Due to the need to set up some parameters these past few days, progress has been slow. Therefore, there will be an additional update today, with another chapter in the afternoon.
I am the divider for the additional update.
Yu Ci sprang up from the ground, swinging his fists in the void.
The so-called Seed True Talisman refers to a Cultivator who is adept at Talisman. Over the years, through drawing and using Talismans, he has deeply understood the essence of Talisman. He has etched the true meaning of a particular Talisman into his bones, to the extent that his aura has resonated with the Talisman, leaving a mark of Talisman in his meridian points. Without needing to spend time drawing Talismans, the power of the Talisman can be manifested in every move he makes.
Imagine, if a Cultivator's meridian point forms an Upper Cave-True Starlight Sensing Divine Thunder type of Seed True Talisman, a wave of the hand would unleash the power of Heavenly Thunder. How formidable would that be!
Moreover, according to Old Master Zhu, a single Seed True Talisman is already extraordinary. If one can gather a set of Talismans from the same origin that form a system, arranged in the number of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha, they can mutually generate each other and form a Golden Talisman of one's destiny. This is a variant of the Golden Elixir of the Daoist sect, and can also become the Taoist Foundation of gaining longevity.
Yu Ci did not know why a True Talisman Seed was formed, even though it was driven by Sword aura. But this was no longer important. The fact that he could achieve a Seed True Talisman proved that there was no deviation in Yu Ci's Taoist Foundation, and he had truly embarked on the process of forming the Golden Elixir.
Whether to form the Golden Elixir of the Daoist sect or the Golden Talisman of one's destiny was not a problem. The sect not only has the orthodox Elixir Technique such as "Taiqing Liquid Divine Elixir Technique" that directly points out, but also the Golden Talisman treasure like "Dongxuan Lingbao Destiny Talisman Chapter". In the end, they all can be integrated into the fundamental classics of the sect, the "Heavenly Mansion Nine Degrees Book", without causing disorder right from the start.
His worries were allayed for the moment. After turning around in place twice, Yu Ci finally managed to calm his excitement. Only then did he remember to sense the position of the Fish-Dragon. Upon seeing it, he couldn't help but laugh. By this time, the Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar had already expired. Di Tianluo and his companion had also noticed something was wrong and were heading back. However, their luck seemed to be a bit problematic, as they were somehow surrounded by a group of Sword Ghosts.
Sword Ghosts are the resentful spirits of sword cultivators buried in the Sword Garden, fierce and violent yet profoundly versed in the principles of the sword, not to be underestimated. Speaking of which, Yu Ci hadn't encountered many Sword Ghosts in the sword circle in the past few days, and now it seemed like he was being compensated.
These Resentful Spirits, vaguely human-shaped and wielding dark, ghostly swords, erupted by the dozens, even hundreds, from caves in every direction. Although Di Tianluo and Di She's Polar Light Primordial Magnetism were invincible, and the blood shadow formed by Xiao Fuyun was devouring these Resentful Spirits, there was a sense of endlessness to the killing.
Among them, some exuded an aura of slaughter far surpassing their peers, as if they had already developed basic spiritual intelligence. They hid among their kind, appearing and disappearing in an instant, and occasionally struck with a chilling sword aura and strict discipline, posing a threat to Di Tianluo and his companion far greater than a hundred ordinary Sword Ghosts.
At first, Yu Ci could still laugh, but gradually he could no longer find humor in the situation. Such a scale of Sword Ghosts would mean certain death for an ordinary Nature-Connecting Cultivator. Even now, they were qualified to trap and kill a Golden Elixir cultivator. The only reason they couldn't deal with Di Tianluo and his companion was because the two were extraordinary individuals, unlike ordinary people, and furthermore... the Sword Ghosts had not yet reached their limit!
The Fish-Dragon dared not linger there. Seizing the opportunity when Di Tianluo unleashed a Polar Light Primordial Magnetism, wiping out nearly half of the Sword Ghosts, it swished its tail and darted into another tunnel. But, to its surprise, it ran into another wave of Sword Ghost reinforcements. The tunnel was filled with Resentful Spirits, a sight that made one's hair stand on end. Yu Ci hurriedly controlled the Fish-Dragon to stick to the cave wall and found a crevice to squeeze into.
Thankfully, the Sword Ghosts paid no attention to this small creature, instead surging past like a swarm of bees, joining the tide attacking Di Tianluo and his companion.
"How could this be? Could this be a ghost cave?"
Yu Ci, while controlling the Fish-Dragon to retreat, couldn't help but look around from his current position. The caves near him were also sprawling, pitch black and hard to see the end, no different from the environment where the two from the Light Demon Sect were.
"Damn..." The sight of the tide of Sword Ghosts was too shocking, making him wonder what would happen if he were in that situation.
"Hmm, Sword Ghosts have no physical form, and using sword aura to exorcise them is too exhausting; Double Hook Palace Tassel might work, but it's a lose-lose situation and not sustainable; All-Heaven Flying Star Symbol Technique has a Soul-Shaking Technique, but it might not be fast enough, perhaps I'll have to use a Thunder Sensing Talisman to open the tunnel and escape, as for..."
Yu Ci was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing that he had yet to unseal the object that had led him into this underground cave.
Xiao Fuyun was long dead, his resentful spirit forced by Di Tianluo into becoming a Blood Shadow Demon. Most of his treasured possessions were sealed within his storage ring, which now lay in the hands of his arch-enemy, Yu Ci.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Given Xiao Fuyun's status in the Eastern Orthodox Sect, he was a rising Prominent Hero who had attracted much attention. His collection contained some superior items, such as the Chaos Nine-Hole Soul-Scattering Smoke Pot. This was a high-quality magic weapon refined for the Tenth Heavens, its power astonishing. Had it not been for Yu Ci's ability to counter it, he might have lost his soul and died in the Sword Garden.
However, Yu Ci was not in the mood to deal with these things. Following Xiao Fuyun's last words, he directly extracted a Mirage Jade Scroll from the ring. Upon a cursory examination with his divine consciousness, he saw a space of about ten feet in radius, within which a cloud of deep azure mist was steaming, transforming into several Seal Script characters in the air:
"Infinite Void Divine Illumination Scripture?"
After the Azure Mist transformed into characters, it disappeared completely. The void revealed by the Mirage Jade Scroll suddenly darkened, devoid of any light. Just as Yu Ci was puzzled, he felt a strong force pulling him down. The void seemed to have turned into a bottomless abyss, dragging him down incessantly.
During this process, countless scripture images rushed towards him, quickly transforming into various demons and monsters. They shrieked, extending hundreds of arms to drag him deeper into the abyss. Suddenly, a bright light shone, the demonic aura vanished, and divine beings and celestial maidens smiled at him, heavenly flowers raining down, a myriad of strange phenomena, too many to count.
A chill ran through Yu Ci's heart, sensing danger. He made a snap decision, shouting loudly, and in an instant, he stirred the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, forcibly lifting his heart-mind. Like a dragon leaping over a chasm, he burst out of the abyssal void.
All the strange phenomena disappeared, and the Mirage Jade Scroll in Yu Ci's heart remained as ordinary as ever, showing no signs of abnormality.
Shaking his head, Yu Ci was drenched in cold sweat. Thanks to the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, he was immune to all evils. Otherwise, he might have fallen into it this time. He realized that he had been tricked by the dead Xiao Fuyun. This "Infinite Void Divine Illumination Scripture" was indeed a copy made from the original as Xiao Fuyun had said. However, he had omitted a crucial detail. To comprehend this scripture, one needed a special method to protect the heart-mind, otherwise, they would not be able to withstand the God Lord's power contained within the scripture.
If the imitation is already like this, what about the original?
For a moment, Yu Ci did not dare to try again, but this round of exploration was not without gain. Now, his mind was filled with a jumble of convoluted mystical incantations and a heap of simple yet profound scriptures of praise and sacrifice. It was clearly stated that to comprehend these mystical incantations and acquire divine power, one must strictly adhere to these ritualistic practices to gain enlightenment from the God Lord. At this, Yu Ci was momentarily taken aback.
Yu Ci, who had never even read the Daoist and Buddhist scriptures, was completely at a loss. Apart from the sacrificial text he initially obtained from the Divine Bronze Mirror, he had never seen such verses of devotion to the God Lord. His head felt as heavy as a mountain, completely unsure of how to proceed.
To have him devote himself to the Limitless Vacuum God was unthinkable. In reality, he was still struggling to perfect his own skills, let alone spare time to practice the Eastern Orthodox Sect's Demon Technique. The sole reason he went to great lengths to obtain the Mirage Jade Scroll, which contains the demonic scripture from Xiao Fuyun, was for one thing only...
The Divine Bronze Mirror.
Collecting his thoughts, he took out two items. One was, of course, the Divine Bronze Mirror, and the other was the Void Mirror Plate he had obtained from the deceased Ji Long. Having been subjected to the Heavy Weapon Sect's formidable Ten Orientation Hell Ghost Shaking Technique, one of the aftereffects was the complete acceptance of the fragments of memory from those who died. From this, Yu Ci learned that these Eastern Orthodox Sect Cultivators, before they were scared to death, used a grand demon transformation method evolved from the "Infinite Void Divine Illumination Scripture".
This method was closely related to the Divine Bronze Mirror!
Yu Ci held the Void Mirror Plate in his left hand and the Divine Bronze Mirror in his right, comparing them again. Aside from slight differences in the Eighteen Sky Demons Map on the back, the material, and the craftsmanship, they were almost identical, especially when he turned to the front. The mirror surface was hazy with a green light, and even the frequency of the light pulsation seemed to be in sync.
"This Void Mirror Plate appears to be a replica of the Divine Bronze Mirror. During the turmoil of the Northern Land Demon Gate, this treasure somehow fell into the hands of Purple Thunder Immortal, a pearl covered in dust... Heh, even in my hands, it is still 'covered in dust'!"
According to those fragmented memories and the fleeting words of Xiaofu Yun at his moment of collapse, Yu Ci had a vague understanding of the original power of the Divine Bronze Mirror. Without mentioning anything else, when fourteen Golden Elixir cultivators unleashed the Limitless Vacuum Soul-searching Demon Transforming Method, within a thousand-mile radius, all living beings were reflected in the mirror. What kind of concept was this?
In comparison, during its prime in his hands, the Divine Bronze Mirror could only penetrate a fifty-mile radius, not even a fraction of its potential. Now in a state of semi-destruction, it was far from its former glory. Despite this, Yu Ci paid more attention to related information and methods, inevitably thinking about how to restore the mirror. He didn't care much about external objects, but the Divine Bronze Mirror was different!
Unfortunately, no matter how he thought about it, he had not yet come up with a feasible solution. Understanding the Demon Sutra was not a day's work, it was just a thought for the future.
At this time, Fish-Dragon had returned to his side, Yu Ci no longer thought about it, and sent the little fellow out to scout ahead and find a path downwards. This Underground Cave was not a good place, but everyone who came to the Sword Garden was looking for an opportunity, how could they shrink back from difficulties? Yu Ci still had to go down.
He had not taken twenty steps when he suddenly stopped, his hand gripping the air, swinging backwards. Halfway through, a brilliant light burst forth, the Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman had taken shape in his hand, humming with power. Where the Sword Energy passed, the atmosphere distorted, and a wave of Sha energy surged.
A few sharp cries rang out in the void, the ghostly creatures that had just sneaked up were hit head-on by the Sha energy. Despite their lack of substance, under the purifying Sword aura, they were severely damaged.
The residual Sword Energy continued to surge forward, finally meeting resistance with a "clang" sound.
Yu Ci squinted his eyes to see, in front of the sword's edge, the one who had taken this blow was indeed another ghostly creature. Standing nine feet tall, it was humanoid in shape, even discernible as being bare-chested. It was somewhat translucent, holding a dark ghost sword in its hand. Its face was obscured by a layer of black fog, with only two fiery red eyes visible, capable of burning a person.
This ghostly creature took the blow of the sword, but did not immediately counterattack. Instead, it let out a low roar, shaking the four walls:
"Where is the guest going? The path of the Sunken Sword Cave is complicated, without a guide, I'm afraid you won't reach the end!"
...