Gui Zi was originally a osmanthus tree, naturally capable of moving through the earth.
She saw Shi Li's Qing He sword blocked by the You Hong umbrella.
The red light emanating from the You Hong umbrella shielded the Qing He sword from all attacks.
With no gaps, attacking Chi Shui Mo Zun from outside the umbrella was almost impossible. Thus, Gui Zi used her innate earth-遁 (dùn - escape) technique.
She directly entered the You Hong umbrella and transformed her myriad branches into swords, stabbing at Chi Shui Mo Jun.
Gui Zi had already transformed for a thousand years, possessing profound cultivation.
Each wooden sword condensed her cultivation.
Tens of thousands of swords whistled through the air.
Like a swarm of bees emerging from a hive, or a hundred birds returning to their roost.
Chi Shui Mo Jun felt the pressure from the myriad wooden swords.
It was enough to threaten his life, so he decisively recalled the You Hong umbrella.
He enlarged the umbrella to the size of his body, held the handle, and spun around in place.
He blocked all the wooden swords unleashed by Gui Zi, as well as the Qing He sword that relentlessly pursued the You Hong umbrella.
Amidst the flying sword shadows, Gui Zi and Shi Li joined forces.
They engaged Chi Shui Mo Zun and his two companions, tumbling and fighting in mid-air.
While the three fought fiercely, Ji Shiyou ceased his attacks.
He stood on the ground, his expression grave.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing, truly formidable! This younger brother is in awe! Your great kindness is beyond words; this brother owes you a life-saving debt. Should you ever require my service, She Conghu would not dare refuse. Sister-in-law, why have you stopped fighting? Wouldn't it be good to beat the drowning dog with Uncle-Master and the others? Opportunity knocks but once, sister-in-law, can you hear me?"
At this moment, She Conghu, along with Die Yan, the senior disciple of Bai Hua Palace, led their respective disciples to thank Ji Shiyou. Die Yan, a gentle woman, expressed her gratitude and then quietly withdrew to the side, observing the battle in the sky. She Conghu, however, the chatterbox, kept calling Ji Shiyou "sister-in-law," which annoyed him immensely, making him want to lash out.
"If you have time, take your people and rescue those captives." Ji Shiyou said coldly, assigning She Conghu a task. He simply wanted a quiet environment and to not be disturbed. The reason he hadn't joined the fray, where Gui Zi and Shi Li were ganging up on Chi Shui Mo Zun, was twofold. Firstly, the combined might of the two sect elders, even if they couldn't defeat Chi Shui Mo Zun, would at least prevent them from being defeated in the short term, posing no immediate danger. Most importantly, Chi Shui Mo Zun's words earlier had sowed seeds of doubt in his heart. He had initially assumed Chi Shui Mo Zun's previous arrogance and dismissiveness towards the Five Great Sects stemmed from his extraordinary cultivation, at least on par with any sect leader. However, after their brief exchange, he realized this was not the case. He was currently in Ming Yue's body, his cultivation restricted, only able to exert half of his usual power. Yet, even so, he could suppress Chi Shui Mo Zun. This led him to suspect that Chi Shui Mo Zun either had a hidden trump card or an unrevealed helper, which was why he remained still, cautiously observing his surroundings, and sensing any anomalies on Furong Peak. She Conghu's incessant chatter then further irritated him, prompting him to quickly find an excuse to get rid of the talkative young man.
"Ji Shiyou, Ji Shiyou! Why have you stopped? That demonic cultivator is very powerful! Perhaps we should forget the treasures and run! I have a premonition that this place is very dangerous."
As soon as She Conghu left, Ming Yue approached again. She had handed the Golden Crown to Tian Jian and, like a thief, crept closer, whispering her suggestion to Ji Shiyou. Her instincts were usually accurate. She felt an eerie and terrifying aura emanating from Furong Peak, unsettling her. Though she loved wealth, she valued her life even more.
"It's too late. Go back, activate the Golden Crown's ultimate mode. Take care of yourself and don't come out."
Just as Ming Yue was trying to persuade Ji Shiyou to leave, Ji Shiyou's eyes suddenly flashed with intense light. He reached out, took the Ying Yue sword from Ming Yue's back, held the sword in his left hand and the whip in his right. He soared into the air, his aura surging like ocean waves. The fact that Ji Shiyou could become so tense, as if facing a formidable enemy, and was willing to expose the secret of their body swap by using the Ying Yue sword, made Ming Yue instinctively feel that something major had happened. She hurriedly ran back, snatched the Golden Crown from Tian Jian, and after a series of actions, a massive golden lotus appeared, enveloping her and the disciples of Jin Wu Palace. Only then did she have time to look up and observe Ji Shiyou. She saw Ji Shiyou in the air, using the Ying Yue sword and the Shi Ling whip, summoning the spectral forms of two great beasts, the Golden Crow and the Silver Dragon. Their forms had already materialized, casting a shadow over the entire Furong Peak, leaving Tian Jian and the Jin Wu Palace disciples gaping in astonishment.
"Senior Brother, how can Sister-in-law control the Ying Yue sword and unleash the Golden Crow Burning Heaven and Dragon Transformation? Did you teach her?" the junior disciple Nu Tao asked, looking at the Golden Crow and Silver Dragon in the sky with confusion.
"Mm," Ming Yue responded ambiguously. The sense of danger in her heart suddenly intensified. She couldn't spare the time to answer Nu Tao's question, her gaze fixed intently on Ji Shiyou in the sky. She saw Ji Shiyou place the Ying Yue sword behind his back. His small body stood in the air like a mountain, as if entering a state of deep meditation.
At this moment, Chi Shui Mo Zun, who was entangled in a fierce battle with Shi Li and Gui Zi, seemed to receive a signal. He feigned an attack, retracted the You Hong umbrella, and fled towards the outside of Furong Peak like a fiery meteor.
Just then, Ji Shiyou moved. Towards the direction Chi Shui Mo Zun was fleeing, he unleashed a sword strike. A thousand-zhang sword energy, like a flowing ribbon, struck from behind, catching up to Chi Shui Mo Zun. As the sword energy erupted, Chi Shui Mo Zun had already felt a monstrous sword intent that pierced his soul, sending shivers down his spine. His speed did not decrease. He hastily opened the You Hong umbrella and placed it behind his back, hoping it could block Ji Shiyou's earth-shattering sword strike, but it did not. He heard the sound of the You Hong umbrella shattering, and his heart turned to ice. At this moment, he felt death so close. However, just as the sword energy pierced through the You Hong umbrella and was about to touch his body, about to shred his flesh and soul, a beam of light enveloped him, and Chi Shui Mo Zun's body vanished. Only two pieces of the shattered red oil-paper umbrella remained, slowly drifting down from the sky and landing on the summit of Furong Peak.
"Impossible! With his cultivation, how could he use the Heavenly Shield Technique?" Shi Li exclaimed in disbelief as he saw Chi Shui Mo Zun suddenly disappear, evading Ji Shiyou's earth-shattering sword strike. The Heavenly Shield Technique was the most profound secret art in the Moonlit Realm, capable of traversing the void and traveling a thousand miles in an instant. Because of its extreme speed, it appeared as if a person had vanished into thin air. But with Chi Shui Mo Zun's cultivation, it was utterly impossible to perform, which was why Shi Li was so astonished and perplexed.
"It's not the Heavenly Shield Technique, but the power of ten thousand demons gathered to remotely seize an object." Ji Shiyou said with a grave expression as he sword-trod through the air. As soon as his voice fell, dense figures appeared in the sky and on the ground around Furong Peak, numbering over ten thousand. Demonic energy surged from their bodies, intertwining and obscuring the sky. It was they who, at the critical moment, gathered their demonic power and spirited Chi Shui Mo Zun away, allowing him to evade Ji Shiyou's earth-shattering sword strike.
"Who are you? The Myriad Demon Sealing Array of my Heavenly Demon Valley is so secret. How did you recognize it before it was even activated? Are you the Golden Crow Fairy from Jin Wu Palace?" A man in a green robe with a stiff face strode through the air. Accompanied by the shaken Chi Shui Mo Zun, he pointed at Ji Shiyou and asked loudly.
"Heavenly Demon Valley!" Shi Li and Gui Zi exclaimed in shock, while Ji Shiyou and the young disciples on the ground looked bewildered.