Upon seeing Yu Zhou's expression, Yu Ci realized the ambiguity in his words. He gave an awkward smile, about to clarify, when a change occurred in his Soul Sensing.
He whipped his head around, his gaze colliding with that of Red Yin in the distance. The icy chill of her gaze, although miles away, pierced his heart with crystal clarity. Then, the figure of the female cultivator became blurred, her dark cloak fully merging with the night.
"She's trying to escape!"
No one understood Red Yin better than Yu Ci. This woman, driven by fury, had vowed to take his life. Yet now, she was forced to retreat stealthily, a humiliation tenfold greater than being cornered for half a month. The grudge between them was so deep, it couldn't be washed away even by the waters of three rivers and five lakes.
The problem was, while she felt humiliated, Yu Ci had been planning since the night of White Sun Mansion's ruin. He had accurately predicted her temperament, meticulously orchestrated his plans, and even risked losing the Divine Bronze Mirror to lure Red Yin, aiming to eliminate future threats. If she were to escape now, wouldn't it be even more unbearable?
He took a step to pursue, but Yu Zhou held him back.
"Under the Law Sky Prison, without your Uncle Master's permission, escaping within a ten-mile radius is not so easy!"
As his words fell, a loud explosion echoed from the void, and Red Yin's figure was repelled.
True Sha spread out, creating a hissing sound as it clashed with the surrounding air. Red Yin tried to change direction again, but a light band, two fingers wide, solidified in the void. Red Yin's heart chilled, recognizing it as the original form of the circle that had trapped the golden human figure in the sky. She didn't know when it had reformed and was now used on her.
She dared not let the light band surround her and could only retreat. The light band followed closely, forming a loop from the outside in, pulling the surrounding Primordial Qi like a noose around her neck, tightening and leaving her breathless. The light band suddenly burst into hundreds of light spots and disappeared into the void. At the same time, the sharp Sword Energy from Yu Zhou was about to hit her back.
It was then that Red Yin realized she had unknowingly retreated to a distance of only half a mile from Yu Ci and Yu Zhou. Yu Zhou's subtle Sword aura floated in the void, locking onto her Aura.
"Damn it!"
A layer of blue appeared on Red Yin's pale face. Ignoring the Sword Energy that could pierce the Protective True Evil at any moment, she forcibly turned around.
This proud female cultivator, under continuous provocation, had lost her composure, or perhaps, surrounded by powerful enemies, she had finally succumbed to despair.
Yu Zhou's eyes slightly closed, and his long sword, which had not been unsheathed, jumped half a foot out, just into his right hand. Red Yin's Cultivation Level was indeed commendable, having formed a Golden liquid Elixir, there was no disparity between them. However, in a real life-and-death fight, disregarding injuries, he was confident that within three strokes, he could kill her on the spot, eliminating this threat for Yu Ci.
He even had the leisure to turn to Yu Ci at his side and say, "Watch me wield my sword!"
As Red Yin let out a sharp cry, under the control of the Golden Elixir, True Sha surged all over her body. Her aura was fierce, yet it was accompanied by the elusive changes of the Rakshasa Sect's Illusion technique. It was like a mirage, a towering pavilion rising out of thin air, waves surging, clouds gathering, captivating the heart and soul, yet almost insubstantial, elusive. The two were half a mile apart, the roaring Qi already resounding in their ears. The Curse technique alternated between light and dark, the killing intent shifting several times, directly affecting the opponent's Divine Soul, causing various illusions, pushing the Rakshasa Sect's myriad of changing techniques to the extreme.
Red Yin's physical form also merged into it, seeming to disappear without a trace, yet also seeming to be everywhere.
Yu Ci already had the Heart-Tugging Horn in his mouth, so all attacks on his Divine Soul were ineffective. Of course, Red Yin's Illusion Technique was not only aimed at the Divine Soul. The surrounding Primordial Qi was drawn by Red Yin's True Sha, generating various stimuli that acted on his five senses, also capable of creating a hallucinatory effect. At this moment, in his perception, there were at least six killing intents surrounding him, each one capable of posing a fatal threat to him.
However, there was only one Divine Bronze Mirror. For Yu Ci, it was the most conspicuous light in the darkness, one that he could never mistake.
Yu Ci was ultimately not confused, allowing him to observe Yu Zhou's sword-wielding skills in the most lucid state.
With another "clang", the long sword in Yu Zhou's hand was finally fully unsheathed. This "Passing Water Sword", which had accompanied him for nearly two hundred years, seemed to lose its form the moment it was drawn, turning into a burst of void Stardust, and then even that faint light disappeared.
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Yu Zhou did not have the Heart-Tugging Horn. A full-powered Illusion technique from a cultivator of the same rank, no matter how firm his resolve, could not be completely exempted. It was a pity that the female cultivator's intentions were exposed before she made her move. No matter how her killing intent changed, Yu Zhou could always grasp the pulse, and the flickering Sword aura originated from this.
With a soft hiss, a streak of blood light splashed out in the void. Red Yin thought she had deceived Yu Zhou, and was preparing to launch the Curse technique, to deliver a fatal blow to Yu Ci, but she was stabbed in the chest by a sword, blocking any Curse technique she wanted to use. This was because Yu Zhou was disturbed by the Illusion technique, and the Sword Energy that was forced out was slightly flawed, so that the sliver of Sword Energy did not penetrate Red Yin's heart, but only caused a moderate external injury.
But with one sword hit, any Illusion technique became a joke.
Yu Zhou would never again give Red Yin the opportunity to bewitch him. His Sword Energy surged once more, accurately capturing Red Yin's trajectory. Although the results of this attack were less impressive than the last due to Red Yin's full defense, the continuous vibrations of Sword Energy undeniably placed immense pressure on her. This caused her Golden Elixir to stagnate and her Qi to become chaotic. Subsequently, the third wave of Sword Energy was on the brink of release.
Red Yin was still in rapid motion, but most of it was due to inertia.
A chill settled over her heart. Aside from facing a desperate situation, she was also shocked by the absurd reality: At the same stage of the Golden Elixir, this old Daoist Yu Zhou was able to completely suppress her with his Sword Energy! In the face of the old Daoist, she was almost defenseless. Two consecutive strikes, seemingly simple, had shattered all her inner resistance, even her Purple Mansion Golden Elixir was temporarily stagnant. In just a few breaths, she had fallen into this irreversible predicament.
At this moment, she saw Yu Zhou's eyes. Behind the yellowish cataracts, two demonic flames were leaping, searing her will and soul.
This half-buried old man was astoundingly domineering!
By the time she realized it, her forehead was cold, and the Sword Energy had already reached her brow.
Red Yin understood that this strike was meant to break open her Brain Palace, destroy her Purple Mansion Golden Elixir, and cut off her last lifeline. Yet, she didn't even have the strength to turn her head!
The chill penetrated her skull, and the female cultivator wanted to open her eyes wide to confront death. However, at the moment the chill hit, the bone-piercing cold spread throughout her body, triggering an uncontrollable shiver from within.
Death's specter was laughing loudly, and Red Yin suddenly realized that she couldn't control herself, at least she didn't know what she would do next due to the shivering! It seemed like another self had surfaced from the depths of her heart, stretching freely, seizing everything in the instant before death, and overthrowing all the beliefs she had built throughout her life.
What a terrifying thing! Compared to this, death itself seemed less important.
At this moment, a warm hand pressed on the back of her neck.
"Between life and death lies great terror, who among mortals can pass through it with ease?"
As the chant began, Red Yin's body suddenly sank. A force poured into her, not very heavy, but at this moment she had no resistance left and was pressed down by the force. Her forehead was slightly cool, and the Sword Energy hissed past, missing by a hair's breadth.
Red Yin didn't close her eyes after all. She watched the Sword Energy graze her forehead, death approached and then receded, like a cruel joke, then it told her:
Please continue, everything is as before.
But how could that be possible?
Yu Zhou's third sword was unsuccessful, his white eyebrows immediately furrowed, his gaze passed over Red Yin's shoulder, landed on the man's face, and said unhappily:
"Sister, what is the meaning of this?"
Before he could get a response, Yu Ci woke up from his shock. He had been captivated by Yu Zhou's three consecutive swords, the subtle and complex flow of Sword Energy was similar yet different from his Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent, with many points of comparison and contrast. Moreover, the core operation of the Sword aura contained many subtleties worth studying.
After the three sword strokes, Yu Ci almost forgot about Red Yin's problem. So much so that when he lifted his gaze to the pale, icy face of the female cultivator, he almost blurted out:
"Are you still alive?"
Having returned from the brink of death, Red Yin appeared rather disheveled. Her black hair was in disarray, a shallow bloody mark was visible on her forehead - a wound caused by Yu Zhou's sword energy. Her cloak was torn at the chest, revealing the exquisite attire underneath, along with the fresh blood stains on it.
Meeting his gaze, Red Yin was expressionless. She slightly turned her face away, her waterfall-like hair cascading down, blocking his view.
This...
In all his life, Yu Ci had never seen Red Yin in such a state, which seemed rather strange to him. Yu Zhou's words reminded him of something. His gaze shifted, noticing a somewhat unfamiliar figure behind Red Yin.
This must be Elder He.
Elder He was certainly not the serpentine shadow wriggling in the sky. In fact, Elder He was quite a pleasing beauty. Her demeanor was dignified, her black hair was simply coiffed at the back of her head, and her attire was rather modest. What left a deep impression on Yu Ci was that Elder He had a straight, delicate nose and deep-set eyes, making her facial contours clear and profound. Her habitually pursed lips made her seem quite serious, not someone easy to approach.
This was proven to be true.
In response to Yu Zhou's displeasure, the female cultivator calmly replied, "This person is the Master sent by the Rakshasa Sect. His status is different. Killing him rashly might harm the relationship between the two sects."
A cold snort came down from the sky, a sound made by Xie Yan. But before he could say more, a voice echoed from afar:
"What Immortal He said is very true. Personal grudges should not interfere with the relationship between Lichen and the Two Sects of Rakshasa."
As the voice fell, a figure emerged from the darkness of the wilderness. Moving with deceptive speed, the speaker was initially seven or eight miles away, but by the end of the sentence, the figure was only a few feet away from Yu Ci. As their eyes met, the figure bowed deeply:
"The conduct of our sect's Master is foolish and offensive. I hope Immortal Yu can forgive us."
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e