their Disciples following suit, charging into the battlefield amidst the wind and waves.
Seeing this, Ji You waved his hand, conjured the three swords from his waist, and also descended into the mountain forest.
Strangely, although this mysterious mountain forest was thick with Killing Intent, there were no sounds of fighting; instead, it was eerily quiet, making people feel uneasy.
Just then, a swaying figure appeared, instantly making everyone who followed hold their breath.
It was a grotesque face shrouded in Evil Qi, withered like rotten wood, with no eyes, only two dark, empty sockets.
And with its appearance, more and more shadows scurried out, densely packed.
Evil Seeds, Evil Seeds all over the mountains and plains.
The Disciples of the Master's Courtyard were much more experienced than the Outer Courtyard Disciples; upon seeing this scene, they merely changed their expressions slightly but still drew their swords decisively.
However, the Physical Body of the Evil Seeds was extremely tough, and they easily rushed towards them, attempting to directly knock them over.
Just then, a clear sword hum rang out, and the Master's Courtyard Disciple who had entered the battle first caught a glimpse of someone arriving gracefully, followed by a wave of swords pressing forward, instantly tearing open a narrow gap.
Spiritual Qi is too blunt; it cannot be wrapped around the blade when breaking through enemies, but if it is all concentrated in the hilt, the blade can open a path.
Of course, this requires a good quality sword, otherwise, a blunt iron weapon would quickly break.
Fortunately, none of the swords given by the girls were bad.
“Who?!”
“Ji You…”
The three floating Masters-in-charge showed astonishment upon seeing this scene.
Although they knew Ji You was a Sword Cultivator and his swordsmanship was unique, seeing it firsthand still felt miraculous.
However, this was not the time for admiration; Qin Zhangshi waved his hand and immediately ordered the Master's Courtyard Disciples to attack through the gap.
And Lu Qingqiu, Bai Rulong, Qian Yunxiao, and others had already followed closely, and upon seeing this, they quickly made a decision.
I will protect Ji You!
And others with the same goal couldn't help but gather around.
In fact, many students in the Outer Courtyard had only heard the legend of Ji You and his three swords, but they couldn't imagine that he used his sword with such ferocity, giving the opponent no chance to breathe.
At this moment, a sound of metal clashing rang out, and Ji You's sword wave finally encountered an opponent it couldn't cut through.
It was an Evil Seed with crimson eyes, its Physical Body even tougher than other Evil Seeds.
This monstrous thing directly blocked Ji You's forward sword edge, and a pair of claws, roaring with Evil Qi, instantly shot towards his chest.
Thus, everyone witnessed Ji You's long-legendary second sword.
That sword was given by Lou Siyi; it had always been suspended in the air, and at this moment, the sword moved with his will, piercing through the opponent's heart with a "hum."
Ji You recalled the sword without changing his expression, panting as he glanced at the charred, grotesque corpse on the ground.
What a pity, it wasn't the one that attacked them that night, because it didn't dodge.
Although Evil Seeds had strong Physical Bodies, they didn't require vigilance in the eyes of Immortal Sects, fundamentally because they couldn't think.
These monstrous things killed purely out of bloodlust; even when stabbed, they wouldn't dodge, making them even inferior to the simple-minded barbarians outside the Northern Plains.
Even those with stronger Physical Bodies were the same.
If this one was like the one Ji You encountered on the street, not only would it dodge, but its moves would also be methodical, which would truly give him a headache.
“Bai Rulong, watch out behind you!”
Just then, Qian Yunxiao's terrified voice rang out.
The few of them were protecting Ji You in front, clearing out the minor enemies, but they didn't expect another wave to surge from behind.
Ji You glanced sideways, and with a flick of his sleeve, the third sword flew out, like breaking wind and piercing clouds, fiercely severing a pair of arms full of Evil Qi in the night.
The Evil Seed suddenly lost its arms, and with its chest thrust forward, it crashed into Bai Rulong, squirming continuously in an ambiguous posture.
Wang Instructor arrived and sliced off its head with a single sword, then roared, “If you can't kill them, retreat! Don't leave your back exposed to them!”
Bai Rulong was full of panic: “I… I know…”
Wang Instructor took a deep breath, and when he turned around, he found Ji You had already started circling around, killing deeper: “Ji You, don't go too deep! Come back once you find the Dan Sect Disciples!”
“There are lanterns on the north side of the mountain!”
“What?”
Wang Xin'an looked perplexed, wondering why he was still looking at lanterns at a time like this.
Ji You slashed and killed forward with one sword, quickly recalling the second and third swords, and continued onward: “The place with lanterns, there are a few farmhouses there!”
Wang Instructor was stunned for a moment: “Your mission is to find surviving Dan Sect Disciples!”
“With so many Evil Seeds, they're long dead! If you don't call someone to help me, I'll be dead too!”
“?”
Ji You roared, brandishing his sword to kill an Evil Seed, then waved his sleeve to control his Qi, sending the second and third swords charging forward, carving out a bloody path.
Because it was New Year's Day, there was indeed a small village on the north side of the mountain with paper lanterns hanging; the closest one had a crooked, colorless, but distinctly charming lantern on its door.
With his nearing Spirit Refining eyesight, he could even faintly see the silhouettes of children reflected on the window paper from afar.
Living was hard, but some people were still living with difficulty.
Ji You gritted his teeth and unleashed a sword, instantly slicing off half a head, but his heart trembled wildly.
Although he knew it wasn't of the same race, it was still humanoid; it didn't feel anything when it passed through the heart, but causing physical mutilation still put psychological pressure on him.
And in this moment of distraction, his left shoulder was accidentally grabbed, and blood instantly flowed.
Because he had to hold and control the swords, all his Spiritual Qi was concentrated on the three sword hilts, with no remaining Spiritual Qi for body protection, so suffering this was bound to happen sooner or later.
The most critical thing was that the few households down the mountain clearly heard the commotion and actually opened their doors to gawk.
And a small child from one of the houses also squeezed out from between an adult's legs, looking up blankly.
“Close the door, and take the child inside!”
“?”
The farmer was startled by the sound, because from his angle looking up the slope, he could only see someone swinging a sword, but he didn't know what they were doing.
Ji You took a deep breath and shouted angrily, “Murder!” Only then did the farmer panic, immediately hugging the child back into the house and securely closing the door.
As his movements intensified, blood continued to seep out, dyeing his white robe like tie-dye.
Even more critically, for some unknown reason, some Evil Seeds began to gather towards him.
Seeing more and more being killed, Ji You's scalp tingled.
Are all Evil Seeds really female?
Ji You took a breath and immediately flung his sword out, cutting a semicircle, and incidentally leading the Evil Seeds towards Wang Instructor.
Wang Instructor was also rushing over with other Master's Courtyard Disciples to help him, so he naturally slashed at them.
Lu Qingqiu and her group also followed, swinging their swords, protecting Ji You, who was protecting Wang Instructor, in front of them.
“Where are the three Masters-in-charge of the Master's Courtyard? And the Disciples who came from the Inner Courtyard? Use fire spells!”
“They are searching for Dan Sect Disciples along the mountain.”
“Found them?”
“No, not even corpses were found. They must have been kidnapped, but it definitely wasn't done by Evil Seeds.”
Wang Instructor held his sword, repelling an Evil Seed: “This attack is being manipulated by someone. Hey, why are you sitting down?”
Ji You squatted, leaning against a tree: “You guys hold them off first, I'll rest for a bit…”
“?”