The group from Sun Light Sect rushed down the small hill like a whirlwind, but they could only watch as Yu Ci disappeared into the mist. By the time they reached the cliff’s edge, there was no sign of Yu Ci in the deep valley below.
At the front, Huang Tai’s face turned pale, barely maintaining his composure. He looked up to see the three b1ood Eagles still circling in the air. The b1ood Eagles spiraled higher, quickly becoming tiny specks in the sky. In the distance, more people riding similar soul-bound b1ood Eagles were approaching.
Standing at the cliff’s edge, Huang Tai gritted his teeth and turned to ask, “How’s the Soul Searching Mirror?”
Liu Siwei shook his head, “Still not clear. It’s useless beyond ten miles!”
He paused, noticing Huang Tai’s expression darkening from pale to black. Liu Siwei could only defend himself, “The mirror works best with residual souls that have a strong will to survive and are filled with resentment. Old Lu’s spirit… it was a bit too weak…”
“Enough!”
Huang Tai couldn’t hold back his roar, cutting off Liu Siwei’s explanation. The moment he yelled, he realized he had lost his cool. Seeing Liu Siwei’s face darken, Huang Tai sighed and added:
“Old Liu, we’ve been made fools of for two whole days! If that bastard had fled, it would have been fine, but he’s been wandering right under our noses, leading us in circles! When this gets out, how do you think the Thousand Spirit Gate or the Pure Water Altar will see us? And don’t forget, Elder Tu is on his way. You know his temper—if we don’t show some results, can we really handle the consequences?”
Liu Siwei lowered his head in silence. He understood the real reason for Huang Tai’s agitation. According to the instructions from the Sect Master, the young man’s cultivation was only at the early stage of Divine Connectivity, but his techniques were quite peculiar, requiring careful handling. However, when Lu Ding’s spy reported Yu Ci’s whereabouts, Steward Huang, distracted by a rare spirit beast in the valley, led most of the forces to capture it, leaving only Lu Ding and Si Long to handle the capture. The result was this unmanageable situation. If Huang Tai wasn’t nervous, who would be?
Just as Huang Tai was about to speak again, he heard his partner exclaim softly, “That bastard made a move here!”
“What?”
Huang Tai looked down as well and indeed saw b1ood splattered near the edge of the cliff. The b1ood droplets sprayed downwards, and though dry, they were still relatively fresh.
“It must be one of the valley’s beasts,” Liu Siwei turned to him. “Judging by the b1ood splatter, it looks like that guy’s handiwork. If we find the corpse and gather enough fresh b1ood, we might be able to extend the range of the Soul Searching Mirror for a short time. If we can extract any remaining life force from that bastard, even better.”
“Into the valley!”
Huang Tai gritted his teeth and ordered, “Spread out, search for the body and for him!”
While the group from Sun Light Sect toiled tirelessly in the endless mist, Yu Ci had already found a resting spot fifteen miles deep in the valley. Using the Divine Map, he observed their every move.
Even though he couldn’t hear their conversation, he could make out most of it through their lip movements.
“Tu Du, that old demon is coming?”
Yu Ci caught the most important part of their conversation and couldn’t help but feel a jolt of surprise. Given the current situation, even if the Sect Master himself came, he wouldn’t be surprised. But Tu Du’s arrival was different. Back in Cliff City, Yu Ci had seen Tu Du’s frail body many times, as if he was waiting for death under the Pill Cliff. Why would he travel all the way to Sky Rift Valley now?
It is said that a Core Refinement cultivator can roam thousands of miles with their spirit, but they must always take care of their physical body. Even Yu Ci knew that the Yin Spirit leaving the body for too long would cause some damage to the flesh. How could the old monster Tu not know this? Moreover, what was his intention in coming here?
If it was to target him, Yu Ci would truly feel honored.
With a cold smile, Yu Ci shifted his gaze. He suddenly noticed on the Divine Map that the people from the Sun Light Sect had already found the corpses of the three vicious beasts he had slain. However, all three corpses had been gnawed into a mangled state by the b1oodthirsty beasts in the valley.
That Steward Liu didn’t care about much else, carefully applying the collected b1ood essence onto the surface of the Soul Searching Mirror while drawing talisman patterns. The process was so complicated that even Yu Ci felt anxious for him.
After a long while, Steward Liu finally completed the entire set of procedures and began forming hand seals to activate the talismanic spell. Huang Tai watched nervously from the side, unconsciously clenching his fists. The accompanying warriors didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, fearing they might disturb Steward Liu and face his wrath.
Yu Ci observed with interest. He saw a thin film of b1ood on the Soul Searching Mirror, faintly glowing. The top layer of b1ood began to swirl on the mirror’s surface as if driven by some invisible force, eventually coalescing into a small b1ood droplet, the size of a jujube seed, which floated in the air. Sweat had already appeared on Steward Liu’s nose, and the droplet transformed into a sharp-looking short spike, pointing diagonally downward.
It was aimed in Yu Ci’s direction.
“Oh?”
Yu Ci raised an eyebrow slightly, but before he could react further, the b1ood spike disintegrated, splattering all over Steward Liu.
Fifteen miles away, Yu Ci couldn’t help but chuckle, but for Steward Liu and Huang Tai, this was already a remarkable improvement. Huang Tai, his voice hoarse, wished he could shake his partner’s shoulders to give him more strength. “Old Liu, Old Liu, this is our one chance! It’s all up to you!”
Steward Liu cursed silently, but ultimately couldn’t resist Huang Tai’s intense pressure. With a grunt, he pulled out a pill bottle from his robe, but Huang Tai was quicker, taking out his own pills. “Here, here, take my Sun Essence Pill! Power through and lock onto that bastard!”
He slapped the pill bottle into Liu Siwei’s hand. With the precious Sun Essence Pill, Liu Siwei had no reason to argue. He uncorked the bottle, took out a fiery red pill that glowed like crystal, and swallowed it. Without hesitation, he also pocketed the remaining pills into his storage ring.
Huang Tai’s brow twitched, but he held back. He watched as Steward Liu steadied his breath and performed several rounds of Qi Breathing before opening his mouth to inhale deeply.
He took a breath that lasted a full ten seconds until his abdomen swelled, unable to take in any more air. Only then did Liu Siwei close his mouth, bite his teeth together, and begin circulating his qi to purify it. After a long pause, he opened his eyes, his chest heaving a few times, before suddenly forcing air up his throat and out of his mouth:
“Heh, heh, ha!”
Three sharp exhalations with obvious intervals sounded. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but by the third “ha,” a white light shot out from Steward Liu’s nose and mouth, striking the surface of the Soul Searching Mirror.
With a hum, the dark mirror visibly trembled, and the thin b1ood film on its surface glowed brightly. The previously dried b1ood essence vaporized under the light, turning into a pale red mist that swirled and shifted above the mirror.
Then, the “b1ood spike” that Yu Ci had just seen formed once again within the mist. Although its color was a bit fainter, it lasted much longer. After staring at it for a while, Steward Liu gritted his teeth and said, “Fifteen miles away… we’ve got him… He hasn’t moved!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the b1ood spike disintegrated again, but this time, it didn’t splatter everywhere. Instead, it dissolved into the light red mist, which then settled back onto the mirror’s surface, merging with the b1ood film. Steward Liu’s face was pale, and he panted heavily. Clearly, the secret technique had taken a toll on him.
Just by observing, Yu Ci knew that Steward Liu’s method had succeeded this time. He was confident it could be repeated in the future, though he wasn’t sure if there would be any limit to its use.
“What a remarkable ‘Three Breaths in One’. When Elder Tu arrives, I’ll make sure to commend you, Old Liu!”
Huang Tai was overjoyed beyond expectation. He turned his head to look at the bottomless clouds and mist below, his expression turning fierce: “Chase after him!”
With a chorus of whistling sounds, the group pursued in the direction where Yu Ci was.
Fifteen li away, Yu Ci stood up, his expression serious.
He wasn’t worried about much. Even if the twenty or so people from the Sun Light Sect came after him using the Soul Searching Mirror, he had plenty of ways to shake them off. What concerned him was something else:
“That ‘One Breath, Three Calls’ and the previous Soul Searching Mirror talisman aren’t from the same origin.”
Having practiced talismanic arts for many years, Yu Ci was more or less half an expert when it came to talisman patterns and spells. With the detailed imagery presented by the Divine Map, he was very sure that the two methods Liu Guan used were from entirely different schools.
Especially the “One Breath, Three Calls,” which was purely the internal circulation of b1ood and Qi. It seemed to be a special technique to activate the power of the magical artifact. But it was unclear whether it worked specifically with the Soul Searching Mirror or could be applied to other artifacts as well.
Taking out the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, which had been tucked in his sleeve, Yu Ci gently stroked its smooth surface, his mind starting to work.
“I need to carefully consider this.” Yu Ci glanced at the Divine Map, confirming the distance and location of his pursuers, and finally smiled as he set off.
*****
The following days became a bit more intense, both for Yu Ci and the Sun Light Sect.
For Yu Ci, he had to admit that the “big tail” following him was a tough bone to crack.
With the Soul Searching Mirror guiding them, the Sun Light Sect’s men stayed close on his trail. Although Yu Ci had intentionally allowed this to happen, there were moments when their pursuit caused him real trouble.
The closest call came when Yu Ci was momentarily entangled with a fierce beast, and the Sun Light Sect’s group caught up to him. Although the confrontation was brief, their combat strength left a deep impression on him.
Among the Sun Light Sect’s forces, the twenty-five warriors consisted of a mix of elite guards and regular sect members, all well-trained. Even in the challenging environment of Sky Rift Valley, they were able to form battle formations that excelled in both offense and defense. If they ever managed to encircle him, Yu Ci knew that breaking through would come at a significant cost.
And then there were the two stewards, Huang Tai and Liu Siwei. The latter was not much of a concern. Though he was a cultivator with Divine Connectivity, his skills were mediocre, only becoming a hassle when controlling the Soul Searching Mirror. However, the one surnamed Huang was a real threat. With his solid mid-tier Divine Connectivity cultivation, his Yin Spirit had already formed, allowing him to control a magical artifact known as the “Thousand-Mouthed Bees.” In an instant, he could unleash hundreds of blazing fire spikes, as hot as fire and as sharp as needles, destroying anything in their path.
Yu Ci, not knowing the details, had nearly fallen to Huang Guan’s attack. If not for his quick reaction, he would have already become a blazing porcupine, dead beyond hope.
Despite this close encounter, Yu Ci gained valuable insights that couldn’t be gleaned from the Divine Map alone. His plan was slowly taking shape, and it was time to put it into action.
As the sky began to darken, Yu Ci took a deep breath and, following the directions shown on the Divine Map, stealthily advanced.
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