Closing her eyes and focusing her mind, Shi Yu felt the icy Yin energy gradually blend into her body with every breath. It intertwined with the Yang Qi within her, forming a wondrous, fleeting balance. Within this equilibrium, the two drastically different types of Qi collided and merged, transforming into swirling streams of light that circulated through her meridians.
“The speed of this Yin Qi conversion is far beyond what it used to be...”
A faint haze of Yin mist condensed around her. As her cultivation deepened, the Yin energy steadily intensified, surging like a rising tide. Such dense, heavy Yin Qi was far superior to what she had previously absorbed from mere moonlight.
Shi Yu felt a surge of joy, thinking to herself, At this rate, in less than half a month, I'll be able to convert all the spiritual Qi in my body into dual Yin-Yang Qi.
...
She continued cultivating for about ten hours, until the sun dipped low in the west, on the verge of sinking below the horizon. Shi Yu promptly ceased her cultivation and turned to look at the three people beside her.
Qingzhou stood nearby with the clay Buddha statue in hand, faithfully guarding her, while Mo Tong and Ji Yu stood on her left and right, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
A wave of warmth washed over Shi Yu's heart.
No wonder everyone said that on the path of cultivation, wealth, companions, techniques, and sanctuary were all indispensable. Looking back on her journey, had it not been for her elders, seniors, and these companions accompanying her, her path would undoubtedly have been fraught with far more hardships.
Seeing Shi Yu finish her cultivation, Qingzhou asked, “Ah Yu, how was it?”
“The fiendish Yin energy here is exceptionally dense and pure, so it was quite efficient.” Shi Yu snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. Looking up at the sky, she added, “It's getting dark. Let's head back and return first thing tomorrow morning.”
In the ancient desert, empty spirits ran rampant at night. Furthermore, this spot was a convergence point for fiendish energy, meaning the empty spirits would inevitably become even more terrifying and overwhelming after dark—far harder to handle than during the day. Relying on a single clay Buddha statue might not be enough to guarantee their safety.
It was safer to fall back to Ming'an Temple for the night and resume the next morning.
None of the three had any objections. After packing up briefly, they set off back the way they came.
However, when they returned to the lake at the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts, they discovered that the crowd of cultivators gathered there was no smaller than during the day. Even with the sun about to set, no one showed any intention of leaving.
Ji Yu asked in surprise, “Why isn't anyone rushing to leave?”
Under normal circumstances, the cultivators should have been scrambling toward the nearest temple for shelter.
Shi Yu scanned the surroundings. While there were plenty of high-level cultivators present, more than half were merely at the Qi Refining Realm. Did these people possess some trump card that allowed them to disregard the dangers of the night?
Or was it... that there was no danger here at all?
Noticing that none of the nearby cultivators looked nervous or panicked, she pondered briefly and halted her steps. “Let's wait a bit and see what happens.”
And so, the four of them found a quiet corner in the crowd, sat down, and waited for whatever changes nightfall would bring.
Some of the surrounding cultivators were still studying the gate of the secret treasure, others chatted in low voices, and a few gathered in small groups around campfires cooking food. In short, no one seemed to care about the impending onslaught of empty spirits.
Shi Yu glanced at the gate out of the corner of her eye, deep in thought. It seems this must be connected to the gate as well.
Before long, the last trace of twilight faded away. In an instant, black energy billowed from the surrounding sand dunes, and clusters of ghost fire materialized out of nowhere, flickering unpredictably. The ghost fires condensed into empty spirits with blurred facial features. Sensing the exposed aura of living humans nearby, they charged forward in a ravenous, frantic frenzy.
Yet before they could take more than two steps, the bright moon emerged in the sky. Its moonlight condensed into a silk-like stream of radiance that struck the gate of the secret treasure directly. The ancient source runes began to pulse, suddenly spilling silver light in all directions and illuminating the entire area as bright as day.
The tightly shut seam of the gate began to loosen. At the same time, the ghost fires and empty spirits formed from the surrounding Yin energy were sucked toward the gate like water drawn by a giant whale, turning into dense strands of Yin Qi that slipped through the gap and vanished into the gate.
Sizzling sounds rang out continuously as the empty spirits were ripped apart, sending a chill through the hearts of those who listened.
Shi Yu's pupils shrank. Behind the gate...
The gate had originally opened only a sliver no wider than a finger's breadth, letting out merely a faint glow that was insufficient to reveal what lay behind it.
However, as endless empty spirits were drawn into the gate, the narrow slit widened continuously, as if being slowly pulled apart by a pair of invisible giant hands.
The opening of the gate did not reveal a nightmarish spectacle. Instead, it radiated an extraordinarily sacred aura. Remembering how her divine soul had nearly been overwhelmed when she looked directly at the gate earlier, Shi Yu merely glanced at it briefly before shifting her gaze to the people around her.
Bathed in the warm, serene aura emanating from behind the gate, the surrounding cultivators wore enraptured expressions, blissfully unaware of their surroundings as incoherent murmurs slipped from their lips. This scene formed a stark, eerie contrast with the terrifying sight of empty spirits being shredded and sucked into the gate, sending a wave of unease through Shi Yu.
As the gap opened wider and wider, glimpses of the interior gradually became visible.
Shi Yu cast another glance and saw a world enveloped in drifting clouds and mist behind the gate. Vague human silhouettes seemed to stroll leisurely within, looking like ethereal immortals.
A gust of wind blew past, dispersing the mist slightly and revealing the scene inside with greater clarity. Countless resplendent palaces and pavilions were scattered across a lush green meadow, connected by bridges crafted from jade and pearls, decorated with an array of spiritual flowers and fruits...
Her expression shifted slightly as she recognized the jade and pearls used for the bridges—they were extraordinarily rare spiritual materials, more than sufficient to refine high-grade artifacts. Furthermore, the decorative spiritual flowers and fruits were far from ordinary, brimming with rich spiritual Qi. Each was at least several thousand years old, and picking even a few clusters would be enough to serve as the grand finale item at an auction.
And that was just a single bridge. Looking further at those palaces and pavilions, the central tower, and the glowing pearl embedded at the very top of the tower radiating ten thousand beams of colorful light...
Was this the immortal underground palace—the immortal secret treasure? What unimaginable extravagance.
No wonder rumors claimed that the treasures left behind in the immortal secret treasure possessed supreme fortune, capable of elevating one to the heavens in a single step and achieving the Immortal Dao.
Ji Yu's eyes glittered with excitement. Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, he tugged on Shi Yu's sleeve and looked up with a pleading expression. “Big Sister... the gate is open... the gate is open...”
Shi Yu grabbed his hand in return and gave his forehead a gentle slap. “Focus your mind.”
Ji Yu blinked, his unfocused eyes slowly coming back into focus. After a long moment, he snapped back to his senses and stammered uncertainly, “I... what just happened to me?”
Qingzhou glanced at Shi Yu holding Ji Yu's hand, paused briefly, and then said, “When Yin Qi surges, it becomes difficult to guard the mind. If your willpower is lacking, silently recite your mental cultivation method.”
Still, it was somewhat surprising that Ji Yu, while helplessly enticed by the treasures behind the gate, had subconsciously sought Shi Yu's permission.
When the gap widened to half an arm's length, someone finally lost their patience and leapt toward the opening.
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