Fu Long had escaped. This man was powerful, but he was even more cunning. Seeing the situation turn against him, he took advantage of the moment when the Air Restriction Array failed and fled, just as he couldn't stop You Gongquan, You Gongquan couldn't stop him either. Up to this point, Yu Ci had not yet seen his face.
In the battle between You Gongquan and Fu Long, most of the time was spent on defense, which was very exhausting. However, once he recovered his breath, the thieves' last hope of turning the tables was gone. These thieves were hastily assembled. Seeing their leader escape and the second most powerful one along with five or six companions being cut down like melons and vegetables, how could they resist? They scattered immediately.
The melee ended just like that. The Cultivator hunting team didn't suffer much loss, they slowly regrouped, their faces showing varying degrees of embarrassment. Among them, few were incompetent, but during the battle, they fought individually. If it weren't for Yu Ci, they would have fallen into the trap and been defeated one by one. Naturally, they felt a bit ashamed.
Yu Ci, however, couldn't be bothered. He entered the Cloud Floating Carriage to check on Gan Shi Zhen's condition. Seeing that she was still unconscious, he sighed, closed his eyes, and meditated to restore his Primordial Qi. But not long after, there was a noise of arguing and cursing outside.
"Even if I die, I've had more women than all you losers combined, a hundred times over!"
"You young ones from the Lichen Sect, did you enjoy playing with your master's wife, got soft inside, did you?"
"Where are the girls from the Lichen Sect? I want to have some fun before I die... uh, uh, uh!"
Someone had stuffed his mouth. Yu Ci's eyes were slightly cold, but he understood better than anyone the background of the person cursing. He stepped out of the carriage and saw that it was indeed Lake Sea Wanderer.
This guy was captured by You Gongquan, probably because he was still apprehensive about the Air Restriction Array he had activated. After catching his breath from the battle with Fu Long, he flew to the back of the mountain and captured the four people led by Lake Sea Wanderer. Just now, Yu Ci had located the Divine consciousness starlight in Lake Sea Wanderer's Brain Palace, activated the Five-Thunder Talismans, and blasted them all into charred bodies. Although it wasn't fatal, by the time You Gongquan arrived, they had no strength to resist.
While others might have given up, Lake Sea Wanderer was stubborn, cursing incessantly and suffering quite a bit. When Yu Ci came out, his mouth was stuffed with sand, dirt, and rocks, a pitiful sight.
You Gongquan sat on a rock with a stoic expression. Seeing Yu Ci come out, he managed to smile, "If it weren't for Brother Yu's divine foresight, I would have been in great danger today. I can't thank you enough. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and I will do my utmost to assist!"
His courtesy was sincere to this extent. However, Yu Ci could see that he was somewhat disheartened. Presumably, after reaching Cliff City and disbanding the hunting team, he would return to his solitary state, never attempting to form a hunting team again.
Yu Ci nodded, his gaze shifting to Lake Sea Wanderer who was lying on the ground. Lake Sea Wanderer was eating dust on the ground. When their eyes met, he widened his eyes and choked out the dirt from his mouth:
"It's you!"
He finally recalled their encounter at the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock. An inevitable conclusion followed, "Aren't you from the Lichen Sect..."
He realized he had made a wrong assumption, but it didn't matter. He spat out the dirt in his mouth and pleaded, "I have something to say...I have something to say...Considering our brief acquaintance, I have a secret of utmost importance to share, if only you could spare my life!"
Just moments ago, he was cursing and swearing, but now he was begging for mercy. Yu Ci admired the man's thick-skinned nature. Seeing the curious expressions on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators, he said, "Speak."
"Such a secret should not be shared in the presence of Six Ears. Let's talk privately!"
Yu Ci laughed silently. Judging by the expressions of the people around him, if he was fooled by this man, he didn't know what kind of trouble he would get into. He didn't bother anymore, turned his sleeve and walked away decisively.
Lake Sea Wanderer was stunned. Seeing the cold smiles on the faces of the surrounding Cultivators, he panicked. He was not a man who faced death willingly. Despite his rough and stubborn exterior, he was cunning. His previous cursing was merely to lure Yu Ci out. Now that his plan had failed, he wouldn't give up so easily. With a determined heart, he struggled and yelled:
"It's about a secret treasury..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud bang echoed, dust and smoke exploded, and countless sharp needles sprayed all over the ground. Each needle was sharp enough to pierce through the Protective True Breath and harm the flesh body. The Cultivators were caught off guard and thrown into chaos.
Not everyone was affected, for instance, You Gongquan. He snorted coldly, his True Sha exploded, blowing away the needles that were about to hit him. His Dragon Sparrow Sword transformed into a sharp light, cutting through the dust and smoke, and aimed directly at where Lake Sea Wanderer had been.
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There was a shadow darting away, grabbing Lake Sea Wanderer and trying to escape. At this moment, the Dragon Sparrow Sword arrived.
With a faint "ding", You Gongquan was surprised to find his Dragon Sparrow Sword deflected by a short blade in the shadow's hand. The shadow's body shook violently, but they used this momentum to speed up their escape.
"So, there's an accomplice."
Yu Ci's Sword Control Technique was not as refined as You Gongquan's, but the close distance allowed his Vaporized Sword Qi to penetrate the dust and smoke silently, landing a heavy blow. The shadow was ten feet away but let out a painful grunt, their internal energy severely damaged by the Sword Energy. They seemed to have coughed up blood, their speed significantly reduced, revealing their attire.
Dressed in night-travel clothes with a cloak of the same color, their entire body was tightly covered, showing no skin. At this point, Lake Sea Wanderer was held in their hand, limp and unconscious.
You Gongquan snorted angrily, "Coward, show yourself!"
His Dragon Sparrow Sword moved like a dragon, pulling his body forward. The distance of ten feet was covered in a flash. He reached out his hand, True Sha crackling at his fingertips, ready to capture this severely wounded figure.
With a single strike, Yu Ci had already gauged the cultivation level of the approaching figure. At most, they were at the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage, no match for You Gongquan under any circumstance. So, he eased his attack. However, immediately after, he heard You Gongquan let out a stifled grunt.
The shadowy figure, now close at hand, suddenly split apart. The shadow accelerated again, while You Gongquan shivered and fell to the ground. Yu Ci reacted swiftly, lunging forward to shield You Gongquan. This movement clashed with the aura emanating from the shadow. A few steps forward, a sudden chill struck Yu Ci's heart.
He looked up just in time to see a streak of black light hurtling towards him.
Yu Ci released his Sword Energy to intercept, but upon contact with the black light, the chill in his heart deepened. Without a second thought, his Sword Energy buzzed and swirled around him, activating the Flawless Sword Circle, a defensive technique he learned from Sister Meng Wei.
However, in the next moment, he saw the black light that had made contact with the Flawless Sword Circle silently split apart. It transformed into a ring of energy, flickering between form and formlessness, and in the blink of an eye, it seeped into the Sword Energy circle.
"God Slaying Sting!"
Upon seeing this lethal technique, one of the top-ranked in this world, it was as if time had reversed, replaying the scene on Nanfrost Lake. Yu Ci felt his scalp tingle, but he managed to keep his composure. He withdrew his Sword Energy and hastily activated the Divine Bronze Mirror from his sleeve.
A dull, heavy sound echoed. Yu Ci's body shook slightly, and his forward momentum halted. But the deadly surge of energy was blocked by the Treasure Mirror, unable to penetrate his body.
Seeing the failure of the God Slaying Sting, the shadow was taken aback. It gave Yu Ci a deep look, then, carrying the Lake Sea Wanderer, dashed away, disappearing in an instant.
Yu Ci did not give chase.
In his sleeve, the Treasure Mirror was burning hot. This scene was strikingly similar to when he had blocked Nan Songzi's God Slaying Sting on the mountain path. At that time, the God Slaying Sting did not break through the Divine Bronze Mirror as the legends suggested. Instead, the mirror absorbed it, as if triggering some mechanism, causing the Divine Bronze Mirror to undergo a change. It wrestled free from his hand and swallowed the oncoming Demon Head.
However, from that moment, the Divine Map disappeared.
Yu Ci remembered that moment vividly, and now he couldn't help but worry about the state of the Divine Bronze Mirror. He hurriedly examined it, focusing on its function of emitting divine consciousness starlight. Thankfully, other than the increased temperature, there were no abnormalities.
At that moment, he thought of You Gongquan. Without a doubt, the man must have been ensnared. Approaching him, he indeed saw the Golden Elixir cultivator with a troubled expression, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, struggling to resist the energy seeping into his body. Remembering the state of Sister Meng Wei after she was ensnared, Yu Ci felt some concern. This Lone Cultivator, despite the purity of his cultivation level, might not be able to surpass Sister Meng Wei. Could he preserve the Golden Elixir he had painstakingly cultivated after being poisoned by this technique?
The hunters of the Cultivator group rushed over with disheveled appearances. Seeing the state of You Gongquan, they all turned pale.
However, Yu Ci soon noticed that You Gongquan's face had relaxed, and his condition seemed to have significantly improved.
Half a moment later, You Gongquan exhaled a turbid breath, opened his eyes, and his face clearly showed lingering fear. "Impressive, it's actually the God Slaying Sting!"
The surrounding Cultivators were all in an uproar. Only Yu Ci, seeing that although he was in a sorry state, he didn't seem to be injured, couldn't help but ask curiously, "You've dissolved the energy of the God Slaying Sting?"
You Gongquan nodded, "I was almost broken by the Golden Elixir, that was close!"
At this point, he noticed Yu Ci's expression, and immediately understood, shaking his head repeatedly, "This God Slaying Sting must not have been fully matured. I've already felt it. The energy it splits is very rough, definitely not reaching the legendary level."
This was the only reasonable explanation. Yu Ci slowly nodded. His understanding of the God Slaying Sting came from when he learned about Meng Wei's injuries. He knew that the God Slaying Sting was condensed by Cultivator's True Gang and True Evil, from nothing to something, refined into a ring of energy by a special method, which could freely transform between tangible and intangible, breaking all obstacles, directly targeting the vital points of the body, and could be considered one of the most sinister "hidden weapons" in this world.
Because it requires refining, this killing method is closely related to the user's cultivation level. The shadow that just appeared was merely at the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage, naturally incomparable to Nan Songzi at the Golden Elixir Upper Level. If Nan Songzi had made a move, You Gongquan would likely have been killed on the spot, with absolutely no chance of survival.
Although he was unharmed, You Gongquan's face didn't look good, and he asked, "That person..."
"He ran away."
Yu Ci didn't explain further, but turned and left. Everyone thought he had let the Lake Sea Wanderer and his accomplices escape right before his eyes, and they were not in a good mood. Little did they know that he was now barely able to suppress a smile:
"Of all the people to rob, you chose to rob the Lake Sea Wanderer?"
Ignoring the commotion around him, Yu Ci boarded the Cloud Floating Carriage, calmed his mind, and a strange sense from the distance began to rise in his heart, gradually becoming clear.
...