This maneuver was still effective; it brought the young man’s soul back. Yu Ci smiled and said, “Wait here and hide well. If you’re discovered, just jump down no matter what. With this robe, it’s really hard for you to die from a fall.”
Ye Tu felt slightly relieved but then thought of Yu Ci: “What about you, Uncle?”
“Me? I’ll see if I can directly take off that bald thief’s head!”
Ye Tu was startled, but Yu Ci paid him no more attention. With a quick contraction and leap, he darted up the slope to the cliffside, vanishing into the clouds and mist in a few movements.
Yu Ci wasn’t crazy or impulsive. He simply saw a chance for victory, and the opportunity was tempting enough to risk it.
Because he had the Divine Map.
Opening the Divine Map again, it was evident that the opponent’s progress had not been satisfactory during this time. The Sky Rift Valley was shrouded in mist, severely limiting visibility. Even though diviners could rely less on their eyes with their spiritual senses, there was still a limit.
Especially with the cliff being as smooth as a mirror, with many places offering no foothold, coupled with the presence of highly aggressive raptors, it was indeed a perilous path. Unless one had flying magical tools or treasures like Yu Ci’s Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, penetrating deeply into it required repeated trials and explorations, with getting lost being the norm.
Yu Ci clung to the mountain wall. The position he was in was just about three yards to the right of where the three people would pass by the slope. This was what the Divine Map had shown—no mistakes.
Yu Ci’s current position was on an extremely steep cliff with no place to stand. However, he quickly used his jade medicine hoe to carve out a hollow. Thanks to the Precious Child and Young Master Ye, the hoe cut through the stone like mud. With the infusion of true Qi, it became even more effective, causing rocks to tumble down amidst the Sky Rift Valley’s usual clamor.
Only a nearby ghost-faced monkey heard the noise and curiously peered over. Yu Ci acted swiftly, grabbing its throat and, before it could struggle, used the hoe to knock it unconscious.
Holding the unconscious ghost-faced monkey, Yu Ci began drawing symbols. This took some time, but the progress of the three above was even slower, allowing Yu Ci to calmly finish drawing three symbols and sealing them in the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
Then, he hid the Divine Map to avoid drawing attention with the green light. At this moment, even without looking at the Divine Map, he could smell the mingled scent of the poisonous monk and his companions amidst the strong winds and mist.
He chose a position downwind, which effectively concealed his scent. Due to Yu Ci’s extraordinarily keen sense of smell, he paid particular attention to such abilities. Every time he lay in ambush, he carefully suppressed his own scent. His skills in hiding and stealth had significantly improved over time.
As the distance between them gradually closed, the strong wind carried the voices of the three from above. The poisonous monk and his group were cautious in the Sky Rift Valley but hadn’t anticipated that someone would preemptively detect their movements and ambush them early in such a deep, three-thousand-yard region. Thus, they spoke loudly to ensure their voices were heard over the wind:
“Old Xu, how long is your ‘yin hair’? Don’t let it burn up before you even get to the destination.”
The speaker’s words were crude, with a nonchalant and careless tone. His voice matched his demeanor, and Yu Ci immediately thought of the baby-faced Taoist.
The response likely came from the balding middle-aged leader, his voice somewhat hoarse: “A long time ago. This ‘Yin Smoke Path’ is a secret transmission of my Wanling Sect. With beast hairs, chasing for a thousand miles is just a common thing. Now we need to see if your news is accurate or not…”
“Of course, the information investigated by the Abbot and Master Mingyue is trustworthy.”
**Chapter 016: Ambush**
The familiar voice of the Snake-like Monk came through, its calm tone reminiscent of a cold, hissing serpent. “The key isn’t with us; it’s with you, Old Xu. If you let the beast spirits fool you, don’t blame me and Lu Quan for not considering our friendship.”
“Do you think I’m like that dead ghost who felt invincible just because he stole a stardial? That dials couldn’t even handle Jin Huan, let alone the beasts below!” Old Xu sneered coldly. “Or should I be blamed for secretly coming down the valley against the sect master’s orders and accompanying you on this trip?”
The Snake-like Monk scoffed, “Don’t blame us for speaking out of turn. The fact is, the temptation of beast spirits is too great for your Wanling Sect. Hu Ke is a prime example.”
The Taoist Lu Quan cleared his throat, interrupting the Snake-like Monk’s direct provocation with a hearty laugh. “The fact that we’re looking for you, Old Xu, means both Zheng De and I trust you… What we need now is patience. Finding the beast spirits is just the beginning. We still need to find a way to divert them and locate the buried treasure before thinking about the next steps!”
“The next steps are not guaranteed either. That young one from Sun Light Sect, despite being young, has already achieved transformation and divine mastery. According to what you say, he should be quite famous in Cliff City. Yet, I’ve never heard of him before. Could it be Jin Huan…”
Lu Quan’s tone was dismissive: “Your Wanling Sect is so afraid of being oppressed by Sun Light Sect that you attribute everything to them! Hu Ke stealing the stardial was a complete surprise. If Zheng De and I hadn’t happened upon it and met you, we might still be in the dark. Jin Huan, no matter how powerful, is just a Golden Core stage cultivator, not a soothsayer!”
The voices of the three became increasingly clear, revealing quite a bit of information. Yu Ci realized that Jin Huan, frequently mentioned, was the head of Sun Light Sect and a prominent figure in Cliff City. At the same time, he secretly sneered.
He wasn’t sure of the deeper reasons, but he was certain that the Taoist was lying.
The claim of “happening upon” was dubious. When Zheng De the Thief Bald attacked, he hadn’t even seen what the stardial looked like before the monk called it out. Who would believe they were unaware in advance?
The monk and Taoist were problematic, and Old Xu was no better. For the sake of an unseen “treasure,” he colluded with outsiders and defied orders to enter the valley. Such fools blinded by greed deserved their fate!
At this moment, Old Xu cursed under his breath, “Damn, no more paths…”
Yu Ci narrowed his eyes. When Old Xu said this, the three of them were directly above him. However, to go further down, there was only a path to the right where Yu Ci could stand. The temporary hollow he dug had enough depth to conceal him, and the strong wind blew from the right, so he wasn’t worried about exposing his presence.
At the same time, he made every effort to suppress his spiritual fluctuations. This was his first attempt at such concealment, but the results were good; at least, the three above didn’t notice him.
The three took some time to find the correct path and then cautiously slid down. The path was actually just a couple of protrusions on the cliff, which could be used for cushioning and slowing down during the descent, preventing a full slide. Naturally, this area was also free from ferocious beasts.
Old Xu was the first to slide down, carried by the wind, passing just three yards from Yu Ci. Yu Ci squinted and vaguely saw the light smoke rising from his fingertips. Old Xu didn’t glance towards him at all. After confirming that there was still a path to go further down, the Snake-like Monk and Lu Quan also slid down in turn.
At this moment, a black shadow suddenly flew up from the side cliff and pounced on Lu Quan.
The attack was sudden, but the baby-faced Taoist reacted quickly. Without making any moves, countless strands of sword Qi shot through the air with a hissing sound. The shadow seemed to be struck by a heavy blow, tumbling backward with an ear-piercing scream. Then, a multitude of blood lines erupted from its body, and the scream abruptly stopped.
The mangled corpse fell down, clearly visible to the three below. It was a ghost-faced monkey.
The Snake-like Monk, while sliding, turned his head and praised, “What a sharp eyebrow sword technique! Brother Lu’s thousand threads of Qi have truly lived up to Master Mingyue’s expectations… Be careful!”
Just as the word “transmit” was about to leave his mouth, the monk’s expression changed abruptly, and he shouted a warning.
A pure azure sword blade silently emerged from the mist. The timing was perfect—right when Lu Quan’s torrent of sword strikes had just subsided, and he was sliding through the worst possible environment, with no foothold other than the smooth cliff face behind him.
Lu Quan’s hair stood on end as he slid rapidly. The sword blade flickering with azure light in the mist twisted slightly, but the coldness still pressed directly against his vulnerable neck. The most infuriating part was that there was no force from the sword itself; it was his body’s own momentum that brought him into contact!
With a desperate scream, Lu Quan managed to summon some strength at the crucial moment, slamming his back against the cliff to use the force to leap sideways. Although this direction might lead him into the abyss, it was the best choice to avoid the sword light.
His response was timely, but his neck still felt a chill, and it was soon wet with blood, clearly wounded. Lu Quan, ignoring the pain, managed to temporarily escape the sword’s threat as his body was now airborne. Below, the Snake-like Monk found a foothold and began to rebound upward.
At this moment, a buzzing sound arose behind them. The Snake-like Monk and Old Xu both cursed, but it was too late.
Lu Quan screamed, using his remaining energy to forcefully activate the “Eyebrow Sword” technique, which was designed for speed. The intangible, yet substantial, sword Qi was about to shield his entire body but was still a step too late. He felt a severe chill pierce his back, and with a muffled groan, his remaining sword Qi was forcefully repressed. His meridians went into disarray, and he coughed up blood uncontrollably.
“Catch him!” Old Xu reacted quickly, sending a black rope from his sleeve towards Lu Quan, trying to pull him back. However, in the mist, Lu Quan turned to look at the rope, but his body remained motionless. A closer look revealed that his eyes were filled with death’s embrace!
“Seven Stars Illuminate Life, Turn!”
The incantation pierced through the clouds and mist, echoing in the ears of the three. Old Xu’s heart sank as he saw Lu Quan’s seven orifices spouting blood simultaneously. The uncontrolled sword Qi burst out of his body, rendering him as mutilated as the earlier ghost-faced monkey.
“It’s not a sword, it’s a talisman!” The Snake-like Monk turned and ascended, realizing the situation much clearer than Old Xu. Seeing the azure sword blade flying in an unusually detached manner, he cursed angrily, knowing that Lu Quan was doomed.
The sudden transformation from sword to talisman, combined with the previous series of sudden changes, made it almost impossible for any of the three to escape this disaster. The root of the problem lay in their mistaken thinking: how could anyone possibly anticipate their actions and set up such a precise ambush in the depths of the Sky Rift Valley, more than three thousand zhang below the surface?
More importantly, who was this person?
The next moment, dazzling firelight gave him the answer!
Yu Ci leapt out from the mist. After using the Seven Stars Sword Talisman, he switched to the Nine Yang Sword Talisman. The unique flame spirals emerged, and as the Snake-like Monk’s gaze crossed the talisman’s flames, his face twisted in recognition: “A junior from Sun Light Sect!”
With a shriek, he swung his robe sleeve, unleashing a force like a giant axe. Several flashes of azure light appeared, deploying all his usual methods.
Yu Ci’s expression remained as unyielding as iron. Standing on a nearly vertical cliff face, he faced the incoming axe-like force and dark azure light without any intention of slowing down. He continued to plunge downwards, the Nine Yang Sword Talisman propelling him forward, and the sword blade cut through the air, thrusting outwards.
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