Yu Ci gazed into the distance. After the purple light had detached, he saw Nan Songziâs Yin Spirit entwined once again with his innate Yin Demon. The swirling mists gathered and dispersed, seeming as if they were about to surge toward the spot where the purple light had fallen. Yet at that moment, amid the mixed hues, a new color began to spread.
It was black.
This was the out-of-control heart-demon innate Qi within Nan Songziâs divine soul. Spurred on by the activation of âFleeting Dream,â this deadly force had already been eroding his Yin Spirit. However, under the suppression of the still-true purple mist and warm jade, the erosion had been slow. But now that the warm jade had been knocked awayâthe only barrier goneâa massive eruption ensued.
Moreover, the heart-demon innate Qi was the most appetizing nourishment for his innate Yin Demon, which further incited a surge of vicious energy. Regardless of everythingâand despite the torment of the talisman bindingsâit devoured in gulps the heart-demon innate Qi that had scattered everywhere due to its loss of control, while simultaneously consuming Nan Songziâs Yin Spirit body.
With attacks coming from both within and withoutâeach as lethal as the otherâand with Nan Songzi unable to muster any means of suppression, even Yu Ci, who did not know all the intricate details, could tell that Nan Songzi was in dire straits this time.
And so it happened: in the blink of an eye, the faint illusion of the Yin Spirit was completely swallowed up by the red mist and black energy, not even emitting a single sound anymore.
In that eerie silence following the hissing, Nan Songziâs divine soul was devoured by his Yin Demon, and he died in the worst possible way!
Soon after, the black energy was also gulped down by the red mist.
As the devouring continued, the red mist grew increasingly vibrant, with a layer of flowing, liquid bloodlight circulating along its outer edge, so dense it seemed as if blood might start to drip out.
Even from nearly a hundred feet away, Yu Ci could feel the surrounding air growing unbearably hot.
From that moment on, he was no longer facing the Nan Songzi he had been cautious of because of his soul-snatching tendencies, but rather a creature driven purely by ferocious, savage instinct.
However, even his previous bouts of sword qi had left him at the end of his rope; now, having drained his flesh and blood, he only had enough strength left to unleash one more sword strike. Moreover, his once unstoppable Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Qi, when faced with a creature that existed somewhere between the tangible and the intangible, could muster only about ten to twenty percent of its full powerâeffectively nothing.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Ci shifted his gaze to a spot behind the monster, about twenty zhang away. There, the purple light source that had once filled the monster with dread still emitted a faint glow.
He should seize itâŚ
Yu Ci suddenly realized he was holding too many things. The grappling hook was still in his hand, his right hand clutched the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, and now he also had the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror attached. In that moment, it was all quite cumbersomeâbut in this situation, he couldnât afford to lose any of them.
However, in the very next moment, he no longer needed to worry. With a buzzing sound, the searing-hot Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, as if imbued with a spirit of its own, wriggled free from his grasp.
Yu Ci was dumbfounded; this was something he had not witnessed in over a decade.
The low, delicate humming persisted, oscillating as if someone were ceaselessly drumming with changing rhythmsâlike monks and priests chanting sutras in a vast hall, with echoing reverberations.
Yu Ci didnât know what to make of it, but from a hundred feet away, the blood-colored monster that had just devoured Nan Songzi was clearly taking note of the change over here.
For a brief moment, the entire surroundings fell silent.
But that silence was only fleeting. Unable to withstand the intense pressure, a flock of sparrows that had been trapped in the illusionary arrayâlike headless fliesâsuddenly burst forth, chirping noisily as they soared into the air not far in front of Yu Ci.
The agitation of living creatures was the greatest provocation to the monster.
Suddenly, red light flashed, and a circle of blood mist erupted in midair; seven or eight sparrows simultaneously burst apart, their feathers and flesh scattering. At the same time, the monster had pierced through the blood mist and charged in for the kill.
This creature had no concept of capturing its prey alive or seizing souls; its sole thought was to vent its savage fury and annihilate all life in its vicinityânothing more!
Disregarding the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror now, Yu Ci understood that he had to take another gamble. Suppressing the pain in his abdomen, he forcefully activated the Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent, his body turning into mist as he flew low to the ground.
His plan was to bypass the blood-colored monster and seize the purple light source that it had long feared.
In an instant, he brushed past the blood-colored monster; the searing heat assailed him, as though he were being scorched by raging flames.
Yu Ci had made all the necessary preparations.
His sword qi merged into the dissipating clouds of mist, and as Nan Songziâs Yin Spirit was being devoured, the established illusionary array began to collapse. The upheaval on the mountain path would soon be discovered by the observersâand once Yu Zhou arrived, he would have achieved victory!
As long as he could endure this distance of twenty zhang and two hundred feetâŚ
Propelled by his sword, the twenty zhang proved to be nothing. In the span of two breaths, Yu Ciâs form flickered in and out as he arrived above the purple light source. He bent down to seize it; the warm, smooth sensation in his hand confirmed that it was a piece of warm jade or something similar.
But the problem was: where was that blood-colored monster?
Taking advantage of the momentum, Yu Ci somersaulted about a zhang away, adjusted his direction, and looked around. There was no sign of the blood-colored monster, and the anticipated impact had not materialized.
Just as he was puzzled, from the place where he had originally been, a shrill, fierce cry suddenly erupted.
Yu Ci saw that at that moment, the blood-red mist was roiling as if trying to disperse, yet out of nowhere an immense force materialized, forming a vortex of air. The blood mist struggled within this vortex until a beam of blue light overpowered the red mist and erupted outward.
The piercing cry abruptly ceased.
Yu Ci was left dumbfounded, and after a long moment he remembered to move forward. The clouds of mist dispersed even faster, clearly revealing the situation over there.
The blood-colored monster had vanished, leaving only a delicate, shimmering red veil draped over the suspended treasured mirror. Caught by the mountain wind, it twitched a couple of times and, with a whoosh, flew several zhang away before clinging to the shrubbery by the mountain path, swaying in the breeze.
With the delicate veil gone, the suspended Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror revealed its true form. The blue light had already receded and its appearance showed no significant change, yet its once brilliantly clear surface was now shrouded in a layer of murky blood energy that was visibly dissipating at a noticeable pace.
Or rather, it had been devoured.
The blood-colored monster vanished, and Yu Ci seemed to hear the joyful chewing sound of the treasured mirror: “crunch, crunch, crunch⌔
This was no illusion. After months of daily refinement, Yu Ci had developed a certain connection with the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. Though it was not entirely clear, he could still sense that the treasured mirror was voraciously devouring some kind of power, then dispersing it in a manner he could not yet comprehend, spreading it to every corner. At this moment, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was like a grindstone, crushing and digesting the “food” it had just swallowed, as if it possessed an instinct of its own.
Yu Ci stared at the suspended treasured mirror, suddenly realizing that this “old friend” he had known for more than ten years had a completely unfamiliar side.
He remained in a daze for a while before recalling a question he had considered before:
The Divine Map was incredibly mystical, illuminating everything within a fifty-mile radius with absolute clarity, yet it did not consume any of his energy. So what was the power that drove the Divine Map?
During refinement, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror transformed True Qi into something akin to primordial Qi. But what force was responsible for enhancing the essence of True Qi in this process?
Now, he had a bit of an understanding.
The illusionary mist completely dissipated, and Yu Ci stood on the mountain path. The series of events that had just unfoldedâfalling into an ambush, the treasured mirror devouring the soulâhad all occurred within less than half an hour. Even the surrounding environment had not suffered much damage. It was as if Yu Ci had experienced a dream, and now that he had awakened, he found that the objects from the dream still existed in reality.
The Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was still in the process of digesting, but Yu Ci set it aside for now. Turning his head, he saw a red silk cloth swaying in the mountain wind, tangled in the shrubs. He stepped forward and took it down.
He had already guessedâit was this red silk cloth that was the true soul vessel of Nan Songzi, as well as the foundation of the blood-colored monster.
However, now that Nan Songzi had been devoured by the blood-colored monster, and the blood-colored monster had in turn been devoured by the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, this red silk cloth, which had clearly been refined through special means, seemed to have lost its vitality. It now looked no different from an ordinary scarf, even the lingering fragrance on it had faded. But the material was extraordinaryâYu Ci tried tearing it with five or six-tenths of his strength, yet he couldnât even damage it. Moreover, under the sunlight, there seemed to be faint patterns arranged in an orderly fashion on the silk, hinting at some unknown mystery.
How could a magical artifact used by a Core Refinement upper-stage cultivator be an ordinary object?
Even more remarkable was the other item in his possession. Yu Ci finally recalled the origin of the warm jade in his hand.
After the battle at Southern Frost Lake, due to the unusual connection between Murong Qingyan and Chi Yin, Yu Ci had specifically consulted Li You and Meng Wei about her background. From there, he learned of another great treasure of the Myriad Cosmos Sect, one that was as famous as the Great Void True Talisman:
The True Void Violet Mist Jade.
This jade, along with the Great Void True Talisman, was a heritage treasure of the Myriad Cosmos Sect. Comparatively, the Great Void True Talisman was valuable due to its rare ninety-one layers of refinement and its hidden Void Stepping technique, making it an extraordinary man-made treasure. The True Void Violet Mist Jade, on the other hand, was a naturally formed divine material, a creation of the cosmos. Its origins were unknown, but the True Void Violet Mist contained within it could nourish the body, purify True Qi, and ward off evil demons. Keeping it close enhanced cultivation speed and greatly reduced the risk of inner demons, significantly lowering the chances of Qi deviation.
At Southern Frost Lake, when Tao Rong was slain by Chi Yin, this treasure was not found on her body. Murong Qingyan had assumed she had left it at the sect. Now, it seemed likely that it had fallen into Nan Songziâs hands long ago.
That would explain it. Without the True Void Violet Mist Jade to suppress his inner demons, under the influence of Fleeting Dream, given the state Nan Songzi had been in, he might not have survived until now.
With two more items in his possession, Yu Ci found himself at a bit of a loss. He stowed away the Pure Yang Talisman Sword and coiled the hook cord around his wrist, feeling the natural warmth radiating from the two objects in his palm. He sighedâwhat should he do with them?
During his battle with Nan Songzi, Yu Ci had been desperately hoping for Yu Zhou to arrive and assist him. But now that the fight was over, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.
Looking toward the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, he wonderedâhow was he supposed to explain this? Was he supposed to just say, “A Core Refinement upper-stage cultivator tried to seize my body, but my treasured mirror devoured him instead?”
Yu Ci had never planned to reveal the existence of the treasured mirror to others, and after what had happened today, there was even less reason to do so.
Just then, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror finally finished “digesting” its “meal.” The power keeping it suspended suddenly vanished, and with a metallic clang, it dropped to the ground, rolling twice before coming to a stop, lying flat.
Yu Ci couldnât help but feel curiousâafter devouring such a powerful monster, what kind of changes would the treasured mirror undergo?
He stepped forward, picked up the mirror, and without hesitation, called out, “Divine Map!”
A blue light emerged.
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