The cave where the demons resided fit perfectly with his impression of such monsters: winding, gloomy, and putrid - as if these words were specifically crafted to describe such a place.
Yu Ci, standing at the nearest corner to the cave entrance, felt uneasy with just a few glances inside. He couldn't help but admire Master Bi Chao; it took considerable courage to venture deep into such a place.
Not far from where he stood was the source of the light.
Yu Ci looked over, first seeing a demon. Illuminated by the light, he could clearly see that the creature was no more than four feet tall and appeared quite thin. However, its jet-black skin and sharp, elongated forelimbs led Yu Ci to conclude that it was a creature adept at delivering lethal strikes in the darkness.
But now, this demon lay slain. At first glance, there were no visible wounds on its body. Yu Ci turned the creature over with the tip of his foot, revealing a twisted, ugly face that still bore a hint of a bizarrely excited expression.
The demon hadn't been dead long. Yu Ci surmised that it had hidden inside the cave, intending to ambush Bi Chao, but was killed instantly by the female cultivator. Despite being close by, Yu Ci had not noticed the swift and decisive action of the female cultivator, which was rather similar to his own goals. He couldn't help but feel a hint of envy.
Finally, Yu Ci shifted his gaze to the source of the light that had drawn him here.
The core of the light source was shaped like a pebble by the roadside, slightly smaller than a fingernail. The light it emitted was familiar, yet difficult to describe. After some thought, Yu Ci found a fitting description: it was like the twinkling of stars in the night sky.
Upon closer inspection, Yu Ci thought this "pebble" looked more like a fragment, or more accurately, a shard. He could see irregular cracks on it, as if it was a remnant of something whole that had been shattered by a tremendous force.
The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
Picking up the shard, Yu Ci recalled where he had seen something similar. He projected his consciousness into his storage ring. Inside, there was an object that gave him the same feeling. It was also a shard, emitting the same light as the one in his hand.
Yu Ci remembered that the shard in the ring was found in the "gap" of a collapsing mountain peak. At that time, this "pebble" was also glowing, a light starkly different from the burning blood flames in the cave, and that was precisely why Yu Ci had picked it up.
Holding the two shards in his palm, watching their star-like twinkling, Yu Ci became somewhat dazed. The twinkling seemed to possess a bewitching power, attracting his gaze on one hand, and triggering some strange mechanism on the other. Yu Ci distinctly felt a very faint force seeping out from his pores, brushing over the shards.
He was no stranger to this feeling.
Yu Ci was certain that he had absorbed some residual aura from the two Great Mystical Powers. The cause of this was not only the influx of "Iceberg" information but also his assimilation of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form.
This residual aura acted like a key, playing an irreplaceable role in unlocking the value of the relics left by the two. It was the same when he activated the Hook Rope last time, and it was the same now. Yu Ci could even deduce that this shard belonged to the former owner of the Hook Rope.
In his palm, the shards of light had become significantly dimmer, yet between them, a subtle connection seemed to have formed, much like two magnets that, though extremely close, would continually switch their magnetic poles, attracting and repelling each other.
What was more crucial was that this connection was not confined to his palm, but extended outward, reaching a deeper target within the cave.
After a brief pondering, Yu Ci followed the guidance of this connection and ventured deeper into the cave. Although he had temporarily subdued the restlessness within him, it was still more intense than before. Moreover, the object ahead was closely related to a practitioner of the Great Mystical Powers, who stood at the pinnacle of this realm. Even at his calmest, it would be difficult for him to remain indifferent.
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The cave was extremely quiet, devoid of living Demons. Those that appeared were thoroughly dead, and there was no sign of Bi Chao. As a result, Yu Ci's path was unobstructed, and he quickly located his target.
It was in a separate Stone Chamber, slightly different from the rest of the cave. The chamber had been deliberately arranged, even containing a stone chair covered with thick animal skins. It appeared coarse but was quite comfortable. This must have been the dwelling of one of the Demon leaders. However, with the leader's death a month ago, the place had been left vacant.
Sweeping his gaze around the room, Yu Ci was certain that Bi Chao must have visited here before him and conducted a search. Fortunately, his target had not attracted the female cultivator's attention.
Yu Ci found them on the walls of the Stone Chamber. These glowing shards had been used as Night Pearls. They were embedded in the stone walls, their light illuminating the entire chamber.
It was hard to understand how the Demons had collected these shards, but Yu Ci was sure that without a residual aura to guide them, the Demons had not discovered the peculiarities of the shards. He was prepared to claim them all for himself.
It took some time to remove them, and thus, Yu Ci now had seven such shards in his hand.
Seven "Stardust," as Yu Ci deemed the most fitting name, lay in his palm. They varied in shape and size, with the largest being no bigger than a grain of corn. They were very close to each other, yet upon closer inspection, there was a gap between them.
Yu Ci had tried to piece them together but failed. They were, after all, just shards. Perhaps decades ago, they were parts of an earth-shattering Magical Treasure. But now, restoring them to their original form was an impossible task for Yu Ci.
"What use are these things?" Yu Ci gently rocked his hand, causing the seven Stardust to roll around in his palm, always separated by a slight distance. He was momentarily at a loss.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the Stone Chamber. Before this, Yu Ci and the newcomer had confirmed each other's identities.
"Master Bi Chao, have you found anything?"
"Something of the sort." Bi Chao floated into the room with a smile, appearing as if her feet didn't touch the ground. Her plain-colored robe seemed to be enveloped in a clean aura, untouched by any dust. It didn't show any signs of the fierce methods she had used to kill several Demons earlier.
Upon entering the Stone Chamber, the female cultivator looked at Yu Ci's palm. It wasn't strange for her to do so, as the seven Stardust emitted a brilliant light that was impossible to ignore. If she had pretended not to see, it would have been truly hypocritical. Her smile contained a hint of curiosity:
"This is..."
"A trifle I found here. It appears quite interesting, yet I'm unsure of its use."
Aside from concealing a few elements that cannot be disclosed to others, Yu Ci was quite forthright. Despite his deep-seated caution towards Bi Chao and the Xuan Yin Sect and Rakshasa Sect behind her, this did not hinder his personal appraisal of the female cultivator.
Some time ago, Bi Chao's calm and composed demeanor had been enlightening for Yu Ci. At times, trust is accumulated bit by bit in just such a manner.
Indeed, Bi Chao showed no greed. After closely inspecting the item, she said, "This appears to be made of a material similar to Morninglight Stone, but mixed with other substances. It's not naturally formed, perhaps it's a fragment of some object."
Both had similar opinions regarding the origin of the Stardust. Moreover, Bi Chao's knowledge was much more extensive than Yu Ci's. As she spoke, she picked up a piece of Stardust, rubbed it between her fingers, and nodded, "Given their tiny fragments, restoring them to their original form is impossible. However, if handled properly, they can be used as key nodes in a Rune Array, incorporated into a Magical Instrument, greatly enhancing its quality. There's a high chance it could become a top-grade item."
Yu Ci nodded in understanding.
The quality of Magical Instruments varies, although it's universally acknowledged that the key factor lies in the level of refinement. However, the innate quality of a Magical Instrument, in a sense, is decisive.
A crudely made piece, compared to a meticulously crafted masterpiece, would find it hard to bridge the gap in quality, no matter how carefully refined. Not to mention the time consumed in the refinement process, which is not something people can afford to squander.
With these seven pieces of Stardust, Yu Ci practically held a high-quality magical weapon in his hands. Such value was indeed precious. And yet, compared to the origin of the Stardust itself, it seemed somewhat lacking.
This time, Yu Ci had indeed profited. He smiled, put away the Stardust, and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your guidance, master."
Having completed their business in the cave, Bi Chao and Yu Ci chatted and laughed as they exited. Yu Ci asked some more about the Morninglight Stone, gaining a better understanding of the Stardust. Upon seeing the corpses of several Demons, he casually asked, more in jest than seriousness, "Do we need to lead the way later?"
"Yes, we do."
Bi Chao lightly brushed her hair back, the mole near her lips becoming more vibrant with her smile, "Some fools have been up to mischief. Although their plans have been disrupted by you, Daoist friend, traces have been left behind. What we need to do now is erase these traces."
"Is that so?"
Yu Ci was somewhat curious but didn't ask further, only laughing, "So where are we going now?"
"I managed to capture a live one earlier, who revealed a location on this mountain. A place called the Siege Site."
"Oh, I see."
Speaking of the Siege Site, wasn't that where the Demons had surrounded Gan Shi Zhen?
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