The moment the newcomer appeared, it was as if a chilling wind had swept through the void, a gale carrying ice crystals that could penetrate one's protective aura of True Evil, causing a tingling sensation on the face. Curious, Yu Ci turned his gaze towards the newcomer, only to find his vision obscured by the man's untamed, slightly curly long hair. He also noticed the man was carrying an unfortunate individual under his arm, his limbs hanging limply, his condition unknown.

Before he could figure out what was happening, he heard a long, deep inhalation. The breath was so powerful it seemed to shake the heavens and the earth, the airflow almost forming a visible vortex, and the air in the high altitude becoming increasingly thin. The man's abdomen only slightly bulged. Then came an exhalation ten times stronger:

"Ha!"

"Vast Avalanche of Wilderness!"

The shouts of the Tu Brothers were instantly drowned out by the sound of the explosive breath. The world was swallowed by a blinding whiteness, not of light, but of Sword Energy, more intense than any radiance. In that moment, Yu Ci felt as if he was witnessing a towering mountain shaking, its snowy peak collapsing, billions of pounds of snow and ice pouring down, obliterating everything!

The overwhelming wave of energy nearly blew him away—if the newcomer had intended to, Yu Ci would not have been able to withstand it. However, the man's sword control had reached an incredible level. Despite such a violent assault, he could still control the situation, sparing his own people. But the roaring Sword Energy resounding in his ears was enough to shake one's soul.

The explosive assault didn't last long, it came quickly and left just as fast. However, after the onslaught, hundreds of Azure Void Demon Shadows were swept clean, not a trace left, the vast sky cleared.

Yu Ci and his companions were left speechless. It was then that Yu Ci realized he had unconsciously adopted a defensive posture under the onslaught of the great avalanche-like swordsmanship.

At that moment, the newcomer shook his head, revealing a face full of masculine beauty beneath his slightly curly, messy hair. His features were distinct and deep, his beard uneven but clean, enough to put the similarly bearded Hong Qianqiu to shame. This man also had some foreign blood, his eyes a rare deep blue, his gaze calm and firm, suggesting a very strong character.

This man was Wang Jiu, a fourth-generation disciple of the Empirical Department, a powerful figure second only to Zhou Yu and Li Hong. However, some said his talent surpassed the two, and given time, he could surpass them and steal the limelight from Senior Brother Zhou.

When Wang Jiu's gaze fell on them, Yu Ci could sense the Tu Brothers growing tense, seemingly fearful and even a bit hostile towards him. As for Zhang Yan, he was too laid-back to say anything. So, Yu Ci decided to greet the newcomer first:

"Is this Brother Wang Jiu? Thank you for your help..."

As he spoke, the Tu Brothers also reacted, expressing their gratitude in a muddled manner. Zhang Yan, however, turned to them and said, "We got twisted, didn't we? Who asked us to clean up the mess?"

The Tu Brothers were stunned.

Zhang Yan showed no emotion, his words were flat, merely stating facts: "How could the Sect's Mountain Gate reinforcements arrive so quickly? I found it strange earlier, the baiting technique used to attract the Azure Void Demon Shadows was very familiar. Now it makes sense, he was using the Demon Shadows for sword practice... It's rare to see you give up halfway."

The subject of the conversation had already shifted. At this, Wang Jiu finally spoke, his voice deep and powerful, "Di She of the Light Demon Sect claimed he wanted to duel me. Yet when the time came, he left behind two decoys and fled, disappointing indeed."

He did not apologize outright, but there was a hint of regret in his words.

"Di She?"

Zhang Yan, having been in decline for years, was somewhat out of touch with the outside world. Upon hearing this cumbersome name, he pondered for a while before recalling who this person was: "'No True Body' Di She, it seems he was defeated by you."

The Tu Brothers also explained to the uninformed Yu Ci, "Di She is notorious for his treachery and ruthlessness, and his fear of death. He always has seven or eight puppets or substitutes around him, waiting for the right moment to act. He is truly a shameless scoundrel...heh, if you meet him, you should know what the outcome will be!"

Without a doubt, the last sentence of the two brothers was aimed at someone, hence they said it lightly. Yu Ci, who was next to them, could barely hear it.

Yu Ci found it strange. If Di She was as cowardly as the Tu Brothers described, why would he come near the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect? Did he still think the Lichen Sect would serve him a cup of tea?

Sensing his confusion, Wang Jiu chuckled, "Di She is nothing more than a lapdog under Di Tianluo. He came to gather information. I overestimated him out of respect for the 'King of the Great Sun'."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Oh? Is Di Tianluo also participating in this Sword Garden event?"

"The hope of reviving the Light Demon Sect rests on Di Tianluo, of course he will come. And Jian Ziyu, Xia Boyang, Wen Shifei, the Heavenly Balance Taoist, these people will all come. The Sword Garden will open, it will be a gathering of heroes."

"Indeed, it will be a gathering of heroes..." Zhang Yan murmured, then fell silent, lost in his thoughts.

Hearing Wang Jiu utter one unfamiliar name after another, Yu Ci didn't understand their backgrounds, but he could sense the power represented by each name. The fact that Wang Jiu, a figure of his stature, mentioned them solemnly, spoke volumes about their strength.

It was clear that these individuals, like Wang Jiu, were renowned figures in their respective sects and even in the cultivation world. They undoubtedly harbored competitive spirits, striving for their sects and themselves, vying to outdo each other. The fame gained from this was secondary; the key was to use victory to strengthen their resolve on the path of cultivation - if one cannot triumph over others, how can one triumph over the heavens?

A storm is brewing, a storm is brewing...

This must be the true face of Sword Garden!

His mind was in turmoil, and he didn't pay much attention to the conversation behind him. After exchanging a few more words with Zhang Yan, Wang Jiu took the captive and disappeared without a trace. It wasn't until then that the Tu Brothers let out a long sigh:

"Amazing! I heard he's already incredibly close to the Vacuum Walking Realm. The rumors are indeed true!"

Yu Ci cast a glance at the two brothers and said no more. At this moment, the snow in the sky had disappeared, but the Gang wind was getting stronger and stronger, making his robe flutter and his heart pound, as if it wanted to soar into the sky.

To the north of the Broken Realm Mountain Range, snow had already begun to fall in October.

Looking down from the sky, the continuous mountain range looked like several silver-white dragons winding their way across the earth, sometimes gathering together, sometimes scattering. The color was somewhat monotonous, but it had its own majestic beauty.

"We're almost there!"

Li You stretched out his arms and yawned. His face was rosy, and his cheerful demeanor made everyone who saw him smile.

The "Mother Ship" sailed far above the clouds, its nearly transparent light shield letting in sunlight while keeping out the cold Gang wind. Other than being a bit stuffy, it was quite comfortable. He looked up at the sun, still stretching his arms and swaying as he walked towards the ship's side. Just as he was about to reach it, he stumbled.

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhang, why are you napping here instead of resting inside?"

Zhang Yan leaned against the ship's side, half-opening his eyes, and lazily replied, "Your junior brother is at a critical moment, with lightning and thunder inside the room...why don't you try and see if you can sleep?"

"It's as if he's not your junior brother."

Li You leaned against the ship's side, grinning and somewhat curious, "He's been working on this all the time, do you know how many layers he's reached?"

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and held up two fingers.

"Two layers? It's been four months, surely not..."

"It's the second heaven!"

Zhang Yan waved his fingers, "Five days ago, he refined the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal to the second heaven, crossing eight layers. Well, is it the Primordial Root Qi Method that's amazing, or is this guy really as talented as Old Master Zhu said?"

"Wow..." Li You let out an admiring sound, then immediately stood up straight, excitedly saying, "I'm going to take a look. A Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal at the second heaven should be able to hit someone, right?"

The Magical Instrument is refined by the heavenly and earthly sacrificial method. Each refinement of six layers is considered one heaven, with a total of eighteen heavens.

The first heaven is called "refinement", which can transform the Magical Instrument into various types of vital essence according to its material, absorb it into the body, combine it with one's own Primordial Qi, and control it more easily.

The Second Heaven is called "Changing Quality". On the basis of the first heaven, it makes the inscribed talisman easier to penetrate and enhance its quality. From the second heaven onwards, the Magical Instrument truly begins to increase its power, providing significant assistance to the Cultivator.

Before entering the Sword Garden, Yu Ci was able to refine the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal to the second level of heaven, which was undoubtedly a great achievement.

Yu Ci himself thought so too.

Having been reprimanded by Old Master Zhu, Yu Ci had some reservations about the words spoken, but there was one point he agreed with: the level of refinement of his magical instrument was rather poor, not matching his cultivation realm, and it was even more so burying his unique conditions.

Other people refining ritual treasures, consuming time and effort, also occupy precious cultivation time. But for Yu Ci, refining is cultivation, and cultivation is refining, which can also enhance the talisman cultivation. With such superior conditions, it was no wonder that Old Master Zhu scolded him for not fully utilizing them before, saying, "This young man is unteachable."

Of course, Yu Ci had his reasons. Refining was a very mentally exhausting task, requiring a high level of divine consciousness manipulation. Especially when refining to a level beyond the first heaven, each talisman was more difficult than the last, requiring careful study and learning, which was quite draining. Previously, he had been shuttling between Cliff City and Sky Rift Valley, devoting a significant amount of energy to improving his swordsmanship, so naturally, he couldn't devote much thought to this.

Now, the situation was different. Over the past four months, he had been practicing diligently at the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect, with plenty of time and no distractions. If he had any difficulties in refining techniques, he only needed to bring the problem to Spirit Sky Pavilion. During the practice of the "Heavenly Flying Stars" talisman, Old Master Zhu would give casual guidance, and he would get a very satisfactory answer.

With all obstacles cleared, how could his refining speed be slow?

Of course, if he wanted to advance to the third heaven, each level of refinement would take several times more effort than before. For now, he couldn't do it. So, five days ago, after finishing the refinement of the Second Heaven, he shifted his refining target.

"Junior Brother Yu, is it convenient?"

"Brother Li? Please come in."

Yu Ci smiled and sat down. Without any visible effort, the golden-green Palace Tassel in his hand wrapped around his waist like a sentient being, tying a lively knot. Thousands of tassels fell down, matching his jade-colored Taoist robe, exuding an aura of nobility and immortality.

Everything was ready. Around this afternoon, their group of more than forty people was going to arrive at the outskirts of the Sword Garden.

...