Yu Ci retracted his Treasure Sword, casting a glance at the swiftly and impeccably arranged formation of the Ice Snow Demon Palace Cultivators. Opting for expediency, he took to swift flight, evading entanglement with them. The Ice Snow Demon Palace, however, was not so easily conversed with. The rise and fall of their formation stirred a ten-mile radius of icy tide, extinguishing all semblance of life in its wake, its formidable presence unrivaled for the moment.

Within this vast ten-mile expanse, even Yu Ci, fleet of foot as he was, could not entirely escape. The icy tide howled in, its chilling aura almost penetrating to the marrow, rapidly sapping the warmth from his body, while simultaneously inflicting damage upon his flesh.

Yet, that was not all. The lineage of the Primordial Demon Sect, inheritors of the Sky Demon Divine Arts, possessed methods that invariably targeted the Heart-Mind, and the Ice Snow Demon Palace was no exception. Yu Ci felt it then—the intent of desolation and extinction hidden within the icy tide, accompanied by a ten-mile radius of oppressive Sha aura, rolling in to shake his mental defenses and fracture his Sword aura, threatening to deal irreparable harm.

Even amidst such dire straits, a dialogue unfolded on Yu Ci's end.

"Sword Intent Purification, harmonious within and without, remains untroubled even if the heavens and earth were to overturn."

"I now stand fearless."

"Can you discern which is the flawless Sword aura and which is the undaunted Dragon Might? Blending them has its advantages, but against a master skilled in attacking the Divine Soul, this becomes a path courting death."

A voice then sighed with lamentation, "What a figure Master Yuan Dao was, yet merely because of excessive slaughter during his western campaign, and borrowing the Xuan Huang Bloodslaught Power to repel foes, his Sword aura became slightly tainted, and thus he was... seized upon this flaw that wasn't a flaw, struck by the Demonic Cataclysm, his millennium of cultivation reduced to naught in a blink. How can one not take heed for those who come after?"

"Who?"

"Master Yuan Dao."

"No, I meant who was it that struck Master Yuan Dao down?"

"..."

Silence ensued on the other end, leaving Yu Ci perplexed. But soon after, the voice said, "In the current situation, mentioning that name would only lead to unnecessary complications."

Don't leave me hanging like this!

Yu Ci was momentarily at a loss for words, but at that moment, there was no opportunity for complaint. The formation set by the Ice Snow Demon Palace was an immensely powerful control mechanism. It appeared devoid of particularly vicious offensive moves, lacking explosive power, but its vast controlling range and the relentless oppression of the icy tide were akin to an Ice Lake, in which one could unwittingly find oneself frozen stiff.

Having unexpectedly slain one of their own, Yuan Wang's response was still measured, and Yu Ci roughly understood the other's intentions. There was no room for hesitation. For now, disregarding matters like the Sword Intent Dragon's Majesty and avoiding entanglements, he simply surrounded himself with Sword Energy and sprinted towards the next Void Rift.

The formation of the Ice Snow Demon Palace resembled a colossal beast spanning ten miles, shaking its head and tail, emitting waves of chilling air, doggedly pursuing him.

Yuan Wang, orchestrating the changes in the formation from its center, felt a hint of satisfaction. He had designed this array to inflict maximum damage upon Yu Ci while compelling him towards a predetermined destination. From the looks of things, it was working quite well.

In less than half a moment, Yu Ci could already discern the peculiar Land of Spatial Distortion ahead. Without any hesitation, he pinpointed the location of the Void Rift, his body and sword merging as one, and he plunged straight into it. To Yuan Wang and the others, Yu Ci's figure twisted and then vanished from sight.

Yuan Wang was not surprised by this. He issued orders methodically, causing the Formation setup to recede, to prevent the strong Aura from disrupting the stability of the Void Rift. He then moved forward with a few fellow Golden Elixir Cultivators, timing it perfectly so that they reached the outer edge of the Formation setup, closest to the Void Rift, just as the induced chill had diminished to a certain threshold.

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Just as he was about to issue a second wave of commands, a sudden streak of sword light pierced through the distorted void, needle-sharp and incomparably fierce.

Yuan Wang was the first to face it, but he merely sneered, not the least bit startled. With the Nine Inch Collapsing Snow Sword in hand, he swung it precisely in front of the oncoming sword light. His Advanced Stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation exerted absolute suppression, and amidst the piercing shriek, the needle-like sword light shattered. Yuan Wang, unfazed, was the first to charge through the Void Rift.

Before he could even take in his surroundings, another wave of Sword Energy tore through the air with a hissing sound. This time, Yuan Wang couldn't even be bothered to block; he simply vibrated the Nine Inch Collapsing Snow Sword, and the Sword Energy burst forth like a cascading snowfall. Amidst thunderous sounds, it rolled through the air, sweeping a massive area ten zhang wide in front of him.

With a series of "crackling" noises, the obstacles before Yuan Wang were ground to dust by the sword tide, and amidst the swirling snow powder and dust, a figure was flung out. It was Yu Ci, who, without waiting to hit the ground, once again fled on his sword, quickly disappearing into the distance.

"An overused stratagem."

Yuan Wang spat out disdainfully, but he did not pursue. Instead, he stood his ground, controlling the field for his sect members who were crossing through the void behind him. However, this did not mean that no one was attending to Yu Ci. The person following closely behind him had already silently taken up the pursuit, displaying the shrewdness of an experienced cultivator.

Once everyone from Yuan Wang's side had crossed over, and the one pursuing Yu Ci had sent back a message, Yuan Wang's face remained expressionless. He ordered the Formation setup to be reassembled and continued to press on with this imposing manner, leaving no chance for Yu Ci to turn the tables.

"What does it matter if you can guess my intentions? Beneath the Silent Extinction Cold Tide, how long can a junior like you last? If you want to save your life, your only choice is to obediently go to those valuable places and try to divert our 'attention' from here."

Leaving aside Yuan Wang's scheming sneer, Yu Ci was indeed under immense pressure. Yuan Wang was a man of severe and ruthless nature, bordering on the obsessive. Yet when he got serious, his actions were impeccable, and he had mobilized all his power to suppress even someone who was barely at the Initial Stage of Golden Elixir like Yu Ci, leaving no room for argument.

But after all, Yuan Wang was not the worm in Yu Ci's stomach; hence, he did not know that Yu Ci was actually in quite a good mood at the moment.

Engaging in a mutual dance of offense and defense, Yu Ci found himself at a disadvantage after crossing swords twice with Yuan Wang. Yuan Wang's Nine Inch Collapsing Snow Sword was truly exceptional—majestic as a mountain, its movements akin to an avalanche, exerting pressure with every move, always finding opportunities to exploit his vast superiority in cultivation, and compelling Yu Ci to confront him head-on. At this moment, Yu Ci's Five Viscera and Six Bowels were shaken, sustaining some injuries.

Yet, on a spiritual level, he attained an exceedingly tranquil state, accompanied by a unique sensitivity.

This was not simply a duel with swords; it was a "refinement" of the sword.

The clash of their swordplay lacked the subtlety of feinting and striking where the opponent was weakest; instead, it resembled the sonorous clang of iron being forged, impurities scattering with the sparks, reducing the "weight" of the raw metal, yet revealing the rough shape of the Sword Embryo.

"The True Essence of the Heavenly Dragon, no matter how exquisite, is not your Sword aura; your Sword aura, no matter how vast, cannot encompass those 'Non-Sword' qualities. To 'refine' the sword, one must be willing to let go. Impurities must be discarded, even those 'good things' that do not align with the sword's nature must be cast aside! Only a Sword aura that is wholly your own can resonate fully, unlocking the path to Sword cultivation... You may not belong to this path, but at the very least, you must achieve it superficially."

The voice that had been guiding Yu Ci by his side was deeply relevant to his current predicament, and from it, Yu Ci reaped immense benefits. The most valuable insight was the profound mystery of the Sword cultivation path. If he could truly "let go," he would step into the realm of Sword cultivation in a single stride, and for a long time thereafter, he need not worry about the correctness of his cultivation practice.

However, if letting go were so easy, would Yu Ci still be "Yu Ci"?

The chase continued, and for the most part, Yu Ci was unable to escape the assault of the Silent Extinction Cold Tide. Now, having passed through two more Void Rifts, the Ice Snow Demon Palace relentlessly pursued him.

"The fourth..."

Looking at the map, only three slices of void remained to provide scant cover to the final destination. Amidst the chaos, Yu Ci glanced back, then swiftly changed direction, the formation setup behind him veering off, wailing mournfully in the wind.

He decisively plunged into the Void Rift once more, causing the formation setup behind to pause momentarily. Yuan Wang, repeating his previous tactic, led his elite forces through first, but this time, upon reaching the new void, they were taken aback to discover:

Yu Ci... was gone?

The bewilderment lasted but a moment, as the fluctuations of the Void Rift provided the clearest hint. Yuan Wang turned back sharply, only to see Yu Ci, merging with his sword like a phantom, charging straight towards the still-emerging Void Rift. With Sword Light bearing down, the cultivators of the Ice Snow Demon Palace, accustomed to the previous rhythm, were caught off guard by the sudden disruption, and none could mount a defense in time.

This was a true counterstrike.

By the time Yuan Wang turned back around, Yu Ci had already charged back through, vanishing without a trace.