Chapter 156: Ji Hongzhu

Gu Xijin landed silently.

Upon landing, without even glancing at Fang Junmei, the white horse, and the other follower, he brushed his waist and drew a azure-bladed long sword. His piercing gaze locked onto the direction of that door, his back held ramrod straight.

His aura remained tranquil, yet to Fang Junmei, his companion, and the white horse, it evoked a strange sensation. Although Gu Xijin was merely standing there casually, he gave the impression of a sky-clearing sword standing erect between heaven and earth.

Man and sword, standing proudly between heaven and earth.

The man was the sword; the sword was the man.

Invisible, rustling sword qi silently circulated around Gu Xijin, stirring up the dust from the surrounding ruins and sending it whirling into the air, where it too orbited around him.

While that rustling sword qi was invisible, the dust was visible to the naked eye, wrapping around Gu Xijin like a shell of earth.

Yet as Gu Xijin stood there, he simultaneously seemed to exist in another world.

This sensation was illusory and hazy, almost tricking one into thinking it was merely an illusion.

Fang Junmei and Luan Shi Daolang watched with great shock in their hearts.

From not too far away, Long Jinyi’s pupils also constricted as he muttered to himself:

"Is this the new progress you achieved after meeting that mortal-shedding expert?"

......

Time trickled away bit by bit.

This final fellow took longer than anyone else. If the difficulty was similar, it indicated that this person's strength was likely inferior to Gu Xijin and the other two.

Fang Junmei calculated quietly and estimated that there were still five days left before the one-month deadline.

On this day, a figure finally stepped out silently. Dressed in a brilliant crimson monk's robe, with an enchanting face and bare snow-white feet, it was none other than Ji Hongzhu, the senior female disciple of the current generation of Wild Fox Nunnery. A protective barrier of light hovered above her.

As it turned out, the cultivator behind this final door was her.

The moment Ji Hongzhu stepped out, her eyes fell upon Gu Xijin. Upon seeing him, her pupils violently constricted. Without uttering half a word, she spun around and bolted back toward the door.

Her speed was already fast enough.

Yet Gu Xijin's sword-drawing speed was even faster!

The very instant she revealed herself, he had already drawn his sword and thrust it outward across the void. The strike was impossible for the naked eye to track, shooting forward at a speed only a fraction slower than lightning.

The naked eyes of the two men and one horse clearly saw that as this sword swept through, space itself was slashed open like a sheet of paper, leaving a black line that cleaved them in two.

"Ugh—ah—!"

A delicate, miserable shriek arrived a split second later.

So fast that Luan Shi Daolang and the white horse could not capture it with their physical eyes, the red shadow had already vanished.

With the aid of the Three-Breath Divine Stone, Fang Junmei clearly saw that this sword strike should have hit Ji Hongzhu directly in the heart, but her reaction was swift enough to evade half of it. The blow struck her right breast instead. Her protective barrier shattered like paper under the strike, yet Ji Hongzhu ultimately escaped what should have been a fatal blow.

Gu Xijin himself must have seen it as well.

Swish!

Having delivered that strike, Gu Xijin's figure flashed explosively, darting into the doorway.

Fang Junmei and the other two hurriedly followed inside.

Once inside, they saw Gu Xijin standing a few inches ahead, looking forward.

The five banner-like magical treasures that had been floating in the void ahead had vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of white mist, so thick that one could not see one's own fingers in front of a face. Ji Hongzhu, who had miraculously survived, must have already escaped into the formation and activated this grand array.

When she had emerged earlier, Ji Hongzhu had not dismantled the formation, showing that she harbored some suspicions about the situation outside, even if she did not know who precisely was waiting.

"Gu Xijin, if you have the guts, try chasing me into my formation!"

A sharp, sinister female voice echoed from within the formation, laced with heart-wrenching pain and hatred, entirely devoid of the myriad charms she had displayed when entering the Boundless Light Realm.

Gu Xijin remained silent, his brow furrowed.

Clearly, he possessed no deep understanding of the Dao of formations.

After a moment of silence, he looked toward Fang Junmei and Luan Shi Daolang. Both shook their heads.

"Hahaha—"

Laughter drifted out from within the formation as Ji Hongzhu said, "They all say you, Gu Xijin, are the number one person of our generation, yet you still have to ask two kids for a method? I am waiting for you right here in the formation, come on in if you dare!"

At the very end of her words, her voice reverted to its previous soul-stirring tone, as if she were inviting a lover into her bedchamber. Drifting into Fang Junmei's ears, even with his firm resolve, it made his mind sway helplessly.

As for Luan Shi Daolang, a fellow accustomed to wild ways, needless to say, his gaze became infatuated.

As for Gu Xijin, he remained utterly unmoved, merely saying coldly: "Ji Hongzhu, put away your cheap soul-hooking demonic voice!"

Within the white mist, Ji Hongzhu gave a cold snort.

Seeing that he could not break the formation, Gu Xijin's gaze hardened. Golden light burst forth from his body as he began executing sword incantations toward the front—it was none other than the Lesser Zhou Tian Square-Circle Sword Technique that Duan Qingkuang had once unleashed.

Gu Xijin's sword radiance swept outward, sending square, orderly rays of sword energy flying forth to strike into the white mist ahead. The destructive power contained within them was countless times stronger than what Duan Qingkuang had displayed.

The square sword qi flew into the mist!

The thick white mist churned heavily a few times, and then... there was no other reaction.

Gu Xijin's expression gradually grew solemn.

Fang Junmei, his companion, and the horse naturally could not think of any solutions either; their attacks were far weaker.

After persisting with fruitless attacks for the span of half a cup of tea, Gu Xijin finally gave up.

"Hahaha—"

Ji Hongzhu's triumphant laughter rang out from the mist once again: "The formation I set up was specially deduced by several elders of our Wild Fox Nunnery for this secret realm trip. With just you, Gu Xijin, you are simply not qualified to break it."

Hearing this, a sharp glare flashed through Gu Xijin's eyes. Without uttering half a word, he reached into his storage bag and pulled out an object glowing with earthy-yellow light.

Strikingly, it was another supreme magical treasure identical in shape and size to the golden jade seal resting in Lightning's belly, radiating the aura of earth-elemental energy.

"Go!"

With a wave of his hand, Gu Xijin tossed the treasure outward. The earthy-yellow jade seal soared into the sky, projections of rolling yellow mountain ranges manifesting around its body. Carrying a vast, space-shattering roar, it slammed directly toward the formation ahead.

Boom—!

With a deafening explosion, shockwaves raged wildly, directly hurling Fang Junmei, Luan Shi Daolang, and Lightning—who were not standing far away—smack into the doors.

Gu Xijin himself swayed unsteadily amidst the shockwaves.

Boom! Boom!

After smashing down five times in succession, Gu Xijin finally stopped. The earthy-yellow jade seal returned to his hand, yet the look in his eyes as he stared ahead grew increasingly grave.

That white mist churned even more densely than before, like boiling water, yet showed no signs of the grand array breaking.

"Gu Xijin, you've even used a supreme magical treasure. Are you—ready to give up now?"

Ji Hongzhu's voice returned, adding, "You can stay and guard outside my formation all you like. There are three days left before this secret realm closes. As long as I hold out for three more days, I will be able to leave. At worst, neither of us gets the supreme fortune at the very center."

The situation developing to this point was certainly not what Gu Xijin had envisioned. Formidable though he was, he had still underestimated other cultivators.

Fang Junmei and the others frowned as well.

If they could not obtain the jade seal in Ji Hongzhu's possession, the ones in their own hands would become useless as well, leaving them to pin their hopes on their disciples returning a millennium later. Yet, being cultivators with exceedingly high pride and grand ambitions, who would be willing to wait a thousand years? Moreover, that fortune might no longer belong to them by then.

Who knew what unexpected events might transpire over the course of those thousand years?

What to do?

What to do?

Gu Xijin's gaze flashed rapidly. After pondering for a good while, he said, "Ji Hongzhu, this round, you win. Name your conditions; you surely don't want to miss out on this fortune either."

"Hahahaha—"

Wild laughter abruptly erupted as Ji Hongzhu chuckled mockingly, "Gu Xijin, you truly are a smart man, understanding the logic of putting interests above all else better than we demonic cultivators. Since you put it that way, I generously let go of the grudge from the sword strike you landed on me earlier. As for the conditions, I need to think about them slowly—at the very least, I must wait until my injuries heal."

Her tone was brimming with the playful amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

Waiting for her injuries to heal could take who knows how many days; the opponent clearly intended to bleed Gu Xijin dry.

Gu Xijin felt depressed and helpless. This time, he had lost not only to Ji Hongzhu, but to Long Jinyi as well.

For a moment, silence descended upon the grand hall.

And since Ji Hongzhu had taken that sword strike, her injuries must have been quite severe; otherwise, she would have long since retaliated with her jade seal.

......

"Brother Gu, Junmei, I've thought of a cunning idea. I wonder if the two of you would be interested in hearing it."

After the span of a tea ceremony, Luan Shi Daolang suddenly transmitted his voice to both of them simultaneously.

"Speak!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Gu Xijin's eyes. Being in such a passive position was truly the greatest humiliation of his life.

Luan Shi Daolang said, "Ji Hongzhu likely doesn't know about the... well, let's call it the special relationship between you and Long Jinyi. Like everyone else, she probably assumes you and Long Jinyi are mortal enemies. If we put on a show with him, letting him come inside and giving Ji Hongzhu a chance to ally with him, we might just easily have him slaughter Ji Hongzhu for us."

Upon hearing this, the two men's pupils constricted.

Inside and outside the door were two different worlds. As long as Ji Hongzhu could not step outside, she had no way of knowing what was happening out here. Therefore, this plan was by no means unfeasible.

However, the specific execution required careful planning to avoid letting Ji Hongzhu discover any flaws.

The three immediately began plotting in secret.

After a short half-hour, Gu Xijin shouted, "You two, get out there and guard the entrance. If any other cultivators approach this place, come inside immediately and inform me."

"Understood, Brother."

"Understood, Senior Brother."

The two acknowledged the order and led the white horse outside. This was the first time Fang Junmei had addressed Gu Xijin as Senior Brother; for the sake of that subsequent fortune, he was truly going all out. It also showed that Gu Xijin had won a measure of his respect.

......

Silence returned to the grand hall.

"Senior Brother, Long Jinyi is heading this way!"

More than half an hour later, Fang Junmei rushed back inside, shouting in a flustered manner.

"What? Why would that traitor come here?!"

Gu Xijin sprang to his feet, first establishing his stance of being irreconcilable with Long Jinyi, before shouting angrily, "We cannot let him enter and ally with this vixen. Keep him outside! Oh no—my divine soul and magical power were consumed too heavily when I used that jade seal earlier, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop him!"

Before his voice had even faded, Gu Xijin dashed outward.