“Can you expect someone who’s been alive for decades, full of skills but only able to wait for death, to be like a normal person?”
Zheng Yan, the monk, spoke with a tone full of schadenfreude: “Tu Du is an old fellow, so he despises young people the most, especially young girls like the Shi family’s little one—beautiful and full of life. People like that make him so jealous that he goes mad and feels he must destroy them to feel satisfied. The fact that he didn’t act ruthlessly just now was already beyond my expectations.”
Yu Ci glanced at him but didn’t respond. The monk continued to hiss with laughter, “Come to think of it, you’re also quite handsome, and your cultivation is extraordinary—just the kind of person that old fellow hates most. You better be careful!”
Though the monk’s words sounded caring, it was clear he was looking forward to seeing them clash, hoping for a fight to the death.
This monk’s nature was truly unpleasant! Still, it provided useful information.
Yu Ci pondered for a moment before smiling. “I’m a stranger here, unfamiliar with Cliff City. I wonder if Master Zheng Yan could tell me more about this old monster Tu Du. What makes him so formidable?”
Zheng Yan’s yellowed eyes gleamed faintly, giving off a cold and ruthless impression. However, perhaps because of the secrets he had seen in the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, Yu Ci sensed that this monk’s inner emotions were far more complex than his cold exterior suggested.
The monk stared at Yu Ci for a while before sneering, “If I were you, I’d run as far as I could. Why waste time talking?”
“Know yourself and your enemy, and you won’t be caught when you run.”
Yu Ci smiled pleasantly, though his tone was entirely serious.
Zheng Yan sensed the sincerity in his words, leaving him somewhat puzzled. But soon, the monk hissed with laughter again, masking his confusion.
“Talking won’t hurt. It’s always good to make friends. I just wonder if this good intention of mine will earn me a share of the Thousand Spirit Gate’s rewards?”
Zheng Yan’s straightforwardness revealed a bit of the demeanor one would expect from the chief disciple of the Sun Light Sect.
Despite Yu Ci not giving a direct response, Zheng Yan continued speaking, showing great interest in sharing the various legends of Tu Du. He even rambled on about the changes in Cliff City’s political landscape over the past few decades.
Their conversation continued until dusk, at which point the Thousand Spirit Gate began to break camp and leave, marking the end of their chat.
Then, without so much as a goodbye, Zheng Yan simply patted his backside and turned to leave.
Watching the monk’s departing figure, Yu Ci pondered for a long while. After their seemingly unproductive conversation, he felt that, although Zheng Yan shared the same obnoxious appearance and venomous tongue as the Snake-like Monk who had died by his sword, this monk was not necessarily a bad person. There was a carefree attitude in him, a lack of concern for anything serious. This attitude, when taken to the extreme, seemed to lead to a lack of ambition and even disregard for dignity, making him rather slippery.
It was indeed interesting that such a person could become the chief disciple of the Pure Water Altar.
Still, Yu Ci hadn’t forgotten the earlier conversation between the monk and Master Ming Lan of the Mysterious Moon Sect. Regardless of how much information was revealed, their sudden shift in behavior at the end had been an eye-opener for Yu Ci as he watched through the Divine Map.
When their demeanor changed, Yu Ci saw the yin spirit within Zheng Yan’s body flare up, its radiance intensifying dramatically. In an instant, its brightness surged several times, causing the image in the Divine Map to distort slightly. If this were to be converted into cultivation strength, Zheng Yan’s power must have multiplied by at least four or five times in that brief moment.
From the situation at the time, Yu Ci could be certain that the one conversing with Master Ming Lan was no longer Zheng Yan but rather Monk Yixin of the Pure Water Altar and one of the top five most powerful figures in Cliff City, who had taken control of Zheng Yan’s body from an unknown location.
This world is indeed filled with all sorts of strange secret arts. The ability to possess someone else’s body just by conversing was something Yu Ci had never even imagined before.
But more bizarre than the technique itself was the relationship between the Pure Water Altar and the Mysterious Moon Sect.
As far as Yu Ci knew, the Pure Water Altar was a front for all kinds of corruption and wickedness. From Abbot Yixin on down, there wasn’t a single good person among them. Due to the situation in Cliff City, they were more or less aligned with the Thousand Spirit Gate, standing against the Sun Light Sect.
On the other hand, the Mysterious Moon Sect was rumored to be a branch of a great sect from the East. They had moved to Cliff City only ten years ago, maintaining a neutral stance and primarily preaching to the common people, rarely involving themselves in the city’s affairs. Their current treasure hunt in Sky Rift Valley was one of their rare ventures in the past decade.
Yet here, in the wilds, two influential figures from these two vastly different sects were performing a strange ritual of mutual declaration. How absurd!
It made no sense.
And then there was the repeated mention of Tu Du and the so-called “True Form Immortal Cocoon” in Sky Rift Valley. The implications behind their words made Yu Ci’s heart grow cold. It seemed as if he had stumbled upon a significant plan… though it was likely about to be interrupted by a much greater force.
Nevertheless, he had a small plan of his own forming in his mind.
*****
The saying goes, “A person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow.”
As cliché as it may sound, it’s often the truest principle. The treasure-hunting frenzy led by the Thousand Spirit Gate, Clear Water Altar, and the Mysterious Moon Sect came to an abrupt halt within less than an hour of Tu Du’s arrival.
One by one, they vanished without a trace, with the Thousand Spirit Gate even packing up and heading back to their sect. Only the cultivators of the Sun Light Sect held onto their resolve, combing through the Sky Rift Valley day after day, fully committed to searching for the unknown treasure. However, with only a few dozen people, their efforts in the vast, boundless valley were like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Overall, the surroundings of the Sky Rift Valley suddenly quieted down, an eerie silence that sent chills down people’s spines.
Even Yu Ci, who had been one of the most talked-about figures in the valley in recent days, disappeared, as if scared of Tu Du’s fearsome reputation. After taking his gains, he vanished without a trace.
Many believed this to be true, including the cultivators of the Thousand Spirit Gate who had been assigned to transport the “Ghostly Image Flower,” fully expecting their efforts to be in vain.
However, when the “Ghostly Image Flower” was delivered to the Thousand Spirit Gate’s original base as planned, Yu Ci, like a ghost, appeared under the cover of night. He suddenly emerged, intercepting the herb from the hands of the escorting cultivators with impeccable timing, leaving two prominent figures of the Thousand Spirit Gate dumbfounded.
This was the first time in two days that Yu Ci had appeared before people, and it seemed he had no intention of hiding again just yet.
After bidding farewell to the cultivators of the Thousand Spirit Gate, Yu Ci casually strolled through the forest, opening the box containing the Ghostly Image Flower.
As Cheng Rong had mentioned beforehand, two Ghostly Image Flowers lay inside. The deep purple petals and leaves formed a ghostly face, just as described in the jade slip.
Both medicinal herbs had been processed to retain their properties for a long time, saving Yu Ci considerable effort. After a brief inspection, he stored the herbs and picked up his pace.
Before he could break into a run, a whistle echoed from the forest: “Yu Ci, you wretch! One year from today will be your death anniversary!”
The voice, faintly recognizable as Huang Tai’s, was followed by shadows emerging continuously from the forest. Though still some distance away, figures appeared from all directions. It was impossible to tell how many people were lying in ambush.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yu Ci bolted westward, toward the Sky Rift Valley.
He had barely run half a mile when three figures ambushed him from the side—a trio of the Sun Light Sect’s personal guards. In a fleeting glimpse amidst the darkness, Yu Ci noticed the lack of expression on their faces, but their sword stances clearly held a su!cidal resolve.
After days of combat, everyone knew of Yu Ci’s fearsome swordsmanship that sent chills down the spines of his opponents. Facing him head-on in a life-and-death battle meant an eighty percent chance of death. Even the well-trained personal guards of the Sun Light Sect were no exception.
Yet, Yu Ci did not draw his sword. Instead, he threw a Great Sun Talisman, causing a blinding flash that was even more lethal in the darkness.
The three personal guards, wary of Yu Ci’s terrifying swordsmanship, never expected this outcome. Their reactions were even slower than those of the Snake-like Monk from before. They let out screams of pain in unison as their eyes were injured, and their su!cidal sword stances crumbled instantly.
Only then did Yu Ci draw his sword and charge forward. He effortlessly cut through the trio, their throats spurting blood as they died swiftly and miserably. Their deaths were pitiful, to say the least.
“Fighting for your life with despair as your foundation—how could you possibly survive?”
As a master of life-and-death combat, Yu Ci was fully qualified to show disdain for the three personal guards. Of course, his disdain for Huang Tai’s methods was even greater.
In fact, Huang Tai’s plan today wasn’t entirely without merit. First, he had obtained information from an informant within the Thousand Spirit Gate, seizing the opportunity of Yu Ci’s arrival to receive the “Ghostly Image Flower” by setting up an ambush around the perimeter. He had also accurately gauged that while Yu Ci’s mist sword technique was lethal, it was most effective in its initial strikes. Huang Tai had scattered his forces into small battle formations, aiming to trouble Yu Ci, forcing him to expend his energy gradually before making a final push to capture him.
The plan wasn’t unfeasible, but Huang Tai simply wasn’t cut out to be a leader. He overlooked—or perhaps didn’t care—that after a series of blunders, his standing and authority among his subordinates had sharply declined. He still used the “sacrifice a pawn” approach, disregarding his subordinates’ lives to exhaust Yu Ci’s mist sword technique.
In his mind, the strategy was worth the sacrifice. But how did his subordinates feel about it?
Unaware of Yu Ci’s disdain, Huang Tai was still five miles away, leading his most elite team, waiting along Yu Ci’s inevitable escape route.
He had wagered heavily, convinced that Yu Ci wouldn’t abandon his greatest advantage—his familiarity with the terrain of Sky Rift Valley. Huang Tai had focused all his efforts on the western side. This operation was his last chance to regain his standing in Elder Tu’s eyes, and he could not afford any mistakes.
In the relatively quiet night forest, every shout and scream was exceptionally clear. Though scattered, the sounds indicated that the target was indeed heading in his direction. Using these sounds and the prearranged communication methods, Huang Tai led his men slowly through the forest, constantly adjusting the interception point. They were like a pack of starving beasts, waiting to pounce and tear their prey apart as soon as it got close!
And then, suddenly, fog began to rise!
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