Ji Chenmu dared not underestimate it, for this divine axe had shattered Ji Meimei's barrier and was undoubtedly an extraordinary spiritual artifact. He wielded his retreating treasure sword, a soft sword gifted by Ji Meimei. With a move called "Circling Finger Softness," his sword energy transformed into a silk ribbon, entangling the divine axe. The scene was as comical as a strong man draped in a ceremonial sash!
He countered hardness with softness, weakness with strength! The two engaged in a close-quarters battle, their techniques clashing. It turned out the purple-gold robed man was a body refiner, relying on his robust physique as he soared up from the giant bird. His fists, imbued with fierce winds, aimed directly at Ji Chenmu's vital points!
Meanwhile, the giant bird could no longer endure, its body crashing onto a large tree on the ground. The immense weight of its fall snapped the tree in two!
Ji Chenmu's movements were fluid and unpredictable, deflecting every blow with minimal effort and even redirecting the incoming force back at his opponent. This was a skill he had gleaned from his Tai Chi soft sword.
They fought from the sky down to the treetops. With every punch, the purple-gold robed man felt as if he were hitting cotton. His expression hardened as he realized he had met his match. He immediately retreated, landing on a treetop. His hands quickly formed hand seals, and the divine axe, which had been locked in a struggle with the Tai Chi sword in the air, rattled and broke free, returning to his grasp.
The Tai Chi sword, as if possessing sentience, flew back to Ji Chenmu's feet, allowing its owner to hover in mid-air.
"State your name, this Daoist priest has no need to fight nameless individuals!"
"Arrogant! When asking for someone's name, you should introduce yourself first. Did your parents not teach you that?" Ji Chenmu rolled his eyes towards the sky!
"Hmph! Kid, don't be too presumptuous. This Daoist priest is Yun Guan of the Eastern Taiyi Sect! Are you people from Tianchen?" Ji Chenmu's words nearly caused Yun Guan's millennia of cultivated composure to shatter!
"So you're enemies, and I was just looking for you. You've delivered yourselves!" Ji Chenmu spoke from above. Was this the sect of the black-clothed men who had injured Feng Chu? Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, every time Feng Chu proudly recounted how his sister had split a mountain in rage for him, he knew how severely he had been wounded!
Ji Chenmu wasted no more words, his fingers rapidly forming hand seals.
"Tai Chi Returns to One, Qi Devours Rivers and Mountains!"
"Haste!"
Two immensely powerful sword attacks were unleashed, instantly sending two streams of sword energy, one white and one red, resembling dragons with faint hissing sounds, charging towards the purple-gold robed Yun Guan!
Yun Guan stared in astonishment at the sword energy, more ferocious than his divine axe's "Mountain Splitting Water Breaking" technique. What kind of sword art was this? The opposing sword energies, one soft and one hard, enveloped him, appearing capable of consuming the sun and moon!
Feeling a grave threat, he raised his divine axe and swung it at the menacing sword energies. This was his ultimate move; everyone on the Tianxing Continent knew that Taiyi Yun Guan could cleave mountains and divert rivers with a single axe strike!
The two forces collided in the air, like a small asteroid hitting the moon. The shockwaves rippled outwards, leveling everything within a thousand meters! Even the flying ship hovering in the distance was affected, pushed far away by the surge of energy. The barrier completely shattered, revealing the true form of the flying ship! The giant tree where the bird resided was reduced to ashes. The bird, having already sensed the danger, had narrowly avoided the blast by flapping its injured wings.
Inside the flying ship, Chaoyang Zi, who was dining, reacted swiftly, using a formation to isolate the dining area, thus preventing everyone from being doused in soup and water!
"That brat Chenmu, always so slow in fights, almost deprived us of our meal. I'm not eating anymore! I'm going to see what's happening!" Feng Chu couldn't sit still upon hearing the commotion.
The others also rose, their appetites sated, ready to watch the unfolding spectacle.
Qi Mo, seeing Ji Chenmu handling the purple-gold robed man with apparent ease, no longer divided his attention and focused on dealing with the seven purple-robed figures surrounding him.
He gathered lightning power in his palm and struck downwards. Seven white arcs of electricity shot towards the seven purple figures who were attempting to form a formation. With a few cries of pain, the formation the seven purple figures had painstakingly gathered dissipated before it could fully materialize. Three purple-robed figures were injured, while the remaining four struggled to hold on!
Yun Guan, observing from afar, was startled. They had been too ambitious, not expecting that even their formation couldn't contain a divine dragon, and this was when the divine dragon had not yet transformed. In a moment of carelessness, after being struck flying by Ji Chenmu, he spat out a mouthful of blood and promptly sent out a distress signal. They were not far from the sect; if he could just hold on for another quarter of an hour, rescue would arrive!
Ji Chenmu gave Yun Guan no chance to recover. This man's strength was comparable to his own. If he hadn't known about his recent cultivation advancement, he might not have been able to defeat him.
The third and fourth styles of the Tai Chi sword were unleashed simultaneously, disregarding the danger of depleting his spiritual energy:
"Extreme Sword Two Principles, Four Images Cage!"
"Go!"
Two strands of sword energy intertwined, transforming into four immensely powerful sword lights, which finally converged into countless fine threads, enveloping Yun Guan like a net. Within it, sword energy and the divine axe clashed noisily. Ji Chenmu, losing his balance, almost fell from the sky but was caught by Feng Chu.
"Are you trying to die? Using such powerful moves with your current cultivation!" Feng Chu exclaimed angrily as he wrapped his arm around Ji Chenmu.
"It's fine, Feng Chu. I've avenged you. They injured you before, and I've settled the score for you." As he spoke, another purple-gold robed figure fell from the white light, unconscious. The giant bird, disregarding its injured wing, quickly caught its unconscious master.
Upon emerging, Ju Xun and the others witnessed Ji Chenmu unleash his ultimate move, astonishing everyone. Even the elder with dual pupils was shaken, realizing this boy had immense talent and could comprehend such powerful sword techniques. He nodded repeatedly, thinking he still needed refinement. Should he take him as a disciple? He would find an opportunity to test him another day!
Feng Chu brought the injured man back to the ship. Ju Xun and Ji Wuye immediately stepped forward.
"Brother Chenmu, how are you? You're amazing! I never knew the Tai Chi sword possessed such power. It seems it's destined to be with you." Ju Xun couldn't recall where he had found the Tai Chi sword. Previously, they had plundered other people's Qiankun bags, filled with miscellaneous items, and hadn't looked closely. It was only one day, when Ji Chenmu's sword broke, that Ju Xun felt a stirring of his spirit and saw a sword in his Qiankun bag, which he casually tossed to him.
"Are you alright?" Ji Wuye's words were casual, but his eyes were filled with concern!
"I'm fine, I'm fine, everyone needn't worry. As for the escaping Yun Guan, he's already sent a signal, and we'll likely have more uninvited guests soon!" Ji Chenmu said, sitting on a stone stool on the deck, waving his hand to indicate he was unharmed. Hearing Ji Meimei praise him, he grinned, revealing his teeth.
"Yun Guan? Could he be from the Eastern Taiyi Sect?" Chaoyang Zi asked upon hearing the surname Yun.
"Yes!"
"Then that's perfect! We were looking for them anyway. Now they've come to us, saving us trouble!" Ju Xun sneered!
The four individuals fighting Qi Mo were further injured and slammed heavily onto the ground. Seeing their martial uncle fall unconscious and be carried away by his mount, they could no longer stand by. They rapidly flew to the ground, gathered their severely wounded companions, and fled in haste.
Qi Mo intended to pursue, but Ju Xun stopped him.
"Xiao Mo, no need to chase. They'll deliver themselves to us later."
"Yes, Master!" Qi Mo responded and flew back to the flying ship.
Chao Xiang Zi was already working on repairing the damaged formation, planning to set up a more stable barrier.
"Uncle, how far is it to the Taiyi Sect from here?" Chaoyang Zi, knowing the map was with Steward Zhu, asked.
"Not far, the flying ship will reach it in an hour!" Steward Zhu pondered for a moment. With their flying ship's speed, it wouldn't even take an hour. For ordinary flying ships, it would likely take a day!