Yu Ci slid down the steep cliff and dashed a few steps forward. He could no longer sense Daoist Yan’s presence behind him, but he knew it wasn’t reliable to trust that the hidden cave would allow him to escape a cultivator of such legendary power. After catching his breath, he continued to sprint, trying to calm his mind while drawing talisman symbols with his fingers inside his sleeve, temporarily storing them using the bronze mirror’s mystical abilities.
This was one of the functions of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, though the duration and number of stored talismans were limited. It could only store three talismans for the duration of half an incense stick’s burn.
The talismans were extremely complex, and by the time Yu Ci had run ten miles, he had barely completed two. Just as he was about to draw the third one, the night sky suddenly brightened, and a red glow shone from behind him, accompanied by a strong, pungent smell.
Yu Ci could finally identify the smell as the burning stench of blood, mingled with the killer’s murderous intent, assaulting his senses.
He had anticipated that Daoist Yan would catch up, but the speed at which he did was still unexpected.
Exhaling deeply, Yu Ci abruptly flipped and leaped to the ground. In the next moment, a red line sliced past, severing two thick trees at five feet from the ground, causing them to crash down with a thunderous noise. Even in the dead of night, dust and leaves flew everywhere, and startled animals and birds cried out, making the previously silent forest suddenly noisy.
Despite missing his target, Daoist Yan was still laughing gleefully. His laughter, coming closer, quickly bridged the gap between him and Yu Ci: “Pretty boy, how sharp is my Nine Yang Talisman Sword?”
“Nine Yang? Isn’t it supposed to be the Three Yang Talisman Sword?”
Surprisingly, Yu Ci asked, but this slowed him down. Immediately, a scorching heat came from above, and Daoist Yan, riding a wave of heat, flew past and blocked his path. Yu Ci stopped abruptly, adopting a defensive stance. His expression was serious but not panicked.
“Quite curious, aren’t you, pretty boy…”
Daoist Yan mocked while staring intently with wide eyes, but Yu Ci maintained the same expression, as if the scene of twenty-odd herbalists lying dead, the enemy’s mockery, and the might of the Nine Yang Talisman Sword had only prompted this level of response.
“Good, you’ve got guts. I was afraid you’d be a cowardly shrimp!”
The more Daoist Yan was impressed by Yu Ci’s bravery, the more he wanted to crush him. He didn’t rush to attack, instead taking a step forward, now only two zhang away from Yu Ci, lightly swinging his talisman sword, and sneered:
“Why is it the Nine Yang Talisman Sword? I might as well tell you. Heh, the Sun Light Sect is stingy, only bringing out the inferior Three Yang Talisman Sword to deal with you mundane people, and you’re thrilled, unaware that the Sun Light Sect possesses superior Six Yang Talisman Sword, Nine Yang Talisman Sword, and even Pure Yang Talisman Sword!
“Of course, they would never bring out the latter three, but no matter how cunning they are, they have to drink my bathwater. Ten years ago, I infiltrated the sect and learned the ‘Fusion and Refinement’ technique. With enough Three Yang Talisman Swords as a base, I could gradually refine and fuse them into Six Yang, then Nine Yang, and finally remove impurities to reach Pure Yang, the pinnacle.
“In the past two years, I’ve traveled between Sky Rift Valley and Cliff City, and although it was tough, I achieved the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, nearly matching the Pure Yang in quality. The power is at its peak. With this sword in hand, even if you were lucky enough to get a Three Yang Talisman Sword, it wouldn’t withstand a single strike from my Nine Yang Talisman Sword!”
Daoist Yan laughed again, but amidst his laughter, Yu Ci maintained his previous posture, neither relaxing nor panicking, showing no special reaction. In the vast forest, only the startled wild animals and birds made any noise in response.
Daoist Yan’s laughter abruptly stopped. He could no longer keep laughing, his eyes narrowing strangely. He finally understood that the young man before him was not a low-level novice who could be scared witless with a few words. If he continued to delay, he might not only lose the fun but also end up frustrated even if he eventually killed him.
“Alright, alright, this Daoist will send you, this brave little pretty boy, on your way!”
Daoist Yan took another step forward, raising the Nine Yang Talisman Sword. His tall stature and long arms meant that the red glow emanating from the sword nearly crossed the two-zhang distance to engulf Yu Ci.
As the heat wave rushed towards him, the sharp aura of the talisman sword aimed straight at his forehead. Yu Ci didn’t force himself to hold his ground; instead, he slowly stepped back. Meanwhile, his left hand, which had been tucked in his sleeve, gradually closed around the talismans stored in the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror.
“Hmm?” Daoist Yan sensed something and glanced at Yu Ci’s hand, seeing a large amount of water vapor and clouds pouring out from the young man’s sleeve. In an instant, a mist barrier formed, and under the glow of the flames, Yu Ci’s figure became hazy, shifting with the light and becoming hard to track.
“Trying to escape again!” Daoist Yan roared in anger, his talisman sword slashing through the air with a hiss, tearing the mist apart and aiming for the moving figure behind it.
As the sword light passed, Daoist Yan realized something was wrong. It was clearly a diversion. Instinctively, he turned and slashed again, but struck only empty air.
When he stood ready, scanning the surroundings, his face was as dark as water. In just a few breaths, a thin layer of mist had spread over several acres of forest. Although the mist didn’t block much, it was nighttime, and the depths of the forest were pitch black, with the only light source being his own sword.
He could see clearly within the illuminated area, but beyond that, his vision was significantly obstructed.
Yu Ci moved at the edge of the light, seeming ready to disappear into the forest at any moment.
“Cunning little pretty boy, but such a simple trick won’t work on me!”
With this thought, Daoist Yan felt a twinge of regret: “If only I hadn’t forcibly broken through two years ago, my soul still needs nurturing. Some abilities aren’t fully operational yet, or else this kid wouldn’t stand a chance.”
With this in mind, Daoist Yan didn’t rely on his eyes. Using his spiritual senses, he perceived everything within a ten-zhang radius. He quickly discovered that Yu Ci didn’t seem to be fleeing. Though his figure flickered in and out of view, he remained within sight.
No, this pretty boy is waiting for an opportunity!
Snapping out of his spiritual state, Daoist Yan’s tall body suddenly dropped, nearly hovering above the ground. He rolled in mid-air like a nimble monkey, covering several zhang in an instant.
As his toes left the ground, the sound of burning air whizzed past his ears. The brightness of the forest, already lit by firelight, surged upward as a blazing white lightning chain tore through the air.
Even while rolling in mid-air, Daoist Yan noticed the lightning chain. It seemed to scorch his eyes, leaving a long-lasting mark.
A thunderous explosion followed. The lightning didn’t hit Daoist Yan but struck a tree at the edge of the forest, setting it ablaze.
Daoist Yan landed, his heart still pounding. Straightening up, he saw the tree charred by the lightning, his eye twitching. If he hadn’t mastered his spiritual senses, he might have been struck without knowing what happened.
Palm Thunder! He must have used some kind of jade talisman.
“The kid has some resources.”
He forced himself to remain calm, laughing coldly, but unconsciously, he changed “pretty boy” to “kid,” and then gritted his teeth:
“Let’s see if you have more talismans or if I have more skills!”
Before he finished speaking, he extended his index and middle fingers, rapidly drawing ten twisted lines in the air. Trails of red light remained, like seared imprints, hovering in mid-air.
“Wind and fire, swift as a wheel!”
A sudden gale arose, carrying scorching heat, sweeping in all directions. The surrounding mist was immediately dispersed. Yu Ci, still regretting the missed Palm Thunder, changed his expression upon seeing this:
“Channeling Qi into talismans!”
This was the true essence of channeling Qi into talismans!
Even though he had guessed as much, confirming it made Yu Ci draw in a cold breath. This wasn’t some trick he had pulled using the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror; it was the genuine skill of the ferocious man in front of him.
Drawing talismans in the air without any medium and attracting spiritual energy was not something that could be achieved with mere human strength. It required an extremely high level of body and Qi cultivation, where one’s soul had grown to a certain extent, achieving a state known as “Dividing Consciousness into Thought.” This state allowed the creation of a miraculous object called “Divine Will,” which could replace materials like cinnabar or peach wood to draw spiritual responses, forming truly effective talismans.
Thus, the man before him was clearly at the Divine Connectivity level, having surpassed the “Three Mortal Obstacles” and become one of the legendary cultivators with boundless magical abilities.
The difference in their levels was immediately clear!
Without the cover of the mist, Daoist Yan could easily spot Yu Ci. Turning around, he coldly laughed, “Kid, do you now understand the power of this Daoist?”
Yu Ci pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Daoist Yan laughed, stepping forward slowly, “Got any more talismans? Show them to this Daoist!”
Yu Ci seemed to bite his lip, suddenly reaching his right hand into his left sleeve. His left hand, still in his sleeve, maintained a strange posture.
At that moment, a red flash flickered as Daoist Yan silently rushed forward, slashing with his sword and shouting:
“Die for this Daoist!”
Daoist Yan, still shaken from nearly being struck by lightning, wasn’t going to let Yu Ci take the initiative.
Yu Ci looked up abruptly, eyes fixed on the dazzling sword light without dodging, as if stunned. But just as the sword light reached him, he swiftly drew out a green light from his sleeve, countering the attack. With a sharp clang, it blocked the Nine Yang Talisman Sword head-on.
Daoist Yan was slightly surprised but quickly sneered, retracting his sword slightly before adding force and striking again. The power of the Nine Yang Talisman Sword was immense. The green light, having barely blocked the first strike, trembled and dimmed. As the second strike came down, it seemed Yu Ci would be split in two.
Yu Ci’s eyes widened, and he suddenly spat a stream of blood onto the quivering green light. From between his teeth, he forced out a word:
“Quick!”
A cold light erupted.
In Daoist Yan’s disbelieving eyes, the bright blood threads spread through the green light. As the blood infused, the green light became even more radiant, its central area almost solidifying, emitting a nearly tangible glow.
When the Nine Yang Talisman Sword struck again, Yu Ci met it with the green light. This time, the sound was even sharper, like metal clashing, but the condensed green light remained intact.
Yu Ci’s face was pale, but he grinned.
He had never truly intended to escape. His earlier retreat was merely to buy time to draw talismans. But time was short, and he could only manage the Mist Flow Shadow Talisman and the Palm Thunder, which had limited effect in battle.
Fortunately, Daoist Yan’s verbosity gave him an opportunity to rapidly form the “Seven Star Sword Talisman” in his sleeve, finally activating it with a mouthful of heart’s blood. The process was so smooth it felt divinely assisted.
Of course, a single talisman sword might not be enough to defeat Daoist Yan. But Yu Ci wielding a talisman sword was different from Yu Ci using talismans. He excelled at talismans but loved the sword more. Compared to the intricate calculations needed for talismans, he preferred the straightforward choice between life and death in close combat. After twelve years of wandering, how many times had he drawn his sword and killed?
This was his true nature.
Casting aside all distractions, facing an enemy a whole level above him, Yu Ci grinned:
“Let’s see how my Seven Star Talisman Sword compares to your Nine Yang Talisman Sword!”