Yu Ci knew well that a sword yet to be unleashed was the most threatening sword.
Ancestor Gu Liang stared at him, while he in turn kept pressing Ancestor Gu Liang with his sword intent, maintaining a fragile balance.
Under ideal circumstances, the sword strike Yu Ci had used to kill Bag Bandit should have remained hidden. If that man had tried to capture him another way, Yu Ci might have gone with the flow, used it to break the deadlock first, then considered how to escape. Unfortunately, he ultimately did not dare underestimate a Void Artifact.
He had no idea what might happen if he truly entered that bizarre cloth bag, so he could only strike first. At the instant he drew his sword, he could sense that Ancestor Gu Liang had almost acted, seizing on the inevitable instant of weakness after that strike.
Yet for some reason, the other party hesitated, slowing by half a beat. Yu Ci finally managed to gather his momentum again, then headed outward.
He had a feeling that Ancestor Gu Liang would lure him into using a second sword strike. Once the sword was out, it would be the moment when the map was laid bare and the dagger revealed.
Yu Ci lived beneath pressure, and Qu Cheng was not feeling much better.
For at that moment, Ancestor Gu Liang suddenly spoke. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet enough for every interested party to hear. "Elder Qu, that sword strike seems to have come from the same source as your sect's."
Qu Cheng gave no response, while Ancestor Gu Liang continued, "Putting all one's merit into a single sword, gone once and never returning—back then, Brother Hui'an used the Unreturning Wheel to slay the Sunset Valley Master within the mountain gates.