Yu Ci did not ask further. On one hand, it was because the irony was too complex for Xuan Huang to comprehend. On the other hand, he realized it was a misunderstanding. If he truly had Xuan Huang's permission, there would be no need for such surreptitious actions.

A bit further from the Talisman Seal Core, it seemed another person's Spiritual Consciousness Mark was seeping in. Unlike Yu Ci's overtly embedded mark, this one was constantly shifting, its nature changing every instant, elusive and obscure. It was through this method that it managed to confuse the Talisman Seal's self-defense, making some progress—if Yu Ci did not intervene.

Yu Ci's forceful intervention evidently startled the other party. The fluctuating mark was no longer infiltrating but rapidly retreating, disappearing into the surging Primordial Qi of the void.

"Who could it be? Touching the Talisman Seal Core is not an easy feat."

Yu Ci wanted to track it but gave up due to exhaustion. Xuan Huang, who finally understood the situation, was taken aback, "Impossible. How could the Talisman Seal Core be deceived so easily?"

"Is it really that difficult? If it's someone skilled in this field..."

"This doesn't seem like a method of the Talisman."

Yu Ci agreed, but he couldn't discern the exact details from the fleeting glimpse.

"Regardless, since you have control over the Talisman Seal, the other party can't do anything."

Xuan Huang chuckled, eagerly saying, "This is the second layer. As long as you can control this, you'll have self-protection in the Secret Domain. Even that person can't harm you. Once you break through the second layer, I can sense where my body is. Then, defeating that bastard will be as easy as blowing off dust!"

There was undoubtedly some exaggeration in his words. Even if Xuan Huang was strong, facing an immortal who had cultivated for over ten thousand years was not a matter of simply killing.

Perhaps annoyed by Xuan Huang's bragging, Yu Ci jabbed lightly, "Don't forget who trapped you in the Sunken Sword Cave for five thousand years."

"That was because I fell for the villain's feigned death trick." Xuan Huang's thoughts flared up. This disgraceful past was too painful to recall, like a ticking bomb.

Yu Ci smiled slightly, "Whatever you say."

"..."

Xuan Huang was inexplicably aggrieved, wishing he could summon the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave right now and slay him with one stroke, taking Yu Ci along for the ride, to clear his name.

Yu Ci left the about-to-explode Xuan Huang aside. In truth, he no longer had the energy to bicker with Xuan Huang. Controlling the second layer of the Talisman Seal or killing the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave later were not his current concerns. He only cared about finding a safe place where he could get a good night's sleep!

"Oh, there's this as well..."

Yu Ci squinted, looking at the dazzling orb of light before him. This was the spoils of war left behind after vanquishing the Shadow of the Eastern Marquis, containing the pure Sword Intent of the Eastern Marquis. A priceless treasure in the outside world. Especially in recent years, the Sect had been focusing on the tomb of the Eastern Marquis, and with this Sword Intent as a reference, they could patch up the gaps and perfect the Sword Method that originated from the same source.

But now, Yu Ci no longer had a second Sword Ball of similar nature.

"Apologize, and I will teach you a method to temporarily seal the Sword Intent."

"Apologize for what? I'm not agreeing to this, you're speaking in riddles. How would I know what I did wrong?"

"Waaa..." The temper of the little Xuanhuang flared up. Yu Ci ignored it, and it couldn't get its "justice" for the moment. After a few rounds, it was almost driven mad.

Yu Ci seized the moment, speaking lightly, "Still think I'm accusing you wrongly? Why not explain yourself? If there's a reasonable explanation, what harm is there in apologizing?"

"You should apologize! You should apologize!"

Amidst Xuanhuang's angry cries, the scenes from the past gradually became clear.

Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, he was not known by this name back then. In fact, he had no name. He, or rather "it," was merely a shadow conceived by the peerless Sword immortal, Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, in the Sword Garden, a memorial to his companions, just like the thousands of shadow remnants in the Secret Domain.

The only difference was that it was the shadow of Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation himself, having a living person as a reference, it possessed a unique spirituality that others did not have.

This wasn't a big deal initially, being akin to an external incarnation, it could never betray its master. However, there are always exceptions. As Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation's concept of "return" deepened...

"What is 'return'?" Yu Ci didn't understand.

"This 'return' is like... beckoning someone to come back..."

Xuanhuang tried to gloss over it, but obviously, it was not very successful. Yu Ci cornered it with a few words, and it had to explain hastily.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

As Yu Ci already knew, contrary to what the outside world knew, many of the Sword Cultivators who had returned from the west and established the Sword Garden had not all perished. Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, the last one standing, had survived.

Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, the master of the Sword Competing Pavilion before the Five Thunderbolt Tribulations. His real name was not this, but because he was publicly recognized by the World Sword Cultivators as the "Thunderbolt-Free Sword Ancestor" at that time, praising his cultivation level as reaching the end of the world, and all the Heaven and Earth Thunderbolt Tribulations could hardly harm him, he was named "Without Thunderbolt Tribulation", and his original name was forgotten.

The Eight Thousand Sword Cultivators' Western Expedition was spearheaded by Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation, among others. Regardless of his initial intentions and the earth-shattering magnitude of the expedition, their grand, unparalleled endeavor ended in defeat. The essence of sword cultivation, accumulated over numerous Thunderbolt Tribulations, barely survived, with one in ten making it through. In the following century, all of them perished, leading to the decline of the path of sword cultivation.

Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation was The Initiator.

It's difficult to fathom the thoughts of a sword immortal, but one could imagine Qu Wu Thunderbolt Tribulation was filled with regret. Hence, fueled by a strong conviction, he emerged from the supreme demonic Thunderbolt Tribulation that suddenly descended after the Western Expedition. He secluded himself in the depths of the Sword Garden, embarking on an extreme proposition.

Xuan Huang Chant intoned, "Slash through the void, reaching the Eternal Abyss. Summon friends to return and reopen the heavens of the Sword Way!"

"Does this refer to..." Yu Ci understood, but wanted to confirm once more.

"Back then, in front of The Initial Hermitage, thirteen ancient Buddhas returned to silence, breaking the Six Realms of Rebirth, evolving the Three Thousand Worlds, and banishing seventeen sword immortals into the Eternal Abyss. They wandered in the endless Depths of the Void, suffering from the demonic Thunderbolt Tribulation. However, given your divine powers, it does not necessarily mean death. Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals planned to use supreme divine power, with the Sword Garden as the foundation, to slash through the Three Thousand Worlds, opening a pathway to the Eternal Abyss, and guiding you all back."

So it was... Yu Ci listened, his mind drifting in fascination. It was hard to imagine what it must have looked like when that great immortal unleashed a heaven-piercing, earth-shattering Sword Light, shattering the void. However, thinking of the twisted void that could tear a person into pieces, he could only force a dry laugh, finally understanding how the multiple Void Rifts in the Secret Garden under the First Layer Talisman Seal came to be.

"Thinking back, it wasn't successful, was it?"

"Just the deduction alone took nearly a Thunderbolt Tribulation's worth of time, during which the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals had to incarnate into countless forms, investigating through the Void Tunnels that he had cleaved open in various places. Even though he possessed supreme Divine Power, it was not the 'Tao of the lords' that he was following, so he faced some difficulties and expended a great deal of energy. I also tried to help, but in doing so, I neglected the Secret Domain, overlooking the thief's gradual increase in Cultivation Level and accumulation of Malicious Qi. Finally, ten thousand years ago, when the Secret Domain was exchanging Primordial Qi with the outside world, that thief seized the opportunity and ambushed the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals!"

Xuan Huang, though formless, seemed to grit his teeth with unabated bitterness.

Yu Ci gave a slight grunt, following Xuan Huang's tone, "The thief succeeded? Could it be that the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals..."

"How could it be! How could the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals be so easily defeated? Though he was heavily injured, he almost annihilated that scoundrel in retaliation... well, almost. I don't know what method that scoundrel used, but he managed to escape from the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals and hide in the Sunken Sword Cave to recover his strength. As for the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals, due to the immense energy spent on cleaving the void and the ambush at a critical moment, his Yang Spirit was severely damaged and he had to enter a long sleep. He only woke up two or three times in between, each time very briefly."

That's still a loss...

Of course, Yu Ci wouldn't voice this thought, or Xuan Huang might turn against him. After a few grunts and nods, Xuan Huang exposed his own sore spot, bitterly saying, "What annoys me is that I thought that scoundrel was thoroughly dead, and I let down my guard, allowing him to enjoy five thousand years of peace and even trap me!"

He was eventually too embarrassed to continue, and his subsequent words were very brief. He only mentioned that his main body, being the core of the Talisman Seal's operation, couldn't move easily. Usually, he could only move a bit of his Primordial Spirit out for exploration. When he noticed something strange about the gathering of Sword Ghosts in the Sunken Sword Cave, he went in to investigate. However, he was caught off guard by the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, who cut off his connection with his main body and suppressed him under the Sword Sacrifice Platform.

Finally, his inherent nature was in conflict with the other party. He struggled to maintain himself without being refined, and the experiences during this period were unbearable to look back on. In the end, he clung to Yu Ci, a lifeline, using the Divine consciousness starlight as a handrail, seizing the opportunity of evolving the Talisman Seal, and threw himself into the Inner Void of the Heart.

Seeing his deep concern, Yu Ci couldn't make fun of him anymore. He went with the flow and muttered an apology. Xuan Huang, not wanting to say more, took the opportunity to back down. He passed on to Yu Ci a method to seal his sword intent for a short time, transforming the sword intent radiance left by the Shadow of the Eastern Marquis into a round bead for safekeeping.

"It can only be preserved for about ten days. By then, you'll need to find a carrier."

Yu Ci grunted in response, then asked, "Where can I sleep?"

"Who has time to sleep now!"

Xuan Huang was so annoyed that he stomped his feet. Unfortunately, at this time in the Inner Void of the Heart, the Life Death Talisman was in control. Its grip on the surrounding void was tighter than ever before, making it difficult for him to vent his anger as he had done previously.

"So, you're sending me to my death? Or are you saying you don't have confidence in the third-layer Talisman Seal you arranged?"

Xuan Huang, of course, would rather die than show weakness in front of Yu Ci again. After pondering for a while, he said, "Between the first and second layers of the Talisman Seal is the Cloud Born Pavilion, originally inhabited by a few Sword cultivators who returned from the Western Expedition. It later became a place where shadows were born. If you really want to sleep, go to the Eastern Marquis. The seal there should still be there. The new shadow will not be born until ten days later."

"Wait, shadows can be reborn?"

"Nonsense, these are all the products of the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals' contemplation. As long as the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals exist, these shadows exist..."

"If the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals don't want them to exist, they don't?"

"That's exactly the case."

"What about the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave?"

Xuan Huang immediately fell silent. After a long while, he reluctantly said, "He must have found a treasure to rely on..."

"A treasure that can resist the killing intent of the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals?"

Before Xuan Huang could respond, the cloud energy Heaven and Earth suddenly shook. Yu Ci, with his sharp senses, exclaimed, "He's coming down!"

...