Ji Chuan halted his sword light and arrived at Lei Jun's side.

Lei Jun looked deathly pale, "This humble Taoist has suffered a backlash and dares not move recklessly,"

*Ji Chuan felt conflicted inside.*

*Looking at Lei Jun in his current state, even if Ji Chuan wanted to take Lei Jun with him, it would be unwise to act rashly; the slightest jostle, and Lei Jun might not withstand it.*

Ji Chuan glanced back at his fellow disciple, Zhao Gang, but the latter had already headed east on his own, too far for Ji Chuan to call out.

"Here on Cangbo Mountain, it's barely safe enough, but as we're still within Master's duel with the Great Demon, the risk is far too high," Ji Chuan said urgently.

Lei Jun said, "Life and death are fate, this humble Taoist can only trust your master, Elder He, now,"

Ji Chuan hesitated for several breaths, his expression shifting rapidly.

In the end, it was as if he reached a decision, "Lei, you should sit quietly and focus on your breath; do not be distracted, it's best to stabilize your foundation and mana as quickly as possible,"

With these words, the Shu Mountain cultivator immediately rose upon his sword, then struck Cangbo Mountain with it.

Of course, he did not intend to bury himself and Lei Jun alive.

Ji Chuan wielded his sword with precise control.

The sword light split the mountain rock, but deliberately avoided touching the earth veins below, carving out a refuge in the rock so he and Lei Jun could take shelter nearby.

Lei Jun watched Ji Chuan's actions and could not help but feel a bit surprised.

At the same time, he was a little worried.

Although that perfectly neutral lot had suggested staying near Cangbo Mountain would be safer,

it had not mentioned doing anything deliberate.

Ji Chuan's actions were truly out of kindness.

*Yet, if these blows to the mountain led to a shift in the earth veins, ruining this precious area of safety, then Master Lei would end up as miserable as Lin Xinran.*

Luckily, Ji Chuan's insight was sharp and his sword strokes measured; this span of Cangbo Mountain proved solid indeed.

After Ji Chuan excavated it, the area neither collapsed nor fractured, remaining sturdy.

Ji Chuan then brought Lei Jun and they hid together in the mountain's depths.

Even within the mountain's core, there was no room for complacency.

The earth veins below remained stable, but the outside of the mountain above was not secure.

One man and two monsters, three great powers, had already ignited True Fire in the skies, and the aftermath of their clashes continually swept the ground.

Hiding in the belly of the mountain, Lei Jun and Ji Chuan faced the ever-present risk that the mountain could cave in and bury them alive.

Ji Chuan had already prepared himself for this mentally.

He sat directly beside Lei Jun, imitating the pose of sitting cross-legged in meditation, and then closed his eyes.

The next moment, spirit light rose atop Ji Chuan's head.

Soul Out-of-Body!

This Shu Mountain disciple shed his physical shell and entered his own Magical Sword with his Spiritual Soul.

The sword light immediately grew even brighter than before.

Soul Entrusted to Sword!

From the Middle Three Heavens cultivation level onward, this was the Daoist Artifact Refining Sect cultivator's strongest state in battle.

Freed from the vulnerabilities of the flesh, with his lifebound magical artifact as his vessel, soul and artifact fused together, unleashing a power both greater and more versatile.

At this moment, Ji Chuan did not attack; the shining sword light illuminated the underground chamber, propped up the crumbling rock above, and ensured his meditating body and Lei Jun would remain unharmed.

*Truth be told, this turn of events was a bit outside my predictions...* Lei Jun regarded Ji Chuan's sleeping form with closed eyes, and the Magical Sword hovering in midair, blazing with sword light.

Previously, he had mainly focused on Lin Xinran of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

As for Ji Chuan and Zhao Gang, it was best to let fate decide.

Whatever happened to Zhao Gang was one thing.

Ji Chuan's choices, however, had caught Lei Jun by surprise.

*Though Ji Chuan's actions had suddenly stirred up that perfectly neutral lot for Master Lei,*

*Lei Jun had no desire to sit and admire the ingenuity of Artifact Refining Sect's Soul Entrusted to Sword technique just now.*

After a few deep breaths, Lei Jun's pale complexion gradually returned to normal; it seemed he had stabilized his condition.

Then Lei Jun rose and produced an exceptional grade Golden Barrier Talisman; as its radiance flowed, it formed a giant dome of light, helping Ji Chuan support the precarious rocks above.

"Lei, are you all right?"

With his current cultivation, Ji Chuan's soul could not endure long in the artifact vessel, completely severed from the flesh.

With Lei Jun's aid, Ji Chuan's soul returned to his body; he opened his eyes and gave a wry smile, "Unfortunately, we probably can't push on toward East Mountain now,"

Outside, both sword rain and demonic haze lashed down, shifting in position, blanketing Cangbo Mountain, and even faintly covering the road east beyond the mountain.

If they charged out now, they would need to beware the collateral damage from the Upper Three Heavens experts above, and also be alert for changes in the earth veins below—making it even deadlier.

Lei Jun repeated, "This humble Taoist trusts in Elder He's strength,"

Ji Chuan was about to speak again when a violent tremor interrupted him.

The tremor did not erupt near Cangbo Mountain, but somewhere in the distance.

"What's that..."

Ji Chuan determined the direction and was stunned.

"...The east."

Lei Jun finished his unspoken thought for him.

The fresh upheaval had originated outside East Mountain, just over there.

*It seemed to be the danger spoken of in that moderately unlucky lot, now fulfilled.*

*Lei Jun remained calm within, but on the surface looked just as shocked as Ji Chuan,* "It doesn't feel like an earth vein quake, more like..."

"...Another Great Demon!" This time, Ji Chuan finished Lei Jun's sentence.

This Shu Mountain disciple looked more serious than ever, "We've been tricked!"

What he meant by "tricked," of course, was not that Lei Jun had orchestrated anything.

Rather, this group of Shu Mountain cultivators who had come to hunt the Nine-Clawed Stone Lion had instead fallen prey to the Great Demons' schemes.

All three Great Demons were now gathering in these mountains.

Now, with a three-on-one advantage, they aimed to encircle and slay He Dongxing, the human cultivator!

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