Chapter 139 Shall I Take Over?

Ji Jiuxuan held an absolute, crushing advantage, whereas Feng Hanxiao was fighting with considerably more difficulty.

Both sides possessed spiritual beasts, so the disparity in combat was not terribly wide. However, since the opponent was a peak ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator who had suppressed her cultivation solely to participate in this grand tournament, her cultivation level was still somewhat higher than Feng Hanxiao's eighth-layer Qi Condensation.

As the battle progressed, Feng Hanxiao was clearly at a disadvantage.

Upon seeing that Jiyue had already been defeated, Jiyue's teammates released another spiritual beast toward Ji Jiuxuan.

At that moment, recalling everything Jiyue had done up to this point, a fierce fire was raging within Ji Jiuxuan's heart. The spirit snake charging at her was walking right into the line of fire.

The Child Sword materialized swiftly in her hand, and with one clean, decisive slash, the spirit snake was sliced directly in half.

A third-rank spirit snake had actually been killed by a single sword strike. Seeing blood dripping from the tip of the blade, Jiyue finally tasted fear.

She had witnessed the strength of this spirit snake before; it was utterly impossible for someone of her own caliber to kill it in a single move, yet Ji Jiuxuan had done it, and with such effortless ease.

Pointing her sword at Jiyue, Ji Jiuxuan's icy eyes were filled with mockery. "Scared? Did you ever consider the consequences when you were spreading rumors about me?"

"Not feeling so mighty now, are you? Come on then! I'm waiting!" Glancing briefly at the duel between Qin Yuzhou and Feng Hanxiao and seeing that both were holding their ground, Ji Jiuxuan walked slowly toward Jiyue. She had always been petty-minded, and since Jiyue was so utterly shameless, it was high time she was taught a lesson.

Although Jiyue's composure had been shaken by the shock Ji Jiuxuan dealt her at the start, having cultivated for many years and having been handpicked as a direct disciple, she was no fragile weakling who would collapse at the first sign of fright.

Forming hand seals, spiritual energy surged wildly within her. The spiritual power around her climbed step by step, pushing her cultivation to a critical threshold—the very edge of a breakthrough.

In the spectator stands, Ling Lin stood up in astonishment. Her eyes were filled with profound heartache, utterly devastated that the disciple she valued so highly had been driven to this desperate pass.

If Jiyue triggered the Lingyun Over-Realm technique at this moment, once the spiritual power receded afterward, only one fate awaited her: being forced into Foundation Establishment.

Given Jiyue's current state, it was highly unlikely that her Foundation Establishment would succeed.

Narrowing her eyes as she watched Jiyue's aura continuously climb, Ji Jiuxuan understood—so it was an over-realm technique!

Hah! Who didn't have an over-realm technique of their own?

"A-Jiu, are you truly certain you want to expose all your trump cards?" Long Xuan knew Ji Jiuxuan intended to use Jiyue's most cherished cultivation level to crush her, but doing so would reveal all her cards at once.

He had already appeared during her previous life-or-death duel, so he had no fear of exposure. "Shall I handle this instead?"

He found this person thoroughly obnoxious and was itching for a chance to properly teach her a lesson on Ji Jiuxuan's behalf.

"You're that eager to make a move?" She possessed countless ways to defeat Jiyue; formations or swordsmanship without relying on over-realm techniques would work perfectly fine, and the other option was going over-realm for an absolute, effortless crushing victory.

Yet, listening to Long Xuan's tone, it didn't sound like he wanted to help her so much as he was simply raring for a chance to beat Jiyue up.

"Yes."

Very well, Ji Jiuxuan stepped back a few paces to clear the space for Long Xuan to cast his spell.

Seeing her retreat, Jiyue wore a face full of excitement. "You're scared! I always said someone useless and superficial like you is all show and no substance—regretting it now is too late."

Sighing inwardly, Ji Jiuxuan simply could not comprehend how someone could be so self-righteous yet so stubbornly delusional. "When did you ever see me as superficial? Arrogant and noisy."

By this time, Long Xuan's spiritual power had already converged, and a massive golden dragon materialized behind her, causing the pressure across the entire arena to skyrocket instantly.

Everyone on the competition stage was forced to their knees by this overwhelming pressure.

Jiyue, who was still circulating her over-realm technique, had her spiritual power abruptly halted by the crushing force. A surge of blood rose in her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood directly, collapsing weakly to her knees on the ground.

Only Ji Jiuxuan remained standing, expressionless, with the massive golden dragon coiled behind her, though its dragon eyes remained closed at this moment.

Golden spiritual energy enveloped the fiery-red spiritual power converging on Ji Jiuxuan's sword, and that terrifying energy caused the others in the arena to tremble with involuntary fear.

"So, exactly who is superficial and useless? Hmm?" Ji Jiuxuan's trailing tone seemed to step upon the very last line of defense in Jiyue's heart. Another mouthful of blood spewed forth, and her entire demeanor turned utterly desolate, as if she had lost every shred of her spirit and vitality.

Tears streaked across her face, her voice choked with boundless despair. She bit her lips and uttered not a single word.

Jiyue understood all too well that with this kind of momentum, if Ji Jiuxuan wanted to kill her, it would be an effortless task.

At that instant, the convictions she had held onto in her heart seemed to shatter entirely.

"I yield!" Jiyue's other two teammates blurted out in panic as Ji Jiuxuan turned her gaze toward them.

They knew full well that with this kind of momentum, once the attack was unleashed, it would either kill or permanently cripple them.

"So, what about you? Senior Sister Jiyue."

Ji Jiuxuan's voice was exceedingly soft, yet every single word weighed heavily upon Jiyue's heart.

Jiyue sat collapsed on the ground, biting her lips, still unwilling to speak.

The surrounding spiritual energy surged even more violently, and the aura of the golden giant dragon grew increasingly terrifying.

At that very moment, the dragon's eyes slowly opened.

"I yield! I yield!" Jiyue shrieked in panic, collapsing face-down onto the ground in unrestrained sobs.

This spectacle shocked everyone present. Just as the presiding elder prepared to intervene and rescue Jiyue and the others, the crushing pressure engulfing the entire arena vanished in an instant.

The golden dragon behind Ji Jiuxuan dissipated without a trace in the blink of an eye, leaving only the fading momentum of the Child Sword in her hand.

Closing her eyes and sensing the profound momentum from just moments before, Ji Jiuxuan actually caught a fleeting trace of arcane insight within it.

The protective barrier was withdrawn, and Jiyue's other two teammates walked off the stage without once looking back.

Feng Hanxiao and Qin Yuzhou had originally intended to walk over to Ji Jiuxuan, but Nie Xingyuan appeared and intercepted them. "You two head down first."

Little A-Jiu's state clearly indicated she had fallen into a state of sudden enlightenment.

Though he had no idea what had triggered this enlightenment, he would absolutely not permit anyone to disturb Little Jiu while she was enlightened.

Right at that moment, spiritual energy came rushing frantically toward Jiyue, who was still slumped on the ground.

Nie Xingyuan hastily retrieved an isolation array disc, sealing off the entire area from the outside world.

That aura was undeniably the portent of Foundation Establishment.

No one had anticipated that Jiyue would actually attempt Foundation Establishment on the spot while in a weak and unconscious state!

Everyone had witnessed Ji Jiuxuan's performance just now, and the animosity between them was an open secret.

Consequently, people harbored deep doubts regarding Jiyue's character. Seeing her current influx of spiritual energy behaving with such abnormal turbulence, the onlookers could not resist lingering to watch the show.

Ling Lin hurried to her side, channeling her own spiritual energy into Jiyue's body in an attempt to help reverse the crisis.

For a high-level cultivator to do this carried enormous risks, and it could even result in the permanent impairment of their own cultivation.

Seeing Ling Lin help Jiyue regulate her spiritual qi without a moment's hesitation and even attempt to assist her through Foundation Establishment, a cultivator on the stands who was on good terms with Ling Lin cried out anxiously, "Elder Ling! Have you lost your mind? That will ruin you!"

Yet no matter how the others tried to dissuade her, Ling Lin refused to give up. "Since I chose her, I must see it through to the end. It was my failure to teach her properly, so I should pay the price for it."

The chaotic spiritual energy within Jiyue gradually began to steady.

Since she was unconscious, the entire Foundation Establishment process was completed entirely through Ling Lin's assistance.

For a cultivation practitioner, Foundation Establishment was akin to laying the foundation of a building; if the foundation was poorly laid, it would resemble a skyscraper with a ruined substructure, liable to collapse at any moment. Some foundations were so well-laid that they could support towering structures of a hundred stories with absolute stability, whereas others were only suitable for building a few mere levels.

Given Jiyue's circumstances, merely surviving the process to achieve Foundation Establishment was already a minor miracle, and this crucial breakthrough had cost her any chance of ever climbing higher in the future due to her own reckless willfulness.

Ling Lin withdrew her spiritual power. At that very moment, her own cultivation began to destabilize, and the high-level cultivators present instantly perceived that her cultivation level was actively plummeting.

Special thanks to wj Miaomiao for the monthly ticket, thank you! ~