The figure streaking through the sky was none other than Ji Yue.
Ji Yue had actually come back! With the hundred-zhang golden Buddha, Lin Xiao’s skeleton cavalry, himself, and Monk Bu Dong all present, Ji Yue stood no chance at all, yet she still dared to return?
Lin Xiao, however, did not believe for a second that Ji Yue would be foolish enough to come here seeking death. Since she dared return, she must have some trump card.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sure enough, the moment Ji Yue drew near, three more figures suddenly shot towards them from three different directions, each radiating terrifying pressure.
Every single one of them had reached the ninth-layer Martial Emperor realm.
“Ninth-layer Martial Emperors, ninth-layer Martial Emperors can enter now!”
Lin Xiao’s expression changed drastically.
Ahead of the Evil Valley lay the Buddhist temple zone, bound by some mysterious restriction that only allowed eighth-layer Martial Emperors to pass through.
Yet now, whether because of the hundred-zhang golden Buddha or some change in that area, ninth-layer Martial Emperors could apparently enter.
Moreover, the restriction must have lifted some time ago, allowing these three ninth-layer Martial Emperors to pursue them all the way here.
Clearly, all three were powerhouse ninth-layer Martial Emperors of the Ji family, their robes bearing the Ji family crest.
Among them were two elders and one young man nearing thirty years of age.
Lin Xiao had seen all three of them before entering the Buddhist temple zone.
“Lin Xiao, you actually killed several of our Ji family’s eighth-layer Martial Emperor elders!”
A white-haired elder growled in a low voice. As he closed in on Lin Xiao, terrifying killing intent poured from him, and the unparalleled pressure of a ninth-layer Martial Emperor locked down the entire area.
The other two rapidly closed in as well, surrounding Lin Xiao and Monk Bu Dong in the centre, their auras pinning the pair in place.
“Your time has come!”
Ji Yue cried out delicately. The gleaming longsword in her hand flashed as she slashed through the air towards Monk Bu Dong.
Three ninth-layer Martial Emperors had appeared out of nowhere. Monk Bu Dong’s brows knitted tightly. He instantly hurled the hundred-zhang golden Buddha outwards, flinging it straight at Ji Yue.
Golden light flared across his body once more.
Lin Xiao threw out his skeleton cavalry while stuffing pills that replenished both essence and spiritual force into his mouth.
After all, he was merely a high-grade sixth-rank spirit controller and half-step Martial Emperor. His reserves were nowhere near those of high-rank Martial Emperors, and the previous battle had already drained him considerably.
Now facing ninth-layer Martial Emperors, he had to restore his strength in case an opportunity to escape arose.
Ji Yue’s personal strength was no less than a ninth-layer Martial Emperor, possibly even greater, yet the hundred-zhang golden Buddha could hold her at bay and even threaten her.
Earlier, Monk Bu Dong had grown stronger with every exchange, capable of defeating eighth-layer Martial Emperors. Though he might not match a ninth-layer, he should not be easily crushed either.
As for the skeleton cavalry, when combined, their battle power was only marginally inferior to a ninth-layer Martial Emperor. Holding one off should pose no problem.
With his own essence and spiritual force combined, Lin Xiao could overpower eighth-layer Martial Emperors. So long as his opponent was not overwhelmingly strong, escaping when the chance appeared should be feasible.
Of course, against the equivalent of four ninth-layer Martial Emperors, he harboured no intention of defeating them, let alone keeping them here.
Sensing the pressure from three directions, Lin Xiao quickly noted that the young Ji family ninth-layer Martial Emperor’s aura was comparatively the weakest. He immediately flew straight towards that one, directing his skeleton cavalry to charge at one of the elderly ninth-layer Martial Emperors on the flank.
Monk Bu Dong barrelled towards the remaining ninth-layer Martial Emperor while transmitting to Lin Xiao, “Hold on. After you left, this Buddha absorbed all the Buddhist light in that area and devoured quite a few people. All that refined essence is stored within my body. Normal refinement cannot release it fast enough, but battle can. Fighting allows this Buddha to rapidly refine and unleash it, raising my strength quickly. It won’t be long before we turn the tables!”
Lin Xiao was stunned. Absorbed Buddhist light, ate people, and could even store the essence?
What a bizarre ability. He still had no idea what kind of spirit beast this monk actually was.
There was no time to dwell on it. The Yaoguang Broken Sword in his hand cleaved outwards, unleashing a mighty sword beam that collided head-on with the young Ji family expert’s attack.
At the same instant, his spiritual-energy assault also blasted forth.
As expected from his relatively weaker aura, the young ninth-layer Martial Emperor of the Ji family was not as formidable as elders of the same realm. Unlike Ji Yue, who could fight across tiers, this youth had probably reached ninth-layer through pills.
Even so, his combat power remained formidable. Facing Lin Xiao’s two supreme attacks, Lin Xiao instantly fell into a disadvantage, the terrifying shockwave forcing him backwards.
The gap in realm was simply too vast.
Fortunately, he had not yet taken real damage.
At the same moment, the skeleton cavalry clashed with one of the elderly ninth-layer Martial Emperors. The ferocious might of the entire cavalry troop actually withstood the elder’s opening strike.
Golden light blazed over Monk Bu Dong. This time he wasted no pretence and launched direct assaults. Though he could not overpower his foe, his golden body was extraordinarily resilient, and the sweeping shockwaves failed to shake him in the slightest.
On the other side, Ji Yue was blocked by the hundred-zhang golden Buddha.
She seemed to recognise the situation, merely luring the golden Buddha away instead of forcing a breakthrough.
“He’s actually this strong?”
The young Ji family expert attacking Lin Xiao was inwardly shocked. Though he held the advantage, there was no joy in it. He was, after all, a ninth-layer Martial Emperor.
His opponent was not even a true Martial Emperor.
With such an enormous cultivation gap, he still could not crush Lin Xiao easily. The youth felt thoroughly frustrated.
His own talent and strength, while not on Ji Yue’s level, still marked him as a heaven-tier genius of the Ji family, having reached ninth-layer Martial Emperor.
In the future, he would have ample time to assail half-step Martial Saint, or even Martial Saint realm. His gift was already considered terrifying.
Across the entire region, he stood among the peak youths.
Yet now he could not swiftly kill a twenty-year-old who was not even a Martial Emperor. How could he save face?
“Ji Flame Form!”
The youth immediately unleashed the Ji family’s core martial technique. The Zhaotian Sword beam he ignited carried horrifying might.
“You want to take us down? It won’t be that easy!”
With a cold shout, Lin Xiao activated his blood-dragon phenomenon and berserk martial intent, fuelling the Yaoguang Sword Art.
His entire body turned transparent, radiant light bursting forth. An exceptionally brilliant sword beam carrying the power to annihilate everything slashed towards his opponent.
At the same time, a terrifying One Hand Covers Heaven energy palm slapped down from an angle.
When the two forces collided, a thunderous roar erupted. Surging waves of qi exploded outwards, and the unparalleled shockwave hurled Lin Xiao far away.
The Ji family youth held the upper hand and pressed his pursuit, continuing to rain attacks upon Lin Xiao.
The other two Ji family ninth-layer Martial Emperor elders were likewise astonished.
The combat strength on Lin Xiao’s side was proving far more tenacious than expected. Three ninth-layer Martial Emperors plus Ji Yue, and they still could not swiftly overwhelm their foes.
The battle fell into a stalemate.
Even though the Ji family side held the advantage, they could not inflict serious wounds on Lin Xiao’s group in a short time. Victory remained out of reach.
Lin Xiao gritted his teeth and endured. Several times he nearly fled on impulse, but seeing Monk Bu Dong’s battle power rising steadily, he forced himself to hold on.
