There must be a reason behind it, thought Xie Yan.
After the incident at Sheer Cliff City, the relationship between Yu Ci and Xie Yan had become quite good. Yu Ci was confident that he would not be rejected when seeking guidance on the Sword Way from this Immortal Elder. However, teaching him the Heart Technique in such an environment and making him practice on the spot, especially the subtle and far from friendly interaction between him and He Qing, made people feel that there was a lot more to it.
Yu Ci was naturally curious. His gaze circled around the faces of the Immortal Elders, assessing the situation. Elder Jie Liang looked up, meeting his eyes:
"The teachings you received from Elder Xie are indeed essential, but you must not exert too much effort. You need to discern the difference between the Sword aura's rainbow transformation and fogging."
Elder Jie Liang was also involved?
Yu Ci was even more puzzled, but upon making eye contact with Elder Jie Liang again, he felt a chill in his heart. He responded with a "Yes," then drew out his Pure Yang Talisman Sword.
With the sword in hand, Yu Ci adjusted slightly on the spot, then moved ten steps forward.
Thanks to the powerful methods of the Immortal Elders, the Heart Demon's Evil Energy and formed Yin Demons within a certain radius had all been wiped out. There was no danger even fifty or a hundred steps away, let alone ten. But these ten steps were extremely important. Yu Ci took this opportunity to adjust his breath, mindset, and spiritual intelligence to their optimal states.
He no longer cared about what Xie Yan and the others thought, nor did he care about the impact those thoughts would have on him. He let all those thoughts sink to the depths of the Heart of the Lake, allowing the thoughts belonging to the Sword Way to emerge, sparkling with brilliance.
It had been a long time since he had been so focused on the sword.
In fact, it would be unjust to say that Yu Ci didn't understand the principles of the sword. He had a clear understanding in his heart:
To control the sword and fight to the death is to walk a thin line between life and death.
This was the deepest-rooted concept of the Sword Way that Yu Ci had formed over the years.
When he entered this state, nothing existed in his mind or vision other than the sword in his hand and the enemy in front of his eyes. His sword was the lever that raised him and his enemy to the same level, a slight tilt would decide life or death!
In the past, he had defeated countless strong enemies with this mindset. He firmly believed that no matter who was in front of him, he would inevitably be the victor. This was not arrogance, but the necessary mindset when walking the thin line between life and death.
However, after entering the Cultivation World, Yu Ci increasingly felt that while enemies and himself might be equal in the face of life and death, truly powerful cultivators hardly ever gave him the chance to measure them with his sword.
Enemies like Jin Huan and Red Yin, Grand Masters of the Golden Elixir, who controlled True Sha in their bodies and had extremely strong flesh and Divine Souls, were invincible. Compared to them, his current cultivation level was merely at the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage. At full strength, his Sword Energy could only reach a hundred feet at most, and its lethal range would be reduced by seventy percent. Against opponents like Jin Huan and Red Yin, if they were to face off directly, they would have plenty of ways to take his life from a mile away. Even if he managed to get close, how much threat could his sword pose under the protection of their True Sha?
Indeed, such formidable adversaries have been vanquished, including "Tu Du", and even the more distant Nan Songzi. These great enemies were all skillfully manipulated and defeated by him, with a touch of luck, either by others or by himself. The outcome was gratifying. To the onlookers, this was nothing short of a miraculous spectacle.
Yu Ci was not one for pretense. He understood that the result was what mattered most. Watching his powerful foes die one by one under his schemes, filled with resentment and unwillingness, he bore no psychological burden. Instead, he felt an unending surge of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
However, after several encounters, he could not deny the existence of a thought, a burning flame striking and scorching his chest:
Could it be even more exhilarating, right?
He was adept at leveraging the situation, skilled in the use of talismans, but his true love was the sword.
Dragging powerful enemies to the edge of life and death, gambling with his sword, and then achieving victory, erasing the vitality of his enemies, licking the fresh blood off his sword, and witnessing their despair, each experience sent shivers down his spine. It was the most thrilling stimulation, the pinnacle of pleasure.
How long had it been since he last savored such a feeling?
His body heated up as Yu Ci took another step forward. Ahead, a peripheral circle forcibly opened by several Immortal Elders suddenly opened a gap. Grey fog swept in, wrapping a formed Yin Demon that shrieked and pounced.
Clearly, this was a test set by Xie Yan and the others.
With a soft hiss, the Sword Energy tore through the air, its momentum fierce, yet it only sliced the air. This Sword Energy might be able to split rocks, but to the Yin Demons, it was meaningless.
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Yu Ci's first strike was ineffective, but his expression remained unchanged. The scrutiny of the Immortal Elders behind him did not pressure him; this strike was merely a test.
His eyes stared straight ahead, but the true effectiveness lay in his Soul Sensing. Although the Yin Demons had form, they had no physical body. They were formed from the violent Heart Demon's Evil Energy, which could freely transform between tangible and intangible forms, eluding the naked eye. However, his well-honed Soul Sensing could make accurate judgments.
Within his Soul Sensing, the pressure of the Heart Demon's Evil Energy was imminent. Perhaps with just one Aura communication, it would take advantage of the opening, ignite the heart fire, and attack the Divine Soul. Such a thing was something that neither Protective True Breath nor True Sha could resist.
The mantra of dozens of words flowed through his mind, and the meridians in his body vibrated.
The mantra taught by Xie Yan was indeed simple, but this method had been honed over many years by hundreds of generations of cultivators. It was profound in its simplicity, with no unnecessary mystification. In essence, this method of using Sword Energy to dispel evil was to use one's own well-honed Sword aura, concentrate one's mind, and supplement it with the killing intent nurtured in one's heart, to achieve the destruction of the Yin evil.
The only difficulty in this was the achievement of the Sword aura.
The Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent that Yu Ci possessed was a product of Ye Bin's unparalleled mastery in the Sword Way, manifested in the mist, transcribed onto Yu Ci's Divine Soul through Aura, and eventually mastered by him due to a series of fortunate coincidences. Although it was not personally refined by Yu Ci, he was not fully aware of the underlying principles of the sword. However, it was extremely compatible with his will, temperament, and swordsmanship habits, and had already integrated with him. This most difficult hurdle had already been crossed.
The Pure Yang Talisman Sword in his hand trembled slightly, not really making a move, but strands of Sword Energy surged. Simultaneously, a layer of light seemed to burst forth from Yu Ci, merging into the Sword Energy, spreading out like ripples on water. Wherever the Sword Energy reached, the Heart Demon's Evil Energy was instantly nullified. The formed Yin Demons struggled for a moment in the middle, but ultimately could not resist and returned to nothingness.
Yu Ci finally understood why Meng Wei could deal with the intangible Heart Demon's Evil Energy so easily that day at Nanfrost Lake. It was because she had this method up her sleeve. No wonder Murong Qingyan, despite having a higher Cultivation Level, couldn't match her composure. Probably only an Orthodox Taoism like the Lichen Sect could have such a profound foundation.
As soon as this thought turned, the murky Sha energy from the front approached again.
Yu Ci gave a sneer, and a clear sound of the sword could be heard from him.
He managed to resist the next few waves of Yin Demons' assaults. Especially when dozens of formed Yin Demons surrounded him and the Sha energy was pervasive, he was even able to employ the Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent, setting up a circle of about a foot in diameter, driving the Sword Energy to circulate, perfectly seamless, freely attacking and defending. No matter how the Yin Demons roared and attacked, the Sword aura operated without any hindrance.
Not only that, but because Yu Ci had a fire burning in his heart, full of bloodthirsty and murderous aura, after a few rounds of Sword Energy, not only did his momentum not diminish, but it became even stronger due to the slaughter of Yin Demons and the accumulation of Sha energy.
"Excellent!"
This was Old Daoist Yu Zhou's cheer.
In the midst of the cheer, Yu Ci's momentum surged, instantly killing several Yin Demons, heaving a long sigh, and then turned to walk back. After several rounds of launching Sword Qi to Vanquish Evil, it seemed effortless, but in reality, it was not. He was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, but his spirit seemed even more vigorous.
Looking at the varied expressions of the Immortal Elders from afar, although Yu Ci had already exited from the state of focusing on the sword, he still didn't go on to ponder about what was ahead. At this moment, the fire in his heart seemed to have been released, but he knew that there was still a force pulsating in the embers, constantly pounding his chest:
Could his sword become even sharper?
The question was abrupt, but it was evidently more poignant than the previous ones.
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Spring had arrived in the wilderness, yet the chill of the mountains had not entirely dissipated.
Yu Ci strolled leisurely through the maple forest on the mountainside. The branches were still bare, yet they hinted at a budding greenness. From afar, a hazy hint of spring seemed to envelop the treetops.
After a while, he turned his gaze towards the sky above the Still Heart Temple. There, a slender shadow, forty feet long, was slithering and writhing. The owner of this shadow was in the temple, presumably discussing matters related to him.
It was the second day since Yu Ci had returned to the Still Heart Temple, and he was at a crossroads in his life.
He had learned of Immortal He Qing's purpose. This stern-looking female cultivator was dispatched by the Lichen Sect's Mountain Gate to investigate the affairs of Sheer Cliff City. The destruction of the White Sun Mansion, the severing of the Jin family's bloodline, the chaos and damage in Sheer Cliff City, and the rise and fall of powers were all within the scope of her investigation. Of course, matters such as Tu Du's use of the "Void Heart Demon Spider Shadow Curse", the encounter with Red Yin Immortal on the way back, and the True Yang Spirit were also included.
This was a very complex matter, but in some sense, it was also very simple.
Even with the capabilities of the Lichen Sect, it would be difficult to clarify everything in a short period of time. However, it was not difficult to determine the attitudes and responsibilities of the parties involved and to take corresponding actions.
Perhaps, a conclusion was about to be reached.
Yu Ci casually played with the floating Fish-Dragon beside him, his state of mind relatively calm.
Handing one's fate over to others was never a pleasant experience. However, he had done what he needed to do. In Sheer Cliff City, he had used Tu Du to divert Sunset Valley's attention, thereby shedding some responsibility. The pursuit of the Moon Demon Puppet and the True Yang Spirit on the way back had further muddled the situation, leading people to speculate deeper conspiracies, thus further weakening the impact of the White Sun Mansion's destruction.
Not to mention Xie Yan, Elder Jie Liang, and Yu Zhou, who were openly standing by his side. Especially Xie and Yu, who were directly responsible for Sheer Cliff City, their attitudes would greatly influence the decision of the Sect's Mountain Gate.
The sound of hurried footsteps rang out. It was Bao Guang running over.
Yu Ci turned around, only to see the young Taoist's face flushed from running, yet he was grinning from ear to ear, shouting:
"Brother Yu, you're in for a punishment!"
Brother Fishbone was searching for a path that suited him, a path that he loved. Of course, this was just the beginning; there were still many things he needed to integrate.
For Brother Fishbone's ambition, please give your votes of support. I'm here waiting, thank you!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e