Yu Ci soared through the jungle, a mere few miles from his target. Just over the hill was his destination.
The individual within his Fish-Dragon sense range was the quiet and shy female cultivator he had encountered earlier at the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock. For some unknown reason, she was resting there.
Yu Ci knew that in the current situation, most cultivators who came to this dock were heading to the Sky Rift Valley to hunt demons. Each of them possessed considerable strength and was not to be underestimated. However, this female cultivator seemed delicate and unthreatening, a stark contrast to the others. This left a deep impression on Yu Ci. He shook his head at her decision to meditate and heal in such a desolate place. She must be inexperienced, he thought.
What puzzled Yu Ci more was why the female cultivator was still near the dock hours after disembarking from the Guiding Cloud Shuttle. Had she been going in circles all this time?
Given her good nature, he thought, if he were to ask her, she might provide an answer.
As the hill came into view, the female cultivator was still meditating within his Fish-Dragon sense, showing no signs of waking.
The familiar roar he had heard earlier had disappeared at some point, leaving Yu Ci clueless. He had heard hundreds of beast roars in the Sky Rift Valley, with more than thirty of them leaving a deep impression. How could he identify them all in such a hurry?
Just as he was about to cross the hill, Yu Ci suddenly dove forward, plunging into the shadows of the trees ahead.
On another peak opposite his, a figure was rising.
In the darkness of the night, it was hard to see the figure on the other mountain, more than ten miles away. However, if that person rose high enough to be fully bathed in moonlight, even silhouetted against the half-moon, it was a different story.
Tonight, the moon was half-hidden, its halo dim, casting a weak light. However, as the figure rose, the moonlight somehow became clearer, illuminating corners of the jungle that were previously untouched. The darkness receded slightly, and for a moment, the world seemed brighter. Yu Ci felt as if even a cloudless full moon night could not compete with this brilliance.
Yu Ci was astounded as he recognized the figure.
Under the moonlight, with the moon as a backdrop and her body half-turned, the figure was just a dim silhouette. But from the high bun and flowing robes of the delicate figure, it was clear that this was Bi Chao, the Master of Xuan Yin Sect, whom Yu Ci had been searching for. Had she been circling here too?
Bi Chao stood in the air under the bright moon, bathed in moonlight, like a celestial being. Yu Ci suddenly realized that the moonlight seemed to be driven by Bi Chao, transforming into an unreal wave of light that washed over the jungle from the sky. This was why the moon had become brighter!
It was a sudden realization, but not a figment of his imagination. It was a vague judgment Yu Ci made based on the subtle changes in the aura of the surrounding jungle after his Soul Sensing passed through the Divine Bronze Mirror.
The moonlight, like a tide, washed over the land, and its subtle changes were likely to be perceived by Bi Chao in the sky. This must be a search spell similar to Soul Sensing, utilizing the power of the Moonlight Glow, with a range of at least five miles and still expanding.
Such a method left Yu Ci deeply impressed. In comparison, the Divine Map might be more comprehensive, more detailed, and cover a broader range, but after all, it relied on External Objects. It was not like Bi Chao, who achieved this effect entirely through his own Cultivation Level and spells.
The mountains owned by Yu Ci had not yet been included, and the range of his Soul Sensing overlapped somewhat with his search area.
At this moment, the magic of the Divine Bronze Mirror became apparent. Now, Yu Ci's Soul Sensing naturally passed through the Treasure Mirror first, then spread out, naturally imbued with the strange power of the Divine Bronze Mirror, making the power of the Divine Soul like the Divine consciousness starlight, like an illusory phantom, difficult for others to detect.
However, the Fish-Dragon was getting somewhat close to the spreading moonlight tide. And where was the person?
Yu Ci's heart skipped a beat. It was only then that he realized that the delicate female cultivator, who had been within the sensing range of the Fish-Dragon, had disappeared without a trace. When she left, there were no signs at all.
He was stunned for a moment. If it weren't for the fact that he had been tracking the female cultivator's location through the Fish-Dragon for a while, leaving a deep impression, he might have thought that the meditating female cultivator was just a figment of his imagination!
"What the hell?"
Yu Ci felt slightly uneasy. He felt that something significant seemed to have happened in the mountains and forests within a hundred miles. He had been a bit rash coming out tonight, and his preparations were not sufficient. At this moment, the moonlight tide controlled by Bi Chao was showing signs of creeping up his mountain.
Although Bi Chao had tried to lower his posture in front of him during the day, after hearing the whispering of the female cultivator in the carriage, he didn't know what would happen if they really met in this wilderness. Yu Ci didn't dare to delay, nor think about the "delicate female cultivator" anymore. He called back the Fish-Dragon, held his breath, and hurried down the mountain.
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After running nearly ten miles in the jungle, Yu Ci looked back. He could still vaguely see Bi Chao's shadow under the moonlight, but Bi Chao had already stopped the searching spell. He circled around there, but to no avail. Finally, his figure flashed, and he was speeding in this direction!
Yu Ci hid his figure well, and his breath was not disturbed. He could see clearly that Bi Chao's direction was almost the same, but it was actually a diagonal line, at least ten miles away from Yu Ci. He flew by quickly and disappeared.
Was he heading east?
Yu Ci tracked him with the Fish-Dragon for a while, and indeed saw that Bi Chao had no intention of stopping. He quickly crossed the fifty-mile sensing limit and headed east without stopping.
The moon in the sky quickly dimmed, returning to the dim yellow of half a quarter of an hour ago.
Yu Ci shifted his gaze back to the sky behind those mountains. After a brief thought, his idea became clear: "Little guy, go!"
"Ignorant youth! Foolhardy! Pig-headed! Unparalleled stupidity!"
In the upper level of the cavernous mountain, Elder Chu was pacing around the grand hall in a fury. His bald head was steaming in rage, as if a spark might set it ablaze.
All the regular inhabitants of the dock were gathered in the hall. Apart from Elder Chu, everyone wore expressions of helplessness, watching as the most respected elder twisted his face in anger and ranted.
"You were told to abstain from killing, to cultivate your temperament, yet you insist on causing trouble outside. If it weren't for the favor I owed Yu Zhou a few years back, do you think I'd bother to heal a self-righteous fool like you? I should have thrown you into the Sky Rift Valley to be with the Demons and monsters, fighting until death. That would have fulfilled your wish."
"Elder Chu is right. However, currently, there are powerful Demons active in our area, which makes our movements difficult. We also need to prioritize the safety of the Docking Array," Yu Ci interjected, smoothly changing the topic. Seeing his calm demeanor, Elder Chu's face twitched in annoyance, but Yu Ci didn't give him a chance to explode again, quickly moving onto serious matters:
"The Demons and monsters, even powerful Cultivators, are fighting not more than seventy or eighty miles from the dock. They can arrive in an instant. The surrounding creatures are restless, clearly greatly affected. We must be on guard."
Out of caution, Yu Ci didn't venture towards the mountain, but Fish-Dragon did. Through Fish-Dragon's eyes, Yu Ci carefully examined the area, finding signs of battle and remnants of slain monsters. Including the shadow he had killed and the source of the roar, nearly ten Demons and monsters gathered in this region. Even considering the unrest in the Sky Rift Valley, this density was clearly excessive.
Everyone was unsure of the cause, but even the thunderous Elder Chu took this news seriously. Everyone present had experienced the initial onslaught of Demons and monsters during the Sky Rift Valley unrest. Hiding in the mountain, waiting for the creatures to roll over their heads, was an awful feeling. No one wanted to experience it a second time.
Yu Ci turned his gaze to Zhao Xi Qiao: "Manager Zhao, what do you think?"
Zhao Xi Qiao, an expert in assessing treasures, held the grey block-like "Blood Treasure" in his hands, his expression grave:
"This Blood Treasure is of high quality. If my guess is correct, it should come from a Demon known as an Earth Spirit Monster. This Demon excels in earth-based techniques, adept at hiding underground to ambush its targets and skilled in detecting life forces for stealth attacks. A mature Earth Spirit Monster can absorb the resentment of its prey into its body, mixing it with its flesh and blood to create this Wind Decay Blood Treasure. Its breath contains a malicious resentment that harms the Divine Soul, very dangerous. The creature that formed this Blood Treasure is likely close to the Golden Elixir Stage demons, isn't it?"
In truth, he felt his assessment might be conservative, but he found it hard to believe that Yu Ci, with his Nature-Connecting Middle Stage Cultivation Level, could kill a higher-level Demon, even if it was severely injured. He could only nod at Yu Ci:
"Thanks to the valiant efforts of my younger brother, Yu, this Demon was slain. Otherwise, if it had regained its strength, it would have surely wreaked havoc on all living creatures to restore its Primordial Qi. To the Earth Spirit Monster, our mountainous hideout is as easy to access as a flatland. It could come and go as it pleases, rendering most of our preparations useless. I fear it would have brought utter chaos!"
Upon hearing this, both Zhou Hu and Yan Hao nodded in agreement. They were the most familiar with the layout of the dock and knew that if the Earth Spirit Monster were to arrive, at least before the first wave of attack, the surrounding talismanic prohibitions and formations would absolutely fail to detect the existence of this Demon.
"Bring it to me!"
Elder Chu demanded gruffly. Zhao Xi Qiao quickly put on a smile and handed over the Blood Treasure with both hands. The elder examined the uneven block-shaped object, weighing it in his hands. After a long while, he nodded, saying:
"Although most of the sinister energy here has dissipated, the natural structure inside is perfect for storing evil spirits, making it doubly effective, and it also has nourishing properties. I just happen to need a similar material."
"Elder Chu!"
Zhao Xi Qiao immediately cried out in distress, "I intend to exchange this Wind Decay Blood Treasure with my younger brother, Yu."
Elder Chu gave him a cold glance, "Aside from some materials for refining tools and pills, what good things could you possibly have? Since this material has caught my eye, even if you were to acquire it, I would still purchase it from you. Ah, you're planning to make a profit from this transaction, aren't you?"
His words left Zhao Xi Qiao speechless. Elder Chu then turned his gaze to Yu Ci, "I'll exchange it for a copy of the Light Extinguishing Escape Method."
As he spoke, he saw Yu Ci looking indifferent. He suppressed his rising temper and grumbled, "This Escape Technique is from the Heaven Escape Sect. Their Shadow Tri-Escape is renowned for its uniqueness, and although this Light Extinguishing Escape Method is far inferior, it is still superior to the common Five Elements Escape Technique."
Yu Ci wasn't particularly interested in Blood Treasure or Escape Techniques, but he knew not to provoke the elder further. He smiled and bowed, "Thank you very much, Elder Chu."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud noise echoed from a corner of the hall, resonating throughout the room. The five people in the hall were momentarily startled, then a voice came from the mechanical device they had set up:
"Open the door quickly! The Demons in the Sky Rift Valley are causing chaos, turning into a beast tide. They're about to surge over here, you Great Passage can't just stand by and watch us die."
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The wickedness of demolition, the wickedness of arrangements, it turns out I also have a day to become an antagonist. Begging for votes, begging for comfort!
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