He Qing's voice still flowed into his ears, "Xing Tian's Magic Sword is a treasured artifact of the Sect, its aura is elusive, and its connection to one is ultimately a matter of fate..."
In fact, it was He Qing's voice that was elusive, for Yu Ci's attention had already drifted elsewhere. Not far away, the feedback from the divine consciousness starlight indicated a flow of consciousness within Monk Zheng Yan's Brain Palace. Was he waking up? But that fellow was clearly still suppressed by the Divine Soul...
He was lost in thought, and He Qing didn't say much more. In the end, she simply said faintly, "The Immortal Path is long and arduous, with karmic method being of utmost importance. Once you have this, everything else will fall into place."
Huh? Yu Ci finally caught the hidden meaning in He Qing's words. He turned to look at her, a vague shadow forming in his mind, but he couldn't be certain of it. Still, he was adept at social niceties and responded with a smile, "Without Immortal He, I would not have encountered such a karmic method."
This was his way of expressing gratitude. Regardless of what He Qing meant, such a response would not be amiss. Given He Qing's demeanor, if she truly wanted to say something to him, why would she beat around the bush? Hearing his response, the female cultivator simply nodded, "You have done a great service in rooting out Blood Monk Tu Ling, the thorn hidden within Cliff City. However, you must guard against arrogance and rashness, and not be frivolous..."
Yu Ci blinked, suddenly understanding. This was He Qing's way of concluding the matter of Cliff City. He gave a slight smile and replied, "I understand. In fact, these past few days, I haven't been of much help. Now that the matter of Cliff City has been resolved, I should return to the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock..."
As he spoke, he suddenly stopped. He had intended to use the phrase "committing a crime to achieve merit" to express his feelings, but on second thought, his original "crime" was "poor planning and reckless actions, leading to numerous deaths of cultivators and civilians in the city". However, compared to tonight, what did that amount to?
Monk Yi Xin's Golden Body strike had destroyed half of Cliff City, causing at least a hundred thousand civilian casualties. Compared to the destruction of the White Sun Mansion that night, it was child's play... If he continued in this vein, would he be accused of mocking He Qing?
His thoughts took another turn, and Yu Ci felt a smile tugging at his lips: he had been having more and more thoughts recently. What should be, would be. He Qing might not even care, so why was he scaring himself? What was he playing at?
Indeed, He Qing was not bothered by any of these. On the contrary, she was quite satisfied with his attitude. She nodded slightly and fell silent.
Upon seeing this, Yu Ci understood that even if he returned to the pier, his time there would be counting down.
With an apology in mind, he planned to go see how Zheng Yan was doing. He was still concerned about the sensation he felt earlier... Speaking of which, with Monk Yi Xin completely annihilated, was Zheng Yan the last one in the know? As he pondered over this, he remembered something. He looked up, squinting his eyes against the dazzling, brilliant colors that flickered between heaven and earth.
"Master Ming!"
It was Shan Jiao who called out. She solemnly bowed down in the direction of the call. Earlier than her, the Incense Slave by her side had already bowed silently.
At this moment, the dense aura in the sky was pulsating, drawing a massive amount of Primordial Qi, the activity of which was enough to make one's scalp tingle. The core of all these changes came from the silvery-gray light mist above their heads, which was the bright blue Mage that had just made a startling appearance.
Was this a glimpse of Immortality, a step towards the Realm beyond illusion?
Yu Ci was still somewhat confused, only guessing based on the previous conversation between Gan Shi Zhen and Shan Jiao. When they first met, she was merely at the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage. In just a few months, she had leaped through three realms, which made those cultivators who had wasted hundreds of years still hopeless for Immortality feel desolate.
Yu Ci was speechless for a moment: was having a good backing really that important?
"True cultivation should not envy the side paths."
A sudden phrase startled Yu Ci. Turning around, he saw He Qing approaching, sensing his thoughts and sending him a message.
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He thought for a moment and respectfully asked, "Could Immortal He please enlighten me?"
He Qing slowly walked to his side, also looking up at the colorful light in the sky. She was delicate in her thoughts, unwilling to offend anyone with her words at this critical moment. Without opening her mouth, her voice came in:
"This Immortality is not that Immortality. In our quest for immortality and wisdom, the most important thing we should never forget is the 'I'. Only by establishing the True Self between heaven and earth, containing the Heavenly Mechanism, seizing Fate, and surviving through countless calamities, can one achieve true Immortality. Like Ming Lan, who worships the God Lord, serving as a slave, the first thing she discards is her True Self. She is nothing more than a vessel for divine power. What use is such Immortality, even if it is convenient and fast?"
Is that so? Yu Ci had to admit that his understanding of Immortality was still quite superficial. What He Qing said was not anything extraordinary, but it was quite enlightening to him. He wanted to ask more about the "Realm beyond illusion", but at this moment, the colorful lights in the sky were scattering, almost covering the silvery-gray light mist around Ming Lan. It was obviously a critical moment. He Qing said:
"Observe with your heart, and you may witness the Divine Servant ascend to the Realm beyond illusion. Such an opportunity is indeed rare."
Yu Ci, a man, acknowledged this with a nod, gazing at the magnificent night sky, intending to observe with his heart. But at that moment, the Divine consciousness starlight resonated again. This time, the response from Monk Zheng Yan, another man, was even stronger. Pulled in two directions, Yu Ci became somewhat distracted. In the blink of an eye, the night sky was filled with brilliant light, and a myriad of colors spread out like a rainbow, dreamlike and illusory. For a moment, he was dazzled, even the sounds and smells around him seemed to change inexplicably, continuous and dense, but the sensation was not unpleasant.
When Yu Ci realized that these were illusions, he tried to locate the bright blue again, but all he saw was an endless array of multicolored light. Where was the silvery-gray mist he had seen before?
It had been a long time since he had been subjected to an Illusion technique. Having assimilated the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, Yu Ci was immune to most spiritual shocks. However, he was somewhat vulnerable to techniques that confused the senses, and at this moment, he had fallen slightly short.
"Afraid of being seen?"
Yu Ci gave a crooked smile, not particularly concerned. He glanced at He Qing, a woman, who was beside him. She was staring intently at the sky, seemingly unaffected by the Illusion technique. There was a common saying among ordinary people, "professionals watch the process, amateurs enjoy the show." However, in the Cultivation World, amateurs didn’t even have the chance to enjoy the show, much like Yu Ci at that moment.
Given this, he didn't bother trying harder. Although his eyes were on the sky, his mind was focused on Monk Zheng Yan.
The Monk's Divine Soul was still locked, lifeless and heavy. Logically, when the Divine Soul was controlled, all mental activities should be interrupted, with only the most primitive fluctuations maintained by instinct. Yet, in Zheng Yan's Brain Palace, an unusual stream of consciousness had indeed appeared, leading Yu Ci to mistakenly think that he had awakened.
In the silent world of the Divine Soul, the Divine consciousness starlight locked onto that stream of consciousness. Yu Ci only needed to shift his thoughts over to grasp the situation there, but to understand the specific meaning of this stream of consciousness, he couldn't do it in a short time.
Mind-reading was not as simple as picking up a cabbage from the roadside. It involved many complex issues. Initially, Yu Ci had broken through the mental barriers of Fu Long and Yan Chu, forcibly seizing their thoughts, which was an extremely special situation. The consequence was the death of these two.
He had no intention of ending Zheng Yan's life so abruptly, and thus, he needed to ponder and attempt again... Huh?
Yu Ci suddenly opened his eyes. In the night sky, the colorful lights had begun to fade. He Qing and others were still gazing at the sky, while Shan Jiao and Incense Slave, although still kneeling, were no longer prostrating themselves in worship but were silently reciting scriptures. Everything indicated that he had missed the most thrilling part - Ming Lan had already been guided and ascended to the "Realm beyond illusion".
Had he missed it?
Yu Ci crossed his arms over his chest, falling silent.
According to the residents of Cliff City, during the transition from spring to summer, the vast Cliff City was "like a dead city".
Flags were raised everywhere in the city, everyone wore mourning attire, and cries of grief continued for half a month. The final death toll amounted to 117,000, meaning that one in every ten residents had died under the man-made earthquake. This number had far exceeded the death toll from the night of the White Sun Mansion's destruction, a terrifying memory that was enough to give all residents of Cliff City nightmares.
But what truly troubled the higher-ups of Cliff City was the enormous cost required for the city's reconstruction. It wasn't just about rebuilding houses - the great battle of the Taoism Immortal rank and the impact of the Magical Treasure of Xing Tian's Magic Sword level had already affected the city's foundation. More than ten new sinkholes appeared in the city, seven spiritual veins had dried up, and the mountainside near the city had even become a dangerous cliff, at risk of collapsing at any moment.
Led by Shi Song, the heads of all sects in Cliff City had been living on their toes for the past few days. If it weren't for their accomplished cultivation levels, they would have been crushed by the relentless pressure.
But none of this had anything to do with Yu Ci, nor with Gan Shi Zhen or He Qing.
Having dealt with the great Demon Head hidden in Cliff City, He Qing's mission was temporarily over. Because the cultivation schedule of the Lichen Sect's Outer Realm of the Nine Heavens was approaching, on the third day after the battle, the two most respected female cultivators had already rushed back to their sect. As for Yu Ci, he was about to head to the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock to continue his patrol duties.
But before he left, he had to pay a visit to someone.
...