Yu Ci had not anticipated such a turn of events.

The Iceberg, a fragment lodged within the recesses of his Divine Soul, had nearly slipped from his consciousness. Ever since its inexplicable acquisition in the Sky Rift Valley, it had revealed its mystical nature only in the beginning, thereafter fading into obscurity. Yu Ci could sense its presence only during moments of tranquil meditation. Over the course of a year, he had grown so accustomed to it that it became almost invisible to him.

Yet now, the Iceberg declared its existence in such a manner.

Yu Ci could no longer afford to ignore it. As the Upper True Nine Heavens Flying Immortal Sword Scripture unexpectedly assailed him, the Iceberg within the plane of his Divine Soul began to expand rapidly.

The sensation was overpowering. Yu Ci felt an urgent swelling within his Divine Soul, straining against its confines, though not as violently as the frost that binds the sea, an irresistible force that threatened, but did not immediately claim his life.

Fortune favors the prepared mind. Yu Ci plunged into the Inner Void of the Heart without regard for its current state, and with a focused thought, he cried out: "Manifest!"

The ripple of his intention seemed inexhaustible, spreading towards the elusive boundaries of the Inner Void of the Heart. In truth, given the symbiotic relationship between the Inner Void of the Heart and Yu Ci's physical and spiritual form, every corner of his flesh and Divine Soul resonated and responded, influencing the Inner Void of the Heart in turn.

As tumultuous information about the transformation surged back, the Inner Void of the Heart thundered and shook. The dim edges of the void whipped up a storm that pierced the heavens, a destructive onslaught from all directions that in an instant engulfed the bright stars and moon, the tranquil forests, and the meandering Fish-Dragon, obliterating them from sight. The vast void seemed to be engulfed by a dark tempest, sweeping away the clouds and obscuring the moon, annihilating everything.

Yu Ci, having anticipated this ill turn, sank his Heart-Mind into the core of the Life Death Talisman. The Cycle of Life and Death's Talisman flared brilliantly, its radiant light spreading across every Rune Pattern, and that was all it could do.

Within the encompassing dark maelstrom, the light of the Life Death Talisman flickered like a lamp about to be extinguished, appearing and disappearing intermittently, constantly pulling at Yu Ci's Heart-Mind. He could imagine the dire fate that awaited him should the Life Death Talisman be damaged.

Of course, even as the dark storm sought to obliterate all, the resolve within Yu Ci was extraordinary. Amidst the raging tempest, the Life Death Talisman spun rapidly, its light barely dimming. After the initial shock, Yu Ci even attempted to regain control of the Inner Void of the Heart, his Heart-Mind's tendrils reaching outwards. Thus, he confronted the dark storm head-on.

With each successive assault, the Life Death Talisman flickered between luminosity and darkness. Yu Ci felt somewhat dizzy, but he could sense the storm's force waning. In fact, the tempest was merely a prelude to the cataclysmic changes within the Inner Void of the Heart. At this moment, Yu Ci's Heart-Mind tendrils, extending outward, pierced through the storm, touching upon even deeper transformations.

The Inner Void of the Heart was collapsing, feeling as if a tract of land, fracturing and pulverizing in an earthquake, its edges tumbling into the vast sea—Yu Ci truly sensed a bone-chilling coldness, the tendrils of his Heart-Mind as if submerged in icy waters, the frigid air flowing back, the luminance of the Life Death Talisman nearly frozen solid.

Yet, it was precisely because of the intense cold that the turmoil within the Inner Void of the Heart seemed to be arrested, everything inclining towards tranquility. Yu Ci steadied his Heart-Mind, striving to activate the Life Death Talisman. Gradually, the swiftly spinning Talisman began to generate "heat," eventually shattering the "solid ice" and continuously expanding its power, forming a relatively stable domain.

Yu Ci had been accumulating strength, and when the influence of the Life Death Talisman reached a certain extent, he condensed a thought into a single word:

"Manifest!"

The glow of the Life Death Talisman underwent a transformation, its outermost Rune Patterns fracturing into an abundance of light, particularly dazzling. These beams of light then began to evolve scenarios: the Bright Moon Forest, a starry pond, and the Fish-Dragon soaring through the void, composing an exquisitely beautiful tapestry that rapidly transformed into reality within this domain, setting itself into spontaneous motion.

In merely a few breaths' time, the original void scenery re-emerged, virtually indistinguishable from before.

However, as beautiful as the Bright Moon Forest was, Yu Ci would not neglect the cold currents blowing in from all directions. This was an unprecedented experience; the tendrils of his Heart-Mind, like his eyes, brought everything in the surroundings into his sensory range. And then, Yu Ci beheld the spectacular New Heaven and Earth!

It was the sea, an endless expanse. Beneath the dim firmament, waves of the same hue ebbed and flowed, their roar layering upon layer, pulling at his Heart-Mind, stretching towards an unknowable distance.

This was the sea.

Yu Ci had not anticipated that his first "sighting" of the ocean would be under such circumstances.

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"Manifest!"

In a short span, Yu Ci had uttered this word for the third time. With a thought, his figure appeared within the Inner Void of the Heart, his countenance and attire no different from that of the real world. This was a projection of his mind, devoid of function, but more suited for the intake of conventional sensory information, also making the Inner Void of the Heart closer to reality.

He stood at the "shoreline," the cold current driving a rich mist that swept across his face, waves surging and washing over his feet, strikingly real, betraying not at all that this sea was but a figment conjured from his thoughts. Yu Ci was nearly intoxicated by the scene before him.

But why the sea?

Just as he puzzled, he had never seen the ocean before; the Inner Void of the Heart was supposed to manifest based on the foundation of his physical and spiritual essence. When had the element of the sea become a part of his being?

Yu Ci pondered, then turned to look back. In his current perception, he was "standing" on a small island, the island not large, but more than sufficient to encompass all of his Divine Power External Appearance.

The islet floated atop the sea, an endless expanse of ocean stretching into the distance... It seemed he saw something.

A shadow loomed in the far-off haze, its contours undulating like a mountain range rising from the ocean floor. Yu Ci's Heart-Mind instinctively reached out, only to encounter an irresistible chill, halting any further advance. Gazing at the blurred silhouette, Yu Ci suddenly realized something after a long moment:

It was an Iceberg!

The manifestation of the Iceberg had directly altered the layout of his Inner Void of the Heart. Beyond the influence of the Life Death Talisman, the unknown void had transformed into a frigid ocean, within which loomed an Iceberg so massive it took his breath away.

According to the rules of the Primordial Root Qi Method, there must be some profound mystery involved, but how could Yu Ci fathom it in a mere moment?

He wished to calm his mind and ponder seriously, but as the thought emerged, the vast sea area trembled violently, waves churning and tides surging. Initially, Yu Ci thought there was another issue with the Iceberg, but then he realized, not in the Inner Void of the Heart, but in the real world.

"What's going on?"

Yu Ci's eyes snapped open, only to find himself inexplicably deep within a cloud, disoriented by the surrounding dense fog. He attempted to use his Aura to probe, but it dissipated silently within ten feet, and even wielding the Mirage Mountain Sword Qi through his sword intent yielded the same result.

After a brief stupor, he tried to use the Divine consciousness starlight, but suddenly the ground beneath him gave way.

Yu Ci reacted swiftly, gathering his energy to leap upwards. But a tremendous suction bound him instantly, a sensation not unfamiliar to him—it was the power displayed by a distorted Void Rift. This significantly dampened his will to resist, and after a whirlwind of disorientation from traversing the void, Yu Ci found himself standing in a completely unfamiliar place.

Before he could take in his surroundings, a voice rang out beside him:

"Young man, there is something quite remarkable within your Divine Soul."

Yu Ci was startled, instinctively positioning his sword defensively across his chest, but he quickly realized and lowered the sword tip slightly, contemplating before tentatively asking:

"Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals?"

He believed that within the entire Guixu, the only one capable of extracting him from Return Village and speaking in such a tone could be none other than that one.

Regrettably, the other party did not respond directly: "To withstand the Sha aura of the Sword Scripture, you are indeed impressive, young man."

Yu Ci blinked and replied, "Thank you."

The tone of the other party seemed quite favorable to him, tinged with a sense of elder's prerogative, but if it truly was Qu Thunderbolt-Free in person, it was nothing less than natural.

"However, the thing within your Divine Soul is even more remarkable. I do not know how it was designed, but its refinement in manipulating cold energy is the strongest I've seen, and it's intermingled with the profound principles of the Shift of Stars and Constellations. The two combined form a seal off, capable of storing vast amounts of information without damaging the Divine Soul that bears it... Is this a gift from your master?"

"Ah, no, it was merely an accident."

"Good Opportunity for the Younger Generation."

Yu Ci curled his lips slightly but said no more. Perhaps the other party was right, but having braved a hair's breadth from death in the Sky Rift Valley and then inexplicably finding something foreign planted within his Divine Soul, it was unclear whether this was a stroke of fortune or a predestined calamity.

The other party, oblivious to his thoughts, continued, "Today, precisely because of this seal off, the malevolent energies of the Sword Scripture were blocked, and it was cast into a mold, then enclosed within the seal off. The 'Upper True Nine Heavens Flying Immortal Sword Scripture' has been passed down through Several Tens of Tribulations. I have never seen anyone as fortunate as you to gain such an advantage."

"A mold? Enclosed within?"

Yu Ci was somewhat dumbfounded. If the other party was not deceiving him with empty words, he wasn't sure if he should be rejoicing.

But soon, the other party said, "Even though you have the Sword Scripture, I don't believe you can fully comprehend it."

"Oh?"

"You are not pure enough."

"Are you suggesting... Well, I have studied Talisman as well."

"It's not just that."

"Then what is it? Wait a moment, I mean, I never said I intended to fully grasp your esteemed sect's Sword Scripture. Just to refer to it... You don't mind?"

"The Sword Sect Ancestral Court possesses such magnanimity. For Several Tens of Tribulations, the Sword Competing Pavilion has never been stingy in sharing the methods of the Sword Way. The sword intent within you, does it not also contain a trace of the true essence of the Flying Immortal Sword Scripture? Under what name does it go?"

"Half Mountain Mirage."

Yu Ci responded absentmindedly, his mind elsewhere. He had laid a verbal trap in his previous words to test the identity of the other, who stepped into it without a care, straightforward to a fault, leaving Yu Ci himself somewhat perplexed.

Then he heard the person ask, "Half Mountain? Is it Ye Half-Mountain?"

"No, it was originally created by Immortal Ye Bin. That female immortal is the current Sect Master of Half Mountain Island."

"Ye Bin? I have not heard of her, but the true essence within is exquisitely evolved, with a touch of personal interpretation. It seems the lineage of Sword cultivation in the world remains unbroken... But since when did the Ye family branch out from the Sword Competing Pavilion?"

Yu Ci could only shake his head, completely unaware of these secretive sect histories. But at that moment, he suddenly realized:

"Hold on, senior, by bringing me here, what exactly do you intend to do? Speak plainly!"

"What I want to do... I've been trying to find a way, but to no avail."

The other party responded indifferently, "While speaking, I was attempting to have you cross several more Void Rifts, to draw nearer, but alas, it was unsuccessful. Now, young one, run. Xuanhuang needs you to save lives."