Yu Ci had come to a realization, but proximity betrayed him; by the time he sought to react, it was already too late. A sharp pain seized his throat as it was clasped by the adversary, and he was hoisted aloft with brute force.

Beneath the lake, the Earth Vein's tremors were yet to subside. The newly risen mounds on the lakebed had already begun to fracture, and from their depths burst forth fiery red magma!

In the blink of an eye, the magma was enveloped in a layer of ash-white turbidity. Within it, a dim crimson glow played hide and seek, while amidst it all, Purple-Gold Thunder Light streaked, creating bubbles in its wake. The sudden surge in temperature caused vast swathes of Mutated Lake Water to evaporate. The refined Sword Sha that was stirred into the mix of magma and thunder light caused utter chaos.

Above the fissures in the lakebed, which had been collapsed by the eruptive shock without warning, the magma and turbid flow burst forth, breaking the surface in an instant. The grey-black vapor, dust, and silt seemed to morph into a ferocious behemoth, rampaging across the lake's surface.

At the lakebed, now a boiling mire, the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader showed no intention of fleeing.

Grasping Yu Ci by the neck, his voice was heavy with meaning, "Do not mistake others' kindness for capital... We brought calamity upon your Lichen Sect in the past; taking the life of a junior like you today is hardly a matter of consequence."

"Are you trying to intimidate me?"

At this juncture, Yu Ci's obstinate temper rose to meet the challenge. He taunted, "If you want to kill me, then apply more force. Why waste words?"

The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader appeared unfazed, replying indifferently, "I once believed my Words Weigh as Much as Nine Tripods, Unyielding to Men. My master, however, said I was stubborn and easily deceived. I refused to believe it, and even when beset by calamity, I did not repent. But now, I do believe."

Damn it, how powerful must this man's master be, if he himself is this formidable?

Yu Ci suddenly realized he might have provoked an incredibly formidable power, but in such a situation, he feared nothing. He laughed hoarsely, struggling to move his throat under the iron grip, "I've only thwarted you once, and it led to such an epiphany. The disaster of the past must have been limited indeed."

The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader did not respond, but his grip tightened, and Yu Ci's throat cartilage began to crack. Yu Ci never ceased to struggle for a moment, but the opponent's iron hand possessed the force of ten thousand jun, and with the mysterious True Sha sealing his meridians and locking his energy, even the Inner Void of the Heart was frozen, halting its circulation.

In such a state, no matter how strong Yu Ci's will, he couldn't help but wonder: Am I truly about to die?

Wait, what did the other say just now?

Unyielding to Men?

Three consecutive questions thundered in his mind, and his consciousness suddenly cleared. By the time he regained his senses, his eyes were practically bulging.

He had never underestimated women; were there not many female cultivators in the world with great Divine Power, worthy of admiration? Yu Ci himself had seen many, such as He Qing and Ye Bin, both of whom he greatly respected. The Divine Power of the woman before him seemed even greater than those two!

But respect was one thing; being suspended by the neck in midair by someone was quite another, especially when that someone was a woman. For a man, this was undoubtedly a profound humiliation!

The woman had said something else, but in his agitated state, Yu Ci hadn't caught it.

"Damn it, truly damn it...!"

His facial muscles twitched, his skin seeming to wrap around a heat that rivaled the external magma. If death was inevitable, then at least let it be by another means—anything would do, lest people remember Yu Ci with the epithet, "That guy was strangled to death by a woman," wouldn't they?

Even in death, I shall choose my own way to perish!

A torrent of fire, akin to molten lava, surged straight to the crown of his head. Yu Ci's temples bulged, veins nearly bursting through his skin, as the iron grip of his adversary remained unyieldingly still. The technique of sealing meridians and locking vital energies was indeed extraordinary. Yet, the opponent could never seal his thoughts and will. As Yu Ci's emotions blazed with fervor, within the Inner Void of the Heart, the once-frozen Life Death Talisman shivered. Yu Ci heard the low rumble of thick ice cracking.

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With the Life Death Talisman stirred, the Inner Void of the Heart began to pulse with life.

Now, Yu Ci's entire being was clamped down, his emotions being the only torrents he could let loose—the sole force at his command. But however intense, emotions were futile without a proper vessel. Instinctively, Yu Ci sought something that could resonate with them.

Emotions surged, and within the Inner Void of the Heart, a Divine Power External Appearance quivered violently.

It was the Fish-Dragon!

Its elongated body, already expanded to the magnitude of "Shan Gu," snapped taut, darting through the void, its form still swelling. Yu Ci felt the scalding emotions within his heart were the best sustenance for it.

Even Yu Ci himself had not anticipated such a violent reaction from the Divine Power External Appearance within the Inner Void of the Heart, which resembled more a serpent than a dragon. It had previously exhibited traits of resilience and tenacity, tirelessly guarding the Divine Soul. Yet now, it resonated so perfectly with the tumultuous emotions.

As emotions blazed like a wildfire, filling the space, a certain threshold was reached. The swelling Fish-Dragon trembled once more—the time for reciprocation had arrived.

Yu Ci threw back his head with abandon, indifferent to the tearing of his neck's soft cartilage and skin. Instead, he exploited the pain to pry a tiny crevice from the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader's clutches. With all his might, he opened his mouth, unleashing a silent roar.

The roar was silent partly because he truly could not make a sound, but more so because it was a reverberation from the spiritual plane, a reflection of the Fish-Dragon's form within his Inner Void of the Heart upon his fleshly body.

The dragon's chant over vast marshes, silent yet bringing rain. The impact of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form was, in substance, negligible. But on the spiritual plane, due to its unique nature and fueled by Yu Ci's fervent emotions, it finally carved out a space of its own. Even the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader could not confine it.

Behind the Ancient Bronze Face Armor, Blood Light pierced through the dark eye sockets, stabbing at Yu Ci's face. The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader intended to exert force, yet hesitated for some reason and ultimately was a half-step too late.

This was the first time Yu Ci's aura radiated since being choked. The pervasive astral light, which had lost its conduit and was dispersed, now surged with residual might, stirring the magma beneath the lake. A thunderous explosion resonated around, the thunderous sound driving the magma and stirring the lake waters, as if providing a soundtrack to Yu Ci's silent roar.

The thunder rolled over, with an overwhelming force that was the bane of all Evil Spirits. Though the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader did not fear it, there were certain taboos concerning distant projections and Soul Attachments, and for an instant, the power output within the Armor became unstable.

"Opportunity... old friend, lend me your aid!"

The Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form surged tumultuously, akin to a breach in a great dyke, from which opportunity poured forth. The second Divine Power External Appearance was activated, and this time it was not merely on the spiritual plane, but rather, it brought forth a round of moonlight that shone down from above!

It was the Divine Bronze Mirror.

The turbid currents and fiery glow at the lakebed were enough to eclipse all other lights, yet the radiance of the Divine Bronze Mirror operated on an entirely different level. In the moment when the mirror's light flowed, even at the murky lakebed, Yu Ci could see a layer of luminescent mist suddenly rising from the Armor, providing protection for the "being" within.

The strength in the Iron Hand weakened by a fraction, yet Yu Ci fought with desperate vigor at this moment.

Silently, the Primordial Formless Sword coiled around his right arm revealed its edge, instantaneously cutting into the Armor at the forearm, piercing through without leaving a mark. Inexplicably, there was not the slightest scratch on the Armor. Yet in that fleeting moment, the force that constrained Yu Ci clearly experienced a significant discontinuity.

"Ha!"

Yu Ci exhaled loudly, disregarding the steel fingers that had dug into his neck flesh, and he forcefully retreated. A spray of Blood Light, accompanied by flecks of flesh, his throat nearly gouged out in the process.

Breaking free from the constriction, Yu Ci did not pause for a moment, plunging directly into the surging magma currents behind him. The residual effects of the Chen Light Sensing Divine Thunder were still present, and by merging with the magma, it helped suppress the heat for him. Even so, in the fleeting moment of passing through, Yu Ci was nearly slain by the scorching poison, his clothes catching fire at the edges.

To onlookers, Yu Ci seemed to be courting death, crashing into the deadly magma. Even the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader was taken aback, and by the time she realized something was amiss, Yu Ci had already used the magma to mask his presence, vanishing without a trace.

The Heavy Weapon Sect Leader initially wanted to pursue, but as she moved, an intense feeling of weakness assailed her. The sounds of thunder, the Treasure Mirror, and the slash of the Primordial Formless Sword—each seemed to cause no serious harm, but in reality, they had inflicted considerable damage on her.

After all, she was merely a Soul Sending Projection at the Advanced Stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation. Moreover, she had a vague feeling that if she continued the pursuit, Yu Ci might have other tactics waiting for her.

Thus, she did not chase after him but instead recorded some information into a special Jade Talisman: "Yu Ci, a disciple of the Lichen Sect, possesses a resilient will, is somewhat cunning, skilled in swordsmanship, slightly versed in the 'Heavenly Flying Stars' technique, and particularly adept at attacking and vanquishing shadowy spirits..."

The Soul Sending Projection was only faintly connected to the main body by an Aura, and the experiences it underwent could not be transmitted back immediately. Should any mishap occur, these memories would likely be obliterated. Therefore, she took this precaution, ensuring that if the projection was lost, this information could still be sent back to the main body through a flying sword message.

No sooner had the information been recorded than the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader sensed something new.

It was a message from her subordinates: The Three-layer Talisman Seal was shattered, and thousands of Cultivators from the Sword Immortal's Secret domain were swarming in!