A blade-sharp burst of Qi sliced across the air. Four rapidly charging Cloud-Treading Beasts were instantly beheaded, their blood spraying into the air like a mist. The sharp tang of blood overwhelmed the senses, and the chilling words that followed were like the clash of bloodied blades.
âDespicable runaway s1ave. Today, I will carry out clan punishment!â
The moment he heard the voice, Yu Ci shot into the air, drew his Pure Yang Talisman Sword, and retreated swiftly. Even the Dragon Fish reacted faster than him, disappearing from sight before the voice had faded.
As he glided through the air, Yu Ci looked ahead and locked eyes with a pair of phoenix-like eyes radiating cold light. There was no mistaking itâit was Chi Yin.
Chi Yin stood tall in mid-air, about two zhang above the ground, most of her figure shrouded in a pitch-black cloak. Only her jade-like face and jet-black hair shimmered in the moonlight. The night sky stretched like dark silk, with half a moon embedded within it, its light like a soft veil. Distant mountains appeared ink-washed under that glow. But her killing intent burned fiercely, blending with the still-spurting blood mist. Even under the gentle moonlight, a tinge of crimson bled into the scene, as if the world itself had caught fire.
This proud woman, in the end, couldn’t swallow her humiliationâshe had come to kill him.
âYouâve done well!â
Just as Yu Ci landed, he suddenly heard Chi Yin’s voice in his ear. At that exact moment, the ground beneath his feet turned slightly hot as a ring of green flames spread out from his landing point, forming a circle about five feet in diameter that trapped him within. The flames did not attack directly, but the baleful energy they emitted clung to the air around him, refusing to disperse.
âNever in my life have I been blocked at my own door for half a month, unable to take a single step! And yet, you managed it. Even if you relied on others’ power, itâs still quite impressive. So, I gift you this âNether Ghostflame Prisonâ!â
Amid the roaring of the flames, several more fire points ignited on the ground just a few feet away from Yu Ci. This time, they burned with a purplish-red hue. Lava-like flames spread across the earth, leaving behind one scorched mark after another.
Yu Ci scanned the twisted fire patterns. As they shifted, the surrounding baleful energy converged and dispersed through them. His cultivation was far inferior to Chi Yinâs. Though he recognized the cruel methods embedded in this formation, he was powerless to stop it. Soon after, the inner ring of green flames surged upward, reaching a manâs height and forming a wall of fire that blocked his vision.
Yet Chi Yinâs deep and magnetic voice continued to echo in his ears:
âWith this âNether Ghostflame Prison,â Iâll lock your soul in place. Then Iâll take three daysâslowly, inch by inchâto burn your flesh and bones. And donât worry, youâll feel every single bit of it. After that, we can have a nice long talk. About what youâve been up to these past ten years since you betrayed the sect⌠and about how you triggered the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirrorâs power and established a connection with itâŚâ
As her icy voice pierced the air, Yu Ci breathed slowly and narrowed his eyes. Though the green flames blocked his view, he no longer needed sight to perceive his surroundings. The Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was right on Chi Yin, barely ten zhang away. Their link had long since been re-established. Star-like divine intent flowed from the mirror, bouncing off the aura of her Core Refinement cultivation, and spread into the minds of nearby living creatures, tinting their perceptions and rendering the entire area within several li as vivid as if it were before his eyes.
Five days since his last use, but the feeling was still familiar. It was late winter turning to early springâthere were plenty of living beings in the wilderness. Switching perspectives, Yu Ci could clearly see the swirling hem of Chi Yinâs cloak and the subtle movement of her lips, parting ever so slightly with killing intent. He also saw the carriage driver, who had been thrown off earlier, now sprinting back along the road in terror. Even the smallest shifts in the earth were laid bare to himâwhere the fire spread, the newly sprouted grass had unmistakablyâ
Frost?
Chi Yinâs voice abruptly stopped. She was no ordinary figure; she sensed something was wrong just from the change in Yu Ciâs breathing and Qi.
âYouâre surprisingly bold. Meeting me alone in such a desolate placeâarenât you surprised?â
Yu Ci set aside his doubts for the moment, shifting his thoughts with a smile. âOf course Iâm surprised. Iâm surprised⌠that youâre carrying the mirror so close to your body. Isnât it burning hot?â
Before his laughter had even faded, the Heavenly Escape Sword resounded.
Chi Yinâs reaction was top-tier. The instant Yu Ci shifted the topic to the mirror, she sensed something was amiss and tried to activate the Nether Ghostflame Prison to lock him down. But at that moment, a chilling sword intent plunged down from above, locking onto her instantly.
At the same time, Yu Ci burst forth with his mist-like sword Qi and charged out. He focused on the fire wall and caught sight of the frost rapidly spreading beyond it. Just then, a surge of divine sense overlapped with what he sawâa fleeting image flashed beneath his feet.
A sudden chill ran down his spine. In that split second, his mind went blank, driven solely by instinct. His sword Qi scattered like mist, and his figure merged into it, as if dispersed by the wilderness wind.
Boom!
With a blast of dirt and stone, the ground exploded. A gray-white figure burst from the earth, extending a claw aimed directly at Yu Ci.
His hair stood on end. The power of this creature bursting forth was terrifying. Thanks to the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, he had consolidated his Qi in advance and escaped with all his strength. But even then, the air within half a li froze solid under that clawâs swipe. Even with the sharpness of the Half-Mountain Mirage, he could barely move!
Chi Yin’s whole body went cold. The moment the chilling sword intent locked onto her was perfectly timedâright as her spell was about to be cast. The fluctuation of energy caused by her invocation became the trigger for a torrential storm of sword Qi! High in the air, the surging sword Qi poured down like a waterfall, tearing through the sky for a thousand feet, threatening to cleave her in two.
Both above and below the ground, two top-tier experts were equally startled. The one in the sky was shocked that there was another hidden expert underground, whose threat far surpassed Chi Yin’s. The one beneath the ground hadnât expected someone to be covertly protecting from the clouds aboveâhis timing had turned out terribly wrong!
At that moment, the four individuals from three different sides were briefly thrown into confusion by the chaotic situation. But right after, each of them responded swiftly.
The torrent of sword Qi cascading down from a thousand feet suddenly surged and swept sideways, forming a slanted wave that cut between the gray-white shadow and Yu Ci. With a loud hum, it forcefully blocked the enemy behind a wall of sword Qi. Although it managed to obstruct the figure, it couldnât stop the lightning-fast killing blow. With a sharp clang, several razor-sharp ice blades materialized beside Yu Ciâs neck, stabbing in from four directions.
Facing the fatal danger, Yu Ci unleashed the sword intent of the Half-Mountain Mirage. At the same time, a beam of light shot out from his collar. It seemed to carry a magnetic pull, causing the four ice blades to slightly shift their positionsâjust enough for an unnecessary move.
Yu Ci seized that sliver of a chance to break through the air, which felt as hard as ice, turning into mist and slipping away.
A moment later and the blades would have converged.
The blades collided with a sharp clang, but they only cut through empty air.
Missing the target, the gray-white figure fled underground and vanished in an instant.
âOut of the way!â
With a low shout, a figure from above streaked downward in a flash of sword light, turning into a rainbow-like streak and plunging into the frost-covered ground. The terrain for several miles around trembled violently. As Yu Ci landed, he felt the ground beneath him turn to mush, unable to hold any weight, while two terrifying forces clashed violently underground.
The ground truly became like watery porridge, as if boiling in a pot. Dust and debris flew up, only to be swept into the air by the explosive wind.
Having just escaped death, Yu Ci was drenched in cold sweat. He pulled out a fine silver chain from his collar. Hanging from it was a small iron talisman, simply forged. Though originally silver-white, it was now covered in a layer of rust.
This was a protective talisman given to him by Xie Yan before leaving Cliff City, just in case. The talisman, called âEvil-Warding Talisman,â could instantly release a stored burst of innate magnetic force to deflect many types of attacks, including spell techniques. When he had been surrounded by Chi Yinâs spell earlier, it had partially protected him. By a twist of fate, it had proven useful after all.
But what puzzled him wasâwhat exactly was that gray-white shadow? Why had it suddenly tried to kill him?
Underground, the battle was still raging. Buffeted by the aftermath of the forceful currents, Yu Ci was left with questions unanswered and a tightness in his chest. He quickly retreated further away.
While the two great experts clashed, Chi Yin was momentarily forgotten. But the female cultivator herself had not forgotten her objective. She stared at the still-roiling ground, then glanced at Yu Ci, who was already a mile away. Pressing her lips together, her black cloak fluttered in the fierce wind as her figure gradually became faint and translucent, seemingly about to melt into the night. Just then, her body suddenly froze.
âIllusory Demonic Art, unmatched in the worldâweâre all aware of this. No need to demonstrate again, Master Chi Yin.â
An old, hoarse voice drifted on the wind. The sword Qi that came with it was as fine as dust. Yet within this seemingly scattered and chaotic sword Qi, there lay a chilling murderous intentâshe knew someone had approached from behind, but she hadnât sensed the fatal killing intent that was now aimed directly at her heart.
He spoke of the Illusory Demonic Art as peerless under heaven, but his own subtle and profound sword intent was probably the truly unrivaled one!
Dozens of escape methods flashed through her mind, but under the opponentâs masterful sword intent, none had more than a twenty percent chance of success.
So… was this how it felt to be trapped?
Chi Yinâs body trembled slightlyânot from fear, but from the shame that flooded her entire being. She clenched her jaw and tried to keep her voice calm. âYou must be Master Yu? I was merely dealing with a runaway s1ave. Why has your Rifting Earth Sect gone to such lengths?â
The man behind her chuckled. âI donât see any runaway s1ave… only a disciple of my Rifting Earth Sect… Hmm?â
Both Core Refinement cultivators sensed it at the same timeâa violent shift in the turbulent clash underground. Then a thunderous boom sounded as a massive cloud of dust burst dozens of feet into the air.
The gray-white figure shot upward through the dust, soaring into the sky.
A streak of rainbow lightâXie Yanâchased closely behind.
Though it was night, everyone present could see clearly. Bathed in moonlight, the gray shadow stood nine feet tall, its unnaturally smooth body gleaming with a cold light identical to that of the moon, making it strikingly bright against the night sky.
âMoon Demon!â
Chi Yin and the man behind her cried out simultaneously.
In that moment, Chi Yin clearly saw what had just been a clear sky suddenly fill with dark clouds. The entire sky seemed to drop a thousand feet, as thick clouds gathered like a fortress above.
Suddenly, lightning burst forth like swords, tearing across the sky. In an instant, thunder and fire exploded in all directions.
The flying Moon Demon didnât even have time to react before being engulfed by the lightning and fire.
A sharp screech split the airâpiercing and inhumanâeven the rolling thunder that followed couldnât drown it out!