Shi Feiyang had previously calculated the causal thread concerning the Nanming Leaving Fire Sword, which originally did not involve the Snow Soul Pearl, nor was he aware beforehand that he would be intercepted by Varnagyin II and Kacchin Shabu. This was an unexpected twist in the plot. After subduing the two Demon Monks, he intended to effortlessly take the Snow Soul Pearl and began to calculate the causal thread concerning it, only to foresee that Deng Bagu was on her way.

In the original work, Deng Bagu fell into deviation amidst the snow valley, diligently pondering the Dry Zen that Master You Tan once taught her for many years. It wasn't until the Emei Sect helped Ling Hun crack open Qingluo Valley and rescued her from her plight using the newly calculated Nine Heavens Yuan Yang Ruler and the Gathering Essence and Refining Form Pill that Ling Hun had acquired.

He told Deng Bagu, "Now that you have entered my tutelage, I will teach you the Avoiding Tribulation Method. Not only will you avoid the long years of refining your form in ice and snow and the torment of refining your spirit with Heart Fire, but I will also give you the Snow Soul Pearl that we will excavate shortly. Otherwise, it won't be long before you fall into a half-paralyzed, vegetative state due to deviation, and by then, no one coming to plead for my elixirs and the Pure Yang Treasure will be of any use."

Deng Bagu's mana was formidable, no less than that of the White Bone God or the Netherworld Saint Xu Wan, who were sect hierarchs of side paths; plus, she was entangled in many causal human relations. If he could take her under his wing, it would not only add to his strength but also provide significant maneuvering space for future confrontations with powerful beings.

Again, the same old saying, it's not that the less causality the better, one should create more causes that are beneficial to oneself and avoid those that are detrimental.

According to Buddhist cause and effect theory, planting good causes must yield good results, do good deeds without asking about the future.

According to Daoist cause and effect theory, this is called planning by man and accomplishing by heaven.

Shi Feiyang laid out two paths for Deng Bagu, one of life and one of death, leaving her to choose, "You have been cultivating for several centuries, you should understand fate, don't wait until you see the coffin to start crying."

Although Deng Bagu was filled with doubts and suspicion, her temper flared as she asked indignantly, "How advanced is your Dao level that you dare become my master?"

Shi Feiyang replied with a faint smile, "My Dao level is not high, but it's more than enough to handle you. If you do not accept this, then let us engage in a duel. If you lose, you will become my disciple, and I will not only give you the Snow Soul Pearl but will also teach you the Avoiding Tribulation Method."

Deng Bagu asked, "And what if you lose?"

"If I lose, then I will become your disciple, you will give me the Snow Soul Pearl, and then you will teach me the Avoiding Tribulation Method."

Deng Bagu almost laughed out of exasperation, "Who do you think you are? Even if you kneeled at the peak of this Snow Mountain and begged me for three years, don't even dream I'd give you a second glance! If you lose, the Snow Soul Pearl will naturally be mine. Now that my temper has cooled from what it once was, I won't kill you—only, if you see me again in the future, keep a distance of three lis and ensure that I never have to lay eyes on you again!"

Shi Feiyang nodded, "Agreed."

After Deng Bagu gained his agreement, she immediately released her Flying Sword. Her Flying Sword was quite special, with a center displaying a blue-purple glow enveloped by a vast expanse of white light, dazzling as a sunrise, sweeping over like a bolt of silk.

Shi Feiyang did not release the Three Yangs One Qi Sword, but allowed her sword to slice his body into fragments, dispersing into slivers of sunlight.

Deng Bagu was taken aback, recognizing it as the Three Lights Tribulation Transformation Method from the Mysterious Sect. Being adept in invisibility techniques herself, she immediately searched all around but could not detect the slightest trace of Shi Feiyang. She wondered if this young man's Daoist techniques were already so advanced that he could escape into the Three Lights, borrowing the essence of the sun, moon, and stars—something she had heard about but never seen. Could it be that he had already refined his body into the Three Lights and she was unable to spot him with her own eyesight?

She swung her Flying Sword left and right, sweeping across, the sword light spreading like splashed water, thoroughly scanning each direction including above, yet she did not make contact with her target. Unable to help herself, she called out, "If we are to duel, what is the meaning of invisibly hiding so far away?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than she felt a tightening around her body; the air in all directions seemed to instantly solidify, turning from gas into solid copper walls and iron barriers, sealing her within.

Shi Feiyang's Prohibition Technique came from Guang Chengzi's Heavenly Book and was extremely powerful. Those with weaker mana would be immediately immobilized, unable to move ever again, but Deng Bagu reacted rapidly. She immediately recalled her Flying Sword, combining her body with the sword and turned into a bolt of lightning-like radiance, soaring into the sky to reappear. She swept her Flying Sword around, but still could not find where Shi Feiyang was.

She pondered that she could not remain passive. If the enemy was invisible, she might as well turn invisible too; otherwise, she would be at the receiving end of attacks. With a shake of her body, she also vanished into thin air.

Her Invisibility Technique was also extremely profound. In the late Southern Song dynasty, she had dueled with the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor in the Heavenly Mountain, and even he had been unable to see her. She was confident that Shi Feiyang would not see her either. If neither could see each other, they would be on the same level, and she could employ other tactics.

What she did not know was the marvel of Guang Chengzi's Heavenly Book. Shi Feiyang had concealed himself by merging into the sunlight using the Invisibility Technique and then undertook the Qimen Dunjia Technique to immerse himself beneath the Nine Palaces and Six Instruments, doubling his concealment. Naturally, she would not be able to see him, but he had completely mastered her side-door Invisibility Technique. In fact, even though Shi Feiyang could not see her, he could still track her location at any time using the Qimen Dunjia Technique.

Thinking that Shi Feiyang could not see her either, Deng Bagu turned invisible and took out a gourd. Upon opening it, bunches of dark purple flames emerged like fireflies, scattering in all directions, thoroughly covering the skies above, below, and around, ensuring that Shi Feiyang was not within a thousand feet of her.

She then formed a Spell Seal and began casting, furrowing her brows and lifting their tips, and spoke in a resonant voice, "If you only hide, remaining invisible at a distance, I can't see you but likewise, you can't see me. How shall this duel end? Why don't we abandon the Invisibility Techniques and have an honest fight to determine who's superior?"

Shi Feiyang's laughter suddenly sounded around her. It was not a single voice, but several voices speaking at once. Deng Bagu was shocked and quickly directed the black flames to swarm and dance at the various spots the sounds came from, yet she didn't strike any target.

She reasoned that, even if her opponent was invisible, he should still be nearby and couldn't escape the pursuit of her black flames; he must still be in the distance, merely employing some voice-bending Spell to confuse her.

Before she could finish her thought, suddenly, radiant colors surged around her. In front, back, left, and right, waves of light separated to reveal eight gateways, each with a Shi Feiyang standing inside.

Deng Bagu didn't care whether they were real or fake. She immediately set her black flames to chase after them. Her black flames were formidable; as long as they locked onto a trace of a living person's vitality or a dead person's soul, they would relentlessly pursue like maggots to bones. Her flames divided into eight streams, each entering a gateway. Touching the target would instantly reveal the truth, and she had her Flying Sword ready to strike, able to kill her opponent in one fell swoop!

However, when the eight streams of black flame entered the gates, the eight Shi Feiyangs simultaneously beckoned, collecting all the black flames as if summoning bees and butterflies, and then the light flickered, the gateways closed, and all vanished.

Deng Bagu was utterly shocked, hastily casting Spells to recall the black flames, but there was no response at all.

With her Magical Treasure taken by force, and finding herself unable to locate her opponent in the empty space around her, Deng Bagu stood there, slightly embarrassed. She knew that her opponent could see her, yet despite her best efforts, she could not find where he was. On this level, she had already lost. Still, she was not convinced, thinking that it was only in the Invisibility and Flying Escape Techniques that she was inferior; if it came to true Dao power, she could certainly prevail.

Knowing that she was not convinced, Shi Feiyang appeared a thousand feet in front of her, releasing the Three Yangs One Qi Sword. Three strands of seven-colored rainbow light intertwined and rotated, and he declared loudly, "Let's compare our swordsmanship next!"

As soon as she heard the challenge to her swordsmanship, Deng Bagu's spirit was reignited. She had roamed the world for many years, and what she prided herself most upon was her swordsmanship. Once upon a time, she had fought with the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor in the Heavenly Mountain and had not been at a disadvantage. At his words, she pointed with her hand, and her Flying Sword transformed into a streak of violet-blue radiance, sweeping forward like a ribbon.

Shi Feiyang met her attack with the Three Yangs One Qi Sword, the three swords circling to form a triple helix, entangling Deng Bagu's Flying Sword in the middle. The swords clashed and slash against each other with crisp metallic sounds and explosive crackles, igniting showers of colored light, a dazzling sight to behold!

Indeed, Deng Bagu's swordsmanship was formidable, far surpassing Wei Fengniang's Heavenly Mountain Swordsmanship, with an edge so sharp it seemed to slice through the very fabric of space.

Shi Feiyang knew many styles of swordsmanship, most of which were side-door techniques, such as those recorded in the Heavenly Book Supplement, which were also extremely fierce. Liu Laogen's Inner View Primordial Sect also detailed two styles of swordsmanship, but that book primarily focused on Inner Strength cultivation; although swordsmanship was included, it was considered secondary. Despite being a core technique of the Mysterious Sect, its power paled in comparison to the former. If one could toil in cultivation for three or five hundred years, they might be able to contend with Deng Bagu.

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