With this conjecture in mind, Yu Ci journeyed two miles, a howl echoing in his ears from the distant horizon. Looking at the Divine Map, tens of thousands of demons at the "entrance" seemed to have received a command, launching another assault on the invisible barrier. Ugly blood blossoms bloomed one after another, while the shadows below resembled a rolling Black Tide, surging and pushing forward in waves.
Demons continuously squeezed out, only to fall back into the bottomless abyss. However, inevitably, stronger demons managed to break through. Within a few moments, the lower part of the Divine Map was overrun by demons and monsters. Although they seemed to have no desire to expand upwards, who could accurately predict their intentions at this moment?
At this point, the power of the "Three Calls in One Breath" technique was finally exhausted. The scene instantly darkened, especially the "entrance" below, which was disrupted by the soaring demonic aura and turned into nothingness.
"I can't come to this place anymore," Yu Ci thought to himself. He remembered that the Jade Slip given to him by Old Daoist Yu Zhou mentioned a medicinal ingredient that grew in such an environment. However, given the current circumstances, he would have to take a detour in the future. Of course, the most important thing now was to relay this information to the Lichen Sect in time.
As he quickened his ascent, he was deeply concerned about one thing: "Why did the demons, who were just scared off by the Ghost Beasts, launch such a swift counterattack? Are they being manipulated by some powerful demon? Why are they targeting the Ghost Beasts again?"
Could the one he speculated about also be interested in this place?
He yearned for answers, but the more realistic feeling was: these matters were too distant for him. Perhaps it would be best to leave the Lichen Sect to figure it out.
****************
Winter in Sky Rift Valley arrived unusually quickly. In just two or three days, the cold deepened, and the howling northern wind could freeze one's marrow. Unless one's body and spirit were perfectly integrated, reaching the so-called Golden Elixir Stage, no one would dare claim to be impervious to the cold.
Even cultivators like Cheng Rong, who had condensed into a "Yin Spirit", had to put on thicker clothes to ward off the cold. Flying at high altitudes was even more challenging. Even though time was precious, Cheng Rong had to reduce the frequency and duration of his warrior's eagle patrols to avoid falling ill from the cold.
However, there was one person who seemed to be competing with the harsh weather, not only maintaining but significantly increasing her eagle flights. This person was none other than the beloved Miss Shi Xin, also known as Little Nine, from the Thousands Spirits Sect.
Cheng Rong understood the girl's thoughts and did not discourage her directly. Instead, as an elder, he assigned her more rigorous tasks in an attempt to consume as much of her energy and time as possible.
This method was somewhat effective, but it didn't solve the root of the problem. Whenever Little Nine had spare time, she would ride her exclusive mount, the Blood Eagle, circling above Sky Rift Valley. Cheng Rong could not stop her too overtly and had to let her be.
Such days passed, and four days had gone by in the blink of an eye.
In truth, Cheng Rong had little time to discipline the children. The current situation around the Sky Rift Valley was highly favorable for them. The elite forces of the White Sun Mansion had been fully deployed into the valley to hunt down Yu Ci. With these people out of the way, powers like the Thousands Spirits Sect could operate with ease. More importantly, there was a certain understanding among the three factions.
Apart from minor personal frictions, the Thousands Spirits Sect, Pure Water Sect, and Xuan Yin Sect were in harmony. Each held their own territory, sought their own enemies, and searched for their own treasures. Gradually, the objectives of the three factions became blurred, but the tacit understanding among them became clearer over time.
One day, Dharma Transmission Immortal Master Ming Lan of the Xuan Yin Sect and Zheng Yan, the chief disciple of the Pure Water Sect, arrived together. They claimed to discuss resolving a small conflict that had occurred the previous day. Cheng Rong, understanding their intentions, invited these two important figures from their respective sects to the Incoming Merit for a detailed discussion.
Half an hour into the conversation, a scream suddenly echoed from above.
Cheng Rong was initially unresponsive when he first heard it. By the time he realized what was happening, his heart nearly leapt into his throat. He rushed out of the tent, and before he could figure out the situation, Little Nine descended on her eagle, her face filled with panic.
"The...the people from the White Sun Mansion are back! They're back, where is Mr. Yu?"
By the time Cheng Rong had reacted, Ming Lan had already spoken with a smile, "The return of the people from the White Sun Mansion doesn't necessarily mean they have succeeded. Mr. Yu's swordsmanship is superb, and he is vigilant. It's possible he could have protected himself."
From her tone, one might mistakenly think she and Yu Ci were old acquaintances. At this point, all Cheng Rong could do was respond with a bitter smile, "Little Nine girl, Master Ming is right. Mr. Yu is extraordinarily skilled. The people from the White Sun Mansion won't capture him so easily..."
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Unexpectedly, Monk Zheng Yan joined in, chuckling after uttering a Buddhist chant, "If you're really worried about Yu Ci, why not ask directly? I'd like to see what kind of face Huang Tai and his men will return with after spending three or four days in the valley."
Upon hearing this, the young girl was eager to try. Seeing this, Cheng Rong felt a headache coming on. He was not a man who could adapt quickly. Pressured by the others and thinking of the forming tacit understanding, he decided to go with the flow, "The White Sun Mansion has been in the valley for several days. There may be some new information. Let's go and investigate."
Under Little Nine's excited demeanor, this reason seemed rather weak.
Cheng Rong and the other leaders, each with a few subordinates, followed the guidance of the Heavenly Blood Eagle. In less than half an hour, they "coincidentally" ran into Huang Tai and his party on the road. As soon as they met, Huang Tai's face changed, and he appeared hesitant, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
Each individual present was a seasoned character, who, upon seeing the scene, instantly knew something was amiss. Looking behind Huang Tai, it was clear that several people were missing, including the steward, Liu Siwei.
Both Cheng Rong and Ming Lan were greatly surprised, but they knew better than to poke at someone's wounds. They were quietly considering what kind of words to use, and what questions to pose. However, they had forgotten about the troublemaker nearby. Monk Zheng Yan's reaction was far more direct than theirs, he had already burst into laughter:
"Long time no see, I wonder what kind of gains brother Huang has made in the valley... Eh? Where is steward Liu?"
Upon hearing these words, Huang Tai's face turned ashen. Cheng Rong and Ming Lan exchanged a helpless look. Those who came from the Pure Water Sect were indeed troublesome. Just with that one sentence, Huang Tai would hold a grudge against them for a lifetime.
It has to be said that Little Nine was a bright child. She quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere and even guessed the cause of this change. The little girl became excited all of a sudden, she poked her head out from behind Cheng Rong, carefully observing Manager Huang's expression. After confirming her guess, she tugged at Cheng Rong's hem, her little face turning red:
"Yay, yay, Elder Cheng, did Mr. Yu win? Look..."
Cheng Rong muttered "my little ancestor" under his breath and quickly pulled the girl behind him. His concern was not about offending Huang Tai, but he was well aware of the power of the other's "Thousand Bee Instrument" magical tool. If he pushed Huang Tai too far, the safety of the little girl at such a close distance would be worrisome.
Little Nine struggled a bit, but couldn't resist Cheng Rong's strength, so she had to grumble in the back:
"Mr. Yu must have won, look at that man's face, it's so ugly!"
"Yes, indeed, it's so ugly, unsightly to the extreme!"
The light words echoed in the little girl's ears, but it wasn't anyone she recognized. Then, she saw Cheng Rong, Ming Lan, and Zheng De in front of her all turn around simultaneously. Each of their expressions was different, but all were filled with surprise, especially Cheng Rong.
The gazes of the three people in front passed over the top of her head. The little girl was curious and wanted to turn her head to see, but a hand came around from behind her head and patted her cheek:
"What a likable little girl!"
The cold fingers on her face caused a slight sting, devoid of any kindness. Little Nine was no pushover, her eyebrows furrowed as she twisted to break free, but the cold hand vanished as soon as she moved!
The transparent fingers penetrated from the side of her face, sliding across her throat and withdrawing from the other side. During this process, none of her organs were harmed, the hand was merely an illusion, completely insubstantial. But where it passed, the coldness spread like ice grains, filling her throat and spreading to her jaw and cheeks, freezing her expression.
More importantly, she saw it, saw those slender, sharp fingers, like five knives, slicing into her head, pulling out, seemingly stirring within her brain cavity, that kind of experience...
The young girl's eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
In the moment of dimming heavens and earth, she faintly heard Elder Cheng's roar: "Monster Tu..."
At this moment, Cheng Rong was truly terrified. He watched helplessly as the young girl fell, a string in Cheng Rong's heart suddenly snapped. In this instant, he forgot the identity of the newcomer, like a beast that had lost its reasoning, he roared and charged forward.
"The young girl is not bad, just a bit timid, it was just a joke, why take it so seriously?"
The newcomer responded in such a manner, his tone unchanged throughout. Faced with the charging Cheng Rong, he did not dodge, letting Cheng Rong's punch, filled with Rotting Soul Fire, smash onto his face.
The punch did not hit anything solid, the soul fire burned the air, leaving only insignificant ripples in the void. Then, the two figures merged and separated. Cheng Rong, unable to stop his forward momentum, rushed past, from beginning to end, he did not touch anything solid. The person speaking in front of him seemed like nothing more than an illusory phantom.
With a punch into thin air, Cheng Rong's mind cleared a bit. He relaxed his arm muscles, the two rings on his upper arm slid down to his hand, instantly covered with a layer of pale Rotting Soul Fire, driving the Seal on the rings to hum loudly, its momentum astonishing.
Unfortunately, that was all.
A shrill scream suddenly rang out.
The scream directly exploded in Cheng Rong's head, under this stimulation, his Divine Soul trembled, unsettled, his Primordial Qi naturally unstable, a chill pierced through his Protective True Qi, directly targeting the back of his head.
The chill instantly penetrated into the Brain Palace, spreading downwards. Cheng Rong's flesh body was unharmed for the time being, but his Divine Soul couldn't bear it, his already refined Yin Spirit suddenly weakened, encountering the chill like seeing its nemesis, trembling like a lamb under a tiger's mouth.
He cried out, only then remembering, he, a Nature-Connecting Cultivator who had just condensed into a Yin Spirit, how could he resist Old Monster Tu Du, the Chief Elder of White Sun Mansion, who was already an Elixir Stage Expert a hundred years ago?
What he was facing now was the "Soul Snatching Yin Claw", a very famous technique of Old Monster Tu, specifically used to break open the flesh body's defense, kill the Divine Soul, and at its extreme, even able to "pluck" the Divine Soul directly from the flesh body.
Right now, that was exactly what Old Monster Tu intended to do.
"Elder Tu, it was just a joke, why go to such lengths!"
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e