When he saw Yu Zhou’s expression, Yu Ci realized there was ambiguity in his words. He gave an awkward smile and was about to clarify when he suddenly sensed a shift in his divine consciousness.
He whipped his head around and happened to lock eyes with Immortal Chi Yin in the distance. Despite the miles between them, a chilling cold pierced his chest with unmistakable clarity. The female cultivator’s figure then blurred as her pitch-black cloak fully blended into the night.
“She’s trying to run!”
Yu Ci knew Chi Yin’s temperament best. She had come bearing a grudge, swearing to take his life. Now, forced into retreat without a sound—this was ten times more humiliating than her half-month blockade outside the sect. This grudge… even if you poured all the waters of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes over it, it couldn’t be washed away.
The problem was, Yu Ci had been planning for this since the night the Sun Light Sect was destroyed. He’d studied her temperament closely, plotted step by step, even risking the loss of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror just to lure her in and eliminate this hidden threat in one stroke. If she escaped now, wouldn’t that be the ultimate regret?
He took a step forward to pursue—but no sooner had he done so than Yu Zhou pressed a hand firmly on his shoulder.
“Under the Great Net of Heaven and Earth, without your Martial Aunt He’s permission, no one escapes a ten-mile radius. Not so easily.”
As his words fell, a loud bang rang out in the void—Chi Yin’s form was forcibly ejected.
A blast of true Qi spread outward, creating a sharp, sizzling friction in the air. Chi Yin tried to shift direction again, but at that moment, a ribbon of light two fingers wide materialized in the void. Her heart chilled—she recognized it as the same construct that had previously ensnared the golden humanoid in the sky. Somehow, it had reformed and was now aimed at her.
Only then did Chi Yin realize that she had retreated to within half a mile of Yu Ci and Yu Zhou. Yu Zhou’s delicate sword intent hovered in the air, having locked onto her energy signature long ago.
Chi Yin’s pale face flushed with a greenish hue. Regardless of the sword Qi threatening to pierce her defensive true energy, she forcibly turned around.
This proud female cultivator had, under continuous pressure, lost her composure. Or perhaps—surrounded by formidable enemies—despair had finally overwhelmed her.
Yu Zhou’s cloudy eyes narrowed slightly. The long sword at his side, which had yet to be drawn, suddenly leapt half a foot from its sheath, landing perfectly in his right hand. Chi Yin’s cultivation was nothing to scoff at—she had already formed a golden core, putting her on equal footing with him. But in a true life-or-death battle, with no concern for injury, he was one hundred percent confident he could finish her within three strikes, eliminating this threat for Yu Ci.
He even had the leisure to say to Yu Ci beside him, “Watch how I wield my sword.”
Chi Yin let out a fierce shriek. Under her golden core’s control, her protective energy surged wildly. The momentum was fierce, yet laced with the shifting illusions of the Rakshasa Sect. It was like a mirage—a tower appearing out of nowhere, clouds rising with the tide, stirring the soul while being elusive and intangible. The distance between the two was only half a mile, but the roaring energy already thundered in their ears. techniquework flared and dimmed, killing intent shifting its focus repeatedly, directly targeting the opponent’s divine consciousness and inducing a barrage of illusions—bringing the myriad transformations of the Rakshasa Sect to their peak.
Chi Yin’s true form had blended into this illusion, seemingly vanished—yet also everywhere at once.
Yu Ci had already placed the Heart-Binding Horn between his lips, rendering all spiritual assaults useless against his soul. Of course, Chi Yin’s illusions didn’t only attack the spirit. Her innate Qi stirred the surrounding spiritual energy, creating sensory hallucinations that overwhelmed all five senses. At this moment, Yu Ci perceived at least six waves of killing intent around him—each capable of taking his life.
But the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror only pointed to one. To Yu Ci, it shone like a beacon in the dark—impossible to mistake.
He wasn’t fooled. And because of that, he could clearly observe how Yu Zhou wielded his sword.
Another "clang" rang out. The long sword in Yu Zhou’s hand was finally fully unsheathed. This sword, which had been with him for nearly two hundred years—"Flowing Water Sword"—seemed to vanish into nothing the moment it left the scabbard, scattering into starry fragments in the void, and then even those specks of light faded away.
Yu Zhou didn’t have a Heart-Binding Horn. Even with the strongest willpower, he couldn’t completely resist the illusion arts unleashed at full strength by a peer. Unfortunately for Chi Yin, her intent had already been laid bare before her move. No matter how her killing aura shifted, Yu Zhou had grasped its rhythm. His sword intent rose and fell accordingly.
A hiss cut the air. A spray of blood lit up the void.
Chi Yin, thinking she had successfully deceived Yu Zhou, was just about to launch a curse technique at Yu Ci to deal a fatal blow—only to be pierced in the chest. Her technique collapsed before it could be cast. And that was even with Yu Zhou’s sword energy slightly misaligned by the illusion—otherwise, that strand of sword qi would’ve pierced her heart. As it was, it left her with a serious but non-fatal wound.
But one clean strike made all her illusions laughable.
Yu Zhou would not give her another chance to cloud the mind. His sword energy surged again, precisely tracking Chi Yin’s movements. Though this strike dealt less damage due to her full-body defenses, the continuous shockwaves of sword force overwhelmed her. Her golden core faltered, her qi channels fell into disarray—and the third sword strike was already on its way.
Chi Yin was still moving at high speed, but by now, it was mostly due to inertia.
Her heart was cold as ice. Beyond facing certain death, she was also reeling from the absurd truth she had just witnessed—both she and the old daoist Yu Zhou were at the Core Refinement stage, yet he had absolutely suppressed her with nothing but sword qi! In front of him, she had almost no power to resist. Just two sword strikes, seemingly simple, had already dispersed all the strength within her that could put up a fight. Even her Purple Palace Core was momentarily stagnated. In just a few breaths, she had been driven into this irreversible situation…
At that moment, she saw Yu Zhou’s eyes. Behind the dull yellow haze, two demonic flames flickered clearly, scorching her will and soul.
This old man, half a step into the grave, was actually this overpowering!
By the time she realized it, her forehead was ice-cold—the sword qi was already at her brow.
Chi Yin understood—this strike was meant to pierce her cranial palace, destroy her Purple Palace Core, and cut off her last thread of hope. And she—she didn’t even have the strength to tilt her head!
The chill pierced her skull. The female cultivator tried to widen her eyes to face death head-on, but the moment the coldness surged in, the bone-deep chill spread through her entire body, stirring an uncontrollable shiver from the inside out.
The ghost of death cackled madly. Chi Yin suddenly found herself unable to control her body. At the very least, she had no idea what she might do next because of that trembling. It was as if another self had risen from deep within her heart, stretching out recklessly and, in that final moment before death, seizing everything—overthrowing all the beliefs she had built in her life.
How terrifying that was! Compared to this, death itself seemed far less significant.
Just then, a slightly warm hand pressed against the back of her neck.
"Between life and death lies great terror—who in this world can truly pass through it calmly?"
As the chant sounded, Chi Yin’s body suddenly sank. A force surged into her—not heavy, but she had no strength left to resist. That force directly pushed her down. Her forehead went cool, sword qi sliced past with a hiss, missing her by a hair.
Chi Yin ultimately did not close her eyes. She watched the sword qi graze her forehead, death coming close and then pulling away like a cruel joke, only to tell her:
Please continue—everything remains the same.
But how could that be possible?
Yu Zhou’s third sword failed. His white brows immediately furrowed as his gaze swept past Chi Yin’s shoulder and landed on that person’s face. He spoke in displeasure:
“Junior sister, what’s the meaning of this?”
Before he got a response, Yu Ci suddenly snapped back to awareness. A moment ago, he had been utterly absorbed by Yu Zhou’s three sword strikes. The intricate and profound way sword qi flowed was both similar to and different from his own Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent—there were many points worth comparing and studying. The core sword intent behind it held numerous subtleties, well worth further research.
After those three strikes, Yu Ci had nearly forgotten Chi Yin’s predicament. So when he looked up and saw her pale, cold face, he blurted out:
“You’re not dead yet?”
Having just returned from the edge of death, Chi Yin looked quite disheveled. Her long black hair was in disarray, and a shallow cut marked her forehead—the wound left by Yu Zhou’s sword qi. The cloak over her chest had split open, revealing embroidered robes underneath, now stained with fresh blood.
Meeting his gaze, Chi Yin’s expression remained blank. She slightly turned her face, letting her waterfall-like hair fall to shield herself from his view.
Yu Ci had never seen Chi Yin in his life. It struck him as odd. Yu Zhou’s words also brought him back to focus. He shifted his gaze and noticed the unfamiliar figure behind Chi Yin.
This must be Elder He.
Of course, Elder He was not the serpent-like shadow slithering through the sky. In fact, she was a striking beauty. Her bearing was elegant, with her black hair tied in a simple bun at the back of her head. Her clothing was modest, but what left a strong impression on Yu Ci was her graceful, straight nose and deep eyes, which gave her face sharp definition and a strong sense of conviction. The way her lips habitually pressed into a slight line made her seem rather stern and hard to approach.
And this proved to be true.
Facing Yu Zhou’s displeased tone, the female cultivator responded coolly, “This person is a sub-master stationed by the Rakshasa Sect. Her status is different. Killing her rashly may harm relations between our two sects.”
A cold snort echoed from the sky—that was Xie Yan making his presence known. But before he could say more, a voice suddenly drifted over from the darkness of the wilderness:
“What Immortal He said is very true. Personal grudges should not interfere with the relationship between the Rifting Earth Sect and the Rakshasa Sect.”
As the voice fell, a figure walked out from the blackness of the wild. Though his steps seemed slow, he moved incredibly fast. When he first spoke, he was still seven or eight miles away, but by the time he finished his sentence, he was already just a few paces from Yu Ci. Locking eyes with him, he deeply bowed.
“The conduct of our sect’s sub-master was ignorant and presumptuous. I hope Immortal Yu will be willing to forgive her.”