The instant the dark clouds surged outward, Yu Ci lowered his body. With only two steps on the ground, his figure blurred. By then, the dark clouds had closed in from all sides. Yet the vital energy around him, driven by the mist-like sword intent, generated ripples of its own. Though he held no sword in hand, he was as sharp as one, tearing through the vast dark clouds in the blink of an eye—not toward the outskirts, but straight at Senior Brother Li.
More than twenty feet vanished in an instant. Within five feet of Senior Brother Li, there was no cloud qi or Yin Thunder at work, and Yu Ci found a place to stand. Looking up, he saw Senior Brother Li smiling at him. "Sorry, sorry. I only wanted a few unruly children to see what you could do, Junior Brother, and learn when to advance and when to retreat."
As he spoke, he curled his five fingers. The dark clouds filling the sky immediately contracted, gathering back into the pitch-black pearl in his palm. Then his smile faded slightly, and he said solemnly, "Li Chen Sect Empirical Branch, fourth-generation disciple Li You, greets Junior Brother Yu Ci. I offended you earlier, so I offer you my apologies!"
Yu Ci smiled as well and returned the salute. "I wouldn't dare. When Senior Brother Li released the Yin Thunder, you deliberately put on a show and held back. Otherwise, I would never have been able to slip inside."
He meant that when Li You had released the Yin Thunder just now, he had deliberately slowed it down after judging Jin Chuan's strength and reactions. In truth, Yu Ci was far from the only one to whom Li You had shown mercy. Little Daoist Baoguang, Jin Chuan, and Kuang