Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 304 Jianjian's Determination

The four demonic beasts, each at a different level, rose into the air at the same time, their demonic energy exploding in the night sky like four fireworks of different colors.

Liu Jianjian's expression finally eased a little.

After learning about the situation of the Annihilation True Lord, she remained anxious.

Now that she felt she still had a purpose, and could rid Zhu Ge of some petty scoundrels, Liu Jianjian's mood improved slightly: "Kill those two greedy people mercilessly!"

A giant, crimson python struck first, its tail sweeping out with a scorching wave of air, aiming straight for the short, stocky man's waist and abdomen.

The short, stocky man snorted coldly, crossed his arms in front of him, and a layer of earth-yellow spiritual energy barrier appeared, blocking the snake's tail.

But the python was stronger than he had expected, and he was forced back several feet.

At the same time, a giant wolf covered in frost pounced on Feng Yuan Dao Ren from the side, its claws covered in fine ice crystals that streaked across the night sky.

Feng Yuan Daoist dodged to the side, lightly swept his whisk, and a gentle spiritual force neutralized the giant wolf's attack.

The other two demonic beasts did not rush to attack, but instead hovered on either side, blocking Feng Yuan Dao Ren and his companions' retreat.

"You resort to violence at the slightest disagreement?" Feng Yuan Daoist's voice carried a hint of anger: "We just came to take a look, we didn't say we were going to fight."

"You said it." Liu Jianjian stood on the ground, looking up at him with a cold smile: "You said you wanted to go into the red mist to investigate, what's the difference between that and actually attacking?"

Feng Yuan Daoist did not respond. His gaze swept over the gaunt figure below before returning to Liu Jianjian's face, as if he were reassessing this girl who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

"You're her master?" The short, stocky man rubbed his arm, which was numb from the shock. "You're not that old, but you've got quite the nerve."

"She is the master of the Demon Palace of the Six Paths Palace," Cao Zhi's voice came from the side, neither loud nor soft: "I advise you not to act rashly."

"What Six Paths Palace? Never heard of it." The short, stocky man turned to look at Cao Zhi, then at Feng Yuan Daoist: "Do you know him?"

Feng Yuan Daoist shook his head.

The two were about to continue, but Liu Jianjian was too lazy to say anything more and just waved her hand.

The next moment, the fierce battle resumed.

Moments later, the battle ended.

Everything returned to calm.

Liu Jianjian approached True Lord Annihilation and Cao Zhi, her face filled with worry: "True Lords, more and more people are coming now. What should we do if a powerful figure appears in the future?"

Liu Jianjian can handle everyone who comes so far because most of them are at the first or second realm, and there are very few at the third realm.

Although Cao Zhi said he would help deal with it, Liu Jianjian knew that when it really came down to it, Cao Zhi would never risk his life.

Liu Jianjian knew that only a few people were truly loyal to each other until death.

At this time, in Yunjiang, on the border.

Three cultivators from different realms faced off in the sky, their auras as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

One side had only a dozen or so people, while the other side had hundreds.

On the ground, countless soldiers are fighting in various formations.

General against general, soldier against soldier.

At that moment, the corpses on the ground suddenly underwent a strange change.

One bone after another burst forth from the corpses, flying towards a certain place behind the battlefield.

The next moment, a voice rang out.

"breaking Dawn!"

In an instant, a powerful force erupted from those bones, rushing towards the hundreds of third-realm cultivators in one direction of the sky.

"Oh no! It's that bone monster's Dawnbreaker!"

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

"Damn it! Wasn't it said that the bone monster rarely made a move?! Damn the Six Paths Palace!"

The hundreds of cultivators at the third realm retreated in unison.

However, the three realms on the other side did not stand idly by.

"Haha, Brother Zhu has made his move!"

"Charge! Wipe out all three border regions of Southern Vietnam and Burma in this battle!"

"Excellent! From now on, all the other vast tracts of land and resources will be ours!"

More than a dozen people at the third realm shot out.

The leader was none other than Yan Liyuan!

Yan Liyuan was dressed in a moon-white robe that fluttered in the wind. He held a bamboo scroll in his hand, the surface of which faintly shimmered with golden light.

His gaze swept calmly over the hundreds of cultivators opposite him, as if he were checking the words on a scroll, unhurried and leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll.

But it's extremely fast.

"After you cut one crop, another one grows back."

Su Feibai beside him sneered: "Southern Vietnam and Myanmar may not have much else, but people love to fight in groups. However, since Brother Zhu has made a move this time, it seems it's time to settle things once and for all."

"It's not a big problem," Yan Liyuan replied in a low voice. "Although they outnumber us, only the first few dozen are truly capable fighters."

"You two talk too much nonsense, like women!"

Guan Julang took the lead, raising his hands and causing the surrounding water vapor to condense into countless fine needles, which swirled in the air several times before pouring towards the cultivator in front of him.

The water needles rained down in dense clusters, possessing immense penetrating power, instantly disrupting the fleeing cultivators of the Third Realm.

Those people managed to block a few water needles with their spiritual power, but more water needles pierced through the gaps and accurately hit the cultivators behind them, forcing them to stop and defend.

"Don't try to take it from me!"

Su Feibai followed closely behind, a long sword sliding out of his sleeve. The blade gleamed with an emerald-like luster, making it particularly conspicuous in the night sky.

He charged into the chaotic ranks, and with a flash of his blade, he cleaved through several spiritual energy barriers.

Yan Liyuan did not rush to make a move.

His gaze swept past the chaotic battle ahead and landed on a figure on the opposite side.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a dark red robe, with a thin face and his hands tucked into his sleeves.

This person did not run away, but was observing the situation on the battlefield with a calm expression, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"That person is the key." Yan Liyuan frowned.

Wenmo, standing beside him, followed his gaze: "Zhu Yan, the border commander of the Southern Yue and Burmese wilderness?"

"It should be him." Yan Liyuan nodded. "He has been stationed in the Southern Yue and Myanmar wilderness for many years. Although the cultivation level of his subordinates may not be very high, they are very good at fighting this kind of war of attrition."

As he spoke, he stopped and tapped the bamboo slip in his palm.

The bamboo slip unfolds and transforms into a slender jade ruler, gleaming with a warm luster.

Then he moved swiftly, crossing the chaotic battle area ahead and heading straight towards Zhu Yan.

Zhu Yan noticed him, pulled his hands out of his sleeves, spread his fingers slightly, and several dark red spiritual energies condensed at his fingertips, like arrows ready to be released, aimed at Yan Liyuan's path.

Yan Liyuan did not slow down. The jade ruler drew an arc beside him, and a golden light swept past, cutting the dark red arrows in half. The remaining force was still strong and pointed straight at Zhu Yan.

Zhu Yan slightly turned to avoid it, and the remaining spiritual energy arrows were gathered and compressed again halfway, turning into a thinner and faster red light, which turned towards Yan Liyuan's ribs.

Yan Liyuan flipped his wrist, and the jade ruler at his side deflected the red light. Without pausing, he continued to approach Zhu Yan.

The distance between the two quickly closed.

On the ground, Guan Julang's water needles continued to suppress the group of cultivators in black outfits, while Su Feibai had already torn a gap in the opening.

Wenmo did not join the battle at the front, but instead landed on the side of the battlefield and stuck a talisman on the stone at his feet. The talisman silently melted into the ground, emitting a very faint halo.

A moment later, the halo flickered slightly.

On the ground, some monks' feet began to be entangled by vines as thin as hair.

The vines weaved and wandered through the soil, unknowingly entangled the ankles and shins of some of the cultivators, slowing their movements and making their steps less fluid than before.

"Alright," Wenmo said softly.

There was no significant change in the battlefield ahead, but the cultivators who were entangled became more sluggish in their movements.

In a clash between masters, this delay is not fatal, but it is enough to expose a weakness sooner.

"Impressive footwork!"

Yan Liyuan and Zhu Yan had exchanged several blows in just a few breaths.

Zhu Yan's spiritual power is cold and yin, and his attacks carry a dampness that seems to surge up from the depths of a swamp.

Yan Liyuan's moves are more focused, like kneading a wisp of literary energy into a fine and resilient thread, precisely attaching it to the opponent's spiritual energy flow, and with a gentle pull, causing the opponent to have an imperceptible deviation when finishing the move.

The two fought for more than ten rounds without either gaining a clear advantage.

But Zhu Yan frowned slightly, as if he had noticed something.

"Your literary aura has changed," Zhu Yan said coldly. "It's closer than before, like something is following you."

"Yes." Yan Liyuan smiled. "I recently learned some new things from a friend."

He didn't explain further, but thrust the jade ruler forward. As it drew near, a ball of white light condensed at the tip of the ruler.

The ball of light deflected slightly upon contact with Zhu Yan's spiritual power, bypassing the defenses in front of him, and exploded less than a foot from his cheek.

Zhu Yan turned her head to avoid it, but a few strands of her hair were burned off and drifted in the night wind.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "You are indeed a little better than before."

He took a step back, showing no intention of continuing. Yan Liyuan did not pursue him either, but simply stood there, the jade ruler pressed against his body.

In the distance, the figure pieced together from countless white bones, with a face similar to Zhu Ge's, slightly raised its head, casting light onto the center of the battlefield.

Its body is made up of segments of bones, and a faint golden light flows between the joints.

"Zhu Yan?"

As the Bone Monster clone of Zhuge watched, the corpses on the ground underwent another change. Some bones peeled off from the severed limbs and converged towards that figure.

It raised its hand and pushed forward.

An invisible shockwave surged from its palm, crossing the open space between Yan Liyuan and Zhu Yan, and overturning several cultivator formations that were still resisting behind it.

On the ground, some struggling cultivators were pushed back several steps by that force, and they managed to keep their balance so as not to fall.

But by this time, most of the cultivators from the three realms in the sky had already fled.

Zhu Ge's attack just now seemed more like a drive away than a genuine attempt to kill the enemy.

Having understood all this, Yan Liyuan and his group ultimately did not continue the pursuit but retreated.

Guan Julang patted the water off his hands: "They ran away again."

"They will come back." Su Feibai sheathed his sword and walked over, his tone calm: "The people of Nan Yue Burmese Wilderness will not easily give up this land."

"I know." Yan Liyuan put the jade ruler back into his sleeve. "Next time they come, they will probably bring more people."

Wenmo walked over from the side: "Should we add more people?"

Yan Liyuan thought for a moment and said, "No rush. Let's first tighten the defenses in this area and readjust the spiritual energy nodes."

He paused for a moment: "As for manpower, we'll talk about that after Brother Zhu finishes dealing with things."

Everyone nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

As night deepened, the fires on the battlefield gradually died down.

In the distance, the figure made of white bones slowly dissipated in the sky, turning into scattered bone fragments that fell back to the ground.

On the ground, the residual spiritual energy fluctuations in the air were gradually subsiding, like water leaving a damp trace after it receded.

Yan Liyuan stood on high ground, gazing calmly in the direction Zhu Yan and the others had left.

Guan Julang and Su Feibai had already retreated to the rear, while Wen Mo was checking the talisman that had just been set up to confirm that it was still functioning properly.

Then, a voice rang out: "Brother Yan, come see me immediately!"

Liu Jianjian was unaware of Zhu Ge's arrangements, but she left.

The Qin frontier stretches for thousands of miles, teeming with monstrous beasts.

The only solution Liu Jianjian could think of right now was to slim down her waist!

The most powerful aspect of the "Demon Hunting Divine Technique" is that it allows cultivators to grow stronger by taming demonic beasts.

-

If she were to become a powerful demon, at least Liu Jianjian wouldn't be in such a passive position as she is now!

When Liu Jianjian left the carriage, it was just getting dark.

She didn't tell Zhu Ge or Cao Zhi, but only told the True Lord of Oblivion.

She didn't bring many demonic beasts with her, only the third-realm snow wolf.

The other monsters remained near the carriage to keep watch.

She walked slowly, but each step was steady, as if she were measuring the forest with her feet.

The mountains and forests of Qinjiang are drier than those of Yunjiang, with sparse vegetation, short and thick tree trunks, and sparse moonlight filtering through the branches and leaves, casting a layer of shattered silver-like spots of light on the ground.

The evening breeze blew through the cracks in the rocks, carrying a faint earthy smell.

After walking for more than an hour, Liu Jianjian arrived at the entrance of a valley. The mountain walls on both sides of the valley gleamed with a dark purple luster under the moonlight, like rocks that had been soaked in something, with smooth surfaces and a somber glow.

"The color of this mountain wall is a bit off." The snow wolf stopped at the valley entrance, its ears twitching slightly. "It looks like something has been rubbing against it for years, leaving this mark."

Liu Jianjian squatted down and reached out to touch the soil on the ground. The soil didn't feel damp; instead, it had a warm, tinged feel from being repeatedly trampled on.

"There are monsters here, quite large, that frequently come and go from here."

She stood up and walked along the trodden path into the depths of the valley, with the snow wolf following behind her, its body low and its steps light.

The valley appeared wider than at the entrance, with the mountain walls receding gradually to reveal a clearing in the center illuminated by the moonlight.

In the center of the open space lay a lion whose entire body shimmered with purple light.

It seemed to be asleep, its head resting on its front paws, its tail occasionally swaying and tapping the ground with a soft sound.

Its purple fur had a soft halo under the moonlight, as if a thin layer of purple mist was flowing over its body.

Liu Jianjian stopped in her tracks.

"The Jade Lion," the snow wolf whispered. "It's in the late stage of the Third Realm, almost breaking through to become a Great Demon. It should be the strongest demon beast in this area. No wonder there are no other demon beasts nearby."

Liu Jianjian nodded, took a step out of the shadows of the trees, and stepped into the moonlit open space.

The purple jade lion did not open its eyes, but its tail stopped wagging, as if it had withdrawn even the last bit of movement.

"Now that you're awake, make your choice, Jade Lion."

"Surrender, or death!"

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