https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-352-Killing-a-Grandmaster-with-a-Snap-of-the-Fingers/13026634/
Chapter 353: Who Killed Ji Yuanshan?
Chapter 353: Who Killed Ji Yuanshan?
Escape!
Ji Yuanshan, clad in a light-colored silk robe, tightly gripped his Spring-Autumn Sword and fled into the darkness without a backward glance, his mind filled with tumultuous thoughts.
With a snap of his fingers, he shattered his Spring-Autumn Sword, and with a single finger, he slew the Blood Concealment Grandmaster. This terrifying display of power was beyond even the top ten Grandmasters on the Heavenly Grandmaster Rankings, whom he had encountered before. Even if they possessed such ability, they would not be able to achieve it with the ease that Chen Mu demonstrated, nor would they be able to do so without harnessing the power of heaven and earth, relying solely on their physical prowess and Primordial Energy.
This was a level of power comparable to the Blood Transformation Realm!
A mere thirty-two-year-old Heaven and Earth Grandmaster, surpassing the level of Grandmasters and approaching the Blood Transformation Realm—this was an astonishing concept that Ji Yuanshan fully understood, causing his thoughts to surge like towering waves.
Escape!
He had to flee this place, escape the Earth Abyss, and report this news to the Pavilion Master.
Regardless of whether Chen Mu could one day dominate the world, his current state was already terrifying. Although they had considered Chen Mu as a 'variable' in the past, they never imagined that this 'variable' would be so shocking. If left unchecked, it would undoubtedly become a massive calamity in the future, and even the centuries-old Mystic Mechanism Pavilion might be overturned because of it!
The Mystic Mechanism Pavilion feared neither the Qiuan Sect nor any other sect in the Frost North; they only feared the variable that Chen Mu represented, which was beyond all predictions and outside the realm of fate. Moreover, given the past grudges between the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion and Chen Mu, there was no room for reconciliation. If Chen Mu were to reach the pinnacle, the first target of his reckoning would likely be the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion!
However.
Even as Ji Yuanshan took advantage of Chen Mu's confrontation with Fu Jingyuan and the Blood Concealment Grandmaster to flee with all his might, creating a distance of several hundred zhang, Chen Mu calmly pursued him from behind. Each step he took seemed slow and ordinary, but with every stride, he closed the distance as if a thousand miles were but a step away, and in just a few steps, he was right behind Ji Yuanshan, within a few dozen zhang.
"The Four Seasons Time Path, evolved from the cycles of heaven and earth, has its merits, but it's a pity you've only mastered the Spring-Autumn aspect and can't experience the complete Time Path. It's a shame."
Chen Mu's slightly regretful voice echoed from behind.
Hearing this, Ji Yuanshan's blood ran cold, and he felt a chill down his spine, as if sensing an impending disaster. Without hesitation, he swung his Spring-Autumn Sword with all his might, sending a sword strike backward.
Boom!!!
This sword strike collided with a strand of Chen Mu's finger force, creating a resounding hum.
Chen Mu's finger didn't employ the Heaven-Earth Seal; it was purely Primordial Essence True Force, manifesting as an ancient, rustic finger seal that extended three feet, with every detail of its texture clearly visible, and an immeasurable aura of power.
With just one finger.
Bang.
Ji Yuanshan's Spring-Autumn Sword bent backward from the center, and the surging Spring-Autumn Sword Intent was forcefully dispersed. A powerful impact surged forth, sending him flying backward, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood. His internal organs, including the five viscera and six bowels, were all injured and torn by Chen Mu's finger force!
Ji Yuanshan's body flew backward like a ragdoll, smashing into the desolate earth, shattering the ground into a web of cracks and leaving a crater.
Swish.
Chen Mu slowly retracted his hand and took a light step forward, instantly appearing beside the crater where Ji Yuanshan had fallen. He looked down at Ji Yuanshan, who lay in the pit, clutching his Spring-Autumn Sword and coughing up blood, his eyes still holding a hint of regret.
This regret was genuine. He truly wished Ji Yuanshan had been stronger, mastering the Four Seasons Time Path and possessing the ability of an Absolute Grandmaster, so that he could witness the power of the Four Seasons, which could rival the Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
Unfortunately.
Ji Yuanshan, who only wielded the Spring-Autumn Sword, couldn't even withstand a single snap of Chen Mu's fingers.
Nonetheless, as one of the Deputy Pavilion Masters of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion and a top Grandmaster in the Frost North, he was worth waiting for.
"You..."
Ji Yuanshan struggled to prop himself up, his eyes fixed on Chen Mu, knowing that escape was impossible. Instead of fear, his eyes now held determination as he asked, "So, you deliberately saved those villagers outside the Frosty Mountain Range, exposing your weakness, just to lure us into making a move?"
"In a chaotic world, it's not easy for people to catch their breath. As for you... I never took you seriously."
Chen Mu looked down at Ji Yuanshan, his tone indifferent.
"Indeed."
A trace of bitterness flashed in Ji Yuanshan's eyes.
Chen Mu, having achieved the rank of Grandmaster of Heaven and Earth, stood at the pinnacle of the world. Naturally, he didn't regard these Grandmasters of Xuanji Pavilion highly, and even as the Deputy Pavilion Master, he likely didn't pay much attention to them. Everything was just a casual effort for him.
"So, what's the current relationship between Xuanji Pavilion and the Blood Concealment Tower?" Chen Mu asked.
Ji Yuanshan let out a 'hey' and replied, "I don't know... But these things probably don't mean much to you. Even if you can take that step in the future, reaching the pinnacle of the Ultimate Realm, and all the demon sects unite, what can they do?"
At this point, he sighed with some regret, "Heaven's will and fate, no one can fully grasp it all. Even if you manage to capture all the principles of fate, there will always be a strand that slips through, becoming an infinite number of variables..."
"As humans, if we can't even grasp our own fate, how can we dare to try to comprehend the heavenly principles and capture fate? What's the difference between that and a mountain hermit who doesn't know the height of the heavens? The Dao follows the natural order. If we try to control heaven and earth with human strength, it will surely backfire."
Chen Mu spoke calmly.
In the past, when his cultivation was lower, his understanding of heaven and earth was limited, so naturally, he couldn't argue with Xuanji Pavilion's philosophy. But now, he had developed his own beliefs.
Xuanji Pavilion, for instance, claimed to predict heaven's will and fate, saying they followed and responded to the heavens. But in reality, they were still trying to control fate and all the infinite changes in the world.
Even those at the pinnacle of the martial path, those who stood at the apex of the mortal world, couldn't truly control heaven and earth. Xuanji Pavilion's attempt to control fate through human affairs might gain temporary success, but it would inevitably backfire in the long run.
The Dao is diminished by each day, and by further diminishing, it reaches non-action.
The more one seeks, the further one is from the Dao. Only by non-action and non-non-action can one truly follow the heavenly timing. No matter how heaven and earth change, there will always be a glimmer of hope. In Chen Mu's eyes, even if he didn't exist in this world, Xuanji Pavilion would never be able to control the world. They would inevitably decline due to other changes.
"..."
Ji Yuanshan, upon hearing Chen Mu's words, stood in place, his eyes slightly dazed. Finally, he murmured, "Is there truly someone who knows everything from birth, or are you truly born with a heavenly mandate?"
Ji Yuanshan had dedicated his life to Xuanji Pavilion's philosophy, so it was impossible for him to completely change his beliefs because of Chen Mu's words. However, it was undeniable that Chen Mu's words pointed directly at the essence of heavenly principles, causing a slight waver in Ji Yuanshan's heart. This waver was enough to make him sigh. After all, Chen Mu was only in his thirties, just past thirty years old, and he already had such an understanding of the cycle of heaven's will.
No wonder he could quickly comprehend Heaven and Earth and step into the Bone Washing Realm in such a short time.
"..."
Chen Mu looked at Ji Yuanshan, his gaze calm without any action.
Ji Yuanshan also remained still, standing there as the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. Soon, his vitality rapidly dissipated, leaving only a corpse standing in the pit.
With a rumble, Chen Mu took a glance, then lightly stepped on the ground. The desolate earth instantly cracked and shattered, and Ji Yuanshan's body quickly disintegrated and fell into the cracked earth, disappearing from sight.
Only the Spring-Autumn Sword remained, trembling as it was caught by a strand of Chen Mu's energy and pulled into his hand. It violently shook in his grasp, but Chen Mu merely raised his left hand, touching the sword with his index and middle fingers. The sword quickly calmed down, its glow fading, returning to a simple spirit sword.
Chen Mu put away the Spring-Autumn Sword, and his figure soon disappeared into the darkness without a trace.
Thus, the desolate land fell into dead silence.
After an unknown amount of time, two figures arrived, both with graceful figures and dignified auras, clearly elders of the Harmony Sect. One of them was Xia Yuye, ranked second on the Wind and Cloud Rankings, and the other was also an elder of the Harmony Sect. They glided over the desolate land, then suddenly furrowed their brows and stopped.
"This is..."
Luan Qiumei scanned the surroundings, looking at the nearby remnants, "It seems like there was a battle here, what do you think, Yuye?"
Xia Yuye observed the area, her eyes slightly flickering, "The traces have been erased, and the remaining aura is gone. It seems like it happened not long ago, but the methods are quite powerful."
In the original version, there were some errors in the numbers and characters.
When Grandmasters battle, it often causes changes in heaven and earth within a certain range, disrupting the natural forces and leaving traces. This phenomenon is even more evident in the Earth Abyss, where it's challenging to erase all traces completely.
(Chapter End)
In the remnants of the battle, although they could determine that a fight had occurred not long ago, the identities of the combatants and the outcome remained obscured, leaving a chaotic mess.
"Hmm."
Luan Qiumei nodded slightly.
In the depths of the Earth Abyss, where danger lurked at every turn, they couldn't afford to be careless. Upon encountering such peculiar traces, she became more cautious, and her gaze shifted to Xia Yuye. "Can you take a look?"
"I'll try."
Xia Yuye whispered.
Her eyes flashed with a faint light, and the colors of the sun and moon swept across her pupils. In an instant, the Yin-Yang Domain enveloped the surroundings, accompanied by her finger-pointing gesture.
"Yin-Yang Rotation..."
Whoosh! The chaotic Earth Energy in the vicinity seemed to retreat rapidly, reversing from its mixed state to a more defined form, revealing a minimal amount of Qi, barely restoring some of the previous state.
Both Xia Yuye and Luan Qiumei's faces changed slightly as they witnessed the fleeting remnants.
"Spring-Autumn Intention, Sword Intent..."
"It's Ji Yuanshan!"
Xia Yuye and Luan Qiumei exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
As the deputy pavilion master of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion and a top-tier grandmaster of the Cold North, Ji Yuanshan was a well-known figure to them. However, they didn't fear him, as their combined strength was formidable enough to retreat from any top-tier grandmaster, though not enough to defeat them.
What startled them was the glimpse of Ji Yuanshan's apparent defeat, and possibly even his demise, through the faint traces of the battle.
The remaining sword marks were all shattered and broken!
Whoosh.
Luan Qiumei took a deep breath, then abruptly shifted her gaze, swiftly moving forward. Her toes lightly touched the barren soil, causing it to churn, revealing traces of broken bloodstains from beneath the earth.
With Xia Yuye's Yin-Yang rotation, restoring the previous traces, and these faint marks in the soil, they feared that Ji Yuanshan, one of the top grandmasters of the Cold North, had indeed met his end here!
But who could it be?
Who killed Ji Yuanshan?
He was a top-tier grandmaster, not ranked as high as Jiang Changsheng, but still of that caliber. In the current Cold North, only a Blood Replacement Realm expert could have easily slain him.
Luan Qiumei and Xia Yuye's hearts were unsettled, and as they carefully sensed the surroundings, they couldn't detect any traces of Ji Yuanshan's opponent.
"Can you reverse it a bit more?"
Luan Qiumei cautiously scanned the area before turning to Xia Yuye, who replied with a heavy heart, "It's already at its limit."
Although Xia Yuye controlled the Yin-Yang Domain and practiced the 'Reverse Yin-Yang' technique, allowing her to temporarily restore the previous state of the Earth Energy within a limited range, this restoration was short-lived. The longer the time gap, the more challenging it became, and the traces grew more fragmented.
If she could cultivate the Yin-Yang path to the level of a grandmaster, mastering the Yin-Yang Martial Body and Yin-Yang Domain, joining the ranks of the Absolute Grandmasters, she might further reverse Yin-Yang, revealing a more comprehensive picture. Sadly, she was not yet a grandmaster.
Mastering the Yin-Yang path was incredibly challenging.
The current number one on the Grandmaster Ranking, standing at the pinnacle of the Absolute Grandmasters, was a 'Yin-Yang Grandmaster'—none other than the royal family of the Great Xuan Empire, Duke Princess Xuan Chu!
"Forget it."
Luan Qiumei shook her head. "Let's go."
Since they didn't know who had killed Ji Yuanshan, there was no need to investigate further. It was a matter best left untouched, especially in the treacherous depths of the Earth Abyss.
"Hmm."
Xia Yuye nodded slightly, and with a wave of her hand, the Yin-Yang rotation swiftly restored the traces to their chaotic state, making them indiscernible once more.
The two women continued their journey, moving with heightened caution and suppressed auras, for the recent death of a top-tier grandmaster in the newly opened Earth Abyss was a disturbing event.
(End of Chapter)
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