Chapter 155: Young Master, Please Kill (Double-Length Chapter)
Just as force is mutual, so too are certain predicaments.
When one decides to kill, they must also be prepared for the possibility of retaliation. In the face of life and death, it does not matter who the bandit is; once the dust settles, only the dead are labeled as such.
Ji You could claim that on the day he established his noble house in Feng Prefecture, he took it upon himself to eliminate the rampant banditry plaguing the region. Thus, he ascended the mountain alone, sword in hand, to carry out the extermination…
Such was the state of Feng Prefecture—an open game where every player’s cards were laid bare.
Motives were insignificant; only results mattered.
As dusk painted the sky in fiery hues, Ji You grasped a spirit sword, his figure a blur as he surged up the mountain like an arrow loosed from a bow. His aura flared wildly, the wind churning fallen leaves into a maelstrom. He was a god of slaughter, charging toward the Mystic Enlightenment cultivators ahead.
Buzz!
A piercing sword hum resonated atop the peak as the heaviest Sword Dao descended upon his foes.
Three grizzled Mystic Enlightenment cultivators rushed to meet him, their eyes bloodshot, their battle cries tearing through the air. They raised their wide-bladed sabers, gathering all their spiritual energy.
Earlier, they had held back, knowing that behind them stood their Dao Fusion Realm Manor Lord. But now, realizing Ji You had no intention of sparing lives, they were forced to fight with all their might.
Clang!
Sparks scattered like a celestial downpour.
Ji You’s spirit sword crashed down like a collapsing mountain and a raging tsunami, its light surging in relentless waves.
The three Mystic Enlightenment cultivators were flung backward, their wrists twisting in unbearable pain.
“This sword cannot be taken head-on! Attack when he withdraws his blade—strike him before he can recover!”
The moment the command was given, five more Mystic Enlightenment cultivators lunged from the flanks. Swords, spears, and halberds swept forth, kicking up storms of dust and sand.
Ji You’s golden eyes gleamed like twin suns, his pupils radiating boundless majesty.
Clang!
A sword cut through the wind.
Under the twilight sky, Ji You released the long sword in his hand and reached for another Dao sword, its razor-sharp edge slicing forward in an unrelenting assault.
A muffled shattering echoed across the battlefield.
All five attackers’ weapons fractured instantly.
The New Willow Blade streaked through the air, unwavering in its trajectory, slicing three Mystic Enlightenment cultivators apart in a spray of crimson mist. Their bodies were hurled away like kites with severed strings, crashing into the rocky terrain, staining the slopes with blood.
The remaining two fared slightly better, perhaps due to the superior quality of their weapons or their slower reaction. They did not perish but suffered shattered arm bones, their bodies slamming into the mountainside.
“He’s not withdrawing his sword… He’s not withdrawing his sword!”
Ji You’s lips curled into a smirk. His pristine white robes were already speckled with blood, resembling blossoming winter plums.
Then, he soared skyward, his sword lifting toward the heavens. A resounding hum erupted as his Sword Dao condensed once more, crashing down like an unyielding force of nature.
At last, the eighteen Mystic Enlightenment cultivators realized that as Ji You wielded his blade, six other swords hovered around him, spinning in coordinated motion.
Whenever an enemy sought to strike from the flanks, Ji You did not react—the swords themselves moved, instinctively intercepting the incoming threats.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The warriors who had rushed in unison were ruthlessly struck against the cliffside. Amid the raging mountain winds, blood scattered like falling petals.
From the mountain base to the slopes, Ji You pressed forward relentlessly, his Sword Dao reaping lives with surgical precision.
Groups of ambushers were mercilessly crushed beneath Little Overlapping Mountain, some smashed to death against the cliffs, others left crippled with broken limbs.
Those who attempted lone assassinations were severed in a single stroke by the razor-sharp New Willow Blade.
Within moments, seven warriors collapsed from internal wounds, two had been split open at the chest, and another two had their bones shattered by the force of his Sword Intent.
In the blink of an eye, the eighteen Mystic Enlightenment cultivators had been reduced to six.
At this moment, Sword Intent roared through the battlefield.
Luo Ping Shan, the Vice Manor Lord of Broken Moon Mountain Estate, stood frozen, cold sweat trickling down his face.
He was forty-nine years old, at the initial stage of Mystic Enlightenment.
Earlier, he had been tasked with negotiating peace on behalf of the estate lords, viewing Ji You as nothing more than a talented young man of similar cultivation. He had considered the youth’s arrogance insufferable.
But now, watching Ji You carve through his peers like a lone wolf bred solely for slaughter, he understood the source of that arrogance.
This—this was not the Mystic Enlightenment level they knew!
Luo Ping Shan clutched his saber, retreating with frantic eyes.
It was said that by fifty, one understood fate. Until this night, he had never truly known his own.
“Ji You, I swear to leave Feng Prefecture!”
His plea was answered by a thunderous roar. A cascade of dazzling sword light erupted, filling the mountains with an overwhelming brilliance.
The seven Dao swords once more soared skyward before plummeting down in unison, shaking the earth as countless figures were sent tumbling through the mountain range.
The elite cultivators from the three other provinces—disciples of noble houses who had come to stake their claim in Feng Prefecture—stood in utter shock.
They knew that inner disciples of the Immortal Sects far surpassed the Immortal Manor cultivators in strength, but never had they imagined such disparity.
This… was a one-sided massacre.
Ji You flicked his sleeve, unleashing his sword once more. Heads rolled, their severed bodies painting the ground in a grotesque blend of black, white, and crimson.
“Young Master Ji…”
“Hmm?”
Ji You turned to see a disciple of Spirit Sword Mountain stepping forward from among the stunned onlookers.
“The conflict over tax tributes has persisted for centuries. Gains and losses are inevitable. However, I understand that what you seek is far beyond negotiations. But if you kill them all and take their heads, you may provoke the wrath of their families.”
Ji You wiped his blade clean on a corpse. “You seem familiar.”
“My name is Huang Lan. In the spring of the second year of Tai Chang, you saved my life in the Qiling Mountains.”
Ji You sheathed his sword, glancing at the darkening forests. “Feng Prefecture has reached a point where compromise is no longer an option. If they are to leave, they must leave completely.”
“But Luo Ping Shan has already surrendered. If his death is known, criticism will follow—especially since the Luo Clan serves the Heavenly Script Academy.”
“There are desperate people beyond Feng Prefecture. Where would he go? Better to die obediently. Those from noble families with poor cultivation talent are often the most driven by greed and ambition. They will never change.”
Ji You severed Luo Ping Shan’s head. “No worries. The Heavenly Script Academy will understand.”
“It’s the Heavenly Script Institute—”
“Oh, right. For now.”
Ji You muttered, “If they don’t understand, I’ll defect to Spirit Sword Mountain.”
His blunt words made those around him exchange uneasy glances, recalling the rumors from late spring of the first year.
It was said that Ji You had never cared for the Seven Great Immortal Sects—he had only joined the Heavenly Script Academy to save a little girl.
Huang Lan hesitated, then bowed deeply. “Young Master, please kill.”
Ji You charged toward the mountain depths, his spiritual energy surging beneath his feet.
Deep within Night City Mountain, a creek meandered through the valley, its waters murmuring beneath the moonlit sky.
Ji You descended from the slope, his robe billowing as he flung seven Spirit Swords into the water, washing their bloodstained blades until they gleamed like frost.
Finding a clean stone, he sat down and began absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The golden radiance in his eyes flickered across the rippling water’s surface.
Slaying eighteen Mystic Enlightenment Realm cultivators posed no real danger to him, but the toll was considerable.
Especially after repeatedly unleashing Little Overlapping Mountain, the exhaustion it brought was inevitable.
Back when he battled Chu He, he had only used Sevenfold Mountain twice, even when cutting through the Sword Forest.
But those eighteen Mystic Enlightenment elders were merely the beginning.
The real threat was the five Dao Fusion Realm cultivators lurking in the mountain woods.
As the spiritual energy surged around him, Ji You slowly closed his eyes.
Perhaps his sword aura had been too fierce earlier, scaring away all the birds, insects, and beasts. The silence around him was deathly, save for the thickening scent of blood carried by the mountain wind.
After a long while, Ji You opened his eyes and reached out, fingers curling as if to grasp the blood-tainted wind.
At that moment, a sudden explosion of spiritual energy erupted in the distant forest, causing the mountains to tremble.
Ji You instinctively turned to look in that direction, where the woodland grew denser.
And just as he turned, an intense killing intent hurtled toward him at alarming speed, sending a jolt of tension through his shoulders. His pupils constricted as he leaped westward!
Boom!
A raging blade aura cleaved through the night sky, striking the very stone he had been sitting on.
The rock split clean in half before shattering into dust under the residual force.
Under the shroud of night, two figures emerged.
The first was a long-haired elder, standing merely five feet tall, wielding a narrow-bladed Ring-hilted Saber.
This was Manor Lord Sunrise of Sunrise Manor.
Beside him, on the half-slope, stood another elder, slightly taller, with sunken cheeks and narrow eyes, gripping a steel whip.
This was Manor Lord Tai Zhen of Tai Zhen Villa.
Both were Dao Fusion Realm cultivators, their bodies brimming with murderous intent.
In Feng Prefecture, even a powerful Immortal Manor rarely had more than five or six Mystic Enlightenment Realm cultivators. Yet tonight, all of them had been stationed at the Night City Mountain pass, blocking Ji You’s path to Feng Prefecture City.
To them, this matter involved the Azure Clouds Immortal Edicts, the offerings of the common folk, and even the Heavenly Script Academy—a tangled web of causality with far-reaching consequences.
If they could avoid personal involvement, they would.
After all, deploying eighteen Mystic Enlightenment elders against a single Mystic Enlightenment cultivator was already a measure of great caution, even by worldly standards.
But now, Ji You had arrived, his robes stained with blood.
This could only mean that the Mystic Enlightenment elders had met a grim fate.
They had anticipated casualties, but not such catastrophic losses.
Now, their faces were twisted with fury and grief.
Yes, Immortal Sects and Immortal Manors were vastly different.
But within the same realm, how could there be such a chasm between them?
When those Mystic Enlightenment elders had spoken boldly earlier, some spectators had murmured that the Immortal Manors of Feng Prefecture, untouched by noble clans and Immortal Sects, had forgotten the weight of Inner Academy disciples.
That they had underestimated the disparity.
But these two Manor Lords had once walked the halls of an Immortal Sect themselves.
They knew all too well—
No Immortal Sect had ever produced such a terrifying individual!
But this ends here.
Manor Lord Sunrise gripped his saber with both hands, while Manor Lord Tai Zhen raised his steel whip high.
From Ji You’s departure from Yuyang, to his arrival in the city, to entering the mountains—they had pursued him relentlessly.
Now, with their Manor’s losses severe, there was only one path forward—
A battle to the death!
Clang!
Without another word, Manor Lord Sunrise twisted his blade, and the edge gleamed with a cold radiance, slicing toward Ji You like moonlight blooming in the forest!
Ji You remained in the woodland, gripping his sword in one hand.
Then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot forward!
Clang!
The iron blade fell, splitting the forest air with a violent surge of energy.
A fierce sword glow illuminated the surroundings as Ji You felt a sharp force pressing upon him.
He instantly raised his sword in defense, but the impact sent him flying back a hundred steps, his iron sword trembling in his grasp.
So this is the Dao Fusion Realm…
The sheer force and speed of these two outmatched the threat of all eighteen Mystic Enlightenment cultivators combined.
They were from small noble families, lacking the inherited secret arts of great clans like the Chu Family, yet their strikes carried the essence of Daoist laws.
Ji You adjusted his stance and lunged forward once more—
But just as he closed in, Manor Lord Tai Zhen suddenly emerged from the side, killing intent surging!
Ambush!
Boom!
Electricity crackled across his steel whip as he swung it forward with immense force.
But just before the whip struck Ji You’s chest, an invisible force subtly shifted its trajectory—as though repelling it.
The force wasn’t strong, yet it was enough to throw off Tai Zhen’s precision.
“??!?”
An unseen spiritual force flowed around Ji You as he swiftly reached for another sword.
Blazing sword energy erupted!
Tai Zhen’s eyes widened in realization, just as a resonant hum echoed through the night sky.
He raised his steel whip in defense—
Boom!
Little Overlapping Mountain surged forward, accompanied by a Heaven-Rending Circular Slash, an unrelenting wave of sword energy like a crescent moon.
Tai Zhen blocked with his steel whip, but the impact drove him downward, his feet shattering the stones along the stream bank.
“This sword… is so heavy!?”
Unlike a sword, a steel whip lacked an edge, relying solely on brute force. Tai Zhen had spent over forty years in the Dao Fusion Realm, refining his mastery over raw power.
Yet today, he felt as though a mountain had crashed into him through Ji You’s swordplay.
Sparks danced in the darkness as metal clashed repeatedly.
The spectators who had witnessed Ji You’s swordsmanship earlier had now gathered nearby, their spiritual energy swirling as they moved through the dense forest, eyes fixed on the battle.
A single Mystic Enlightenment mid-stage cultivator against two Dao Fusion early-stage lords.
This was an exceedingly rare sight.
To them, the two Manor Lords had impeccable coordination—their iron blade and steel whip pressuring Ji You into retreat.
Yet even as Ji You fell back, his sword strikes remained breathtaking.
After taking one direct hit, Tai Zhen had gasped, “So heavy!”
And from then on, neither he nor Manor Lord Sunrise dared face Little Overlapping Mountain head-on again.
What shocked the onlookers most, however, was that each of Manor Lord Sunrise’s saber strikes appeared slightly… misaligned.
At first, it was subtle, forcing Ji You into minor adjustments.
But as the battle raged on, the misalignment grew more apparent.
Initially, many thought it was some obscure battle tactic—
But then they noticed the Manor Lords’ expressions darken.
“He’s strong, but…”
“This won’t work forever.”
“Indeed. Ji You’s goal isn’t to kill or escape—it’s to reach Feng Prefecture City. If he can’t land an effective counterattack, he’ll never make it.”
Amid the cacophony, the figures in the rear finally lifted their gazes and saw two silhouettes still locked in battle ahead.
One was Cao Jin Song, who had advanced ahead earlier, and the other was Pei Ru Yi.
Cao Jin Song wielded his single sword in a direct strike, clashing against the Manor Lord of Qi Yun and the Manor Lord of Chang Qing, both at the mid Dao Fusion Stage, yet despite facing two opponents, his high Dao Fusion Stage cultivation ensured he was not at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Pei Ru Yi engaged in a fierce confrontation with the Manor Lord of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate. Despite only being at the initial Dao Fusion Stage, she held her ground against the old woman, who was of the mid Dao Fusion Stage. Though unable to press forward, she remained unscathed.
Clang!
Blade and sword collided, sending wild gusts ripping through the mountain, shearing down the cypress trees. The sheer force of their strikes churned chaotic energy through the landscape.
The Manor Lord of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate stepped forward, the ground crumbling beneath her, her broadsword flashing like white mist as it descended upon Pei Ru Yi with crushing force.
Pei Ru Yi’s pupils shrank as she sidestepped, parrying the attack. The missed strike carved deep into the cliffside, sending massive rocks tumbling down with an earth-shattering crash.
“Two against one here, three against two over there?”
“We’re outnumbered, and our cultivation ranks are weaker!”
No sooner had the words left their mouths than two immensely heavy Spirit Swords suddenly emerged from Pei Ru Yi’s sides as she dodged. The sight was as if blades had sprouted from beneath her arms, streaking directly toward the old woman’s face.
The Manor Lord of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate’s eyes widened. “So fast!”
Shing!
The sword strike sheared away her hairpin. In the next instant, Pei Ru Yi followed up with an enraged horizontal slash, slicing deep into her opponent’s shoulder.
At the same time, Cao Jin Song, mid-swing in a direct sword technique, suddenly retracted his blade. A moment later, he gathered a torrent of Spirit Qi into his palm.
Sensing an opportunity, the Manor Lord of Qi Yun and the Manor Lord of Chang Qing lunged forward, only to find two razor-sharp sword auras hurtling straight for their faces. They dodged instantly.
At that moment, Cao Jin Song’s Dao Sword cleaved through the air.
Blood splattered.
The Manor Lord of Chang Qing tumbled into a pile of rubble. Rising shakily, he clutched his chest, blood trickling continuously from a wound that had nearly reached the bone.
Meanwhile, Pei Ru Yi had already withdrawn her sword, a wave of powerful Qi surging behind her. Cao Jin Song followed closely, their two swords resonating in unison as they forced Manor Lord Tai Zhen back ten yards, his Qi and blood roiling in disarray.
The five Manor Lords exchanged looks, their eyes betraying disbelief.
Earlier, Manor Lord Ri Sheng and Manor Lord Tai Zhen had fought Ji You, forcing him into retreat. Likewise, the Manor Lord of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate had suppressed Pei Ru Yi with her higher cultivation.
They couldn’t understand why the situation had suddenly turned against them. No reinforcements had arrived, yet now two of their own had been grievously wounded.
“So this is how the famed ‘One Person, Seven Swords’ aids the Heavenly Script Academy in striking back at Spirit Sword Mountain and the Dao Seeking Sect?”
The old woman of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate rose to her feet, eyes dark as she stared at Ji You, whose golden gaze burned with intensity.
Being in Feng Prefecture, they had little access to timely news. Even if they had heard rumors of Ji You’s deeds in Qiling, they were unaware of the critical details. It was only now that they understood the nature of those four sword strikes.
“Tai Zhen, you handle those flying swords. I will hold back the girl. Chang Qing, Qi Yun, you two restrain that fat, big-chested oaf.”
Cao Jin Song: “…??”
The old woman turned to Manor Lord Ri Sheng. “Ri Sheng, go kill Ji You!”
The gap in cultivation ranks could not be bridged with mere cleverness, and the higher the cultivation stage, the truer this became.
Ji You, before rising to fame, had often won by striking unexpectedly. But in a battle of Dao Fusion Stage experts, he would not get a second chance.
By assigning one person solely to counter his flying swords while the others maintained their skirmishes, the plan ensured a single mid Dao Fusion expert could eliminate a mid Mystic Enlightenment cultivator like Ji You with ease.
Hum!
As the old woman raised her blade, the battlefield shifted!
As planned, the five Manor Lords took their respective roles—Tai Zhen fixed his attention on the flying swords, holding the central position, while the others engaged their respective targets.
Ji You turned his gaze toward Manor Lord Ri Sheng. “You’re alone.”
“??”
Manor Lord Ri Sheng scoffed at Ji You’s boldness and surged forward, his blade imbued with crushing force.
Ji You instantly drew his sword, his blade clashing against the iron saber, sending sparks flying.
Exchange swords! Exchange swords! Exchange swords!
Of the seven swords, Ji You had sent out four to disrupt his enemies’ focus. That left him with three, which he seamlessly rotated mid-battle.
Then, with a resounding clang, he executed a direct strike, forcing Manor Lord Ri Sheng back before suddenly shifting tactics.
A weighty yet swift sword intent surged forth.
Ji You’s relentless blade attacks were all powered by his abundant Spirit Qi, dazzling in execution yet fueled by just two alternating swords.
The third sword, however, carried the intent of Little Overlapping Mountain.
Boom!
Manor Lord Ri Sheng staggered back three paces, his arms trembling from the impact. Wariness flooded his gaze. “You and I should only be evenly matched!”
Previously, he and Tai Zhen had fought Ji You together, savoring the thrill of battle, never realizing the truth.
“No,” Ji You corrected him. “You’re going to die.”
“Mystic Enlightenment serves as the foundation for Dao Fusion, but your talent is lacking. You haven’t merged Dao Laws, nor do you possess the Accompaniment of Myriad Techniques. To me, you’re merely a stronger Mystic Enlightenment cultivator, far inferior to Gong Shu Chou.”
Manor Lord Ri Sheng roared, saber slashing forth. “Even if I lack Dao Laws, do you truly think a Mystic Enlightenment cultivator can kill a Dao Fusion expert?!”
Ji You suddenly raised his sword.
An overwhelming sword aura surged skyward, its windstorm tearing through the treetops.
[Little Overlapping Mountain, New Willow Color, Return and Come—though only four strikes, these are my life’s work, embodying all my understanding of the Way of the Sword.]
[Throughout my life, I have pursued swordsmanship, seeking the strongest blade.]
[I wanted it heavy—thus, Little Overlapping Mountain.]
[I wanted it sharp—thus, New Willow Color.]
[Later, I desired speed—thus, Return and Come.]
[But in the end, I realized that beyond weight, sharpness, and speed, a sword must also be pure.]
[Ji brat, you are not a disciple of Spirit Sword Mountain, so I will not teach you.]
[But in the end, I will personally strike you down with Thought Without Evil, the purest sword strike. Whether you grasp its essence is up to you.]
[A sword that is utterly pure—only such a sword can sever everything.]
The entire mountain stilled.
Under the moon’s luminous glow—or perhaps, beneath the sword’s radiance—blood sprayed as Manor Lord Ri Sheng was sent flying.
The old woman of Floating Smoke Mountain Estate’s eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile, Pei Ru Yi recalled a conversation from after the Autumn Duel.
[If Chu He had lasted into the second match and had more techniques yet to unveil, would you still have won?]
[I would have.]
[Truly?]
[I had more techniques yet to reveal as well.]
Ji You withdrew his sword, smiling at the old woman. “Your turn. Are you looking forward to it?”
Cao Jin Song roared, “Let me handle this dried-up old hag!”
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)