“Since there’s a magic artifact as reward, I will naturally do my best.” The ancient demon nodded with an air of indifference.
“Good, with your word, that’s enough. Everyone, follow me into the lake. Though this place is remote, we should still be cautious in case passing cultivators notice us and complicate matters.” The square-faced cultivator finished speaking, and with a flash of spiritual light, he descended toward the lake surface.
The others followed suit, swiftly diving downward.
In the blink of an eye, the lake rippled, and the cultivators vanished without a trace, leaving only a gentle breeze sweeping across the silent waters.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away at the depths of the Yin-Yang Cave, Han Li and his group encountered a minor predicament.
With a flick of his divine sense, a burst of golden light erupted before Han Li, effortlessly shredding a charging one-horned ghost into pieces. Almost simultaneously, golden light flashed above and below him, cleaving two more ghosts in half before their forms dissipated into black mist.
Han Li then glanced at his companions. The elderly Fu and the others had similarly dispatched the remaining ghosts with their magic treasures. These ghosts were small in stature but ferocious, attacking without fear of death.
Instead of looking pleased, Han Li frowned.
“Brother Fu, we’ve been traveling for days without any trace of the Shadow Horse Mushroom. Though these ghosts are low-level entities formed from condensed Yin energy and lack intelligence, slaughtering our way through isn’t a viable solution.” The burly Yuan, after incinerating a ghost with a flick of green fire, voiced the very concern Han Li had in mind.
“Brother Yuan, there’s no need for haste. This underground cave is vast, and the Shadow Horse Mushroom excels at concealment—it won’t be easily found. Though these ghosts are endless, eliminating them costs us little effort. As long as we replenish our spiritual power with spirit stones, we can sustain ourselves for quite some time.” The elderly Fu spoke with confidence.
“That may be true, but resisting the Soul-Shaking Yin Wind consumes a significant amount of spiritual power. Even with our mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, we can last no more than two months underground.” Bai Yaoyi sighed lightly as she surveyed their surroundings.
They stood in a massive tunnel, dozens of feet high, its walls glistening with black ice. Thick, swirling black winds howled around them, emitting eerie shrieks that unsettled the mind.
Though the elderly Fu’s protective pearl neutralized much of the Yin Wind, the residual gusts still forced Han Li and the others to shield themselves with radiant spiritual light. Meanwhile, more ghosts continuously emerged from the black winds, charging recklessly toward them.
With a flash of cold light, Bai Yaoyi’s flying dagger froze a ghost into an ice sculpture before shattering it. Finally, the area was cleared of ghosts, and the group retracted their magic treasures, continuing forward along the tunnel.
The Yin-Yang Cave’s pervasive Yin Wind restricted their divine sense, preventing them from flying at full speed. Otherwise, they could have explored all passages within days.
After only the time it took to finish a meal, the black wind ahead intensified, revealing a fork in the path—three passages, one large and two small. The group paused.
“Another fork! This won’t do. If there are more splits ahead, two months won’t be enough to explore all the caves. We must split up,” Han Li declared coldly.
“Split up? But there’s only one Purple Nether Pearl. Without its protection, resisting the Soul-Shaking Yin Wind will double our spiritual power consumption, shortening our time underground even further,” Yuan objected, eyeing the pearl in the elderly Fu’s hand.
“If it’s about the Purple Nether Pearl, I can expend some essence blood to temporarily bestow its divine light upon you all. However, the effect won’t last long—about seven or eight days, assuming the Yin Wind’s intensity remains unchanged,” the elderly Fu suggested thoughtfully.
“Seven or eight days should suffice to explore the branching passages. But we must ensure we regroup before the divine light fades. To do so, we must leave spiritual markers on each other to track one another,” Han Li proposed, having already considered this.
“But what if—though unlikely—we encounter a high-level ghost beyond our ability to handle?” Bai Yaoyi frowned.
“Hmph! If even mid-Nascent Soul cultivators can’t handle it, it must be at least a Ghost King. This isn’t the true Netherworld—such entities can’t form from mere Yin energy. At most, there might be a few vengeful spirits deeper in. Rumors of Ghost Kings rivaling Great Cultivators are just baseless tales. Who has ever seen one? The risk is worth taking. Otherwise, once our spiritual power depletes and the Yin Wind weakens, re-entering will be far more difficult,” Yuan argued, being more familiar with the Yin-Yang Cave’s nature.
The elderly Fu and the black-robed beauty exchanged glances, hesitation flickering across their faces. Initially, they had never considered splitting up for safety’s sake. But the cave’s vastness exceeded expectations—without dividing their efforts, they might return empty-handed.
Bai Yaoyi seemed convinced as well, offering no further objections.
“Very well, we’ll proceed as suggested. But remember, do not stray more than three days’ distance from me, or you may not return in time for the divine light renewal,” the elderly Fu cautioned.
“Rest assured, there must be a main passage. The branches likely aren’t too long—three days should suffice for exploration,” Han Li remarked calmly, eyeing the clearly differentiated paths.
With that, the elderly Fu spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the Purple Nether Pearl, causing it to glow brilliantly. After a series of hand seals, he extracted a radiant purple light from the pearl and infused it into the black-robed beauty, enveloping her in a protective aura identical to the pearl’s.
Seeing the technique’s efficacy, the others allowed the elderly Fu to repeat the process. After exchanging spiritual markers, the group split into three teams, each entering a different passage.
The elderly Fu and his junior sister took the central, largest tunnel, while Yuan and Han Li entered the left and right passages respectively. Bai Yaoyi hesitated before following Han Li into his chosen path.
Noticing her, Han Li slowed his pace, allowing her to catch up. They proceeded side by side.
“Brother Han, don’t you think the Yin-Yang Cave is somewhat misnamed? Legends claim that entering it severs the boundary between life and death, implying extreme danger. Yet apart from the troublesome Soul-Shaking Yin Wind, we’ve encountered no real threats. Could its reputation as a forbidden land be exaggerated?” Bai Yaoyi suddenly asked.
Han Li smiled faintly. “Though I know little of this place, the Great Jin’s Seven Forbidden Lands are not without reason. Sister Bai, don’t forget—the Soul-Shaking Yin Wind is lethal to those below Nascent Soul. Even with life-bound magic treasures, they’d be torn apart at the entrance. Only with the Purple Nether Pearl’s protection and our cultivation can we remain unscathed. Moreover, we’ve only been underground for days, facing the lowest-tier ghosts. Deeper in, the Yin energy will thicken, and stronger entities likely await.”
“Your words are wise. I was merely impatient. Ah, here come more ghosts!”
As she spoke, seven or eight ghosts surged from the surrounding Yin Wind, lunging at them. Golden and icy light flashed, swiftly annihilating the creatures.
Thus, the two continued their slow advance. After most of a day with no findings, they emerged from yet another empty cavern when a piercing, savage shriek echoed through the wind.
“What was that?” Bai Yaoyi frowned.
“Sounds like a refined corpse. Seems we’ve encountered a high-level ghost,” Han Li replied coolly.
“A refined corpse? What a coincidence.” The palace-robed woman arched an eyebrow in surprise.
Undeterred, they followed the sound. Rounding a bend, they discovered a cave mouth several yards high, its black winds far fiercer than those in the tunnel. The ghostly wails emanated from within.
“Look at this!” Bai Yaoyi pointed to an object embedded in the ice by the entrance.
She launched several fireballs, melting the ice to reveal a blue flying sword, its blade mostly buried in the wall. As the ice thawed, the seemingly lifeless sword flickered with faint light, emitting clear chimes as its hilt trembled, struggling to free itself.
With a flick of her sleeve, Bai Yaoyi summoned a crimson rope that coiled around the hilt, yanking the sword free and into her grasp.
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