Jian Dan and Jian Li worked together seamlessly. Waves of purple and gray swordlight intertwined in a continuous assault, putting immense pressure on Jia Yu. As a Dao cultivator, his silver mace simply couldn't keep up with the ferocious pace of these two sword maniacs.
Jian Li was completely absorbed in the battle, reveling in the chance to unleash without restraint. Ever since Jian Jun had left the Enforcement Hall, he hadn't encountered an opponent who could excite him like this. Besides, the Unity-stage cultivator from the Jia family had to die today. If he survived, the consequences for Jian Lu would be endless. Murderous intent burned in Jian Li's eyes, and his sword strikes became even more ruthless, showing no mercy.
Jian Dan could feel Jian Li's resolve to kill and responded in kind. Each strike from the Mò Xī Jiàn grew more forceful, slowly shaping into a sword domain.
Jian Li understood Jian Dan's intent clearly. They worked in perfect sync, positioning themselves to drive their enemy into the encroaching sword domain.
This time, Jian Dan held nothing back. The killing aura she had deliberately restrained before now poured forth with each slash, thickening around her. It felt like she had returned to those first twenty years in the Ming Valley—when the endless tide of insect swarms demanded that you fight or die, strike after strike, kill after kill, never stopping.
Jia Yu was now caught in a dilemma. He had assumed he was only dealing with two Void Refinement cultivators, but their battle prowess was absurdly overwhelming. Forced to go all out, he swept his silver mace in a horizontal arc, shattering the purple swordlight. But the gray swordlight was already upon him.
Having suffered from Jian Dan's Mò Xī Jiàn before, Jia Yu didn't dare take it head-on again. Instead, he punched out a phantom fist to divert the blow, but Jian Dan anticipated it.
The Obsidian Bracelet on her wrist flickered, already charged. She swung her own fist with a sudden burst, smashing his fist shadow to dust.
Jia Yu stumbled back two steps. He had underestimated this female cultivator. Blinded by greed, he had only seen her as a perfect furnace vessel thanks to her Chaos Spirit Root. But he had overlooked the obvious—any woman who could cultivate to the late stage of Void Refinement wasn't some soft target. The murderous aura emanating from her body was so intense that even he paled in comparison.
Now, Jia Yu was seriously considering escape. There would be other chances in the future to get revenge on these two. He began targeting Jian Dan's spatial domain.
"Senior Brother, he's trying to flee. We can't let a cornered dog like him slip away. If he escapes, you, me, and the Heavenly Sword Sect will be the ones he comes after."
"I know. Shrink the spatial domain and bring us closer. We'll need to ramp up the pressure. Soon, our sword domains must connect and drive him in."
Jian Li's voice was calm as he laid out their next move.
"Understood."
Jian Dan snorted inwardly. Escape? That depends on whether she and her Senior Brother let him. Her left hand curled into a half-closed fist, and the spatial domain began to contract.
Above, the first glimmers of dawn broke across the sky. A crimson sun slowly rose at the edge of the horizon, marking the end of a night-long operation.
Outside the Jia residence, Peng Wang stood watching the battle. From time to time, he explained the movement patterns and attack paths of the two Zhūnzhǔ to his grandchildren.
Suddenly, a Unity-stage attack erupted behind him. Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ instantly appeared at the scene and cast Thick Earth Technique to block the blow. But there was still a gap between peak Void Refinement and Unity, and he struggled to withstand it, layering the defense spell again and again.
While their grandfather held the attack at bay, Peng Xilai and Peng Min flashed forward to a Golden Core cultivator nearby. Peng Xilai stripped away the enemy's defensive artifacts while Peng Min severed both of the man's legs.
The Golden Core cultivator collapsed into a pool of blood. The Nascent Soul cultivator from the City Guard who had been fighting beside him was already dead, his Nascent Soul destroyed before he could flee. The City Guard captain's eyes burned red with fury. He raised his sword to strike, only to be stopped by Peng Min.
"He's carrying a life-saving talisman from that Unity-stage Jia clan Ancestor. He must be important. Keep him alive. He'll be useful when aiding the two Zhūnzhǔ from the Heavenly Sword Sect."
"Yes, I understand."
Above them, Peng Wang finally neutralized all the power contained in the life-saving talisman. But the cost was immense—the entire southern district had been reduced to ruins. He took a deep breath, calming his turbulent qi and blood, then strode over to the injured Golden Core cultivator.
"Grandfather, we've subdued him. The talisman activated during combat with the City Guard."
Peng Wang laid his hand atop the unconscious man's head briefly, then withdrew.
"It's not him. His sea of consciousness is under a restriction."
Peng Xilai and Peng Wang exchanged a glance.
"Grandfather, if he gave such a precious talisman to this person, maybe he's already been killed by the City Guard?"
"No. More likely, he's hidden among the other cultivators. Giving the talisman to this one was just a distraction. A decoy."
"Then what should we do?"
Peng Xilai frowned. If he really was hiding in the crowd, it would be like finding a needle in the ocean.
"Don't forget—the city's barrier is still active. If he wants to escape, he'll have to leave through the gates."
"I understand. I'll dispatch men to guard the northern and southern gates."
Peng Wang waved his hand. "No rush. We'll wait until Jian Li, Jian Lu, and the Jia Ancestor have settled things. That person is likely waiting too. He won't leave unless the Jia Ancestor wins."
"Understood."
Still, Peng Xilai summoned the City Guard captain and ordered him to secure both city gates.
The three of them returned to the skies to watch the ongoing battle. At this point, the outcome in Yunling City was all but decided. The fight was nearing its end.
Their battle had already drawn a massive crowd. Life-and-death duels between cultivators at the Zhūnzhǔ level were once-in-a-millennium spectacles. Some savvy cultivators had already taken to the air, using recording jades to capture the clash.
The four major families of the city had also sent their Void Refinement Ancestors to the scene. Originally, they had hoped to join forces and deal with the Jia family's Unity-stage Ancestor. But they found themselves unable to breach Jian Dan's spatial domain.
The Ancestor of the Shi family frowned and asked Peng Wang, "Peng Brother, there are only two of them in there. Isn't it a bit too bold? Now that we're all available, why not join in and deal with the Jia Ancestor together?"
"We're all here already. Do you think he's going to get away? The ones inside are from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Since they haven't asked for help, it means they can handle it. We just need to wait and see."
Peng Wang's tone was casual, but he wasn't fooled by their pretense. These people were only here for the Jia family's assets. When the Unity-stage Ancestor had charged out earlier, none of them had stepped forward. Now they wanted to swoop in for an easy win.
A young member of the Shi family wasn't satisfied with just watching. He secretly cast a Golden Sword Technique at the domain. When the technique hit, the magnolia-shaped domain revealed a translucent membrane.
A second later, the exact same Golden Sword Technique shot back from the same spot, piercing the shoulder of the Divine Transformation cultivator and blasting him five miles away. He only stopped when his family's Ancestor intervened. The young cultivator was unconscious.
A soft but chillingly clear female voice echoed in everyone's ears.
The Shi family scrambled to lift their wounded junior. To their horror, the sword wound was festering, slowly corroding the surrounding flesh. They rushed to call for help from their Ancestor.
Too late.
As the reprimanding voice rang out, Jian Dan briefly glanced toward the Shi family Ancestor from within the heat of battle.
Her eyes, heavy with murderous intent, locked with his for a fleeting moment before she turned back to join Jian Li in the assault. Meanwhile, the magnolia domain continued to tighten around their enemy.