Inside a secret chamber in the Ji Clan estate in the commandery city, Jason Ji sat cross-legged, thick black mist swirling around his body, faintly radiating a sinister, ghostly aura.
At the same time, the chamber echoed with eerie 'wuu wuu' ghostly wails, sending chills down anyone's spine.
After bringing the Yellow Springs Secret Canon back to the commandery city, Jason Ji first went to the Miao Clan to deliver Ian Song's message, then hurried back to the Ji estate to begin closed-door cultivation.
Suddenly, the black mist surrounding Jason Ji started rolling in a strange rhythm. The ghostly wails in the chamber grew louder, and the black mist converged above Jason Ji’s head, continuously devouring and compressing itself until it formed a black lotus radiating an eerie aura.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
A jet of black energy shot from Jason Ji’s mouth, striking the chamber wall with a 'puff' and punching a thumb-sized hole several centimeters deep.
Keep in mind, these chamber walls were made of extremely hard quartz stone.
"At last, I’ve finally converted my zhenyuan into Yellow Springs true essence!"
Accompanied by a crackling sound, Jason Ji stood up tall; he looked more imposing than before, especially with the Yellow Springs true essence in his body constantly tempering his flesh, making him physically stronger by the moment.
"Boom!"
The chamber door swung open.
Standing outside were Gavin Ji and the Fifth Sister of the Ji Clan, both looking delighted.
"Second Brother, did you succeed?"
Gavin Ji asked, noticing that his familiar Second Brother now carried a distinctly sinister aura.
Jason Ji nodded, "I did. I’ve converted all the zhenyuan in my body into Yellow Springs true essence!"
"That’s amazing, Second Brother! So now you’re basically invincible within the Nascent Soul realm?" the Fifth Sister asked excitedly.
Hearing this, Jason Ji smiled and shook his head. "Yellow Springs true essence is indeed stronger than my original zhenyuan, but the real power of the Yellow Springs Secret Canon lies in its secret techniques. Mastering those will still take some time!"
Suddenly, Jason Ji thought of something and looked at Gavin Ji. "How did that old guy from the Miao Clan react?"
Gavin Ji smirked, "Yesterday, that old guy went to the teahouse and heard the rumors I had people spread. When he got home, he smashed a teacup—must’ve been furious!"
Jason Ji also smiled and asked again, "And what did he do after that?"
Gavin Ji frowned slightly. "Strangely enough, that old guy didn’t make any move at all."
"Looks like that old turtle’s got some patience!" Jason Ji sneered. "If the Miao Clan didn’t have that old monster holding down the fort, our Ji Clan would’ve wiped them out and monopolized the commandery's resources ages ago."
"But it won’t be long now. With Senior Azure’s strength, she should be able to kill that old guy!" Gavin Ji’s face broke into a grin.
"The old guy from the Miao Clan can’t be killed by Senior Azure!"
Jason Ji shook his head.
"Why not? Wouldn’t it be great if we could just reap the rewards?" Gavin Ji asked, puzzled.
After a brief pause, Jason Ji explained, "Senior Azure is incredibly strong. If she kills the old monster from the Miao Clan, their people might end up siding with her. In that case, not only would we lose our chance to benefit, but we’d actually gain a much tougher rival. If I had to pick between fighting Senior Azure or that old guy, I’d choose the old guy every time."
Listening to Jason Ji, Gavin Ji suddenly understood. "So what should we do then?"
"We get in first and kill that old monster ourselves!"
A cold gleam flashed in Jason Ji’s eyes as he spoke with ruthless determination.
"Even if Senior Azure doesn’t plan to take over the commandery, and we absorb the Miao Clan’s forces, people would say we’re opportunists, just kicking them when they’re down. Sword Sect and Qilin Sect might have other ideas. But if we’re the ones who take out that old monster, it’ll shock everyone. Sword Sect and Qilin Sect will think twice before messing with us. Sometimes you have to stay low and hide your strength, but other times you need to show your fangs."
Hearing Jason Ji’s explanation, Gavin Ji was impressed—he hadn’t thought that far ahead. He found himself admiring his Second Brother more than ever.
So he asked, "When do we make our move?"
Jason Ji pondered, "First, let our inside agents in the Miao Clan use Soulbane Incense to weaken their people. That way, we’ll minimize our losses when we attack and can focus all our strength on that old monster!"
Soulbane Incense was a secret Ji Clan weapon. Anyone below the Out-of-Body realm who inhaled it would find their soul dulled and their strength almost entirely wiped out.
Because Soulbane Incense was so powerful, the Ji Clan had passed it down for generations but used it only on rare occasions.
But this time, in order to crush the Miao Clan in one blow, they had no choice but to use Soulbane Incense.
Jason Ji grinned wickedly. "Once the Soulbane Incense takes effect, we’ll storm the Miao Clan and kill that old monster. As soon as he’s dead, the whole Miao Clan will be ours!"
…………
Tonight was especially dark.
At midnight, a jade talisman flew into the Ji Estate, landing in Gavin Ji’s hand.
After checking the message inside, Gavin Ji shouted excitedly, "Second Brother, the Soulbane Incense worked! The entire Miao Clan has collapsed!"
"Good, let’s go!"
With a sharp command, Jason Ji waved his hand and led the Ji Clan’s Nascent Soul experts toward the Miao Clan.
As soon as they entered the Miao Clan, several inside agents greeted them and knelt in respect.
Jason Ji waved his hand, and the group behind him quickly fanned out. Moments later, they returned to report that everyone in the Miao Clan had been knocked out by the Soulbane Incense.
"Good, you’ve done well. After this is over, you’ll be handsomely rewarded!" Jason Ji said with satisfaction to the inside agents.
Upon hearing this, the inside agents were overjoyed and repeatedly thanked the clan head.
Raising his hand, Jason Ji issued orders: "Fifth Sister, Seventh Sister, you two lead the others to round up and guard the Miao Clan members. Make sure no one slips through the cracks!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The Fifth Sister and Seventh Sister of the Ji Clan replied in unison.
"The rest of you, come with me to kill that old monster!"
With a wave of his hand, Jason Ji led Gavin Ji, the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Brothers of the Ji Clan, along with two late Nascent Soul elders, racing toward the courtyard where the Miao Clan Patriarch lived.
Moments later, Jason Ji and his six companions surrounded the small courtyard where the Miao Clan Patriarch resided.
"Attack!"
"Boom boom boom boom boom!"
As soon as Jason Ji gave the order, the six others unleashed their magic treasures, bombarding the courtyard.
Their combined strike instantly destroyed the courtyard, but two figures shot into the air, hovering above.
One was an old man in gray, the other a middle-aged man in black.
"Why are there two people?"
For some reason, Jason Ji felt a vague sense of foreboding.
But he quickly suppressed the feeling, his face twisting as he shouted, "Kill them!"
Immediately, Gavin Ji and the six others unleashed their magic treasures, attacking the two in the sky.
But just then, thick black mist surged from all directions, shrouding the entire Miao Clan Estate in an instant.
Seeing this, Jason Ji’s face changed dramatically. He finally understood the source of his unease and shouted, "Not good, it’s a formation! We’ve been tricked! Retreat, quickly!"
Even as he shouted, Jason Ji shot into the air, and the six others were quick to follow.
But at that moment—
"You think you can come and go as you please? All you Ji Clan brats, stay right here!"
Two giant palm imprints appeared in the sky, crashing down with the force of Mount Tai.
"Bang!"
Jason Ji was slammed back into the black mist by the left palm imprint, while the other palm sent Gavin Ji and the six others crashing back into the mist as well.