A group of people swept down the gentle slopes of a small hill like a wild wind, yet could only watch helplessly as Yu Ci disappeared into the mist. By the time they reached the edge of the cliff, there was no trace of Yu Ci in the deep valley below.
The leader, Huang Tai, had a ghastly pale face. He struggled to keep his expression steady as he looked up at the three-headed Blood Eagle that was still not far away. The Blood Eagle spiraled upwards, soon becoming a mere dot in the sky. In the distance, riders on similar soul-attached Blood Eagles were approaching.
Standing on the edge of the cliff, he clenched his teeth and turned to ask, "How is the Soul Search Mirror?"
Liu Siwei shook his head, "It's still unclear, it's useless beyond ten miles!"
He paused, seeing Huang Tai's complexion turning from pale to black, he could only defend himself, "The Remnant Soul collected by the mirror, it's best if it has a strong desire to survive and a strong resentment, only then can it be used effectively. Old Lu is a bit too soft-hearted..."
"Enough!"
Huang Tai couldn't hold back his roar, interrupting Liu Siwei. Realizing his outburst, he saw Liu Siwei's expression darken, and he sighed, adding,
"Old Liu, we've been made a laughingstock for two whole days. If that bastard had just fled, it would have been fine. But instead, he's been leisurely strolling around right under our noses, leading us in circles! Once the news gets out, how will the Thousands Spirits Sect and Pure Water Sect view us? Moreover, Elder Tu is coming. You know his temper. If we don't produce some results, can we handle the backlash?"
Liu Siwei remained silent. He understood very well why Huang Tai was so anxious. According to the Mansion Master's instructions, the young man, though only at the initial stage of nature-connecting cultivation, had a peculiar set of skills and needed to be dealt with carefully. However, when Lu Ding's informant reported that they had discovered Yu Ci's whereabouts, Manager Huang, attracted by a rare Ghost Beast in the valley, gathered most of the men to trap it, leaving only Lu Ding and Si Long at the camp to lead a team to capture Yu Ci. This led to the current, unmanageable situation. If he wasn't anxious, who would be?
Huang Tai wanted to say more, but heard his partner exclaim, "That guy has been here!"
"How so?"
Huang Tai also looked down and indeed saw blood splattered at the edge of the cliff, scattered downwards, dried but still bright.
"It must be some fierce beast in the valley." Liu Siwei turned to look at him, "Looking at the pattern of the blood splatter, it seems like his handiwork. If that's the case, finding the body and collecting enough essence and blood might expand the range of the Soul Search Mirror in a short time. If we could capture his Qi and Blood remnants, that would be even better."
"Into the valley!"
Huang Tai gritted his teeth and commanded, "Spread out, search for people, search for bodies!"
Without mentioning the painstaking search through the boundless mists by the group from White Sun Mansion, Yu Ci had already found a foothold fifteen miles deep within the valley. Through the Divine Map, he kept a close eye on every move of his adversaries.
Like the conversation between the two stewards, Huang and Liu, even without hearing the sound, he could decipher most of it through lip-reading.
"Is the old demon Tu Du coming?"
Yu Ci was taken aback by this crucial piece of information. Given the current situation, he wouldn't be surprised if Master Jin himself showed up, but Tu Du's arrival was a different matter. Back in Cliff City, he had seen Tu Du's frail flesh body more than once, clearly on the brink of death under the Cinnabar Cliff. Why would he travel all the way to Sky Rift Valley?
It was said that a Golden Elixir cultivator could travel thousands of miles in spirit, but they still had to care for their flesh body. Even Yu Ci knew that the Yin Spirit being out of the body for too long would cause some damage to the flesh body. Wouldn't Old Demon Butcher know this? And what was his plan in coming here?
If it was aimed at him, Yu Ci would indeed be flattered.
With a cold smile, Yu Ci turned his gaze, only to see on the Divine Map that the group from White Sun Mansion had found the bodies of the three beasts he had slain. However, the bodies were torn and shattered by the bloodthirsty beasts of the valley.
Steward Liu, without much care, was carefully applying the collected essence and blood on the surface of the Soul Search Mirror, while also drawing talismans. The process was so complex that even Yu Ci felt anxious for him.
After a long while, Steward Liu finally completed the entire procedure and began to activate the talisman. Huang Tai watched nervously at the side, his fists unconsciously clenched. The accompanying warriors dared not even breathe, fearing to startle Steward Liu and bear the brunt of his irritation.
Yu Ci watched with interest as a thin layer of blood on the Soul Search Mirror began to glow. The blood on the mirror's surface seemed to be driven by some force, coalescing into a jujube-sized droplet of blood that floated up. Steward Liu's nose was beaded with sweat, and the blood droplet stretched and transformed in the void, turning into a sharp-looking short spike, pointing downwards.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
That was precisely the direction where Yu Ci was.
"Oh?"
Yu Ci raised his eyebrows slightly, but then the blood spike shattered, splashing Steward Liu.
Fifteen miles away, Yu Ci watched with a dumbfounded smile, but for the stewards Huang and Liu, this was already a significant improvement. Huang Tai, his voice hoarse, wished he could shake his partner's shoulder to give him some strength: "Old Liu, success or failure hinges on this moment, it's all up to you!"
Steward Liu cursed inwardly but couldn't resist Huang Tai's intense emotion. He snorted, took out a pill bottle from his bosom. Huang Tai, however, was one step ahead, offering his own Elixir and Pill: "Here, take my Sun Essence Pill. Let's go all out and lock down that bastard!"
He slapped the elixir bottle directly into Liu Siwei's hand. With the precious Sun Essence Elixir at his disposal, Liu Siwei was at a loss for words. He uncorked the bottle, took out a pill that was as red as fire and as clear as crystal, and popped it into his mouth. Without any pretense of modesty, he accepted the remaining pills with a grin and stored them in his Storage Ring.
Huang Tai watched, his eyebrows furrowing in irritation, but he held his tongue. He observed as Liu Siwei, the steward, performed several rounds of Qi and Blood transference, then took in a deep breath.
This breath lasted for a full ten beats of time, until his belly was swollen and he could inhale no more. Only then did Liu Siwei close his eyes, clench his teeth, and begin to circulate the clear and turbid Qi. After a while, he opened his eyes, his chest rising and falling several times, before a sudden rush of Qi surged to his throat and he let out a sound:
"Hei, He, Ha!"
Three consecutive exhalations, each with a clear pause in between, echoed out. At first, it was nothing special, but by the third exhalation, a beam of white light burst forth from Liu Siwei's mouth and nose, striking directly onto the surface of the Soul Search Mirror.
A deep hum resonated as the dark mirror vibrated visibly. The layer of blood on its surface shone brilliantly, and the previously dried Essence and Blood began to vaporize in this light, transforming into a light red mist that swirled above the mirror's surface.
Next, the "Blood Spike" that Yu Ci had just seen appeared again in the mist, slightly lighter in color but lasting much longer. Liu Siwei stared at the Blood Spike for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying:
"Fifteen miles away, got him... he hasn't moved yet!"
As he finished speaking, the Blood Spike dissipated. Unlike before, it didn't splatter everywhere, but instead merged into the light red mist and orderly descended onto the mirror's surface, melding into the bloody membrane of the mirror. Liu Siwei's face was pale, and he was panting heavily. It was clear that the Secret Method he had just used had exhausted him greatly.
Just by observing, Yu Ci could tell that Liu Siwei's method had worked this time and could presumably be used again in the future. The only question was whether there was a limit to how many times it could be used!
"Well done with the 'Three Calls in One Breath'. When Elder Tu arrives, I'll commend you, old Liu!"
Huang Tai was overjoyed and, turning his head to look at the bottomless cloud below, his expression hardened: "Chase him!"
Amidst the roar of the crowd, they pursued in the direction of Yu Ci.
Fifteen miles away, Yu Ci stood up, his face solemn.
He wasn't worried. Even if the twenty or so people from the White Sun Mansion chased him down with the Soul Search Mirror, he had plenty of ways to shake them off. What he was concerned about was something else:
"That 'Three Calls in One Breath' and the earlier Soul Search Mirror Talisman aren't the same thing at all."
Having practiced Talisman for many years, Yu Ci was somewhat of an expert in Rune Patterns and Curse techniques. With the highly detailed image of the Divine Map presented to him, he was certain that the two methods Liu Siwei had used were completely different.
Especially the "Three Calls in One Breath", it was purely the circulation of internal Qi and Blood, presumably a special Applied Method to stimulate the effects of Magical Instruments. He just didn't know if it was specifically for the "Soul Search Mirror" or if it was effective for any Magical Instrument.
Pulling out the Divine Bronze Mirror he had kept in his sleeve, Yu Ci caressed the smooth surface of the mirror, his mind stirring with thoughts.
"I must plan meticulously!" Yu Ci glanced at the Divine Map, confirming the direction and distance of the approaching enemy. A grin spread across his face as he finally set off.
**************
The days that followed were slightly more intense, both for Yu Ci and the people of White Sun Mansion.
For Yu Ci, he had to admit that the "big tail" following him was a hard nut to crack.
With the Soul Search Mirror as a guide, the people of White Sun Mansion clung tightly to his trail. While Yu Ci deliberately allowed this to some extent, there were times when the enemy's assault proved troublesome.
The closest encounter occurred when Yu Ci was momentarily entangled with a ferocious beast, allowing the people of White Sun Mansion to catch up. Although the encounter was brief, the enemies' combat power left a deep impression on him.
Among the people of White Sun Mansion, there were more than twenty accompanying warriors, a mix of personal guards and ordinary mansion guards. Well-trained, they could form a battle formation even in an environment like Sky Rift Valley, capable of both offense and defense. If they were to surround Yu Ci, breaking free would come at a cost.
Then there were the two stewards, Huang Tai and Liu Siwei. The latter was manageable. Despite being a Nature-Connecting Cultivator, his cultivation level was average. The only trouble was when he controlled the "Soul Search Mirror". However, the former, Huang Tai, possessed a solid Intermediate Nature-Connecting Cultivation Level. His Yin Spirit was fully formed, and he could control a magical instrument called "Thousand Bee Instrument". It could shoot out hundreds of extremely yang fire thorns in an instant, scorching like fire, sharp like a needle, and unstoppable.
Yu Ci almost fell for Manager Huang's surprise attack due to his lack of knowledge. Had he not reacted in time, he would have been turned into a burning hedgehog, dead beyond dead.
However, despite this scare, he was able to clarify a lot of information that he couldn't discern from the Divine Map. His plan gradually took shape in his mind, and it was time to put it into action.
As the sky darkened, Yu Ci took a deep breath and, following the display of the Divine Map, stealthily advanced.
***********
Suddenly, he thought about how great Manager Huang and Steward Liu were as supporting characters. Why hadn't any of his brothers or sisters thought of using such identities? Of course, what's more important is to click to bookmark and vote, don't miss out on anything!
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e