Chapter 286: What It Means to Be Seventh Rank

They were here!

Yan Jing looked toward the horizon. Through the thick, blood-red clouds overhead, he could see five blinding streaks of light hurtling toward him.

‘Do all Seventh Rank experts know how to fly?’

So far, almost every Seventh Rank expert Yan Jing had encountered possessed some method of flight.

Within the leading streak of light was a man in his early forties. He wore a military uniform and a flat-topped cap, riding atop churning, pitch-black clouds.

Behind him followed an old man.

With a white beard and a face heavily lined with wrinkles, the old man lightly tapped his feet against the air. His movements were so natural he appeared to be walking on nothingness.

This was likely the Old Man's master.

‘Can you stop them, Domain Chief Ye?’

Although Yan Jing’s state of mind couldn't exactly be called tranquil, he wasn't overly anxious, either.

The next instant, before the Seventh Rank experts could plunge him into a life-or-death crisis, he switched identities, transforming into Yi Ji far away in Bianliu County.

As he sat cross-legged inside a cave, his eyes flickered.

Switching identities wasn't a foolproof strategy, but it vastly increased his chances of success.

This struggle would most likely end in one of two ways.

First, Ye Jinyuan could lose.

In that case, Yan Jing would wait until the dust settled and then emerge under the identity of Luo Sheng.

The danger lay in the fact that he needed to appear in his original body before the task ended—which meant before tomorrow morning. If the task concluded while he wasn't in his original body, he had no idea what would happen.

But he had a vague feeling it wouldn't end well.

Second, Ye Jinyuan could hold off the opposition until the passage opened.

In that scenario, he would switch back to his human identity.

Then, he would find an opportunity to leave as Luo Sheng.

As for whether he would head to Fei Yu's large Domain, Tiger's large Domain, or even the Domain Chen Nian had mentioned in his letter—the one this motorcycle was originally meant for—any of them would do.

Of course, the risk there was that the Luo Sheng identity would very likely be killed.

However, he had already prepared for that.

The crux of the matter was that the distance between the two locations wasn't short. Even with Xiao Xin's abilities, a round trip would take tens of minutes, creating an inevitable information gap.

This meant he had to judge the battlefield with absolute precision and, if necessary, take a few risks.

‘Since you dared to charge into Minhu single-handedly, you must have your own methods, Domain Chief Ye.’

Yan Jing's eyes gleamed.

Sitting cross-legged at the entrance to Huang Family Village, Ye Jinyuan stood up. As he looked at the five figures on the horizon, a spectral glow erupted around him!

For the first time, he fully manifested his Ritual phantoms!

A sword, a talisman, a pill, a formation, a bamboo slip, a feather, and the Trigram Disc that had previously been sent out to pursue Zhang Kai.

A total of seven phantoms bloomed behind him.

Purple, purple, black-purple, black-orange, black-orange, red, red (the ultimate ratio being: purple, purple-black, black, black-orange, orange, red, silver-red).

Seven beams of light shone simultaneously, reflecting off one another and dyeing the dark red clouds overhead in brilliant colors.

Golden dust drifted in from an unknown source, clinging to his Daoist robes. For a moment, he looked like an Exiled Immortal descending to the mortal realm, every movement carrying a sense of natural perfection.

If an entity of a lower Tier looked at Ye Jinyuan right now, they would find it impossible to track his figure. They would only vaguely sense a presence without being able to distinguish what it was. It was a momentum that sought to merge entirely with heaven and earth, meaning that even in the Inner World, he would not face any rejection from this Domain.

“One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones!”

He murmured under his breath, and the feather of the Sixth Rite abruptly lit up. Three rifts appeared around his body as though some mighty force had descended, tearing him into three distinct parts. The left and right sections consisted of his limbs connected by shreds of flesh, while the central piece was his head and the majority of his torso.

Blood dripped heavily onto the ground.

Such an immediate act of self-mutilation was something even the five inner world residents—including the Deputy Prefecture Lord—had never witnessed. They were all taken aback.

The Deputy Prefecture Lord’s eyes grew heavy as he watched viscous blood erupt from the torn edges of Ye Jinyuan's three separated body parts, transforming into flesh as if stitching him back together.

In an instant, one Ye Jinyuan became three.

“Calming the Waves!”

The two newly formed Ye Jinyuans pointed at their five enemies from afar. Their large sleeves fluttered as the formation phantom behind them lit up.

The Deputy Prefecture Lord waved his hand, conjuring shifting clouds to block Ye Jinyuan's ability, but it was useless. Golden light flashed around the Acting Prefecture Lords of the Third Lake Prefecture and the First Lake Prefecture.

Dark runes materialized, forming a solid cage that instantly locked the two of them down.

No matter how fiercely they bombarded it, the cage did not budge an inch.

At the same time, identical runes appeared around the two new Ye Jinyuans. They could only close their eyes and sit cross-legged. It seemed this technique didn't just restrain the enemy; it also restricted the user's own movements.

However, this changed the situation from a five-on-one to a three-on-one.

Although Ye Jinyuan had visibly weakened after splitting off two portions of his power, this alleviated a tremendous amount of pressure.

“Merely the struggle of a cornered beast,” the Deputy Prefecture Lord said softly.

No matter how strong Ye Jinyuan was, at the Seventh Rank, it was absolutely impossible for him to fight one against five.

Even the old man behind him—the one once hailed as the Martial God of the East Lake Prefecture—had only managed the incredible feat of fighting one against four at his absolute peak.

And even then, after holding out for several hours, he had ultimately been defeated.

He had only managed to kill two and wound the other two.

Even so, that was already a world-shaking accomplishment.

“How long can you maintain an ability like this?”

“Heh.”

Ye Jinyuan chuckled.

“There's no need for the Deputy Prefecture Lord to worry about that. The injuries you sustained a few days ago shouldn't have healed yet, right?”

...

The Deputy Prefecture Lord's face darkened.

Previously, he had activated a Prohibited Item with the intention of capturing the hiding Ye Jinyuan, only to lose the gamble himself.

This triggered a severe backlash, and he had yet to fully recover.

“The gentleman behind you seems to be a strong competitor for your position.”

Ye Jinyuan smiled faintly. “If you and I end up dying together later, he would be the one to benefit the most, wouldn't he?”

“Bullshit!”

The heavily bearded man behind the Deputy Prefecture Lord snapped viciously.

“And the old gentleman beside you... I hear he's suffered quite a bit of suppression at your hands,” Ye Jinyuan added with a laugh.

The Deputy Prefecture Lord's expression turned completely grim.

Everyone knew his attitude toward the Third Lake Prefecture ever since he took office.

While it couldn't be said that he blindly suppressed them, they were definitely not his focus for development.

Especially after that person disappeared; in reality, the Lake Prefecture was under his sole control.

This bastard was definitely doing this on purpose.

He had used some ability to learn that the two people remaining were at odds with him, and purposefully left them out of the cage.

This guy was absolutely doing it on purpose.

The exact same thought crossed the minds of both the bearded man and Old Man Surnamed Ma.

Ye Jinyuan had surely calculated that the Deputy Prefecture Lord lacked trust in the people around him, which was why he intentionally left the two of them free.

In response, Old Man Surnamed Ma's figure flickered. A deafening sonic boom rang out, and in the very next instant, he appeared directly in front of Ye Jinyuan.

“Boom—”

Old Man Surnamed Ma threw a punch that instantly distorted space. Glass-like shards materialized and shattered into nothingness just as quickly. Though it only lasted a fraction of a second, torrents of liquid could be seen churning within the Space Rift, surging forward.

Fortunately, space stabilized quickly, preventing the deluge from pouring out.

But it was enough to reveal the sheer power behind that punch.

From Ye Jinyuan's sleeve, eight small pitch-black swords flew out and circled in front of him, barely managing to block the strike. Even so, Ye Jinyuan was forced several steps back before he could steady himself and avoid falling.

“Heh.”

Despite falling into a disadvantage, Ye Jinyuan didn't panic. Instead, he laughed out loud. “Old man, do you see anyone backing you up?”

The old man didn't look back. He simply closed the distance again and unleashed another unadorned, fundamentally perfect punch!

This time, the bearded man made his move as well.

He knew their morale couldn't afford to crumble right now. Furthermore, based on his understanding of the Deputy Prefecture Lord, the man hadn't attacked yet because he was waiting for him to go first.

If he didn't charge in now, he would definitely be targeted for suppression once this was all over.

In an instant, the three became entangled in a chaotic melee.

Having already used One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones and facing two formidable foes, Ye Jinyuan was undeniably at a disadvantage. Yet, relying on another formation he had laid down in advance, his ice and fire talismans, and a healing pill in his pocket, he managed to hold his ground without being defeated immediately.

In the Surface World, aside from his title as Deputy Domain Chief, he had another unofficial moniker: the most slippery cultivator in Yueyin. He didn't have many offensive techniques, but he was frustratingly well-rounded—the ultimate manifestation of solo combat power in Yueyin.

“Deputy Prefecture Lord!”

Seeing that they couldn't take Ye Jinyuan down, the bearded man shouted back at the stationary Deputy Prefecture Lord.

Delays breed disaster. Anyone could see that Ye Jinyuan was desperately stalling for time; he clearly had a trump card left to play.

...

The Deputy Prefecture Lord's eyes flickered. Ultimately, he clenched his fists but chose not to attack.

It was still early. The time wasn't right yet.

‘Domain Chief Ye really does have his methods.’

In the cave in Tranquil Valley, Yan Jing sighed in admiration.

Judging from Xiao Xin's report...

Ye Jinyuan's First Rite sword was likely his main offensive weapon. His Second Ritual talisman offered ice and fire abilities. One of the abilities of his Third Rite pill was healing. For his Fourth Rite formation, one ability locked down both him and his enemy simultaneously, while another was a killing array. His Fifth Rite bamboo slip seemed capable of uncovering his opponents' secrets. As for the Sixth Rite, it provided abilities that caused a qualitative shift—one was One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, and the other remained unknown.

The feather from this Sixth Rite was clearly the item Xiao Yu had exchanged with him back then. No wonder he was so fixated on the large Domain behind Xiao Yu.

In addition, there was the Trigram Disc that had chased Zhang Kai to Paima County earlier. It likely had an automatic kill function, though its other ability was a mystery.

“No wonder they say the ritual system is the most suitable path for humans...”

Yan Jing muttered.

Such a comprehensive combination of skills could probably only exist within the ritual system.

‘Then let me give you a hand, Domain Chief Ye.’

With a thought from Yan Jing...

Xiao Xin immediately hurried back.

It wasn't long before Xiao Xin found Fei Yu and Tiger, who had stealthily slipped into Luohe County. By this time, the two had already met up with Old Monkey and Dong An, who had been waiting for them there.

Xiao Xin dropped the letter from the sky and then rushed back toward Huang Family Village.

Fei Yu caught the letter and looked toward Tiger.

“Mr. Huzi, it's time. Let's start the search!”

“Alright!”

Tiger nodded.

Old Monkey and Dong An had already scouted out quite a few possible locations, greatly speeding up their progress.

Several hours later.

Ye Jinyuan sat cross-legged on the ground. The red feather unfurled, sheltering both him and the entirety of Huang Family Village within its glow.

This was the second ability of his Sixth Rite: achieving absolute defense by sacrificing his own lifespan.

An hour ago, the pills he had prepared were nearly exhausted, and his talismans were all spent. Unable to hold out any longer, he had been forced to play one of his trump cards.

“Why bother?”

The Deputy Domain Chief's face was calm.

“Having stepped into the Third Trade Realm, you can live for at least three hundred more years. If you truly rely on this method to hold the line for a single night, you might only have a few decades left. Is it worth it?”

“Besides, we aren't even here for this so-called passage. If you hand over that esteemed lord's three sons, it's not like we can't negotiate.”