"What was that?!"
The monk was no slouch. He reacted almost instantly. The seed planted in the deepest layer of his soul suddenly released spiritual light, like a tidal wave washing through his entire mind palace in the blink of an eye. Yet he found nothing, while the pain in his head only grew more intense.
"Poison, gu arts, or Curse Arts?"
Battle-hardened as he was, the monk managed to remain calm even under such circumstances. With a low howl, he endured the splitting pain in his head and flew backward to open the distance. At the same time, he switched techniques and reactivated the seed's spiritual light, sweeping through himself once more. It still had no effect. By then, Yu Ci had already lunged forward with his sword, icy Sword Qi piercing straight toward his heart.
What a monk! At that hair's-breadth moment, he still managed to form a Dharma Seal before his chest with both hands. With a soft buzz, a layer of golden light as thin as paper spread outward. Before one layer ended, another rose; again and again, seventeen or eighteen layers surged out in succession, forming a gleaming golden shield around him. It collided with the Sword Qi in a string of ringing clangs.
The Sword Qi could not pierce through. Seizing the chance, the monk sank his waist and settled into a horse stance. The golden shield around him exploded with a bang, scattering countless streaks of golden light in every direction. For half a mile around, the forest and grasslands were riddled with holes. Even trees thick enough to take two people to encircle were shredded by the golden light, its momentum unmatched for a time.
Yet Yu Ci was nowhere beneath that golden radiance.
"Earth Escape!"
The monk shouted and stomped heavily