Yu Ci stared at the Demons, lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, no longer paying them any mind. He ascended directly, and before long, he had broken free from the confines of the dark region. He found a relatively clean crevice, carved out a space large enough to accommodate one person, and nestled inside, beginning a long overdue rest.
The truth was actually quite simple: rather than risk pursuing an unknown problem, it was better to first solve the problem at hand.
All he needed was a good night's sleep.
As the day shifted subtly, Yu Ci no longer needed to rack his brains, pondering problems he was naturally not adept at. Nor did he need to dodge under the sharp claws and teeth of the Demons. He relaxed completely. The harsh roars of the beasts outside became, to him, a pleasant lullaby.
Time slipped away, and Yu Ci didn't know how long he had rested. When his body reached a certain stage, he naturally woke up.
Upon waking up, feeling full of energy, Yu Ci didn't rush to move. Instead, he held the Divine Bronze Mirror, carefully refining it for a while, converting all his true energy into "Primordial Qi", bringing his own condition to its peak.
To say he was at his peak might be somewhat overstated. At least, the muscle and bone damage Yu Ci suffered due to the "Flying Sword" wouldn't heal so quickly. So when he moved his body, he still felt occasional aches, a feeling that would probably accompany him for a few days.
With everything ready, Yu Ci finally opened the Divine Map. The target was very clear: the Demons suspected of being possessed.
The gods were gracious. When Yu Ci shifted his thoughts, the Demons were still "asleep". The surrounding scenery was not affected by external factors, allowing Yu Ci to observe the Demons' situation at ease.
At first glance, Yu Ci was somewhat moved.
Was this really the Demons from yesterday?
If not for the identical location and posture to his memory, Yu Ci would definitely not recognize it at this moment. Because the Demons now had greatly changed in appearance. Its once angular head had become slender, its protruding muscles had smoothed out, and its entire body had slimmed down. Upon closer inspection, even the bone structure under the muscles seemed to have deformed. As for what it had become...
At this moment, the Demons opened its eyes.
Yu Ci saw that the Demons' single, bell-sized round eye had also become slender. Its yellow pupils stood erect and moved slightly within the eye socket, emitting a cold light. Then, the Demons stood up, and the Divine Map showed that its short body had grown over two feet taller overnight, appearing slim and tall.
Even though the Demons' body was vastly different from a human's, such a look, with its aura, was exactly like another Viper Monk!
"Hell!"
Yu Ci drew a sharp breath through his teeth. He was now absolutely certain that this Demon must have been possessed. The one driving this body now was probably Monk Zheng Yan from before!
However, the legends of Cultivator Possession rebirth he had heard of before only existed on the Divine Soul level. After Possession, perhaps the Divine Soul would be replaced by another, yet the flesh body would always remain the same. But what was the situation now? How could someone capable of such eerie tactics have been such a waste, easily cut down by his words?
New doubts spun in Yu Ci's mind, but there was nothing more to be said at this point. He didn't delay any longer, with a single flash, he emerged from his dwelling place, heading towards the direction of the "Demons". In the blink of an eye, he reentered the dark territory.
In the Divine Map, the "Demons" also moved. After undergoing a body transformation, its condition was far better than yesterday's. Although it didn't seem as robust and powerful as yesterday, its heavy breathing and intermittent coughing had greatly eased. Overnight, the environment of the Sky Rift Valley was no longer a problem for it.
The "Demons" seemed to have a very strong sense of purpose, still heading north at a rapid pace. Although its appearance had changed significantly, the aura of the Demons remained. There probably wasn't a clear racial distinction among the Demons, and no one objected to this unique creature. Except for avoiding a few hot-tempered, aggressive Demons, its journey was almost unobstructed, which made it quite difficult for Yu Ci, who was following it.
This sprint lasted a full two hours, covering a distance of three hundred miles, which was quite astonishing on the nearly vertical sheer cliff.
In the meantime, Yu Ci passed the battlefield where Tu Du and the Demons fought yesterday. The rocks there were charred black, a scene of chaos. Many Demons' bodies hung on the cliff wall, but the trace of the Sun Soul Banner was nowhere to be seen. Judging from the traces, it seemed that the old Demon was forced to retreat by a powerful enemy, the situation didn't look good.
Yu Ci didn't mind taking pleasure in others' misfortune.
Soon, the "Demons" ahead stopped.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The "Demons" stopped at the boundary between the dark territory and the canyon above. The terrain here was quite special, a large protrusion on the cliff wall extended for over a hundred miles, like a rain eave, embedded on the top of the sheer cliff. Compared to the boundless Sky Rift Valley, this "rain eave" was nothing, but for ordinary people, it was wide enough for eight horses to gallop side by side, and it was no problem to run freely.
Although it was also in the dark territory, the number of Demons here was pitifully small. In an area of several tens of miles, there were only a few kittens, which was quite strange.
The "Demons" stopped at the edge of the "rain eave" above, staring at the clouds below, seemingly in thought. It didn't take long for it to move again, heading further north.
Yu Ci stopped ten miles away, in the Divine Map, the full view of the nearby canyon terrain was displayed.
This sight was certainly clearer than what the "Demons" could see.
So he saw it first, just twenty miles ahead of the "Demons", a relatively intact "rain eave" shape had been cracked open for about half a mile. It wasn't naturally formed, but was forcibly broken open by some great force, and not long ago. The broken rock stubble was still very fresh.
Extending from that point, similar traces could be found abundantly on the nearby cliff walls, as if a great battle had taken place. It appeared that at least two entities, each no weaker than a Golden Elixir cultivator, had clashed in the vicinity, leaving such aftermath from their combat.
The "Demon" quickly discovered this place, but it showed no interest in the battle scars around it. Instead, it seemed to focus its attention on the more intact parts of the cliff walls, tapping and knocking as if in search of something.
"Could it be treasure?"
Of course, this was a jest. Yu Ci had been mindful of the rumors circulating around Sky Rift Valley, but he had never taken them to heart.
These rumors, rather than being reliable information, were more aptly described as hearsay. Among the circulated tales, various so-called "treasures" were mentioned. Some spoke of massive amounts of magical instruments and spiritual pills buried by a certain sect, others of a "Secret Heart Transmission Method" left by a great divine power, and still others of a "True Form Immortal Cocoon" left behind by a real cultivator. It was said that one could achieve immortality instantly by discarding their own flesh body and transferring their divine soul into the cocoon.
These rumors contradicted and conflicted with each other, all seeming like baseless conjectures unworthy of a discerning eye. Moreover, from his conversations with Ming Lan, Zheng Yan, and later with Monk Yi Xin, these rumors seemed more like an unfinished plot targeting Old Monster Tu Du... or someone of his ilk.
The "treasure" was a joke, but he was always interested in the plot behind it.
From what he could see at the moment, the Possessing Demon, if it was indeed Monk Zheng Yan, must have a significant connection with Monk Yi Xin, whose whereabouts were still unknown.
Perhaps he could find some clues from this?
Thus, Yu Ci also joined in the search. While the "Demon" meticulously inspected every inch, he used the Divine Map to scan a radius of dozens of miles, making his search far more efficient than the "Demon's".
However, after more than half an hour, both he and the "Demon" had found nothing.
The "Demon" seemed to have a very clear goal, while Yu Ci was precisely lacking one. Just as he was considering bypassing the "Demon" to search a broader area to the north, the "Demon" on the "eaves" showed signs of change.
It scanned its surroundings, found a secluded spot, and concealed itself. Then it sat quietly with its eyes closed. After a moment, it opened its single eye and all its facial orifices, and a puff of black smoke emerged, briefly coiling in the void before transforming into a poisonous snake. It was about two fingers thick and a foot and a half long. Though its scales weren't clearly visible, its form was vividly lifelike.
Upon seeing this dark energy again, Yu Ci had grown much more accustomed to it, even having the leisure to ponder, "What is this, a Divine Soul? Or perhaps, it's simply a Sorcerer's curse technique?"
The "poisonous snake" formed by the dark energy coiled in the void, circling a few times. Its shape suddenly expanded, then shrank to the thickness of a chopstick. After two such cycles of expansion and contraction, ripples began to form in the surrounding air, spreading in all directions.
Yu Ci discerned its purpose: this seemed to be a form of sensing method, driving the Primordial Qi in the form of ripples, coming into contact with the surrounding environment, thus probing the situation around. Judging by the range of the disturbance, it could probably sense detailed information within a one-mile radius.
Employing this technique, the search progress of the "Demons" indeed increased significantly. The dark energy snake, without a physical body, could move freely in the void, piercing through clouds and fog. Its sensing was sharp, and its speed was at least ten times faster than before. It was unknown why, with such divine power, it still needed to possess a demon yesterday, and even exerted a great deal of effort to transform.
Soon, the dark energy snake arrived at the middle of the "eaves". Yu Ci had also anticipated this place, where the signs of battle were even more evident than before. Here, the dark energy snake seemed to have discovered something, intensifying its previous sensing method. The ripples in the air layered one after another, dense like substance, causing the surrounding fog to violently fluctuate.
The next moment, the disturbance abruptly ceased.
The dark energy snake had clearly found its target, suddenly turning around and darting towards the underside of the "eaves". Meanwhile, in the distance, Yu Ci’s thoughts had moved earlier in the Divine Map, but he found nothing obstructive.
Just as he was puzzled, the dark energy snake had already darted down a distance, stopping in front of a certain cliff wall. A thin layer of dark energy separated from its body, swirling and transforming, and in the blink of an eye, it became a very complete Talisman. Then, this Talisman flew out, branding itself on the cliff wall to one side, penetrating three inches into the stone, and disappeared in an instant.
"Hmm, is it a 'Transmitting Incense Talisman'?
Yu Ci was familiar with this Talisman, but he had never practiced it. Probably because this Talisman was of a high level, and had no other uses. It was merely a mark, sending out special information for people far away to receive. It was useful for tracking, but the former Yu Ci never had any use for it.
Compared to the Talisman itself, Yu Ci was more surprised. This fellow, did he actually have accomplices?
Just as he was wondering, a long line of black light streaked across the Divine Map.
*********
I just started publishing online, and I was a bit unsettled a few days ago. But I sincerely write books, and I hope everyone can enjoy them happily. Everything else is just fleeting clouds! We won't bother with unnecessary things, we will act according to our abilities, regular updates, with the aim of continuous improvement.
...
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e