With a resounding "thud," Yu Ci sprang up from the depths of the earth, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood mid-air. His recently healed wounds split open once again, and numerous new injuries covered his body.
In the face of absolute disadvantage, using Earth Escape to flee was a taboo, let alone in a hostile environment like the Sword Garden. But to slip away right under the noses of three Golden Elixir cultivators, Yu Ci could think of no other method.
Now, he was injured both internally and externally, but he didn't pause for even a moment. As his sword light flared, it was like a gust of Qingyan, skimming the ground as it dashed away. Behind him, the grey sky of the Sword Garden was already lit up by thunder, turning purple. The violent fluctuations of Primordial Qi were like a tornado storm, or a huge torch, becoming the most dazzling sight within a hundred miles.
Yu Ci didn't look back. The Fish-Dragon he had summoned back was keeping an eye on the situation for him. His task now was to find a new hiding place before the three Golden Elixir cultivators could disengage from the fight.
Through the Fish-Dragon's perspective, he could see that the male and female cultivators of the Heavy Weapon Sect, although inferior to Xiao Fuyun in the Cultivation Realm, could hold their own for a while with their heavy-armored magic weapons. They were now trying to split up and leave the battlefield, their intent obvious.
With the explosive power of the Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent, Yu Ci covered a distance of seven or eight miles in a short time. Then he slowed down, first using the "Light Extinguishing Escape Method" to gradually converge his aura, while simultaneously pulling out the Shooting Star Plate. The Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal also flew out from his sleeve, its light shining brightly on his shoulder, casting a beam of light onto the Talisman Plate in his hand, causing it to sink slightly.
The Dharma Seal was a crucial item in the hands of a cultivator skilled in talismans. Those who used the Dharma Seal well could stabilize their spirits, increase their power, strengthen their resolve, and remain unmoved by external paths. Hence, the speed at which a cultivator becomes a talisman and the damage inflicted by the talisman after it is formed would increase once the Dharma Seal is used. This was the power of the Dharma Seal's blessing. Yu Ci's use of the Talisman Plate was like using tools such as scissors and hammers. As long as he knew how to use them, he could increase efficiency and reduce consumption. However, using the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal was a real consumption of Divine Soul Vitality. At this price, the power of the talisman could be raised by one or even several levels.
"I hope this talisman is as effective as he said it would be!"
Yu Ci softly chanted a few Curse Sounds, and the 360 celestial orifices on the Talisman Plate began to inhale and exhale spirit energy, emitting specks of light. These lights combined with the celestial stars above and the meridian points of the human body below, forming a phantom image that was only two or three inches tall. However, its facial expression was quite similar to Yu Ci's.
"Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar!"
The art described here belongs to the category of "Prayer and Exorcism" within the "Heavenly Flying Stars" Talisman. It was the second talisman that Yu Ci, a male, learned from Old Master Zhu after the Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman. In fact, the Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman was merely a concession made by Old Master Zhu to pique his interest, while this Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar was the first talisman the old man truly intended to teach him.
It was a life-saving talisman.
As soon as this talisman took shape, the sky behind Yu Ci underwent a transformation. Thunderous light surged in the distance, overwhelming for a moment the special corrosive Sword Energy tide of Xiao Fuyun, a male. Through the Fish-Dragon, Yu Ci saw a female cultivator wearing a Thunder God Mask exerting her remaining strength, stubbornly blocking Xiao Fuyun and buying time for her companion to escape.
The armored male cultivator reacted swiftly, breaking through Xiao Fuyun's restriction and swiftly flying towards them.
Yu Ci knew he could no longer delay. He gathered his focus and blew a breath onto the small figure standing on the talisman plate. With Yu Ci's Primordial Qi, which was infinitely close to the quality of a Golden Elixir True Sha, this breath was incredibly pure. The small figure grew rapidly in the wind, in an instant reaching a height of seven or eight feet, roughly the same size as Yu Ci. It looked more like a phantom than a human form, making it clear at a glance what it was.
This was due to Yu Ci's low cultivation level and his lack of proficiency with the Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar talisman. According to Old Master Zhu, when such a talisman is fully cultivated, it can truly condense the power of the heavenly stars into a physical form, with a spirit residing within it, almost indistinguishable from the original body. Even now, if one closed their eyes and sensed its aura using the Manipulation of Divine Consciousness, it would be almost identical to Yu Ci's.
At this moment, Yu Ci's own aura was perfectly concealed, completely hidden beneath the aura of the avatar.
"This Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar, once it leaves the range of the Manipulation of Divine Consciousness, can only move in a straight line. But I have Divine Consciousness Starlight control, and can move freely within fifty miles...Go!"
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The semi-illusory avatar transformed into a stream of light and flew forward, while Yu Ci, without any hesitation, quickly released the "Heavenly River Prayer Incantation", using starlight to protect his body, and once again daringly used the Earth Escape Technique to burrow into the ground.
In the distance, an armored male cultivator from the Heavy Weapon Sect was rapidly pursuing.
Once submerged in the soil, Yu Ci moved like a fish, covering thirty to fifty feet with each flick of his body, his speed was not slow. However, after he had advanced about half a mile, the restraining force of the surrounding soil layer suddenly weakened. Not only that, the distribution of the Five Elements' Qi also suddenly became chaotic, and a heavy stench filled his mouth and nose. It was immediately isolated by the Heavenly River Prayer Incantation, which can ward off all evils, and was washed clean.
Yu Ci plunged into the soil, as mucky as a swamp. Within a hundred miles, there was only one such place - the toxic marsh that had been corroded by the spear of a female cultivator from the Heavy Weapon Sect not long ago!
The starlight generated by the Heavenly River Prayer Incantation hovered around him, while the Mirage Mountain Sword Qi provided close protection. With both layers of defense activated, the poison of the toxic marsh, no matter how potent, would find it hard to penetrate for a while. Yu Ci carefully controlled his breath, not letting it leak out, as his body settled down in the depths of the poison marsh, as thin as soup.
This was another hideout that people would hardly think of. Especially for the cultivator of the Heavy Weapon Sect who created this poison marsh. When a male cultivator from the Heavy Weapon Sect passed overhead, he didn't even stop, recognizing the breath of Yu Ci that kept extending downwards, he chased after it with all his might, and in a blink of an eye, he was over ten miles away.
Yu Ci was calm and in no hurry to leave. The effectiveness of the Heavenly River Prayer Incantation was better than he had imagined, and the toxicity of the marsh posed little threat to him for the time being. More importantly, after the marsh was formed, the Innate Geng Metal Qi deeply embedded in the soil layer was greatly reduced. Yu Ci hid in it, and the pressure was less than that of other soil layers.
As for filth and the like, Yu Ci didn't care at all. He stayed there and had enough patience to keep it up.
During this time, Yu Ci was not daydreaming, but pondering about the "Eastern Marquis Tomb."
In fact, Xiao Fuyun's plan was not wrong, Yu Ci did know the location of the Eastern Marquis Tomb. More precisely, before encountering the thieves led by Pang Ji, Yu Ci was on his way to the Eastern Marquis Tomb.
The Lichen Sect had set aside land for hundreds of sword cultivators to be buried in the past. Although it had not been reclaimed, it was still the landlord, and its understanding of the internal structure of the sword garden surpassed most of the other sects. Compared to others who were groping in the dark, Sect's Mountain Gate always had a clear goal.
The so-called Eastern Marquis was a famous sword cultivator in the great war between sword cultivation and Western Buddhist Practice. Before his death, he was already at the Power of the Great Tribulation, especially proficient in various sword techniques, including secret transmissions. According to the sect's biography, the Eastern Marquis had a broad mind. When he died of severe injuries, he bore no grudges, so the arrangement of his tomb followed the usual practice. Anyone who came to worship at his tomb had a good chance of gaining the secret method of the Sword Way after being refined by the sword aura.
The Lichen Sect had precisely seized this point. In recent years, they had focused their main energy on the Eastern Marquis Tomb and gained a lot. This time was no exception. Before setting off, Li You and Zhang Yan had informed him of this news and gave him a lot of detailed information about this tomb. Before arrival, Sect's Mountain Gate had sent the most detailed information to all participating disciples in the form of Mirage Jade Scroll, along with a compass to help identify the Eastern Marquis Tomb. The preparation couldn't be more thorough.
For this very reason, if Yu Ci should fall into Xiao Fuyun's hands, the consequences would be dire. Even though he had managed to escape for the moment, he would have to be exceedingly cautious while on the road, lest he bring disaster to his fellow disciples. This was something Yu Ci would hate to witness.
"Best if he and the Heavy Weapon Sect both suffer a mutual defeat!"
Yu Ci quietly smiled, slowly purifying the Heart of the Lake, entering a deep meditative state. The harsh conditions of the surrounding poisonous swamp had no effect on him. Such concentration was truly remarkable.
The Inner Void of the Heart unfolded, the Fish-Dragon roaming freely in the void. A thin mist had formed around him, dark and dense, with tiny sharp particles seeping in.
The dark mist was the poisonous gas from the swamp, and the sharp particles were undoubtedly the Innate Geng Metal Qi, a phenomenon caused by the initial stages of "Energy Introduction". The Inner Void of the Heart and External Primordial Qi had started to resonate, but without the ability to discern, any exogenous Qi could enter if its concentration reached a certain level. Yu Ci needed to use the method of "purifying the void" to discard the unnecessary and retain the essence, beneficial for his cultivation.
He had noticed signs of this before, but it was only after four months of intense cultivation that they had become this apparent.
After what felt like an eternity, Yu Ci gradually felt that the speed of "purifying the void" could not keep up with the influx of exogenous Qi. The harmful exogenous Qi in the Inner Void of the Heart had accumulated heavily. Knowing that he had reached his limit, he made a mental command, his body shot upwards, breaking through the poisonous swamp and reaching the fresh air of the outside world.
At this moment, there was no one in sight. Xiao Fuyun and the male and female cultivators of the Heavy Weapon Sect had disappeared. This challenge, Yu Ci had finally overcome.
After some thought, Yu Ci returned to the site of the previous battle between the three Golden Elixir cultivators. The area was in complete disarray. Small mounds had been flattened, the ground was littered with signs of lightning strikes and erosion. Yu Ci even spotted a newly formed, smaller poisonous swamp. It was clear that the female cultivator had used her incredibly powerful toxic spear.
The "delightful" scene of mutual defeat between Xiao Fuyun and the Heavy Weapon Sect, Yu Ci did not witness. However, he did see the remains of Pang Ji, who had arrived first at the scene. His body lay across a patch of ground corroded by Xiao Fuyun's Sword Energy, charred black by lightning, a sight of utter desolation. Further away, the Curse Sword Conch Shell was still there, but was there any mechanism left on it?
"Heh..."
Yu Ci shook his head, about to look away, when suddenly his heart jolted: "Wait, what is that?"...