Ji Yuan certainly wouldn't allow the opponent to cast their technique.
With a slight shift of his thought, a vast amount of water vapor surged from his body, ascending into the dark clouds above.
A portion of his consciousness followed this water vapor into the lightning-streaked clouds, immediately encountering a fierce awareness.
Within the mist, a colossal black python raised its head, its gaze chillingly fixed upon him.
Ji Yuan looked back with an expressionless face. His blue eyes held the vastness of an ocean. Despite being a minor realm lower in cultivation, he showed no fear in their gaze.
At this moment, a furious wind swept through the area, kicking up sand, stones, withered leaves, and branches that danced chaotically in the air.
The world darkened as the dense clouds blocked the light of the mountain-protecting array, leaving only the brilliant flashes of lightning.
Ji Yuan's gaze met that of the giant python in the sky. Their consciousnesses had plunged into the clouds, colliding fiercely without any pretense!
The other party let out a long roar, pouring spiritual energy into the clouds without regard for its consumption, making the brewing power within even more formidable.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's inner mana surged, also entering the clouds to contest control.
This was no longer just a clash of spiritual energy; it was a perilous battle of consciousness, far more dangerous than his encounter with Yang Qianhe.
Yet, Ji Yuan remained unfazed, his blue eyes filled with unwavering confidence.
For a moment, the entire cloud mass churned, thunder boomed, echoing across the mountain peak, as awe-inspiring as heavenly tribulation.
He generously poured his mana into the clouds above, slowly suppressing the python's spiritual energy.
From afar, Zhou Lianying, who had hidden herself, watched with a heart churning like a tempest, unable to calm for a long time.
All cultivators knew that demonic beasts possessed not only incredible physical strength but also an immeasurable depth of spiritual energy, far surpassing cultivators of the same realm.
Yet, the young Daoist before her not only held the upper hand in their magical duel but was also steadily suppressing the giant python in a pure contest of spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the python at this moment were comparable to those of a late-stage second-realm cultivator!
Zhou Lianying couldn't help but wonder how profound the young Daoist's mana must be to contend with a demonic beast and consistently gain the advantage.
"In a clash of techniques, you are no match for me. In a contest of spiritual energy and mana, you have no hope of victory."
Ji Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice amplified, "If you submit now, I will spare your life, and you may follow me. Otherwise... I will slay you here!"
His words, amplified by mana, boomed like thunder.
From the first moment he witnessed the python's power, the idea of subduing it and taking it as his spirit beast had formed in his mind.
A giant python that had embarked on the path to becoming a dragon would, given enough time, at least reach the peak of the third realm. Once it successfully transformed into a dragon, it was possible for it to ascend to the fourth realm, equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator.
Such a being, let alone for him, even a great Golden Core cultivator would feel the urge to subdue it.
Moreover, this python was naturally water-attuned, perfectly complementing Ji Yuan. Once subdued, their combined strength in battle would be even greater.
Most importantly, in his future cultivation, he could discuss the Great Dao with it, mutually verifying their respective Dao principles, making his cultivation progress twice as fast with half the effort.
However, upon hearing these words, the giant python roared to the heavens, its voice condensed spiritual energy, carrying the momentum to pierce the clouds.
Its roar was filled with boundless fury!
In the clouds above, thunder boomed violently, lightning flashed, showing signs of imminent descent.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan let out a hum, and brilliant soul light erupted from his brow.
After long-term consumption of the Water God Pill, nurtured by its rich incense and wish power, his soul light had long surpassed cultivators of the same realm, merely a step away from the late stage of the Spirit Awakening realm.
As a large amount of soul light erupted, it instantly surged into the clouds, and within mere breaths, it directly suppressed the python's will.
In an instant, the clouds became calm. Innumerable lightning bolts retreated into the clouds, and even the howling winds subsided quietly.
"You have three chances."
Ji Yuan's gaze was calm, the water light emanating from him rippled, steadily suppressing the opponent's Dao rhyme.
At this moment, the giant python finally understood why the human's water-attribute attack could break through its natural immunity to water magic.
It was because the water attribute the human possessed was of a far higher grade than its innate one, meaning it was being countered!
"One!"
He looked up at the sky, his gaze fixed on the clouds. He recalled a technique from the Peak Master of Leize Peak from a few days prior.
At that time, Xu Chengfeng unleashed a lightning strike that blasted a deep pit into the earth, opening a passage into an underground dojo. The world seemed to consist only of endless lightning.
At that moment, anyone who witnessed the scene would have believed it to be a heavenly descent of divine punishment, a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
Ji Yuan certainly couldn't achieve such a feat; he didn't know any lightning techniques. However, he could use water vapor as a catalyst to draw upon the vast lightning contained within the clouds.
"Descend lightning!"
He whispered softly, his eyes gleaming.
As his words fell, the soul light at his brow shone brightly, and the previously calm clouds erupted into a frenzy, with countless lightning bolts descending immediately.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Innumerable lightning bolts struck the giant python, instantly dispelling the water clouds around its body and blasting it down to the ground.
Amidst the dense lightning, the python's rolling form was faintly visible, along with pained roars that echoed through the heavens.
Ji Yuan watched indifferently, lightning reflecting on his face, revealing no expression, only a fleeting glint of sharp light in his blue eyes.
The furious lightning continued for a quarter of an hour. Only when the clouds above dispersed did it slowly subside.
As the last bolt of lightning dissipated, the scales of the black python were mostly shattered, and wisps of white smoke rose from its entire body.
Its inner spiritual energy surged, mending the injuries to its body as it slowly and arduimously managed to prop up half of its form. Its eyes, filled with anger and resentment, looked at him.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow and then said in a low voice, "Two!"
Instantly, heavy water droplets, stripped of all their water glow, flew out. Their sheer weight smashed into the giant python, even though it was a demonic beast with an extremely robust physique. The impact of hundreds, even thousands, of pounds of weight left its flesh blurred and its bones cracked.
At this moment, the giant python let out a low growl, its body suddenly trembling. Potent qi and blood surged forth, protecting its already heavily wounded form.
It opened its cavernous maw, spitting out streams of spiritual energy, attempting to draw in surrounding water vapor to perform some technique.
However, the python soon discovered that the water vapor within a twenty-zhang radius had completely vanished, all gathered around the human before it. Despite its full effort, it could only gather a minuscule amount.
"Still not submitting?"
Ji Yuan's expression darkened, and after a long pause, he sighed.
He shook his head, saying with a hint of pity, "Three!"
Before his words fully faded, the soul light at his brow receded, replaced by a white glow. The gate to his Violet Mansion opened slightly, and a white jade flying sword stood poised, ready to unleash infinite sword qi at any moment.
The giant python immediately ceased its roaring. It felt an icy, bone-chilling aura silently descend and envelop its body.
It was the threat of impending death!
Although it didn't know what was about to emerge from the human's brow, it was certain that its demise would come the moment it appeared.
A flicker of fear appeared, then rapidly spread. Under the threat of death, the python's body even began to tremble slightly.
Its ferocity completely receded. Though unwilling, it lowered its head as quickly as possible, emitting low whimpers.
"Too late..."
Ji Yuan shook his head slightly, sighing with regret.
From within his brow, a white jade flying sword surged out of the Violet Mansion, appearing in the world with myriad sword qi.
A sharp sword intent soared to the heavens, displacing the spiritual energy within thirty zhang. Sword hums echoed, as if transforming into a world of pure sword qi.
Countless sword qi, led by the white jade flying sword, surged forward like a breached flood.
The giant python felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave. Under the intense threat of death, it slowly closed its eyelids, seemingly resigned to its fate, waiting for the moment of its demise.
Several breaths... ten-plus breaths... over thirty breaths...
After a long time, the giant python doubtfully opened its eyes. It then saw a white jade flying sword suspended before it, behind which was endless sword qi, emitting a resonant hum as it moved.
"Return."
Ji Yuan called out softly.
The next moment, the white jade flying sword circled and, with its endless sword qi, returned, disappearing back into his Violet Mansion.
After a considerable pause, the anomaly here gradually subsided. Sword qi no longer flowed, and the previously dispersed spiritual energy slowly filled the space.
"Will you submit?"
He slowly walked over, stopping a few paces in front of the giant python, and asked calmly.
Upon hearing this, the giant python closed its eyes. After a long moment, it opened them again, its gaze now filled with sincere submission.
In the face of the white jade flying sword and the infinite sword qi from Ji Yuan's Violet Mansion, which had been deliberately released, the python now genuinely recognized the human's strength.
Furthermore, no living creature would foolishly seek death.
With a slight hesitation, the giant python opened its sea of consciousness, exposing its soul to the other party without any resistance.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan unhesitatingly split off a strand of soul light and infused it into the python's sea of consciousness, leaving a brand upon its soul.
This was a special secret technique recorded in the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture. A brand formed by soul light, it could control the life and death of the branded individual. With a single thought, they could be annihilated, never to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Moreover, if the branded one harbored ill intentions, the caster could use this method to make their life worse than death, their soul feeling as if it were being scorched by flames, eroded by ice, or battered by the nine heavens' gale.
As the brand was imprinted upon its soul, the giant python couldn't help but let out a low murmur. From this moment on, its life and death would be controlled by another.
Amidst a feeling of melancholy, spiritual energy manifested on its body, and it began to slowly heal its injuries.
Ji Yuan withdrew his mana, his cultivation technique ceased its circulation, and the blue hue in his eyes gradually faded.
He then watched with a touch of envy as the giant python's injuries gradually healed, sighing inwardly at the superior physique of demonic beasts compared to humans.
For such severe injuries, any ordinary human, even the strongest martial artist, body refiner, or military cultivator, would likely be unable to move even a finger.
Let alone being able to slowly repair them with their own strength!
Without external interference, the giant python would only need ten days to half a month to recover most of its injuries, even its internal ones to a considerable extent.
However, while this speed was already fast, it was still too slow for the current Ji Yuan.
The journey to the mountain-top cave dwelling ahead would undoubtedly involve dangers far greater than the present situation. He needed the giant python to recover its strength more rapidly.
Thus, he took out a healing pill of a certain grade and tossed it into the giant python's mouth, which it swallowed in one gulp.
Instantly, a potent medicinal force flowed throughout the python's body, allowing it to heal its injuries at an even faster rate.
The elixirs refined by humans generally had the same effect on most beings, as they were mostly concocted from the essence of plants and herbs.