For some reason, the dragon fish that had already darted out of the cave needed only one more push to dive into the misty depths. But at that moment, its long body suddenly trembled, and a sharp screech burst forth.
This was the first time Yu Ci heard the dragon fish make a sound. He had always thought this creature lacked vocal organs. In the darkness, Yu Ci vaguely saw the dragon fish’s body swell slightly, just as it had when it devoured the black mist serpent earlier. Perhaps this was how it made sounds.
The piercing sonic wave stung his eardrums, and shockingly, the dragon fish stopped its escape. Instead, it turned, facing Yu Ci, baring its bright red maw once more.
Recalling that this creature had recently devoured the spirit of “Snake-like Monk,” Yu Ci sneered, “Trying to devour my soul?”
Though unsure if the Heart-Binding Horn he held in his mouth would work against this attack, Yu Ci saw this as a rare opportunity and charged forward without hesitation.
Around the dragon fish, the air began to flow abnormally, its trajectory unusually distinct, even amid the strong wind.
As the distance between Yu Ci and the dragon fish closed rapidly, he almost felt an illusion—as if the dragon fish was using an incomprehensible, enormous suction force to draw him in.
But then, the dragon fish froze.
It seemed as if it encountered some unknown issue; its mouth remained wide open, yet it had lost all of its prior atmospheric stirring power. It even forgot to dodge, allowing Yu Ci to seize its head and neck with one swift motion, his fingers gripping tightly, locking it in place.
Joy flashed in Yu Ci’s heart as the momentum propelled him out of the cave, leaping from the cliff’s edge to about a zhang (three meters) away.
In just two strides, he’d reached this point. His thoughts raced through his mind, ignoring countless details until now, when he finally noticed something changing in himself.
The change stemmed from the intense movement of his body, causing his blood and Qi to circulate rapidly. At that moment, Yu Ci felt as though he had returned to the small hill outside Cliff City, to the moment when he triggered the power of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror: his entire body’s blood and Qi surged, clearly influenced by an external force.
Then came the soul—the fluctuations in his blood and Qi affected his closely linked spirit, causing it to waver. This bypassed the Heart-Binding Horn’s protective range; by the time his spirit was disturbed, the Heart-Binding Horn had become useless.
Luckily, the disturbance lacked further force, and he quickly regained control.
Was this the dragon fish’s “Soul Devouring” power? Its effect traveled through blood and Qi to reach the soul—completely different from his previous assumptions!
Uncertain if he should feel awe or fear, Yu Ci twisted his body in the strong canyon winds, casting a quick glance at the cliff wall, searching for a foothold. With several quick rolls, he managed to land successfully.
Just several zhang above his head was the entrance to the demonic beast’s nest.
Looking up, Yu Ci finally understood the reason behind the dragon fish’s earlier bewilderment. From within the cave, the opening looked like a massive exit; yet, from outside, it appeared as an illusory cliff wall, impossible to discern.
The dragon fish, with its tiny brain, wouldn’t be able to understand such things. Losing its target, its “Soul Devouring” power couldn’t activate, and Yu Ci easily took advantage.
This time, Yu Ci was determined not to let it escape again!
Confirming his grip on the dragon fish, Yu Ci was about to climb back into the cave when a distant, rumbling roar echoed from the depths of the canyon, like thunder rolling from the horizon, closing in with oppressive force.
“What’s that?”
The wind around him suddenly intensified, but an even stronger sensation struck him—a feeling so overpowering that Yu Ci initially just felt a weight pressing down on him. The flow of his “Innate Qi” technique grew sluggish, and at that moment, a powerful gust came up from below, sweeping past his head and spiraling upward.
The sheer force of the wind heated his face, and the shockwave from the gust lifted his body slightly stiffened by the cold, sweeping him back into the mist-filled void.
Amidst the wild turbulence, Yu Ci twisted through the air. Fortunately, he had a strong sense of direction. With several somersaults, he not only managed to maintain his position near the cave but also took advantage of the momentum. His “Innate Qi” erupted with a roar, shattering the sense of heaviness and propelling him toward the cave.
His feet touched the ground, and Yu Ci suddenly noticed a stiffness in his knees and ankles. Unable to stop himself, he tumbled to the ground, only then realizing that the sensation of sluggishness had stemmed from a bone-piercing chill.
The ground trembled once more.
Turning to check the Divine Map, Yu Ci saw a white line just below the center of the image—a vast, unending line stretching beyond the map’s edges, spreading north to south, and billowing endlessly from the cliff wall to the mist-filled void.
The temperature within the cave dropped sharply. Sky Rift Valley, particularly its depths, was already cold in winter, but now it was as if all warmth had been drained. Yu Ci watched as countless ice particles condensed in the canyon’s mist, falling like snow.
Then he understood—the massive white area below was an astounding cold wave.
In the past, this deep in the canyon, cold waves accompanied by eerie winds occasionally swept through. But those occurrences were traceable, reflections of the valley’s unique climate.
A sudden cold wave emerged, forming unexpectedly at about fifty miles deep within Sky Rift Valley. It spread rapidly, slicing the scene displayed by the Divine Map into two halves.
The heavy chill should have naturally descended, yet due to the turbulent airflow within the valley, it somehow created a massive updraft, propelling the cold wave upward. The chill that had just brushed past Yu Ci’s scalp was forced upward by a powerful atmospheric current below, resembling the thrust of a long spear, though with far greater impact. In an instant, it shot up hundreds of meters, pulling clouds along, like a waterfall flowing in reverse—a truly astonishing sight.
While the main body of the cold wave rose slowly, this “spear-like” frigid turbulence appeared repeatedly at an alarming frequency. With each thrust reaching hundreds of meters, it propelled the cold currents back and forth, whistling through the area—a scene that spanned the entire range of the Divine Map’s projection.
Some particularly powerful waves surged not as piercing strikes but like massive tsunamis, rolling through the cold wave, surging back and forth. The layered cold air spread rapidly, and in mere moments, the cave where Yu Ci stood turned so frigid that his breath began to freeze upon exhale.
One could only wonder about the immense force beneath this cold wave—an energy so strong that it generated such violent impacts, propelling the chill upwards!
Yet, despite the intensity, the Divine Map remained unaffected. Given the vast spread of the cold wave, covering tens if not hundreds of miles, it was far beyond human capability. Yu Ci was now convinced that this was no human disaster but a natural calamity.
Still, this natural disaster seemed intent on creating chaos.
The area fifty miles deep within Sky Rift Valley was the very location where demons from the “entrance” area were most densely concentrated. With the onset of the cold wave, the demons, who had previously roamed freely in this region, were now in an unusual uproar.
While demons were sparse near Yu Ci, making the situation less apparent, the Divine Map showed the stronger demons exhibiting an unusual fear of the cold wave. Whether moving up or down, they were all united in their determination to avoid this natural disaster. In no time, the demon community in the region had split into two halves.
A fortunate few managed to evade the cold wave’s direct path, retreating deeper into the valley. But the majority, driven by the relentless cold, leaped frantically upward like fish tossed by the waves, struggling yet flung repeatedly.
Initially, Yu Ci found this amusing, but his laughter soon faded. If this continued, where would the cold wave push the demons?
Thirty miles? Twenty? Or even higher?
These demons, who had mysteriously intruded into Sky Rift Valley, had lingered in the darker depths, likely hindered by the valley’s climate or incompatible species. They had refrained from climbing upward until now. Yet, under the relentless push of the cold wave, they were advancing upward without hesitation. Many would undoubtedly perish for various reasons, but a stronger group would inevitably survive. And then—what might happen?
Additionally, the ecosystem painstakingly rebuilt over decades by the Rifting Earth Sect and Sunset Valley Sect—what fate awaited it under this cold wave?
Yu Ci took a deep breath of the freezing air.
“This is a major crisis!”
***
“A major crisis indeed!”
Elsewhere within Sky Rift Valley, in an area still beyond the reach of the Divine Map, someone else was echoing Yu Ci’s sentiment.
The cold air whipped the mist into icy particles, swirling wildly in the wind, filled with a suffocating chill. Not only would ordinary people freeze to death quickly here, but even the demons would find their organs turning to ice in moments, meeting a grim fate.
Yet, in this white void, two shadows darted and intersected, seemingly unfazed by the cold wave. However, one of them was clearly not in optimal condition.
After several quick dodges, a shadowy, gray figure nearly blended into the frosty mist, yet it couldn’t shake off the person pursuing it. A permanent shadow loomed over it, shrouding a three-mile radius in dark energy filled with monstrous forms, threatening to ensnare the gray figure.
Seeing imminent danger, the gray figure released hundreds of sharp, concentrated energy strikes, creating an opening in the shadow’s reach. Twisting like a distorted beam of light, it tore through the darkness and forcefully escaped.
However, waiting just outside the shadow’s reach was a foot clad in an intricately crafted boot. With tremendous force, the boot landed squarely on the gray figure’s chest. With a muffled groan, it was sent plummeting like a meteor, crashing into a cliffside below, embedding itself into the rock.
The dark shadow withdrew from the air.
“A major crisis indeed!”
Ironically, the exclamation came not from the battered gray figure but from the individual who had just delivered the powerful kick.
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can use your local currency, the Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing CN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only CN webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Chinese Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
FSM – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
DCFD – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
AM – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
IDT – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)