Chapter 144: Opportunity

Such an attitude was anything but polite.

However, it didn’t seem like Xu Hui had come here to speak directly with Yu Ci. After entering the room, he only cast Yu Ci a brief glance before turning to Xie Yan and saying, “Normally, when someone dies, the matter ends there. The Sun Light Sect could have considered this case closed. But since one of your juniors survived, he can serve as an explanation to Elder Jin.”

“The Rifting Earth Sect’s internal affairs have never required explanation to outsiders.”

Xie Yan’s reply shut him down immediately. Xu Hui wasn’t surprised and nodded. “I figured that’s what you’d say. I’m merely mentioning it. Since you disagree, I won’t push the matter. I’ll go report to Elder Jin and let him decide what happens next.”

To that, Xie Yan only responded with a cold sneer.

Xu Hui paid him no mind. His gaze finally shifted to Yu Ci. A golden light gleamed in his pupils, stabbing into Yu Ci’s eyes like needles. But that was merely a sign of Xu Hui’s profound cultivation—it wasn’t intentional hostility.

“You’re Yu Ci?”

Yu Ci sat up slightly on the bed. “Immortal Xu.”

Xu Hui’s expression wasn’t fierce, just indifferent as he spoke, “I won’t speak of the others in the Sun Light Sect, but that Jin Huan’s family was blood-related to Elder Jin Bocang of our sect. As a disciple of the Rifting Earth Sect, you united four sects and wiped out his entire clan—seventeen members from top to bottom. Even if you didn’t kill any of them personally, the grudge still falls on your shoulders. You’d best be prepared.”

Yu Ci paused for a moment, then chuckled. “Immortal Xu, you say the others don’t matter, but are you sure there’s no one among them you care about?”

Xu Hui’s withered yellow eyebrows twitched as he glanced at Xie Yan, who was also frowning. Xu Hui snorted. “Who?”

“The Sun Light Sect’s chief steward—Tu Du.”

Yu Ci wasn’t intimidated at all. His expression grew serious. “At the Heavenly Wings Pavilion, he used the Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse to kill dozens of fellow cultivators and more than a hundred innocent civilians. His methods were truly appalling—”

He didn’t even finish the word appalling before he was cut off by a sharp rebuke.

“Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse?”

Both Xie Yan and Xu Hui stiffened and turned to look at him, their eyes wide. “What did you say?”

Wait—they didn’t know? That surprised Yu Ci. It seemed that the chaos of the previous night, followed by his own incident, had drawn both Immortals’ attention to the events at the southern slope and the battle atop Pill Cliff, leaving them unaware of what had happened at Heavenly Wings Pavilion.

But judging by their reactions, this Tu Du was indeed suspicious.

Xie Yan’s expression turned grave. “You saw it clearly? It was really the Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse?”

Yu Ci was certain and continued, “If you’re unsure, you can ask Zhou Youde from the Heart’s Desire Pavilion, or a rogue cultivator named Zhao Ziyue—they were the ones who identified the technique. Oh, and in the end, Tu Du was apparently dealt with by Chi Yin, an elder of the Mysterious Moon Sect. If you want more details, you can ask her as well.”

“Chi Yin again?” Xu Hui’s brows almost knotted together. “She killed Jin Huan, and now Tu Du as well…”

Yu Ci silently chuckled. At this point, unless Chi Yin could clear her name, she wasn’t leaving Cliff City anytime soon.

But could she really clear herself?

There was clearly something off about Tu Du, and it was obviously related to the turmoil at Sky Rift Valley. Yu Ci wanted to see if the Mysterious Moon Sect, which was already entangled in this mess, would reveal any more clues under indirect pressure.

Yu Ci was still recovering from the severe damage to his spirit. He had said quite a bit and used up even more mental energy. Now that he had drawn attention to Chi Yin, he finally relaxed. His energy quickly waned, and his mind turned foggy. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

By the time he woke again, Xie Yan and Xu Hui were gone. Night had already fallen, but he felt more refreshed. There were people stationed outside to serve him, and without him needing to ask, someone brought in a bowl of nourishing medicinal soup to ease his hunger.

But before he could finish even a single bowl, someone requested an audience.

The visitor was Hu Dan. 

Perhaps to show respect, the top expert of the Thousand Spirit Gate had taken on the role of messenger. This time, she came to report on the previous night’s battle. Though it was mostly symbolic, the symbolism was of utmost importance to the Thousand Spirit Gate.

Yu Ci understood this well. In his eyes, only four major forces remained in Cliff City. The Mysterious Moon Sect and the Clear Water Altar each had powerful backers representing external interests and couldn’t be used by him. The Immortal Sword Sect was too small—useful as enforcers perhaps, but not as rulers of a city.

Only the Thousand Spirit Gate had decent strength and no backing. If they wanted to establish a foothold in Cliff City, they would need to rely wholly on the Rifting Earth Sect. They were the ideal representatives. Yu Ci intended for them to take over the Sun Light Sect’s former role, which would make managing Cliff City much easier.

So he gave Hu Dan face and listened attentively. Thankfully, he understood his current condition and kept his report short and to the point—just a general overview of casualties on both sides and the loot the four sects had gained from the Sun Light Sect. Yu Ci only listened casually—until one detail caught his attention.

Hu Dan said, “Of the Sun Light Sect’s members from Jin Huan down, there were twenty-one cultivators above the level of Divine Connectivity. Of those, twenty have been confirmed dead. Only one is unaccounted for—Lu Yang’s disciple, Kuang Yanqi…”

“Kuang Yanqi?”

Yu Ci narrowed his eyes. He remembered seeing this person back at the Heavenly Wings Pavilion when he had spread out the starlight of divine intent. The person must have taken advantage of the chaos to escape over the mountains. After some thought, he said:

“This person has some unclear ties with ‘Tu Du’. We must make an effort to search for him. If found, try to capture him alive and bring him back for Uncle Master Xie and the others to deal with.”

Hu Dan understood that both Xie Yan and Xu Hui, two Void Stepping Immortals, had shown great interest in ‘Tu Du’ today. Now that Yu Ci emphasized it again, he immediately accepted the order with solemnity. At this point, everything had been clearly explained. 

Seeing Yu Ci looking tired again, Hu Dan didn’t linger. He turned to leave, but just before stepping out the door, he suddenly remembered something. He called in the maid who had been waiting outside with a tray in her hands.

“Immortal Yu, how should this thing be dealt with?”

Yu Ci looked closely and saw a black worm like an earthworm lying on the polished tray. However, it was much thinner, only about as thick as a strand of hair, as if a single breath of air could blow it away. Even though its body trembled slightly, Yu Ci couldn’t be sure whether it was moving on its own or just reacting to the breathing of those in the room.

But through a faint connection of Qi, Yu Ci confirmed the little creature’s identity:

“This is… the Dragon Fish?”

Perhaps the familiar sound stimulated the little creature’s nerves, because the lifeless, slender black worm suddenly began to stretch its body, then floated and began to swim. Judging by the direction it was moving, it was headed straight for Yu Ci.

But it was so slow!

Yu Ci watched the little fellow struggle in the air, full of surprise: the “spinal core” had carried off its vital essence—how was the Dragon Fish still alive? Of course, it had shrunk significantly.

That said, he still felt a bit of joy. After ten days of bonding, there was inevitably some connection. Especially knowing that the little thing’s flesh, soul, and pitiful intelligence were all governed by the powerful instincts of its “spinal core,” he even felt a bit of sympathy.

In its current state—miserable as it looked—it was still alive, wasn’t it?

The only question was, how much of its former mystical power remained?

*****

“What happened last night was really strange. Monk, your eyes are sharper than mine. Did you see how that kid came back to life?”

“Mm.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it. I only saw the Dragon Fish’s essence get drained dry, and then everything after that made no sense… Monk?”

Lu Mingyue finally noticed that his companion’s attention was entirely on the body atop the stone platform. That earlier response had clearly just been perfunctory. But he was in a good mood and didn’t take it to heart. Smiling, he watched the monk continue his intricate work, clicking his tongue in admiration.

“You’ve really gone all out. After all this reconstruction, he’s just a step away from Core Refinement. Wait, no—for you, this basically is Core Refinement!”

Monk Yixin let out a breath and stopped what he was doing, signaling that today’s work was done. He glanced at Lu Mingyue and said, “After you leave, I will be short-handed in the city. If something unexpected happens, it’s better to be prepared.”

Lu Mingyue chuckled. “What could go wrong? If there’s any trouble, it would be that kid surnamed Yu. Back at Heavenly Wings Pavilion, I confirmed it—his scent is identical to the one we encountered in the ghost beast’s lair. He’s definitely the one who destroyed your soul fragment. The only question is, how much does he know about us?”

As he spoke, he grinned. “Why don’t we just find a chance to get rid of him? Otherwise, we might wake up one day to find the people of the Sun Light Sect and Sunset Valley surrounding us three layers deep.”

“If he knew anything worth telling, he would’ve said it already. If he hasn’t by now, he’s not likely to suddenly change his mind.”

The monk casually wiped the blood from his hands, seemingly unconcerned, but then shifted tone: “Stay a few more days. Handle this matter properly before returning to the sect.”

Lu Mingyue had just suggested making a move, but now that it was really on the table, he sounded hesitant: “Take action now? That kid just had a major incident. Things are tight, and Xie Yan is watching him closely. Even if we joined forces, taking on Xie Yan would still be difficult…”

The monk shook his head. “Not necessary.”

“Oh? Don’t tell me you’ve got a way to take the kid out right under Xie Yan’s nose?”

The monk was still shaking his head. “We’ll definitely have to avoid Xie Yan. But the opportunity is coming… very soon.”

As he spoke, he suddenly sighed, “Jin Huan really lacked luck. He was prepared. If Xu Hui had arrived just half an hour earlier to support him, the alliance of the four sects would’ve been a joke. Unfortunately, he never expected Yu Ci’s methods to be so simple and brutal—seizing the initiative and killing him outright, not giving him even a breath to react!”

Lu Mingyue couldn’t help but laugh. “That b*stard Jin Huan must’ve died with regrets.”

“Even better that way.”

The monk smiled faintly. “Because of that, the situation in Cliff City is escalating. The bigger the stir, the better our chance.”