No more words, I am utterly perplexed...
Yu Ci, with his back to the source of the Sword Resonance, allowed the sonorous waves to penetrate his Brain Palace.
The cacophony did no harm to him; in fact, it could be said that this sudden surge of Sword Resonance was drawn forth by Yu Ci himself.
The Sword aura, gleaned from the Talisman, quivered, propelling the Divine Intent Energy. Through the Seed True Talisman, it transformed into pure Sword Energy, humming softly as it flowed, spontaneously radiating from his body. It then permeated the blood-hued heavens and earth, laden with Bloodthirsty Qi, reaching the Xuan Huang Killing Sword miles away. The response was instantaneous.
Sword aura resonated!
In the sky, two Vacuum Walking Cultivators, stunned by the earth-shattering Sword aura, were left bewildered. They failed to comprehend what was happening as the blood-colored world trembled with the Sword Resonance's onset. The Bloodthirsty Qi boiled over in an instant, unleashing a massive surge that swept across dozens of miles in the blink of an eye. Yu Ci, facing away from the onslaught, showed no intention of dodging; he gripped the sword hilt tightly, and eventually, even closed his eyes.
With a thunderous roar, the shockwave struck him, his body violently shaking, his Five Viscera and Six Bowels nearly overturning. Yet, the innate Sword aura within him remained unchanged.
In his mind, he solidified the Talisman—its complete form consisting of seven key fractals and sixty-four Key points. Such a structure, among all the Talismans Yu Ci had encountered, was unique to one—the third layer of the Sword Immortal's Secret domain, the simplified first layer crafted by him!
The three layers of the Talisman were meticulously arranged and maintained by Xuan Huang, stroke by stroke, following the Talismanic texts, naturally imbued with its Sword aura. Yu Ci had once harnessed it to control the vast Primordial Qi of the first layer's Talisman. Now, wielding the blade anew, he masterfully manipulated his own Primordial Qi, seemingly grasping the profound subtleties within.
At the very least, the Xuan Huang Killing Sword had responded.
At this moment, Yu Ci seemed to be an extension of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword. Devoid of consciousness and sensation, Xuan Huang lay inert, but Yu Ci remained aware! He served as the eyes and tendrils of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword. Perhaps he lacked the power to wield this formidable sword weapon, but he was capable of transmitting sufficient provocation, leaving the sword's innate instinct for slaughter to complete the ensuing task.
If the Xuan Huang Killing Sword were the raging torrents of a river, Yu Ci's actions were like breaching the dam!
The tide of blood surged, filling the heavens and earth in an instant. One of the Vacuum Walking Cultivators, caught off guard, found his vision completely engulfed by the intense red-black hues. This polluted color burned, igniting all the Primordial Qi within their sensory range, effectively sealing off their channel to harness the power of the heavens and earth for their own use.
Both Vacuum Walking Cultivators were profoundly shaken, the latter more cautious. Sensing the tide turning against him, he thought it best to retreat. Little did he know, had he not retreated, it might have been better. The moment he pulled back, the burning Bloodthirsty Qi suddenly "zinged" with a sharp intent, slicing into his receding Aura, like wind fueling fire, bursting forth explosively.
He had barely conceived the thought to defend when his chest felt hollow, an irresistible premonition of death washed over him. He could not even be sure where the fatal blow had struck. Unconsciously, he let out a piercing, agonized scream. His just-gathered Divine Intent Energy collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, his form was swallowed by the burning Bloodthirsty Qi.
The adversary he had been guarding against with all his might had just met a grisly end, yet the Seven Injuries Taoist felt not a shred of joy. Instead, a chill shot up from his tailbone to his crown, fear already gripping his heart. Once terror crept in, it left a crack, and that razor-sharp killing intent immediately found its way through, driving the Bloodthirsty Qi like a sword through paper, piercing with a single thrust.
The eyes of the Seven Injuries Taoist bulged, his fate even more unbearable than his predecessor's; his scream of agony never even escaped his lips before being shredded by the Bloodthirsty Qi, and then he was violently consumed by the searing heat.
In the blink of an eye, two Vacuum Walking Cultivators had been reduced to ashes and scattered, washed away by the tide of blood, leaving nothing behind.
Such was the might of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword!
Yet, even so, the onslaught of the blood tide was just beginning to surge, as if the two Vacuum Walking Cultivators were mere insects, crushed without a second thought, utterly insignificant.
Yu Ci let out a pained groan, feeling his body might not hold out much longer.
As the "Dike Breacher," there was no doubt that he would be the first to endure the brunt of the "River's" onslaught. Under normal circumstances, he would have perished cleanly. But having unleashed the power of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword, Yu Ci understood the unspoken meaning of that irresponsible fellow who had fled:
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"Sword Intent Purification... even if it's an act, you must make it convincing!"
The only thing that could withstand the river's onslaught was the river itself; the purified Sword aura was his anchor, his soul fused within the Sha aura of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword.
Yu Ci understood the reason, but it was of no help to his current predicament. The Sha aura of the Xuan Huang Killing Sword could be unleashed but not retracted, and one could only wait for it to naturally dissipate. During this time, he had to maintain the purity of his Sword aura amidst the turbulent vortex's assault, mitigating most of the impact. The slightest error would allow the violent forces to tear him to shreds instantly.
He had to ensure absolute focus, which is why he closed his eyes, not even glancing at the two Vacuum Walking Cultivators being slain. His attention was wholly devoted to controlling the Sword aura, making it difficult to gauge the impact of the blood tide accurately. He only felt the pressure mounting, the impact intensifying, until at last, an indescribable force blanketed his thoughts, leaving behind only a pitiful instinct, which, together with the Seed True Talisman, maintained the purity of the Sword aura.
Human strength has its limits, and not knowing how long he had endured, Yu Ci had been drained of the strength to stand. A force from behind struck him, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Xuan Huang, you scoundrel, you can't just abandon me after crossing the river..."
Muttering to himself, Yu Ci found he could not move even a fingertip. The blood tide compressed his bones, causing them to creak ominously, his Five Viscera and Six Bowels seemed out of place, and his body's Qi and blood felt as if they were ablaze. All he could do now was desperately maintain the semblance of the pure Sword aura, the last barrier preserving his lifeforce.
Before the scorching Bloodthirsty Qi, the barrier was as fragile as a sheet of paper, ready to turn to ash at any moment.
The blood tide surged on as before.
Outside the Sword Garden, it was the dead of night.
The wilderness was shrouded in darkness; there had been a few bonfires, but as news of the complete collapse of the Sword Immortal's Secret domain's restrictions spread, the last group of Cultivators watching by the fires could no longer hold back. Their eyes red with fervor, they plunged into the Sword Garden.
At this moment, in the vast mountain expanse, less than a hundred souls remained, having resolved not to venture forth. Nearly half of these resided within the White Cloud Hermitage.
The cultivators of the Lichen Sect who had attended the Sword Garden Grand Gathering, ninety percent had returned to the hermitage. Only Hua Xifeng, Li Hong, Wang Jiu, and Yu Ci were yet to return. The Old Daoist Yu Zhou, who had been anchoring the hermitage, had ventured deep into the garden two days prior to provide support. According to the latest messages, he had united with Hua, Li, and Wang, but Yu Ci, captured by the Heavy Weapon Sect Leader, had since vanished from sight.
Xiao Lu, of the Discipline division, was presiding over the situation. As a formidable figure, second only to Hua Xifeng and hailing from the Discipline division, his stern and austere presence was usually enough to silence his junior brothers and sisters. Yet, in these times, he felt the weight of pressure.
Seated on a stone bench before the hermitage, Xiao Lu's eyelids drooped slightly, his face an impassive mask. Before him, a figure paced back and forth, the agitation clear and undeniable.
Without even glancing at the restless figure, Xiao Lu spoke indifferently, "At the hour of You, I ordered that all should retire to their studies by nightfall, forbidding any to leave. With Li and Wang absent, and Zhang bedridden, you, as head of the Evidence division, have defied my command, compounding your offense..."
"Brother Xiao!"
Li You's round face had turned an iron shade as he cut Xiao Lu off, "We brothers can hide nothing from each other. I know you act with everyone's best interest at heart, but my leaving pertains solely to my own affairs, unrelated to others or to the sect. Why then do you obstruct me?"
Xiao Lu regarded him coldly, "As a disciple of the Lichen Sect, you cannot extricate yourself from involvement. Because of Junior Brother Yu, you must return—what then, should the other brothers do because of you?"
"Junior Brother Yu was persuaded by me to join the Sword Garden Grand Gathering..."
"No more excuses. Do you think Uncle Yu and the others linger within for no reason? They gather our brethren's strength, sending messages by flying sword—why? Do not act rashly and become a burden to others!"
Xiao Lu was not a man of many words, and speaking thus was already an exception. Seeing Li You about to retort, he rose ominously, ready to take measures. At that moment, Zhao Fu, who had been watching from the sidelines with a wry smile, stepped forward to speak, but suddenly, a red glow reflected upon his face.
All three turned their heads in unison.
From the direction of the Sword Garden, a red brilliance rapidly expanded. At first, it appeared no more than a common bonfire, but in the blink of an eye, it had engulfed a radius of one li. It was this light that now shone upon Zhao Fu's face. And still, the glow grew—two li, five li, ten li... The rate of expansion not only showed no signs of slowing but even seemed to intensify.
The White Cloud Hermitage, situated over ten li from the Sword Garden, was swiftly approached by the advancing red light, reaching the mountain's base in mere moments. The cultivators within the hermitage were already alarmed, emerging only to be bathed in blood-red light by the glow, the less proficient among them squinting, unable to look directly.
"It's so hot..."
Someone murmured, and the cultivators suddenly realized that the surrounding Primordial Qi of heaven and earth had indeed become intensely dry and fierce, the hermitage's seals unable to contain it.
"This is bad!"
"Quickly, leave!"
Xiao Lu and Zhao Fu reacted instantly, commanding the cultivators to rush into the hermitage, scoop up their still-recovering brethren, form a defensive array, and fly away on their swords, without even time to retract the hermitage itself.
Having just fled the mountaintop, the red light had already swept over the base, its color deepening to an intense crimson, so dark it was almost black. The sparse winter vegetation on the mountain, whipped by the high temperatures, spontaneously combusted with a roar, shooting flames into the sky.
In the next moment, the entire mountain area shook. The expanding red light suddenly contracted, plunging the cultivators into darkness, followed by a blinding light. As their eyes adjusted, they saw light waves bursting forth, clouds scattering, and from the heart of the red light, a thick beam shot out, piercing the heavens...