Seeing the figure in front of him, Yu Ci looked a bit surprised. “Master Ming, you're here too?”
It was Ming Lan approaching from the wilderness. She looked travel-worn, likely dust-covered from the road, and her loose hair was streaked with gray and white, making her appear even older.
Having an elder of such age bow in greeting would normally put pressure on most people. But Yu Ci rely paused in silence for a mont, then smiled.
“Forgive ? Master Ming, are you trying to get
to consider the bigger picture?”
Before Ming Lan could respond, Yu Ci had already turned away, striding toward the spot where Immortal Chi Yin and Elder He were standing. The movent ca so suddenly that no one knew what he intended to do. Even Ming Lan stood frozen for a few monts before rembering to straighten her posture.
By now, Yu Ci had reached Immortal Chi Yin, standing just a few feet away.
On any normal day, at this distance, she could have killed him with a casual strike. But now, her body was still riddled with remnants of sword Qi, her spiritual flow disrupted. Elder He's palm remained pressed against the back of her neck, sealing her central ridian completely. In such a state, even lifting a finger was difficult for her.
Their breaths mingled in the space between them, separated only by a curtain of hair.
Yu Ci could only see half of her face—skin like porcelain, but bloodless. Her eyes were cold and deep, threatening at first glance, though the scattered light revealed a heart perhaps not as strong or stubborn as it appeared on the surface.
But none of that mattered now.
Yu Ci simply reached out, brushing past the edge of her hair curtain and slipping his hand through the gap torn in the front of her cloak.
At that mont, all eyes were on him. Yu Ci paid them no mind. His intent was crystal clear. Even as his fingers touched warm, soft skin and damp blood, he ignored it all, reaching until they ca into contact with a patch of searing tal. The familiar sensation surged from his fingertips straight to his heart.
He grasped it—and pulled it out.
Long ti no see, old friend.
Yu Ci held the uneven rim of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, its surface glowing with a faint green light. With a single glance, it pierced the soul with a chilling clarity, a stark contrast to the warmth of its temperature. Yu Ci was long used to this. Under the scrutiny of various watching eyes, he waved the mirror lightly in front of Immortal Chi Yin and said softly:
“This mirror doesn’t belong to the Rifting Earth Sect, nor to the Rakshasa Sect. Our grudge began over ten years ago, in the Twin Immortal Sect. Back then, you were a rogue cultivator, and I was your servant boy—neither of us had any ties to either sect, right?”
To have Yu Ci reach into her robe in front of everyone, touching her in such an intimate and hidden place—even though he had no intention of disrespect—it was an unbearable humiliation for Immortal Chi Yin. Her eyes, fixed on his face, were now bloodshot with fury.
Yu Ci t her gaze without flinching. He calmly tucked the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror into his robe and continued:
“The night we attacked the Sun Light Sect, you recognized . At that ti, we had an alliance—we were on the sa side. But when my Yang Spirit left my body and tried to return, you released a fragrance ant to burn my soul. That’s what happened, isn’t it?”
Without turning his head, he suddenly called out, “Master Ming, what was that incense?”
After a pause, Ming Lan finally answered under the weight of everyone's gaze, “It was Soul-Burning Incense.”
The mont the words left her lips, Xie Yan’s gaze from the sky sliced across both her and Immortal Chi Yin like a blade. That night had been full of confusion, and Xie Yan had long suspected sothing was off. Ming Lan’s words were the missing piece.
Soul-Burning Incense, a poisonous fragrance from the Eastern Sea, specifically targeted the spirit. Upon contact, it would instantly ignite the heart fire, obliterating the soul in a single breath, leaving no trace behind. The fact that Immortal Chi Yin used it made her murderous intent toward Yu Ci unmistakably clear.
Yu Ci, satisfied with the answer, gave a low chuckle and went on:
“I won’t deny it. After I woke up that night, I deliberately laid a trap in Cliff City to lure you here—just to bring this old grudge into the open. My final goal was to end this threat once and for all. Otherwise, with you, a high-level Core Refinent cultivator, trying to kill
at any ti—I wouldn't be able to stop you…”
He cut off mid-sentence, staring directly into Immortal Chi Yin’s cold gaze. He nodded slightly and confird again:
“Really, I wouldn’t be able to stop you.”
The last word fell—and a flash of sword light burst forth.
The Pure Yang Talisman Sword shot upward abruptly, the dull blade brushing her chest. Its blunt tip pierced the hollow beneath her jawline—not too deep—but the force behind it forced her head back, lifting her chin high. It was a posture of habitual pride, yet now her beautiful face was filled with nothing but shock and confusion.
The dull sword tip may not have been fatal, but the Half-Mountain Mirage sword Qi Yu Ci unleashed with all his might had already torn through her skull, shredding her central nervous system. Even as her Golden Core’s true essence rushed to protect her, the Qi spilled downward through her Niwan Palace. Though most of it was blocked by the true essence, a few threads still pierced through the layers of defense—striking her heart vessel.
With a loud "bang
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