Chapter 297: Under Desperate Circumstances
The night was like water, and heavy snow pressed down upon the Imperial Palace.
At this moment, the Imperial Palace was in chaos. A large number of Forbidden Martial Guards were advancing, the sound of hooves rang out incessantly, and the entire Zhenyang Imperial City was shrouded beneath surging Demon Clouds, incomparably oppressive.
One of the palaces was under siege by a great number of demons. Upon the eaves, Ji Ya stood alone against demons attacking from all directions. He continuously unleashed the Nine Heavens Divine Palm; with each palm strike, large numbers of demons were blasted away, some even exploding directly into blood mist.
From Ji Ya’s perspective, demons were climbing endlessly over the distant palace walls, surging toward him. Beneath the dark night, the sight of these demons converging together carried an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Even Ji Ya, whose Vital Energy was vast and surging, felt secretly alarmed.
In the night sky, countless ghosts circled overhead. The various scenes resembled the descent of an apocalypse.
Ji Ya had a strong feeling that he might fall here.
Yet there was confusion in his heart. Who exactly was the mastermind behind this, and what did they intend to do? To deal with him alone, was such a display truly necessary?
Even if he might die, Ji Ya felt no fear.
Had he not cultivated for so many years precisely for this day?
His Master had arranged for him to investigate the Imperial Palace Haunting; he would complete it no matter what.
As he fought, he scanned all directions, searching for anything suspicious.
At the same time—
Liu Jing had already been surrounded by the Imperial Palace’s Forbidden Martial Guards. Even with a great army protecting him, he found it difficult to remain calm. Not only him—even the soldiers trembled in fear. They had never witnessed such a scene.
Demons and ghosts ran rampant within the Imperial Palace, making them feel as though they were trapped in a nightmare.
“What is going on? Are there really this many demons and ghosts?”
“Could they have come from the north?”
“So His Majesty’s worries were real—there truly are ghosts causing trouble…”
“The Xuan Dynasty has only just been founded. The realm has finally found peace with great difficulty—how can we allow evil entities to destroy it?”
The soldiers spoke in shock and suspicion. Some were afraid, some furious, and some tried to raise morale.
Watching Ji Ya stand alone against the demon horde, their courage steadily grew.
A Consort landed upon the nearby eaves and said, “Do not act rashly. Protect His Majesty well. If you charge in recklessly, you will only burden Senior Brother Ji Ya.”
She had once been a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect and had been sent by her family to marry Liu Jing in alliance.
There were several consorts like her within the palace. They were quite united, making Liu Jing and the other consorts wary of offending them. Their status was even higher than Liu Jing’s.
Liu Jing snapped back to his senses and immediately issued an order forbidding the Forbidden Martial Guards from approaching the battlefield ahead.
Relying on the Nine Heavens Divine Palm, Ji Ya fought with broad and forceful movements, as though no matter how many demons and ghosts came, they could do nothing to him.
Liu Jing watched in amazement.
Such a formidable Ji Ya had not even been the strongest genius at the Grand Dao Tournament years ago. The foundation of the Clear Sky Sect was truly terrifying.
Ji Ya alone could easily overturn his Imperial Authority, let alone the tens of thousands of Immortal Cultivators within the Clear Sky Sect.
Rumble—
A thunderclap suddenly resounded, startling Liu Jing and the Forbidden Martial Guards into looking upward. Within the rolling Demon Clouds overhead, lightning flashed. When the lightning illuminated the sky, they saw an enormous figure.
It was some terrifying demonic avian—massive in body, eagle-like in shape, exuding immense pressure.
Liu Jing’s face turned pale. Facing such an enemy, he did not know what to do.
If he withdrew from the Imperial Palace, he feared encountering demon attacks. If he remained, he trembled in fear.
Ji Ya did not share such emotions. Having fought to this point, he had already understood—the target of these demons and ghosts was not Liu Jing, but him, a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect.
The so-called haunting might have been nothing more than bait to force the Clear Sky Sect to send disciples.
If that was the case, then he would fight without restraint!
Ji Ya immediately cast the Mountain Lord Divine Incantation, summoning four Mountain Lords in one breath, then charged in a direction away from Liu Jing.
The Mountain Lords ran wildly, overturning and tearing apart demons along the way, unstoppable.
Just as Ji Ya had expected, wherever he went, the demons followed.
The ghosts in the sky did not attack him. Perhaps they lacked the ability to harm others. Their appearance was either meant to frighten people or was the manifestation of some formation.
Ji Ya believed the Demon Clouds covering the Imperial City were certainly no mere decoration. The fact that no Clear Sky Sect disciples had come to reinforce him proved as much.
Clear Sky Sect disciples were spread across the realm. The commotion of his battle was so great that nearby disciples would certainly have come to support him.
“It seems I have already fallen into desperate straits.”
Ji Ya thought silently, his gaze growing ever more resolute.
For some reason, he even felt a trace of excitement.
Since joining the Clear Sky Sect, he had always appeared dutiful, honest, even somewhat dull. But only he knew that deep in his heart, he harbored many ambitions and many thoughts—he simply did not wish to express them.
He frequently went to the Martial Arena not to seek out shortcomings, but simply because he loved to fight.
The battle scenario he most desired had arrived.
Facing ten thousand alone was worthy of the vast Vital Energy that far surpassed others in his realm!
In tonight’s battle, he would prove what he had learned. He would bring glory to his Master. And he would eliminate a threat for the sect!
A terrifying surge of Demonic Energy suddenly arose ahead. Ji Ya looked up and sensed that the opponent was also in the Spirit Perception Realm—its cultivation was even higher than his—but he remained fearless.
“Perhaps your constitution is not merely abundant in Vital Energy. Your physical body still has far more untapped potential.”
Ji Ya recalled his Master’s advice. Now was the opportunity—to break through his own limits amid desperate straits.
From the night sky’s perspective, Ji Ya running across the eaves seemed so small, while demons from all directions surged toward him like a black tide.
Meanwhile, battles also erupted in the city districts outside the Imperial Palace. Some Clear Sky Sect disciples temporarily staying there tried to rush to support him, but were intercepted by demons in the streets. The common people cried out, buildings collapsed—everything resembled a scene from hell.
…
Night.
Li Qingqiu arrived at Yuan Li’s courtyard. Yuan Li was recuperating from his injuries inside. Seeing the brightly lit window, Li Qingqiu hesitated.
After standing still for a moment, Li Qingqiu stepped forward, came to Yuan Li’s door, and raised his hand to knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Hearing his Master’s voice, Yuan Li hurriedly rose. From the sounds within, he was clearly flustered.
He quickly opened the door and saluted Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu could sense the chaos in his Blood Essence. It seemed he had injured himself again while studying body cultivation.
“There is something I must tell you. It is not good news.” Li Qingqiu looked at Yuan Li as he spoke. He did not intend to enter the room.
For such a tragedy, he would not offer preamble. No amount of preparation would make it easier.
Yuan Li looked up at Li Qingqiu, panic in his expression. All day he had felt uneasy. Now that his Master had come to see him, he instantly guessed what it concerned.
For him, bad news could only involve his elder brother, Yuan Qi.
Coupled with the earlier demon attack on Clear Sky Mountain, his heart sank into an abyss. His limbs turned cold.
Li Qingqiu sighed and said, “Zhongtian Immortal City was attacked. More than five hundred disciples were killed or wounded. Yuan Qi has fallen.”
Boom!
It was as though Yuan Li had been struck by lightning. He froze in place.
Everything before his eyes began to sway. An overwhelming sense of suffocation filled him with terror.
The uncontrollable pounding of his heart intensified, like war drums sounding beside his ears—louder and faster—until it seemed as though the entire world would explode.
This chapter still counts as yesterday’s. My coughing was too severe last night and delayed me—sorry, QAQ.