Chapter 901: Unexpected

Despite the loud crash of the collapsing courtyard wall, no one from the official residence came to investigate. Even the steward, who had only left a short while ago, did not appear. Ji Yuan looked around and noticed that while the residence didn't seem to be under any restrictive enchantment, it was unsettlingly quiet.

Nevertheless, Ji Yuan could still sense everyone's presence within the residence. It appeared their five senses had been manipulated, but this might not be enough to contain the fallout from a fight. So, Ji Yuan directly took out the 'Sword Intent Scroll' from his hand, shook it, and instantly, small characters flew out, scattering in all directions without him needing to utter a word.

Zhu Yan seemed oblivious to Ji Yuan's enchantment. He simply stared at Zuo Wuji without blinking. When Zuo Wuji remained silent, Zhu Yan immediately surged forward again, intent on subduing him.

But as Zhu Yan neared Zuo Wuji, who was already braced for an attack, a flash of sword light grazed Zhu Yan's forehead, causing him to instinctively retreat two steps. At that moment, two more flashes of sword light appeared before his eyes: he ducked one by turning his head and reached out to grab the other.

“Puh!”

A flash of blood appeared. Zhu Yan opened his right palm, finding that while he had shattered the sword light, his palm had been gashed open. A few drops of blood flew out, only to retract back into his hand a moment later. The wound swiftly healed, yet a slight tingling sensation lingered at the site of the cut, slowly fading as warm blood pulsed through him like a tide.

Zhu Yan finally turned his head, focusing his attention on Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan looked at Zhu Yan with indifferent eyes, slowly retracting his sword-finger.

“Fellow Daoist Zhu,” Ji Yuan stated, “your unprovoked attack on Grand Master Zuo is truly excessive. Next time, I will draw my sword!”

The Green Vine Sword revealed its form, its hum resonating with boundless surging sword intent. Behind Ji Yuan, terrifying, shimmering sword light seemed to swirl around him.

“Mr. Ji, you and I don't need to fight each other. We could even become friends.”

Ji Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhu Yan.

“From what Fellow Daoist Zhu says,” Ji Yuan remarked, “it seems a conflict between us is now unavoidable?”

“As long as you don't interfere with Zuo Wuji, it's fine. If you dare to stop me, even if you are Ji Yuan, I will not hold back!”

At Zhu Yan's words, Ji Yuan remained silent, but Zuo Wuji, standing behind him, let out an exasperated chuckle.

“Hahaha,” Zuo Wuji scoffed, “Did I kill your parents or desecrate your ancestors' graves? Why such intense animosity towards me?”

Zhu Yan glanced back at Zuo Wuji and smiled.

“I bear no animosity towards you, Grand Martial Saint,” Zhu Yan said. “On the contrary, I greatly admire you. Regardless of your willingness, I will guide you in the ways of martial arts, though you might not appreciate my methods.”

Ji Yuan had already placed one hand behind his back, resting it on the hilt of the Green Vine Sword.

“I suppose Mr. Ji won’t agree to my proposal?” Zhu Yan said. “Very well, let us fight first, and then talk!”

Zhu Yan's voice wasn't loud, but the instant his words concluded,

“Bang!”

The ground beneath Zhu Yan's feet instantly shattered. His form blurred as he charged directly at Ji Yuan, both fists aimed straight for Ji Yuan's face and chest.

“Clang!”

The Green Vine Sword instantly left its sheath. Instead of retreating, Ji Yuan advanced, his sword twisting forward. Amidst a blinding flash of sword light, sword qi and sword intent coalesced into a brilliant sword flower, meeting Zhu Yan head-on.

“Clang, clang, clang…”, “Rip… hiss…”, “Boom… rumble…”

There were no clashes of boundless mystical techniques, nor earth-shattering commotions. Yet, Ji Yuan and Zhu Yan constantly shifted positions within the small courtyard. The immortal sword and Zhu Yan's fists collided repeatedly, producing tearing sounds and the clang of metal.

The sounds were sometimes piercing, sometimes like explosive thunder, echoing deafeningly even in Zuo Wuji's ears. As the aftermath of sword light and fist wind swept past, the surrounding buildings were either sliced apart and crumbled, or directly pulverized into dust.

Whenever Zhu Yan attempted to land a punch or claw strike on Ji Yuan, his attacks either met the sharp Green Vine Sword or Ji Yuan's seemingly yielding, wide sleeves. This left him either with a stinging pain or a frustrating inability to apply his full strength, and the longer the fight continued, the more enraged he became.

“Roar——”

Unable to suppress his rage, Zhu Yan let out a furious roar, a pair of fangs now visible at the corners of his mouth. His strikes grew increasingly powerful and rapid.

As for Zuo Wuji, helping was out of the question. All he could do with all his might was constantly dodge the aftershocks of Ji Yuan and Zhu Yan's battle. He dared not directly confront either the fist winds or the sword qi, relying solely on his movement technique to continuously evade. The entire official residence was already utterly destroyed, and even the surrounding building complex did not escape harm.

Zhu Yan's primary strategy was to guard only vital points like his eyes, otherwise largely disregarding evasion and directly engaging Ji Yuan. He endured the sharp damage of the immortal sword, determined to cling to Ji Yuan at all costs, even treading on the ripples of Ji Yuan's magic, solely to deny Ji Yuan sufficient opportunity to react and unleash sword techniques. However, he soon discovered that this approach was also ineffective against Ji Yuan; instead, the sword wounds on his own body continued to accumulate.

Ji Yuan, at this moment, was hardly in a better state. He was almost entirely focused, dedicating all his attention to countering Zhu Yan's attacks. His sword technique, primarily offensive, was forced into a seven-part defense and three-part offense, leaving him almost breathless from the pressure.

Nevertheless, after some time, Ji Yuan adapted to the rhythm. Furthermore, Zhu Yan's relentless, unguarded offense meant that despite Ji Yuan having only three-tenths of the initiative, every shift in his movements inevitably inflicted a wound on Zhu Yan.

Furthermore, Zhu Yan believed he could suppress Ji Yuan, preventing him from casting spells. However, Ji Yuan had long since reached a state where his mind intuitively connected with heaven and earth, allowing spells to manifest naturally—a level beyond merely 'speaking the law into existence.' Like Zhu Yan, Ji Yuan was also observing the opponent's true capabilities.

As they relentlessly clashed, half of the Xia Yong Imperial City was destroyed within a dozen breaths, their forms continuously shifting across the urban landscape.

Every time Zhu Yan stomped the ground, the immediate vicinity remained relatively stable, but the tremors grew more intense with distance. After Ji Yuan and Zhu Yan had moved more than ten miles away, Zuo Wuji felt as if the very ground beneath him was convulsing. The few remaining buildings and city walls in the capital continuously crumbled, and those still standing swayed precariously.

The earth was torn open…

City buildings seemed to be directly blown into dust by the wind…

The already boiling city river channels surged directly underground…

Patches of torn earth crust were constantly rising and falling…

At this very moment, both Ji Yuan and Zhu Yan found themselves increasingly astonished. Ji Yuan was astounded by Zhu Yan's incredibly formidable physique; even though Ji Yuan was merely gripping the Green Vine Sword and forced to wield it, Zhu Yan, in his current state, could withstand direct collisions with the immortal sword's blade.

Zhu Yan was equally shocked by Ji Yuan's adaptive swordsmanship and the undeniable power of the immortal sword's intent. Furthermore, Ji Yuan's inherent resilience in his magic and the effortless, masterful control he displayed made him seem utterly unfathomable.

At one moment, Ji Yuan flicked his sleeve, blocking Zhu Yan's fist. Simultaneously, the Green Vine Sword flashed, thrusting forward directly beneath Zhu Yan's neck. In the precise instant Zhu Yan attempted to retreat, Ji Yuan's left hand twitched, his sleeve instantly wrapping around one of Zhu Yan's fists, effectively preventing any backward movement.

And the moment Zhu Yan raised his other hand, a golden light flashed from Ji Yuan's right sleeve. The Immortal Binding Rope, already prepared, seized this moment of vulnerability, transforming into a golden spirit snake. It coiled around Zhu Yan's left arm, then his torso and legs, instantly binding his raised arm and entire body.

“Slish—Splat—”

The Green Vine Sword, with a whistling, tearing sound, slashed across Zhu Yan's neck. In that instant, blood gushed forth like a spring from a shattered jar, and the immortal sword's sharpness seemed to swell by ten thousand feet, its brilliant light sweeping across like a sky-splitting white rainbow.

“Whoosh—”

The gash in Zhu Yan's neck instantly widened along with the sweeping white rainbow of sword light. Despite resistance like an overturning giant peak, it was completely severed in the same instant, and a head, bearing an astonished expression, ascended into the air with the gushing blood.

But at this moment, Zhu Yan's head suddenly opened its mouth and let out an earth-shattering roar.

“Roar——”

The entire space seemed to warp with the roar. Even Ji Yuan frowned from the stinging pain in his ears. Simultaneously, a terrifying immense force erupted from his sleeve, and the Immortal Binding Rope itself began to emit a series of teeth-grinding creaks.

The decapitated body of Zhu Yan began to swell continuously, with endless white fur sprouting across it. The Immortal Binding Rope expanded along with him, while Ji Yuan, his sleeve still wrapped around one of Zhu Yan's hands, was carried along as if he were a steadily shrinking ragdoll.

Left with no choice, Ji Yuan had to release Zhu Yan's arm. That hand instantly grabbed the Immortal Binding Rope wrapped around Zhu Yan's body, attempting to tear it apart. Simultaneously, the blood from Zhu Yan's neck seemed to solidify into clusters of hard blood-thorns, furiously striking at Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan tapped his foot, seemingly on solid ground in mid-air, and soared hundreds of feet high. He then lowered his head and exhaled a line of reddish-gray fire. The moment this fire emerged, an illusion of endless True Fire seemed to loom behind Ji Yuan.

The Samadhi True Fire seemed to pour forth from Ji Yuan's elixir furnace…

“Ji Yuan, if you burn it, how can I eat it?!”

Xiezhi's panicked spiritual voice sounded out. Ji Yuan, however, had no time to consider Xiezhi's feelings and responded spiritually.

“Then you can eat roasted monkey!”

At this moment, the overwhelming flames of Samadhi True Fire surged like an overturning ocean, rolling back towards Zhu Yan, who was continuously growing larger but still entangled by the Immortal Binding Rope. Zhu Yan's head rapidly flew back to his body, unleashing a sky-rending roar.

“Roar——”

From beginning to end, this battle had been extremely perilous, its rapid changes catching both Ji Yuan and Zhu Yan completely off guard.