Over half a month later, at the bottom of the Yin-Yang Cave, Han Li found himself in a massive wind tunnel. With his hands forming seals, over a dozen golden flying swords whirled around him, shredding countless black moths that lunged at him from all directions into fragments, which then dissipated into wisps of black mist.
These moths, each several inches in size and pitch-black in color, flapped their wings to unleash tiny wind blades that shot toward Han Li. However, all were effortlessly deflected by the golden radiance of his flying swords.
Seeing the moths relentlessly attacking as if endless, Han Li’s expression darkened with impatience. Suddenly, he grabbed the spirit beast pouch at his waist and tossed it into the air. A swarm of golden flowers surged out, spreading in all directions—his infamous Gold Devouring Beetles.
The moment the black moths clashed with the beetles, they began plummeting from the sky, immediately overwhelmed. Satisfied, Han Li recalled most of his flying swords and strode deeper into the cave.
Given the wind tunnel’s nature, the surrounding black gales were exceptionally fierce. Even with his formidable spiritual sense, he could only probe a few zhang ahead. Yet, now that he was free from the moths, he no longer feared the challenge.
Upon reaching the center of the wind tunnel, a blue glint flashed in Han Li’s pupils, allowing his vision to pierce through the black winds and clearly observe his surroundings. Scanning the area, he let out a soft exclamation and changed direction toward a specific spot.
After walking another twenty zhang, he raised his hand, sending a white Moonlight Stone wrapped in azure spiritual energy into the air, illuminating the area within several zhang.
Under the milky glow, a black crystal the size of a human head was half-embedded in the opposite wall. Strangely, under its dim flickering light, black moths continuously emerged from it, frantically attacking Han Li and the conspicuous Moonlight Stone. However, the Gold Devouring Beetles intercepted them mid-flight, causing the moths to fall and vanish before hitting the ground.
“This is the third one. But this one can actually use Yin energy to conjure Nethermoths—quite peculiar,” Han Li murmured to himself.
As he examined the crystal, it suddenly emitted countless black rays. With a “poof,” a giant moth several feet in size materialized within the black light. The moment it appeared, its blood-red eyes locked onto Han Li with a fierce glare.
Han Li’s brow twitched, and he flicked his finger. A golden lightning arc shot forth, instantly obliterating the giant moth. Despite any supernatural abilities it might have possessed, the moth stood no chance against the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning, which specialized in vanquishing ghostly entities.
Without hesitation, Han Li reached out toward the crystal. A large, azure-glowing hand materialized in the air before him and, with a “bang,” yanked the crystal straight out of the wall.
The moment the crystal was removed, the violent Yin winds around them weakened significantly. The black moths battling the beetles dissolved into black mist, merging into the wind and disappearing.
Han Li paid no heed to this phenomenon. The previous two crystals, though much smaller, had also been found in wind tunnels and exhibited similar behavior. Initially, he had marveled at it, but now it barely registered.
Since his last encounter with the elderly Fu, where he reinforced the Purple Nether Divine Light, Han Li had parted ways with Bai Yaoyi. Without her presence, he could freely employ his full arsenal of techniques.
As he ventured deeper into the cave’s core in recent days, he encountered increasingly powerful ghostly entities. Yet, under his flying swords and the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning, they were swiftly eradicated—so much so that he hadn’t even needed to summon the Soul-Crying Beast.
His exploration speed far outpaced the others; by the time they finished one branch, he had already cleared two.
However, the Yin-Yang Cave’s notorious reputation had deterred most high-level cultivators from venturing this deep. Despite their progress, they had found nothing of value beyond common ores and a few broken magical artifacts.
It wasn’t until Han Li chased a fleeing ghost into a small wind tunnel and discovered a black crystal that his interest in these otherwise unappealing tunnels was piqued.
Such places, with their violent Yin winds, were inhospitable to the Shadow Horse Mushroom. Moreover, entering them drastically accelerated the depletion of both the Purple Nether Divine Light and one’s spiritual power, making them an unappealing prospect for most.
But Han Li, shielded by the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning and backed by the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid to replenish his energy, had no such reservations. Instead, he found the crystals fascinating and made a habit of exploring these tunnels.
These black crystals were unlike anything Han Li had seen or read about. Though they bore a superficial resemblance to Black Marrow Diamonds, they were fundamentally different—far less durable and containing not demonic energy but a peculiar wind-attribute essence mixed with dense Yin energy, likely formed over centuries in these Yin-rich tunnels.
Yet, such crystals were rare. After scouring dozens of wind tunnels, Han Li had only found three—the first two merely fist-sized and incapable of conjuring ghostly entities, paling in comparison to this latest discovery.
After scrutinizing the now-inert crystal for a while, Han Li finally affixed several restriction talismans to it, placed it in a large jade box, and stored it in his pouch.
He then thoroughly searched the massive wind tunnel once more before exiting and returning to the main passage.
After advancing several hundred zhang and exploring another small cavern, the passage narrowed until it ended at a frozen stone wall.
With a sigh, Han Li stepped forward and sent a streak of azure light piercing into the wall. The light penetrated a zhang deep before vanishing. Placing his hand on the wall, he scanned it with his spiritual sense.
Confirming the wall was solid and devoid of traps or restrictions, he immediately turned and flew back the way he came. Having already cleared the path, his speed was several times faster.
Though the full extent of the Yin-Yang Cave remained unknown, the increasing strength of the ghostly entities suggested they were nearing its core. Yet, despite their progress, no trace of the Shadow Horse Mushroom had been found, testing Han Li’s patience.
Having painstakingly forged the Three Flames Fan and risked descending here, he was unwilling to leave empty-handed.
The difficulty of advancing from mid-Nascent Soul to late-stage was something Han Li hadn’t experienced but could well imagine. Among the geniuses who reached mid-stage, only three in the entire Tiannan Region had broken through to the next level. While the Great Jin had more late-stage cultivators, they were still exceedingly rare.
Even with the Phoenix Rebirth Art to aid his breakthrough, Han Li had no confidence in ever reaching late-stage Nascent Soul. Thus, the prospect of the Infant-Nurturing Pill, which could refine his Nascent Soul, was too valuable to pass up.
If the Shadow Horse Mushroom eluded them here, he resolved to obtain the pill formula from Elder Fu by any means necessary. However slim the hope, with the formula in hand, he could search other Yin-rich locations beyond the Yin-Yang Cave.
As he flew, these cold calculations occupied his mind.
Suddenly, his expression shifted as he focused ahead. A streak of green light approached. Without hesitation, he flicked his sleeve, releasing a cloud of azure mist that enveloped the light and pulled it down. Within the mist, the glow faded to reveal a small emerald-green sword skewering a red jade slip.
Han Li pursed his lips, plucked the slip from the sword, and tossed the blade back into the air. With a clear chime, the sword circled once before vanishing into the black winds.
Ignoring this, Han Li lowered his head and immersed his spiritual sense into the jade slip.
“They’ve found traces of the Shadow Horse Mushroom—excellent news!” Moments later, he withdrew his sense, a smile crossing his face. He then produced a pale-white formation disk.
Tapping the disk, it shimmered with azure light, its surface becoming mirror-smooth. Four differently colored dots flickered faintly on it.
After a brief glance at their positions, Han Li stored the disk and doubled his speed.
Half a day later, he arrived at a crossroads where the burly Yuan and Elder Fu sat cross-legged, facing an eastern passage. The Purple Nether Pearl hovered above the elder’s head.
“Brother Yuan, you’ve found it?” Han Li asked as he landed within the purple light.
“Indeed. The Shadow Horse Mushroom is in this passage. But the creature is cunning—I couldn’t capture it alone, so I sealed the exit and waited for the rest of you,” Yuan replied with a grin, excitement barely concealed.
“Good. Now that we know its location, catching it is only a matter of time,” Han Li nodded with a smile.
“Sister Chang and Fellow Daoist Bai are farther away. We’ll wait a while longer. With everyone here, our chances improve,” Elder Fu added, equally pleased.
Relieved, Han Li sat down.
After several hours, the black-robed beauty and Bai Yaoyi arrived. Upon hearing the news, they too were overjoyed. Without delay, the group set up simple formations at the crossroads before flying into the eastern passage together.
Unbeknownst to them, shortly after they departed, three desiccated black corpses emerged from the ground at the crossroads. Their hollow chests and skeletal frames belied the chilling green light in their eyes as they emotionlessly watched the direction in which Han Li and the others had vanished.
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