Chapter 918: You are Ji Lian?

Ji Yuan's escape speed was naturally far superior to Shang Yiyi's, or even her master Yang Ming's. He followed the flying sword as closely as it could travel, and thanks to his spell, even with multiple restrictions still in place, the sword's current flight speed was hardly slower than when it first appeared.

Before long, Ji Yuan and Shang Yiyi had passed the spot where they had previously stopped, and quickly reached the place where True Man Ziyu had let out his indignant roar.

At this point, the flying sword's trajectory became erratic for a time, seeming quite disordered. It even trembled and paused at the exact location where True Man Ziyu had truly launched it.

Observing the flying sword's trajectory and recalling Shang Yiyi's earlier description, Ji Yuan could already picture True Man Ziyu launching the sword from this spot. Given the damaged spiritual essence on the sword, it was highly probable that the blood-stained jade pendant was imbued with the essence blood from Ziyu's tongue, enabling the sword's escape.

"Mr. Ji, my master..."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Ji Yuan reassured Shang Yiyi. He continued his westward escape without pause, closely following the flying sword, which also, to some extent, masked the sword's own aura.

Although Yang Ming might not be able to accurately pinpoint the flying sword's original direction, Ji Yuan was confident that following its backward trajectory was the correct path. If Yang Ming had gone there, Ji Yuan could naturally provide assistance; if not, then Yang Ming was likely not in great danger.

They flew from day into night, and well past midnight. As the Purple Jade Flying Sword gradually slowed, Ji Yuan and Shang Yiyi still hadn't seen True Man Yang Ming. No additional aura was detectable, making it seem as if True Man Yang Ming had also vanished.

Shang Yiyi's face was clouded with unconcealed worry.

"Mr. Ji, there's a stretch of mountains here. Are there powerful demonic creatures hiding within?"

"No, on the contrary, there's likely a grand immortal array set up in the mountains, perhaps a cultivation retreat."

Shang Yiyi was momentarily stunned, then her face lit up with joy.

"Mr. Ji, do you mean my master might be a guest at this retreat? Could he have rescued Grand True Man Ziyu?"

In Shang Yiyi's mind, the Purple Jade Flying Sword, released by Mr. Ji's spell, ought to have been tracking its owner. Therefore, upon arriving at what seemed to be an immortal cultivation retreat, she concluded that righteous cultivators must have intervened. She desperately wanted to believe that both her master and Grand True Man Ziyu were there, considering it a strong possibility.

However, Shang Yiyi ultimately didn't understand how the 'trace-back' method functioned. The Purple Jade Flying Sword could only retrace its previous path; it wouldn't automatically track its master. This implied that True Man Ziyu had initiated his escape from this very location, and the 'trace-back' method had been interrupted because the flying sword encountered the barrier of an immortal sect's grand mountain array.

Consequently, Ji Yuan's face showed no trace of joy. When she received no reply from Mr. Ji, the hope on Shang Yiyi's face also diminished.

"Mr. Ji..."

Ji Yuan glanced at Shang Yiyi, offering a comforting smile, and repeated his reassurance.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine."

As Ji Yuan spoke, two streams of escape light emerged from the distant mountains. Though somewhat concealed, Ji Yuan instantly caught sight of them. He immediately steered his dharma cloud, swiftly flying to intercept their path.

The two immortal cultivators, traveling in the escape light, were startled when a dharma cloud suddenly appeared before them without warning. They halted, hovering in the air, and observed the newcomers: a cultivator in green robes and a female cultivator in white.

"Fellow Daoists, why do you block our path?"

Ji Yuan surveyed the two cultivators. Instead of directly answering their question, he pointed towards the distant direction from which their escape lights had first appeared.

"What sect is ahead?"

The two immortal cultivators exchanged glances, both frowning at the rudeness of the person before them. Nevertheless, the one who had spoken earlier patiently replied.

"Ahead is Mount Yuling, a reclusive immortal sect that avoids worldly conflicts. While its name may not be widely known, it possesses a profound heritage. If you wish to visit the Yuling Sect, you cannot simply approach without an invitation. You must first send a formal visiting request and await a reply from a member of the Yuling Sect before proceeding."

Ji Yuan's gaze returned to the speaker, and he nodded.

"Presumably, you two are not members of the Yuling Sect then. May I ask, since the Yuling Sect is reclusive, what drew you both to it?"

The person who had answered before was about to speak, but their companion snorted coldly.

"You are truly rude. What we do is none of your concern, fellow Daoist. Go visit the Yuling Sect yourself if you wish. We have matters to attend to, so we won't waste any more time speaking with you. Senior Brother, let's go."

The other person also had no desire to speak further. Without bowing to Ji Yuan, the two simply bypassed his dharma cloud and departed. Ji Yuan remained motionless at a distance, merely gazing at the distant Yuling Sect.

"Mr. Ji, should we send a visiting invitation?"

Shang Yiyi, seeing Ji Yuan remain still for a long time, couldn't help but ask. However, Ji Yuan gave a negative answer.

"No need, we'll just go directly."

"But we can't enter like that..."

As she spoke, Shang Yiyi hesitated, then gritted her teeth and said.

"Mr. Ji, I remember when I first met you, you said that if I ever encountered difficulties, you would do your best to help me once. I hope, sir..."

"Don't worry."

Ji Yuan interrupted Shang Yiyi, looking at her with a gentle smile.

"Saving your master is my own desire. Furthermore, do not use that promise of mine so easily, especially for something I would already do my best to accomplish even without you asking."

Shang Yiyi had not interacted with Ji Yuan extensively, nor had they spent a long time together, so she was unaware of his temperament. Had someone familiar with Ji Yuan been present, they would have known he was already annoyed, though he didn't outwardly show it in front of Shang Yiyi, who was his junior.

Ji Yuan now clearly understood that True Man Ziyu was within the Yuling Sect, and True Man Yang Ming was most likely there as well. Of course, they could not have been kindly invited. Furthermore, Ji Yuan vaguely sensed something special here: a resonance with a wisp of his own sword intent.

This certainly didn't mean the Azure Vine Sword had secretly flown here on its own. It could only mean that someone who had suffered a sword injury from an immortal sword was present.

In the sky behind Ji Yuan, the two fleeing cultivators suddenly felt a stir. They looked up to see dark clouds gathering, having already obscured most of the starry sky in a short time.

The two instinctively slowed their escape light and looked back into the distance.

"Junior Brother, I feel something isn't quite right."

"What should we do then? Should we go take a look?"

"Let's go and see!"

These two seemed to be busybodies; as soon as their escape light halted, they decided to turn back. Meanwhile, Ji Yuan had already taken Shang Yiyi high into the depths of the mountains.

This time, Ji Yuan had no intention of being polite before resorting to force. With a thought, his sword-finger traced across the sky, and behind him, the Azure Vine Sword responded to his command.

"Zheng—"

A clear sword hum resonated across the sky and wilderness. A streak of sword light sliced across the vast sky, piercing into the clouds, while Ji Yuan, below, pointed his sword-finger downward.

In that instant, the heavens shifted dramatically, filled with swirling winds and changing clouds.

"Rumble..."

The Azure Vine Sword gathered countless radiant lights. Thunderclouds rolled across the sky, and lightning flashed everywhere the eye could see. On the ground, mountain flowers no longer swayed, and mountain winds ceased to blow, as if all air movement had come to a standstill.

A terrifying, suffocating pressure emanated from the sky. With the sword light above as its focal point, it seemed to manipulate everything across the entire firmament. As the sword's momentum prepared to descend, the sky itself appeared on the verge of collapsing...

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

The mountains trembled, or more precisely, the grand immortal sect array within them vibrated incessantly. The array's concealment seemed to have lost its effectiveness, as streams of light overflowed and gradually became visible among the mountains, like a giant, constantly shaking bubble.

Within the Yuling Sect, cultivators everywhere felt a profound sense of trepidation. Whether on the ground or in the air, they all felt their bodies swaying unstably.

However, those who were drinking tea or standing by water found no ripples when they looked at their cups or the water's surface. Yet, the oppressive feeling in their hearts grew increasingly intense.

At a certain moment, everyone looked up at the sky and was astonished to see the mountain-protecting array had become visible, appearing to sway precariously as if caught in a fierce storm.

The mountain-protecting array felt as fragile as a bubble in a violent storm, seemingly ready to burst with a mere breath.

The sky was in a dim twilight, yet above, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A dreadful sword intent, sharp enough to pierce the heart, seemed to penetrate the mountain-protecting array, and an unimaginably terrifying might descended from the heavens.

At this moment, the celestial winds and thunder, along with the intense light of dawn, all converged and pressed down relentlessly, following the infinite sharp edge of the immortal sword above...

Ji Yuan's "Heaven-Tilting Sword Momentum" was an astonishing sword art that manipulated the forces of nature. Its power, drawing on celestial momentum, had long surpassed mere peak mastery. A mountain gate array, fixed in one location, relies on spiritual power and aura, but fundamentally, it too is an application of momentum. The "Heaven-Tilting Sword Momentum" had not even unleashed the full power of its strike; merely by manipulating the momentum of heaven and earth, it had already destabilized the mountain gate array.

The high-level cultivators of the Yuling Sect were all startled awake, emerging from various locations. Over a dozen streams of escape light forcefully channeled spiritual power, flying into the sky against immense pressure. Leading them was a white-haired old woman. As soon as she reached the mountain gate, she saw Ji Yuan and Shang Yiyi in the sky and roared at them, a mixture of shock and anger in her voice.

"Azure Vine suspended in the air, a single sword tilting the heavens, Heaven-Tilting Sword Momentum! You are Ji Yuan?"