Yu Ci’s body, on the verge of collapse, slammed into a protruding section of the cliff below.
Like a massive leather ball, it hit hard, bounced upward with a deafening thud, and accelerated—surpassing even his previous descent. Instead of a stunned reaction, his momentum surged upward toward the plunging Sun Soul Banner with a force that seemed anything but accidental.
This was the visible impression. Yet, to Tu Du’s Yin Spirit, the reality was entirely different.
The intense movement had caused Yu Ci’s blood and Qi to boil, but in a single moment, all his energies gathered into a cohesive mass, pulling every muscle, tendon, and bone into perfect unity—like a flawless sphere. Through this coordination, the downward momentum was transformed into a powerful rebound, pushing him upward with even greater speed.
This instantaneous shift exhausted the full potential of his body’s muscles, tendons, and bones. Although, theoretically, someone at the Qi Breathing stage could strengthen their physique enough to achieve such feats, it was rare for anyone to achieve such perfect control over every part of their body in a split second. Who could turn a disadvantage into an opportunity and strike back so perfectly?
Tu Du had never seen anyone below the Core Refinement stage manage anything like this.
This sudden rebound unleashed an impact that had built up over nearly thirty miles, channeling it upward in a way that left Tu Du stunned. None of that force was wasted—every bit of it was harnessed for Yu Ci’s counterattack.
Was this madness? No—it was preparation!
In the instant Yu Ci became locked in the sights of the sword Qi, Tu Du couldn’t help but wonder: ‘Was this all part of his plan?’
He had to think so. The reckless descent, the lurking shadows of demons below, and the sudden reversal—it was all too much to be mere coincidence. What else could it be if not premeditation?
‘What is this young man plotting?’
Suddenly, Tu Du felt that all his previous judgments about Yu Ci were wrong. He realized he had misread this person from the very beginning.
This thought infuriated Elder Tu, making it hard for him to control his emotions. However, with over three centuries of experience, he was not one to be easily shaken. Even though the scene below disturbed him, even though Yu Ci’s response was beyond expectation, and despite his emotional turmoil, his spellwork remained undisturbed.
At that moment, the Flame Prison of the Ghost Realm activated, unleashing a curse empowered by the blazing Yang fire within the Sun Soul Banner. The intense flames shot toward Yu Ci in an instant. As they detected the vitality coursing through Yu Ci’s body, the flames surged, splitting into claw-like streams, expanding to cover a radius of several meters, and swiftly closing in to trap him.
The curse power encircled Yu Ci, the flames converging to disfigure him beyond recognition.
To Tu Du—an elder who had spent decades in self-imprisonment underground—Yu Ci’s youthful, vigorous presence was nothing but an eyesore.
Yet, just as the flames converged, a streak of crimson light pierced through!
The flames surged from every direction, but Yu Ci remained calm as still water. His sword hand was steady, as if forged from iron, without the slightest tremor.
With a single thrust, he had already determined the true target. His sword was not aimed at Tu Du’s Yin Spirit—it was directed at the Sun Soul Banner!
Monk Zheng Yan’s information had been precise: the Sun Soul Banner’s firepower consisted of two layers. The outer layer was extreme Yang fire, violent and destructive, used for attacking enemies. The inner layer, however, contained gentle pure Yang Qi, ideal for nourishing the Yin Spirit. Tu Du’s powerful curses relied heavily on the protection of this inner Yang Qi, making the banner invaluable to him.
Encased in pure Yang Qi, Tu Du’s Yin Spirit could conceal its presence and avoid detection, even eluding the wrath of heavenly tribulations. This layer of Qi not only shielded his Yin Spirit but also masked it from both divine senses and demonic entities. Even though Yu Ci was within arm’s reach of the demons below, they remained oblivious to his presence.
During his life-or-death sprint, Yu Ci had fully grasped this. Now, with sword in hand, his mind was entirely focused on the blade, unwavering in his intent.
Facing a Core Refinement expert head-on was never a wise choice, but with all other preparations failing, Yu Ci was now at peace with his decision.
‘I’ve done all I can—what happens now is in the hands of fate,’ he thought, resolving to make one final push.
Compared to the endless scheming, there was a certain satisfaction in deciding life and death with a single sword.
At that moment, the once-insurmountable enemy seemed to dissolve. The mountains, beasts, and all other distractions faded into insignificance. The only thing that mattered was the Sun Soul Banner, now fully enveloped within his sword intent.
This shift in focus was natural and effortless, causing no strain on Yu Ci’s body. As his attention shifted, the immense pressure dissipated, releasing the sword Qi that had been building within him. Like a caged beast starved for release, it roared as it broke free from its confinement.
Yu Ci seized this violent surge, activating the second talisman sealed within the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror—the Void Stepping Talisman.
His foot pressed against the near-vertical cliff wall, and with the momentum generated, he propelled himself upward. The Void Stepping Talisman granted him fleeting levitation, allowing him to traverse the air as if walking on flat ground. For a moment, it felt as though the heavens had tilted, and Yu Ci was striding across a level plain.
His first two steps were accompanied by the pounding of his heart, but by the third, all distractions faded. Only the talisman sword in his hand remained—a perfect extension of his mind and will—piercing into the wall of fire ahead. At that moment, the sword’s vibration synchronized with the beating of his heart, and the rhythm of his heart aligned with the resonance of his soul.
When these three elements—the sword, heart, and soul—harmonized, they triggered a ripple throughout his entire body. The vibrations spread from a single point within him, radiating outward. Yu Ci felt as though his entire being had transformed into a flawless, compact sphere—seamless and whole.
Yet, just as the external, ominous forces tried to seep in and disrupt his perfect harmony, they were blocked by the talisman and the Heart-Binding Horn. By the time those dark forces broke through these defenses, Yu Ci’s grip on his sword was unyielding, and the subtle internal vibrations had reached a new level of precision. Without consciously summoning innate Qi, the vibrations alone shattered the curse power within the flames, surging forward with unstoppable force.
The crimson glow shot forth like a dragon, bursting through the barrier. As it tore through the wall of fire, the sword radiance hissed and abruptly dissolved, turning into a layer of dim red mist. Over time, even the color faded away, leaving behind only a faint, illusory fog that merged with the swirling sea of clouds.
Within the mist, Yu Ci’s figure disappeared, but the chilling sword intent he emitted shone like a rising moon beneath the ocean’s surface, illuminating the cloud sea and dazzling all who witnessed it.
In the sky above, the Sun Soul Banner reacted as if confronted by a venomous serpent, shifting sharply to the side.
Tu Du’s reaction was swift, unbothered by appearances—retreating when necessary. As the long banner moved away, the protective barrier surrounding it was silently scraped off layer by layer. From within the mist came a faint clinking sound, like the ring of a sword. In response, the golden patterns on the banner shimmered brightly, radiating solid beams of light that spread outward, clashing with the fierce, razor-sharp sword Qi.
Meanwhile, the one who released the sword had already carved out a path, heading straight into the misty void above.
Tu Du was truly stunned. “Soul-guided Swordsmanship? No… This sword intent is far too refined—it must be one of the top-tier forms of the Grand Illusion Sword Intent. Could it be the Heavenly Escape Killing Sword? The Mirage Pavilion? Or is it from the True Nine Heavens?”
Tu Du’s vast knowledge only made him more uncertain. He had answers in mind but refused to voice them.
High above, a hundred feet in the air, Yu Ci’s figure flickered into existence, falling through the sky. As he sensed the changes around him, Tu Du’s mind finally shifted to a past memory—the strange and mystical technique used by a middle-aged daoist in Sky Rift Valley days ago, blending sword Qi with the clouds and mist:
“Or perhaps… it’s the Dispersing Mist Sword, the secret heart sword technique of the Rifting Earth Sect?”
While Tu Du wrestled between right and wrong, Yu Ci felt utterly euphoric.
This was a breathtakingly perfect experience of sword control!
He felt as though he was soaring, and in fact, his feet had already left the cliff wall. His body seemed to dissolve, turning into a stream of smoke shooting into the sky, riding the wind and sword alike, soaring toward the nine heavens.
Perhaps calling it the “Nine Heavens” was a bit of an exaggeration, but when Yu Ci broke free from the harmonious state between his soul and body, he opened his eyes to an expanse of void on all sides, the mist swirling around him as sharp winds roared past his ears.
Piercing the clouds and leaping a thousand feet—what was this feeling?
“Sword-flight to the heavens!”
Yu Ci stretched his limbs, snapping out of his trance. The upward momentum ceased, and the weight of his body, once absent, now returned with clarity. He took a deep breath, greedily inhaling the slightly choking air of the canyon, filling his nearly exhausted body.
He didn’t know how he had achieved such a flawless sword strike, nor when he would manage it again—but that didn’t matter. He etched the feeling into his mind, savoring it. Then, glancing down, he saw the waves of mist churning in the dark depths below.
And within the fog, the swaying Sun Soul Banner. Nothing seemed outwardly changed, yet Yu Ci knew with certainty that, during the initial stage of his sword-flight, his sword Qi had collided head-on with the barrier of spells surrounding the banner. If not for piercing through, he wouldn’t have reached this height.
Thus, as his body plunged downward, lightning flared once again in his palm. Success or failure would hinge on this moment!
Tu Du immediately sensed Yu Ci’s movement. Seeing him no longer relying on his mysterious sword intent, Tu Du’s heart eased. With a sneer, he remarked, “That Five Thunder Talisman—what’s the point of using it ten more times?”
Despite his words, Tu Du felt uneasy. Yu Ci’s fierce sword Qi had completely taken him by surprise, not only shattering the ghostly fire prison and tearing apart the sealed barrier but even sending a thread of sword Qi past his defenses and into the Sun Soul Banner.
Though it was just a sliver…
While he pondered, the void filled with blinding lightning.
The general text of the ‘Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual’ mentions:
“Thunder is the mandate of Heaven. The Five Thunder Heavenly Law manifests in harmony with the cosmic order, surging with innate Qi, attuning to the interplay of Yin and Yang. It commands the forces of nature, summons wind and rain, smites evil, and refines restless spirits.”
For a moment, the endless void seemed flooded with dark clouds, dyeing the mist an inky black. A faint purple glow spread across the sky, and fires erupted in every direction, merging into sword-like lightning that tore through the heavens.
Amidst the overwhelming light, Yu Ci grinned. “Ah, I almost forgot to mention—the Five Thunder Talisman I used earlier? I found that one by chance…”
“But this one… this one is—Five Thunders Heavenly Smite!”
Things are Not Looking Good:
Yes, things are not looking good. As you know, translation requires a lot of time and energy. I translate, edit and proofread the chapters on my own. I will be honest here, I started translating as a hobby, then it evolved to a hope of earning a living by doing something I enjoy.
However, I suffered a chain of misfortunes during and after the pandemic, and earnings from FSM and RTV helped me a lot. It became a significant part of my life. As long as my monthly income bordered around $200, I could make the time to translate in the middle of other works. Then RTV ended, and the earning decreased. Now, it has decreased to around $90-$100. And with PETTV nearing completion, that would decrease even more. A*dsence gets me about $ 0.50 per day, and you can’t get the payment until it reaches $100, so I can’t depend on that either.
It wouldn’t be an issue in normal circumstances, but it matters a lot to me since I am still dealing with a lot of financial troubles. I am currently looking for a job, and will have to invest my time and energy in it once I get it.
Long story short, if you enjoy reading this novel, support the translation if you can, either by becoming a Patron in Patreon, or sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. You can also take some time to watch a*ds to increase the revenue on A*dsence. Grains of sand together can form a desert.
FSM supporters has been supporting me from the start no matter what, so I would continue to translate FSM as long as I am alive. But for the other projects, I now desperately need your support so that I can spend the time and energy to serve them to you all. That’s all. Thank you.