The wound was deep enough to expose bone, but it was only in the extremities and did not hit any vital organs, so its impact on Qu Jin's movements was even more limited.
Ji Mofan was unable to completely break through the opponent's defense, and if this continued, he would be unable to use any spiritual power at most in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Qu Jin clearly knew this as well, so he didn't even attack in the previous moves, but just retreated and defended, stalling for time by keeping Ji Mofan occupied.
If he succeeds, Ji Mofan will have no chance to resist, and the enraged Qu Jin will likely resort to even more vicious methods.
We need to find a way to break this deadlock as soon as possible.
Amidst the flashing blades and swirling swords, petals scattered. A few unlucky ones landed right on the sword tip and were instantly cleaved in two by the spreading sword energy.
The fragments of the flower froze into ice and fell onto the bluestone pavement with a thud.
"boom!"
The sword, imbued with the weight of a thousand pounds of immortal bone, slashed down with such force that it seemed capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.
The petals scattered on the ground were swept up by the strong wind, like pebbles thrown into a lake, creating huge waves, and were blown away in all directions.
Unfortunately, Ji Mofan was fast, but Qu Jin reacted even faster. What was shattered in place was merely an afterimage; the real body had already flown to the eaves of the pavilion.
He lightly touched the exquisitely carved mythical beast with his toes, looking down at the swaying Ji Mo Fan on the ground.
“It’s over,” he said.
Ji Mofan's fingers, which were holding the Immortal Bone, trembled slightly.
The longsword formed from his spiritual power also flickered erratically, dissipating into specks of spiritual light after a few breaths.
He could only use the snow sword as a crutch, but he still couldn't suppress the taste of blood in his throat and suddenly vomited a mouthful of scarlet blood.
“...Yes, it’s over.” he said in a low voice.
"Even at this point, you can still laugh?" Qu Jin bowed slightly.
The sky had already darkened, and the moon climbed to the treetops, casting a soft light. Qu Jin's figure was backlit, and a blurry shadow was cast down, covering Ji Mofan, but due to the changing angle of the moon, it gradually lost its ability to conceal his figure.
Something seemed to flash in my peripheral vision.
Before Qu Jin could even try to figure out what it was, he heard Ji Mofan let out a soft laugh, this time with a clear expression.
"This is the state of affairs? Your Excellency's words make it sound as if I have reached the end of my rope." He lifted his eyelids, his eyes gleaming like stars in the darkness.
Suddenly, flashes of spiritual energy emanated from the bluestone pavement beneath Ji Mofan's feet, which had been scrambled by the sword light.
Qu Jin frowned slightly.
An array? Strangely, he didn't notice any medium left behind when the kid set up the array.
Following the spiritual light, the gaze landed on a half-chopped petal, the ice crystals on it not yet completely melted, reflecting a cold light under the nourishment of the spiritual energy.
Tsk, how cunning. So they sealed the spiritual power inside the petals with ice. That way, it won't be a clue until the ice melts.
After several twists and turns in his mind, Qu Jin finally understood the key point, but in reality, not even a breath had passed. Even if he understood, Qu Jin didn't have time to stop the formation from forming.
A sudden burst of inspiration struck.
This time, the momentum was even stronger than when Ji Mofan used the immortal bone to transform into a sword. The surrounding peach branches were blasted into pieces, and amidst the flying sand and stones, the sound of shattering could be heard.
The sound was amplified in a short time, and cracks spread throughout the invisible barrier, like a semi-circular spider web being constructed in mid-air. The next moment, it shattered with a bang, turning into specks of spiritual light and dissipating into nothingness.
Ji Mofan immediately threw out several communication talismans.
Originally, it was to prevent Qu Jin from stopping some of them, but unexpectedly, the latter did not make any move and just stood on the high place quietly looking down at him.
"You've got some nerve," he suddenly chuckled.
But Ji Mofan couldn't detect any joy in that laughter; instead, he sensed an overwhelming malice.
"It was all forced upon us." Ji Mofan took a deep breath, suppressing the churning taste of blood in his throat.
It's alright. The damage to his body from extracting the immortal bone seems to be less than he expected. Although he can't use spiritual power, he can still move his body without any problems.
Qu Jin stared at him intently for a long time.
Then he suddenly raised his hand and waved to the other side of the courtyard.
Ji Mofan followed the gaze and saw the boy who had led him in earlier appear once again under the moon gate.
He seemed oblivious to the flying grass and stones around him, walking straight along the stone path without looking to the side.
"Looking like this, you probably won't be able to participate in tomorrow's Dao Asking Conference, right?" Qu Jin cast a cleansing spell on him, cleaning away the bloodstains completely, and at first glance, he really did look like a healthy person.
"Let Xiao Jin take you for treatment. You should get some rest."
Ji Mofan didn't say anything because he was really tired.
The reason he so swiftly extracted the immortal bone wasn't solely for the purpose of resistance.
Qu Jin's reaction was clearly an attempt to restrict his movements, and the biggest impact would be on the schedule of the upcoming Inquiry Tournament.
With such a serious injury, his chances of winning tomorrow's match are slim; it would be good enough if he could even make it to the ring.
But he had no other choice.
At least he still has some freedom after having his immortal bones extracted; if he were truly controlled by others, who knows if he would even survive to leave alive.
Having actually fought Qu Jin, he also understood the man's swordsmanship.
Xu Jingwen's deduction is most likely correct; Qu Jin has indeed taken the lives of many innocent people.
His spiritual root was a mixture of many things; it wasn't his own talent, but something he forcibly took from others.
It goes against one's own will, and therefore it is incompatible with his power, so only about 30% of it can be exerted.
But the sheer number of them was overwhelming.
Yet, he was not shrouded in an aura of death.
He had robbed others of their future, yet his hands remained clean, unstained by any blood.
The only explanation is that someone else did it for him.
Ji Mofan was being supported by a servant named Xiao Jin beside him. His eyebrows were lowered, and his eyes flashed in the dim light.
"Your name is Xiao Jin?" he asked. "May I ask how long you've been following the Venerable One?"
"It's been more than two years," Xiao Jin replied politely, her tone neither overly solicitous nor dismissive.
"Are you the only servant in the Supreme Venerable's Hall?" Ji Mo Fan asked again.
“The Venerable One does not like too many people disturbing his meditation,” Xiao Jin replied.
"Did the Venerable One send you to Qiuguan City some time ago?" Ji Mo Fan asked cautiously as he continued, "I think I've seen you there before."
“The Venerable One often sends me down the mountain to do things for him,” Xiao Jin answered expressionlessly, seemingly without any problem.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of him, Ji Mofan simply raised his hand and chopped a blade into the back of his neck.
Xiao Jin couldn't even utter a sound before collapsing into a limp ball.
Before he fell, Ji Mofan grabbed his collar to prevent him from hitting his head on the ground. His shoe tip then kicked at the clenched fist, sending a flash of silver light flying into the grass.
It was a silver needle, with a faint purple glow on it.
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