Chapter 42 relies on strength in the spiritual cultivation competition; the leader of the Dingsheng Sect...
“You two are always sticking together, it’s really hard to get anything done.” Ji Mingran leaned closer and looked at Jin Yu, who had her head down.
"You think that by separating me from my brother, I can't beat you?" Jin Yu was furious. She slapped Ji Mingran's head with a palm, the wind of her palm was fierce and powerful, but it stopped a few inches away from Ji Mingran's forehead and could not fall.
Something seemed to be blocking her attack, and disbelief flashed in Jin Yu's eyes.
She was a body cultivator, skilled in close combat; within Yaofeng, apart from disciples with higher cultivation levels, no one could rival her. After suppressing Ji Mingran, she was first captured by him in one fell swoop, and then firmly held in place, unable to break free—how could this be!
The spiritual power in Jin Yu's palm surged, and a slight cracking sound came from somewhere in the air. His palm barely moved an inch, but only an inch.
Her bright, curved eyebrows, though not smiling, were close at hand. She heard Ji Mingran say, "No, it's just that this will be more interesting."
Her heart pounded nervously. Jin Yu averted her gaze slightly, looking past Ji Mingran towards her brother who was rushing towards them. She saw him standing a hundred meters away, surrounded by howling winds that whipped up countless branches and twigs that struck towards them. However, the overwhelming wind blades seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall, bouncing off in mid-air and unable to advance an inch.
Her attacks were the same; they couldn't penetrate that damned barrier.
"The Vajra Formation," she heard the person, whose face was covered in red bloodstains but whose eyes shone even brighter, say. "Isn't it very effective?"
Those eyes were extremely close to her, and Jin Yu felt goosebumps all over her body. In a fit of excitement, she channeled all her spiritual energy to its limit, gathered her strength, and slammed backward. The rocks shattered, and a gap appeared in the space that bound her. She leaned back and then leaped to the side, successfully breaking free from her restraints.
"You said I was too slow just now, how about now?"
Ji Mingran's figure appeared instantly in front of Jin Yu, then vanished just as quickly, reappearing ten meters away directly in front of Jin Lü. However, the moment Jin Lü outside the Vajra Formation lunged at the figure before her, Ji Mingran had already appeared on the other side, then continued to flash in various places. Ji Mingran's teleportation speed increased rapidly, his figures overlapping one after another, until finally Jin Yu was surrounded by dozens of figures.
"Then, which one is me?" Dozens of Ji Mingrans asked in unison.
"Whatever." Jin Yu's eyes turned red. She gritted her teeth and made a hand seal. Her red and gold figure shot out with the force of thunder. Amidst the flying dust and grass clippings, dozens of figures were pierced through and completely disappeared.
Before she could make a second move, a gray figure suddenly appeared, swooping down from the sky and knocking Jin Yu to the ground. Jin Yu tried to struggle to get up, but as soon as she raised her head, she was shoved back to the ground, her head hitting the ground hard with a "thud".
Ji Mingran sat on Jin Yu, gripping her neck tightly with one hand again, while calmly pulling out a short wooden stick about the length of a palm with the other, and said, "I heard that you have injured thirty-two disciples since you joined the sect."
The jet-black cane dangled in front of Jin Yu's eyes, transforming into a short blade. The sunlight it reflected stung her eyes. Jin Yu struggled with her arms and legs, trying to break free, but Ji Mingran remained unmoved, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. Jin Yu angrily shouted, "Don't tell me you're going to stand up for them? They won't give me what I want, so don't blame yourself for being less skilled!"
"You're right, I'm not as skilled as you," Ji Mingran said, but his actions didn't stop.
His sister was within reach, but Jinlu, outside the Vajra Formation, could only advance slowly despite all his efforts. He clearly heard the sound of the formation cracking, but he was blocked again after advancing less than half a foot.
Jinlu gritted her teeth in resentment. How many layers of formations had Ji Mingran set up?
He clearly saw Ji Mingran pull out a sharp blade, and he shouted anxiously, "What do you want to do? Let her go!"
Ji Mingran didn't even turn his head: "I won't leave you idle." As soon as he finished speaking, dark clouds suddenly filled the sky above Jinlu's head, and a bolt of blue-purple lightning struck down, hitting Jinlu's head directly.
Smoke rose from Jinlu's head as he slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Brother!" Jin Yu cried out in anguish.
The Tu Lian Formation is a formation specifically designed to attack disciples of the Dingsheng Sect, allowing them to gain experience, excluding the person who sets up the formation. After the battle with the Golden Core Purple Scale Red Python, Ji Mingran specifically studied and practiced it, and has gained some insights.
"The disciples of Dingsheng Sect call me Grandmaster Uncle," Ji Mingran said. "Grandmaster Uncle cares deeply about the sect and also hopes that the disciples will be tempered and grow stronger."
"One." The short blade stabbed down hard, and a hole was pierced through the fair and delicate arm with a soft thud.
"Ah!" Jin Yu screamed in agony.
"Sister!" Jinlu's eyes were bloodshot. She got up from the ground and frantically tried to break through the Vajra Formation to get in from the outside.
Ji Mingran glanced back at him and said loudly, "Jinlu, don't worry, I'll take care of your sister right now!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Let her go!" Jin Yu shouted anxiously.
"Sister!" Jinlu called out again, and with a boom, blue-purple lightning struck down once more.
"...Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two." With each count, a bloody hole was pierced in Jin Yu's body, and a bolt of lightning struck Jin Lü's head.
The sect's territory was completely silent.
The newly recruited disciples swallowed hard, but couldn't utter a single sound.
They actually felt sorry for the little devil one day.
"Grandmaster Uncle, is this...is this avenging us?" a junior disciple asked cautiously.
Watching the frail little master wield his knife without hesitation, while the ferocious little devil cried out pitifully for his parents.
"Why don't they send out a helping spirit to the spirit stone?" a disciple asked, voicing a question he had never considered since the start of the competition.
"They escaped from the Hall of Punishment and are no longer protected by the sect's ancient spirit stones."
With sixteen holes pierced in each of her arms, Jin Yu lay on the ground, barely alive. Her cultivated steel-like body was completely ineffective against Ji Mingran's strange little knife, leaving her as helpless as tofu.
Turning her head to look at her brother, who was lying on the ground struggling desperately and charred beyond recognition, Jin Yu's eyes filled with tears: "If you dare to hurt me and my brother, my Jin family will never let Dingsheng Sect off the hook! Even Venerable Hongyan can't protect you!"
The hand gripping her neck tightened abruptly, her golden face flushed purple with blood, her temples throbbing as the blood vessels were forcefully suppressed. Ji Mingran moved extremely close, reflecting the dark eyes of her golden face, revealing a hysterical, withered madness.
Ji Mingran's lips curled up, and he murmured in a voice only she could hear, "Anyway, you die first."
When she first entered the sect, she immediately saw through the coldness, desolation, and madness hidden in Ji Mingran's eyes. With a wicked sense of humor, she wanted to expose Ji Mingran's deliberate concealment and feigned kindness, to show her true insights to the clan, and then keep those clear but scheming eyes as a memento.
So that's why she hid it, Jin Yu thought desperately, because Ji Mingran knew that her utterly insane and cold-blooded nature was something no ordinary person could bear, and she simply didn't want to frighten others.
"Let me go, let me go!" Jin Yu trembled as she patted Ji Mingran's hand.
"Are you afraid of death?" Ji Mingran's hand, which was raised in mid-air, paused. A look of surprise appeared in his eyes, and he found it hard to understand. "You two have been robbing, smashing, and injuring people everywhere, and you're afraid of death? That shouldn't be the case."
"Who isn't afraid of death!" Behind the two, Jinlu, still unwilling to give up entering the formation, glared at Ji Mingran, feeling that her thought process was abnormal. "Let her go."
"I understand!" Ji Mingran exclaimed as if suddenly realizing something. "So you hate her that much. Don't worry, Jinlu, I'll take care of your sister right away!"
What is she saying? Jinlu looked at Ji Mingran in horror, thinking she was a complete madwoman who couldn't understand human language: "I said let her go, what nonsense are you talking about? My sister is the treasure of the Jin family, you are not allowed to hurt her."
"Huh? You really protect her?" Ji Mingran was genuinely surprised. The books she had opened in the apocalypse clearly recorded the method of "killing with praise". Since Jin Lu did not act because he was bullied by Jin Yu, then the only reason he helped Jin Yu harm people was this.
"Don't you hate her so much that you want her dead?" Ji Mingran asked doubtfully, sincerely seeking advice: "Otherwise, you have neither the ability to cover up the trouble she caused, nor can she protect herself. Given her personality, isn't it only a matter of time before she gets beaten to death? You see."
As she spoke, the sharp blade in her hand pierced Jin Yu's neck, and blood seeped out and flowed down.
"You dare?" Jinlu roared, the wind blades howled and roared, ancient trees and bushes were uprooted, and dark pressure gathered in mid-air, as if it was about to pour down.
The ten-layered Vajra Formation collapsed and crumbled in an instant, only to be restored in a moment.
The gale took the opportunity to pass through the gaps in the formation, but its power was greatly reduced when it encountered the layers of Vajra Formation. In the end, only a gentle breeze came to Ji Mingran and lifted the stray hairs that had fallen on her cheeks.
Ji Mingran's eyebrows rose with her hair. She felt that Jinlu's question was inexplicable. "I dare." With a swift movement, the blade pierced straight through her neck. Jinyu's eyes widened, and her limbs, which had been kicking wildly, convulsed before falling limply to her sides.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Jinlu's eyes were bloodshot as she frantically pounded on the Vajra Formation, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to surge chaotically.
Seeing Jinlu acting erratically, Ji Mingran said, "So you weren't lying after all. It seems you two haven't been taught anything." With that, she swiftly drew her sword, and a blue arc of light enveloped both her and Jinyu. The bloodstains on Ji Mingran's body gradually disappeared, and the bleeding from Jinyu's neck stopped, her wounds gradually healing.
The Spirit Healing Array. After a year of practice, Ji Mingran could set up the array at any time, but her cultivation was ultimately limited, and she could not heal serious injuries or bring the dead back to life. However, she left room for maneuver when she stabbed him, enough to save Jin Yu's life.
Soon, a platinum-gold light enveloped Ji Mingran, mingling with the faint blue light emitted by the Spirit Healing Array.
The Spirit Returning Array, a formation for restoring spiritual energy, is few in number, but sufficient. Ji Mingran anticipated a battle with the Jin siblings after leaving the peak, so she repeatedly refined and stored spiritual energy in her sea of consciousness, only using it in critical moments. This is also why she preferred to walk over mountain after mountain rather than use the sect's teleportation array to go to Quanfeng for classes. Even with such frugality, the spiritual energy stored in her sea of consciousness was still not quite enough when using multiple arrays.
However, with the aid of the spirit-returning array and her ability to quickly convert external spiritual energy into her own, she was able to barely keep going.
“Look, she’s not dead,” Ji Mingran said to Jinlu.
Jinlu trembled all over, his eyes blazing with hope: "Sister, sister... thank you, thank you!" He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ji Mingran with a thud, "Please, sister, please spare her life."
“I don’t have any younger brothers or sisters,” she said. “But I do have a bunch of grandchildren, and they all call me Grandmaster Uncle.”
"I understand," Jinlu said mournfully. "Great-Grandma," he kowtowed repeatedly to Ji Mingran, crying, "Great-Grandma, please spare my granddaughter and grandson!"
“But I don’t think it’s enough.” Ji Mingran frowned, and several bolts of purple lightning struck down, hitting Jinlu, who was kneeling on the ground. Jinlu was struck and convulsed on the ground, vomiting blood.
The sleeve, torn into strips of cloth, was tugged. Ji Mingran lowered his head, and Jin Yu said in a weak voice, "I hate two-faced people. Great-Grandma, you're always smiling, but there's a ruthless glint in your eyes. Others might not see it, but I know it." Her voice trailed off: "I thought you were pretending."
"You're faking it, but you're truly ruthless." Jin Yu's lips curled down, and she said aggrievedly, "I know now."
Great-Grandma was simply too lazy to argue with people. The ruthlessness and coldness in her eyes were directed at her enemies. Whoever was an enemy, she would take their life.
"Stop talking nonsense." Ji Mingran's voice was clear and bright, but his cold and indifferent gaze remained fixed on Jin Yu's face.
"Grandma, please release my brother. I promise I will obey you." With that, she raised four fingers, and a faint red light emanated from her fingertips. "I will obey you. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west." She made this vow with her spirit, and if she broke it, she would suffer the consequences.
Jin Yu curled up into a small ball, stubbornly looking up at Ji Mingran with tears in her eyes, looking sincere, weak and innocent.
Ji Mingran looked down at her and said, "You're smart."
If someone else had defeated her and her brother today, she would never have made such a vow, placing her future at the mercy of others. But today, the one who defeated her was the ancestor of the Dingsheng Sect. As a fellow disciple of the Dingsheng Sect, the ancestor would not harm her; at most, he would restrain her from harming others. She had sworn to be obedient and had shown sufficient sincerity, so Ji Mingran had no need to pursue the matter further.
Ji Mingran's original intention was only to restrain the two of them, but he did not expect them to cause trouble in the spiritual cultivation competition. Since that's the case, his goal has been achieved.
She let go and got up, and Jin Yu was overjoyed and scrambled to her feet. Jin Lu hurriedly got up and rushed towards her sister, but with a "thud," she bumped into the transparent barrier again.
Jinlu and Jinyu looked at Ji Mingran with a mixture of surprise and fear.
Ji Mingran tilted his chin up at Jinlu: "And you?"
Jinlu was stunned. She looked at her younger sister and raised four fingers, solemnly swearing, "I will also listen to Grandma Ji."
The reflection stone freezes the frame.
The challenge ended as both sides lost their will to fight.
"This...this is the ancestor of Luanfeng? She...she was only at the Qi Refining stage? And yet...she so easily defeated two Foundation Establishment disciples?"
"Why not? She's the one who reawakened the sect's protective formation. With that ability, what can't she do?"
In the Spiritual Cultivation Competition, Ji Mingran led the team from Dingsheng Sect.
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