Meng Qi and the Soul-Taking Yaksha exchanged glances filled with ulterior motives, their smiles appearing sincere and open. One understood the other’s intentions, while the other remained unaware of his partner’s ultimate trump card.
Meng Qi cast his gaze around, scrutinizing Yang Zhenshan and the middle-aged scholar, lingering on both for a while and sensing their auras.
This was a prudent approach, and the Soul-Taking Yaksha said nothing, instead introducing them, “This is Yang Zhenshan, the ‘Swordbearer of the Eight Wildernesses’ you mentioned, Brother Yang. This other is my good friend, Jia Zhen, the ‘Heavenly Devil of Chaos’ who defected from the Mighty Heaven Sect.”
Never heard of him… Meng Qi vaguely recognized Jia Zhen, the middle-aged scholar, but both his aura and appearance were unfamiliar. Since Jia had deliberately concealed his presence, even his strength was difficult to accurately gauge, though Meng Qi could tell he had not yet crossed the threshold of the first Celestial Ladder and was definitely inferior to the Soul-Taking Yaksha and the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch.
As for Yang Zhenshan, the “Swordbearer of the Eight Wildernesses,” his aura was unstable, and his flight had a floating, unsteady quality. It seemed the hidden dangers of his near descent into madness had not yet been resolved. He had suffered greatly in Bomi and his strength had significantly declined, clearly far inferior to Zeluo. However, as a direct disciple of a Dharma Body cultivator, Meng Qi dared not be careless. From the records, the words “exceptional sword techniques, sharp and peerless” were certainly no exaggeration.
Yang Zhenshan had graying hair and wrinkles around his eyes, his outward appearance honest and simple, his movements timid and hesitant, often glancing around nervously, like a bird frightened by a bowstring.
For a moment, Meng Qi felt pity and sorrow for him, almost reluctant to kill. But then he recalled how Yang had sought demonic secret techniques to strengthen his foundation, killing countless pregnant women and extracting fetuses with specific birth signs to concoct the Purple River Heaven-Repairing Pill. At that thought, his pity vanished, his resolve hardened once more, and his killing intent was concealed within.
If Yang’s timidity was not a pretense and his mindset had truly regressed, then he had significant vulnerabilities… Meng Qi calmly judged. A swordsman renowned for his sword skills, if he himself had become so timid, his sword techniques would no longer be sharp.
“Now we can exchange the information we have and search for the entrance to the Carefree Valley,” Meng Qi said, withdrawing his gaze and speaking calmly.
The Soul-Taking Yaksha gazed deeply at him, particularly curious about the escape artifact Meng Qi had mentioned. What exactly was it that allowed him to remain so composed amidst the dangers of Bomi and surrounded by powerful enemies?
If I could obtain it… the Soul-Taking Yaksha felt a flicker of desire.
He hesitated before speaking, “This began two years ago. At that time, there was a major earthquake in this area, causing caves to collapse, rivers to change course, some canyons to cave in, and some cracks to deepen. Since it did not affect the existence of the red mist, we initially paid it little heed. But since then, the atmosphere has become increasingly sinister and damp, and besides the patrolling Yin soldiers, other Yin spirits began to appear. They were unpredictable, sometimes attacking us.”
“In our encounters with these Yin spirits, we gradually discovered cracks, caves, and even formed passageways leading deeper underground. Some spewed forth metallic winds, others burned with subterranean Yin fire, while some remained silent and pitch-black, swallowing anything thrown into them without a trace. We attempted to explore these areas, but they proved too perilous—we nearly lost our lives.”
The Soul-Taking Yaksha deliberately concealed the details of their exploration—if not for the King of the Netherworld, their group would have suffered heavy casualties.
“Of course, during this process, we also found some clues, and we believe there is a Carefree Valley hidden beneath Bomi, the ancient site of a great sect.”
Meng Qi listened intently. The Soul-Taking Yaksha’s words contained much useful intelligence, corroborating the clues previously discovered by the ancient book’s owner, gradually lifting layers of mystery.
After the Soul-Taking Yaksha finished, Meng Qi introduced the matter of the ancient book’s owner, highlighting the key points: “The owner of the ancient book explored Bomi many years ago and found traces of externally visible mountain-and-river formations.”
“Based on his research into the Carefree Valley, this should be the protective formation of the valley, the ‘Yin-Yang Five Elements Spirit Binding Array,’ but for unknown reasons, it has changed from an outward-facing formation to an inward-facing one.”
As he said this, Meng Qi deliberately glanced at the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch, who kept his head bowed, his expression unreadable.
“Yin-Yang Five Elements Spirit Binding Array…” the Soul-Taking Yaksha frowned. “Then what should we do?”
“The caves that spew metallic winds and the fissures that burn with subterranean Yin fire are all signs of array nodes. Combining the previously recorded external traces with the ancient book owner’s understanding of the ‘Yin-Yang Five Elements Spirit Binding Array,’ we can attempt to determine the location of the entrance…” Meng Qi pointed and shot a stream of true qi, carving the terrain of Bomi he knew onto the rock.
Based on their own explorations, the Soul-Taking Yaksha, the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch, Yang Zhenshan, and others helped complete the map, marking the key nodes, including the one from the temple they had just visited.
Minute by minute passed, and a rough map of Bomi emerged before their eyes, with the array nodes clearly marked, forming an intricate and mysterious pattern.
Meng Qi gazed at the map, recalling the contents of the ancient book, which contained a basic description of the Yin-Yang Five Elements array.
The eyes of the Soul-Taking Yaksha, the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch, and others were filled with hope.
After a while, Meng Qi murmured, “The Yin-Yang Five Elements array has two entrances—one Yin and one Yang, one death gate and one life gate, adjacent to each other… Judging from the array’s flow, it should be here.”
He pointed, and the Soul-Taking Yaksha’s pupils immediately constricted. This was the temple explored earlier by the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch—not exactly that one, but another temple resembling its twin, the one where he had helped open the entrance!
Could it really be there?
“If everything were normal, this place should be the death gate, and the real entrance would be here…” Meng Qi pointed to a spot on the map—the very temple he had hastily retreated from before.
“But now, the formation is inverted, from outside to inside, so the life and death gates must have swapped places.”
This was the best he could deduce with his limited knowledge.
“Death gate… no wonder you said it was dangerous…” the Soul-Taking Yaksha looked toward the Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch.
Given the Devil Monarch’s experience, he had more confidence in Meng Qi’s judgment.
The Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch nodded silently, saying nothing.
Meng Qi, too, was filled with doubts—what exactly had he encountered at the death gate?
“Then let’s go check if there’s an entrance,” Jia Zhen, the “Heavenly Devil of Chaos,” spoke for the first time.
Meng Qi and the others naturally had no objections.
The temple was not far below, its interior filled with a sinister Yin aura, moss-covered and damp, in stark contrast to the clean and refreshing yang temple.
“Opposing Yin and Yang, otherwise identical, the entrance here must align with the other temple’s position,” Meng Qi said, heading toward the back of the statue.
As he passed the statue, Meng Qi instinctively glanced at it. It was a deity with a distinct Western style—female in appearance, with gentle features, holding a vase in her hands. The vase’s mouth was carved with many intricate patterns, as if it were absorbing souls.
“This is the Bottle Goddess worshipped by the Bomi Kingdom, symbolizing the afterlife. In the yang temple, it’s the Water Goddess symbolizing vitality. Supposedly, they revere another ancient deity the most, but we’ve never found any temple dedicated to this god,” the Soul-Taking Yaksha explained as Meng Qi paused.
Meng Qi mused, “The Bomi Kingdom’s temples are divided into Yin and Yang, precisely at the life and death gates of the ‘Yin-Yang Five Elements Spirit Binding Array.’ They must have had considerable knowledge of the Carefree Valley.”
The Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch’s dry voice cut in: “The corridor and the luminous pearls at the death gate were clearly added later.”
In other words, they had been dug out by the people of Bomi!
Passing the statue, Meng Qi carefully inspected the corresponding location, but he could not find any trace of an entrance. When he struck the wall, it emitted a dull sound, clearly solid.
“If the yang temple’s entrance mechanism is here, then the yin temple’s must be on the opposite side,” the Soul-Taking Yaksha suddenly realized, stepping out of the temple and rushing to the opposite side. He had previously focused only on exploring the yang temple’s entrance, never considering a similar mechanism here!
Soon, a silent crack appeared where the rock wall met the ground, as if it had materialized from nothing, revealing a downward staircase.
Though hollow, it made no sound… Meng Qi suspected that even a crude attack like thunder or fire might not open the entrance. Perhaps the wall and floor could be destroyed, but the entrance itself would remain hidden!
They waited for the Soul-Taking Yaksha to return before descending the steps. Embedded night pearls lined both sides, casting a faint glow.
This passage was even longer than the yang temple’s. Meng Qi and the others walked for a long time without seeing its end, the silence around them growing oppressive.
If this was the life gate, they would soon enter the outer illusion array… Meng Qi concealed part of the ancient book’s secrets, planning to use his knowledge of formations to find an opportunity to ambush Yang Zhenshan once inside the illusion array, completing his test mission first, after which the examiner’s intervention would be natural!
Glancing at the walls, Meng Qi noticed new murals—carvings of prostrate figures stretching endlessly forward.
He avoided looking at Yang Zhenshan again, so as not to raise suspicion.
Thinking of this, Meng Qi couldn’t help but smile wryly. In the novels he used to read, the protagonist would often face betrayal while searching for treasures with a group, unsure whether the enemy was external or within their own ranks. Now, he was the one playing the role of the traitor and the villain…
Unconsciously, thin mist began to rise around them, and Meng Qi instantly lost sight of the Soul-Taking Yaksha and the others.
Meng Qi quickly recalled their positions moments ago and, based on the nature of the illusion array, roughly determined where Yang Zhenshan was now.
Just as he was about to move through the illusion array to ambush Yang Zhenshan, a sudden sense of danger surged in his heart. In his mind, he visualized a pale hand silently reaching toward him!
It moved incredibly fast—by the time he noticed, it was already too late to evade!
In that split second, Meng Qi did not retreat forward but instead slammed his back into the hand, disrupting its follow-up motion, preventing it from striking his neck.
As long as it didn’t hit a vital point, his physical body was as good as a treasure weapon!
True qi surged through him, golden light flickering. The pale hand struck his back as if hitting Gengjin (Metal Essence).
Meng Qi’s soul trembled, the golden glow dimming slightly, but his “Flowing Flame” sword had already pierced behind him.
The flame was restrained, the heat hidden. As soon as the “Flowing Flame” pierced the arm, it erupted violently, like a miniature sun igniting the area, unleashing searing heat.
The attacker let out a stifled grunt and vanished before Meng Qi could counterattack.
Meng Qi’s pores exhaled and inhaled energy, deliberately feigning slight injury.
At this moment, due to the terrain’s change, the illusion array’s power weakened, and they emerged into a large hall.
“Brother Shenbao, what happened to you?” The Soul-Taking Yaksha saw Meng Qi’s bloodied lips and torn back and was slightly startled.
Meng Qi scanned the group and slowly said, “I was attacked.”
He deliberately looked at their arms, finding no injuries.
Could it be a divine body cultivation technique? But the sensation when he struck didn’t feel like it… Meng Qi’s mind was filled with doubts. His main suspect was the suspicious Poisonous-Hand Devil Monarch, but the man’s black robe was undamaged, showing no sign of a sword strike.
The Soul-Taking Yaksha asked, “Could Brother Shenbao suspect us?”
“I couldn’t identify the attacker,” Meng Qi said calmly.
The Soul-Taking Yaksha frowned, “Could it be the unpredictable Yin spirits?”
That possibility couldn’t be ruled out… Meng Qi thought as he looked around the hall. The murals had changed here.
The prostrate figures ahead wore increasingly elaborate clothing. They were worshiping a deity on the opposite wall—a god with a snake’s head and a human body. Even from the depiction, one could sense its ancient, weathered, cold, and lifeless presence. On either side of this ancient deity stood the Bottle Goddess and the Water Goddess.
“It’s Him!” the Soul-Taking Yaksha exclaimed in shock.
Meng Qi looked over, “Which ancient deity?”
“There are few who worship Him, yet Bomi secretly venerates Him…” the Soul-Taking Yaksha muttered, “In our Western Regions, He is called the ‘King of the Netherworld,’ while in your Central Plains, He is known as ‘Yellow Spring.'”
Yellow Spring, an ancient immortal and one of the primordial deities born in the Nine Hells! Meng Qi instinctively pursed his lips.
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