Chapter 443: I am the Holy Son of the Changsheng Sect

From his position among the forces at Tremble Mountain Peak, Ji Dingjin naturally heard Chen Mobai's challenge. Previously, he would have undoubtedly ignored it, pretending it hadn't been said. But now, that was impossible. After their previous clash of battle formations, both sides were now exhausted and incapable of reforming their ranks in the short term. This meant that if both main commanders wished, they could charge directly into close-quarters combat. However, most cultivators were currently in a state of exhaustion. Even with the Divine Wood Sect's numerical advantage, Chen Mobai chose not to launch a full assault at this moment.

"All of you, lead your cultivators and retreat in different directions," Ji Dingjin suddenly addressed the Foundation Establishment cultivators around him. Jiao Shukuan looked bewildered, still processing the words, but Ai Tuo sighed, realizing the battle was lost. "This battle is lost, and the responsibility lies entirely with me, your commander. I will go out and hold off the enemy, and your escape will depend on your own fortune."

As soon as Ji Dingjin uttered these words, everyone understood, and expressions of sorrow appeared on their faces. They had enjoyed the protection of Tremble Mountain Peak for centuries, never imagining it would fall today. Facing imminent disaster, everyone scattered. Jiao Shukuan and the others saw Chen Mobai approaching, riding on a cloud of mist. After bowing to Ji Dingjin, they immediately went to gather their family cultivators within the camp. Under the threat of life and death, these exhausted Qi Refining cultivators unleashed astonishing potential. Some consumed elixirs, while others employed secret techniques to forcefully invigorate themselves. One by one, they followed their ancestors, boarded flying artifacts, and retreated deep into the Rock Kingdom.

"Junior Brother Ai, take these," Ji Dingjin called out. Ai Tuo, the last to depart, was stopped by Ji Dingjin, who had by now donned his armor, fully prepared for his final battle. "These…" Ai Tuo took the two storage bags from Ji Dingjin, his eyes reddening slightly. He realized that his Senior Brother intended to sacrifice himself. "I will deliver them to the sect," Ai Tuo finally managed to say. With that, Ai Tuo led the hundreds of cultivators from Tremble Mountain Peak into a retreat deep within the Rock Kingdom.

"Oh!" Chen Mobai, observing from not far away, naturally witnessed this scene unfold. It was, however, the best decision under the circumstances. Had the large cultivator army from Tremble Mountain Peak not retreated, the Divine Wood Sect, once recovered, could have completely annihilated them.

Behind Chen Mobai, Yue Zutao and other Foundation Establishment cultivators also flew forward. They intended to seize this crucial moment, when neither side could reform their battle formations, to decisively defeat their opponents.

"Should I lead a group of people in pursuit first?" asked Zhou Wangshen, eager to act. Zhou Wangshen, who had cultivated the Longevity Dao Body, recovered spiritual power remarkably quickly. By not sparing spirit stones, he had already regained about sixty to seventy percent of his spiritual energy.

"The enemy is scattering in their retreat, so we might only be able to wipe out a portion of them." Yue Zutao frowned slightly as he watched various flying boats and artifacts continuously ascend from the enemy camp, scattering in all directions.

"No need to rush," Chen Mobai replied, shaking his head. "Let them run for a while. Once our cultivators have largely recovered their spiritual energy, we'll advance with the main army and overwhelm them. With absolute power, we can then uproot every market and family in the Rock Kingdom." Chen Mobai shook his head. This was the moment when the Tremble Mountain Peak cultivators' will to survive was strongest. If the Divine Wood Sect's army pressed them relentlessly, these cornered foes might unleash unprecedented fighting power and retaliate.

"In that case, we must prevent the enemy from regrouping in the rear and forming battle formations that could trouble us again," Yue Zutao said. "Perhaps a few of us should go ahead first. Should we detect any signs of regrouping, we can immediately mobilize the main army to crush them." Yue Zutao, being highly skilled in military formations, immediately brought up a crucial point. If these fleeing cultivators from Tremble Mountain Peak were to reorganize and form battle formations to block their advance, even if they could be defeated again, it would undoubtedly cost them a significant amount of time.

"Then I'll trouble Senior Brother Zhou to lead the team," Chen Mobai conceded. Chen Mobai considered this, finding it very sensible. He instructed Zhou Wangshen, who was the most energetic among them besides himself, to lead the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators of the sect and follow the largest group of fleeing flying boats from Tremble Mountain Peak. "Remember to maintain contact and don't let the enemy ambush you," Chen Mobai cautioned them before they left. The Heaven-Reaching Instrument he had painstakingly developed would be most effective in such pursuit battles.

However, just as Zhou Wangshen was about to lead his group forward, a thick black mace came smashing down from the sky towards him. With a resounding "clang," Chen Mobai flung a dark blue shield from his storage bag, blocking Ji Dingjin's attack. "The timid tortoise has finally decided to show himself," Chen Mobai sneered, using his Flame-Light Evasion technique to land opposite Ji Dingjin. Seeing Chen Mobai's intervention, Ji Dingjin made no further futile attempts, only watching helplessly as Zhou Wangshen and the others bypassed him, pursuing the fleeing cultivators of the Rock and Sky Kingdoms.

"I should have killed you back then," Ji Dingjin lamented, gazing at the excessively young man before him, his face filled with regret.

"Don't flatter yourself," Chen Mobai retorted, shaking his head. "You never had a chance to kill me, nor the strength to do so."

"Hmph, if I had been willing to sacrifice my life back then, you wouldn't have had a chance to escape." As he spoke, Ji Dingjin swallowed a blood-red elixir. Immediately, his entire aura violently surged, his qi and blood burning fiercely throughout his body. Clad in dark red armor, he resembled a blood-flame war god, exuding an overwhelming presence.

"Core Formation?" Chen Mobai asked, his brows slightly furrowed in surprise. If his senses weren't mistaken, Ji Dingjin had now surpassed the peak of Foundation Establishment. Although not as potent as when he commanded a battle formation, the aura he emitted was unmistakably that of Core Formation.

"In the past, I secretly attempted to break through to Core Formation, but unfortunately, my spiritual sense was flawed, and I failed," Ji Dingjin explained. "However, if I'm willing to sacrifice my life, I can still unleash the power of the Golden Core I managed to retain then." As Ji Dingjin spoke, his aura fully erupted. He raised the black mace in his hand and brought it down heavily upon Chen Mobai. It descended like a colossal, inky-black divine pillar, twisting the very void with terrifying force, stirring up winds and clouds.

Chen Mobai's eyes flared, and two Divine Slashes burst forth. However, this move had been used on Ji Dingjin before, and this time, the latter was prepared. An inexplicable force solidified, preventing the slashes from even penetrating his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. As the black mace descended, Chen Mobai's form dissolved into a sky full of flames. Using Flame-Light Evasion, Chen Mobai reappeared behind Ji Dingjin. He drew the Golden Jade Axe from his storage bag, infused it with immense spiritual energy, and brought it down heavily on Ji Dingjin's helmet.

A crisp clang rang out! Chen Mobai felt as if his axe had struck solid steel, and a sharp pain shot through the web of his hand. However, this peak second-tier artifact was extraordinary; the axe managed to hack a gash into Ji Dingjin's helmet. Unfortunately, beneath the helmet lay another layer of soft armor, and yet another layer of qi armor. After breaching three layers of defense, the Golden Jade Axe finally faltered against Ji Dingjin's physique, which had been trained to the utmost limit of the second-tier. A large, dark hand then gripped the axe. Chen Mobai attempted to yank the Golden Jade Axe back, but it wouldn't budge.

Ji Dingjin turned, and the black mace descended once more. The Divine Wood Shield flew out again, erupting with a dense green light to meet the black mace head-on. The Divine Wood Sect's artifact was crafted from third-tier Golden Sun Spirit Wood, renowned for its exceptional durability and defense. However, Ji Dingjin's current cultivation was half a step above Chen Mobai's. With eyes wide in fury, he brandished the black mace and unleashed a powerful martial art technique. The black mace moved like a furious sandstorm, striking the Divine Wood Shield over a hundred times in rapid succession.

With a loud *thump*! Chen Mobai's expression changed. He saw the Divine Wood Shield's spiritual energy deplete, and his own spiritual sense within the artifact felt as though it had been struck by a hammer, causing a slight ache in his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. He simply chose not to resist forcefully, withdrawing his spiritual sense from the Divine Wood Shield. The black mace then passed through unimpeded, sending the shield flying with a heavy blow. But Chen Mobai had already used that moment to activate his Flame-Light Evasion, moving a significant distance away.

"Boy, today I'll show you the ultimate technique of Tremble Mountain Peak: the Vacuum Dharma Body!" Ji Dingjin's voice suddenly echoed in Chen Mobai's ear. Startled, Chen Mobai activated one of Elder Zhou's Spirit Leaf Talismans. With a *boom*, Chen Mobai felt as if he had been struck like a baseball. Though uninjured, the elemental energy around him began to surge chaotically. Yet, he saw exactly how Ji Dingjin had instantly appeared beside him. Half of his opponent's body remained in its original position, while the other half had seemingly passed through a dark fissure, reappearing directly behind him.

"Vacuum Dharma Body? Can he manipulate the void to instantly teleport his physical body?!" Chen Mobai muttered, finding it hard to believe. Chen Mobai found it hard to believe, but then recalled the Underworld Grand Formation he had encountered at Lone Soul Ridge, which seemed to utilize a similar principle. In the Immortal Sect, only after achieving the Golden Core Domain could one accomplish such a feat. Yet Ji Dingjin, merely at the False Core Formation realm, could do this?! Was this the Vacuum Dharma Body?!

Chen Mobai activated his Void-Piering Spiritual Eye, beginning to track Ji Dingjin's next move. He watched as the hand clutching the black mace suddenly vanished, as if a dark fissure had swallowed that part of his body. Yet, with a sharp whistle, the black mace materialized above Chen Mobai's head, plummeting heavily towards his forehead. The hand gripping the mace had emerged from a dark fissure. Chen Mobai opened his mouth and exhaled; the Azure Flame Sword Qi burst forth. The cyan stream of light clashed directly with the black mace, unleashing an incredibly terrifying spiritual energy torrent. Simultaneously, Chen Mobai's right hand unstoppered the yellow-skinned gourd at his waist. An orange-red ray of light coiled and sliced towards the dark hand gripping the mace. But Ji Dingjin swiftly retracted it. The void fissure vanished, and Chen Mobai's Primordial Yang Sword Qi struck nothing but air.

He glanced to his right; another dark fissure appeared, and Ji Dingjin's physical body crossed through it, charging directly at him with boiling qi and blood. Chen Mobai's Crimson Mist Cloud Robe was not of a high enough grade to withstand it. He could only fight and retreat, attempting to find an opening to deliver a lethal blow with his sword qi. However, after witnessing the deaths of Xuan Qiao and Xuan Jinzhi firsthand, Ji Dingjin was extremely wary of sword qi. Despite his confidence in his three layers of defense and his physique, he dared not face it directly.

Chen Mobai never imagined that his confrontation with Ji Dingjin would be even more challenging than his previous battle with Pei Qingshuang. He didn't know what elixir Ji Dingjin had consumed, but the man was burning his last reserves of qi and blood, raising his cultivation to a level almost equivalent to Core Formation. At this heightened state, the miraculous power of the Vacuum Dharma Body began to manifest. If Chen Mobai hadn't possessed the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror for protection, combined with his extensive combat experience and several third-tier techniques at his disposal, he might not have been able to stand against him.

"This state of his cannot last. If I prolong the fight, victory will be mine." Just as Chen Mobai was thinking this, Ji Dingjin roared furiously. His battle armor suddenly disintegrated, transforming into a mysterious formation. Caught off guard, Chen Mobai found himself trapped within. Although his Flame-Light Evasion could still be activated, it couldn't breach the confines of this formation.

"I told you I'd exchange my life for yours!" Ji Dingjin exclaimed, his expression elated. After meticulously preparing, Ji Dingjin finally trapped Chen Mobai, his expression triumphant. He then tore off one of his own arms, which disintegrated into a pervasive blood mist that integrated into the trapping formation created by his armor. From the outside, it appeared as a massive black sphere encapsulating the two figures. Luo Yixuan's expression flickered with alarm, and she was about to deploy her Wood Armor Dao Soldiers for support. However, Yue Zutao had already made a move, yet found himself unable to budge the black sphere in the slightest.

Inside the black sphere, Chen Mobai unleashed an Azure Flame Sword Qi. Though it pierced a large, distorted hole in the sphere, it was still unable to break through the formation. He even pulled out a Minor Teleportation Talisman from his storage bag, but it proved useless. "Ever since you escaped using that Heaven-Escaping Talisman last time, I've been devising a way to kill you completely. This is my answer. I told you I'd exchange my life for yours!"

By now, Ji Dingjin's face was pale, his skin beginning to wrinkle like tree bark. Yet, his eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance, and his entire being's qi and blood surged to an unparalleled peak. He made a grasping motion with his five fingers around him, then brought them together towards his chest. The black spherical space around them began to contract, and Chen Mobai felt the pressure intensifying. A trickle of blood had already seeped from his nose. If the black sphere were to fully condense into a single point, both he and Ji Dingjin would vanish into nothingness.

"Is this your final strength?" Chen Mobai asked, his Primordial Yang Sword Qi circulating as he moved it around Ji Dingjin's neck. But an invisible burst of qi and blood erupted, forcefully deflecting the Primordial Yang Sword Qi. This immense power made Chen Mobai feel as though he were facing a true Golden Core cultivator. His expression grew slightly grave as he pondered how to break free. Should he detonate an Azure Flame Sword Qi? Or perhaps use the Myriad Sword Dharma Body to activate the Five Elements Sword Qi Array? Or...

Just as Ji Dingjin's expression grew excited, a flash of purple light suddenly shot out from Chen Mobai's storage bag, resembling a purple dragon or a leaping bolt of purple lightning! "This is a good opportunity to test your power." As Chen Mobai spoke, he reached out and gripped the Purple Lightning Sword! This fourth-tier, high-grade sword artifact from the Immortal Sect instantly released all its power, harmonizing perfectly with Chen Mobai's will. It achieved the supreme state of "Sword Heart Enlightenment, Man and Sword as One"—a realm devoutly sought by sword cultivators. "Master, although this opponent is somewhat weak, half a high-grade spirit stone is still a must," the Purple Lightning Sword communicated, sensing Ji Dingjin's aura as it merged with Chen Mobai.

"What sword is that?" Ji Dingjin asked, now sensing that something was wrong. Now, Ji Dingjin sensed something was amiss. Following the appearance of the long-handled sword artifact, shimmering with purple light, his previously stable black spherical space suddenly began to tremble. The five fingers he used to control the trapping formation began to crumble into bloody fragments, one by one. At that moment, Chen Mobai approached. He raised the long sword in his hand and gently brought it down upon Ji Dingjin, who, being fused with the trapping formation, was utterly immobile.

Outside the sphere! Yue Zutao and the others, who had been anxiously attacking the black spherical space, suddenly saw a dazzling bolt of purple lightning flash from within. Inside the space, Ji Dingjin's eyes were wide with disbelief. Chen Mobai raised the Purple Lightning Sword in his hand, a look of subtle satisfaction on his face.

"What... what sword is this?" Ji Dingjin asked again, coughing up blood with each word. His body had been cleaved in two by the Purple Lightning Sword, yet the tenacious vitality of a body cultivator kept him from expiring completely.

"The sword that will kill you!" Chen Mobai stated simply. Chen Mobai didn't elaborate. If possible, he preferred not to expose a fourth-tier sword artifact in the Eastern Wilderness; he wouldn't have used it now if the circumstances hadn't been so opportune.

"Such a powerful... flying sword, even... the Primordial Ancestor doesn't possess it. Who exactly are you... the successor of which hidden great sect...?" Ji Dingjin's life force was rapidly fading, but he struggled to get an answer.

"I have no obligation to satisfy your curiosity," Chen Mobai replied, putting away the Purple Lightning Sword. He then pulled out the Flying Sparrow Hairpin from his topknot, intending to make it appear as though he had used this item to defeat his opponent.

"I can give you... the incantation... for the Vacuum Dharma Body... if you swear a Dao Heart oath... guarantee..." Just as Chen Mobai was about to use the Flying Sparrow Hairpin to cleave Ji Dingjin in two again, the latter offered a condition that made his eyebrows raise. Previously, he would have shown no interest in the Vacuum Dharma Body. However, after witnessing Ji Dingjin's physical body traverse the void, he now considered that this body-refinement method might aid him in establishing his own Golden Core Domain.

"Very well," Chen Mobai nodded. "As a respectable opponent, I will give you an answer." Chen Mobai nodded. Ji Dingjin wasted no more time; he had only a few breaths left. His remaining spiritual sense surged forth, directly imprinting the Vacuum Dharma Body onto Chen Mobai's mind. Then, Ji Dingjin received an answer that made his eyes widen in sudden realization.

"I am the Saint Son of the Longevity Sect!"