Boom!!!
With a deafening roar, countless water lights surged like a tide, forcefully suppressing a wisp of moonlight.
Immediately, four disciples of the Wangyue Sect were sent flying backward, stopping only with near-full effort, narrowly avoiding being knocked down the slope in this single strike.
Even so, all four spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, their auras abruptly faltering, clearly suffering no light internal injuries.
And as they looked up, they saw four figures aggressively rushing towards them, unleashing a series of fierce attacks, fearlessly descending the slope with them!
Seeing this, the handsome young man had no intention of offering assistance, watching as his enemies and fellow disciples tumbled down the slope behind him.
Gazing at the six heavy water pearls slowly circling around him, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a grave expression on his face.
Suddenly, his brow twitched, and he looked forward, then saw a figure emerging from the dispersing dust.
With a surge of his mana, Ji Yuan shook off the dust on his body, then reached out with a beckoning motion. The six heavy water pearls immediately flew back, slowly revolving around him.
Their gazes met, and in an instant, they erupted with astonishing brilliance, sharp killing intent clashing together!
The handsome youth's mana surged around him, all pouring into the moon disk before him. With a point of his hand, it instantly tore through the air, striking down with dense moonlight.
Witnessing this, Ji Yuan's gaze lifted. Without any apparent movement, two heavy water pearls broke away, striking the wave-like moonlight from the left and right.
There was no earth-shattering power, not even a hint of sound. The water light and moonlight met, and in silence, stirred up a soft ripple.
At this moment, Ji Yuan's expression subtly shifted. He suddenly found himself beneath a moonlit sky, surrounded by an ink-black night, with a full moon slowly rising before him.
He had never seen such a moon, perfectly round, radiating a soft, pure white glow, accompanied by a refreshing cool breeze that felt unspeakably comfortable against his skin.
"Beautiful, yet is there anything in this world that is truly perfect?"
With a sigh, he shook his head slightly, and the four heavy water pearls around him began to spin rapidly.
In a mere moment, layers of water waves spread out. Wherever they passed, the night sky began to recede!
In just one or two breaths, the strange surroundings completely dissipated, and everything returned to normal. The full moon before him had transformed into a moon disk confronting the heavy water pearls.
The handsome youth's expression turned slightly grim. He seemed surprised that the other party had escaped his illusion so quickly, and he accelerated his hand seals.
Seeing this, how could Ji Yuan give him the chance to form seals undisturbed? With a thought, the four heavy water pearls beside him immediately tore through the air.
With a muffled 'thud', the moonlight shrouding him shattered like a dream bubble. A moon disk, exuding a sharp aura, attempted to break free from the immense pressure.
However, the six heavy water pearls seemed to have frozen this space. No matter how it struggled, it could not move an inch!
In the next instant, the heavy water pearls descended together. The struggling moon disk let out a mournful cry, then directly shattered with a bang, breaking into over twenty fragments that fell powerlessly to the ground.
"Go!"
Ji Yuan uttered a soft word. His hand seals shifted slightly, and he immediately channeled several streams of mana into the heavy water pearls.
The six heavy water pearls shone brightly and shot towards the handsome youth not far away. A heavy aura instantly enveloped the void.
In this brief moment, the handsome youth felt as if he were deep within the ocean, surrounded by endless water light and pressure. This made the circulation of his mana sluggish, let alone his hand seals.
He seemed to be able to do nothing but watch helplessly as the six heavy water pearls attacked, finally landing on him silently, shattering his physical body into pieces…
"Incorrect!"
Seeing the other party's body shatter like paper into fragments, Ji Yuan instantly realized something was amiss!
He quickly recalled the six heavy water pearls, simultaneously gripping the long sword behind his back. With a 'clang', he drew it from its sheath, his gaze constantly sweeping his surroundings with vigilance.
"Behind you…"
A soft whisper sounded in his ear. Without hesitation, he turned and swung horizontally!
However, where his sword passed, the other party's figure shattered like paper once more, scattering on its own without wind, eventually turning into specks of light.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's expression could not help but sink. He amplified his spiritual sense to its limit in secret, but he could still not sense the other party's trace.
"Here!"
Another soft whisper sounded. He turned to look and saw the handsome youth's figure appearing several feet away.
However, after one experience, he did not attack immediately. Instead, his eyes flickered as he sized up the other party.
"I am here."
To his right, the handsome youth's figure appeared, looking at him with a smile.
"Also here."
"And this place."
"…"
With each soft whisper, a figure of the handsome youth appeared, all looking at him with smiles.
Such a scene, if seen by an ordinary mortal, would likely cause them to cry out in shock and be terrified to the point of their souls leaving their bodies. Even a general cultivator at the Enlightenment realm would likely feel a chill in their heart.
In less than fifteen breaths, more than twenty figures of the handsome youth had appeared within a radius of several feet. They all stared at the young Taoist priest surrounded by them, their smiles becoming even more eerie.
These figures stood silently, making no moves, neither launching any attacks nor speaking further.
Ji Yuan, however, knew that it wasn't that they were inactive, but rather that they were secretly preparing their ultimate move to deliver a killing blow!
"As expected of a disciple of the Wangyue Sect, truly skilled in illusions."
Suddenly, he withdrew the solemn expression from his face and replaced it with a smile.
Indeed, with his current abilities, he could not pinpoint the handsome youth's true body. But he was certain it was not among these more than twenty figures.
"Alas, even though you know this is an illusion, you are powerless to break its mystery."
The more than twenty figures spoke in unison, their faces filled with mockery, "So, how is it? Are you feeling incredibly vexed now, a sense of powerlessness yet unable to use it?"
The handsome youth let out unrestrained laughter. This situation was not new to him. In past battles, once this illusion was deployed, he could savor the growing despair on his opponent's face.
No matter how they acted, even if they shattered one figure after another, it would only be a futile expenditure of mana.
As for these phantom figures, he only needed a thought to recreate them, without consuming much mana himself.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan scanned around with a smile, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
In the next moment, the mana within his body returned to his dantian. After pausing for one or two breaths, he switched to the circulation route of the Xuan Tian Sword Art, surging through his meridians.
In a mere flash, a fierce aura rose from him, and he became like a drawn sword, fully displaying its sharpness!
"As you say, we only know by trying!"
He took a step forward, and as the soul light in his brow flickered, a surge of sword intent erupted!
In his eyes, a sky suddenly descended, covering an area of over ten feet. With just a thought, sword qi flowed out from the mist, instantly shredding all twenty-odd figures.
However, in the blink of an eye, these figures reappeared, still looking at him with smiles.
Yet, Ji Yuan saw a deeply hidden shock in their eyes!
He smiled slightly, and the mist in the sky condensed into numerous flying swords. They were not aimed at the twenty-odd figures but at the empty space.
Without any warning, dozens of cloud swords shot out, descending like a torrential downpour!
Boom!!!
Countless moonlights gushed out like spirit springs, and a full moon slowly rose from within. However, beneath its serene appearance, a violent aura was brewing!
Ji Yuan's smile vanished, and he gazed solemnly at the scene before him. Then, with his left hand in a sword gesture, he pointed straight forward without any embellishment.
In an instant, the dozens of cloud swords descended, tearing through the pure white moonlight, causing the full moon to sway violently as if it might fall from the sky at any moment!
"Rise!"
A loud shout suddenly echoed. Within the serene halo, the brewing violent energy transformed into surging waves, as if it were about to engulf the entire sky!
In a moment, a powerful mana erupted, scattering the continuously falling cloud swords and lifting the full moon towards the sky!
As the full moon rose higher, the entire sky began to shake, as if it could not withstand such violent mana and was about to shatter completely.
Ji Yuan snorted coldly. The soul light in his brow flared intensely, releasing the full extent of his comprehended sword intent. This immediately stabilized the entire sky, making it even more formidable.
With a thought, the gate of his Purple Mansion roared open, and a stream of light, carrying countless sword qi, surged out like a river!
"Slash!"
A shout devoid of emotion suddenly echoed throughout the entire sky!
As soon as the sound fell, the stream of light dissipated, revealing a white jade flying sword radiating multi-colored light. A sharp aura flowed along its blade!
The entire sky vanished, merging into the body of the white jade flying sword. A profound and mysterious aura immediately swept out.
The sword flashed and disappeared, instantly appearing above the full moon. Then, it swiftly descended with a slash upon the rising full moon!
This space seemed to freeze. With the flash of cold light, the full moon was immediately split in two, and even the violent mana contained within was cleaved apart by the sword!
Following that, river-like sword qi surged forward, engulfing the full moon and the void beneath it!
In just a few breaths, a ball of mana exploded outward, deflating like a skin raft, slanting towards all directions along the ground.
"Xiao Bai! Return!"
Ji Yuan uttered a soft command, then formed a hand seal.
In the next breath, the white jade flying sword returned with countless sword qi, all disappearing into his brow. Only after they returned to the sword qi lake did the gate of his Purple Mansion slowly close.
At the same moment, on a clearing in the distance, the handsome youth's figure suddenly appeared. He fell to the ground along with a moon disk. Apart from a cold brilliance flowing, there was no longer any aura.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, retracting the abundant sword intent from his body, and quickly concealing the soul light in his brow.
After completing these actions, he began to walk towards the handsome youth. However, after only a few feet, his steps suddenly halted.
He seemed to have thought of something, his gaze becoming slightly solemn. Silently, he amplified his spiritual sense to its extreme, carefully sensing all movement within a radius of several feet.
Then, he gently pointed forward. The six heavy water pearls beside him immediately shone brightly and then flew out one after another. Arriving above the handsome youth's corpse, they released heavy water light to each other.
As the six heavy water pearls pressed down with a weight of several thousand pounds, coupled with the powerful mana vibrations, the handsome youth's corpse below emitted sounds of being unable to bear the burden, and the last trace of vitality within him was completely extinguished.
After collecting the heavy water pearls into his acupoints, Ji Yuan flicked his fingers, releasing several fireballs that incinerated the corpse into ashes. After washing it clean with water.
Ji Yuan then used his mana to levitate a moon disk and a mountain and river bag, drawing them before him.
After a thorough inspection, he put away the items before him and then unhurriedly turned and walked towards the nearby slope.