Shadow Ghost's warning was specifically tailored to Yu Ci's current predicament.
In the fray of the Vacuum Walking Level, whether it was the Talisman or the sword, the turning of the tide always boiled down to one thing: timing. To strip away luck and act in response to the moment sounds simple, but executing it is anything but.
Analyzing and judging the three "slivers of opportunity" exhausted Yu Ci's mental strength at least tenfold, especially in this process of making the most out of the least, of leveraging the weak against the strong, where there was no room for the slightest error and the pressure was well beyond the limit. It was under these circumstances that Yu Ci, unbeknownst to himself, had activated his Lifebound Divine Ability, "Analysis," trading the depletion of his Innate Vital Energy for an elevated state of mind.
For Yu Ci, minimizing such a loss was certainly ideal, and Shadow Ghost's timely reminder was appreciated. However, his warning coincided with the furious roar of the eight-foot-tall man, whose emotions ran high, prompting Shadow Ghost to pause in surprise:
"Does this fellow also recognize the Primordial Formless Sword? Hmm, this color..."
Shadow Ghost seemed to recall some piece of information, but before he could elaborate, the eight-foot-tall man's roar, akin to one mourning the death of his own father, prompted Yu Ci to hastily retreat.
Yu Ci couldn't discern the specific changes as the eight-foot-tall man suddenly focused his energy their way, but he could make the most accurate choice by sensing the "slivers of opportunity." As he retreated, Tie Lan was also compelled to pull back, but by then, the dynamics of the battle had already shifted.
When the two Great Demons joined forces in the attack, the eight-foot-tall man's judgments were crucial in shaping the battlefield. His biases were among the most critical factors influencing the outcome. Previously, his sole focus was to eliminate the makeshift alliance before him, and the fierce battle was confined to these four individuals. But now, with a sudden shift in his objective, the tacit understanding between him and the Gu Sculpture was sufficient to support such a change, leaving Tie Lan and Lu Qing at a disadvantage.
In this moment, the most prudent strategy for the Tie-Lan duo would have been for Lu Qing to employ a tactical displacement, stepping in to shield Tie Lan from the persistent harassment of the witch-carved bird, setting the stage for the two individuals with the highest cultivation levels to clash, which could likely have resulted in a stalemate. However, there was a lack of understanding between the two, and while Tie Lan sought to retreat but found himself entangled, Lu Qing was keen to intercept. Yet on the periphery, she was nearly entrapped by the fierce demonic aura emanating from the eight-foot-tall man.
With another roar, the eight-foot-tall man's pupils flashed with a sword-like golden brilliance, locking onto Yu Ci's position from afar. His fully transformed beastly body burst forth with power, tearing through the earth ahead and charging forward. Lu Qing attempted to intercept a second time, but she was utterly unable to match its speed, forced instead to pursue from a diagonal rear angle, the distance between them growing ever larger.
The situation was veering towards the worst possible outcome.
Yu Ci watched as the situation deteriorated, the eight-foot-tall man closing in at a speed far surpassing his own, yet his heart remained curiously undisturbed. In truth, his mind was still fully engaged in the process of analysis, and he could not afford to disengage!
In the blink of an eye, he launched several Spirit Charms: one towards Lu Qing, another towards the vicinity of Tie Lan and the witch-carved bird's battlefield, a third into the earth between him and the eight-foot-tall man, and the last upon himself.
The four Spirit Charms activated in succession, each bursting with effect. For Lu Qing, it was merely a speed-enhancing Talisman, a small consolation; as for Tie Lan and the witch-carved bird, the charm that descended was none other than the "Water Strike for Three Thousand Miles" that Yu Ci had demonstrated to Zhai Que'er some time ago. Its target was not the combatants themselves but aimed directly at the nearby area of flowing, swirling magma.
The "Water Striking Three Thousand Miles" technique could be applied to any fluid substance, and magma, albeit reluctantly, counted among them. The Spirit Charm immediately activated ten strands of Silk-Binding Energy, sweeping up the magma and transforming it into ten fiery streams that enveloped the target from all sides—the Gu Sculpture.
For the Vacuum Walking Cultivator, this Nine Orifices Talisman was of average might, but it commandeered the very substance that countered the Gu Sculpture. In an instant, steam billowed, and the Sculpture's offensive faltered, caught in that critical juncture. Seizing the moment, Tie Lan focused his energy into a thrust of his sword.
The Sword Light was chilling, mysteriously entwined with an Aura, melting through defenses like hot soup through snow, swiftly penetrating the Gu Sculpture's Protective True Evil to strike at its vital core. Through the Shadow Ghost, Yu Ci, and Tie Lan shared a semblance of a Heart-Mind Connection, thus Tie Lan had anticipated this, seizing the opportunity for a fierce strike.
With the Sword Light bearing down, the Gu Sculpture's senses were acutely aware, and it involuntarily gasped, "Sword Competing Pavilion... Demon-Slaying Sword!"
During their previous exchanges, it had harbored doubts about Tie Lan's swordsmanship. Now, upon witnessing it firsthand, it reached an immediate verdict. It had never clashed with a cultivator from the Sword Competing Pavilion, but the advantage of the Great Demon Bloodline legacy was such that certain crucial memories would always trickle down from its ancestors, enhancing its experience and insight.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
This swordsmanship, a bane to myriad demons under the heavens, was indeed developed by the Sword Competing Pavilion. There had been a time when its influence was widespread and malignant, yet now it was seldom seen, and never with such authentic essence!
Struck consecutively by two counters, the instinct of living beings to seek fortune and avoid disaster prevailed. The Gu Sculpture's relentless engagement faltered, and Tie Lan seized the chance. Merging body with sword, he broke through the encirclement and pursued the eight-foot-tall man with urgency.
At this moment, the distance between Tie Lan and the eight-foot-tall man had widened to over eight miles, and the latter was only two miles away from Yu Ci, close enough to launch an attack. Even Lu Qing, who was the nearest, lagged by a mile and couldn't possibly catch up in time.
Just then, the third Spirit Charm exploded. This time it was a Form Earth to Steel Talisman, a standard charm designed to counter Earth Escape techniques. Here, it was used to slow down the opponent's speed, a case of treating the head when the head aches and the foot when the foot hurts.
The eight-foot-tall man exhaled a loud "ha" as he approached, his figure not yet visible when a fierce surge of demonic energy rolled forward. The earth and stone, as tough as refined steel, crumbled like shortbread. His majestic beastly form then charged straight through, tearing the ground layer apart, which failed to hinder him even for an instant.
However, after the eight-foot-tall man broke through the steel-like earth layer, the sensation that had been locked onto him became disordered. His golden, glowing beastly eyes scanned the area, only to see Yu Ci's figure splitting and multiplying, transforming into six or seven shadows scattering in all directions.
The same trick again! And this time, it was executed with even more finesse than when used on the Ghost Cultivator. The six or seven shadows, each with a distinct presence, were indistinguishable from the true from the false, the real from the illusion. Their speed was so fast that it dazzled him for a moment.
"Descendant of Hao Dian, are you all such cowardly youngsters?"
The eight-foot-tall man was filled with rage, and driven by this emotion, a strange phenomenon occurred on his body. The messy hair on his head suddenly grew longer, each strand sharpening like the spines of a hedgehog, draping over his shoulders, now tinged with a hint of silver. In the next moment, a torrent of demonic energy burst forth, almost without reservation. A rapidly expanding shockwave swept outwards, covering a three-mile radius in an instant and still expanding. Wherever the shockwave passed, the earth danced wildly, and anything with the slightest hardness was ground into dust.
The Taiyi Star Axis Separate Consciousness and Thoughts technique was exquisite, but it was quickly exposed in the face of such an indiscriminate attack. Four of the Separate Consciousness and Thoughts that had not escaped the range of the shockwave were instantly shattered, and another flickered uncertainly, clearly not the true body.
Two more remained. The eight-foot-tall man let out another roar, waves of force converging like a violently vibrating spear that swept across with targeted, terrifying power. The earth's crust fractured beneath the force, and even figures who had fled five miles away felt the impact, evidenced by a muffled grunt that carried through the air.
"Caught you!"
A distance of five miles was, in fact, within the attacking range of the Vacuum Walking Cultivator. However, Yu Ci had proven too cunning before, and the eight-foot-tall man, fearing another trick, spared no effort to unleash his life's escape technique. With strides that covered immense ground, he caught up in just a few steps, not wasting words, he thrust out a punch.
Yu Ci turned his head just in time to meet the gaze of the eight-foot-tall man, who offered a ferocious smile. But then he saw the face before him blur—not due to any failing of his vision, but because the "little bug" had managed, at this critical moment, to conjure another illusion. His Separate Consciousness and Thoughts overlapped, ready to divide.
The giant laughed loudly, "The same old tricks are useless against me!"
His punch thundered down with a might that, while perhaps less refined than Lu Qing's, was far more fearsome. As his fist moved, the ground within a half-mile radius boiled up like a tumultuous sea, and the freshly formed Separate Consciousness and Thoughts burst like fragile bubbles. As for Yu Ci, he brandished a long sword, from which Sword Energy hummed and resonated.
"Hmph!"
Having witnessed Tie Lan's exceptional prowess in the Sword Way, the eight-foot-tall man had a measure of preparedness against Yu Ci's swordsmanship. Yet, the profound Legacy Mark within him was not easily ignored, almost instinctively causing his punch to soften, holding back a fraction of its strength.
The force of the fist, infused with sword energy, created a twisted, monstrous echo that reverberated through the strata. Yu Ci's form was suddenly sent flying backward, piercing through the already crumbling layers of earth behind him, and was blasted over a mile away by the sheer force of the punch.
The eight-foot-tall man who threw the punch, however, felt no joy. He was acutely aware that the majority of his strength had been deftly deflected by the young man's ingenious Sword Circle. The remaining force, rendered useless by Yu Ci's strategic retreat, meant that the blow likely resulted only in superficial wounds.
Of course, to have pushed an Initial Stage Golden Elixir Cultivator to such limits was no small feat; wasn't the flush of blood on the young man's face now so intense it seemed about to ignite?
Perhaps it would have been better not to hold back that modicum of strength...
For a Vacuum Walking cultivator to fail to end an Initial Stage Golden Elixir junior with one punch, especially under the full weight of murderous intent, was a blemish on the tall man's pride. Frowning, he prepared to advance, confident that Yu Ci would not withstand a second punch.
But just then, an alarm flashed in his heart—a premonition of imminent danger!
At his level of cultivation and with his keen intuition, making a judgment was a matter of an instant. Yet, this time, he hesitated.
Where? The sharp sense of crisis forced him to turn around, and what met his gaze was a semi-translucent white shadow.
It was Lu Qing! He remembered her—the wielder of that strange Magical Instrument that, with a single move, had severely wounded the untransformed Gu Sculpture. Lu Qing, whose aura had inexplicably shifted, transforming her straightforward fist intent into something elusive and enigmatic, making it impossible for him to grasp.
She was indeed a threat, but there was more...
While he was still puzzled, a long chant mingled with a piercing tone exploded right beside his ear, causing his soul to tremble. At the same time, an icy sharpness, which seemed to freeze the blood of his lineage, appeared without warning at the back of his head and pierced through.
The crisis was upon him... How could this be?
*******
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e