"What do you mean?" Yu Ci became instantly vigilant.

The other's tone remained consistently casual: "I merely wish for him to lend a hand."

Yu Ci shook his head: "There's no need to drag others into this."

His stance was clear, and wisely, the other did not pursue the topic further.

"Then let us move forward." The other provided another map: "To resolve the issues here, there's still a long road to travel."

Yu Ci hummed in acknowledgment, following the directions for a stretch before suddenly asking, "Where are the Thunderbolt-Free Great Immortals now?"

This question had been weighing on his heart for quite some time. With Guixu in such turmoil, the esteemed Sword Immortal had yet to show even the slightest sign of exertion, let alone a reaction. Could it be that the injuries from ten thousand years ago were indeed so grave?

The other fell silent, and after a moment, spoke icily: "If he were willing to appear, none of this would be happening!"

************

"A coffin?"

What lay before Xia Boyang and the others was a bronze coffin, approximately four feet tall and a zhang in length, gleaming with a metallic luster in the sunlight. Splattered blood stained the ground around it red, and the scattered limbs were a gruesome sight.

The cultivators' hearts tightened. In their arid, sun-scorched land where windswept sands prevailed, the desolate flatness offered no place for concealment. They were certain that this behemoth had not been present before in the vicinity.

"How did it get here?"

"It seems as if it arrived with that blood storm..."

"Inside the coffin, or outside? Or is it merely a decoy?"

Those who had made it this far were not lacking in experience; they quickly conjured up numerous possibilities. However, Xia Boyang's command cut through their distractions:

"Take action!"

Cultivators from various sects reacted to the command at different times, but Xia Boyang, through Formation Drill, layered their efforts, maximizing the collective strength. At his command, a thunderous explosion echoed through the void as the power of dozens converged, smashing the coffin deep into the ground with the first assault. This was followed by the whirring slaughter of Flying Swords, and finally, the blinding light of various Magical Instruments. Wave after wave of attacks, each more powerful than the last, the combined might of over fifty cultivators was unleashed to its fullest.

Under the relentless assault, the coffin was "erased," leaving no trace in the void.

This was not the scenario he had anticipated.

Xia Boyang was taken aback, his subsequent command yet to be voiced when screams pierced the air again. The formation of the Jade Purification Alliance cultivators suddenly bulged and then shattered, resulting in two or three more with snapped tendons and broken bones. This time, Xia Boyang saw clearly that the coffin was the cause.

The coffin seemed to fly, yet it also seemed to traverse the void directly. When it reappeared, its heavy form swung to the sides, sending cultivators flying.

Xia Boyang gritted his teeth: "Give me..."

As he began to speak, he abruptly turned to see the Incense Slave's form become ethereal, fleeing towards a nearby Void Rift.

"This woman!"

Xia Boyang had to admit the Incense Slave's knack for seizing opportunities was nothing short of divine precision. At that moment, the bronze casket wreaked havoc mid-air, charging and ramming unpredictably, disrupting the formation of his team and rendering them momentarily helpless against it. With no other choice, Xia Boyang turned back, issuing orders to rearrange their formation while simultaneously retrieving a Magical Instrument capable of brief spatial confinement. He wielded it with a Yin Spirit, secretly preparing to activate it in the air at any moment.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

It was then that a sudden thought struck him: "The first few who perished were clearly dismembered by sharp blades... which doesn't quite align with the current situation."

As the thought emerged, his soul felt as if pricked by a needle. It was the "Whim of the Heart" technique from the Thousand Mountain Sect's witchcraft, used specifically for "warnings." A chill ran down Xia Boyang's spine—on the day he first entered the Sword Immortal's Secret domain and faced the overwhelmingly powerful Magical Instrument of the Heavy Weapon Sect, he had experienced a similar premonition, which had resulted in him trading a Substitute Sorcerer Puppet for his life.

Now, the same premonition surged through him, the intensity exceeding the previous one by more than tenfold.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the positions of the team and the casket, and without further ado, he retreated, fleeing into the Void Rift. Just as those around him stood bewildered by his abrupt action, the lid of the bronze casket slid open.

A hush fell through the void. Xia Boyang clutched at his chest, his retreat unabated in speed, yet he felt as if he was sealed in place, all his actions a futile and laughable struggle.

"Thud!"

The dull thump struck deep into his chest, and Xia Boyang spurted out a jet of blood, along with an object resembling a doll.

This doll, barely a foot tall and plumply crafted with clear features, dressed and capped like a commoner, was intricately etched with dense Talismans on its garments. Its eyes were inlaid with jewels, unmistakably the unique Substitute Sorcerer Puppet of the Thousand Mountain Sect. Yet, this exquisitely crafted witch-doll, existing for only a brief moment in the void, burst like an overinflated balloon.

As the witch-doll shattered, Xia Boyang felt as if released from a cage. Ignoring the blood he coughed up from the pull of his Aura, he leaped forward, darting through the Void Rift like a koi piercing through waves.

The instant he escaped that realm, it felt as though he was burrowing out of a layer of solid rock, his ears catching a strange, muffled explosion, immediately muffled by the barrier of space.

Xia Boyang had no time to ponder. Once in the unknown environment of the void, he roused his vigilance to its utmost, casting out a wide net of his spiritual senses which responded almost instantly. Whirling around, he sidestepped into thin air, and as he steadied himself, he found himself face to face with a female cultivator who had arrived just before him. The sharp, cold Aura emanating from her felt like a sword laid across his neck.

"That scent..."

A notion flickered through Xia Boyang's mind, his reaction far from friendly. It seemed another confrontation was imminent, but just as they reached the critical moment, both parties' Auras eased—despite being in another space, the Void Rift remained open, and the threat behind them was still palpable. They had no time to waste.

"Let's part ways here."

"Agreed!"

Incense Slave gracefully yielded the first move, her figure retreating in a swift backward leap. Only when she had put a distance of three li between them did she pivot around, her Artifacts Manipulation sending her soaring even faster, soon to vanish from the edge of sight. Xia Boyang hesitated for a moment before choosing the same path as hers, not exactly breaking their agreement. Thus, one after the other, they flew over a hundred li in the blink of an eye, distancing themselves from the Void Rift. Incense Slave glanced back, and though her features were indistinct, her impatience was unmistakably etched in her posture.

This is it! Xia Boyang felt a growing clarity within and couldn't help but call out, "Wait," as he suddenly accelerated, catching up to her in no time.

Incense Slave huffed coldly, finally coming to a halt, her Illusion Power of Rakshasa swirling menacingly around her. "Young Master Boyang, given the extraordinary circumstances, I have no wish to entangle with you. But do not mistake my forbearance for weakness!"

Xia Boyang's gaze upon Incense Slave was now profoundly altered, his indifference to the sharp words of a fellow female cultivator replaced by a smile blooming across his face. "So it's an old friend before me! Since our parting by the Eastern Sea, have you been well, Senior Sister?"

Incense Slave fell into a sudden silence, the surrounding void turning icy in an instant.

Xia Boyang, on the contrary, stepped forward, his handsome face beaming with joy. "Since we're acquainted, why persist in this deadly dance? For my cousin's sake, surely you wouldn't trouble me, your Junior Brother?"

Incense Slave's response was silence.

Xia Boyang was about to press further when a piercing whistle cut through the air.

The Primordial Qi in the vicinity roiled, the whistle drawing out a long, drawn-out note, making the hundred li of void feel as if it were a cloth torn by a knife, emitting a ripping sound. Once was not enough; the sequence repeated, with one note rising and the other falling, their undulations following a rhythmic pattern.

Xia Boyang listened intently, his expression gradually shifting. "What is that sound?"

Incense Slave, who had been silent all along, listened intently for a long while before responding:

"...Breathing."

It was the sound of someone taking a long breath, inhaling and exhaling Primordial Qi with a sharpness akin to a sword, cleaving through the hundred li of void.

In that moment, both of them held their breath, fearful of betraying the slightest hint of their presence. By now, Xia Boyang was utterly convinced that the team he had painstakingly assembled over the past ten days had met its end—at the hands of such a formidable being, fifty cultivators might as well be nothing more than a gap-filler between teeth.

From whence had such an extraordinary powerhouse sprung?

Fortunately, this person had not headed towards their location but had veered off in a different direction. The breath that sliced through a hundred kilometers continued, but it grew more subdued, gradually fading to the point where it was imperceptible without deliberate attention.

Xia Boyang stood in a daze for a long while before a sudden flash of insight struck him: If one were to speak of guidance, this individual seemed far more fitting.

His gaze shifted towards the female cultivator at his side. Incense Slave, too, turned her face in that direction, seemingly lost in thought.