From that distant vantage point, the Heavenly Dragon, a thousand fathoms in length, made its third appearance, slicing through clouds and fog with a mere swing of its massive form, setting off a wild gale that shook a hundred li. Yet in truth, it was struggling in the azure sky, the situation having reached its final stage. Its colossal body was riddled with fissures, each a wound inflicted by a single strike from the figure suspected to be the Hao Dian Sword Immortal.

Yu Ci had witnessed this scene before, but this time, it was different.

An inexplicable, powerful dizziness struck him. Yu Ci instinctively resisted, but his weakened Divine Soul showed no mercy, assailed from within and without. His vision plunged into darkness, and when light returned, the roar of the Gang wind and the thunderous rumble filled his ears. Upon reopening his eyes, the once-familiar perspective had been turned upside down.

Before him lay a mountain of thick scales, its edges sharp as blades, riven by several gaping fissures. Blood gushed forth like fountains and waterfalls, mingling with golden specks that shimmered within, the scorching heat akin to boiling oil, extraordinary in its intensity. Yet the stench of blood was undiminished, dousing his head and face in an instant, while the Primordial Qi of heaven and earth seemed to sear and sizzle, his skin emitting a faint hissing sound.

He let out a pained groan, grateful that his mind was still spinning, quickly realizing that in the blink of an eye, his distant perspective had been obliterated, and he had been "thrown" into the battlefield where the Heavenly Dragon and the Sword Immortal clashed. In that moment of clarity, the external pressure surged exponentially! He felt himself compressed into a mere point, nearly obliterated completely.

"This is an Illusion technique!"

Yu Ci's mind was undoubtedly lucid. He knew that the mist before Hao Dian's Former Residence was certainly amiss: it must contain some Illusion technique, or perhaps, akin to the Misty Shadow Sky, born from the Sword Immortal's thoughts, endowed with enigmatic and unpredictable power.

Regardless, the power within had to act through Yu Ci's Divine Soul. Before, with his spirit strong and his energy full, some injuries did not touch his core, and with the protection of the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, he had quickly become alert to any trickery. But now, after several harsh encounters with that entity within the "canopy," he was at his most vulnerable. Weakness invited myriad afflictions, and finally, the power within the mist invaded his Divine Soul, wreaking havoc.

Yu Ci struggled to maintain his Heart-Mind, but now trapped in the urn, every move was involuntary. Such resistance would only bring greater pain.

"Going to die? Don't be ridiculous!"

Yu Ci refused to believe he would die so ignominiously here, and Xuan Huang would not resort to such methods to kill him. With this thought, his Spirit Platform became crystal clear: If there was no killing intent in the mist, what was the use of his stubborn resistance? The saying "excessive strength leads to humiliation, extreme rigidity invites breakage" was not without merit.

In the face of what the Sword Immortal had left behind, as a junior, he should at least show the minimum courtesy.

Yu Ci had a sudden epiphany. No longer resisting the effects of the Illusion technique, he relaxed completely, as if leveling the Bamboo Fence of his self-imposed limitations. The overwhelming power washed over him in an instant, like electricity coursing through his body, shaking his defenses. Both the Heavenly Dragon and the Sword Immortal's images became much clearer, their oppressive might now like a mountain collapsing upon him, tenfold what it had been before.

Yet this scene merely served as a backdrop. What truly manifested were strings of mystical incantations, their hues a deep vermilion, fiery and sanguine. Arranged in neat rows, each character as large as a measure, their edges shimmering with golden-red brilliance, they seared into his Heart-Mind and then vanished without a trace.

The sensation that penetrated his mind and seared into his consciousness finally brought clarity to Yu Ci. This Illusionary Appearance had no intention of harming him; rather, it compelled him to glean understanding, enlightenment, and even mastery of a mystical incantation from the images of the Heavenly Dragon and the Sword Immortal locked in combat.

Without a doubt, the mystical incantation originated from the great red gossamer he had seized from the clouds—Yu Ci had already devised a name for it: the Dragon Slaying Transforming Radiance Veil. It coincided perfectly with the assembly of the Hundred Spirits and the Ten Shades. Perhaps at another time, Yu Ci would have been keen to learn such a heaven-shaking method capable of Slaying Dragons, but now...

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"Learn the God Slaying Sting?"

When would that be? In some distant, unforeseeable future?

"The barriers of the Sword Garden have been flung wide open, and all manner of common folk swarm in. What is the meaning of this?"

The elder who approached held a long sword in his hand, his white hair combed into a Daoist bun, his robe flowing around him as he walked with measured steps, his first words a stern rebuke. Hua Xifeng and the other two were both shocked and delighted, then bowed their heads, greeting him with a respectful "Uncle Yu."

Uncle Yu? A third-generation disciple of the Lichen Sect?

Hearing Hua Xifeng and the others' address, the elite of the Demonic Sect on the periphery were taken aback. If a true cultivator of the Vacuum Walking Cultivation were to arrive, just this Old Daoist alone could rout them utterly. They turned their heads to see who had come, and those with more informed sources breathed a sigh of relief:

"So it's him."

Those unaware of his origins were even less concerned. The release of Aura allowed both parties to gauge the extent of each other's strength. The Demonic Sect's heroes could tell that this white-haired Old Daoist was merely at the Upper Level of the Golden Elixir stage, and there were plenty of others with equivalent cultivation here, unable to make a decisive impact on the current situation. Moreover, his half-dead appearance only served to put them more at ease.

Yet, just as these individuals relaxed their guard, the sound of a sword blade resonated, and the Old Daoist's Passing Water Sword hummed as it was drawn from its scabbard. The moment the blade touched the air, it lost all physical form, leaving only a chilling sword intent that swept across the garden, enveloping a three-mile radius, almost covering the entirety of the Lifeless Deathless Garden.

Few had expected this Old Daoist to be so ferociously alive, disregarding rank and status to strike directly! Even less foreseeable was that despite his near-death appearance, his sword intent was of the highest sharpness. With one stroke, the stars in the sky seemed to lose their luster.

With a fierce cry, Wen Shifei, heedless of the Old Daoist, led seven or eight experts in a fierce charge forward. He saw that Hua Xifeng, with a solemn expression, had already drawn his sword, joining forces with Li Hong and Wang Jiu. Their Sword Energy was dense, their Auras intertwined, forming a sword formation to withstand the formidable enemy.

"You're far from enough!"

He growled, and the Black Thunder Shuttle materialized outside his body, wrapped in a layer of electrifying black brilliance, thundering forward. On his flanks, one was Di Tianluo, and the other was Yuan Wang of the Ice Snow Demon Palace, also at the Advanced Stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation. With his "Nine Inch Collapsing Snow Sword," he had made quite a name for himself in the northern territories.

Three took the lead in the offensive, while the other six lay in wait, ready to strike. He planned to leverage their numerical superiority, concentrating their combined strength to shatter one point of defense. Once that was achieved, the remaining few would only need to entrap Old Daoist for a brief moment.

Their strategy was meticulously crafted, and at this moment, the collision between the Soul Extinguishing Thunder Light of the Black Thunder Shuttle and the Sword Energy precipitated a sudden drop in the garden's temperature. The air became thick with the unabashed spray of blood, mingling with the already chaotic Aura, ushering in a world of turmoil.

From behind, Di She's cursing was abruptly cut off mid-sentence, capped with a pained groan. At Wen Shifei's flank, Di Tianluo, ever concerned for his fellow sect members, glanced back, his usually impassive face betraying a flicker of change. With a flash of Polar Light and a Primordial Magnetic Storm, his form twisted like a bolt of lightning, breaking away from the flank in the blink of an eye.

"Disaster looms!"

Wen Shifei, ever vigilant, immediately sensed the peril as Di Tianluo's situation changed. A chill raced up his spine as if an icy blade were plunging into it. The Soul Extinguishing Thunder Light of the Black Thunder Shuttle faltered. Gritting his teeth, he reversed his Aura, and with a thunderous explosion, he detached from the shuttle. His body, in an instant, shrank to the size of a fist, leveraging the magnetic force of the lightning to catapult away.

A moment's delay and the Sword Energy would have cleaved the Soul Extinguishing Thunder Light in two like tofu, but his shadow had already escaped their grasp.

"What a masterful Sky Demon Transformation!"

Old Daoist's words of praise rang close at first, then swiftly receded, accompanied by the avalanche-like roar of Yuan Wang swinging his sword. Wen Shifei's heart had just lightened when blood burst forth from it. Moments earlier, his Black Thunder Shuttle, refined to the Tenth Heavens, emitted a crisp crack, splitting from an unseen flaw.

A gush of fresh blood spurted out, and a mile away, Wen Shifei's body returned to its normal size. His face could no longer maintain its smile, the color draining completely. Though the Black Thunder Shuttle wasn't his Lifebound Magic Weapon, it was an object of constant refinement, soaked in his life's essence. A heavy blow to it meant he could not escape unscathed.

"Cease!"

He summoned his inner strength and bellowed for a halt. The cultivators in the garden cooperated, a succession of explosive Qi forcefully severing the linked Aura, temporarily ceasing the conflict. Wen Shifei's gaze swept over them, his eyelids twitching twice.

As the echoes faded, another figure stumbled and fell, collapsing to the ground, motionless. Such casualties had already claimed two in the garden, both from their side. He had rallied fourteen people to come here, and in a blink, a fifth had met their end, including himself, many wounded.

At this moment, Old Daoist leisurely sheathed his sword and turned to look at Hua Xifeng and the other two who had yet to make a move. His snow-white eyebrows quivered slightly:

"Have you seen your junior brother, Yu Ci?"

Alas... thoughts of compensation would have to wait until he caught his breath.

...