Si Long focused all his divine senses on Yu Ci, naturally sensing Yu Ci’s movements.
Through the blinding radiance of the fiery glow, Yu Ci’s face appeared blurry, as if distorted by the intense flames. Yet, Si Long felt that this man’s gaze was as sharp as a sword, unaffected by the “Burning Cloud,” piercing straight into the depths of his eyes. It was definitely not the look of someone caught off guard or in panic!
His heart sank with a loud thud, as a dreadful feeling surged from the depths of his being. But there was no time for him to react further. He only saw a dazzling red light, swift as a dragon, even the brilliance of the “Burning Cloud” couldn’t overshadow it.
Amidst the deafening explosion, the “Burning Cloud” turned the spot where Yu Ci once stood into scorched earth, but Yu Ci was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the light of the Pure Yang Talisman Sword tore through the glowing clouds, shooting straight towards him.
“B*stard!”
Si Long never expected that Yu Ci would let the Pure Yang Talisman Sword fly out of his hand. What’s more, he couldn’t have foreseen that this wasn’t a hasty strike—it was one long in preparation.
The earlier “intense battle” with Lu Ding was just a ruse; Yu Ci had been waiting for Si Long to come closer!
Midway through its flight, the sword light changed again, shrouded in a thin mist, becoming blurry as if it was fading into the air. Only a faint glimmer remained, flashing in and out of sight.
Si Long, however, had skills of his own. Seeing the sword light shoot through the air, he knew he couldn’t dodge it. He twisted his body with all his might to avoid the vital spot on his chest and unleashed his protective True Qi. He was wearing a specially crafted soft armor that, when activated by the power of the Great Radiant Sun Technique, could provide defense equivalent to triple layers of iron armor.
As long as he could block this sword…
Before the sword light even arrived, the sword Qi had already reached him. Si Long’s expression suddenly changed to one of horror. This sword—he couldn’t block it!
He sensed it; within the sword Qi, there was a cold and piercing aura, distinct from its fiery outward appearance, accompanied by a unique, resonant hum.
It seemed like… it seemed like…
‘Baleful True Qi?’
His protective True Qi was as ineffective as air, pierced by the sword Qi. The red light flashed again, and the fiery blade sliced through his soft armor like it was thin paper, driving straight into his left shoulder.
The flaming sword blade tore through flesh and bone, unleashing a massive surge of explosive firepower. Si Long couldn’t help but scream in agony. In an instant, half of his shoulder was blo*wn apart, and the fire toxin attacked his heart meridian, abruptly cutting off his screams. He then fell back, lifeless!
The situation changed too quickly.
By the time Lu Ding reacted, Si Long had already fallen, half his body shattered. Fear overwhelmed Lu Ding, and the sword in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp. He shouted, but whatever words came out of his mouth, he didn’t know. He could only see the remaining four guards charging forward with their swords, but in just a few breaths, they were all slain by Yu Ci, who wielded a short sword emitting a green glow.
Then, Yu Ci turned his gaze towards Lu Ding, and the green light flashed again!
“Spare…”
Lu Ding didn’t get the chance to finish his plea. His head was already seve*red, flying off his neck.
Under the pressure of sword Qi, a mist of b1ood splattered, staining the remaining snow by the stream a deep crimson. An unlucky fellow, who hadn’t yet escaped the battlefield, was hit by the b1ood mist and instantly fainted, his eyes rolling back.
The azure light on the Seven Star Talisman Sword shimmered like water, untouched by even a speck of b1ood. The b1ood droplets that sprayed toward him were repelled by the innate Qi protecting his body. Among all those present, Yu Ci was by far the cleanest.
Yu Ci glanced around. The nine people from the Sun Light Sect had all perished. The seven elite guards and the worthless steward were all dead beyond a doubt. However, there was one person left that he needed to check on.
He walked over to Si Long and looked down. It had to be said that the life force of the strong and the weak is entirely different. Even with half his shoulder blown apart and his internal organs fatally injured, Si Long still had a faint breath left.
Si Long had kept his eyes open. When he saw Yu Ci approach, he let out a weak gasp, his b1oodshot eyes fixed on Yu Ci’s face.
Yu Ci picked up the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, pondering whether to give this man a quick death. Just then, he heard the weak and indistinguishable voice of the other:
“True Qi, innate Qi… the Primordial Unity…”
“Indeed. In the end, you know how you died.”
Yu Ci flicked his wrist, and the blue light erased the last trace of life from his opponent.
Before his death, Si Long finally understood the key to this utterly one-sided battle. By common logic, two cultivators of Divine Connectivity, along with seven well-trained elite guards, should have had the upper hand over Yu Ci. However, two factors led to their defeat.
The first was naturally the “Primordial Unity” condensed within Yu Ci. To wield the power of innate Qi, a force only Core Refinement cultivators could possess, at the Divine Connectivity level was an extraordinary miracle in this world. Anyone encountering such a situation for the first time would be caught off guard. Under the impact of “Primordial Unity,” ordinary Divine Connectivity cultivators would have difficulty resisting.
The second factor was the misty sword intent Yu Ci had learned from Ye Bin. Although “Primordial Unity” is an ability only Core Refinement cultivators and above possess, using it at the Divine Connectivity stage is akin to a child wielding a heavy hammer—more likely to hurt oneself than others. However, the misty sword intent passed down by Ye Bin was exceptional, derived from one of the highest-grade sword techniques in the cultivation world. It was purely offensive, perfectly suited to Yu Ci’s sword-wielding style, and complemented his sword-controlling technique with his primordial spirit.
These elements combined allowed Yu Ci to fully—at least briefly—unleash the power of “Primordial Unity,” achieving instant high-level lethality.
By using “Primordial Unity” to activate the misty sword intent, Yu Ci’s instant killing power had, to some extent, surpassed the Divine Connectivity stage. The ruthlessness of his attack was evident in the nine c0rpses lying around him, though they were no longer able to speak of it.
Yu Ci took a deep breath of the cold, b1ood-tinged air and closed his eyes. After the intense battle, his sore muscles slowly recovered. It might have seemed like an easy victory, but that ease was built on the premise of maintaining control from start to finish: seizing the initiative in life-and-death situations, then turning that slight advantage into an overwhelming victory, crushing the enemy completely. That feeling, no matter when, was intoxicating!
There were many witnesses to this battle, and given the current situation in Sky Rift Valley, the news couldn’t be concealed, not that Yu Ci ever intended to.
He wanted to send a message to the Sun Light Sect: if you make me unhappy, I’ll make you suffer!
There was no need to consider any comparison of strength; some things shouldn’t be justified by “gaps.”
That message would likely reach the Sun Light Sect in a few days and into the ears of the Grand Sect Master, Jin Dafu. Yu Ci was curious to see the expression on Jin Huan’s face when he received another slap in the face.
He imagined it would be even more entertaining than the last time at the Heart Prohibition Monastery.
With a hearty laugh, Yu Ci casually walked away, disappearing into the night under the fearful and reverent gazes of the herbalists.
***
As Yu Ci had anticipated, there were hardly any secrets left around Sky Rift Valley at this time. He had decisively slaughtered the nine members of the Sun Light Sect during the first half of the night, and by the latter half, the news had spread far and wide.
No matter how quickly news travels, there is always a distance to cover. By the time the news reached the Thousand Spirit Gate’s headquarters, the person in charge, Cheng Rong, had to deal with the request of the Shi family’s young lady wanting to follow, which caused further delays. When he arrived at the scene, it was already the next morning.
Winter sunshine beamed over the mountains, casting its light on the valley’s center where a brook flowed gently, unaffected by the previous night’s battle. However, the few bodies lying scattered around had immediately lowered the valley’s atmospheric pressure, startling the young girl on the eagle, who gasped in surprise.
Cheng Rong let out a wry smile, patted the girl’s head, and jumped down from the eagle. Naturally, his subordinates took over to attend to the young lady.
This scene was observed by people in the valley. Some laughed, some were irritated, and others completely ignored it.
“It’s been three years, and Miss Shi has become even more charming,” commented a female cultivator standing by the stream. She appeared to be in her forties, no longer young but possessing a graceful demeanor. Her round face was often adorned with a warm smile, making her seem very approachable. She was the first to greet Cheng Rong, but her next words made him smile wryly once more:
“With such talent, who wouldn’t be envious? Why don’t you speak to Master Shi and suggest that Miss Shi join our sect? The Master would surely be delighted.”
Cheng Rong, familiar with the female cultivator’s nature, only smiled wryly and did not respond. Instead, he asked, “Has Master Ming arrived?”
“Not too early. Steward Huang and others arrived even earlier, and even Master Zhengyan would have come sooner.”
Cheng Rong responded with a grunt and surveyed the area. He saw dozens of figures scattered in the valley. The outer circle consisted of Sun Light Sect’s personal guards, each with a stern expression and a solemn demeanor.
In the center of the nine c0rpses, walking back and forth with his head lowered, was Steward Huang, whose full name was Huang Tai. He was one of Sun Light Sect’s influential stewards and ranked among the top five out of fourteen stewards in terms of position and cultivation, comparable to Cheng Rong in level, both being mid-level Divine Connectivity Realm cultivators with Yin Spirits.
The monk carefully examining one of the c0rpses was Master Zhengyan, the chief disciple of Master Yixin from the Pure Water Altar. Among these people, apart from Master Ming, Zhengyan held the highest position.
Master Ming, whose full name was Ming Lan, was the chief “Transmission Immortal Master” of the Mysterious Moon Sect. In the Mysterious Moon Sect, the term “Master” was used without specific names, regardless of internal or external relationships. It was equivalent to titles like Sect Leader, Gate Master, or Clan Leader. Below the Master were the Transmission Masters and Protection Masters. Among them, the Transmission Master was considered closer to the Master and held a higher status.
As the chief “Transmission Immortal Master,” Ming Lan was truly above everyone else, sometimes even wielding the sect’s great authority in place of the Master. This placed her on a level above Cheng Rong and the Sun Light Sect’s Tu Du, as well as Thousand Spirit Gate’s Hu Dan, all of whom were high-level alchemists.
Although Master Ming’s cultivation level was somewhat inferior to the aforementioned individuals, she was still at the upper level of the Divine Connectivity Realm, with her Yin Spirit capable of astral projection. The unique methods of the Mysterious Moon Sect allowed her to temporarily enhance her cultivation using the “Divine Power” of the Immortal Xuan Yin. In true combat, Cheng Rong believed that even if three of him fought together, they would still face certain defeat.
Thus, Cheng Rong dared not to be neglectful. After chatting with the elegant woman, he turned to the main topic, “Has Master Ming conducted the investigation?”
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