Chapter 1069: Black Lightning Arc

Jing Yingli watched Ye Mo fight for his life, shaking her head speechlessly. She didn't attempt to escape immediately, believing an opportunity would present itself after Ye Mo's death. This time, Jing Yingli held nothing back, unleashing several sound arrows from her flute. The arrows materialized into extremely fast white mist, piercing the sword ray formation the Lightning Leopard had just shattered and striking the beast.

The Lightning Leopard was momentarily dazed, allowing Ye Mo to instantly deploy the Illusion Cloud Formation Kill Strike, throwing out formation flags with incredible speed. The Lightning Leopard's ferocity lessened, but Jing Yingli knew that even if it stood still, they couldn't kill it quickly. She didn't understand why Ye Mo insisted on killing it; escape now seemed certain to prevent further pursuit. However, she knew Ye Mo wouldn't retreat after paying such a price.

After Jing Yingli's flute attack, the Lightning Leopard took nearly eight minutes to breach Ye Mo's sword ray formation. This time, however, Ye Mo didn't continue using the purple sword rays; he even retrieved the octagonal cauldron. While Jing Yingli remained stunned, Ye Mo abruptly commanded, "Retreat!"

Jing Yingli retreated immediately, initially assuming Ye Mo planned to escape and intended to mock him. But before she could speak, Ye Mo deployed more formation flags and countless spirit stones, instantly creating a formation that trapped the Lightning Leopard.

The desperate leopard charged wildly, trying to break free, but the formation held firm. After considerable effort, it resorted to spitting lightning orbs. These orbs significantly impacted the formation, but every time a breach appeared, Ye Mo swiftly repaired it with more flags.

Jing Yingli stared at Ye Mo in shock. "You set up a level five trap formation in such a short time! You're a level five formation grandmaster?" She immediately recognized the obvious; only a level five formation grandmaster could accomplish such a feat. She sighed before Ye Mo could answer, "A level five formation grandmaster under one hundred years of age..."

After a long pause, she sighed again. "I thought those smarter or more talented than myself were rare. But true geniuses exist in the cultivation realm. A level five formation grandmaster under one hundred... you're probably only thirty to forty, right?"

Ye Mo remained silent, dismissing such questions as pointless. He wondered what her reaction would be if she knew formations were merely a secondary skill for him, his primary skill being level four pill king-level pill concoction; or if she knew he cultivated eight elements simultaneously.

Fifteen minutes later, the Lightning Leopard was clearly exhausted. Ye Mo ceased repairing the formation, raising his hand and launching two lightning arcs inside.

"You're a lightning element cultivator too?" Jing Yingli was astonished. Lightning element cultivators were exceedingly rare and possessed formidable battle power. She questioned why he only used the lightning arcs now, not earlier.

Ye Mo himself was surprised; the lightning was black. "Your lightning is black?" Jing Yingli exclaimed, noticing it as well.

After his initial shock, Ye Mo realized that consuming the World Mountain's black lightning source had altered his lightning's color. He nodded. "Although I'm not a lightning element cultivator, I also cultivate lightning techniques."

"You just used the Lightning Cloud Sect's Eleven Lightning Swords, but this is different. I suggest you don't use this indiscriminately; serious consequences could arise," Jing Yingli warned.

Ye Mo seemed increasingly mysterious to her. He wasn't a pure element cultivator, yet his speed was incredible, and he was a powerful fighter. Her earlier assertion that Ye Mo couldn't kill her now seemed foolish. The sword ray formation alone would be extremely difficult for her to break. She couldn't compare to the Lightning Leopard; trapped and faced with that black lightning, she would be killed if unable to escape. This nascent soul state level four cultivator was also a formation grandmaster; if he grew stronger, he would have nothing to fear from a nine-star sect.

Even without Jing Yingli's warning, Ye Mo wouldn't use the black lightning in front of others. He chose it now because it caused the least damage to the Lightning Leopard's hide.

Jing Yingli, understanding why he used the Eleven Lightning Swords, had also assisted with her flute. Had she not been present, Ye Mo would have called upon Shadowless, but now he didn't need to; their future interactions were uncertain. Little did Ye Mo know that had he not fought the Lightning Leopard and a conflict arose with Jing Yingli, a fight might have ensued. However, witnessing this battle altered Jing Yingli's perception, preventing at least an immediate confrontation.

The level seven Lightning Leopard couldn't self-destruct its beast core, only howling in pain before death. Seeing Ye Mo's heavy injuries sustained in killing a level seven Lightning Leopard left Jing Yingli speechless. She wouldn't have believed a nascent soul state level four cultivator could accomplish such a feat without witnessing it herself.

Ye Mo put away the formation flags, joyfully examining the Lightning Leopard. A level seven Lightning Leopard meant high-quality low-grade, or even middle-grade, cultivation artifacts. His injuries were worthwhile.

"When I saw this Lightning Leopard, it was fighting another level seven One-Horned Tiger. I intended to wait until they were both injured, but the tiger fled. The Lightning Leopard then found me and vented its rage on me. I could only run, luckily I had you," Jing Yingli sighed, observing Ye Mo expertly collect the Leopard's materials.

Ye Mo stopped, surprised. "You're saying the Lightning Leopard fought another level seven beast before encountering us?"

Jing Yingli nodded. "Yes. Otherwise, even with your formation and purple sword rays, you might not have killed it."

Ye Mo fell silent, agreeing with Jing Yingli. Had the Lightning Leopard not been exhausted beforehand, his only choice would have been to flee. His overconfidence, fueled by defeating stronger cultivators, prompted a sense of vigilance. Continued arrogance would ultimately result in severe repercussions.

"Oh, and there's a level seven Hollow Seed Fruit nearby. Now that the Lightning Leopard is gone, let's get it," Jing Yingli said, remembering the reason for observing the beasts' fight.

"Okay," Ye Mo replied, collecting the skin and tendons before offering Jing Yingli the beast core. "This is for you."

Jing Yingli immediately refused. "You almost single-handedly killed the Lightning Leopard; the beast core is the most valuable part. I can't accept it."

Ye Mo smiled. "Without you, I couldn't have killed it. I only need the skin for armor. The other parts are precious, but I don't mind. And thanks for saving my life; you can have the Extreme Mirror back."

Jing Yingli instantly understood that Ye Mo had removed the soul mark. Casually shining the mirror on him, she saw no shadow on his back. "You removed the soul mark yourself? How did you do it?" she asked, shocked.

Ye Mo smiled, not revealing his possession of the Heaven Flame.