Ask the Mirror

Chapter 181: Driving Back the Beast

The awkwardness lingered, but that was no longer the point. Yu Ci continued his conversation with Gan Shizhen, learning about the situation here. In just a few exchanges, he grasped the core of the matter:

How were they to break the current deadlock?

In truth, the situation had already shifted. His reunion with Gan Shizhen had certainly upset the demons’ calculations, and after the Five Thunder Talisman had displayed its power, the opposing demons would inevitably adjust to the new circumstances, seeking to re-establish their absolute advantage.

In the interval between the old order changing and the new order taking shape, a period of chaos was inevitable. This opening was precisely the opportunity for Yu Ci and his companion.

If they squandered this chance, the two of them would likely face a siege from over a hundred demons—and according to Gan Shizhen’s intelligence, there were at least three Core Refinement demons among their number.

It was a daunting figure, but Yu Ci was even more astonished by the female cultivator’s description.

“The initial assault involved four, and you eliminated one? Martial Aunt Gan, forgive my impertinence, but what is your cultivation base?”

“Upper tier of Core Refinement, currently at the threshold of the Void Stepping realm.” The female cultivator’s voice was soft and gentle.

Yu Ci couldn’t help but grin wryly. He confirmed once again that this seemingly delicate and frail Senior possessed combat prowess that was anything but weak. Without the absolute suppression of a higher realm, to achieve such results and hold over a hundred demons at bay for more than ten days was truly remarkable.

The awkwardness over forms of address did not last long. Yu Ci soon discovered that Martial Aunt Gan was hardly the type to assert her seniority. She could converse with others, but she was more accustomed to maintaining silence. More importantly, she didn’t mind letting someone else steer the conversation, becoming a thorough listener in the process. Facing such a person, there was no need for him to alter their previous mode of communication.

Once he understood this, his mind grew more agile. An idea began to germinate within him, gradually taking shape.

Yu Ci weighed the notion several times in his mind, finding it quite feasible—or rather, it was the most practical plan he could conceive in such a short time.

Now, only one thing remained: “Martial Aunt Gan, do you happen to have any pills of this sort…”

******

The sinews, meridians, bones, and flesh of his physical body trembled, severing the connection between spirit and flesh until the “membrane” was split apart, and the Yin Spirit departed its sheath.

The transition from the perspective of the physical eye to that of the Yin Spirit was entirely natural. This “Fetal Shedding Yin Spirit Emergence Method” was becoming increasingly familiar to Yu Ci.

Since the day his Yin Spirit had first left his body ten days prior, Yu Ci had attempted it twice more. But for safety’s sake, he had never sustained it for long. This time, with someone to guard him, he took the opportunity to practice further, and the sensation was quite remarkable. A layer of Yang Harmony Qi swirled around his periphery, slowly seeping inward and nourishing his spirit. The feeling of fullness was so potent that Yu Ci almost believed his Yin Spirit had condensed into solid form.

“The Celestial Harmony True Method truly lives up to its reputation.”

The Four Clarities Sect’s “Celestial Harmony True Method” was one of the renowned techniques for gathering the soul, stabilizing the spirit, calming the mind, and settling the consciousness. Yu Ci had initially intended to ask the female cultivator if she possessed any pills like the “Soul-Steeping Pill” that could aid Yin Spirit emergence. He never expected Gan Shizhen to be so proficient in this method, its efficacy surpassing even the Soul-Steeping Pill.

Gan Shizhen gazed at the insubstantial shadow of the Yin Spirit, her willow-leaf brows knitted with concern. “This is far too reckless! You only recently entered the upper tier of the Divine Connectivity realm. Your spirit is unstable, your spiritual power is weak—you’ll have little ability to protect yourself. And demons possess keen senses; if any creature that feasts on spirits discovers you…”

“Senior, why so many worries?”

In the presence of this female cultivator, Yu Ci found himself growing increasingly at ease. His Yin Spirit’s insubstantial form traced several circles through the void, familiarizing itself with the sensation, even as he laughed:

“Avoiding demonic senses isn’t difficult—I have my methods. Besides, who says I lack the means to protect myself?”

The Yin Spirit’s insubstantial form casually traced in the air, spiritual light blazing brilliantly. A talisman was completed in an instant.

It was a “Five-Directions Spirit-Linking Talisman.” This talisman represented an initial attempt to blend elements from Cloud-seal and Thunder-script, Dragon-emblem and Phoenix-script, and Demonic-diagrams and Ghostly-patterns. Originally, it was the most complex talisman Yu Ci knew. But now he executed it with practiced ease, and even tracing it for the first time in his Yin Spirit state presented no obstacle whatsoever.

With this talisman’s empowerment, Yu Ci’s Yin Spirit senses grew keener still. The vital pulsations of living creatures within several li in every direction could scarcely hide from him. Then, with a thought, the Five Thunder Talisman he had previously sealed within the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror flew forth from the azure light, halting above the Yin Spirit’s head.

Having undergone nine cycles of Qi Convergence Technique empowerment, calling this Five Thunder Talisman a “Five Thunder Pearl” would be more accurate. Though still far inferior to the terrifying Thunder Pearl possessed by Xie Liang, it now floated above his head, wreathed in crackling lightning, the size of a fist, layers of purple radiance penetrating from its core—an imposing display of power.

Gan Shizhen’s delicate brows knitted tightly. “This will make concealment even more impossible.”

Seeing her expression, Yu Ci laughed heartily and ceased his teasing. He intoned another incantation, and the Thunder Pearl above his head crackled with a series of pops before suddenly spreading a fine net of lightning that descended, covering the periphery of the Yang Harmony Qi reinforced by the female cultivator’s “Celestial Harmony True Method.” The purple lightning flared brilliantly for a moment, then, together with the Thunder Pearl above, vanished from sight.

This “Heavenly Thunder Cloak,” forming a garment from lightning fire that integrated offense and defense, was an application and variation of the Five Thunder Talisman, transmitted by Xie Liang. Yu Ci had previously been somewhat lacking in skill when employing it, but in his Yin Spirit state, with senses heightened and connection to the external primordial qi deepened, he found talismanic techniques flowing even more smoothly.

Seeing this, Gan Shizhen finally felt somewhat reassured. She didn’t mind Yu Ci’s playful demonstration; instead, she offered a soft word of praise:

“Your accomplishment in talismanic arts has already entered the hallowed halls.”

After a brief pause, she recalled something else: “Now that you’ve achieved Yin Spirit emergence, which path do you intend to choose?”

From the moment of Yin Spirit emergence, a cultivator’s practice diverged toward two directions.

The first was called “Divine Abilities,” the second “Immortal Body.”

The former focused on Yin Spirit cultivation as its center, actively developing the soul’s potential, connecting with Heaven and Earth’s primordial qi to produce various unfathomable resonances, thereby generating divine abilities whose power could command clouds and lightning, uproot mountains, and overturn seas. But this path imposed limitations on physical cultivation, ultimately leading many to abandon the physical body, cultivating a “Yang Spirit” in pursuit of immortality. For those walking this path, proficiency in talismanic arts provided an excellent foundation, making much subsequent cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.

The latter emphasized the harmonious fusion of essence, qi, and spirit into a single whole, without distinction between them. It did not particularly highlight the Yin Spirit’s role. Practitioners both tempered their spirit and painstakingly cultivated their physical bodies, advancing on parallel tracks—a path toward physical apotheosis. When cultivation reached profound depths, one could swallow celestial qi and baleful qi, moving wind and thunder, possessing supreme might.

The two paths had no distinction of high or low, and up to the Void Stepping realm, the differences were not substantial—merely differences in emphasis. For Yu Ci, this remained too distant; he had ample time to choose and deliberate. For now, he needed to concentrate on the demon problem.

With a smile toward Gan Shizhen, Yu Ci’s Yin Spirit flickered and vanished.

The darting flight of the Yin Spirit was an exceedingly pleasant experience. Unconstrained by the physical body, it could pass through wood and stone, fly through the heavens and burrow into the earth—all within its power. The exhilarating sensation of reaching everywhere, touching all things, was intoxicating. Many cultivators in the world chose the “Divine Abilities” path precisely because they cherished this feeling.

Yu Ci also delighted in it, but he understood priorities.

Within the atmosphere, within the soil itself, floated “Black Verdant Silk,” invisible to the physical eye—layered and dense, seemingly without end. Evading it was impossible, but it had little reaction to formless things like the Yin Spirit. Yu Ci easily left the “Verdant Spirit Silk Net’s” range, simultaneously crossing the demons’ first defensive line, heading toward the periphery.

As he traveled, Yu Ci employed the “Five-Directions Spirit-Linking Talisman” to enhance his senses, while overhead, the great bird surveyed the view from above. Combining close and distant perspectives, moving with caution, the demons roaming through the mountains found it difficult to detect his traces. Even those with particularly keen senses, he could evade in time.

But he also witnessed what Gan Shizhen had described: the demons here were extremely powerful. If the three Core Refinement demons among them, disregarding cost, had swarmed together, the female cultivator might not have survived until today. That such hadn’t occurred indicated, on one hand, that the opposing demons possessed considerable intelligence—at least enough to value their lives. On the other hand, they might not be a monolithic force; each preserved their own strength—though this was mere speculation.

What was certain was that such a gathering of demons here must have some purpose. But Yu Ci cared little for that. Their priority now was breaking out, and in his plan, whatever the demons intended mattered little, so long as their subsequent reactions followed conventional logic.

Nearly half an hour passed in a flash. Relying on memory, Yu Ci flew over a mountain peak, putting several dozen li between himself and the demon encirclement.

“Where is it, where is it?”

Muttering inwardly, Yu Ci was beginning to grow anxious. He couldn’t predict how his intervention might alter the demons’ behavior. If they made an immediate decision to attack en masse, even if their losses were heavy, Gan Shizhen—including his physical body back there—would certainly not survive.

Now, it was a race against time!

Suddenly, the great bird overhead, which had been quite obedient, emitted harsh, grating cries while flapping its wings and veering sideways, no longer heeding Yu Ci’s commands.

But instead of anger, Yu Ci felt elation—for he had spotted his target! Without hesitation, he activated his talisman. A bolt of lightning rent the air, thundering toward that region.

Almost simultaneously, several dozen li away, the explosive roar of qi forces detonated, echoing through the mountains, surging without cease.

Yu Ci’s heart clenched. He was about to turn back when an earth-shaking roar and howl vibrated through the mountain itself, its reverberations layered, its momentum even greater, suppressing the distant explosion.

From within the depths of mist and cloud, a Ghostly Beast sauntered forth. The thunderfire from moments ago had caused it no harm, but its crimson eyes burned like flame, fixed unblinkingly upon Yu Ci’s insubstantial Yin Spirit.

With another roar, its massive form became a gale-force wind, tearing through mist and cloud, charging straight at him.

The Yin Spirit’s movement speed was already considerable, but against the Ghostly Beast’s velocity, evasion proved impossible. The beast’s smoke-and-flame-rolling giant body pierced clean through him.

Lacking effective control, the supremely pure Rakshasa Illusory Force blazed fiercely. But unlike the useless physical impact, this flame, transitioning from ashen white to greenish-white, seared the Yin Spirit, sending a chill through Yu Ci’s entire being as if yin fire were kindling within.

Grunting softly, Yu Ci suppressed the sensation and fled back along his previous route. His insubstantial form flickered and vanished repeatedly, yet each time the Ghostly Beast charged at supreme speed, its impact useless, but the burning Rakshasa Illusory Force posed a genuine threat.

Gathering Yang Harmony Qi to protect his Yin Spirit, Yu Ci didn’t look back. Only when the illusory fire’s searing became most unbearable did he drill into the earth, soon emerging again, constantly baiting the Ghostly Beast’s fury, hurtling toward the distant battlefield that had just been joined.