“He’s not Tu Du!”
Yu Ci heard the shout from above, but his mind instinctively filtered it out. At this moment, whether it was Tu Du or not didn’t matter. All Yu Ci needed to know was that the approaching figure above was an enemy—a Yin Spirit in its ethereal state. That was enough.
The “Sinister Yin Demon Binding Talisman” belonged to the Demon Diagram Ghost Pattern system, harnessing the ferocious might of demon ghosts attuned to the innate Qi of the netherworld to lock down wandering souls. Though the Yin Spirit state offered various mystical advantages, it stemmed from the soul itself, lacking the protection of a physical body’s Yang energy, making it naturally vulnerable to such talisman techniques.
Of course, with the cultivation of a Core Refinement cultivator’s Yin Spirit, an ordinary Sinister Yin Demon Binding Talisman would be laughable. But the talisman Yu Ci had just crushed was different. It was a product of his understanding of “Talisman Drawing Insight,” infused with the “Qi Infusion Technique,” layered nine times with Qi Breathing, pushed to—and beyond—the limits of his capability.
The moment the pitch-black chain appeared, it exuded a fresh, formidable aura.
Yu Ci maneuvered his Talisman Sword, drifting as its sword Qi brushed against layers of innate Qi mist. This mist materialized from nowhere, as if spilling from rifts in the night sky, connecting to the abyssal depths beyond endless void. The ghost-binding talisman chain was no longer mere condensed spiritual light—it was as if it had been hurled forth from the depths of the Nether Realm!
This was the true essence of the Sinister Yin Demon Binding Talisman’s power.
Though Yu Ci hadn’t drawn the talisman on the spot, merely activating a pre-prepared jade talisman, he had fully expressed its essence. Only by wielding it to this degree could he truly claim mastery over the talisman, unleashing its full potential.
His progress—small and large alike—in grasping insight, cultivating the Primordial Origin Qi Method, and achieving the Yin Spirit state was all reflected in this single ghost-binding chain.
The shadowy curtain was now less than twenty feet from Yu Ci, closing in as if to envelop him. The piercing, bone-chilling true innate Qi it emitted carried a violent, savage flavor, distinct from the curse techniques Tu Du typically used in Sky Rift Valley.
This fleeting realization flashed through Yu Ci’s mind. Then, with a buzzing hum, the ghost-binding chain snapped taut, shrieking as it pierced through, tearing apart the shadowy curtain formed by “Tu Du’s” Yin Spirit body!
The shadowy curtain abruptly contracted, twisting as if attempting to revert to human form. But at that moment, the talisman runes along the chain flared in unison, their unleashed power driving the chain to grind fiercely against “Tu Du’s” Yin Spirit. A shrill “squeak” rang out, like the wails of ghosts from the Nether Realm.
The chain’s head looped back, still employing brute force, threading through the Yin Spirit and knotting it tightly.
“Tu Du’s” Yin Spirit, at the Core Refinement level, was bound.
Even if only for a brief moment.
The distorted Yin Spirit shadow struggled but couldn’t break free, and the “squeaking” grew even louder. This truly enraged “Tu Du”!
With a sharp screech, a darker ring of shadow erupted from within the Yin Spirit, carrying a potent corrosive force. In an instant, a sizzling sound filled the air. Within a few breaths, the talisman chain disintegrated, its runes—meant to restrain the Yin Spirit—failing all at once, scattering into flecks of spiritual light.
By then, Yu Ci had already used the Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent to retreat dozens of yards, shifting direction toward a few Core Refinement cultivators in the sky who had just regained their senses.
In the chaos, he glanced back, seeing the shadow explode and spread rapidly. A memory fragment suddenly surfaced. He recalled escaping Sky Rift Valley on his Ghost Silk Cloud, observing the situation through the Divine Map from the valley’s peak. The Divine Map had shown a similar scene—an erupting shadow, vast enough to span three miles, as if swallowing a chunk of the Divine Map itself.
By comparison, this explosion was trivial.
After the shadow burst, “Tu Du” regained human form but didn’t immediately pursue. He hovered in midair, staring at Yu Ci with eerie, blazing eyes. Perhaps it was an illusion, but to Yu Ci, the Yin Spirit shadow seemed fainter.
Zhou Youde shouted from above, “Is Immortal Yu unharmed?”
“I’m fine…”
Before he could finish, a sharp cat’s cry rang out from Zhao Ziyue’s arms, clinging to a distant cliff wall. The lion cat likely had some special ability, and Zhao Ziyue’s warning followed:
“Beware of ‘Shadow Void’—this guy might be from the Northern Demon Sect…”
Shadow Void? Northern Demon Sect?
Most were clueless, but Zhou Youde’s face paled instantly, unnoticed amid the chaos.
At that moment, “Tu Du” let out a strange cackle, his form blurring as he tried to meld into the cliff’s chaotic shadows for a second assault.
But then, dawn broke.
In an instant, Cliff City blazed as bright as day!
*****
While both ends of Cliff City descended into chaos, Xie Yan— who was once criticized by Yu Ci in his heart—stood proudly above the city, stepping through the void.
In the pristine, dustless expanse of the sky, a half-moon cast its glow, draping his shoulders like frost. His water-colored eyes, nearly translucent, exuded a cold, hollow chill.
About a hundred feet ahead, another figure walked the void, radiating fiery brilliance under the moonlight. Tall and imposing, with a lion-like nose and wide mouth, his dark skin contrasted with his scorched-yellow hair and beard. He wore an apricot-yellow robe with wide sleeves that billowed in the wind, shimmering under the moonlight as if adorned with sequins or cloaked in flowing flames.
They knew each other, but neither looked pleased.
The newcomer spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, “I don’t care about your Rifting Earth Sect’s family affairs. But Jin Huan, however distant, is of Master Jin’s bloodline. You wiped out his entire family—how am I supposed to explain this to Master Jin? No discussion—this man’s under my protection!”
With that, he moved downward, but Xie Yan silently drew his sword from its black leather sheath.
The man paused, his yellow brows rising as he sneered, “Old Man Xie, I’m using a spear. Want to test your sword? Find someone else!”
The response was a resonant sword hum, a tidal wave of Qi.
One strike shook the surroundings, as if the dark sky might collapse. Seeing the sword’s momentum, the yellow-bearded man raised his brows and roared, “Old Man Xie, remember the consequences!”
His words were cut off by the sword Qi.
Spitting in frustration, the man waved his sleeves, flames flaring across his robe. His form vanished in the firelight with a boom, reappearing hundreds of feet away with another explosive sound.
“Ha, Extreme Yang Fire Escape!”
This miraculous technique couldn’t fool Xie Yan. His blade turned, whistling as it unleashed a wave of sword Qi, surging like the tide. It tousled the man’s beard and hair, nearly extinguishing the flames on his robe.
The yellow-bearded man grinned through gritted teeth, thrusting his hands forward. A golden light unfurled from his palms, forming a four-foot spear with a duck-egg-thick shaft and a slanted side blade. With one swing, the golden glow rolled outward like a sphere, a nascent sun illuminating the void as if it were day.
Golden light clashed with sword Qi, booming repeatedly. The man couldn’t hold his ground, forced back a thousand feet by the sword Qi, while Xie Yan’s strikes couldn’t breach the golden circle. The surrounding air, compressed and heated by the sword Qi, hissed incessantly.
Steadying himself, the man refused to tangle with Xie Yan further and descended again.
Below lay Cliff City—too close, and its million residents would suffer the fallout. Even Xie Yan, however unreasonable, would have to hesitate. Then, as a key figure from Sunset Valley Sect, his presence would command respect, securing Jin Huan’s life.
It was a solid plan, but as he dropped another hundred feet, a chill pierced his ears, followed by a blood-shaking screech. The once-impenetrable golden circle tore like ragged cloth under the sword Qi, a gaping hole ripped open. Beyond, the void rippled, the sword Qi nearly shredding the sky itself!
The yellow-bearded man froze.
This wasn’t mere obstruction! Had the sword veered slightly, he—unprepared for battle—might have been torn apart by the radiant sword Qi!
He was never one for patience. Realizing the peril he’d just escaped, fury blazed from his chest to his crown. With a low growl, he spun to curse, but a second wave of sword Qi slashed at his chest.
Choking on his breath, his dark face flushed purple-red as he dodged. The sword Qi tore through his golden circle again, its icy chill piercing to the marrow.
Then, Xie Yan’s voice reached him: “How does it feel?”
“You lunatic… d*mn it!”
Sword light split the sky like lightning, spanning ten miles in a flash. Tired of dodging, the man roared, thrusting his spear forward. Blinding golden light erupted, only to be swallowed by the sword Qi, hurling his sturdy frame miles away—further from Cliff City.
Xie Yan spoke again, his calm tone hiding a surging undercurrent:
“Does it frustrate you to be so helpless?
“Does it torment you to save no one?
“Does it gnaw at you to be powerless?
“Watching someone die before your eyes… doesn’t it just… piss… you… off!”
A tidal wave of sword Qi roared through the sky, shaking the ten-mile night.
Amid the thunderous sword howls, Xie Yan’s voice rose from a murmur to a roar, exploding like a hurricane:
“Doesn’t it, doesn’t it, doesn’t it, doesn’t it, doesn’t it, doesn’t it…”
“Your mother!”
The yellow-bearded man’s eyes blazed red. The light of his Sun-Holding Spear dimmed, cloaked in layers of dark red gauze. The crimson glow seemed subdued but spread with greater force, staining the sky blood-red.
Xie Yan’s sword light tore through the darkness, leaving dozens of stark trails as the sky shattered. Below, the yellow-bearded man roared, raising his spear. The blood-red light flooded the night, seeping over the sword marks. His form blurred and vanished in the crimson glow, using Extreme Yang Fire Escape to flash before Xie Yan’s sword tip. The golden spear buzzed as it struck.
Sword and spear clashed with a clang, a blinding shockwave erupting from the impact, sweeping across the sky!
In Cliff City, dawn had arrived!