Chapter 43: Chapter 41: Ancient Sword Technique

The tables turned in an instant, and Jiang Jichen seized the offensive.

Everyone was utterly stunned. Jiang Jichen, ignoring the bloodstains on his clothes, lifted Zhang Xiaoyu and tossed him to Han Qing.

"Stay behind me. I’ll carve a bloody path out of here. Let’s see who dares to stop me!" Jiang Jichen roared, his voice brimming with unparalleled dominance, riding the momentum from his explosive kill of Jin Mu.

The Jiang Jichen of this moment was truly powerful. His entire body blazed with golden light, and his aura was still climbing. The sight of him instantly killing Jin Mu, an Innate First Realm Cultivator, with a single blow was enough to chill one to the bone.

He Feng’s expression was grim. He couldn’t believe he had spun a cocoon only to trap himself. He had made Jiang Jichen seal his own Cultivation, never expecting his opponent would know an ancient technique like the Sealing Spirit Escape Technique.

’The Sealing Spirit Escape Technique is only passed down through Ancient Families. It couldn’t possibly exist in a small nation like the Celestial Pearl Country; even a major power like the Wind Country might not have it. Only the Ancient Family Sects from the four great nations of the Southern Continent might possess such a thing. And Jiang Jichen is just a disciple of the Jiang Mansion. How could he know it?’

He Feng and the senior disciple of the Flower Rain Sect had already retreated some distance. Meanwhile, the four elite Sect disciples who had flown out of the deep pool took up positions in four directions, swords in hand, surrounding Jiang Jichen’s group.

In the distance, a steady stream of young Spirit Cultivators was drawing closer, tightening the encirclement. It seemed they were dead set on preventing Jiang Jichen from leaving.

Although these young Sect disciples were shocked by the power of Jiang Jichen’s blow that had instantly killed Jin Mu, they were also elites from their respective Sects with exceptional willpower. Even though they felt a flicker of fear, they would not retreat.

All they had to do was stall Jiang Jichen until their Sect elders arrived, and he would be captured with ease.

Among the assembled disciples, He Feng, as the lead successor of the Mountain Sect, naturally took charge. He had completely composed himself, and his voice echoed through the mountains. "Fellow disciples, I have just received a message from our Sect elders! They need only half a double-hour to get here. Therefore, Jiang Jichen, this enemy of all our Sects, cannot escape today even if he grew wings. His death is certain!"

Half a double-hour!

Hearing He Feng’s words, Jiang Jichen merely gave a cold smile. The moment Han Qing was behind him, he strode forward.

"Half a double-hour? That’s enough time for me to kill you ten times over!"

As he spoke, Jiang Jichen pointed a finger at one of the elite, sword-wielding Sect disciples. These were the ones who had emerged from the deep pool to ambush him and Han Qing.

All four of them were masters of the Sword Dao. Though they were at the Ninth Grade Great Perfection Mortal Realm, their combat prowess was terrifying. Moreover, when they joined forces to form a Sword Array, their might was even greater. Besides He Feng, they were the most threatening force present.

Golden Light Soul-Destroying Finger!

A sharp glint flashed in the young, black-clothed Swordsman’s eyes as he held his longsword horizontally to block.

CLANG!

The black-clothed Swordsman actually managed to block the Soul-destroying Finger Light. However, the sheer might of the Soul-destroying Finger Force sent him stumbling back five steps. The longsword was nearly knocked from his grasp, and his face paled.

The power of a single finger was that immense. The expressions on the faces of the various Sect disciples grew even more somber.

At the same time, He Feng and the other three black-clothed Swordsmen attacked, striking from four different directions.

If one had to name the most furious person on the scene, it was undoubtedly He Feng.

"So arrogant! So brazen! I’d like to see just how you plan to kill me ten times in half a double-hour!"

He Feng roared, his body radiating Killing Intent as he lunged at Jiang Jichen.

Spiritual Patterns interwove in his hands to form a mysterious Seal, which he sent crashing forward like a raging tempest.

The other three young, black-clothed Swordsmen flashed into motion. Their longswords drew cold glints of light as they slashed through the air, aiming for Jiang Jichen’s vital points. They didn’t even spare Little Yue’Er, enveloping them all in a powerful Spirit Pattern Seal and ruthless Sword Qi.

At the same moment, the senior disciple of the Flower Rain Sect gave a seductive smile, her voice like a soft moan. "Little brother, your Sealing Spirit Escape Technique has a time limit. It grants you power at the cost of harming your body. You can’t maintain it for more than half a double-hour. After that, you’ll collapse on your own, without this big sister even having to lift a finger."

Her words were sweet and her smile radiant, but her ethereal figure instantly appeared behind Jiang Jichen. A ruthless Spirit Pattern Palm Seal shot toward Little Yue’Er.

The senior disciple of the Flower Rain Sect wouldn’t even spare a child. A face as beautiful as a peach blossom, a heart as venomous as a scorpion—this described her perfectly.

In that instant, the most powerful people on the scene attacked simultaneously, moving in for the kill on Jiang Jichen.

In such a situation, even an Innate Second Realm expert would likely fall, let alone someone who also had to protect Little Yue’Er and the others.

Jiang Jichen’s expression remained indifferent, but his eyes were filled with an icy, merciless Killing Intent.

At that moment, he was truly enraged. His Killing Intent was like ice, so cold it seemed to freeze the very warmth from his body.

These people could use any trick they wanted against him. He wouldn’t care, nor would he be angered. But to actually lay a hand on an innocent child—that was unforgivable.

His blood ran cold, but his will to fight only intensified, and his Killing Intent grew heavier still.

Jiang Jichen didn’t move an inch. Standing his ground, he simply reached out, grasped at the empty air, and roared, "Sword, come!"

The word was not yet cold on his lips when a sword appeared in his hand.

Far away, the sword in a Sect disciple’s hand suddenly vanished.

Air Sword Stealing Skill!

Yet another ancient technique that stunned the crowd. No one could have imagined Jiang Jichen knew so many Ancient Untransmitted Techniques. They began to grow wary of the legacy he must have inherited.

"Eight-direction Wind and Rain, to make Heaven and Earth tremble!"

The longsword danced, its golden Sword Shadows flickering like a storm from eight directions sweeping in. In an instant, the attack swept from the horizon to blanket the entire area.

Fast, swift, ruthless, chaotic... The attack seemed utterly random and without rules, like a gale-driven downpour. It was impossible to predict where the strikes would land, but they would inevitably overwhelm everything in their path. Nothing and no one could escape.

The expressions on the faces of He Feng, the senior disciple of the Flower Rain Sect, and the four black-clothed Swordsmen turned incredibly ugly.

They were shocked, and a sense of deep unease began to stir within them.

Their own attacks were already in motion and could not be recalled. They had no choice but to withstand the full force of this Eight-direction Wind and Rain Sword Intent.

But this Swordsmanship was too terrifying. He Feng and the others could already feel the dreadful threat emanating from the Eight-direction Wind and Rain Sword.

’But since when was Jiang Jichen a master of the Sword Dao?’

"Jiang Jichen, I admit your Swordsmanship is powerful, far beyond our expectations!" He Feng shouted. "But by ignoring all defense and fighting so recklessly, you won’t change your fate! You’re still doomed to a miserable defeat!"

Layers of Spiritual Patterns surged from He Feng’s body, wrapping around him for protection.

"Flowers blossom as in a dream, rain falls upon the heart!"

The senior disciple of the Flower Rain Sect also deployed her strongest defensive technique to block Jiang Jichen’s Eight-direction Wind and Rain Sword.

By doing this, however, Jiang Jichen’s side would have to face the full force of the besiegers’ killing blows.

And Jiang Jichen had to protect not only himself, but also Zhang Xiaoyu, Han Qing, and Little Yue’Er.

Han Qing’s Earth Spirit Body was extraordinary and specialized in defense, but his Realm was too low. He stood no chance of blocking their lethal attacks.

In everyone’s eyes, Jiang Jichen and his companions were as good as dead.

However, at that very moment, Jiang Jichen’s sword stance changed.

"In this ten-foot world of Red Dust, I am the heavens and the earth!"

The Sword Shadows grew ethereal, confining themselves to a ten-foot radius around him. In an instant, layers upon layers of Sword Shadows, with Jiang Jichen at their center, condensed into a golden dome of light, shielding him, Little Yue’Er, and the others inside.