Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Deep within the Taihang Mountains, atop an unnamed peak, a fierce wind howls, whipping the sea of ​​clouds into turbulent waves like crashing shores. At this high altitude, the air is thin, and the unobstructed sunlight pours down, illuminating the jagged rocks and a few ancient pines struggling to grow, their edges sharply defined. Below lies a bottomless valley, shrouded in mist, occasionally punctuated by the cry of a hawk, its voice echoing through the vast mountains, adding to the desolate and lonely atmosphere.

He Damin and Ma Xiaoling stood about a hundred feet apart in mid-air. He Damin was still dressed in a simple dark gray cotton robe, his long hair tied back, motionless in the biting mountain wind, his aura calm and profound, as if he were one with the giant mountain beneath his feet. Ma Xiaoling stepped on a clear, cold sword light, her leather jacket and trousers reflecting a cold, hard luster in the sunlight, her ponytail flying, and the silver bell on her left wrist making a delicate, clear sound in the wind, echoing the taut, sharp, and unsheathed aura emanating from her.

The silence on the mountaintop lasted only a moment. Ma Xiaoling's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent; she clearly had no interest in wasting any more words. In her view, this "ghost" before her was highly skilled and cunning, and that it had lured her to this desolate wilderness with malicious intent. Since words were useless, then they would settle things with their fists!

"Hurry!" She struck first! With a clear shout, her right hand formed a hand seal, and her left wrist flicked violently. The silver bell detached from her wrist, spun upwards, and instantly expanded to the size of a bowl, hovering in front of her. The tiny runes engraved on the bell lit up one by one, emitting a milky-white radiance. The bell's sound changed from crisp to deep and resonant, like the morning bell of an ancient temple, carrying a strange power to cleanse evil spirits and soothe the soul. It transformed into visible white sound waves, surging and spreading towards He Damin!

At the same time, the Qingfeng sword beneath her feet emitted a joyful hum, its light surging and transforming into a seven- or eight-zhang-long azure streak, tearing through the air with unparalleled sharpness. Arriving before He Damin's eyes, it struck directly at his heart! Even before the sword reached him, its incomparably sharp and awe-inspiring sword intent, capable of slaying demons and monsters, had already firmly locked onto He Damin. Her attack was a combination of sonic assault and flying sword strikes, targeting both the soul and the body, demonstrating Ma Xiaoling's extremely solid combat skills and rich practical experience. She showed no underestimation of her opponent despite his "ghostly" aura.

He Damin's eyes narrowed slightly. The sonic attack of the Ma family bell was quite profound; it wasn't just simple sound. It contained a kind of vibrational and purifying power targeting the very essence of the soul. If it were an ordinary ghost or spirit, its soul would likely become unstable under the influence of this bell, or even disintegrate completely. The flying sword was even more formidable, its azure sword light pure and refined. It was clearly a flying sword that had been tempered and refined through orthodox Taoist techniques, specifically designed to break through the Yin energy of evil spirits.

He neither dodged nor evaded, nor even made any exaggerated movements. With a slight thought, his aura, which had been restrained to the extreme, revealed a crack, like a dormant volcano. "Buzz—" A faint, almost transparent layer of black and white energy quietly appeared about a foot away from him, slowly circulating and forming a perfectly round energy shield. This shield, seemingly thin, contained the profound principles of Yin and Yang, the balance of strength and gentleness, and endless circulation. The milky-white, soul-suppressing sound wave was the first to collide with this Tai Chi energy shield. Without a deafening roar, the surging sound wave disappeared into the black and white energy flow like a mud ox entering the sea, merely creating tiny ripples before being quickly dissipated and transformed, without even a twitch the hem of He Damin's clothes.

The azure sword rainbow, following closely behind with a piercing shriek, slammed into the same point on the qi shield! "Clang—!" A crisp, melodious sound, like the clash of metal, exploded! At the point of contact between the sword tip and the qi shield, a blinding azure-white light burst forth, and violent energy fluctuations spread outwards, causing the clouds below to churn and rocks to tumble down. However, the seemingly thin qi shield only caved inwards by a mere inch, the flowing black and white qi suddenly accelerating, forcefully stopping the indestructible sword rainbow, preventing it from advancing even an inch further!

Ma Xiaoling's expression changed slightly. Her Qingfeng Sword was a family heirloom, nurtured by her own magical power for many years, making it incomparably sharp. It also contained the Ma family's unique demon-slaying sword intent, which would often crumble upon the protective aura of ordinary demons and monsters upon contact. This aura before her, however, not only lacked any trace of malevolence, but instead exuded a righteous, peaceful, and unified Daoist charm, its resilience beyond imagination!

"You've got some skill!" Ma Xiaoling sneered, her hand seals changing. The suspended silver bell abruptly stopped spinning, its mouth pointing directly at He Damin. Its milky-white light subsided, instead radiating a heavy, dark gold. "Soul Suppression! Spirit Stabilization!"

"Clang—!" Unlike the previous clear and melodious sound, this time the bell sound was heavy like a mountain collapsing, or like the booming of a great bell! A dark golden, almost tangible sonic halo burst forth from the bell's mouth. It was not fast, but it carried a terrifying will that suppressed everything and stabilized the soul. Wherever it passed, even the air seemed to freeze! This was a higher-level application of the Ma family's "Soul-Suppressing Bell," which was specifically designed to break through various protective qi and soul defenses.

At the same time, the Qingfeng Sword, blocked by the Tai Chi energy shield, was not retracted. With a tremor, it suddenly split into three smaller but equally solid azure sword shadows, which bypassed the energy shield from three tricky angles—left, right, and top—and stabbed towards He Damin's side, back, and head! The sword shadows were a mix of reality and illusion, their trajectories unpredictable, containing exquisite sword techniques. A powerful sonic attack pressed down from the front, while the flying swords harassed from the sides. Ma Xiaoling maintained an excellent rhythm in her battle, her offensive relentless.

He Damin finally moved. He remained standing in the same spot, but raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, and gently pressed it against the oppressive dark golden sonic wave halo. There was no grand momentum, only an invisible yet powerful "force" that spread out with his press. The dark golden halo seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of sighs, abruptly stopping three zhang away from him. Its surface light flickered and twisted violently, as if bearing immense pressure, emitting a creaking sound of being unable to bear the burden, and finally shattered into countless points of light with a soft "pop" and dissipated.

To deal with the three incoming sword shadows, He Damin casually flicked his left sleeve backward. The wide sleeve billowed in the wind, as if containing a universe within, and a supple yet overwhelming suction force arose out of nowhere, like a deep-sea whirlpool. The three agile and cunning sword shadows froze instantly, like birds caught in a net, struggling to be pulled by the suction force, deviating from their intended trajectory. Finally, with a few "whoosh" sounds, they all disappeared into the seemingly ordinary gray sleeve, motionless, and even their mental connection with Ma Xiaoling instantly became extremely weak.

"A hidden universe within a sleeve?!" Ma Xiaoling exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening in horror for the first time. Wasn't this the legendary divine power of immortals? How could this "ghost" possess such abilities?!

Little did she know that He Damin's move was not a true hidden universe, but rather a simulation of a similar effect by combining his subtle control over space (derived from his understanding of Tai Chi space), his profound true energy, and his understanding of the "gathering" principle. It was quite effective against these differentiated sword shadows, but it might not be so easy to deal with her Green Edge Sword itself.

Two consecutive attacks were effortlessly neutralized by her opponent, even resulting in the loss of three sword beams. Ma Xiaoling was shocked, but this only fueled her competitive spirit and her determination to eliminate demons and uphold justice. She bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood essence onto the Soul-Suppressing Bell before her. "Ring ring ring—!" The Soul-Suppressing Bell absorbed the blood essence and suddenly erupted with a dazzling blood-gold light. The bell's sound became high-pitched and shrill, filled with an ancient, savage, and wild power! On the surface of the bell, the phantom of a giant wolf howling towards the sky faintly appeared!

"I beseech the Wolf Immortal to assist this disciple in subduing demons and monsters!" Ma Xiaoling formed a complex and strange hand seal while chanting incantations. This was the most treasured secret technique of the Ma family in Northeast China—invoking a deity to possess her! Of course, with her current cultivation level, she could not withstand the full descent of a true deity, so she could only invoke a wisp of divine power to bless herself or her magical artifact.

With a sliver of the Wolf Immortal's divine power, the Soul-Suppressing Bell's power surged! It ceased emitting sound waves and instead spun rapidly, carrying a savage force capable of tearing everything apart. It transformed into a blood-gold meteor, hurtling towards He Damin at several times its previous speed! Wherever it passed, the air shrieked as if being torn apart, and the sea of ​​clouds below was ploughed into a deep trench.

At the same time, Ma Xiaoling's aura suddenly changed. Her originally clear and sharp eyes were tinged with a wild golden hue, and her body seemed to have expanded, her speed and strength increasing dramatically. She gripped the Qingfeng Sword that had flown back into her hand, the blade also swirling with a faint layer of blood-gold light. With a delicate shout, she merged with the sword, transforming into an even thicker and more imposing azure-gold sword rainbow, closely following the Soul-Suppressing Bell, and charged fiercely towards He Damin! She intended to use the magical weapon as the vanguard and herself as the sharpest point, to deliver a thunderous strike!

This attack utilized her trump card, condensing all her mana and essence from her perfected Qi Refining and Nascent Soul realm, as well as a borrowed wisp of Wolf Immortal power, making it far more powerful than any previous offensive. Wherever the azure-gold sword rainbow passed, space itself slightly distorted, and the rock walls of the mountains below were slashed with deep marks by the dissipating sword energy.

Faced with this earth-shattering combined attack, a hint of seriousness finally flashed across He Damin's calm eyes. "Well done," he murmured, no longer passively defending. His right hand clenched, and the Soul Refining Banner, which had been dormant in the Yin-Yang Space, quietly appeared in his palm. Although it was only a phantom, it exuded a profound aura that dimmed the surrounding light. His left hand formed a sword shape with fingers together, and at the fingertips, an extremely bright silver light condensed. It was a highly compressed true essence sharpness containing the intent of destruction, completely different from Ma Xiaoling's majestic sword energy, appearing more pure and sharp.

Facing the blood-gold bell that crashed towards him with a deafening roar, He Damin gently pushed forward, holding the illusory Soul Banner in his right hand. "Suppress." A flash of eerie light. There was no earth-shattering collision. The Soul-Suppressing Bell, imbued with the power of the Wolf Immortal's divided spirit, melted away like ice and snow under the blazing sun upon contact with the eerie light emanating from the illusory Soul Banner. The blood-gold light rapidly vanished, and the wolf shadow on the bell let out a mournful howl before abruptly disintegrating. The bell itself clanged, its spiritual light extinguished, and it spun as it plummeted into the sea of ​​clouds below. Ma Xiaoling's mental connection with the Soul-Suppressing Bell was instantly severed; her delicate body trembled, and her face paled.

At that moment, her azure-gold sword, a perfect fusion of man and sword, had already struck! The sharp tip of the sword was less than three feet from He Damin's brow! The sword's energy caused the hair on his forehead to fly wildly.

He Damin pointed with his left hand, his sword pointing out at the critical moment. That point of bright silver light landed precisely on the tip of the Qingfeng sword. "Clang—!" This time, the impact was extremely sharp and piercing, as if it would tear one's eardrums! Centered on the point where the two swords met, a terrifying shockwave mixed with blue, gold, and silver colors suddenly erupted in a ring! "Boom—!" The sea of ​​clouds below was instantly cleared by this violent shockwave, revealing a huge hole, exposing the jagged mountain ridge below. The rocks on the peaks of several nearby, slightly lower mountains, were as if they had been sliced ​​by an invisible giant blade, breaking and collapsing, turning into countless fragments of rock that tumbled into the deep valley, stirring up clouds of dust. In the sky, there was even a brief, distorted refraction of light.

Ma Xiaoling felt an indescribable force emanating from the sword tip. The power was balanced yet boundless, carrying a chilling sword intent that pierced straight to her soul. She groaned, her state of perfect harmony with the sword abruptly shattered. The Qingfeng sword wailed and flew back, barely catching her as her tiger's mouth split open, blood seeping from it. She was thrown backward dozens of feet, her blood churning, her magic power in disarray, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, staining her pale chin. The wisp of wolf immortal power possessing her was almost completely shattered by this single strike.

She froze in mid-air, leaning on her sword, panting heavily, her gaze towards He Damin filled with disbelief and horror. Her full-force attack, even aided by a celestial being's divine intervention, had been shattered by a single finger from him?! What kind of cultivation was this?!

He Damin remained standing in the same spot, his body unmoved, and even his robes were barely disheveled. Only the bright silver light at the tip of his left-hand sword finger slowly dissipated. He looked down at his fingertip, then looked up at Ma Xiaoling in the distance, whose aura was weak but who still stood stubbornly upright, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

That last finger strike used his true essence power, approaching that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, along with a trace of sword intent originating from the Yin and Yang of Tai Chi, capable of destroying all laws. The fact that Ma Xiaoling could withstand that strike without serious injury demonstrates her exceptionally solid foundation and profound divine summoning technique. This pressure was actually less than he had anticipated.

The mountain wind howled, sweeping away the swirling smoke and residual energy. The sea of ​​clouds slowly closed again.

He Damin looked at Ma Xiaoling and finally spoke, his calm voice echoing across the mountain peak: "Want to continue? Your Soul-Suppressing Bell has fallen at least three thousand feet." He pointed to the deep valley shrouded in mist below, "Going to retrieve it now might still be in time."