Between heaven and earth, nothing moves faster than the light of thunder.
Tu Du had experienced the power of Yu Ciâs Five Thunder Talisman before. He had dismissed it as a mere gimmick, not worth his time. His earlier misjudgment left him off guard, and by the time he realized the danger, it was too late.
The thunderbolts descended from the sky, and compared to the lightning that tore through the heavens, Tu Du’s speed seemed like he was crawling through mud. All he could do was curse, âYou brat!â before he was engulfed by pale violet thunderfire.
Although the spectacle was overwhelming, it was just the natural phenomenon of the lightning technique. In terms of raw power, it couldnât match the force of Yu Ciâs flying sword attack. However, in the world of cultivation, the most feared thing is ârestraint.â Even after 300 years of cultivation and mastery over curse techniques as a Core Refinement expert, Tu Du couldnât shake the instinctive fear in his heart when faced with thunderfire that pierced through the clouds.
This was not just a matter of willpowerâit was the innate fear that a Yin Spirit feels toward the lightning punishment of heaven.
âHow can the same Five Thunder Talisman be this much stronger? If the earlier one was held back, that shouldnât have been possible. Talismans are formed by divine willâhow can they be restrained? Could it really have been a fluke?â
Had Yu Ci heard Tu Duâs thoughts, he might have kindly explained: the first Five Thunder Talisman was indeed a stroke of luck. It was one of the jade talismans Yu Ci had obtained after killing Daoist Yan. Although it was a Five Thunder Talisman, it lacked the true essence of the lightning art described in the Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual and had only ordinary power. Yu Ci deliberately released it first to lure Tu Du into making an incorrect judgment.
Tu Du, however, would never know this. At the moment, he was focusing all his efforts on activating his Sun Soul Banner. The banner radiated intense Yang fire, rumbling as it tried to block the thunderfire. At the same time, Tu Du compressed his Yin Spiritâs aura, retreating into layers of pure Yang energy to avoid taking damage.
But in his haste, he overlooked something crucial. The strands of sword Qi left behind by Yu Ciâs flying sword attack, though faint, clung to him like an incurable poison. With all his attention on repelling the thunderfire, his inner defenses weakened. The strands of sword Qi, seeming almost alive, slipped into the gaps, moving through the banner like needles pricking his most sensitive points.
The discomfort alone might have been bearable, but the sword Qi contained an overwhelming sword intent, sharp and suffocating. In his Yin Spirit form, Tu Du was especially vulnerable to such energy. Worse still, his wandering thoughts left him vulnerable, filling him with the unsettling feeling that some powerful figure was watching him from the shadows. That single thought left his body cold, and cracks began to form in his mental defenses, draining his strength and will to resist.
Even with his cultivation, Tu Du knew something was wrong. In a flash of awareness, he realized with horror that his soul had suffered damage just from a brief lapse in concentration!
âHow can a mere juniorâs sword intent be this powerful?â
Tu Du had seen too much in his lifetime not to understand. In that instant, everything clicked: âThis sword intent… It belongs to someone else!â
But who? Who would implant such terrifying sword intent into a juniorâs soul, ready to activate at the right moment to turn the tide of battle?
Just as Tu Duâs thoughts swirled in confusion, the heavenly lightning swept through, and thunder rumbled once more within the clouds.
Lightning, though the purest manifestation of Yang energy, contains both Yin and Yang variations. Regardless of its type, it holds absolute dominance over Yin Spirits.
With the thunderfire dissipating and the rumbling thunder growing louder, Tu Du knew that the force was shifting from destruction to renewal, as dictated by the cosmic balance. As someone well-versed in such matters, he had a plan to counter it. But shaken by the earlier sword intent, his mind faltered, leaving him oblivious to the changing currents outside. The moment the thunder rumbled again, the intense Yang fire protecting him wavered. It was as fragile as thin paper, torn apart by the thunderâs roar, which surged inward.
âThunder embodies Yang energy, which nurtures life. It harms the Yin Spirit without damaging the physical body. I must use pure Yang energy to neutralize it and abandon the outer defensesâŚâ
Such thoughts raced through his mind, but the thunder’s speed left him no time. By the time he formulated his plan, the pure Yang energy within the Sun Soul Banner clashed head-on with the thunderâs vibration. The collision triggered an explosion that echoed within Tu Duâs soul like the rumbling of a thunder godâs chariot rolling over him.
Tu Duâs Yin Spirit trembled violently, momentarily destabilizing. The Sun Soul Banner wavered uncontrollably and crashed against the cliff wall with a metallic clang.
Amid the lingering echoes of thunder, the sound of the banner striking the wall seemed insignificant, quickly swallowed by the howling wind.
As Tu Du recovered from the impact, he found that his soul had taken some damage, though not irreparable. Thanks to the protection of his pure Yang energy, he had endured the Five Thunder Talismanâs power.
But had he overlooked something?
As his mind cleared, Tu Du suddenly noticed that the strands of sword Qi that had first injured his soul were gone.
The sword Qi hadnât vanished; it had been used up. While Tu Du had been preoccupied with the Five Thunder Talisman, the sword Qi had silently found the weakest point and erupted from within.
The Sun Soul Banner fluttered wildly in the wind. If one looked closely, a narrow crack had appeared in one corner of the banner, no longer than two inches. The crack split a talisman inscription neatly in half.
This was the final result of Yu Ciâs combined attackâa sword and talisman unleashed at full power.
To a true expert, such minor damage would seem laughable. But for Tu Du, there was nothing funny about it.
At that moment, strange lights flickered within the dark clouds below.
The lights glowed in eerie shades of blue and red. Within an instant, over a hundred demons raised their heads, their gazes locking onto the Sun Soul Banner pressed against the cliff wall.
A chilling sensation surged through the depths of Tu Duâs soul.
When he entered the valley, he had used the Sun Soul Banner to protect himself, ensuring that his Yin Spirit wouldnât be detected by the abyssal demons lurking below. He had done it as a precaution, though he believed the truly dangerous demons were still a hundred miles deeper into the canyonâsomething confirmed by past battles.
Yet now, at only forty miles in, what was he seeing?
Through his Yin Spiritâs senses, the malice of over a hundred demons surged upward like thick, poisonous mist, carried by the strong winds of the canyon. Their intent was as clear as a hungry beast eyeing prey, or flies swarming toward rotting fleshâblatant and unhidden.
Even though they were still miles away, Tu Du could already feel the immense pressure, causing the Sun Soul Banner to tremble slightly.
âYou brat!â
Old Monster Tu Du roared silently within the banner, but no matter how loud his roars were, the damage to the long banner couldnât be repaired instantly. The slight tear allowed a crack to form in the pure Yang Qi within, leaking Tu Duâs aura with no way to conceal it.
Suddenly, a black shadow rushed forward. Where one came, others followedâjust a heartbeat behind, over a dozen demonic figures charged in. Their momentum became unstoppable.
Within the Sky Rift Valley, a hundred demons might not seem like much. Even if they surged together like a tide, it would not usually cause concern. But the chaos was spreading. Beneath the thick, dark clouds, more and more âlightsâ flickered on, their strange glow expanding several miles, then tens of miles, and converging toward the same spot. At a glance, they resembled waves of murky water crashing against cliffs, shaking the towering precipices.
A sudden roar from one of the demons triggered a cacophony of howls, some shrill, some booming, others deep and rumbling. These waves of sound echoed from all directions, spreading for miles and pounding against the heart, making oneâs chest feel heavy.
Yu Ci hovered in the hazy void above, his energy from the flying sword spell nearly exhausted. The strength that allowed him to tread air and void had faded, forcing him to struggle to control his body and steer toward the cliff.
The fierce winds in the valley were a great help. After plummeting nearly a hundred feet, Yu Ci caught a side gust and hurled himself toward the cliffside. He smashed into a protruding stone ledge, dissipating his momentum before landing safely.
The roaring of demons surged into his ears. Yu Ci quickly opened his mouth to relieve the pressure on his eardrums.
He estimated his position to be about a mile south of Tu Du, seven or eight feet higher in elevationânot far at all. But the first wave of over a hundred demons paid him no mind; their blood-red eyes were locked on the fluttering long banner as they charged recklessly forward.
The leading demon had already extended its claws, aiming to grab the black banner embroidered with golden patterns.
At that moment, the Sun Soul Banner erupted with brilliant light.
A ring of blazing white flames expanded from the golden sun emblem in the center of the banner, instantly extending for ten feet. The flames were ferociousâdemons at the front were immediately engulfed in fire, turning into massive fireballs before being blown away by the scorching heat. The demons following closely behind had no chance to evade. Amid shrill screams, the leading ten or so demons ignited simultaneously. The venomous fire burned through their flesh in an instant, causing their bones to sizzle.
âBone-Penetrating Fire!â
Yu Ci saw it clearly and almost clapped in admirationâthis was Tu Duâs signature move. The fire, created by channeling Yang fire through the power of curses and Yin energy, burrowed through skin and flesh, penetrating bone gaps and scorching marrow, ensuring a painful death.
If Tu Du had used this move from the beginning, Yu Ci would have fled as far away as possible, abandoning any thoughts of traps or ambushes. But Tu Du had stubbornly wanted to capture him alive, limiting the techniques he could use. By the time Tu Du became serious, it was no longer Yu Ci he faced, but an endless horde of bloodthirsty demons.
Even a lion uses all its strength to catch a rabbit! Tu Du would surely remember this lessonâif, of course, he lived to reflect on it.
From ambushing him in the forest, to diving into the Sky Rift Valley, to counterattacking with sword and thunder, Yu Ci had gone through great difficulty. But the preparations beforehand were even more exhausting. He was not a master strategist, but to execute his plan and ensure his survival, he gathered as much information as possible and thought through every detail. Every step had to align with his planâonly by doing so did he have the chance to witness Tu Duâs current predicament.
There was nothing particularly clever about his scheme. If anything, his keen grasp of Tu Duâs psychology gave him the upper hand. Tu Du, an old monster whose mind was already unstable from decades of eroding willpower and jealousy of younger talents, was prone to making irrational decisions. That gave Yu Ci the breathing room he needed.
If it had been the proud Master Jin instead, he would have crippled Yu Ci the moment they met and captured him at his leisureârendering all traps and ambushes meaningless.
Of course, if Jin Huan were here, would he even harm a little girl of eight or nine?
There was no point in dwelling on it now.
All Yu Ci needed to do was quietly enjoy the show.
Hmm⌠If there were a way to capture the scene before him and send it to Ah Jiu, would that little one be happy?
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