The images that had flowed before him were so startling and breathtaking that when Yu Ci first glimpsed the desolate serenity of the courtyard, he was momentarily at a loss. Standing in the midst of the yard, he paused, stunned for a moment, before approaching the stone table to pick up the gauzy embroidery. He had not yet examined it closely when a sudden recollection struck him.

"Hao Dian?" Was she not the former sword master of the Primordial Formless Sword?

Yu Ci hastily unwrapped the Primordial Formless Sword from around his arm and circled the courtyard with it. To his surprise, the sword showed no response. It was then that he remembered what Xuan Huang had mentioned: due to its unique material, the sword could not be refined, and no one could leave an Aura Mark upon it. Attempting to use it for sensing was akin to asking a blind man for directions.

But what had driven him to choose this place initially?

Holding the embroidered gauze, Yu Ci scrutinized it closely, growing more familiar with each detail. The glowing red hue, the delicate stitches, and the half-completed pattern all seemed hauntingly familiar.

With a sudden clap of his hands, Yu Ci's realization dawned swiftly: "The Transforming Radiance Veil!"

This bright red gauze was none other than a replica of the two Transforming Radiance Veils he had acquired. Similar veils—one he had obtained on the mountain path outside the Still Heart Temple after defeating Nan Songzi; the other, in the Sky Rift Valley, wrested from the hands of Yan Chu. These artifacts listed the cultivation methods for the God Slaying Sting, a Heretical Daoist Practice, and not long ago at the Sect's Mountain Gate, Yu Ci had lent one to Sister Meng Wei to aid in her recovery.

He promptly took out both Red veils and compared them with the unfinished embroidery in his hands, finding the materials and stitching techniques to be strikingly similar. But there was more; when the veils were brought together, a bright light emerged, and a subtle Aura began to flow.

Wait, not here...

The unfinished embroidery, despite its extraordinary origin, had no particular oddities. The real source of the Aura's fluctuation lay elsewhere. Yu Ci had initially thought it was inside the house, but a careful discernment revealed that the target was behind him—outside the courtyard.

Without hesitation, Yu Ci turned and strode out. As soon as he stepped beyond the courtyard gate, the billowing clouds once again gathered, giving shape to the unfolding scene. Yu Ci had no desire to be misled by them, but at this moment, his senses were clearer than they had been inside the yard, and as he focused on those scenes, the subtle Aura resonances formed a continuous thread, echoing in the distance.

Narrowing his eyes, Yu Ci's perspective widened, and he saw once more the Heavenly Dragon, stretching a thousand zhang long, meandering above the clouds. But now, the Heavenly Dragon was bleeding into the sky, its abundant vital blood, tinged with gold from its vigor, fell like a torrential rain.

The blood served as a backdrop, or perhaps a canvas suspended in the air. With each drop of blood rain, the surging clouds transformed into patterns—not random splashes, but with a profound order. It was as if... as if the bright red gauze in his hand had been magnified a thousandfold, ten thousandfold. Countless Qi glimmers danced upon it, like delicate stitches, and together with the violently writhing Heavenly Dragon, they sketched out a familiar pattern.

The most distinguishable feature at the forefront was a string of characters: Heretic Refining Method of God Slaying Sting!

Indeed, they spring from the same source!

Yu Ci's heart-mind surged as he discerned the characters before him, making the following task much simpler. The ever-present illusion of clouds transformed the scenery, and an enlarged "gossamer" displayed every detail before his eyes. In truth, it was merely a few hundred characters; with a sweep of his divine consciousness, he could commit them all to memory.

However, memory is one thing, understanding or enlightenment quite another. Yu Ci watched the blood rain pour down, somewhat dazed. In the "distance," the colossal body of the Heavenly Dragon thrashed violently, each lash stirring up a hundred miles of the Cloud Sea, with a momentum that was truly astounding. The Cultivator before the Heavenly Dragon, having made his cut, did not strike again, merely watched with a cold eye as fresh blood sprayed from within the dragon's massive body, his demeanor cruel and resolute.

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The enlarged "gossamer" had long taken shape, the blood rain still falling, but now it no longer spread patterns; instead, it resonated from afar. Every time the Heavenly Dragon roared and struggled, with blood spilling, portions of the method script coalescing in the void would light up. After several repetitions, Yu Ci suddenly understood:

"This is a demonstration of the method on the gossamer." It was both a demonstration of the method's lethality and the techniques of its application, with layers of profound mysteries evolving like a master instructing a disciple, exceedingly detailed.

Alas, there are those in the world blessed with divine talent, who comprehend all manner of profound methods with effortless ease, yet Yu Ci was not among them. To put it simply, even with the demonstration, he still could not grasp the mystical incantation of those several hundred characters.

It was too difficult!

Similar characters could be found on the Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil, and on the Red Veil from Nan Songzi as well. By now, Yu Ci had concluded that these completed and incomplete gossamer embroideries must be the work of the legendary "Mister Hao Dian." From what he had seen so far, it seemed likely that all the grand red gossamers bore the "Heretic Refining Method of God Slaying Sting," the most infamous and venomous "hidden weapon" refining technique in the Cultivation World.

The same topic, the same "light transforming into spikes" method, was surprisingly recorded on two Red Veils. One involved collecting Resentful Fiend Qi from a hundred creatures, converging it into form; the other required cultivating one's own Heart Demon's Evil Energy, dividing it into ten streams, layering and refining them in a process almost entirely different. In keeping with the naming style of the "Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil," the Red Veil obtained from Nan Songzi was aptly named "Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil."

Comparing the "Hundred Spirits" technique with the "Ten Yin" method, the former was less difficult and easier to begin with, but refining the God Slaying Sting in that way resulted in a loss of purity and, in terms of power, the God Slaying Sting wielded by Yan Chu was clearly inferior to that of Nan Songzi's. However, the latter's method was not only exceedingly difficult to refine but also perilously dangerous, undoubtedly raising the threshold significantly.

Now, without discussing its potency, but solely on the difficulty of mastering the craft, this "Slaying Dragon" method stands far above the previous two.

After all, no matter how complex and arduous the former methods were, they remained within Yu Ci's tangible grasp. Yet, this current method seems to be established upon the void, connected only by fleeting threads to the mystical incantations behind the two red veils. The contradictions and perplexities within it baffle the mind.

In contrast, the struggles and roars of the Heavenly Dragon draw Yu Ci's attention even more.

Although the Inner Void of the Heart harbors a strand of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, it is Yu Ci's first encounter with the Heavenly Dragon Dharma Form. He is utterly astonished by its domineering presence—even when fully suppressed by the Sword immortal, the Heavenly Dragon never ceases to struggle. Its defiance, resilience, and untamed spirit, whether perceived positively or negatively, surge back to him, and Yu Ci suddenly finds the Fish-Dragon Imagery in his Inner Void of the Heart becoming more vivid.

For this Divine Power External Appearance has provided a clear reference at last.

These images might be the result of an Illusion technique, but it is clear they stem from genuine vestiges.

The Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form stirs restlessly, the proud and aloof nature inherited from the Primordial Heavenly Dragon, an instinct that persists despite eons of slumber. Under its influence, Yu Ci's Divine Soul becomes exhilarated, and his extended perception sharpens.

"Heh!" With an exhale, Yu Ci's voice rings out as he suddenly soars, grasping through the void. Piercing through the clouds, he seizes something tangible, drawing it back swiftly, only to see a fiery red gossamer fluttering in the wind, seemingly identical to the other two veils in his hand.

With the red veil in his grasp, the surrounding clouds suddenly seize up as if their core has been extracted, and then they dissipate.

"So it's the gossamer that serves as the vessel?"

Yu Ci roughly comprehends that this vast cloud is the creation of a great Divine Power, who uses this strange gossamer as a foundation to form an Illusion array. Its primary function is to aid in the rapid comprehension of the advanced techniques it contains. Regrettably, Yu Ci has missed the opportunity.

But that no longer matters, for his newly heightened peripheral perception—essentially the sensitivity to the emitted Divine consciousness starlight—suddenly stimulates Yu Ci intensely. His brow twitches as he sends a thought in that direction:

"What's going on?"

This time, the response from the mysterious Xuan Huang comes slowly and consists of only two sentences: "Above the canopy lies the Sword Scripture... I won't accompany you any longer."

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