Chapter 948: Manipulating Swords with Will

Ye Mo cast the final three formation flags and several high-grade spirit stones, shouting, "Seal!" Instantly, a defensive formation materialized, countless white rays flashing before their eyes. The area where Ye Mo and Ji Zhiyuan battled was no longer open air; the formation encompassed them, making the space his own.

Ye Mo's spirit sense detected Ji Zhiyuan concealed within his sword shadows. Ji Zhiyuan gazed dazedly at the formation, murmuring after a long moment, "A peak level three formation?"

Ye Mo's spirit sense surged, and the white light from his formation swept away the countless sword shadows. He exhaled, having endured Ji Zhiyuan's attacks until the formation's completion. This formation was his, each flag imprinted with his spirit sense. No more shadowless swords in this space!

Unexpectedly, the formation, enhanced by the high-grade spirit stones, reached near-peak level three, far exceeding its intended primary stage. Ye Mo swallowed two pills; his earlier wounds remained largely unhealed. Ji Zhiyuan was incredibly powerful—the strongest golden core cultivator Ye Mo had ever encountered. He truly deserved a place in the golden core hall of fame.

"You are indeed a formation master," Ji Zhiyuan reappeared, his thin sword hovering.

Ye Mo unleashed Zi Xu, unleashing countless purple sword rays, unlike before. These rays coalesced around him, forming a sea of purple, causing him to sweat profusely. He knew they wouldn't damage Ji Zhiyuan directly, but within the formation, a concentrated assault, combined with Shadowless, might succeed.

"Wait!" Ji Zhiyuan unexpectedly called out. "Your formation is impressive, but ultimately ineffective. If you dismantle it, I will leave, ending this conflict. I'll even overlook the deaths of two of our sect's golden core members. Even if I don't retreat, the Ghost Immortal Sect will know of your actions, and escape will be impossible."

"Die!" Ye Mo sneered, launching thousands of purple sword rays while activating the formation and deploying Shadowless. He wouldn't yield to threats, not even from a five-star sect, let alone a stronger one.

Ji Zhiyuan's expression shifted. He hadn't anticipated Ye Mo's defiance of the Ghost Immortal Sect. His thin sword erupted in silver light rays. However, within Ye Mo's controlled formation, Ji Zhiyuan's sword shadows were neutralized; each activation met with white barriers from the formation.

Ye Mo breathed easier, having felt genuinely threatened by Ji Zhiyuan's dangerously powerful, invisible sword technique. Yet, Ji Zhiyuan's sword shadows suddenly transformed, becoming intensely fast and pressurized, threatening to overwhelm the formation.

Ye Mo was shaken; this technique far surpassed what he'd seen before. Without the high-grade spirit stones, the formation would've likely broken. He unleashed more purple sword rays, seizing Zi Xu and striking down, preventing Ji Zhiyuan from further depleting the formation's essence.

The purple sword rays impacted a pot-lid-like shield that Ji Zhiyuan had erected; he coughed up blood, but the attack faltered. The rays were potent but ineffective against this shield.

Ye Mo hesitated not, activating the Illusion Cloud Exert Will Sword. He didn't control the sword rays, instead closing his eyes and striking instinctively, targeting the shield's center, its strongest point, but with a slanted cut.

Ji Zhiyuan, unable to comprehend the strategy, sneered. He assumed Ye Mo was either recklessly competing in cultivation essence or had blind faith in his blade—a golden core level one cultivator daring to compete with him using a mid-grade spirit artifact? It was foolish arrogance!

Zi Xu cleaved the shield.

A crack echoed—a sound Ji Zhiyuan never expected. Zi Xu sliced through the shield like tofu, piercing his chest. It had found the artifact's weakest point, destroying its internal structure. Ji Zhiyuan stared in disbelief. Magic artifacts possess weak points; the better the artifact, the smaller the weakness. Yet, only through spirit control could one find them. Even knowing the location, sufficient cultivation essence resonant with the artifact's structure was required to inflict damage. But Ye Mo had found and exploited the weakness, grasping the artifact's structure and cleaving it.

Ye Mo unleashed the Illusion Cloud Whirlpool Strike and Shadowless. As Shadowless devoured Ji Zhiyuan's essence blood, the purple sword reappeared, terrifying him.

A blood mist erupted, engulfing Ji Zhiyuan in the whirlpool strike. After Shadowless consumed his golden core, Ye Mo recalled it, dismantling the formation and storing Ji Zhiyuan's thin sword within his golden page world.

He rejoiced, not only for victory, but for discovering the feeling of willful sword control. Ji Zhiyuan, eyes soulless, muttered something.

Ye Mo sneered. "How do you heal your flying sword's damage? Tell me, and I'll grant you a quick death. Otherwise, as you said, I'll burn your soul."

Ji Zhiyuan shivered, his eyes hardening. "Ye Mo, you're finished. Even traversing North Far State won't save you from the Ghost Immortal Sect's wrath."

Ye Mo slapped him. "Will you tell me or not?"

"Dream on!" Ji Zhiyuan sneered, confident that even death wouldn't stop his escape as a ghost cultivator.

Ye Mo produced a Five Color Flag. "Since you won't speak, you won't need to anymore."

"A Five Color Soul Devouring Flag?!" Ji Zhiyuan's face contorted in horror.