Chapter 210: Magic Duel

Watching the woman and the old man exchange glances, the former was visibly anxious, while the latter's expression was unreadable.

“You…”

The old man paused mid-sentence, having caught the faint but distinct crunching sound of “crack-crackle… crack-crackle…” growing louder through the whistling wind and snow.

He glanced at the woman beside him, then rose from his futon. The small wooden door of the hut opened automatically once more, allowing him to gaze out towards the approaching figure.

A man in white, appearing remarkably lightly dressed for the harsh winter, was strolling towards them.

This gorge lay in shadow, not only dim but also heavily imbued with dark, malevolent energy. In autumn and summer, the ground transformed into shallow marshland thick with black mud, which was why the wooden hut stood elevated on stilts.

Now, in the depths of winter, the surrounding mire had long since frozen solid. As Ji Yuan walked, his steps produced a soft “crunch-crunch… crunch-crunch…” on the icy surface, yet the ice remained uncracked.

Even more peculiar was that with every step Ji Yuan took on the ice, the grime beneath his feet seemed to part, revealing clean patches of ice along his path.

Ordinary mud wouldn't have produced such an effect, but this mire clearly carried malevolent and foul energies, which were specifically repelled by Ji Yuan's presence.

While a blackish hue of mud was still visible deeper below the surface, the patches he walked on contrasted sharply with the surrounding ice, appearing strikingly clean and out of place.

This phenomenon, which could only be described as the spontaneous repulsion of filth, was unlike anything the old man had ever witnessed. He detected no trace of magical art; it seemed to be a purely physical act of stepping on the ice. Moreover, he didn't believe a master immortal would be so bored as to amuse himself by displacing mud within the ice.

His pupils contracted as he watched Ji Yuan draw closer. The old man activated his mystical eye, but all he perceived was a “mortal” figure, devoid of any radiating power or divine light, only the vibrant life force typical of a human.

If he was using a magical artifact or spiritual talisman, how could there be no trace of spiritual energy?

Considering the circumstances, the old man's baffling observations led to only one conclusion: the newcomer's cultivation was so profoundly advanced that it surpassed his own capacity for understanding, rendering him unable to perceive or sense anything.

As the man in white drew steadily closer through the frozen marsh, his features grew clearer. Snowflakes clung to his hair, his face held a tranquil expression, and his pale, ancient eyes were particularly striking—like an old well, deep and captivating. An increasingly potent sense of untainted perfection emanated from him.

If such a being truly intended to kill his so-called 'disciple,' who was neither human nor ghost, there would be no escape for her. In fact, she might not even have time to register what was happening.

‘She was clearly chased here! What a truly rebellious disciple!’

The old man gritted his teeth internally, but dared not betray any emotion. His only solace now lay in a few special talismans and a small stone pendant. As Ji Yuan drew to within a dozen yards of the hut, he feigned composure, cupped his hands, and bowed in greeting.

“Esteemed Daoist, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to my humble dwelling in the depths of winter?”

Ji Yuan simply stood outside the hut, his hand moving to brush back the locks of hair from his temples that the cold wind had blown across his lips. He scrutinizingly observed the old man and the trembling woman beside him, appearing to have no intention of acknowledging the old man, much less returning his bow.

The situation was somewhat awkward for the old man, but he dared not respond with anger.

“Esteemed Daoist, are you perhaps looking for this Ghost Mother?”

The old man gestured towards the pregnant woman beside him.

“Mas—…”

“Master, what Master! A few years ago, I slayed an evil cultivator and discovered a tome of dark arts on his person. It contained some techniques for cultivating a Nine-Son Ghost Mother. Out of curiosity, I kept it for study. To my surprise, while I was away, this woman, who had come into the mountains to gather firewood, stole it!”

As the old man spoke, he subtly turned, stroked his beard, narrowed his eyes, and shot the woman a fierce glance, before continuing.

“Today, this woman actually sought my help and even attempted to call me 'Master.' I deduced that her practice of these dark arts must have led to trouble. Fortunately, her mastery of the evil magic appears to be superficial; she has only just conceived.”

Having delivered this speech with a facade of righteousness, the old man turned back to face Ji Yuan.

“If Esteemed Daoist doesn't mind, you are welcome to rest inside my hut. This matter, having begun with me, means I naturally cannot shirk my responsibility…”

Ji Yuan, with his mystical eye open, observed this old man, who in some ways appeared even more ethereal than himself. Yet, he detected no demonic aura about him. Aside from a vigorous life force, the old man's profound power and divine aura were contained within, and no spiritual energy or magical power manifested externally, presenting the image of a highly accomplished cultivator.

However, as Ji Yuan widened his mystical eye, he could discern a faint talismanic glow on the old man's arm within his sleeve, and a subtle film of spiritual light enveloped his body. Simultaneously, another talisman remained concealed within his left sleeve, clearly designed to mask his true essence while also serving as a hidden stratagem.

Despite the apparent readiness of his hidden stratagem, Ji Yuan's utterly dismissive demeanor continued to exert significant psychological pressure on the old man. Fortunately, Ji Yuan finally spoke.

“You claim her mastery is superficial? I beg to differ. This woman has cultivated seven ghost children and is preparing to slaughter an entire county. How could her cultivation be shallow? She must have been guided by an accomplished master.”

Ji Yuan's words were calm, devoid of any discernible emotion.

“What?! She has already cultivated seven ghost children? And she even threatened to wipe out an entire county?”

The old man glared at the woman, consumed by fury.

“You impudent demonic woman! No wonder you brim with malevolence; so you’ve already committed countless atrocities!”

His eyes flashed as his magical power surged, manifesting a fiery aura around him.

“This demonic woman cannot be allowed to live!”

As his furious roar echoed, the old man made a hand seal and flicked his sleeve, sending a burst of fierce fire engulfing the woman. She, who had utterly trusted her master, never expected such an act and was too panicked to even react to flee.

“Shing…!”

The moment the long sword was unsheathed, a flash of silver light exploded before the pregnant woman and the old man. A sword aura, colder and sharper than the biting wind and snow, swept forth, instantly severing the fire unleashed by the old man.

The old man, breaking into a cold sweat, stared at a gash a palm's width across the ground. It had sliced through the hut’s floorboards and the frozen mire beneath, revealing a dark, unfathomable chasm.

He then stiffly raised his neck, noticing that the roof of his wooden hut had been sliced open from front to back by a long slit. Through the rift, he glimpsed a faint emerald spiritual glow suspended in the sky.

‘An immortal sword!’

Seeing the old man’s reaction, Ji Yuan sneered inwardly, then spoke aloud once more.

“Go ahead, try that spiritual talisman in your sleeve; see if it can save your life. Hmph! Cultivating in such a place of sinister filth, it offends my mystical sight.”

Ji Yuan clasped his left arm behind his back. With his right hand, he caught falling snowflakes; as they landed in his palm, they melted into water and, unseen by the old man, converged to form a single character.

Despite his harsh words, the old man clearly wouldn't passively await death. His magical power was already surging. To prevent any unforeseen complications, Ji Yuan might reluctantly have to slay him first.

The pregnant woman was now in a state of terror and anxiety. Even an idiot would realize that her master had just attempted to silence her by killing her, and the man in white would certainly not spare her either. It was at this very moment that her master bellowed at her.

“Run!”

The small wooden hut abruptly collapsed as a colossal wave of earth surged from the ground, bearing down on Ji Yuan, who was a dozen yards away. The old man, enveloped in a yellow glow, abruptly vanished into the earth, escaping.

Amidst an earth-shaking rumble, in a mere instant, Ji Yuan was shrouded in shadow.

The wave of earth was well over a dozen yards high, spanning the width of the gorge, its upper edge curling downwards, seemingly blotting out the sky.

Ji Yuan retreated with lightning speed, his Dragon-Swimming movement technique activated to its fullest.

He pointed his sword-finger forward, uttering a command.

“Sever!”

The Azure Vine Sword was unsheathed once more, its light far surpassing the previous strike.

A shimmering arc of silver light flashed, cleaving the colossal earth wave cleanly down the middle. Undiminished, the sword light continued its trajectory, extending far into the distant mountains.

“Ah…!”

A short, pained shriek echoed from deep underground.

Ji Yuan, still reeling, saw the pregnant woman desperately fleeing towards the far end of the gorge. He let out a cold scoff and spoke.

“Freeze!”

The water-formed character 'Ding,' imbued with the power of decree, immediately dissipated from his right palm. Simultaneously, the woman in the distance felt her body abruptly stiffen, her momentum frozen mid-leap, and with a thud, she crashed headfirst into a nearby rock.

Even then, she couldn't move at all, unable to breathe or even blink. The malevolent energy within her body fell utterly silent, leaving her like a thinking corpse.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to relax, his spiritual perception twitched again. He performed a quick divination with his fingers, and a surprised exclamation escaped his lips.

“Hmm? Not dead?”

The old man’s body, sliced apart underground, was indeed flesh and blood, but it was surprisingly merely a decoy.

“You won’t escape so easily!”

Ji Yuan leaped, soaring swiftly on cloud and wind. In the sky, the Azure Vine Sword, with a furious, sharp hum, cut through the wind on a streak of sword light.

Deep beneath the slopes of Tingqiu Mountain, the old man, clutching a Taixu Earth Escape Talisman, frantically channeled his magical energy into it. He was already terrified to his core, and the life-substituting talisman in his other sleeve had shattered from the single strike.

Furthermore, through his sensory link with his cultivated arts, he sensed that his 'disciple' was in a bizarre state between life and death. He had faintly heard the word 'Freeze!' just moments ago and found it beyond his comprehension what bizarre art she had been struck by.

‘No, I can’t afford to hold back! If I don’t use it now, I’ll lose my life!’

The old man clutched and crushed a small yellow stone in his hand, ceaselessly muttering a desperate plea.

“Tingqiu Mountain God, save me! Mountain God, save me! Mountain God, save me!”