Yu Ci couldn't fathom why Bi Chao would show interest in the ruins underfoot.

To be honest, he was somewhat curious, but he wasn't about to pry. This was his way of repaying Bi Chao's indifference.

Previously, it was Bi Chao who had shown a chilling disregard for the corpses of Yan Chu and others, as if they were merely three dead ants. There was no room for questioning, saving much effort. Yu Ci admired this, and adopted the same attitude, offering no comment on Bi Chao's actions.

Moreover, he was conducting business and there were rules to be followed.

At this moment, the mountain known as Lotus Peak, as Yu Ci described it, had completely collapsed. The site was now enveloped in chaotic fog. The collapse was so violent that Yu Ci suspected it had completely vanished into the bottomless abyss. He had to use the neighboring peaks as reference to confirm his location.

Bi Chao had already plunged into the bottomless fog in search of clues.

The carriage was parked on a neighboring peak. The person dressed in black, whom Bi Chao referred to as the Incense Slave, stood silently outside the carriage. In the cloudy and misty void, there was no human voice. Only the occasional cries of passing birds and beasts broke the silence. Overall, it was quite tranquil.

Inside the carriage, Yu Ci was constantly trying to suppress and eliminate the effect of the Burning Jade Incense. When he killed Yan Chu, he treated her like the Lake Sea Wanderer, using the Divine consciousness starlight to break through Yan Chu's Divine Soul defense and partially absorbed her memory. Unfortunately, due to his brutal approach, the information was as incomplete as before.

From this, he learned something. When Yan Chu begged for mercy, she finally told the truth:

There was no antidote for the Burning Jade Incense!

This incense was more like a potent drug that stimulated human potential. The rapidly expanding power and confidence were the perfect catalyst for the Heart Demon. Considering Yu Ci's unstable state, the inner and outer pressure caused him to lose control, and the momentum was particularly fierce.

Under the full-scale expansion of power and confidence, Yu Ci recklessly overdrawn his potential, burning his Primordial Qi. He saw himself as the high-hanging sun. If it weren't for his alert instinct at the brink of life and death, which brought him back to reason and suppressed the Heart Demon, and Bi Chao's arrival, which diverted his attention, he would probably have turned into ashes and dispersed between heaven and earth.

It was extremely dangerous, but from another perspective, it was also a great opportunity.

In cultivation, the most difficult part is "self-awareness". Cultivators have to go through tough cultivation to have the most accurate grasp of "self" and lay a solid foundation.

In just over a year, Yu Ci's cultivation level had advanced by leaps and bounds. From a minor at the Acupoint Developing Stage, who could hardly be called a cultivator, he had crossed many thresholds to reach the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage. The progress was nothing short of miraculous. However, such rapid advancement, with changes almost daily, left Yu Ci with no time to reflect. Therefore, he was lacking in the aspect of "self-awareness".

Ironically, in the "Primordial Root Qi Method", the most fundamental distinction between "Physical Image and Mental Image" heavily emphasizes the theory of self-knowledge. Without the clarity of self-understanding, how can one depict a Mental Image based on the foundation of physical objects? Yet absurdly, Yu Ci's successive advancements and the formation of his Mental Image relied not on self-knowledge, but on structural evolution and the almost opportunistic method of using a Fish-Dragon substitute. Such tactics displeased his mentor, Elder Jie Liang, who even issued a warning.

During this period, Yu Ci's Heart Demon began to stir, greatly related to this matter. When he lost control due to a tantalizing scent, he was on the brink of igniting an irreversible Heart Demon fire, which would have reduced him to ashes.

However, it was precisely this "narrow escape" that for Yu Ci, who was accustomed to walking the line between life and death, provided incomparable gains from the experience, as long as he survived!

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Seizing this opportunity, Yu Ci finally gained self-knowledge. With the uncontrollable expansion, he discerned the limits of his own life!

He drew a striking boundary between life and death. Among all the insights of self-knowledge, what could be more important and critical than understanding one's own "life limit"? In a sense, this was already a cognition and enlightenment close to the Dao.

This was precisely what Yu Ci excelled at. In this respect, he had an abundance of experience that others could hardly match, which helped him quickly find a way to put this knowledge into practice.

That was control.

Even if he exhausted his potential and burned Primordial Qi, it didn't matter, but he must grasp the "degree" between life and death. Like his swordsmanship, a bit less was cowardice, a bit more was arrogance. Only by always straddling the boundary of life and death could he ensure the highest efficiency, connect with the "Dao", and more importantly, this was Yu Ci's self-pursuit.

With a clear mind, everything became easier.

The "furnace" was still burning, producing seemingly endless power. Yu Ci knew that this was built on the illusion of falsehood, and naturally, he would not be deceived by it. He prepared to open a diversion channel, gathering the power to achieve control over it.

Now he had two choices:

One was to continuously strengthen his Cultivation Level, making it increasingly profound, greatly shortening the accumulation process. Judging by the intensity of the "furnace's" potential, Forming the Golden Elixir didn't seem far away from him.

This choice was an irresistible temptation for any Nature-Connecting Cultivator. However, Yu Ci hardly considered it, only letting the thought flicker in his mind before dismissing it. He had had enough of the deficit from an unstable foundation. Having finally defined his life limit and solidified his foundation, why should he risk overtaxing his life and repeat past mistakes?

The second choice was the path that Yu Ci had decided on early. That is to temporarily perfect his grinding skills, accumulate bit by bit, and focus most of his energy on studying the "Primordial Root Qi Method", attempting to communicate with the internal and external voids, and the influence this communication has on the Mental Image.

For this, Yu Ci had no hesitation. The Inner Void of the Heart unfolded, the form of the Fish-Dragon Mental Image inside became somewhat blurred, as if a layer of ink had been splashed on it, followed by a few strokes of outlining.

The "few strokes" referred to the exquisite mental cultivation method in the "Primordial Root Qi Method". Each stroke induced subtle adjustments in the Fish-Dragon Mental Image, and correspondingly, the slight changes in the flesh body and Divine Soul. Through this method, Yu Ci found a way for the enormous power stimulated by the "furnace" to circulate and be digested. Only those who practiced the "Primordial Root Qi Method" could adopt such a holistic perspective, adjusting their body structure and the circulation of Qi at any time, without risking the danger of Qi deviation.

Outside the carriage, the Incense Slave, who had barely moved since Bi Chao's departure, suddenly turned her head. Under the cover of her cloak, her eyes, whose depths were concealed, flickered. Separated by only a thin wooden board, the changes within the carriage could not be hidden. The subtle variations of Primordial Qi, along with the soft grinding sounds of bones and muscles, were all within the knowledge of the Incense Slave.

Hidden in black silk gloves, her hands rested on her knees as she listened intently, her eyes flashing intermittently with a glow. Unconsciously, her body leaned slightly forward.

At this moment, Bi Chao flew up. As he approached the carriage, the female cultivator also sensed his arrival. She glanced at the Incense Slave without uttering a word, standing quietly outside the carriage, waiting.

Half an hour later, the strange sounds within the carriage finally ceased, and the flow of Primordial Qi returned to normal. Bi Chao, as if he had just returned, lightly knocked on the outer layer of the carriage and greeted with a chuckle, "Daoist friend Yu, I have something to consult you about."

Yu Ci emerged from the carriage upon hearing the sound. He first asked with a smile, "Has the master gained any insights?" Not waiting for a response, he asked, "What is it?"

"Last night, I remember Daoist friend Yu mentioned the Demons that have crossed the boundaries. I want to take a look at their nest."

This was an easy task. Although Yu Ci didn't know the exact location, taking Bi Chao to the mountain where the intense battle had taken place would suffice. Judging from the situation that day, there was a high probability that the Demons were nesting there, and there might still be a few that had slipped through the net.

As expected, when the fragrant carriage arrived, one or two "stray dogs and cats" jumped out. Bi Chao didn't kill them, but merely drove these surviving Demons to run wildly. In less than a moment, they found the location of the nest. The process went smoothly.

The Demons' nest was built based on an original cave, with several new entrances and a batch of tunnels, making the internal structure quite complex. Bi Chao went in to investigate, while Yu Ci rested in the carriage, slowly adapting to the changes in his body.

However, this time, Bi Chao was inside for a long time, and there was no sound.

Two hours had passed, and the sky was about to darken. Bi Chao still hadn't come out, which made Yu Ci somewhat puzzled. He had also become bored sitting in the carriage, so he got out and looked into the cave.

After waiting for a while, there was still no news from Bi Chao. It was getting late. Yu Ci looked into a newly opened entrance and saw a faint light flickering behind a corner inside. Strangely, he found the light somewhat familiar.

He turned his head to look, but the Incense Slave behind him had no reaction. Yu Ci thought for a moment and walked in.

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