Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Hmph! Just a hound of the court, and you think the Desolate God Sect can't kill them?"

Don't be fooled by the giant ape's muscular appearance; its skill in shifting blame is not lacking.

Seeing Jiang Li blatantly lying, he didn't hesitate to shift the blame onto the Devil God Sect, and clearly, this wasn't his first time doing so. It's likely that the giant ape actually held a position within the Devil God Sect.

While speaking, the giant ape in mid-air bent its right leg back and, with agility rivaling that of its arms, pulled out a large spear from behind. Its foot grasped the spear, thrusting it down through the air.

"Boom!"

The spear tip collided with the Dragon Claw, sparking thunderous flashes, streaking like a serpent and emitting streams of blue smoke, while the spear shaft shattered inch by inch, exploding into countless wooden splinters.

Immediately, the giant ape abandoned the spear and stomped in mid-air, causing a blast of air. It leaped upward, flipping over and a large saber was already in its hand, slashing down with a force capable of splitting mountains.

"Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."

Jiang Li's mind stirred, the Three Flowers blossomed atop his Heavenly Spirit, covered by Three Lights, and when the large saber struck the Three Flowers, it dipped slightly but failed to reach Jiang Li's body.

However, the enormous strength of the giant ape forced Jiang Li's figure to sink downwards, causing the ground beneath him to cave in.

The giant ape was a Devil Cultivator, harbored a Dao Fruit that specifically strengthened the physical body—a Mountain Demon. Although it lacked supernatural abilities, its strength was astonishingly great.

"I've pinned him down," declared the giant ape as its feet hit the ground. Its tall frame tensed with muscles popping, and it pressed the large saber downwards, shouting loudly.

Behind them, four blur figures shot forward, each with bizarre and grotesque forms, clearly all Devil Cultivators.

But in the very next moment, the Shangqing Five Warriors Talisman patterns appeared on Jiang Li's back, greatly increasing his strength. The Dragon Claw dispersed, and with both palms coming together above, he clamped the large saber, twisting it with unparalleled strength until the blade started to deform.

"No, he's overpowering me," the giant ape cried out.

The saber twisted into a lump of scrap metal, and Jiang Li thrust his palms forward; his crystal-like palms, imbued with the Innate Mountain Qi and taking on the hue of rock, pounded towards the giant ape.

Under the horror and astonishment, the giant ape still didn't forget to abandon the saber and throw punches like large hammers, meeting the mountain-like palms. The immense forces collided, causing a blast wave.

"Boom!"

Accompanying the roaring was the sound of surging waves. Blood streaks appeared on the giant ape's hands, where the blood vessels burst from the internal pressure, and then...

The giant ape's arms exploded into gory wounds, blood spurting out like blades, with flesh flying everywhere.

Although Jiang Li had never practiced the Body Refining Method, his Essence Element was not less than the Qi Element or Divine Essence, further strengthened by talismanic magic. Both were of Seventh Rank, but even specialized physical bodies were no match for Jiang Li.

Under the formidable force of his palms, the giant ape's limbs were blasted away from its torso. Jiang Li pushed forward again, powerful handprints stamped across the chest, protruding out the back, and sending the giant ape flying through the air like a broken sack.

Simultaneously, patterns of divination merged into a compass on the ground. Gongsun Qingyue pinched a sword formula, and streams of Sword Qi burst from the ground, intricately interwoven, dissecting those four Devil Cultivators chaotically.

It all happened in the space of a few breaths, and the attacking Devil Cultivators were all dead.

But their purpose had been achieved.

The location of Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue was completely exposed.

"Let's go."

Jiang Li grabbed Gongsun Qingyue's arm, took to the winds, and rushed out of the mountain range, streaking across the night sky towards their ancestral land.

But no sooner had they just flown up when a dark figure rapidly streaked across the sky.

With a black body, crimson hair, green eyes, and a face as ferocious as a demon, the terrifying dark figure crashed towards them like a meteor.

In the brief moment of lightning and sparks, Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue both mobilized their energy, forming layers of Qi Armor in front of them.

"Yin Talisman Seven Techniques·Nourishing Spirit Method Spirit Turtle."

Impenetrable and immovable, perfect techniques formed a Qi wall in front of them, and as the shadow collided with it, it struck like a comet hitting the ground, generating a massive tremor.

"Boom!"

This move required utter stillness and the abandonment of all actions, including air and wind control.

Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue, although they managed to block this sudden fierce attack, were struck apart and fell towards opposite sides. The shadow in the air also stopped, raising its hooked claws like fingers and slashing out a blade with a dim green flame, which transformed into a blade light and chopped at the Qi wall.

"Hiss!"

The Qi wall, formed by the concept of Perfection, had a gap cut into it by the blade light, the eerie green light reflecting in Jiang Li's eyes, where he saw strands of Yin Qi surge and condense into a blade, sending a sinister and domineering Blade Energy directly towards him.

"Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."

Behind the Qi wall were the Three Flowers, and Jiang Li employed the ability of Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, with Three Lights Protection, to block the blade light. The flowers visibly dimmed by a third before finally stopping the blade light.

But that ghostly figure made another move from afar, simultaneously releasing dozens of green blade lights that tore through the air rapidly, filling Jiang Li's vision.

Fast! Dense! Powerful!

The speed of the blade lights made it impossible to dodge; the density compensated for any weaknesses and thin spots in the Qi, and the power left Jiang Li no room for negligence.

Considering this ghost-like being's strength, it had not yet reached fifth-rank but was also not one to be underrated by Jiang Jingyuan or Ming Yang.

The former was merely a bottom-tier sixth rank, while the latter, though a genius from the Imperial College, lacked the depth of years and was far less capable than those seasoned sixth ranks.

This person was undoubtedly among the cultivators who had spent many years at sixth rank.

At that moment, Jiang Li manifested the appearance of the Divine Farmer, with red patterns in the shape of talismans crossing over each other and his mind clear as a mirror. He marshaled the eight qi around his body, which instantly transformed like a Heaven and Earth Net covering the blade lights.

Streams of Primordial Qi surged like flood dragons, suddenly coalescing into a giant dragon head, prepared to swallow the dozens of blade lights.

However, just then, the ghostly figure waved its palm, and a green ghostly fire exploded inside the dragon head, shattering it and sending a Vigorous Qi Wave bursting forth. Jiang Li, caught in its path, helplessly flew backward in midair, plummeting directly from the sky.

"Jiang Li."

Seeing this, Gongsun Qingyue immediately manifested starlight in her brow center and was about to reveal her trump card, even if it meant overkilling for such adversary, she couldn't care less.

But at that moment, on a mountain peak below, a grand Qi Mechanism appeared; Ming Yang held a book, tore a page, and tossed it in the air.

"The world has mountains, retreat; a noble man keeps away from petty men, not out of spite but with dignity."

The world has mountains, the mountains rise, and the heavens retreat. Yin grows as Yang fades, the petty gain power, and the noble retreat, preserving wisdom to await the chance to save the world.

The page flew into the air, manifesting a giant divination diagram that covered Jiang Li and whisked him away with the speed of thunder, disappearing into the horizon.

At the same time, Ji Chengye's figure appeared behind Ming Yang, speaking politely: "Jiang Li has left, cousin, there is no need for conflict between us now."

While speaking, Ji Chengye gently waved his hand, the ghostly figure landing behind him, and his body also manifested a grand Qi Mechanism, facing Gongsun Qingyue.

"Where have you sent him?" Gongsun Qingyue, controlling her sword to lower her altitude, looked impassively at her kinsman, as if gauging the timing of her next move.

"Naturally, I gave him a chance to confront Jiang Wuming," Ji Chengye smiled. "I am curious to see if a mad fifth-rank can kill Jiang Li, who has just used a powerful move."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Qingyue's face turned as cold and hard as a layer of frost.

She looked deeply at Ji Chengye, then at Ming Yang, saying: "One 'Qian Trigram', one 'Dun Trigram', having lost these two trump cards, I am indeed curious if you can leave Yong Province alive."

Her words lacked overt lethality but were filled with threats. Although she addressed Ming Yang, her meaning also targeted Ji Chengye.

If there was a real chance to kill Ji Chengye, Gongsun Qingyue might not hesitate to do so.

"Then, cousin, let's wait and see," Ji Chengye said with a smile.

"Let's see if Jiang Li and cousin return to the Dinghu Sect, or if we both face calamity."

Jiang Li still had a good chance of surviving, albeit small, but if he used up his last card, he would have no choice but to return dejectedly to the Sect. As for the Jiang family, they would either stay in Yong Province and face targeting, or they would have to relocate, giving up their ancestral land.

Either way, it was good news for Ji Chengye.