In this wave of attack, he drew upon his previous experience, exerting slightly more force. In theory, this should have been enough to stun Yu Ci for a moment. However, Yu Ci's reaction was greatly beyond his expectation—despite being directly bombarded by the Curse Power aimed at his Divine Soul, he showed no sign of discomfort. Instead, he silently extended his hand, and thunder roared.
Even the dense fog couldn't conceal the burst of lightning between Yu Ci's fingers. The shallow Purple Thunder swept across the sky like a forked giant tree, rumbling loudly.
"The young one actually knows the secret transmission of Heavenly Punishment Law?"
Seeing this lightning, Tu Du was taken aback. Regardless of the type of thunder and fire, they all embodied the greatest and most rigid Qi, possessing an innate restraining power against the Yin entities of the soul, including the Yin Spirit condensed by the Divine Soul's intention. This move was far more ferocious than the previous "Yin Capital Black Law Binding Ghost Curse"!
He dared not be careless, and used his Curse Power to form a barrier, blocking the lightning outside. The electric light collided with the Curse Power Barrier, unable to break through, only fizzing and darting around the periphery before extinguishing after a few moments.
By this time, Yu Ci had already plunged deeper into the cloud and fog, his figure difficult to trace.
Tu Du was not in a hurry. Although the youngster was slippery, he hadn't escaped the sensing range of his Yin Spirit. He still had time to ponder, "Indeed, it's the Five Thunder Law, but the skill is much worse than that Talisman from before... However, this youngster keeps producing endless Talismans, all aimed at my Yin Spirit body. He clearly did his homework, it's infuriating!"
In addition, there was another matter. He had just attacked Yu Ci's Divine Soul with Curse Power, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea, disappearing without a trace. It seemed that there was an invisible barrier around his body that melted the Curse Power, but it wasn't a common Exorcism Talisman. Under his spiritual perception, he "saw" the object stuffed in Yu Ci's mouth.
It looked like a beast horn, a natural object rather than a man-made tool. He didn't know where it came from, but if its effect could last, wouldn't it render half of his most adept methods useless?
The more he thought about it, the more Tu Du believed in his own judgment.
It was clear that this youngster had a firm mind, courage, and strategy, far beyond ordinary people. If he were to fight forcefully, he might resort to a scorched earth tactic, eliminating his own life along with the secret of the Fish-Dragon. Therefore, a strong attack was not feasible.
But now, he had entered the Sky Rift Valley, shattered the youngster's delusion, and judging from his expression, he must have been shocked and began to doubt himself. If the youngster realized that even in the most favorable environment for him, the threat was still like a maggot attached to the bone, impossible to shake off, then his defenses would gradually crack, eventually presenting an opportunity.
This was Tu Du's train of thought.
Of course, before that, for safety's sake, he should add a layer of protection to his own Yin Spirit.
The surging fog tide lashed against the cliff wall, silent yet imposing. Yu Ci was nowhere to be seen in the darkness, but under Tu Du's Yin Spirit Sensing, his strong vitality was like a bonfire lit on the open field, the most conspicuous of all.
The curse technique tore through the fog like a slithering serpent, not seeking to inflict harm, but rather to apply relentless pressure on Yu Ci, forcing his early collapse.
In the blink of an eye, the temperature between heaven and earth soared, and the scorching hot wind whistled, causing the air to hiss. It blew down from the edge of Sky Rift Valley, creating a counter-current in the southbound fog tide.
Even Yu Ci, who had already ventured miles into the valley, could feel the sudden change in the environment above. Turning his head, his gaze pierced through the rolling heat waves. Above the fog, he saw a shadow swaying against the wind.
It was a long flag.
Then, the long flag plunged down!
The long flag fluttered, navigating through the surging cloud waves. At the same time, it radiated a brilliant light, golden rays swirling like a rising sun. The light pierced through the fog, and wherever it passed, the atmosphere boiled like a rolling tide. Regardless of whether it descended hundreds of feet or even several more miles, it remained visible.
Looking up from below, one could clearly see the flag's appearance.
The dark flag hung from a pole about ten feet long, embroidered with a ring of radiant golden sun patterns. Surrounding it were countless tiny radial lines, like sun rays being sprinkled, which were secondary rune patterns.
The long flag flew in mid-air as if it had its own life. In fact, there was indeed a life within it.
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Inside it was Tu Du's Yin Spirit.
This was the Sun Soul Banner.
Yu Ci felt fine because he had been mentally prepared. At this moment, he simply squinted his eyes to block the scattered golden light from the banner, while weighing the information he had received days ago.
He first heard of the Sun Soul Banner in a conversation between Ming Lan and Monk Zheng Yan. However, his deep understanding came after Monk Zheng Yan's explanation. He knew that this long flag was a magical instrument that Tu Du had refined for hundreds of years. The latest information indicated that according to the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha" standard, this magical instrument had been refined over forty layers, making it the most refined and powerful treasure among all the magical instruments in Sheer Cliff City.
However, the key to this banner was not how many layers it had been refined or how powerful it was, but its other use over the years.
Divine Shelter!
Old Monster Tu Du was already over three hundred and fifty years old, reaching the lifespan limit of a Golden Elixir cultivator. Although he had used various methods to prolong his life, his flesh body had fallen into an irreversible decline, beyond the reach of any miraculous medicine.
Normally, under such circumstances, no matter how high his cultivation level, his Divine Soul would gradually fade due to the weakening of his flesh body, and the cultivation level of his Yin Spirit would continue to decline. However, this old monster was decisive. At the onset of his irreversible physical decline, he began to seek an escape route. His escape route was the Sun Soul Banner.
The origins of the Sun Soul Banner are extraordinary. Legend has it that Jin Huan, a man of significant merit, obtained this magical instrument from an impressive sect. The banner contains the Supreme Solar Flame, which complements Jin Huan's "Great Dazzling Extreme Yang Method." When combined, their power can double. However, when Tu Du's life was hanging by a thread, Jin Huan gifted this magical instrument to his old partner to safeguard his "right hand."
Tu Du did not use the Sun Soul Banner for its destructive powers, but rather to seal his Yin Spirit. The Extreme Yang Fire within the banner served as a protector, shielding him from those who specialized in targeting the Divine Soul. More importantly, it helped him evade heavenly tribulations that could scatter his Yin Spirit, such as thunderstorms.
One could say that at the moment when Tu Du's physical body was on the brink of collapse, the Sun Soul Banner became his "shell," his greatest reliance for flying across thousands of miles to reach the Sky Rift Valley.
Of course, while the Sun Soul Banner is a treasure, it is not without its weaknesses. It is ultimately a weapon of destruction, renowned for its power, but its defensive capabilities are its Achilles' heel. Once the outer layer of Extreme Yang Fire is broken, even a mundane sword capable of cutting through iron and gold could damage it. Tu Du used it as a shelter for his Yin Spirit out of necessity. Hence, in the days that followed, Tu Du only used it as a sanctuary, rarely using the banner to face enemies, slowly making it to this day.
Now, he released the banner for two reasons. Firstly, he saw that Yu Ci had prepared ghost-binding curses and Five-Thunder Talismans, all aimed at his Yin Spirit State. Secondly, the unknown sharp horn could block the Curse Power's attack on the Divine Soul, preventing him from deploying the Sun Soul Banner, thus enriching his means of attack. Lastly, he had to have some other precautions when entering the Sky Rift Valley.
Once all preparations were completed, Tu Du wielded the long banner. The Grand Sun Golden Patterns on the banner shone brilliantly, and an invisible intense heat spread, distorting the night sky, its might unparalleled for a moment. But the most formidable was the Curse Power hidden beneath the high temperature. Tu Du's specialty was driving the Yang Fire with Yin methods, and infinite changes were within it.
At this moment, both parties were racing on a sheer cliff thousands of feet high. Unlike Yu Ci, Tu Du was controlling the Sun Soul Banner to fly downwards. Yu Ci could no longer use ordinary leaping methods, which would only lead to him being quickly overtaken. Therefore, he did something mad — he ran downwards along the nearly vertical cliff wall.
The descent speed of the Sun Soul Banner needs no further mention. Yu Ci, on the other hand, utilized the downward gravity to boost his speed to an unimaginable extent. In a short span of time, the initial distance of a hundred feet between them did not shorten in the slightest; in fact, it even seemed to be expanding.
Observing this situation, Tu Du was not anxious at all.
"This lad has reached his limit!"
Tu Du was not exerting his full strength. He was merely trailing behind Yu Ci, who was beneath the cloud of a hundred feet. Like a beast driving its prey, he cornered the young man to a dead end.
With such a rapid descent, the accumulated momentum was immense. Not to mention whether the flesh body could withstand it, what means would the young man use to buffer when he needed to stop? Nothing else was needed, just a slightly protruding rock ahead, a moment of distraction, and the lad would be smashed to pieces!
Thus, the limit Tu Du referred to was not only about Yu Ci's flesh body but also his mental endurance. Evidently, due to Tu Du's relentless pursuit, Yu Ci's mind was probably muddled!
Tu Du reveled in this misfortune.
The curse technique was ineffective, and he had eaten two Spirit Talismans designed to counter Yin Spirits. His thoughts had changed somewhat: there was no need to bring back a whole person, leaving him barely alive was enough, as a way to appease Old Daoist Yu Zhou.
The high-speed descent of both the man and the banner had long alarmed the birds of prey and beasts in the valley. Along the way, birds were startled into flight, and beasts roared. Countless bloodthirsty creatures drooled at the sight of the rapidly falling human figure. However, the creatures in the upper part of the valley were relatively weak, so there was not much trouble. But below ten miles, the number of creatures wanting to extend their claws suddenly increased.
With two muffled thuds, two clouds of blood mist exploded in front, and Yu Ci's figure did not slow down at all, continuing to charge into the boundless cloud below. The wind he stirred up swept up a rain of blood, all of which was gifted to Old Monster Tu Du trailing behind.
The Supreme Solar Flame surged, evaporating the blood rain in an instant, but the smell of blood still spread. The Blood Eagles, known for their precise attacks, rushed over following the smell of blood, only to be turned into charcoal in the flipping and soaring flames.
"Oh, he still has the strength to unsheathe his sword!"
Tu Du, looking down from above, was slightly surprised by Yu Ci's swordsmanship cultivation level, which he sensed through the Yin Spirit. That swordsmanship was indeed very exquisite!
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