"If everything goes smoothly..." Xuan Huang's words were not filled with much confidence.
Yu Ci did not confirm nor deny, after organizing the scattered information, he looked back. From his current position, he could still see the figure of the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect. Under the armor, it seemed to be shrouded in a mist.
"Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion... what exactly does he want to do?"
In fact, if the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect just wanted to go to the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion, Yu Ci had a way, but the situation was obviously not that simple.
When Xuan Huang's plan failed, he came up with another one: "Let's sneak into the Star Track Sword Realm from the front. With me, it's not a problem."
Yu Ci was truly tempted, but then he shook his head. Facing such a character, a plan made on a whim was likely to end badly.
Yu Ci took another distant look and said to Xuan Huang, "The situation has its pros and cons. The good news is that this person is probably not in league with the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, the bad news is that this one seems to be more difficult to deal with!"
Between an enemy he knew well and one whose depth was unfathomable, if he really had to choose, Yu Ci would rather choose the former.
"No matter how difficult it is, as long as the Star Track Sword Realm is there..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a dull sound rang in Yu Ci's ears. Before he could understand what was happening, Xuan Huang suddenly fell silent. Yu Ci looked back and saw that at the end of the Lifeless Deathless Garden, the void was shaking, like rippling water, making the images behind it become vague.
He and Xuan Huang were both stunned. After a pause, Yu Ci tentatively asked, "Is it broken?"
"Not yet..."
"Then it's about to." Yu Ci declared, while Xuan Huang had no answer.
This time, Xuan Huang was truly nervous. In the center of Guixu (which usually means bottomless valley in the sea), with Qu Thunderbolt-Free healing inside, and the coffin of the original path parked, whichever it was, it was not allowed to lose. But now, with its state, it could do nothing but watch!
In the midst of the conversation, the water-like shock had a tendency to spread, not only in the Star Track Sword Realm, but also to the Lifeless Deathless Garden, making the starry sky hazy, like falling into a dream. Yu Ci could not avoid it and was caught in it, but the shock wave did not cause substantial damage. He only felt a tingling on his skin, then it passed. Considering its spreading power, it probably wouldn't be a problem even three to five miles away.
"How big is the entire Guixu (which usually means bottomless valley in the sea)?"
"If you don't count the peripheral Void Interlayer, it's about forty miles in radius."
The range affected by the shock wave was quite wide. Yu Ci calculated in his heart and exclaimed, "It's quite a spectacle, aren't they afraid of startling the snake in the grass?"
Just as he was wondering, he saw the man in front of the Star Track Sword Realm waving at him. Yu Ci thought for a moment, then walked over.
"Give me the answer."
"You've only given me a quarter of an hour!" Yu Ci wanted to retort. Logically, it was an impossible task to fully comprehend the situation of dozens, if not hundreds, of Void Rifts within such a short amount of time. Yet, Yu Ci knew deep down that he could do it, as long as there were sentient beings in the Void Rift...
What's worse, it seemed that the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect was aware of this. His gaze, empty as if devoid of all substance, bore into Yu Ci's face, seemingly capable of piercing through all falsehoods. Being confronted by an unpredictable individual who also happened to know him well was undoubtedly worse than facing an unpredictable individual alone – 'knowing him well' might be an exaggeration, but the predicament was no less dire.
Yu Ci exerted some effort to maintain his composure, managing at least to keep a smile on his face. "There is no place as the Clan Leader mentioned. After the rift, there may be sentient beings, but no Demons were seen."
There was no falsehood in his words. As Xuan Huang had said, when Qu Thunderbolt-Free cleaved through the void here, his control was already so precise that it was hard for there to be any 'mistakes' connecting to the Cultivation World or the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion. There may be sentient beings on the other side, but they were all bizarre and the environment was not of this realm, which broadened Yu Ci's horizons.
Upon hearing this result, the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect was neither angry nor annoyed, which took Yu Ci by surprise. After a pause, he tentatively asked, "Then... can I leave now?"
The response was a sudden heavy armored hand on his shoulder. Yu Ci didn't even think of dodging, feeling a weight on him that made him immobile. His heart jolted, thinking the other party was going to turn on him. Just as he was about to fight back, he saw a layer of Rune Patterns light up on the iron hand on his shoulder, which seemed somewhat familiar...
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The next moment, Yu Ci saw that the iron hand on his shoulder, along with half of his body, had become transparent, and then rapidly spread. By the time Yu Ci had recovered, he had become completely transparent, and the surrounding Aura had also changed, becoming incredibly subtle. Even if he deliberately held his breath, it would be hard to achieve this effect.
"An Invisibility Talisman?"
It was the most clichéd name, but the effect was astonishing. Yu Ci could confirm that he had indeed been rendered invisible. Of course, the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect had disappeared before him. Then, the pressure on his shoulder disappeared, and Yu Ci could no longer trace the other's whereabouts.
The "Shangqing Star Secret Talisman Book" had records about the Invisibility Talisman, but it was a high-level talisman with seventy-two apertures, and the required cultivation level was far beyond Yu Ci's capacity. Even now, it was still a distant goal. But looking at the leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect's methods, Yu Ci couldn't help but sigh in admiration once more.
"...It's truly much stronger!"
Xuan Huang sensed an ill omen, "What is he trying to do?"
"I don't know, but I think the most important thing to do now is—run far away!"
Yu Ci had just taken three steps when a rumbling sound, reminiscent of the solemn Huangzhong Dalu from traditional Chinese music, echoed from the Star Track Sword Realm. This shock was far more powerful than the previous one. Yu Ci stumbled, turning back in surprise, only to see the shockwave sweeping across the heart of Guixu, a bottomless valley in the sea, spilling over the Lifeless Deathless Garden and spreading further outward.
"Quick, hide!" Xuan Huang sharply warned. Without a second thought, Yu Ci made several leaps, rushing into a nearby thicket. At this moment, the effect of the Invisibility Talisman had not yet faded. As soon as he entered the thicket, he felt a strong reaction from afar and clicked his tongue, "Master of the Sunken Sword Cave...has finally been summoned."
Xuan Huang remained silent. It seemed that all their previous discussions about watching the fight from the sidelines were pointless. In this situation, there was no need for them to fan the flames.
The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave appeared like a wisp of smoke, halting before the boundary of the Star Track Sword Realm. He was positioned sideways, facing Yu Ci's gaze. Yu Ci narrowed his eyes, being careful not to give any indication of his presence.
The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave didn't notice him. His attention was completely absorbed by the scene behind the Star Track Sword Realm. The ripples inside were perhaps too intense, causing distortions. From Yu Ci's perspective, it looked like someone was "Water-splitting Wave-Separating," heading towards the center!
Undoubtedly, if anyone could break the prohibition and enter, it would be the monstrous leader of the Heavy Weapon Sect!
"Damn, damn!" Xuan Huang was frantic in the Inner Void of the Heart, unable to find any solutions. But when it rains, it pours. In front of the Star Track Sword Realm, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave was stunned for a moment before letting out a harsh cry. His robe fluttered without wind, and black stripes began to emerge and spread from it, finally converging on his face to form a bizarre pattern.
Then, he reached out and touched the outer wall of the Star Track Sword Realm.
With a strange "sizzle," the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave was bounced back several feet. Yu Ci, with sharp eyes, saw countless cuts on his hand, but there was no trace of blood.
"See, it still works."
Yu Ci comforted Xuan Huang. Before he finished speaking, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave spun around on the spot, transforming into a shadow and lunging forward again. This was the opponent's shadow essence. Yu Ci and Xuan Huang held their breaths. Fortunately, this time, the Star Track Sword Realm was still exerting its power, blasting the shadow full of holes.
Yet this time, the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, without so much as a pause, his shadowy form already riddled with countless wounds, suddenly erupted with a series of sharp Curse Sounds. These Curse Sounds possessed an infinite magical power, and the counteraction of the Star Track Sword Realm abruptly faltered. Then, with a “whoosh” sound, the shadow’s ever-dark hue, as if washed by some sort of potion, instantly faded by several layers, and the remaining shades were rapidly fading as well.
“A transparent shadow... Invisibility Technique?”
Although Yu Ci said so, he was aware that such a possibility was minuscule. Moreover, as soon as these words left his mouth, a resonating sword hum echoed from the Lifeless Deathless Garden, seemingly the aura radiated by the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave. At this moment, the last bit of shadowy hue was cleansed, and the void seemed to rise with a layer of light mist, which, with a gust of wind, flowed towards the Star Track Sword Realm.
Under Yu Ci’s wide-open eyes, the mist crossed the border.
“We've been tricked…” the last bit of rationality in Xuan Huang groaned. The Three-layer Talisman Seal was useless, the Star Track Sword Realm was also useless, this reality dealt a heavy blow to him, but Yu Ci still didn’t understand what was happening.
“This is the Demonic Sect's Purification and Transformation. Discarding the physical body, transforming into the formless Sky Demon, possessing endless transformations, then initiating with the sword intent that shares the same origin with Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals, suppressing the aura of the shadow and the Sky Demon to the lowest, the Star Track Sword Realm only thought it was natural water vapor flowing, and there was no reaction... I finally understand why that thief was willing to wait for so many years, he wanted to perfect this demonic skill, and only he could pass through with this condition! That thief had long sided with the Outer Realm Sky Demon!”
Xuan Huang first groaned, then roared, his emotions reaching a fever pitch. He was both anxious and disappointed, his current state of mind completely unbalanced, to the point of being unable to communicate.
However, Yu Ci remained relatively calm. He never put blind faith in Talisman Seals, sword realms, and the like. Everything dead has a solution, let alone this ancient artifact that has been here for tens of thousands of years and has been thoroughly researched.
At this point, he was waiting for Xuan Huang to regain his composure. This Sword Spirit, although of a bad temper, was after all an old monster who had practiced for tens of thousands of years. He should have the ability to self-adjust.
However, before Xuan Huang could change, he saw another incredible transformation.
An iron fist, piercing through the void, slammed onto the outer layer of the Star Track Sword Realm that had just been deceived, like a slap waking up the monstrous sword realm!
...