Yin Ci didn't really close his eyes.

It was only a short while after dawn, the morning mist had not yet dispersed, but it was enough for people to see the situation clearly.

With Jin Lan here, Taiheng would not focus on attacking them. However, this place was right in front of the Ling Sect's main altar, and the Ling Sect had the advantage of terrain - Yan Zheng and Chai Xin had already started a conflict. Even if Yan Zheng successfully returned to the sect, he might not be able to control the situation. Who knows how many Ling Sect experts would rush out.

In this situation, buying time was not an easy task. Shi Jingzhi even had the leisure to tell him to close his eyes. Now that the sky was slightly bright, could he set off daytime fireworks?

Never mind Taiheng, the Demon Sects would not wait for them to mess around. The Ling Sect people had never known the meaning of "fairness", and they had the old grudge of Zheng Fengdao. The vast crowd of sect members quickly split into two groups, one group rushing to the Taiheng camp to stir up trouble, and the other group charging straight towards the two people in the encirclement.

Yin Ci drew out his Hanging Shadow Sword and glanced at the few members of the Red Hook Sect not far away. His identity as the "successor of the ancient sect" probably couldn't be hidden anymore, adding a bit more chaos to the situation.

On the other side, seeing that Yin Ci was not cooperating, Shi Jingzhi didn't urge him anymore. Ignoring the Ling Sect team charging straight at them, he freed one of his claws and covered Yin Ci's eyes.

Yin Ci sighed inwardly and let Shi Jingzhi cover his eyes.

Then a soft humming sound started, and a glittering golden light penetrated through the gaps between Shi Jingzhi's fingers and entered Yin Ci's eyes. The momentum of the Ling Sect disciples charging at them suddenly paused, revealing a sense of powerlessness. Shi Jingzhi moved his hand away, and Yin Ci finally saw clearly the scene in front of him—

He really did create a "firework on the ground".

Fireworks are fleeting, just like flowers wither and fall. But this one seemed to be frozen in mid-air - with the master and disciple at the center, countless golden threads radiated outwards, drawing beautifully curved traces. The golden threads were condensed from Yang fire, like dew-covered spider silk. They were pulled extremely thin by Shi Jingzhi, steadily supported in the thin mist, occasionally flashing with a streak of flowing light.

If one were to rush forward recklessly, they would only be cut into pieces by the Yang fire golden threads.

This strange "flower" glittered in the morning light. In terms of attack power and technique intensity alone, it was far inferior to the battle formation used to deal with the secret scripture earlier, but it was clearly of the same origin, implying a dense killing intent like a drizzle. Shi Jingzhi deeply cut the palm of his other hand, and the blood slowly flowed down the flagpole. Before they touched the ground, they were consumed as materials for the technique.

This technique did not require fine control, and the fire threads were thin and sparse. Coupled with the slowly flowing blood, everything was calculated just right.

The Ling Sect people who had rushed in earlier did not have time to stop, and many of them crashed into the golden threads. The Ling Sect's footwork was originally fast and fierce, and the crowd was instantly neatly cut into several pieces. The gaps between the golden threads could allow people to pass through, but considering the difficulty of fighting, only those with top-notch movement skills could come and go freely.

Like Yin Ci.

The first to rush out were only the Ling Sect's minions. Yin Ci had already raised his sword, but no one successfully rushed to his front. Yin Ci stared at the fire threads that were close at hand, and gradually turned his head to look at Shi Jingzhi a few steps away.

The thousands of golden threads were gathered in the flagpole, like the golden silk tree bending down its golden flowers.

"Never mind internal energy, I still can't compare to top experts in terms of external skills and combat reflexes alone. There are many enemies now. If I force myself to fight alongside you, I will only drag you down in the end. That's not 'cherishing each other', it's just willfulness."

The smile on Shi Jingzhi's face deepened a few more points.

"Thinking carefully, you have always been protecting me. Under the Ghost Tomb, in Yuanxian Village, and even more so before the secret scripture. But cherishing each other is not a one-way street. If it's not reciprocated, it's not 'cherishing each other', it's just sacrifice."

With a flash of sword energy, Shi Jingzhi's empty hand also had a bloody hole. Several Yang fire fireballs for self-protection ignited around Yin Ci again. They fluttered around Yin Ci affectionately, much like chirping sparrows. Compared to when dealing with the secret scripture, they were even more nimble, soaking the surrounding air with incredible warmth.

"After a hundred years, old habits are hard to change. You have forgotten what it means to 'cherish each other'. As your teacher, I will teach you. This time it's my turn to say this - Ah Ci, I will protect you."

Yin Ci's hand holding the sword moved, but he did not answer. This kid is really greedy, he thought.

Closing his eyes and covering his ears. Just rely on him then. Shi Jingzhi used his own blood as material and racked his brains to devise a technique, just to save himself a little suffering?

He had long ceased to care about those pains. Anyway, they wouldn't even leave scars.

Letting a person full of scars lie on soft silk is just a waste of good things. But looking at the golden threads in front that blocked thousands of people, Yin Ci could not easily brush over the topic.

Shi Jingzhi was looking at him with utmost sincerity. Yin Ci could see the affection and reliance in those eyes. But there was a hint of an unfamiliar emotion mixed in, which Yin Ci didn't know how to describe - Shi Jingzhi didn't look like he was looking at a powerful collaborator, a profitable target, or a rare treasure in the world.

Shi Jingzhi was just looking at him expectantly, like an ordinary person looking at another.

Yin Ci suddenly discovered a soft quagmire under his feet. It made him sink deep, but he was reluctant to leave. A slight tingling sensation spread throughout his body, like the shedding of old scabs, revealing tender new flesh.

This feeling was quite strange, as if in his life, besides "immortality", "skill experience", and countless purposes big and small, there could be something left—

I'm still a human, Yin Ci thought with some bewilderment.

After so many years, he had long forgotten.

Outside the golden threads, the Ling Sect elders, seeing their disciples being trounced, personally rushed in. There were also many daring small sects squeezing into the gaps between the golden threads. In this way, Taiheng also had to come forward to prevent that group of clueless lone rangers from being used as meat shields.

The encirclement tightened, but they needed to spend time and effort to avoid the fine golden fire threads. In Yin Ci's eyes, they were just living targets that could be captured at will.

Compared to killing all the invaders, leaving them alive was actually a bit more difficult.

Anyway, with the Ling Sect charging at the forefront, Yin Ci originally wanted to use the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique to sweep out a few bloody skeletons and pile them around as a warning. As a result, just as he started using that familiar set of sword techniques, Yin Ci felt a bit of ennui.

The tingling sensation around his body was still there, and the golden fireballs surrounding him were incredibly warm, much like the body temperature of the caster. Shi Jingzhi was still waiting for his response, and Yin Ci didn't want to answer, he just wanted to enjoy that gaze a little longer.

In this state of mind, he couldn't muster much malice at all. Yin Ci didn't force his sword out again, but instead changed to a more comfortable posture and casually twirled a few sword flowers.

The golden fire was slender, and the sword qi was thick and heavy.

Those sword qi didn't slash anyone's skin. Like transparent giant hands, they gently yet firmly pushed away those who approached. Yin Ci's movement technique was extremely strong. He passed through the golden threads like a phantom. As the sword wind brushed past, the golden threads swayed slightly. In this situation, the murderous intent of the techniques grew increasingly faint, nearly disappearing.

If one didn't retreat after being pushed away, they would be caught by the sword wind and crash into the nearest golden fire thread on their own. At best, they would lose an arm or a leg; at worst, their head would split and neck would break.

The corpses of the Ling Sect elders were piled in scattered heaps at the outermost part of the golden threads. The small sects immediately ceased their attacks and were slowly forced to retreat by that unfamiliar sword technique.

Yin Ci unknowingly curled the corners of his mouth. He hadn't been this focused in a long time. With a hundred years of accumulation, his momentum was already heavy. Paired with the calm and gentle sword path at the moment, it actually twisted out another kind of strange majesty.

The sword qi returned, and the sword path formed on its own. Compared to the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique that left no one alive, he didn't even need to screen which forces the enemies belonged to. The brand new sword technique had already fully conveyed his intention—the oppressive feeling of a mountain about to collapse if they took a step further, but a broad path of life could be found if they retreated a step back.

It was a warning to stop at this point, hoping they would conduct themselves well.

The trajectory of the Hanging Shadow Sword became more and more beautiful and smooth, setting up a defensive stance comparable to an iron wall. Yin Ci moved freely back and forth in the golden net without even scratching his skin. Even if someone wanted to take advantage with a hidden weapon, it would be intercepted one by one by the golden fireballs around his body.

At this point, perhaps he didn't even need to give Shi Jingzhi an answer.

As the unprecedented sword technique appeared, everyone couldn't figure out Yin Ci's background and their movements became more cautious. Shi Jingzhi stared at Yin Ci's back, smiling so gently for the first time.

This was the first time Shi Jingzhi didn't smell the aura of death in Yin Ci's sword technique.

...After finishing this battle, this sword technique would need a good name. The morning mist dispersed in front of his eyes, and shattered light splashed everywhere. The Yang fire surrounded Yin Ci's body, and golden flowers bloomed in the pool of blood, yet the atmosphere of the sword technique was peaceful and serene, with no gloominess.

Flesh and blood withered, and the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique was in the past. Now withered bones bloomed with flowers, how wonderful.

Near the Vermilion Tower. Yan Qing and Yan Zheng were badly injured, and the battle situation was quite unfavorable. This battle had been going on for nearly three hours, and the clothes on their bodies were soaked with blood, sticking to them in a sticky mess.

Yan Zheng's long hair was loose, and he was much paler than Yan Qing. At a glance, he looked five or six parts like a human-shaped corpse from the Ghost Tomb. Yan Qing was panting heavily, holding his great sword horizontally, protecting Yan Zheng behind the blade. He unleashed a defensive stance from the Jade Bell Sword Technique countless times. If the enemy didn't move, he didn't move, barely holding on until now.

This battle started with youthful spirit, but unfortunately, the gap in strength was still a gap in strength, and couldn't be made up for with just courage alone.

Chai Xin, as a former elder, had limited ability in governing the sect, but his martial arts were truly unquestionable. His pair of daggers were called "Dragonfly Feathers", nearly transparent and extremely sharp. A single slash would leave an extremely deep wound.

Chai Xin had a vicious nature and specially applied a difficult-to-prevent numbing medicine on the daggers. In this way, even if the opponent was injured, they might not be able to judge the severity of the injury in time. By the time the sensation returned, the person would most likely have already lost too much blood and it would be too late.

Chai Xin's most famous battle achievement was skinning a family that had offended the Ling Sect while they were still alive. That family was said to be related to Taiheng. More than a dozen people in the family were sliced into thin pieces, and their flesh was placed on banquet plates, neatly arranged at the door of their home.

At the moment, in dealing with Yan Qing and Yan Zheng, he was obviously enjoying himself, like a cat playing with mice. He didn't even let the people from the Corpse-Raising Team take action.

"Are you two done playing?" Chai Xin spun the daggers in both hands, flicking off some blood droplets. "The wounds I inflicted on you myself, I'll have to get someone to treat them later. If you two come back with me earlier, you can suffer a bit less."

At this point, anyone with discerning eyes could see that even the two descendants of the Yan family combined were no match for him. It was just that Yan Qing's strange sword technique was particularly troublesome. Chai Xin was too lazy to slowly grind it out here, so he simply retracted his blades for the time being.

"The sword technique is a bit interesting, just lacking a bit in state of mind. With just heroic spirit alone, it's lacking more than just a bit—such crude skills, it's better not to be so stubborn."

Yan Qing wiped the blood from his face, not concealing the hostility on his face at all. The giant sword remained motionless.

Chai Xin chuckled for a while, his pair of muddy old eyes piercing towards Yan Qing as if wanting to stab through him.

"Using the sword technique to this extent, no one has taught you attentively, right? Your eyes don't look satisfied with the current situation. After entering my tutelage, in just a few years, I guarantee you'll break into the top ten of the jianghu. Following that whatever messy Ku Mountain Sect is a waste of good material."

"When I found Yan Zheng, he was also a teenager. I taught him for less than ten years, and his skills..."

"Brother, don't listen to his nonsense." Yan Zheng coldly interrupted, "The price of joining the Ling Sect, you absolutely cannot afford it."

Chai Xin laughed as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke, the wrinkles on his old face trembling non-stop: "Ay, ay, ay, good disciple. Anyone can say that, but it shouldn't be you. According to the standards of those righteous people, we're nothing more than dogs biting dogs, wasting their good intentions."

"Yan Qing, right? Do you know for whose sake I skinned that family back then?"

Author's Note:

Yan Qing: I don't know √