A gloomy wind blew between the rocks, trees, and undergrowth of the mountain. It had no clear direction. The branches of nearby trees rustled, as if they too felt the chill.
But Yu Ci sensed it more clearly—this wind wasn’t blowing in from the four cardinal directions. Instead, it surged from the ground itself, a bone-deep cold that pierced into the spirit before affecting the body.
In his hand, the Pure Yang Talisman Sword shone brightly, the temperature around him spiking, yet still unable to fend off the chill wind. Just as it brushed past, a sharp "clang" rang out in his mind—like a sword striking a bell. The killing intent he'd tempered over the years exploded briefly under the guidance of refined sword intent, then instantly retracted. This was the method of breaking evil illusions with sword intent!
The dark forest seemed to flash for an instant. Sword qi flowed with that surge of killing intent. Newly sprouted grass and fine branches on trees were sheared away in an instant. The sinister energy that had welled up from the ground dissipated completely.
Without any delay, Yu Ci moved. At the same time the sword intent erupted, his feet shifted, and he vanished, reappearing seven zhang away. Just as he left, the spot he had stood on erupted with a metallic clatter. Several sharp claws broke through the soil. Even in the dark, their tips gleamed with a cold green light. If he had been a moment slower, his legs would’ve been torn to pieces.
As he shifted position, Yu Ci bit down on the Heart-Binding Horn.
Through his Dragon Fish companion’s senses, he had already detected that something evil was lying in ambush nearby. But he hadn’t expected it to launch a soul-based attack first. Though he now knew the method of breaking evil illusions with sword intent, it would’ve been a waste to use offense for defense. Using the Heart-Binding Horn to protect his spirit was simply more efficient.
The next moment, he leapt again—this time landing atop a tree. Just as he did, another sharp metallic sound rang out. The claws followed like a shadow, nearly matching his speed. Before he had time to be surprised, a black figure burst from the ground.
As soon as it emerged, it lunged forward—its speed aboveground was even faster than when it was underground. Yu Ci didn’t dodge this time. Flames surged from the tip of his Talisman Sword, and with a hiss, he clashed directly with the black shadow. A scorched, acrid stench filled the air as Yu Ci was knocked sideways.
But in its three glowing eyes, it suddenly saw Yu Ci surge back toward it. He hadn’t even finished retreating, and there was nothing behind him to provide leverage—yet he was accelerating faster than before. The black shadow’s descent was rapid, but compared to Yu Ci’s charge, still a step too slow!
The air hissed. The flames on Yu Ci’s sword blurred, and his body grew indistinct. Hugging the ground, he shot forward, closing several zhang in an instant.
The black shadow let out a roar that shook the forest. Its half-submerged forelimbs lifted to strike at Yu Ci, who was now right in front of it. But even faster than that, a column of blue-gray gas sprayed from its mouth—only to be instantly swept away by the sword’s light and evaporated.
Then came a muffled boom.
Yu Ci’s momentum carried the black shadow into the air, flinging up soil and stones. It slammed hard into a thick tree trunk behind it, nailed in place with a resounding crack.
Its claws might’ve landed—or maybe not. But Yu Ci’s flaming blade had definitely torn through its chest, followed by the full foot-long wooden sword body driving in behind it. Overwhelming sword qi exploded within, shredding its organs. And before that, an even fiercer killing intent had already pierced its skull and obliterated its spirit, ending the creature’s last trace of awareness.
The black figure twitched instinctively. Its life force was stubborn, but this was just bodily reflex. With its spirit destroyed and its body ruined, it had no chance of survival.
Yu Ci exhaled deeply, standing before the creature’s corpse.
His shirt was torn in several places. The claws had scraped along his skin, burning with pain. One gash ran from below his left shoulder down to his ribs—not deep, but had he been even slightly off, those claws would’ve pierced his heart.
That margin was his victory.
The pre-activated Swiftstride Talisman let him briefly step through the air, forcibly rebounding. While playing the timing, he pushed the Half-Mountain Mirage sword intent to its limit. One thrust straight into the center, seizing that thread of life-and-death opportunity and ending the monster in a single blow.
Compared to before, Yu Ci's reflexes were still extraordinary. But this burst of sword intent—instantly raising his killing power to the extreme—was something he hadn’t been able to do in the past.
This was the result of the past two months—a huge breakthrough found through the so-called "small trick" of breaking evil illusions with sword intent. It marked a leap forward in his comprehension and application of sword intent.
There was, in fact, a clear path to sword intent. At the foundation lay an understanding of how innate Qi flows, how meridians open, how sword qi is formed, and how effects are controlled—in short, the physical techniques of wielding a sword: sword skill.
Once sword skill was mastered, one needed to understand what kind of will and aura should accompany a slash—a blade that carried spirit and living breath. This was called sword momentum.
Once both sword skill and momentum were clear, the final step was to align them with the wielder's heart and will. The bold wield a bold sword; the subtle wield a subtle one. With this synergy—heart, momentum, and skill in perfect harmony—sword intent was formed.
This was a systematic process, nurtured over time. But Yu Ci’s case was different.
Due to talent, temperament, and chance, he had early on absorbed the sword intent imprint gifted by Ye Bin, and had already mastered a fully formed sword intent—Half-Mountain Mirage. Its use posed him no difficulty, which was already quite remarkable.
However, one key point remained: even though Half-Mountain Mirage matched him well in terms of skill and momentum, Yu Ci and Ye Bin’s inner temperaments differed. Yu Ci, shaped by over a decade of wandering and life-or-death struggles, had developed his own sword path—eyes, hands, heart, and nerve moving as one, seizing the narrowest moment to determine life and death. His blade was ruthless and fierce—nothing like Ye Bin’s calm and unshakable demeanor.
This subtle difference meant that Half-Mountain Mirage would require a long period of integration with Yu Ci. Following this path, Yu Ci might gradually be influenced by the forceful sword intent, altering his style and even his personality, gradually leaning toward Ye Bin and perhaps inheriting a fraction of the true legacy of Half-Mountain Island.
But two months ago, Yu Ci learned from Xie Yan the method of breaking evil illusions with sword intent, a minor technique—but it touched on the core of sword intent application. Enlightened, Yu Ci realized what kind of sword he wanted to wield. Even if he didn’t fully understand concepts like “sword intent” and “temperament,” it didn’t matter—he now knew how to forge his own style atop the foundation of Half-Mountain Mirage.
It was a subtle change—even Yu Ci himself couldn’t fully define it. He just knew he wanted to do it, and he did.
That single shift made his future unpredictable—maybe it would be great, maybe it would be disastrous. But no matter what, this was a path that belonged only to him.
Now, he had mostly straightened out the framework of sword intent and begun the process of refining it. And he was already seeing results.
Having ended the battle with one strike, Yu Ci didn’t immediately pull out the Pure Yang Talisman Sword. Instead, he used a small talisman to light up a flame, illuminating a few zhang around him.
He took a good look at the black shadow pinned to the tree—and his expression grew serious.
He couldn’t quite make out the creature’s face—it had been smashed badly by a tremendous force, leaving its entire dark-blue head twisted and mangled. Judging by its aura, Yu Ci confirmed that this was a beast-like demon.
Its left side was gashed open, the skin and muscle torn all the way from its shoulder to its hind leg, ribs faintly visible.
Those wounds weren’t caused by Yu Ci. In other words, he had killed a demon that was already seriously injured. Most likely, the wounded beast had tried to ambush and devour him for nourishment, only to be slain instead.
Thinking back to the clash, even in its injured state, the creature could move underground, spray sinister energy to attack the spirit—it was terrifying. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like in peak condition.
And what kind of power could have injured it so badly?
Under the firelight, Yu Ci examined the wounds more closely and got a rough idea. Then he drew the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, and the stiffening corpse slumped to the ground. After a moment’s thought, he reignited the flame blade and drove it into the cracked skull on the beast’s injured side. A bit of probing later, he pried out a roughly-shaped object.
Over the past two months, Yu Ci had learned a lot about dealing with demons and beasts from Zhao Xiqiao. He knew that some demons, especially those with non-physical abilities— one that spewed sinister qi—might occasionally form rare crystals within their bodies, called blood treasures, which were quite valuable.
Yu Ci didn’t care much for the blood treasure itself. He just wanted to bring it back so veterans like Zhao Xiqiao or the elders could analyze it.
He stashed it away and stood up.
At some point, the forest wind had picked up again.
In the howling breeze, it felt like the demon’s final roar still echoed through the woods.
Then, Yu Ci actually did hear a roar.
His eyelids twitched.
Strangely… that roar sounded familiar?
The feeling was fleeting, and when he tried to chase it down, it was already fading. Listening carefully, the source was very far away—across several mountain ridges, distorted and constantly shifting position. Yu Ci listened for a long time, only to grow more confused.
This was where the Dragon Fish came in handy. At his command, the little creature shot into the sky, racing in the direction of the sound. It was only a few mountain ridges away—at the Dragon Fish’s speed, it would take mere breaths to get there.
Its sensing range fully open, the Dragon Fish soared. The forest blurred beneath it, scenes flowing like a spinning lantern. Yu Ci, now used to this view, was still able to pick out useful details.
Suddenly, his heart skipped. He changed his thoughts, commanding the Dragon Fish to turn back.
As its senses swept the terrain again, Yu Ci “saw” someone sitting quietly in a clearing it had just passed, eyes closed, regulating breath—apparently healing from injuries.