"Mu Li, Gou Jun, the two of you actually colluded like wolves and jackals, lying in ambush to launch a sneak attack on me."
Ji Tong was furious beyond measure.
Yet the response he received was the Soul-Withering Dart, swift as lightning.
"Clang!"
The Soul-Withering Dart struck the shield circling Ji Tong as it spun ceaselessly.
The ring of metal against metal erupted.
Though the Soul-Withering Dart was knocked away, spiderweb-like cracks appeared across the shield's surface.
Then, those cracks rapidly spread.
"Bang!"
The shield shattered into pieces.
Ji Tong immediately suffered a backlash. His body swayed, and he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
The pallid bone sword came slashing toward him like a rainbow.
Ji Tong's pupils contracted sharply, but his face showed no panic.
He raised a hand and traced a line before himself. Dark golden light flowed between his fingers, swiftly condensing into a profound rune.
The instant the rune appeared, it began frantically drawing upon Ji Tong's immortal essence, as well as the sparse spiritual energy in the surrounding heavens and earth.
"Suppress!"
With a low shout from Ji Tong, the rune exploded, transforming into the phantom of a dazzling golden nine-story pagoda that enveloped everything within thirty feet around him.
The Ghost Bone Sword struck the pagoda, producing a hum like a great bell and Great Lu.
The pagoda did not budge in the slightest. Instead, the Ghost Bone Sword was sent flying back by the impact.
"Mystic Chi Soul-Refining Pagoda?"
Mu Li's pupils narrowed, her voice carrying a hint of gravity.
"Ji Tong, I never expected you to possess such a secret art. It seems I truly underestimated you in the past."
Ji Tong stood within the pagoda's phantom, gazing coldly at Song Wen and Mu Li.
"Mu Li, I have