Yu Ci exerted strength in his legs, flashing ten zhang away in the blink of an eye. However, he also saw that the bright star in the sky had slightly shifted its angle.
When he broadened his gaze, he realized that at so point, the bright star, the smoke crane, and himself had ford a fixed triangle. Whenever Yu Ci moved, the smoke crane would move, and when the smoke crane moved, the bright star would shift accordingly. This thod securely locked onto Yu Ci's position.
In the blink of an eye, the bright star appeared above his head, and suddenly exploded. In the night sky, a dazzling light flashed, but nothing seed to actually detonate. Only a wave of heat rushed towards him.
Even though he was still a hundred feet away, Yu Ci could feel the terrifying heat radiating towards him, as if he was being roasted alive. Oddly, the intense heat seeped into his bones, turning into a bone-chilling cold, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. As the alternating hot and cold sensations hit him, sweat poured down his body, and he lost a good portion of his strength along with it.
"So vicious!" The thought barely surfaced before the crimson light above expanded, pouring down like a fiery waterfall, engulfing him in an instant!
Yu Ci's vision flared, and all he could see was the flickering flas, forming a curtain that covered the sky and was about to engulf him whole.
"Break!"
With a furious shout, the crimson light of the Pure Yang Talisman Sword condensed and didn't dissipate. It transford into a tangible ring of light, encircling his body. In an instant, the blazing curtain of fire was torn apart by the sword Qi, and clearer air from outside rushed in, colliding with the force of the fire, resulting in a thunderous explosion.
Even though the fiery curtain had been torn apart, Yu Ci felt no sense of relief. At the very mont the sword light ripped through the air, an obscure yet powerful force, like a demonic wind rising from the ground, seized the mont when his True Qi was at its weakest after controlling the sword and penetrated his body, instantly disrupting his internal energy circulation into complete chaos.
This force, cloaked in flas, was dark and eerie, penetrating every crevice. Yu Ci, whose cultivation was already lacking, and who was caught off guard, suffered internal injuries, and blood spurted from his mouth.
"To harm soone from dozens of li away, unseen and unheard… Could this be the ‘Flying Star Yin Slaying Technique'?"
This was Tu Du's show of dominance.
Since ancient tis, talismans and spells were closely related. Yu Ci was skilled in talismans and had so knowledge of sorcery and curses.
At this mont, he recalled a comnt he had once heard from Monk Zheng Yan: In terms of cultivation and combat power, the Sect Master Jin was undoubtedly unparalleled; however, when it ca to curse techniques and divine abilities, the old monster Tu Du was undeniably the number one in Cliff City!
To prove this point, Monk Zheng Yan had given many examples. Among them, the "Flying Star Yin Slaying Technique," known for killing people from hundreds of li away, was specifically ntioned. Now, it seed that this attack was very likely to be it.
Without hesitation, Yu Ci ignored the blazing flas surrounding him, drew his sword and cut open his left index finger, sketching a symbol in the air. In the blink of an eye, he had written out a "Exorcism Curse."
The Exorcism Curse belonged to the sa category as demon glyphs and ghost patterns, utilizing the power of demons and ghosts to perform victory spells. The blood-soaked talisman twisted and turned in the air, its color starting out faintly red but gradually deepening. By the ti Yu Ci finished drawing the last stroke, the talisman had turned blackish red, transforming into a terrifying, grinning ghost face that cackled nacingly.
This was the most powerful curse Yu Ci could muster, and it was sothing he had just learned from the Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual in the past two days.
Without delay, he recited the incantation and activated the curse with a sharp command.
In the void, a sharp screech pierced the air, and the talisman ghost face twisted violently before igniting in black flas. In an instant, it burned to nothing, and a ray of light shot out from within the black flas, directly imprinting itself onto Yu Ci's forehead.
His head montarily went fuzzy, and his forehead beca scorching hot. Without needing a mirror, Yu Ci knew that the center of his forehead now bore the imprint of a thumb-sized, sinister ghost face. Using this ghost face as the center, an invisible barrier three feet in diater spread out, blocking the eerie Yin Qi flowing through the flas.
With the talisman completed, Yu Ci wasted no ti. He raised the Pure Yang Talisman Sword again and, fixing his gaze on the direction of Sky Rift Valley, charged forward at full speed.
A sudden demonic wind rose, nearly knocking Yu Ci off his feet, but the bone-piercing cold was ultimately kept at bay. Seizing the opportunity, he tore through the flas and escaped before the curse could form its second wave of attacks.
Still covered in flas, Yu Ci rolled on the ground and imdiately sprang back to his feet, sprinting madly towards Sky Rift Valley. Under the dim sky, the flas illuminated half of the heavens, but the soaring fire wasn't the problem. It was the smoke rising from within the flas, imbued with imnsely powerful curse energy.
"This is the power of a Core Refinent cultivator."
In the past, Yu Ci might have been surprised, but after witnessing the battle between the twin-headed demon and the demonic beast deep within Sky Rift Valley, his perspective had broadened considerably.
Within the Divine Map, the twisted imagery around the flickering flas was beginning to stabilize, showing that the current wave of curse energy was dissipating. However, further in the distance, a new trouble was fast approaching—a blindingly bright spot, sowhat similar to the "long line" of mist from before.
He knew the origin of that spot of mist. As his cultivation advanced, the distortion of the imagery wasn’t as severe as before, but the sensation remained unmistakable. That was clearly the Yin Spirit of the White Sun Manor's Grand Elder, the old monster Tu Du, who had lived for more than three hundred years!
He had finally arrived!
Letting out a long breath, Yu Ci felt an unexpected sense of calm in the face of this life-and-death confrontation.
Despite not being skilled at pre-emptive planning, Yu Ci had considered nurous possibilities. The easiest scenario, of course, would be for him to stay ahead, rush into Sky Rift Valley, and let Tu Du eat his dust… but as expected, that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Tu Du's strength was undeniable. Even though he had relied on the Divine Map and used a counter-strategy, rushing all the way here while Tu the Old Monster was still a hundred miles away, he still couldn’t avoid taking a hit from a distant curse spell. This minor loss served as a reminder—when taking extraordinary actions, one must be extraordinarily prepared.
So far, the unexpected events were still within his tolerance. After all, how could one go up against a Core Refinent cultivator without suffering a few setbacks?
Glancing once more at the Divine Map, he confird that the important area beneath it remained unchanged. Without further thought, Yu Ci turned and ran.
His feet moved quickly, but his opponent was even faster. When Ye Tu had explained the difference between the Divine Connectivity and Core Refinent realms, there was one detail that Yu Ci rembered vividly: speed!
Generally, a Divine Connectivity cultivator could, through talismanic techniques, maintain a speed of 400 miles per hour, though they would be utterly exhausted afterward, requiring a full one to two hours to recover. However, for a Core Refinent cultivator, even without flying on an artifact, their base speed was over 800 miles per hour—twice as fast as a Divine Connectivity cultivator. And if they traveled in their Yin Spirit form, their speed would increase even further.
Yu Ci had barely run ten miles when a chill suddenly ca from the void, brushing over the top of his head. At first, it felt like a cool breeze, but in the blink of an eye, it was as though cold water had been poured over him, freezing his very brain.
"I’ve been locked onto!"
Yu Ci exhaled the tension from his chest, baring his teeth in a grimace. He never underestimated the thods of Core Refinent cultivators, so he didn’t mind overestimating his enemy. Tu the Old Monster's capabilities were still within his acceptable range, so Yu Ci pushed himself harder, increasing his speed as he ran wildly.
Mountains, shadows of trees, wild beasts, and birds all blurred past him, distorting in shape and making the world seem bizarre and surreal. The innate Qi coursed through every corner of his body, providing an unending source of strength for him to consu.
The innate Qi was far from exhausted, but his body was starting to feel tired. His speed, limited by his cultivation, could not increase any further, while the gap between him and Tu Du continued to shrink.
In the next mont, Yu Ci had a clear sensation—Tu the Old Monster had already "seen" him!
A cold, eerie aura spread from the void, trying to seep into his body. It felt like hundreds of thin ropes attempting to bind his hands and feet.
"Another curse spell!"
Before the thought even fully ford, a sharp screech erupted.
The sound didn’t co through the air but exploded directly in his mind!
A thunderous shock reverberated through his brain, and Yu Ci almost believed his skull was about to be blown open. He stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Fortunately, he had maintained the protection of an Exorcism Talisman, which stabilized his soul, preventing it from being shattered imdiately. But even so, he felt sothing strange on his face. When he reached up to touch it, he found blood seeping from his nostrils and ears.
"This guy… I still underestimated him!"
Yu Ci knew he was at a severe disadvantage. While he had expected this, Tu the Old Monster’s eerie curse techniques were still beyond his imagination. Such thods, requiring no close contact, could exert terrifying power from afar. In all his cultivation, he had never encountered an opponent like this.
Just then, another wave of icy coldness surged into his mind. Although they were still separated by eight or nine miles, for Tu the Old Monster’s curse techniques, this distance posed no problem. His will pierced through Yu Ci’s natural defenses, carrying the old monster’s unique signature, transforming into a cold laugh that echoed in Yu Ci's mind:
"Hand over the secret to finding the Dragon Fish Grass, and I'll grant you a swift death."
Yu Ci didn’t possess the ability to transmit ssages across ten miles like Tu Du, nor did he want to engage in unnecessary banter. Instead, he focused his mind, concentrating on resisting the ntal intrusion. At the sa ti, he activated the remaining power of the Exorcism Talisman, and his mind cleared.
The Old Monster's mocking laughter beca muffled, as though separated by a thick wall.
By this ti, Yu Ci was only about three miles from the edge of Sky Rift Valley's cliff, almost within reach. Naturally, Tu Du was closing the distance even faster. At this rate, the old monster might be able to intercept Yu Ci before he could leap into Sky Rift Valley.
Luckily, Yu Ci had prepared sothing special for this old monster!
With a single thought, a pre-prepared talisman slid out from the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, its azure light guiding it into Yu Ci’s hand. At this mont, Tu Du was less than five miles away. The area they were in was a mountain adow, flat and wide open, with nothing to obstruct the view. Yu Ci turned his head and seed to catch sight of a faint shadow in the deepening darkness behind him.
He clenched his fingers and crushed the talisman.
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