Enveloped by the blade light of his own making, Ye Jingyu even caught a flicker of sheer terror on Gui Jianchou’s face. Clearly, Gui Jianchou had never anticipated that Ye Jingyu could see through his illusion...

Facing Ye Jingyu’s lightning-fast strike, Gui Jianchou could only manage to raise his right hand in defense. But before he was halfway up, Ye Jingyu’s Tianzun Blade descended cleanly and decisively, landing squarely on his shoulder—a direct, hacking cut...

Chiiing... Gui Jianchou’s body was cleaved in two. A spray of crimson blood erupted, finally exploding like a humanoid balloon filled with gore, shattering into a mist of blood...

Ye Jingyu started in shock. What in the world was that? Had he truly cleaved the man in half with one stroke? A sudden, profound dread seized him, yet a chilling blade-qi was already grazing the back of his neck...

It was completely too late to defend. Ye Jingyu could only shoot forward with the utmost speed, but that sharp streak of blade-qi still managed to slash a long gash across his back. Crimson blood trickled down the wound...

He spun around just in time to see Gui Jianchou standing unharmed, a cold, sinister smile playing on his lips: "Ye Jingyu, what do you think of my technique—Indistinguishable from Reality?"

Indistinguishable from Reality? Could it truly be so? He had calculated that Ye Jingyu’s Samsara Eye could see through the source of things, and thus had intentionally conjured an avatar. But why did this avatar’s aura and appearance perfectly match the original? It had even deceived the Samsara Eye—it truly was indistinguishable from reality?

Seeing Ye Jingyu wounded by Gui Jianchou’s strike, Ni Bo and the others moved instinctively, ready to intervene for Ye Jingyu, but he raised a hand to stop them. Well done, Gui Jianchou, well played with this Indistinguishable from Reality. Perhaps he needed to be less complacent...

"What 'Indistinguishable from Reality'? Isn't this just splitting your soul origin into several parts? While this method might grant you immense combat power in the short term, even rapidly elevating your strength, it means that as time goes on, your progress will grind to a halt. No matter how diligently you cultivate afterward, no matter how many elixirs you devour, the Yu-level will be your absolute peak. As for that final step—you can forget about it for your entire life." While Ye Jingyu was marveling at Gui Jianchou’s unpredictable movement technique, Xuan Ming, standing nearby, sneered with undisguised contempt for such a crooked path.

Hearing Xuan Ming’s words, Gui Jianchou’s face instantly turned ashen. He was utterly shocked that this nondescript fellow had pierced the secret of the technique he had uniquely developed. Could this man also be some ancient Witch Clan descendant from within that bizarre Grand Array?

But soon, Gui Jianchou’s expression settled back to normal. Xuan Ming was correct. This cultivation method did vastly increase his power and combat readiness, allowing him to manifest countless copies of himself—true selves, not mere phantom clones.

Furthermore, if a clone were destroyed, the residual fragment of the soul could immediately return to the main body, though integration would be difficult. But they would absolutely not be erased. In other words, unless the opponent could simultaneously slay every single fragmented soul he had scattered, killing him would be impossible.

It massively boosted his strength, but the consequence, just as Xuan Ming stated, was that advancement would become increasingly arduous until the Yu-level became his apex. But so what? He had heard whispers of the legendary realm above Yu-level, a place coveted by many ancient divine beings. Yet, he didn't care.

Over so many years, only a handful of individuals had ever reached the Yu-level. Was it even possible for anyone to take that final step? And even those ancient titans—had they truly stepped through? If they had, where were they now? Why had no trace of them been heard in all these years? Even their personal treasured artifacts were left behind?

Therefore, deep down, he scoffed at that final step. Many times, he suspected it was just a hypothetical concept the Yu-level masters invented for themselves—a goal to strive for. After all, at their level of attainment, what did they lack? If they didn't create some form of hope, what would be the point of living?

So, even knowing the flaw in this technique, he had practiced it without hesitation...

Now that Xuan Ming had exposed it, he saw no reason to conceal anything further. With a shake of his body, he instantly manifested eight clones, each identical to him, each gripping an identical Demonic Blade.

Seeing the sudden appearance of these eight figures, Ye Jingyu frowned. Judging by their auras, none of them were weaker than his current strength. How had he achieved this? How could every single avatar be so powerful? Had he truly worked that hard all these years?

While Ye Jingyu was still contemplating, Gui Jianchou moved. The eight figures attacked Ye Jingyu simultaneously from eight different directions, their Demonic Blades slashing out in unison, completely sealing off every avenue of retreat.

Faced with such an onslaught, the only viable option for Ye Jingyu seemed to be defense. But could one man block the attacks of eight?

What shocked everyone, however, was that Ye Jingyu did not defend. Naturally, he couldn't evade either—at this moment, complete evasion was impossible. Utterly disregarding the incoming blade-qi, he clenched the Tianzun Blade in his right hand, vaulted into the air, and executed a stunning 360-degree rotation. Seven-colored blade light erupted from the blade, aimed directly at the necks of the eight Gui Jianchous...

Sensing Ye Jingyu's suicidal, reckless assault, astonishment washed over the faces of all eight Gui Jianchous simultaneously. If they pressed their attack, although they could tear Ye Jingyu to shreds, their own heads would be severed by his blade. This was a near-total mutual annihilation strategy.

Gui Jianchou did not wish to die. He feared death greatly, which was precisely why he had forged this nearly immortal, indestructible mental technique, regardless of the future hindrance to his cultivation ceiling. Facing Ye Jingyu's all-or-nothing attack, he could not afford to fight to the death. Yet, he couldn't let Ye Jingyu go entirely either. In a flash, one of the Gui Jianchous abruptly retracted his blade and rapidly retreated backward, but the other seven continued their relentless strikes toward Ye Jingyu...

Seeing the one Gui Jianchou pulling back, a faint smile touched Ye Jingyu's lips. His spinning body halted abruptly, and then, beneath the utterly disbelieving eyes of the onlookers, he took a single, decisive step forward...

(Gotta eat first, one more chapter after the meal! Heh...)