The vastness of the Cultivation World is unimaginable for those who have not truly wandered within it. Nestled between the Broken Realm Mountain Range and the Sky Rift Valley, the sprawling mountain range stretches tens of thousands of miles, shrouded in desolation. Amidst this expanse, the Sheer Cliff City sits like a sesame seed accidentally dropped. Yet, this majestic stretch of a hundred thousand mountains is but a tiny corner of the entire Cultivation World.
This boundless world is enough to dishearten the weak, yet it invigorates the brave.
The straight-line distance between the Still Heart Temple and Sky Rift Valley is approximately twenty thousand miles. However, to reach the region once visited by Yu Ci, the distance doubles. To ordinary folk, this might be an insurmountable distance, a journey of a lifetime. Yet, to a Cultivator, it is merely a medium-short journey.
The transition of seasons is always abrupt. As he flew high in the sky over these few days, the cold air was constantly spreading southwards.
Yu Ci was truly grateful to Bao Guang for lending him the Ghost Yarn Cloud. As a tool for long-distance travel, it was woven from special yarn material, embedded with a Rune Array, and powered by absorbing atmospheric moisture, enabling near-continuous use.
Four thousand miles a day!
Such was the pace set by Yu Ci. This speed had surpassed that of some Golden Elixir cultivators. Of course, this came at a price. Apart from necessary daily rest, Yu Ci spent ten out of twelve hours traveling, day and night. He had to endure bone-chilling cold at thousands of feet in the air, fend off predatory Birds of Prey, suppress accumulating fatigue, and ensure he didn't lose his way in this vast expanse.
The journey was arduous, but that was not a problem because he relished the feeling!
"Vast and boundless, like riding the wind in the void, so free and independent as if detached from the world."
Perhaps this was what it felt like to be an immortal. What is an immortal? An immortal is one who flies in the sky!
Only when one truly soars in the sky, chasing clouds across thousands of miles, can one understand the joy of being an immortal.
Suddenly, he became incredibly greedy, because he wasn't flying fast enough, high enough, or far enough!
On the morning of the tenth day, Yu Ci saw the iconic sea of clouds at the Sky Rift Valley from high above. He was still not satisfied and for a moment, he was tempted to plunge the Ghost Yarn Cloud into the boundless sea of clouds to see what lay at its end. Fortunately, reason prevailed over impulse.
The Birds of Prey in the Sky Rift Valley were far more ferocious than the eagles and hawks he had encountered in the past few days. The Ghost Yarn Cloud, aside from its ability to fly, offered no protection. If it were damaged by these beasts, he would have no face to explain it to Bao Guang.
Moreover, the vicinity seemed unusually bustling.
The Ghost Yarn Cloud's maximum flight altitude was approximately three hundred feet. This height, in the vast azure sky, was not much. Even a random hawk could fly much higher. But this creature that was circling him… did it really think it wouldn't be noticed from twenty miles away?
Yu Ci bent slightly as if dozing off on a cloud, but in reality, he was concealing the Divine Map in his arms, using his divine sense to lock onto the damn beast twenty miles away. From the moment he entered the outskirts of the Sky Rift Valley, this hawk had been following him.
At first, the distance was short, but after Yu Ci showed a hint of confusion, it widened. Unfortunately, it wasn't far enough to hide the dark spots on its belly from Yu Ci's keen eyes.
Of course, Yu Ci didn't overlook another anomaly: a faint grey aura shrouding the hawk and two needle-like red dots in its pupils. This hawk was under human control.
Yu Ci knew he was being watched. He heightened his vigilance, but ultimately chose to land.
Returning to the Sky Rift Valley, he felt the urgency of time more than ever.
When he left last time, the mountains were lush and charming. Now, it was late autumn, with withering vegetation. Even the predominant pines and cypresses in the mountains had darkened, and an aura of solemnity permeated the mountains. The stream was much clearer than before, the sound of the water echoing in the quiet valley was like pearls rolling on a jade plate, pleasing to the ears.
The icy stream water made Yu Ci's mind increasingly clear, and the faint voices in the distance filled him with nostalgia.
By now, Yu Ci had confirmed that within a fifty-mile radius, apart from a few approaching herb gatherers, there were no other obtrusive figures. The cultivator controlling the hawk was likely beyond fifty miles.
Indeed, there was no shortage of extraordinary skills - this was the first reconnaissance method Yu Ci had encountered that had a range longer than the Divine Map. However, the information it provided was certainly less comprehensive.
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Just as he was thinking, four or five people were wading upstream along the stream, the group of herb gatherers Yu Ci had noticed earlier. Yu Ci greeted them with a smile, appropriately revealing his identity as a cultivator, and then everything became simple.
After the herb gatherers left with trepidation, Yu Ci had a rough understanding of the recent situation in the Sky Rift Valley.
Although this understanding left him more puzzled.
About a month ago, around the time Jin Huan and his group went to the Still Heart Temple, two forces that had been suppressed by White Sun Mansion within the sheer cliff city - the Thousands Spirits Sect and Pure Water Sect - suddenly joined forces and sent people to Sky Rift Valley.
Their reason was to search for the missing, but nearly confirmed dead Zheng De, Lu Quan, and Xu Ji, also known as Viper Monk, Lu Quan Taoist, and Xu Elder in Yu Ci's understanding. Both Sects were very high-profile, unafraid of losing face, often asking the herb gatherers about the situation, causing quite a stir.
If it were just that, it would be fine. However, during the investigation, there were rumors that the trio were harmed by a rising star of the White Sun Mansion. The rumors were so detailed that it was hard not to believe. The Thousands Spirits Sect was more restrained, not taking action before the matter was clear. But the evil monks of the Pure Water Sect didn't care, venting their anger on the herb gatherers working for the White Sun Mansion.
Over the course of two or three days, more than a hundred Herb Gatherers were beaten to death or injured, plunging the situation into utter chaos. This provocation was something the White Sun Mansion could not tolerate. They promptly dispatched four stewards accompanied by elite warriors to suppress the rampant aggression of the Pure Water Sect. However, this only served to escalate the tension.
Rumors began to circulate once again. This time, they implicated the Ghost Beasts residing in Sky Rift Valley. It was said that the elaborate posturing of the Thousands Spirits Sect and the Pure Water Sect was a mere diversion, a smoke screen. Their true objective was to capture the Ghost Beasts that had been hidden in the valley for decades, in order to locate a treasure left in the vicinity by a master of Great Mystical Powers.
With this, Sky Rift Valley inevitably fell into a state of turmoil.
And so, the situation evolved into its current state.
The White Sun Mansion, Thousands Spirits Sect, Xuan Yin Sect, Pure Water Sect... all had arrived, except for the Lifeless Sword Sect, which was short-handed and unable to spare any members. Yu Ci, counting on his fingers, listed the five major sects surrounding the sheer cliff city. Some he was familiar with, others were complete strangers. Among them, there were three that Yu Ci paid particular attention to.
The White Sun Mansion was a given, an absolute archenemy. He had publicly slapped Jin Huan in the face, a disgrace of the highest order. If Jin Huan could endure such humiliation, that would indeed be strange.
Next were the Thousands Spirits Sect and Pure Water Sect. He was interested in these because he hadn't expected the case involving Viper Monk and his associates to surface so quickly!
As the "killer" of Viper Monk and his companions, although he had covered his tracks well, Yu Ci had still made a point of investigating their identities upon returning to the sheer cliff city, as a precaution. These three had some reputation in the city, and they had powerful forces behind them.
The one with the most significant background was Elder Xu. He was one of the ten renowned masters of the Thousands Spirits Sect. Perhaps the so-called "top ten" was mostly just filler, but the power of the Thousands Spirits Sect was undeniable.
Fifty years ago, the story of Jin Huan, the Master of the White Sun Mansion, single-handedly fighting against Shi Song, the head of the Thousands Spirits Sect, and Hu Dan, the sect's top master, had become almost legendary in the sheer cliff city. It was a tale told in every street and alley. Though Jin Huan had won, he was unable to kill even one of his opponents. After that battle, the Thousands Spirits Sect was forced to relinquish its core interests in the sheer cliff city and retreat to the peripheral areas. However, their power was not significantly diminished. They still had the strength to strike back and were one of the only forces within thousands of miles capable of rivaling the White Sun Mansion.
Lifting his gaze, Yu Ci observed a hawk circling in the distant azure sky, far beyond the reach of his sight. The keen eyes of the bird were being used by others. Yu Ci had heard of such a method before, attaching one's spirit to living beings, controlling them as easily as one's own limbs.
This was one of the most well-known techniques of the Thousands Spirits Sect.
But that was not all. Viper Monk Zheng De and Lu Quan were not simple characters either. Viper Monk was a significant figure from the Pure Water Sect, located in the southern suburbs of Sheer Cliff City. The reputation of the Pure Water Sect was far from commendable, housing monks who were involved in all sorts of nefarious activities. It was arguably the largest den of thieves and bandits around Sheer Cliff City. However, its leader, Monk Yi Xin, was of mysterious origin. Rumored to possess divine Buddhist powers, his friendship with Lu Mingyue, the number one lone cultivator in Sheer Cliff City, lent the sect some legitimacy. Both were Golden Elixir cultivators, formidable enough to make even the White Sun Mansion tread carefully. As for Lu Quan, he was a servant of Lu Mingyue in his early years, practically his half-disciple.
To put it bluntly, if this matter were to be exposed, Yu Ci would be making an enemy of the entire Sheer Cliff City.
Of course, no one could directly point him out as the culprit. But if the White Sun Mansion and the Thousands Spirits Sect were to exchange information and use the process of elimination, they would find that during that specific time frame, the only one who was in the Sky Rift Valley and had the power to act was him.
The White Sun Mansion would certainly be delighted to push the blame onto him...
However, he was curious to know if anyone would believe that a lone cultivator like him, without a sect or a foundation, would be crazy enough to make enemies with the White Sun Mansion, the Thousands Spirits Sect, the Pure Water Sect, and the city's top lone cultivator, Lu Mingyue, all at once?
At this moment, Yu Ci's concern for the situation was overshadowed by the pride he felt after pulling off such a stunt. The experience was quite exhilarating.
Laughing heartily, Yu Ci moved forward. The Sky Rift Valley was now within reach.
As for the hawk still circling in the distance, who cares!
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Reset the battlefield, this chapter is a transition. From the next chapter onwards, minor characters will make their appearances. Those who have left their names in the minor character post will definitely make an appearance, but their roles may be adjusted based on the story's development. Please continue to support us by clicking, bookmarking.
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