Chapter 277: A Single Thought Startles the Mountain
Bright moon, Immortal Academy, Ancient Maple.
In the silent night sky, broken clouds floated across the heavens, and a gentle breeze blew.
A cold crow flew from the distant sky, its black feathers constantly flickering in the night wind, passing along Ni Mountain, through the forest, and over the courtyards.
But just as it passed over a courtyard, the cold crow suddenly trembled all over, then plummeted, crashing straight onto the ground.
Fresh blood spilled from its dark eyes, flowing down its smooth feathers, as if its life had been shattered by something in an instant.
In the small courtyard where it fell, a bamboo reclining chair was placed under the eaves near the entrance.
On the reclining chair lay a young man, his sword-like eyebrows slanting into his temples like ink-colored blades, his nose high and straight, his lips thin and dark, his jawline sharp as a blade, his neck long, and his Adam's apple distinct.
A loose, ink-colored robe draped over his body, its collar slightly open, faintly revealing the shadows of his clavicle, making him resemble a famous sword sheathed.
His expression was serene, as if he were asleep, both hands resting on a white blanket used for warmth.
To the right of the reclining chair was a small, exquisite tea table also made of fitted bamboo tubes.
On the tea table was a small stove, with a pot of water on it.
When the cold crow that had swept across the high sky fell to its death, everything in the courtyard seemed static, but only the teacup beside it was continuously splashing water.
Before long, two golden starlight rays fiercely collided between the man's eyebrows, then whistled out, rapidly expanding.
In an instant, they were like two giant suns, stirring up a furious wind throughout the courtyard.
One of them was noticeably dimmer, as if about to burn out, constantly swaying and trembling amidst a powerful collision.
But without much pause, another fierce, bidirectional rush, and countless Mystic Light splattered wildly like molten iron from a furnace.
As the dimmer one charged, the surroundings were filled with the roars of tigers and dragons, while the intensely blazing golden light pressed down like a mountain, filled with Battle Intent that reached the heavens.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
With three explosive sounds, two figures gradually materialized within the light, both entirely golden, their outlines sketched by lines like flowing molten gold.
The figure that materialized within the golden light that was knocked flying was an old man, his contorted face showing an increasingly intense shock that had appeared since the first collision between their eyebrows.
Divine Thought is located deep within a person's eyebrows, now called the Sea of Consciousness, but in ancient times it was called the Upper Dantian.
Killing with Divine Thought is not a remote command, but rather requires entering the opponent's Sea of Consciousness to kill their Divine Thought.
However, if one's Divine Thought is not strong enough, there is a high possibility of being blasted out.
But this situation is not common; it has rarely happened throughout history.
Because those in the Void Realm would not use Divine Thought to kill opponents of the same Realm; the risk is extremely high, as damage to the Divine Soul is much harder to heal than damage to the Physical Body.
And if dealing with a subordinate, even those in the Wujiang Realm can be instantly killed with a single blow.
Unless someone truly spends a lot of effort to train their Divine Thought.
But for cultivators below the Void Realm, Divine Thought is merely a tool for heavenly-human sensing, and does not need to be very powerful.
It is simply impossible for someone of a lower Realm to train their Divine Thought daily, just to one day withstand a killing blow from a Void Realm expert.
The unexpected turn of events caused the white-haired old man to let out a skyward roar, and countless immortal lights surged forth.
“Junior, die!”
In his venomous eyes, the surging killing intent materialized.
And responding to his shriek was the iron fist of a young man bathed in golden light, charging head-on, his arm drawn back as his fists rained down, fiercely clashing with him, the sounds of Qi explosions constantly reverberating in the Void Realm.
In their back-and-forth, the physical impact of their fists within their Divine Thoughts was no less than a pure Physical Body confrontation.
The old man's fists were like fierce tigers, his palms like Dragons, striking with a thunderous sound that made the Void Realm tremble, colliding with the young man's Fist Intent and clashing with his palm winds.
Previously, when they collided with Divine Thought, the outcome depended entirely on the difference in Divine Thought strength, and the old man found himself completely at a disadvantage, even being counter-killed and injured when his vigilance was insufficient, which is why he decided to materialize and kill.
But as the young man fought with wide, sweeping movements, seemingly devouring the world with his Qi, his scorching iron fists made his heart tremble violently.
With a thunderous iron fist strike, several golden lights burst forth from the fierce punch, and the old man, who had harbored thoughts of swift assassination, was punched through the shoulder, his broken arm instantly turning into scattered golden liquid, splattering everywhere.
The one-armed old man's eyes were bloodshot, unable to believe what method could allow someone to condense their Divine Thought to such an extent.
Add more water if there's too much flour, add more flour if there's too much water...
The young man muttered to himself, then leaped up, like a fierce tiger pouncing from the Zhongshan forest.
A clear sword hum sliced out from between his hands, also shining like golden light, hot like the surging morning sun.
In fact, Divine Thought and spirit are the same, although the ultimate path to Immortal Ascension is for the Divine Soul to break free from the Physical Body and forge an immortal body.
But before achieving the Dao of Immortality, the decay of the Physical Body will also cause the Divine Soul to weaken.
Just like the red sun at high noon, which cannot be compared to the morning or dusk. With a bang, under the sword strike, the old man in his Divine Thought state was cut down, scattering golden light everywhere, and immediately streaked across the night sky like a meteor, about to escape into the Void Realm with a shriek.
But the suddenly aggressive young man was faster, bringing with him a surging golden flame full of vitality, pressing down and stomping him hard with a boom.
He had just been drinking tea in the courtyard when he suddenly felt a killing Divine Thought invade his mind, and immediately concentrated to counter-kill.
After several clashes, he had confirmed that the opponent should be a Void Realm expert.
However, the opponent's Divine Thought strength was actually weaker than he had imagined.
The old man also felt the young man's killing intent.
He was the one who came to kill, and originally thought a mere thought would shatter the opponent's Divine Soul, but now he found that the opponent intended to suppress and kill him!
Just as a Dao Sword, condensed from Sword Intent linked to Divine Thought, ascended into the sky, a small golden sword suddenly shot out from the old man's embrace.
Although it was only a small sword, like a woman's golden hairpin, it instantly caused the Void Realm to tremble and emitted a deadly aura.
The young man's fists crossed, and he was fiercely thrust back by this sword, his golden radiance constantly splattering.
Feeling the terrifying killing intent, the young man fiercely pressed his fists together, trying to grind it away.
At this moment, the old man, screaming madly, once again transformed into golden light and fled into the Void Realm.
With a puff, in a short while, the small sword was directly ground into golden liquid all over the ground.
Seeing the beam of golden light streak across the night sky, the young man immediately leaped up, unwilling to let him return, and intended to suppress and kill him in mid-air.
But as he leaped, the immortal light that formed his golden body suddenly dimmed.
Then, an inexplicable restriction descended from the sky, and the golden figure was rapidly compressed into the golden glow it had been before, pulled back to his brow.
After a cultivator reaches Junior Third Realm Completion, regardless of their Realm, they can use Divine Thought, either for probing or sensing.
But only those who reach the Void Realm can truly roam beyond the heavens; those in the Mystic Light Realm cannot.
At this moment, Ji You on the bamboo chair slowly opened his eyes, his forehead already covered in fine sweat.
Then he got up from the bamboo chair and walked around the courtyard, finding everything quiet.
The punch winds during the Divine Thought clash earlier were so fierce they almost ripped off the roof, but now he realized that even the paper on the windows was intact, and everything seemed like a dream.
Only the cold crow at his feet, bleeding from its seven orifices, and the shattered teapot and teacup on the tea table proved that it was not an illusion.
His gaze shifted from the cold crow, then turned to look at the several peaks on Ni Mountain.
Although the battle just now was as silent as a dream, only killing a cold crow and shattering a teapot and a teacup, he still sensed that some people had been awakened.
However, when he was about to kill the old fellow, they did not intervene, so Ji You did not have much hostility.
In fact, there were dozens of figures deep within the clouds.
Some were from the Immortal Palace, others from the Elder Council, looking at him with complex expressions through the clouds surrounding the mountains.
At the same time, on the second floor of the Elder Council, in a deep and dark hall.
Elder Fang, Patriarch Peng, Peng Yu, and Fang Jincheng stood with pale faces, looking at Elder Lu, whose chest was covered in blood, their minds buzzing.
And when Elder Lu finally managed to open his eyes, the jade tablet carved with a small sword in his embrace shattered with a crisp crack.
The secret art of forcibly extending life would push the Physical Body close to death, and the extra essence, Qi, and soul would need to be nourished by being stored in Spiritual Qi.
And at this moment, that life-bound item shattered to pieces.
Elder Fang rushed forward to support his tottering body, and saw that Elder Lu's eyes were filled with the terror of having narrowly escaped death.
The path to Immortal Ascension stretches ten thousand li across Qingyun World, a young Phoenix's cry clearer than an old Phoenix's.
Having recovered, Ji You did not stay in his courtyard, but under the gaze of those on the mountaintop, he stepped out into the night, walking along the deserted, cold mountain path, heading eastward.
The Inner Courtyard Immortal Residence was very large, as all Inner Courtyard Disciples lived here.
Ji You walked through streets and alleys, passed over a stone bridge, and then arrived at a residence similar to his own.
Under the dark night, the tightly shut wooden door was blown open with a single punch, then Ji You stepped over the threshold and walked in, his eyes surging with a brilliant golden light.
Ji You didn't recognize the old man who wanted to kill him; he only knew he was a powerful expert of the Void Realm.
However, a little thought revealed that this person must have come from the Elder Council.
Because apart from the Elder Council, there was no one of that Realm in other parts of Tianshu Academy, and if there were, there would be no need to assassinate him at night.
He was actually somewhat fortunate now, fortunate that the Void Realm expert had only attacked with Divine Thought; if his true Physical Body had come, it would have been very difficult for him to handle with his current Battle Intent.
Although the Qingyun World had terrible rules, some people still followed them; otherwise, that old man wouldn't have chosen to secretly kill him by using his Divine Thought to travel outside his Physical Body.
But at the same time, Ji You also felt some regret.
Because no matter how strong his Physical Body was, his Wudao Realm was truly only at Mystic Light, unable to travel the world with Divine Thought.
If he could also kill people with Divine Thought, the people in the Elder Council would surely not sleep well again. However, just as the Master's Courtyard evaluated him, he was never one to let things rest, so it was impossible for him to silently accept that everything was fine just because he didn't die.
When your life is at stake, what good is politeness?
So, since someone could invite an old ghost to kill him, he naturally could kill a young ghost.
Ji You hadn't offended many people recently; one was Elder Fang, and the other was Peng Yu, who had lost his spot because Xiang Fu entered the Inner Courtyard.
Ji You walked into the room, holding the gleaming Qingfeng sword, and with a wave, lit the candles in the room.
The flames flickered, casting a dim light. He could see a painting on the table, inscribed with: “A single thought penetrates beyond the azure sky, only then realizing my fate is not determined by heaven.”
This was Fang Jincheng's courtyard, but he wasn't here.
Ji You looked for a long time, then left the place, leaping into the air in the night wind. His swaying figure traversed thousands of acres of forest, and in a blink, he arrived at the Outer Courtyard.
Looking down from the sky, the bright moonlight shone on the lake, rippled by the autumn wind, shimmering with sparkling waves.
The Outer Courtyard seemed a bit brighter than the Inner Courtyard. As for the reason, perhaps it was because the vegetation in the Outer Courtyard was not as dense as in the Inner Courtyard.
And as he landed, four figures approached him.
These four were Disciples from the Master's Courtyard responsible for patrolling the Outer Courtyard; two were from the Ascension White Jade Platform, and two were from the Wudao Field.
In the dead of this silent night, everyone in the courtyard was either sleeping soundly or cultivating their Dao. The sudden appearance of a figure was extremely noticeable.
Then they recognized Ji You and couldn't help but cup their hands in greeting.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Ji.”
“You've worked hard.”
Ji You nodded slightly to them, then headed towards the Bi Shui Lake Elegant Courtyard.
Seeing this, the four couldn't help but exchange glances, unsure why Ji You would appear in the Outer Courtyard so late at night.
But they didn't dare to ask, because Ji You was filled with Sword Qi just now, as if he was going to kill someone.
At this moment, Ji You had already arrived at the Bi Shui Lake Elegant Courtyard. His surging Divine Thought swept through, and he walked towards a courtyard, then blasted open the main door with a punch, lifting his robes and stepping inside.
This was Peng Yu's courtyard, but similarly, Peng Yu was not in the courtyard either.
Amidst the clouds and mist of the night, countless gazes watched him shuttle between the Inner and Outer Courtyards, breaking into homes, his Sword Intent soaring to the heavens. They naturally knew what he intended to do.
But from beginning to end, no one came out to stop him; they only watched with grave expressions, only slightly relaxing when they confirmed that no Sword Qi was wildly descending.
However, what they didn't expect was that after Ji You left, he didn't return to his own courtyard but instead, after some turns, returned to Fang Jincheng's small courtyard.
Then he sat on the threshold of the room, propped his iron sword in his hand, and remained motionless.
“Is he truly going to kill someone under our noses tonight before he stops?”
“The Elder Council made the first move; him killing one could be considered returning the favor—”
“Are we really just going to watch?”
“Even if Fang Jincheng and Peng Yu are fools, the Elder Council isn't. These two probably won't show their faces again—”
Sunrise and moonset happened quickly; the east soon turned white.
The thin mist of late autumn drifted among the mountains and forests, making the rising red sun resemble a salted egg yolk after being preserved, blurry and thick.
As the morning roosters crowed, Inner Courtyard Disciples gradually began to leave their homes, preparing for Wudao cultivation. But before they reached the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, they saw several figures hurrying through the thin mist.
Looking closely, they were three Masters from the Master's Courtyard, heading towards the back mountain of the Elder Council.
Accompanying them was another person, a middle-aged man wearing the Dan Sect Immortal robes.
Ever since the Dan Sect and Tianshu Academy established good relations, Dan Sect Disciples had been residing permanently in the Outer Courtyard.
The reason they were so eager to ascend the mountain was that they had received a notification from the Elder Council stating that Elder Lu’s Divine Soul had suffered severe damage and required treatment.
The facts proved that the Elder Council's notification was not an exaggeration; Elder Lu was indeed severely injured.
When the Dan Master brought by the three Masters arrived, Elder Lu was lying in bed.
The left half of his body had lost control, as if it were truly withered wood, and his entire Qi was incredibly chaotic.
Qin Rong was watching at the side at this moment, and after observing for a long time, he exchanged glances with Ji Jingyao and Lang Hetong.
The Great Academy had a protective formation; it couldn't be an external enemy.
And they had just received a report this morning from several Disciples patrolling the Outer Courtyard, saying that Ji You had been moving back and forth between the Inner and Outer Courtyards with murderous intent late last night. The Elder Council had made a move, and Ji You had also made a move.
In the dead of a silent, ordinary night, with no one paying attention.
The Dan Master quickly withdrew his hand, the seven-colored Dan Light on his palm gradually dissipating: “Why is there such direct severe damage to the Divine Soul?”
“Void Realm, the Divine Thought can leave the Physical Body.”
“No wonder—”
Qin Rong looked at him: “Is there a treatment method?”
The Dan Master shook his head: “I can only stabilize his current state, allowing him to live in this withered form, but it's impossible for him to recover to his original state.”
“Why is it so severe?”
“His Divine Soul was shattered, and the bridge between it and his Physical Body collapsed. The broken Divine Soul can no longer control the complete Physical Body.”
Several influential Elders in the Elder Council couldn't help but look back down the mountain after hearing this.
Elder Peng had also rushed over early after hearing the news. After seeing Elder Lu in this state, he immediately felt a chill run up his spine. He hadn't seen anything last night, but he knew that his nephew, the family head, had gone to see Elder Fang yesterday.
Not long after, his nephew took everyone from the Peng Sect and left Shengjing under the cover of night, without leaving a single word. He even took Peng Yu with him when he left.
Logically speaking, even if Peng Yu hadn't entered the Inner Courtyard, he could still cultivate in the Outer Courtyard for five years, trying to sense the Heavenly Book or something.
But he was taken away just like that. It seems his nephew, the family head, was truly afraid of his direct descendant dying.
In addition, Elder Fang's great-grandson was also nowhere to be seen at this time.
And it wasn't just Elder Peng who was concerned about the Fang Sect's great-grandson; there were also some Young Masters from the capital and Disciples from the Outer Courtyard.
In recent days, a new batch of courtesans had arrived at the capital's pleasure houses, so they had arranged yesterday to go drinking with Fang Jincheng.
However, Fang Jincheng had declined at the time, saying he would be late and had some important matters to attend to, telling them to drink first and he would join after he finished, which greatly piqued everyone's curiosity.
Fang Jincheng himself was someone who couldn't keep a secret, so he told them that he planned to use the Peng Sect to deal with Ji You, and also said that Peng Yu had no backbone and was very easy to manipulate.
However, some Young Masters from the capital, after seeing Dou Yuankong's current state, had some lingering fear of Ji You and advised Fang Jincheng to think twice.
Because back then, Dou Yuankong also tried to use the Yao Race to deal with Ji You, which led to his current plight.
But Fang Jincheng didn't care, because he felt that Dou Yuankong simply couldn't compare to him.
That guy was just the son of a minister in a mortal Dynasty.
Moreover, he also said that this time he wouldn't come forward personally, so he definitely wouldn't get into trouble.
Even if it didn't succeed, with his great-grandfather in Tianshu Academy, he wasn't afraid of anything. He even promised that if Ji You was ruined, he would pay for all the drinks for the entire winter.
Fang Jincheng, relying on his great-grandfather's background, was arrogant and had quite a temper, but he was quite good at being punctual.
In their opinion, regardless of whether this matter succeeded or not, this guy should have shown up by now, but for some reason, they hadn't seen him come from their night of revelry until morning.
It wasn't a problem that he didn't come, but they had spent lavishly on wine and women yesterday, so the bill for the drinks had to be settled.
Just then, a scholar-like man ran over.
After the Great Xia Emperor began personally leading expeditions, some young officials were promoted quickly, and this scholar was one of those who benefited.
After arriving in Shengjing, he had made connections everywhere and had become extremely familiar with these Young Masters from the capital's Worldly Families.
“Gentlemen, don't wait any longer. I just went to inquire and heard that Fang Jincheng has gone into seclusion.”
“Seclusion? How is that possible? If he had plans for seclusion, why would he invite us to a pleasure house?”
“He certainly didn't go into seclusion voluntarily—”
“That's funny. Is it possible to be forced into seclusion?”
“Indeed, his seclusion this time was forced by Elder Fang. I asked the brother who came with Brother Fang yesterday,
He said that Fang Jincheng might never come out of this seclusion again.