Yu Ci's heart pounded, his ears suddenly catching a distinct sound. It was muffled, but the rhythm was one he found familiar: the sound of a curse!

A jolt of adrenaline coursing through him, Yu Ci swiftly sidestepped, simultaneously hurling his Pure Yang Talisman Sword.

With a hissing sound, a green smoke arrow shot into the spot he had just vacated. The ground there instantaneously exploded into a burst of Phosphorus Fire, sparks scattering, landing on the rocks and turning them jet black.

The Pure Yang Talisman Sword flew straight out a hundred feet, its fiery brilliance dazzling, its agility akin to a darting fish. It made several turns in the shadows of the trees and stones, abruptly circling back, stirring up a rain of blood. The sword light followed the momentum and returned to his hand.

This was a basic Sword Control Technique. After Yu Ci achieved the Mental Image of the "Primordial Root Qi Method", his vital essence was harmoniously integrated, enabling him to use this technique. To advance further from this technique would be to achieve the awe-inspiring feat of sword flight, which, of course, was something only possible after reaching the Golden Elixir Stage.

Yu Ci hurriedly took two steps, bypassing the obstruction. The sight before him made his brows furrow. Two dark, scaly torsos lay on the ground, vaguely humanoid. From the strong aura, there was no doubt these were Demons, and moreover, Demons that used Talismans.

Demons that could use Talismans, Yu Ci had only encountered two in his life. One was the corpse before him, the other was a long-dead skeleton, the Two-headed demon that had battled the Ghost Beasts when the Passage Between Two Realms first opened.

"Where did these come from?"

Yu Ci scanned his surroundings. The shadows of trees and stones were tangled in the mist, making it impossible to see if there were any other dangers lurking. However, the scent of blood began to spread from his feet, and if this continued, it could potentially attract more trouble.

After some thought, Yu Ci walked away from the Demons' bodies, simultaneously activating the Divine Bronze Mirror. Hundreds of divine consciousness starlights scattered like rain, flying in all directions, automatically seeking out living beings to reside in their Brain Palace. In an instant, fragmented perspectives were presented, covering a radius of ten miles.

Yu Ci wasn't keen on using this method, as using the Treasure Mirror in this way was like dividing his thoughts into hundreds of parts, simultaneously receiving information from different directions, inducing a sense of dizziness. However, he soon felt grateful for this brief spell of vertigo.

Among the hundreds of perspectives, Yu Ci pinpointed the most crucial scenes.

"One, two, three, four!"

Within a radius of ten miles, there were at least four Demons hiding in different places. The closest one to him had already sensed something and was rallying two companions towards him. The three Demons were clearly communicating, maintaining a proper distance from each other. Their behavior suggested they were well-trained.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yu Ci picked up his bundle and, choosing a direction, sprinted with all his might.

He was also adjusting the angle of the Divine Bronze Mirror, setting the main perspective on the sky, where the giant bird was. The bird's vision was exceedingly sharp, capable of piercing through clouds and fog. From its elevated position, it could monitor a vast area.

Yet at this moment, he was still utterly perplexed: could it be that he had stumbled into a nest of Demons?

In the land untouched by daylight, a faint blue fire flickered, casting the shadows of three figures. Amidst their swaying, there were sounds, some low and deep, others sharp and piercing. To human Cultivators, these were incomprehensible noises, but within this gloomy space, they conveyed a clear message:

"Another intruder?"

Da Guo's tone was far from pleasant, and his mood matched. As the leader of this small group, his form was close to that of a human, quite robust, his entire skin a deep blue, densely covered in gray-black scales that formed a series of Rune Patterns. His eyes were blind, but on his forehead, a crystal the size of half a palm had been embedded by some unknown method, serving the function of eyes.

At this moment, the crystal on his forehead was emitting a faint blue light, "You all know how important this place is. Since you know, why do you keep letting people break in? The woman before was one thing, but now this man, with his weak Cultivation Level, could be crushed with a single finger, how could he have survived this far? He even killed four of our servants!"

In the shadows where the blue light didn't reach, there was a crackling sound that, translated into understandable words, would be: "If the Cultivator is of the Nature-Connecting Realm, he should not be able to fly...how did he get here?"

Da Guo didn't want to waste time on such matters: "No matter how he got here, deal with him. We cannot allow any more incidents here!"

Without further ado, his orders were passed down by his servants.

Da Guo slightly turned his head, the crystal on his forehead radiating a faint light, sweeping back and forth, casting the vague shapes of two figures. He said coldly, "The one-way tunnel leading to the Black Magic Altar is just one step away from completion, but it's already a month behind schedule. Even if we can't get in touch with the other side, you can imagine their fury."

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The dark space fell silent.

After a while, another Demon spoke up. Under the faint light, its form was as fat as a small hill, seemingly composed entirely of fat, with no discernible limbs. Its heavy breathing was very loud, and its voice, which emerged between breaths, was as shrill as a dry howl:

"Who could have expected, Lord Di Luo had just exited the Passage Between Two Realms when he was killed by the Ghost Beasts. If he were here, this one-way tunnel would be a piece of cake. Not to mention the cold wave that followed, attracting a large number of human Cultivators for a grand hunt, leaving only us from the original group who infiltrated this realm, thus delaying our progress, there's nothing we can do."

Da Guo responded solemnly, "Lord Di Luo's death was not in vain. The Ghost Beasts sacrificed their own life force to unleash the strike of their former master, 'Deceiver of Gods'. Not many in both realms could withstand that. While this is indeed a reason, it does nothing to quell the fury of the other side."

The sound of clicking brought the conversation back to the topic at hand: "Did the Ghost Beasts return a few days ago?"

Da Guo shook his head, "They move unpredictably, difficult to pin down. Even if we could, we're not equipped to deal with them. That fool, Lubu, blinded by his greed, has brought us such a huge trouble, and now he's dead, he got off easy.

"The most urgent thing now is to return the 'Illusion Power of Rakshasa' seeds we've collected to the Black Magic Altar. Of course, we also have to wait for Lord Mono to finish his journey and return... All these tasks require the use of the one-way tunnel. That woman has been trapped there for ten days now, is she still holding on?"

Before an answer could be given, new information arrived. Da Guo slammed his fist into the ground, standing up, "She broke in? You let a weak human break in?"

Yu Ci, a man, kept his body low, moving along the ground, combining the running and crouching movements from the "Light Extinguishing Escape Method". He moved swiftly through the strange rocks and vegetation, not particularly fast, but completely silent, his aura completely sealed beneath his skin, his internal organs seemed to be on fire.

Ahead, a dark shadow also kept its body low, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment. Even if one knew it was there, the naked eye could be deceived by it.

But Yu Ci did not rely on his eyes.

His divine consciousness, like starlight, resided in the shadow's Brain Palace, revealing its location. When Yu Ci focused his attention, the starlight in the shadow's Brain Palace shone brighter, not only marking its location, but also reflecting the shadow's Qi and Blood, and vital information about its body.

Yu Ci passed by in a flash. The shadow only realized his presence when he was within seven feet, but before it could react, strands of Sword Energy had already pierced its body, shredding its heart vessels.

Long ago, Yu Ci realized that he was in a large encirclement. If he tried to break out, he would immediately face a strong counterattack. The enemy's arrangements were tight. After two attempts, Yu Ci had to turn to the inner layer, attacking from behind. This was the blind spot of the formed encirclement, and he achieved brilliant results by catching them off guard.

The six demons he had killed along the way were all quite powerful, but only one had the chance to face him head-on, and it could not reverse the situation, its head was cut off by his sword.

But the demons were also adjusting. The net on the periphery was tightening. He had tried to use the Light Extinguishing Escape Method to drive the Earth Escape to leave, but there was a layer of seals under the ground. As soon as he entered the ground, he almost triggered it, nearly burying him alive.

So he could only go down the mountain, entering an area where the density of living beings was very sparse. The sound of wind overhead was the low flight of a large bird.

In the heat of battle, Yu Ci would not let his divine consciousness starlight be wasted, as the fragmented perspectives it created would bring additional pressure. Now he was only using the large bird for basic reconnaissance, occasionally controlling an extra starlight for capture and positioning. The previous demon had died under such tactics.

Through the eyes of the great bird, Yu Ci had averted many crises. This time, he also tried to let the bird scout ahead, but after taking two more steps, he abruptly halted. At this moment, he realized that his surroundings were somewhat different.

The rugged stones and lush vegetation remained, but there was a strange scent in the air. He looked around and quickly noticed signs of a battle, the intensity of which seemed to escalate the deeper he ventured.

Moreover, there were the corpses of demons. After some thought, Yu Ci decided to follow the trail.

At this moment, from the bird's eye view above, a new discovery was made.

"There's someone... huh?"

From the bird's high altitude, looking down amidst layers of strange rocks and vegetation, Yu Ci spotted a modest hue. It was a faint blue, soft and pleasing to the eye.

A female cultivator was reclining under a tree, surrounded by fallen, shattered vegetation and rocks, the scene a picture of chaos. She sat amidst it all, her legs curled to the side, her head slightly bowed, her arms cradling a sword as if she had fallen asleep. Perhaps feeling the chill of the mountain, she had draped a thin, gauze-like cloak over herself. From high above, the cloak's color was clearly visible.

From the bird's high vantage point, the view could not penetrate the waterfall-like curtain of her hair, making it impossible to see the female cultivator's face clearly. All that could be discerned was her delicate figure and somber demeanor, as if she was exhausted to the extreme, making one reluctant to wake her.

But this was in the wilderness where demons lurked!

A strange feeling arose in Yu Ci's heart, which he couldn't sort out for a moment. After some thought, he decided to approach her. He didn't intentionally quiet his steps, just lightened his footfall. According to his reasoning, a cultivator who could sleep peacefully here should have a high level of alertness. She would probably wake up when he crossed her sensory line of defense. At that point, he could greet her without startling her.

But to his surprise, he had already approached within fifty feet and the female cultivator had not reacted. Forty feet, thirty feet, twenty feet...

At a distance that even Yu Ci felt was somewhat too dangerous, the female cultivator remained wrapped in her cloak, her head bowed in deep sleep, showing no signs of waking.

From this position, Yu Ci could already see the female cultivator's delicate chin and smell the elegant, faint fragrance. He stopped and softly called out twice, but received no response.

"Is she injured?" Yu Ci furrowed his brow.

Although it was a chance encounter in the wilderness, seeing one of his own kind surrounded by demons inevitably stirred a sense of kinship. Yu Ci was somewhat worried. After some thought, he took another two steps forward. Now within arm's reach, he extended his hand, preparing to check the female cultivator's pulse.

Just at that moment, the frail figure in front of him shuddered slightly, and behind the curtain of hair, a pair of exquisite eyes opened.

"Ah!"

...