The actions of others were a hair faster than Yu Ci's. Hua Xifeng's hand movement released a Sword Light into the sky, a wave of light as clear as water, devoid of any trace of smoke or fire. Yet it impacted the Primordial Qi of the entire area, causing it to ripple along with the light wave, further infiltrating the already distorted void.

Within this water-like area, the momentum of the Demon Fire seemed to be suppressed.

Li Hong and the others showed a considerable understanding of the situation. Seeing Hua Xifeng voluntarily taking on the defensive task, they moved to the flanks. Li Hong released a snake-like aura, writhing in the void, possessing an astonishing spirituality. Each lash was comparable to a divine weapon, attempting to penetrate the gap between the bead and the Pan Emperor's Three Swords.

He truly drew a series of blood droplets, but those droplets were also burning, making one can't help but wonder, were Bu Cuo and the other two also burning inside?

Li Hong's attacks were mainly exploratory, while Wang Jiu from the Empirical Department was more straightforward. With a shake of his sword, the surrounding air temperature dropped sharply amidst a clear ringing sound. A layer of Sword Energy rolled out, whipping up a snow wave nearly seven or eight zhang high, almost threatening to submerge the Bronze Palace, and slammed down fiercely.

Amidst a series of hissing sounds, mist churned, and deep-colored flames flickered, seemingly on the brink of extinction at any moment. But Wang Jiu furrowed his brows, sensing something unusual in the Sword Energy.

Everyone made defensive moves.

The next moment, several fire lines as thin as spider silk tore through the icy Sword Energy, shooting out in all directions. The fire lines were incredibly sharp, causing ripples in the void wherever they passed, and when they cut the ground, they revealed bottomless cracks.

This was somewhat reminiscent of the technique once displayed by the Heavy Weapon Sect on the Thrown Spear. Yu Ci had no difficulty avoiding it. Xuan Huang kept shouting "Stop them!" which annoyed him to the point where he finally shouted,

"Stop my head!"

"Huh?"

At this point, Hua Xifeng and the others had avoided the counterattack of the Pan Emperor's Three Swords and were about to attack again when they suddenly heard a shout:

"Stop!"

Everyone was startled and turned their heads to see Yu Ci raising his hand and saying, "Senior Brothers, please hold your hands for a moment and listen to me!"

Without waiting for their doubts, Yu Ci quickly and concisely explained the situation, then said, "The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave and this Pan Emperor's Three Swords are heading to Guixu (which usually means bottomless valley in the sea) with the Sky Demon Fire, relying on Plague Demon Seeds, harvested from the essence of thousands of Cultivators in the Secret Domain. The source is not here, it cannot be extinguished or suppressed, instead, it will consume too much, those people may be in danger..."

By the time he got to this point, Yu Ci's intention was clear. Xuan Huang was cursing in the Inner Void of the Heart after hearing half of it, and Hua Xifeng and the others were also surprised. Those like Li Hong, who had some understanding of Yu Ci, were even more astonished: "Junior Brother Yu, this is womanly compassion!"

"Indeed, there are some things in this world that can be done but not spoken of," Yu Ci made it clear, effectively locking everyone's hands. Despite knowing there were flaws in his words, no one could find a more compelling counterargument in the heat of the moment. Especially Xiao Lu, a man from the Discipline Department, was deeply troubled, the Magical Instrument in his palm unable to break free no matter what.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"The younger generation knows their place! Indeed, it would be better to save some energy, it's beneficial for both sides. Besides, by rights, our sect's founder originated from the Secret Domain. It's only natural for us to want to return. If anyone wants to stop us, they should be the Master of the Secret Domain!"

Bu Cuo's voice echoed, raspy and strained. It seemed that controlling the Sky Demon Fire, which didn't belong to them, was a tremendous burden. It made one wonder, what would happen if they pushed a little harder?

Wang Jiu, who appeared aloof, was actually the most resolute among the Lichen Sect disciples. He couldn't stand provocation and was about to draw his sword when his elbow was held back. Turning his head, he saw it was Li Hong, who had just questioned Yu Ci, stopping him.

But it was too late. The Sky Demon Fire burned through the void, relying on a momentary burst of power. In an instant, a hole was eroded in the sky above the Bronze Palace. A Void Rift appeared, with the Primordial Qi of both sides of the void erupting, creating a loud gas explosion. The shockwave, solid and tangible, spread in all directions.

The shockwave seemed to trigger some mechanism. The Bronze Palace, which had been quiet during the fight, suddenly buzzed. A Sword Energy was forced out from it, piercing straight into the newly opened rift. Soon, a faint Aura was felt from the distant void.

"Uh... this passage is still here!" Xuan Huang snapped out of his rage, admitting that revealing such a flaw in his seal was quite embarrassing. He couldn't help but feel a bit stifled.

The Pan Emperor's Three Swords, in that instant, rushed into the Void Rift. As they disappeared, a sharp cry echoed. A familiar presence swept past the edge of Yu Ci's senses. It was the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave.

Without a word, Yu Ci rode his sword straight up.

"What's happening?"

Seeing his actions, Hua Xifeng and the others were shocked. No one here was a fool. They quickly realized what was happening, turned into several Sword Lights without hesitation, and followed closely. Hua Xifeng, while still busy, waved his hand and threw a message talisman to alert his fellow disciples.

The Void Rift was burned through in just a few moments, quickly healing as if it had never been there, leaving no trace.

Yu Ci was very familiar with the feeling of crossing the void. The dizziness was much less intense. He adapted quickly with his eyes closed, but when he opened them, it was still pitch black. After a moment of concentration, Yu Ci realized it wasn't that he was blind, but that there was almost no light in this space. It was eerily silent, devoid of any Aura.

The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave and Pan Emperor's Three Swords who had been ahead of him, as well as the several Senior Brothers who had been behind, had all disappeared without a trace.

"Hey, where are we?"

Xuan Huang was grinding his teeth... that was probably the best way to describe it. With his limited Primordial Spirit, there was nothing he could do to Yu Ci.

Yu Ci chuckled, "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. You should be thanking me right now."

"You..." Xuan Huang began, but suddenly fell silent.

"Isn't it? If our luck isn't too bad, we should already be in Guixu, the bottomless valley in the sea. You once said that as long as we could enter Guixu, you would be able to sense where your main body is. At that time, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave would be nothing more than a piece of cake—how about that?"

Xuan Huang was silent for a long while. When he finally spoke, his voice was trembling slightly, "I can feel it! Over there, it's over there, take me quickly!"

"Oh?" Yu Ci responded with a smile, but did not move.

Xuan Huang began to stomp his foot, "Hurry up!"

"Did you forget something?"

"You damn bastard!" Xuan Huang cursed with a foul mouth, but Yu Ci didn't get angry, standing still as if rooted to the ground. Xuan Huang, tired from cursing, suddenly burst into laughter, shouting, "Good lad, you got me, it was my mistake, I misunderstood you, thank you, thank you..."

He was saying whatever sounded nice now, looking jubilant, but Yu Ci still did not move.

Finally, Xuan Huang stopped playing the fool. He quickly said, "Right, this is the entrance to Guixu, a layer of the void, similar to the spatial properties inside a Storage Ring. Living beings shouldn't stay here for too long, let's go this way... haha, who would have thought that thief would have paved the way for us!"

Only then did Yu Ci move, saying, "It's also luck. If the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave knew you had escaped and were hiding with me, he wouldn't let us go no matter what."

"Don't worry, don't worry, once I merge with my main body, even ten Masters of the Sunken Sword Cave wouldn't stand a chance!"

This was a bit exaggerated, but Yu Ci didn't mind. He was about to respond when he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and stopped, letting out a bitter laugh, "What about before you merge..."

Xuan Huang fell silent. In the darkness, a faint light illuminated the face of a figure ahead.

"Yu Ci, isn't it... So you're a senior disciple of the Lichen Sect. You and that mistress from the Rakshasa Sect worked together and managed to deceive me!"

*********

...