"Save your complaints for later!"

Without a moment's delay, Yu Ci bolted from the Cloud Born Pavilion. His recent long-distance battle was facilitated by the Primordial Qi transmitted through the First Layer Talisman Seal, leaving a clear trajectory. If the adversary was keen, they could easily locate him, hence the need for an immediate change of location.

The utterance "complaints" had deeply humiliated Xuan Huang, who was now roaring in the Inner Void of the Heart, "It was your rotten idea! Otherwise, how would they have had the chance to send the Plague Sky Demon in?"

His intense thoughts reverberated incessantly. When Yu Ci heard the term "Plague Sky Demon" for the second time, the Demon Soul within the core of the First Layer Talisman Seal silently exploded. If the abundant Primordial Qi was a river, then the Talisman Seal Core was its source. If a section of the river was contaminated, at least the upstream would remain unaffected. But if the source was polluted, the entire river would be tainted.

The Plague Sky Demon was the toxic filth that had exploded at the source of the river.

Even if he regained control of the Primordial Qi at this point, it would be futile. The Primordial Qi within the Talisman Seal was constantly flowing at an astonishing speed. Within a few moments, it could make a full round. In this brief interval, the outer regions of the Secret Domain had already been infected with this poison, which was rapidly spreading.

Yu Ci was stunned, "What on earth is this Plague Sky Demon?"

Xuan Huang responded coldly, "It's a plague borne from one man's obsession, infecting thousands. It transforms Pan Chang's greatest obsession before his death into countless Plague Seeds, planting them deep within everyone's Heart-Mind, causing them to lose their true selves unconsciously. Moreover, as the seeds grow, every method that was previously used on Pan Chang is likely to be repeated on those infected."

"Doesn't that mean, the previous abnormal stimulation of potential..."

"Out of the people in the Secret Domain, nine out of ten are likely to be infected. That scoundrel is so vicious. If one Pan Chang isn't enough, he'll use ten, a hundred, or even thousands. The collective consciousness, if truly united, coupled with the Heavenly Calculation Bead for calculations, indeed has the potential to break through the Third-layer Talisman Seal..."

Yu Ci fell silent. The thought of ninety percent of the cultivators in the Secret Domain ending up like Pan Chang was bone-chilling.

He finally understood that the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave had created such a spectacle, inviting so many people, all to create momentum and attract more people to the Sword Immortal's Secret Domain, to serve as fuel for breaking the Talisman Seal. The ten cultivators, including Yu Ci, who were granted the "Heavenly Calculation Bead", were actually the triggers, representing the ten most likely to transform into the Plague Sky Demon.

Xuan Huang's anger hadn't subsided, and before it could continue, Yu Ci cut it off:

"Alright, shouldn't we be pleased for a while? That scoundrel's scheme has finally been exposed."

Xuan Huang choked a bit, and after a while, he sneered, "This is the old trick of the Heavenly Demon. If it hadn't been discovered, it would have been better. By the time it's truly discovered, its scheme would have already been launched, always one step ahead..."

"Better than dying in the dark."

Yu Ci continued to choke, then took a deep breath, "Is there any way to resist?"

Having choked twice in a row, Xuan Huang realized he had lost his composure, and grumbled, "As long as the Heart-Mind is not in chaos, and the External Evil does not invade, even the Heavenly Demon himself may not succeed. But if the heart harbors selfish desires, such seeds will seize the opportunity to infiltrate, take root in the heart, and grow. It would be exceedingly difficult to eradicate them then."

Who among those who entered the Secret Domain had no selfish desires? What a joke, and not a funny one at that!

"Damn it..."

Just as he cursed, Plague Seeds had already been scattered to every corner of the outer perimeter of the Secret Domain. Everything happened under conditions imperceptible to ordinary people. That Plague Demon, its characteristics were truly elusive to the extreme. If not for Yu Ci personally witnessing its transformation process and colliding with it, it would be difficult to track its whereabouts.

On the contrary, the fact that the control of the First Layer Talisman Seal slipped away again was impossible to hide from others.

With Pan Chang's Divine Soul destroyed, his simplified talisman, which had become the operational hub, collapsed instantly. The operating mode of the First Layer Talisman Seal began to "repeat the old mistakes". In the eyes of most people, although they didn't know why Pan Chang failed in the end, there were previous near-successful attempts. This was like a piece of unclaimed meat, how could they let it go?

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Suddenly, dozens of simplified talismans, each with their own Spiritual Consciousness Mark, converged towards the center of the Talisman Seal. They were mostly experienced, able to penetrate deeper into the core than initially - the place with the highest concentration of toxins at this moment.

"Fools!" Yu Ci cursed under his breath.

In fact, who among those who could embed the simplified talisman into the Talisman Seal Core was a simple character? It's just that the Plague Demon's methods are unimaginable, and the control of the First Layer Talisman Seal is key. How could these people escape?

Yu Ci made a decision in an instant. He shouted, "Pass me the Primordial Qi!"

Xuan Huang's reaction was extremely quick. He was only taken aback for a moment before he took action, not questioning Yu Ci's intentions. With the control of Primordial Qi as a backing, others had no resistance at all. In a moment, Yu Ci inserted his own simplified talisman into the core, regaining control of the First Layer Talisman Seal. The repulsive force spread out, and those unlucky ghosts were blasted away once again. As for how much resentment and how many spat blood, that was not his concern.

"Good lad, you've got guts!" After Xuan Huang was stunned, he was delighted, "That scoundrel managed to forcefully break through the first two layers of the Talisman Seal, but not the others. We'll hold onto this layer of the Talisman Seal..."

"What a joke!"

The shadow of a Sword Immortal, even if it's just a tenth or even a hundredth of its strength, is far beyond what he, a half-baked Golden Elixir cultivator, can withstand. Even with the power of the First Layer Talisman Seal at his disposal, there's a poison at its core!

Ignorance would have been bliss, but daring to rush in, those elusive and extremely venomous Plague Demon Seeds would cling to him like maggots to bone, constantly trying to infiltrate Yu Ci's Spiritual Consciousness Mark, and from there, to his Divine Soul.

Yu Ci, with the true form of the Heavenly Dragon as his foundation and the Heavenly River Prayer Incantation as a supplement, could temporarily avoid contamination, but the pressure was relentless. What's worse, because he held the Talisman Seal, he attracted attention. From the depths of the Misty Shadow Sky, the most dangerous entity had sensed something and was staring at him with a mix of suspicion and ferocity.

"It's not him!" In this tense moment, both Yu Ci and Xuan Huang confirmed.

"Someone else released the Plague Demon!"

In the time it took to say those words, the powerful onslaught from the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave had arrived. Yu Ci, with no time to spare, drew upon the Primordial Qi, activating the unparalleled sword intent within the Talisman Seal, and counterattacked with a hum.

The entire Misty Shadow Sky suddenly stagnated, as if the world formed by the clouds had abruptly shrunk. The First Layer Talisman Seal Thunderbolt Tribulation wavered, the second layer Talisman Seal was disturbed, and the powerful collision even elicited a reaction from the Third-layer Talisman Seal. Heaven and Earth darkened in an instant, with lightning darting about the clouds, as if ready to strike down at any moment.

The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave was quite wary of this and immediately concealed his presence. Yu Ci's lips twitched twice, but he couldn't suppress the blood spilling from his mouth. He smeared the blood over his face, wiping away all traces of it from his features, then slapped his cheeks, forcing himself to recover from the dizziness caused by his Divine Soul's shock.

Xuan Huang, who had just urged him to defend the First Layer Talisman Seal at all costs, fell silent. The reality was, while Yu Ci might have the skill to control powerful forces, his body couldn't withstand them. A few more such counterattacks, and Yu Ci might be crushed to dust!

However, contrary to Xuan Huang's expectations, Yu Ci didn't retreat while he could. Instead, he suppressed his injuries and fully activated the simplified Talisman, replacing the original Talisman Seal's operation.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Where is he?"

"What?"

"I said, where is that guy?"

As Yu Ci's thoughts became clearer, the information he gave to Xuan Huang also became more precise: "Where is the guy controlling the Plague Demon?"

Finally, Xuan Huang understood. "Yes, yes! As long as we don't lose control over that scoundrel, we still have a chance!"

"Stop prattling and help!"

Yu Ci had never yelled at Xuan Huang in such a manner since they met. Xuan Huang, however, remained silent, fully unleashing the floodgates of Primordial Qi for Yu Ci to command and manipulate. The restricted area under the Misty Shadow Sky and the First Layer Talisman Seal, including the periphery of the Sword Immortal's Secret domain, were all within his Primordial Qi scanning range.

Thanks to Yu Ci's experience with the Divine Bronze Mirror, he wasn't overwhelmed by the influx of information, but it wasn't easy. He had to further refine his thoughts, seeking out the information he truly needed from the flood-like torrent.

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?"

The vibrations of the Three-layer Talisman Seal began to fade. The surrounding Plague Demon Seeds had already detected the mental cracks caused by his anxiety, trying to infiltrate every moment, only to be blocked by the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form. At this point, the sense of crisis returned. This time, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave would approach and strike in a more covert manner, but Yu Ci didn't even have the ability to be distracted.

A Fine Line Between Life and Death, where was his way out?

At this moment, his thoughts had transcended specific matters, truly refining into a force that thunderously opened the door to the deepest part of his Divine Soul.

Another pair of "eyes" opened, scanning through billions of disordered information in an instant... or perhaps even skipping this process, directly pointing out the most accurate answer hidden behind complex forms.

"There!"

The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave made a comeback, concealing his breath until there was no longer any way to hide, then fully erupted, aiming to catch Yu Ci off guard. However, after the shock swept over, causing the Three-layer Talisman Seal to fluctuate and the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder to lash the atmosphere, Yu Ci's breath had disappeared, along with the simplified Talisman and Spiritual Consciousness Mark that had once again occupied the First Layer Talisman Seal, all shattered into nothingness.

"Where did he go?"

"Where is this?"

Yu Ci groaned, steadying himself against the surrounding rock walls. The rebellion of his Five Viscera and Six Bowels was evident, but he had no time to care, instead carefully surveying his surroundings. He was in the middle of a tunnel, with Night Pearls adorning both sides, providing clear light, but the overall space felt somewhat oppressive.

It seemed like...

"Eh, Junior Brother Yu?"

Yu Ci turned his head sharply, then seemed a bit stunned. "Senior Brother Ge?"