Yu Ci, a man imbued with the "Primordial Qi", possesses the True Gang and True Evil, usually only found within Golden Elixir cultivators. His power is not much inferior to that of a Golden Elixir cultivator, but Elder Jie Liang once asserted a fundamental difference between this phenomenon and the True Evil of the Golden Elixir.

In the past, Yu Ci only vaguely understood this, but now, upon encountering the Nine Heavenly Gang wind, he comprehends it fully.

So many flaws!

When the Nine Heavenly Gang wind touches the Protective True Evil, it carries with it strands of Gang energy. If there is any gap in the distribution of True Evil within and outside of Yu Ci's body, the Gang energy will seep in, penetrating every crevice.

Under the pressure of the Gang wind, Yu Ci realizes that his Protective True Evil, which he has stirred up, is like a layer of coarse cloth. It appears to shield against wind and rain, but in reality, it is full of flaws - unevenly distributed, sluggishly moving, and crudely structured. It is a pitiful sight, completely unable to resist the erosion of the Gang energy. In no time, Yu Ci feels a chilling sensation in his internal organs, as if ice particles are rolling inside, and his sinews are somewhat stiff. This is a sign of the Gang energy's invasion.

The root cause of this situation lies in Yu Ci's method of controlling the "Primordial Qi".

After all, Yu Ci is only at the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage of Cultivation Level, far from reaching the Golden Elixir cultivator's level of vital essence, where the divine essence is perfectly integrated, embracing each other, and is internally cohesive without any leakage. Golden Elixir cultivators can control their body's life force, the Primordial Qi, through the Golden Elixir, naturally forming a flawless "circle". However, Yu Ci can only manipulate the Qi with his mind, falling into the postnatal mold.

"This moment is indeed difficult, but if I don't want to die here, I know I can't, but I still have to force it!"

Yu Ci takes a deep breath of the cold high-altitude air to steady his mind. In such a rush, he obviously can't condense the Golden Elixir, but if it's just about "forming a circle", he has had some experience in the past.

With his eyes slightly closed, several fragmented images naturally flow through his mind.

One was in the Sky Rift Valley, under the pressure of Tu Du, his Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent improved, and his Original Soul and Sinew Channels vibrated in unison around a point within his body, naturally forming a circle. Another was on Nanfrost Lake, where, under the guidance of Sister Meng Wei's Flawless Sword Circle, he recreated the events in the Sky Rift Valley, transforming his body and mind into a tightly knit sphere to withstand Nan Songzi's heavy blow. The most recent time was after Xie Yan taught him the method of using Sword Energy to break evil illusions, where he used Yin Demons to test the sword, showing some performance.

"Actually... it's not difficult!"

Yu Ci extends a hand to hold the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, not intending to harm the enemy, but to recall the feeling from before. Soon, the sword vibrates with a hum, and Yu Ci places all his vital essence under the control of his Sword aura, using his exceptional Sword aura to replace the function of the Golden Elixir. With the sword's energy stored but not released, amidst the resonant hum, the "Primordial Qi" actually gathers under the control of the Sword aura, transforming into Sword Energy, tightly integrated, successfully "forming a circle"!

Once the "Circle Formation" was achieved, forming the Sword Qi Circle, the situation immediately changed. The influence of the Nine Heavenly Gang Wind was drastically reduced, even the Gang energy that had infiltrated his body was digested, the effect was remarkably immediate.

However, Yu Ci did not relax. He knew that the current situation was different from the previous ones. In the past, when his sword aura formed a circle, it was a matter of a moment, appearing and disappearing in an instant. But now, he had to maintain this state, resisting the Nine Heavenly Gang Wind. The momentary fusion was undoubtedly difficult, but maintaining it for a long period was even more challenging.

Yu Ci knew this better than anyone else, his hand holding the sword was trembling.

The "Circle Formation" was a state, the consumption of Primordial Qi was not too great, but it severely drained his mental energy, and brought great pressure to his body. To meet the requirements of the "Circle Formation", every organ in the body, including muscles, tendons, and bones, had to adapt to the state - this situation was somewhat similar to the "Light Extinguishing Escape Method". The previous "Eight Flying Movements" were explosively powerful, while the final "Static Movement" tested the ability to accumulate steady power, as well as the body's ability to withstand pressure.

Yu Ci's cultivation level and physical strength were still somewhat lacking, so even though he had tried his best, the Sword Qi Circle he had formed still had slight fluctuations, always swinging back and forth between "perfect" and "imperfect", unable to completely isolate the damage of the Nine Heavenly Gang Wind.

However, the most important thing was the reaction of the Ghost Beasts beneath him.

Previously, the Ghost Beasts seemed to have forgotten about Yu Ci on their backs, just flying in the Gang Wind Belt. Their heavy panting was almost completely drowned out by the Nine Heavenly Gang Wind, making them seem relatively quiet. But when Yu Ci formed the Sword Qi Circle on their back, the humming of the sword stirred up some vague and terrible memories in them, and their long-accumulated restlessness broke through their abdomen and chest, and burst out of their throats with a roar:

"Howl!"

With one roar, the clouds scattered for hundreds of miles. The rhythm of the colliding Nine Heavenly Gang Wind was disrupted, creating a strange howl. In high-speed flight, the massive body of the Ghost Beasts suddenly stood upright, rolling in the face of the Gang Wind. Such a violent movement was aimed at Yu Ci on its back.

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Yu Ci's body was thrown up, narrowly avoiding being thrown off. But at this time, his Sword Qi Circle was formed, his physical condition might be a bit poor, but his reaction was definitely at its peak. As soon as his foot felt empty, the chilly Sword Energy naturally erupted. Amid the hissing sound, it carried his body through more than a dozen turns, neutralizing the outward force with an exquisite method, and he still remained on the back of the Ghost Beast.

However, by this time, Yu Ci had slid from the original shoulder position of the Ghost Beast to the tailbone.

Feeling the change on its back, the Ghost Beasts began to buck even more wildly. Not only did it thrash its body, but it also fully unleashed its astonishing speed, leaping hundreds of feet in a single bound, ascending and descending rapidly, rolling continuously in mid-air. It would not rest until it had thrown off Yu Ci.

The most daunting aspect was the swirling smoke around its body. It was unclear what this substance was, but as the Ghost Beasts' mood became increasingly volatile, the temperature rose to an alarming degree. The rolling heat seeped through the Sword Qi Circle and steamed into Yu Ci's brain, causing a throbbing headache. The sparks within seemed to be joining together, threatening to ignite a fire. The thought of actually "catching fire" was unbearably distressing.

Yu Ci squinted his eyes, took several steps on the broad back of the Ghost Beasts, and forcibly returned to the area near its shoulder. No matter how the Ghost Beasts thrashed, this was the area with the least turbulence. Moreover, there was one particular spot...

Just as the Ghost Beasts roared and prepared to roll again, Yu Ci crouched down, gripping his sword, the Pure Yang Talisman Sword. A red glow burst forth and he thrust it down fiercely. The Ghost Beasts' fur was tougher than steel, impervious to blades. But the wound on its shoulder, torn open by Ye Bin's sword, was unprotected. The Pure Yang Talisman Sword plunged in, sinking more than half a foot deep into the Ghost Beasts' shoulder!

With this sword thrust, Yu Ci effectively created a "handle" on the back of the Ghost Beasts. It was much easier to exert force on than the steel-like fur. His precarious situation instantly improved, but things were not looking good for the Ghost Beasts.

The sword penetrated the rotten flesh, and the Flame Sword Blade brought more heat, like pressing a branding iron into the wound. A strange sizzling sound arose, and Yu Ci could clearly see the muscles around the wound twitching violently, a reaction that quickly spread throughout its body.

The Ghost Beasts' massive body paused, then let out a piercing howl, shaking the heavens. Its cry was even more mournful than when it was previously injured.

The wind pressure surged!

Amid the raging roar, the Ghost Beasts charged forward, breaking through the Nine Heavenly Gang wind with no reserve, speeding along wildly. It did not fly in a straight line, but zigzagged within the twenty-mile-high Gang wind Belt, violently rubbing against the atmospheric Gang wind, intending to throw off the nuisance on its back in the most straightforward and brutal manner.

The pressure on Yu Ci increased.

With the Pure Yang Talisman Sword as a handle, Yu Ci's body was actually more stable. However, the Ghost Beasts' wild rush was not only brutal but also an incredibly prolonged process. The strong wind pressure, mixed with strands of Gang energy, constantly battered his Sword Qi Circle, every moment a test of life and death.

The black sky had unknowingly brightened. The sun jumped out from the clouds, rose to the zenith, and moved westward. The Ghost Beasts' wild rush showed no signs of stopping. One moment, Yu Ci was at a height of thirty miles, and the next, he dropped to the edge of the Gang wind Belt at ten miles. The rapid ascents and descents, continuing for ten hours, could churn anyone's stomach.

Furthermore, the smoke around the Ghost Beasts occasionally formed a sheet of sparks, creating a flame light that covered its entire body. It assaulted the Sword Qi Circle, letting the high temperature permeate, scorching flesh and blood, threatening to evaporate all his body fluids.

Despite everything, Yu Ci persisted.

His Sword Qi Circle was far from flawless. The relentless Gang energy had accumulated within him, eroding his essence and vitality. Yet, Yu Ci managed to maintain this imperfect Sword Qi Circle above the critical line, allowing the Nine Heavenly Gang wind or the fiery energy from the Ghost Beasts to hurt him, but never to break him.

However, his ten-hour persistence had already exceeded the limit of his mental strength. Now, all he could rely on was the instinct to maintain the Sword Qi Circle, which had been ingrained into him bit by bit through the arduous process.

As for his consciousness, it had entered an extremely peculiar state amidst the haze of confusion.

At some point, the "Inner Void of the Heart" had opened.

The opening of the void was not a normal state when entering meditation. As for what was different, Yu Ci was uncertain, and it didn't matter. He had naturally entered it, and his mind naturally locked onto the center of the void, the wildly dancing Fish-Dragon.

Then, he merged into it, indistinguishable from it.

The Fish-Dragon frolicked in the misty rain, originally carefree. However, at this moment, the misty rain was mixed with many shards of ice, the cold sensation obstructing the smooth blending process of the Fish-Dragon and the "Inner Void of the Heart". On the other hand, a fire had unknowingly ignited on the periphery of the void. In the firelight, a veil-like smoke flowed, spreading towards them.

The form of the fire smoke was distinctly different from the "cloud and mist" created by the Fish-Dragon. It did not coexist harmoniously with the "cloud and mist" but displayed an extremely aggressive posture, seizing the territory of the void, and began to attempt to devour the pervasive cloud and mist.

This immediately provoked a backlash from the Fish-Dragon.

At this moment, the Fish-Dragon, or rather the instinct of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, was activated.

High in the sky, the speed of the Ghost Beasts suddenly slowed down, and at the same time, the form of their gigantic bodies began to change. A glaring flame took the dominant position, spreading from deep within their bodies, melting the form of the Ghost Beasts, transforming them into a cluster of purest firelight. The firelight was slightly greyish-white, its flame flickering and extinguishing, constantly changing, as ethereal as smoke, extremely eerie.

This cluster of firelight began to descend rapidly, leaving the Gang wind Belt in a blink of an eye, and continued to descend.

With his mind merged into the "Inner Void of the Heart", Yu Ci was oblivious to the changes in the outside world. But the firelight was not polite, without a physical entity to bear it, Yu Ci lost his support and fell, engulfed by the flames.

The Sword Qi Circle was still there, but it was suppressed by a hidden force within the firelight, teetering on the brink of collapse. Perhaps in the next moment, the Sword Qi Circle would shatter, and Yu Ci, without his shield, would be like the giant bear earlier under the firelight.

But in this instant, within the enveloping flames, Yu Ci's body also turned ethereal, his physical form no longer visible. In its place, there was a gloomy void and the wildly dancing Fish-Dragon within the void.

When the sudden change occurred, the fire smoke on the periphery shook violently, as if startled, suddenly turning into a streak of flowing light, merging with the void Fish-Dragon, and shooting downwards.

Below, the clouds and mist churned, boundless and endless.

Returning to the starting point, the beginning of transformation. Calling for votes, brothers and sisters, please help, we must keep a spot on the homepage!

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