"You..."
The masked elder's expression changed dramatically.
Ji Haoyuan's strength was something he had never anticipated.
At this moment, he could clearly feel the decisive killing intent hidden within the opponent's three attacks.
He intended to completely trap him here!
The masked elder's heart was filled with dread.
At the same time, an inexplicable rage surged from the depths of his being.
He swiftly began forming seals with his hands.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Suddenly, the flying sword under his feet erupted with a brilliant blue glow.
Around him, ghostly images of numerous flying swords appeared, enveloping him in sword qi.
Bang, bang, bang! A series of explosive sounds followed.
The blue light interwove with blazing flames.
The formidable aftershocks produced straight lines of crimson and azure light in the surroundings.
Thud, thud, thud!
The masked elder's body once again retreated in successive steps.
His magical power surged, creating gusts of air beneath his feet.
He felt his internal blood and energy surging violently, and a scorching pain pierced through his meridians.
Unable to bear it any longer, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
This shocked him to his core.
Without saying another word, he turned and fled.
Are you kidding?
If he couldn't see the gap in their strengths by now, he would truly have lived in vain.
There was plenty of time to settle this in the future.
For now, he would remember today's offense.
Yet, while he intended to flee, Ji Haoyuan had no intention of letting him go.
As he had just said, breaking the array in his marketplace and killing members of the Ji Family — if such acts could be easily forgiven, how would the Ji Family be viewed by others?
Would they be thought of as easy prey, something to be casually manipulated?
More importantly, allowing such a Foundation Establishment enemy to escape and hide in the shadows posed too great a threat to the Ji Family.
Having reached this critical point, naturally, the best course of action was to eliminate this hidden danger.
In the next instant.
Ji Haoyuan extended three fingers, lightly tapping his brow, chest, and dantian.
This was a small technique he had developed during closed-door cultivation.
By stimulating the Yintang, Tanzhong, and Qihai acupoints and activating a special seal technique, he could increase the circulation speed of his magical power by thirty percent.
This was a peculiar method of temporarily boosting his combat strength.
Buzz!
In that moment, Ji Haoyuan transformed into a blurred shadow, pursuing the masked elder at a speed several times faster than before.
"What?"
Detecting Ji Haoyuan's approach, the masked elder's heart trembled.
He never imagined his opponent could close the distance so quickly.
What puzzled him even more was the necessity of it all.
Even though he couldn't match his adversary, was it truly that easy for the opponent to kill him?
In the masked elder's opinion, if Ji Haoyuan wanted to eliminate him completely, he would have to pay a certain price, which the elder wasn't willing to risk unless absolutely necessary.
Reaching Foundation Establishment was no easy feat; unless there was an irreconcilable vendetta, who would risk falling or being severely wounded in a battle among equals?
Unfortunately, Ji Haoyuan's thoughts clearly differed from his.
Of course.
What mattered most, according to Ji Haoyuan, was that the price to pay for defeating his opponent wasn't as high as the masked elder imagined.
Boom!
A massive fireball in the sky abruptly expanded.
It twisted and elongated.
In the blink of an eye, they transformed, with the Crimson Flame Patterned Spear at their core, into a giant flaming spear several meters long, fiercely thrusting at the masked elder!
"Damn it!"
Unable to maintain composure, the masked elder slammed his hand onto his storage bag.
With a clatter.
A talisman, gleaming with golden light, appeared before him.
It was a second-tier defense talisman, the Golden Shield Talisman!
"Dream on if you think you can trap me!"
The masked elder's eyes were menacing.
His flying sword shot forward, leaving a streak of azure light in the air, charging toward Ji Haoyuan's Crimson Flame Patterned Spear with devastating force.
Rumble!
Ji Yunshan and others below felt the tremors beneath their feet.
They looked up at the sky, a hint of worry on each face.
As the glow above began to fade, their eyes widened, revealing shock and awe.
In the sky.
Ji Haoyuan wielded the Crimson Flame Patterned Spear.
The spearhead, along with half the shaft, had pierced through the masked elder's chest, pinning him in the air.
"You..."
The masked elder lowered his head with difficulty, gazing at the spear that had impaled him.
The light in his eyes quickly extinguished.
He never imagined his life would be lost in a probing attack.
Bang!
He threw the masked elder's body heavily to the ground.
Ji Haoyuan reappeared before Ji Yunshan and the others.
"Fifth Uncle!"
"Fifth Granduncle!"
…
Seeing Ji Haoyuan's return, Ji Yunshan and the Ji Family cultivators respectfully stepped forward.
Each of their faces brimmed with excitement.
Defeating a cultivator of the same level was beyond their previous imagination.
Such a feat was challenging even for their ancestor Ji Bochang or other veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Yet, the elder before them, newly advanced to Foundation Establishment, accomplished it effortlessly.
This could only mean one thing.
Ji Haoyuan's strength and foundation far exceeded their expectations, and indeed, everyone's.
"Yunshan, do any of you recognize this individual?"
At that moment.
Ji Haoyuan removed the mask from the elder's face, revealing an aged appearance.
After seeing the elder's uncovered face, the other Ji Family members remained puzzled and bewildered.
But Ji Yunshan, standing beside Ji Haoyuan, suddenly had his eyes narrow and pupils contract slightly.
"Hmm..."
Noticing Ji Yunshan's reaction, Ji Haoyuan turned his gaze toward him.
"What is it? Yunshan, do you know this person?"
Ji Yunshan took a deep breath, nodding solemnly.
"To report to Fifth Uncle, if I am not mistaken, this individual should be the Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Sun Family of Fuyang County."
"Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Sun Family in Fuyang County?"
On hearing this, Ji Haoyuan's eyes narrowed.
Those present couldn't help but display astonishment.
"Didn't the Sun Family of Fuyang County perish decades ago due to a calamity? How is it now...?"