The moment he spotted the pale figure, Ye Jingyu unleashed his Juedao Pokong (Ultimate Blade Breaking the Void). With a flash, he was instantly before the figure. Ignoring whether the apparition was man or ghost, he whipped out his Tianzun blade like lightning. Since reaching the Xiantian (Congenital) Realm, his power had surged; this single strike brought forth streaks of electrical energy, its speed pushed to the absolute limit. Ye Jingyu was supremely confident that even if the opponent had reached the Zongshi (Grandmaster) Realm, this strike would surely ensure their demise…
But what astonished him occurred: the blade sliced cleanly through the figure, yet it was merely an afterimage…
In other words, the opponent had vanished before he even arrived…
"Seeking death…" Ye Jingyu roared. With a flicker of movement, he bolted in the direction the shadow had fled. His speed was extreme; even in this absolute darkness where vision was useless, his pace was completely unimpeded…
In mere steps, he caught up to the white silhouette. He gave a sharp shake of the iron saber in his hand, and a blinding blade light erupted instantly, slashing fiercely toward the figure…
"Chii-chii-chii…" Electric arcs danced across the obsidian blade. That beam of light was even more brilliant, leaving the opponent no chance to react before it plunged straight into the figure’s body…
But… the result was the same as before; it was another phantom…
Ye Jingyu was alarmed. He did not believe the opponent was faster than him, so why did he only ever strike illusions?
Ceasing his attack, he stood motionless, gripping his saber with his right hand, his eyes coldly fixed ahead, monitoring every shift in the surroundings. He vaguely sensed that this was some kind of divine ability employed by the enemy…
Once he discovered the opponent’s weakness, he would surely force them out, perhaps even find the perfect moment to strike them down…
Yet, as Ye Jingyu quieted, the surroundings immediately grew still. Aside from the pounding of his own heart, he could hear nothing else…
Silent. Everything was so quiet, frighteningly so…
Ye Jingyu remained still. This Baizang Valley (Hundred Burials Valley) was too bizarre. He had no idea what that figure had been, but he knew for certain it wasn't an illusion of his own making…
At this moment, he had recovered from his initial shock. Having experienced an entire transmigration and learned of many marvelous existences, even if a genuine ghost emerged, he wouldn't feel the least bit surprised anymore…
He swept his gaze coldly across the area, his right hand gripping the saber tighter and tighter. Sweat trickled down his palm…
"Tap… tap… tap…" At this moment, a strange sound arose nearby, like the drip of blood onto a stone floor…
"Crack… crack… crack…" Inadvertently, a sound like bones shattering came from his left side…
"Ah…" In the distance, the piercing scream of one of his subordinates suddenly erupted. Yet Ye Jingyu did not move, for he sensed an overwhelming aura surrounding him, waiting for him to expose a weakness…
This was a trap, a calculated snare to kill him and his men. Everything here was too bizarre, too mysterious; he dared not let his guard down…
"Hoo…" Suddenly, an intense chill struck him from behind. Ye Jingyu merely sneered, refusing to turn. Wielding the Tianzun blade, he lunged forward. The True Yuan energy within him churned wildly, and another powerful blade light flared, slashing forward like lightning…
It was then, illuminated by that dazzling blade light, that Ye Jingyu finally saw the figure ahead clearly: an impossibly pale face, sunken eye sockets, with faint streaks of blood weeping from the corners of the eyes. His hair hung loose on both sides, looking utterly terrifying…
But what was most frightening were those hollow eyes—eyes devoid of any emotion, like those of a ten-thousand-year-old dried corpse…
"Clang…" The figure unexpectedly ceased evading, or perhaps, she never anticipated Ye Jingyu would locate her true self. She abruptly thrust out a hand, skeletal and thin, grasping a white bone spike. With this, she blocked Ye Jingyu’s thunderous blow…
However, she clearly hadn't expected the sheer magnitude of Ye Jingyu’s power. Although she blocked the strike, the immense force vibrated through her, forcing her to stagger backward repeatedly. Her body lost its balance, and Ye Jingyu refused to relinquish such an opportunity. His feet shifted instantly, and he was upon her. He elegantly twirled his right wrist, performing a beautiful blade flourish, and the Tianzun appeared at the woman’s neck from an unbelievable angle…
Such exquisite saber technique, such uncanny angles—only a move from the second form of the Jinglei Daojue (Thunderous Saber Art), Yulei Potian (Riding Thunder to Shatter the Heavens), could achieve this. This meant that upon reaching the Xiantian Realm, Ye Jingyu was capable of practicing the contents of that second form…
Fast… accurate… ruthless…
The woman in white seemed equally surprised by the incredible speed of Ye Jingyu’s strike and the malicious precision of the angle. She had no chance to react, only watching the black iron saber cleave toward her…
Yet, there was not a trace of fear in her eyes; death seemed to hold no more weight for her than anything else…
Just as Ye Jingyu’s blade was about to slice through the woman’s head, a rapid tearing sound echoed through the void, and an indescribable chill washed over Ye Jingyu from behind…
Sensing that freezing cold, Ye Jingyu knew that if he continued his assault, while he might sever the woman's head, he would surely perish as well. He was still so young and had no intention of being buried alongside this thing that was neither living nor dead…
He spun his body, shifting sideways, and saw a gleaming spearhead thrusting toward him. He held the Tianzun horizontally before him, giving the spear a light flick with his blade. Using that momentum, Ye Jingyu finally dodged the spear thrust, retreating several steps sideways…
At that moment, the terrifying woman in white shimmered and vanished once more into the darkness. Even the spearhead that had nearly impaled Ye Jingyu disappeared without a trace. The entire gorge fell silent again…
Ye Jingyu snorted coldly, gripping the Tianzun tightly, and shot forward swiftly, for he could now hear the clang of clashing swords and blades nearby…
But Ye Jingyu had only sprinted a few dozen steps when a skeletal claw suddenly shot up from the ground, clamping down on his rapidly moving calf. Ye Jingyu was shocked. With a flick of his Tianzun, he instantly severed the bone claw, but his body, due to inertia, continued to tumble forward. The spear that had disappeared earlier now materialized directly in front of him. The tip of the spear aimed squarely for his heart, driving toward him without hesitation…