In fact, not just Elder Chu, but every individual within the warehouse had now turned their attention towards Yu Ci. Unconsciously, they began to observe the subtle shifts in his expression. Even a simple frown was enough to make many hearts tighten with anxiety.
Zhou Hu was the cultivator amongst them with the highest cultivation level. He had already achieved the state of Perfect Yin Spirit, and was only a step away from attempting to form the Golden Elixir, once he found the "opportunity" inherent to the Mechanism of the Cauldron. Thus, his sensitivity towards Yu Ci was particularly acute.
"This is the Sword of Awe and Terror!"
To put it plainly, when Yu Ci's sword aura was unleashed, the resulting Sha energy, although as concentrated as possible on the Earth Spirit Monster, was so potent that it stimulated and even injured the Divine Souls of the onlookers. This was what had led to the current situation.
Zhou Hu couldn't help but shake his head in admiration: Truly formidable!
Having spent two months together, Zhou Hu felt that he had come to understand this young man fairly well. However, upon reflection, his understanding was still superficial. At the very least, not many cultivators at the Nature-Connecting stage could withstand this sword that pierced the sky, and he certainly couldn't.
Surprisingly, Zhao Xi Qiao seemed to be faring better. This shrewd businessman had often ventured out hunting with Yu Ci recently, observing how Yu Ci refined his sword aura, raising its lethality time and time again. Having witnessed this so many times, his resistance had significantly increased, and now he was throwing himself wholeheartedly into processing the remains of the demons.
While they were cleaning up the Earth Spirit Monster, Yan Hao and the others also brought over the corpse of the Mountain Monster to deal with. As Zhao Xi Qiao was cleaning, Elder Chu walked over, not uttering a word, just staring at the two demon corpses.
Yu Ci didn't have time to pay attention to these details, as he still had a lot on his plate. The recent battle, though perilous, provided a good opportunity to understand the new cultivators. After chatting with Feng Zhao for a while, he learned that Feng Zhao was one of the first wave of cultivators who came to hunt and gather resources after the turmoil in Sky Rift Valley. In fact, not just Feng Zhao, but all seven cultivators who arrived at the dock were here for the same reason, with five of them having passed through this dock.
Feng Zhao practiced a method called "Xu Earth Divine Skill," which made him extremely sensitive to the flow of Primordial Qi in the soil and rock layers. This was how he was able to detect the movements of the Earth Spirit Monster. His cultivation level was at the upper stage of Nature-Connecting, only slightly inferior to Zhou Hu.
However, what took Yu Ci by surprise was that this was not the first time Feng Zhao had encountered him:
"I once attended the Treasure Exchange Banquet of Random Heart Pavilion in Cliff City. I saw the Immortal Elder on Sky Wing Tower. Ah, that Zhao Zirui, who has been rampaging in the North Wilderness for decades, ruthless and cunning as a fox, was so suppressed by the Immortal Elder that he could hardly raise his head. When this news spreads back to the North Wilderness, it will surely bring great satisfaction to the people!"
Zhao Zirui? Had Feng Zhao not mentioned him, Yu Ci would have almost forgotten about that fellow who was always cradling a lion cat. It turned out that this Feng Zhao also hailed from the North Wilderness, and it seemed he had quite a bit of resentment against that Zhao.
However, Yu Ci didn't care about any of that. Now that he knew Feng Zhao was not the uncontrollable thorn he had seemed, he said no more and began to prepare for the days ahead.
With the experience from the previous upheaval in Sky Rift Valley, everyone reacted in an orderly manner. For instance, they rearranged the mechanism messages, and spread medicinal powder within the mountain that could isolate scents. By the time they finished all this, it was already late into the night.
However, Yu Ci could not rest yet. In this situation, it was his duty to guard and patrol.
He moved around the upper and lower levels of the mountain, checking the mechanism messages and protective seals. When he finally returned to the warehouse, he did not feel tired at all. However, he sensed that among the dozen or so people in the warehouse, very few were actually resting. Amidst the intermittent roars of beasts, they were all tossing and turning, unable to find peace.
Yu Ci's feelings were quite different from theirs. Perhaps the excitement from slaying two demons in a row had not yet passed. His body was now full of Primordial Qi, which permeated his Sinew Channels like the tide of the sea, ceaselessly ebbing and flowing. Yet at a deeper level, a more intense tsunami was brewing!
These two months had been stifling for him.
He had come here ostensibly to accept punishment, but everyone knew that this was merely a formality to appease certain people. However, he himself had come with great intentions, aiming to accomplish something:
He wanted to take a risk and venture into Sky Rift Valley again, to catch a Fish-Dragon! Specifically, the kind with the "Squama-Breaking and Horn-Growing" quality, to replace the "little fellow" that had lost its value, as a contingency plan for Yu Zhou's matter.
It was rather absurd. The person he intended to help had instead presented him with a grand favor. Punishment? It was more like a retreat for recuperation!
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Yu Ci was not a difficult man. He could appreciate the kindness of others. But he was not a child in need of care. He had his own goals and plans. Over a decade of wandering had accustomed him to a life of following his own desires. The arrangements made by Old Daoist and others were too thorough, so thorough that they left him feeling constrained.
It wasn't until this moment, when an unexpected turn of events took everyone by surprise, that this thorough arrangement was shattered.
Apologies to others aside, at this moment, Yu Ci harbored a slight sense of anticipation.
Exhaling softly, Yu Ci found a place to sit near the warehouse.
Behind him, there was a rustling sound. It was Zhao Xi Qiao, moving quietly closer. The two had spent a lot of time hunting together and had built some rapport. In private, Zhao Xi Qiao could speak his mind without fear of misunderstanding.
"Could Noble Ancestral Immortal Master have noticed the changes here?" he asked.
What could Yu Ci say in response? He had confirmed that this was a local disturbance, affecting at most a few hundred miles. In a vast region stretching tens of thousands of miles, it was hardly noticeable. Now that the majority of the Cultivators from the two sects had retreated back to the Sect's Mountain Gate, the likelihood of them noticing the chaos here in time was slim.
"I've sent out Message Hawks to report to the Sect's Mountain Gate," Yu Ci said, trying to reassure Zhao Xi Qiao. Even at the Message Hawks' speed of six to seven thousand miles a day, it would take two days to reach the nearest Cliff City. By then, the situation here might have already been resolved, rendering the report meaningless.
Zhao Xi Qiao was somewhat disappointed, but he had been prepared for this. His question was more about letting go of his own hopes. He quickly adjusted his attitude, took out a finely carved jade box from his Storage Ring, and handed it to Yu Ci:
"Brother Yu, this is a Soul Soothing Pill, refined by the alchemists of my Self-Improvement Hall. It can dispel Heart Demons and cleanse negative energies, and it's very beneficial for nurturing the Divine Soul. If you take one before attempting to manifest your Yin Spirit, it can ensure that your Divine Soul remains intact for a day, which is beneficial for cultivation. I see that your cultivation level is advancing, and you're not far from entering the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage and manifesting your Yin Spirit. This Pill will be very useful then. Consider it as my payment for the two Blood Treasures, Rotten Wind and Dust."
Zhao Xi Qiao giving this Pill was in fact a considerable sacrifice. The jade box contained a hundred Pills, whose value was slightly higher than the two Blood Treasures extracted from the Earth Spirit Monster and Mountain Monster. However, the situation was unstable, and anything could happen. Prioritizing survival was paramount.
His Cultivation Level was average, yet his eyes were sharp. From the previous battle, he had noticed that among the cultivators in the mountain belly, based purely on Cultivation Levels, Yu Ci would only rank beyond the top five. However, in terms of actual strength, he might be unsurpassed. His decisive and swift slaying of the Demons had left a profound impression on the other cultivators, subtly establishing him as a leader. At such a time, even with the bond formed over the past two months, deepening it a bit more wouldn't be a mistake.
Yu Ci understood Zhao Xi Qiao's intentions to some extent. After a smile, he accepted the box of medicine pills. This "Soul Soothing Pill" was not about anything else, but its ability to preserve the Divine Soul was indeed useful. He was at the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage, had condensed a Yin Spirit, but had not yet been tempered by the Heavenly and Earthly Gang Wind. Hence, his Divine Soul was in a state of disarray in Cliff City that day, causing him to be in a pitiful state. If he had had this pill earlier, things might have taken a different turn.
If he had the time, he would genuinely like to try the feeling of the Yin Spirit out of the body with this pill.
While Zhao Xi Qiao wanted to continue the conversation, a cough came from behind them. The sound was not loud, but both Yu and Zhao recognized who it was. Turning around, they saw Elder Chu standing behind them, his bald head quite noticeable under the dim light of the warehouse.
Zhao Xi Qiao, being perceptive, quickly greeted him and got up to leave. Elder Chu had come with a purpose, but he wouldn't sit down and chat like Zhao Xi Qiao. He snorted and left the warehouse first. Yu Ci chuckled and followed him.
"Kid, here's your stuff!"
Just as they stepped outside, the bald elder glared at him, holding a Jade Slip in his hand, which presumably contained the "Light Extinguishing Escape Method". Yu Ci walked over with a smile, unceremoniously took it from the elder's hand, and expressed his gratitude.
Elder Chu had specifically called him out, but it was not for this minor matter. Seeing that Yu Ci had put away the Jade Slip without even looking at it, he knew that the young man didn't take it seriously. His face twitched a few times, but he eventually suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice:
"Today, I saw you wield the sword. Your Sha energy was full, killing the enemy with one strike. It was not a sword of cultivation, but a practical sword, a sword for killing enemies. This is not the way of the Lichen Sect, but rather reminiscent of the Heaven Escape Killing Sword - if the first strike doesn't hit, escape thousands of miles away."
Elder Chu spoke of the Heaven Escape Killing Sword, a mysterious doctrine belonging to one of the most enigmatic sects in this realm, the Heaven Escape Sect. This sect, no less prestigious than the Lichen Sect, also practices the "Great True Illusion Sword Divine" - a path of "vaporization". It is said, "The killing sword is formless, a Heaven Escape Vanishing Shadow". It seeks enlightenment through killing, often placing oneself in mortal danger to find life, achieving goals in the face of impossibility.
This sect also happens to be the largest assassin organization in the Cultivation World. Heaven only knows how a nest of assassins cultivates.
Yu Ci had some basic understanding of the Heaven Escape Sect and could comprehend Elder Chu's words, yet he couldn't help but want to laugh. Having spent more than two months together, he was well aware that this old man was an absolute novice when it came to swordsmanship. The fact that he was now seriously commenting on it was quite peculiar.
He didn't look down on Elder Chu, he simply didn't understand why the old man was telling him all this.
Elder Chu didn't keep him waiting for long. After a brief pause, he said, "The Light Extinguishing Escape Method I'm giving you has a unique feature. It can make one enter a state of tranquility, capable of concealing the Aura of your Divine Soul Vitality, and accumulating Sha energy for a thunderous strike. This is the unique secret of the Heaven Escape Sect and is perfectly compatible with your Swordsmanship. You won't be at a loss."
Yu Ci found it odd. Hadn't Elder Chu always been displeased with him for killing and stirring Yin and Evil Qi, damaging the Divine Soul? Why had his attitude changed? And his self-praising demeanor was quite like that of innkeeper Zhao.
Just as he was thinking, Elder Chu's eyes bulged and stared at him:
"The Light Extinguishing Escape Method is good, but it's not a rare treasure, only worth a piece of Blood Treasure. I have something here that's ten times stronger than the Light Extinguishing Escape Method, and it's greatly beneficial for you. Do you want it?"
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