Suddenly, he pressed the Ancestral Talisman into his heart while focusing on the sword in his hand.

In an instant, the light around him dimmed sharply, while the moisture in the mountain air turned into fine mist, enveloping him in a shroud of darkness and haze.

He slowly raised the blade to its highest point and then slashed toward the stream before him.

Draw the sword to cut water...

Water is severed.

Just as this blade touched the water, all the water had already turned into mist, hazy and ethereal.

And as fish swam down with the current, as soon as they reached the boundary marked by this blade, they unexpectedly transformed directly into blood mist, boiling up with the water vapor.

For a moment, it was indeed a wondrous sight.

Half stream, half mist.

A stream cut by a single blade.

Li Yuan sheathed the blade, spat out the grass in his mouth, pointed his fingers at the hilt of the Cyan Snake Long Blade, and with a slide of his palm, he propped it up with one hand, then began to perform City Destruction.

The previous hysterical cries like those of a metallic demon fiend had disappeared, replaced by a silence and dimness.

He was entirely shrouded in mist and darkness, which steadily increased over time, forming a giant silhouette two to three meters high and over half a meter wide on the ground.

No matter how bright the sun was, darkness lingered around him.

Even if the weather was calm and sunny, mist still enveloped him.

From an outside perspective, it was impossible to see through the black mist to glimpse Li Yuan’s form inside.

Li Yuan thought for a moment, drew back the black mist, and began to climb the mountain.

Soon, he reached a mountain peak, gazing at the peak beside him, he raised the Cyan Snake Blade, and inserted it into the mountainside.

The cliff was like tofu, the blade pierced right through it.

Li Yuan grasped the Cyan Snake Blade with his right hand, his left hand gentle on the blade guard, then gave his wrist a shake and a spin.

An invisible ripple spread out from the blade, followed by a humming sound reminiscent of a Buddhist chant, smooth cut marks suddenly appeared on the cliff dozens of meters away.

Li Yuan grasped the blade with one hand, lifting it up, the mountain peak was thus supported on the blade’s body, moving with his arm until it hung over the cliff.

With a flick of the wrist, the severed mountain peak was thrown back into the distance.

This was the first time Li Yuan cut an object in a manner akin to "sword qi".

It must be known that "sword qi" does not exist in this world.

What is sword qi?

How intense must the air flow be to cut like a sword?

All power is real and tangible, needing to make contact to cause harm, this only changes once one reaches the Fourth Grade and gains "domain" power.

But now, Li Yuan’s blade emitted a sword qi capable of cutting objects tens of meters away.

He sat on the edge of a cliff, watching a bird fly through the sea of clouds.

He waved his hand, the bird exploded...

This annoyed him.

"Does distance weaken control?"

Li Yuan pondered...

After returning to the Black Market Ghost Realm, he looked at the ingredients brought by the puppet sent by Tang Nian, and picked them up to handle.

He grabbed a chicken, then wielded a kitchen knife, starting to employ the most advanced sword skills to kill the chicken.

Li Yuan’s gaze was serious, the blade glinted, while his other hand cradled the chicken.

The chicken clucked, oblivious to the blade already penetrating its body.

Soon, Li Yuan quietly placed the kitchen knife on the cutting board, blew gently, and the chicken’s feathers instantly scattered, wings, drumsticks, and breast arranged neatly on a platter, the chicken head settled among the ingredients, its eyes still glistening now dulled.

Li Yuan, chin in hand, gazed at the chicken, feeling as if he had gained something.

"My Fifth Grade sword skills should indeed be about mastery, at least it’s a direction worth exploring.

The terrifying vibrations make my blade sharp enough, but it still lacks sufficient cohesion and precision.

I... should be able to grow even stronger."

Li Yuan muttered as if in a deranged trance.

...

That night, Li Yuan held Lady Yan, his eyes still on the blade.

The glow of the blade, the sword qi...

Lady Yan did not disturb him, only speaking long after he settled, "Husband, I’ve thought about it over and over, you shouldn’t always stay in the Ghost Realm... Xiaozhao shouldn’t either. You both should live in the human world.

Xiaozhao’s aloofness is my issue, last time she went to Niannian’s, and when she returned, although a bit flustered, she was uncommonly happy.

She actually likes being among people, just that staying in the Ghost Realm too long makes her scared to interact with others."

"Where should I go?"

"Xiaozhao is a Jade Remains, and without Ping’an by your side, how about taking more wives to see if you can continue the lineage, and then settle on this Cloud Mountain Path."

"I’m not in the mood lately, my thoughts are all about the blade, and I’ve been keeping an eye on the war in the Central Plains and news from the Western Immortal Tomb."

"Just for Xiaozhao’s sake then."

"But, Sister Yan, I’m a Fifth Grade, how could ordinary women bear offspring for me?"

"Just try more... you never know?"

Li Yuan was a bit speechless, said, "Then I’ll just take Xiaozhao out for a walk."

Lady Yan added, "You mustn’t return to sleep in the Ghost Realm at night, sleep outside. If you want to come back, at most once a week."

...

...

The next day.

Li Yuan took Xiaozhao away from the Black Market Ghost Realm.

Xiaozhao’s skin was pale and translucent, her hair so black and shiny, reflecting tiny points of light in the sunlight, like countless eyes winking.

"Dad, where are we going?"

Xiaozhao also understood her mother’s plan.

So, knowing that she would return to the Black Market Ghost Realm and stay there forever as she aged, she had developed a slight yearning for the outside world.