On Shi Yu's side, the conversion of her dual Yin-Yang Qi had finally reached the final step. After absorbing Yin energy day and night continuously for the past few days, the two air currents within her body gradually neared balance, and a new line of small text surfaced deep in her divine sense from 《Fate-Tapping Record》.
“The dual Yin-Yang Qi is the source of Heaven and Earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the foundation of the human body. To achieve perfect circulation, the sun and moon must shine together, and Heaven and Earth must resonate... Only then can Yin and Yang unite as one, befriending Heaven and Earth, joining the sun and moon, and becoming one with creation!”
On this day, as the sun set in the west and the moon rose in the east, both the sun and moon coexisted across the vast sky. Golden radiance and silver light mirrored each other in brilliant harmony, presenting a picture of ultimate balance between Heaven and Earth.
As the dual Yin-Yang Qi was stirred to life, it slowly circulated through the meridians across her entire body. Shi Yu felt a cool current surge from her left palm and a burning heat flow from her right. The two currents pulled at each other, forming a marvelous cycle. This gave her a subtle sense of connection with the world around her, as though she could feel the power of the sun and moon flowing through her veins.
“I'm almost there...”
Seizing this opportunity of Yin-Yang unification, just as the spiritual Qi throughout her body was about to reach a state of complete, effortless perfection, a sudden disturbance erupted.
The setting sun faded completely, and the full moon shed its brilliant glow. The surrounding Yin energy suddenly surged, swelling like a colossal wave into a torrent of intense power.
Struck by the impact, the two streams of spiritual Qi inside Shi Yu—on the verge of blending in harmony—clashed violently. She let out a muffled groan and coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body swaying precariously.
“Ah Yu!” Startled, Qingzhou hastily caught her.
Hearing the commotion, Ji Yu and Mo Tong turned at the same time. Seeing Shi Yu as pale as paper and trembling on her feet, they rushed over in a panic. “Big Sister, what's wrong?!”
“Are you all right?”
A sharp pain shot through Shi Yu's entire body. The spirit lake in her dantian, usually calm and placid, churned violently with waves, while her meridians pulsed with a tearing sensation. She popped a pill into her mouth and strained to stabilize her wildly surging spiritual Qi, barely bringing it back under control after strenuous effort.
“I'm fine.” Wiping the blood from her lip with a thumb, she looked around, her brows knitting. “Something's wrong.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a chorus of empty spirit roars erupted around them.
“Night has fallen.”
After dark, the empty spirits lurking in the shadows would emerge. Such sounds were usually nothing unusual during a night in the ancient desert. Having grown accustomed to them, the four of them had gone from feeling uneasy to gradually ignoring the noise. Today, however, the roars echoed from every direction with a force far greater than before, sending an instinctive chill down their spines.
Immediately after, scalp-numbing shrieks of agony and the sickening sounds of tearing and chewing echoed through the night. Unmistakably, those screams belonged to the crowd of cultivators gathered outside the secret treasure gate.
Looking out across the ancient desert, densely packed empty spirits enveloped in ghost fires covered the sand like a swarm of locusts. Whether enticed by the scent of living humans or drawn by something else, they were converging from all directions.
Shi Yu and the others exchanged glances, seeing grave apprehension in one another's eyes.
“The secret treasure gate didn't absorb the empty spirits' Yin essence tonight.”
“These empty spirits... are much stronger and far more numerous than usual.”
Without the gate drawing them in, this place—previously considered a safe haven—instantly lived up to its name: the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.
Because of Shi Yu's cultivation, the four of them had moved slightly away from the crowd and the marsh where the secret treasure gate stood, choosing a spot behind a sand dune. For now, their situation was considerably better than where the crowd had gathered, with only a few stray empty spirits roaming near them.
Judging by the unfolding chaos, however, it wouldn't remain safe for long.
Though disappointed that her cultivation had been interrupted by this unexpected disaster, Shi Yu did not dwell on it. Knowing this was no longer a time to cultivate, she said decisively, “Let's move!”
Qingzhou gripped the clay Buddha statue tightly, continuously pouring spiritual Qi into it. Within a few breaths, the rough statue took on a gilded sheen, its features defining clearly as its half-closed eyes radiated a gentle, compassionate aura. It cast a hazy golden Buddhist light into the pitch-black night, bringing a brief sense of solace.
The light spanned a modest area, just large enough to cover the four of them as they huddled close together.
Shi Yu glanced up at the exceptionally bright full moon in the sky, then turned her eyes back to Qingzhou.
Qingzhou let out a quiet breath. “Should we head back to Ming'an Temple?”
Such Buddhist treasures possessed an unmistakable counter-effect against empty spirits. The moment an empty spirit lunged forward, the Buddhist light dissolved it into nothingness within seconds.
However, the spiritual Qi required to maintain the light was substantial. Even if the four took turns channeling their Qi into it, they could never hold out through the long night. Moreover, Shi Yu—the strongest among them—currently had chaotic spiritual Qi and could hardly sustain the statue's consumption. They desperately needed to find a safe sanctuary.
Ming'an Temple was the closest temple. If they wanted to stay alive, returning there seemed to be their only viable option.
Yet... as the four began retreating, looking at the empty spirits swarming as thick as ants, their hearts sank lower and lower.
Ji Yu tugged on Shi Yu's sleeve, his face pale. “Big Sister... why... why are there so many...”
Shi Yu took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Leaving aside how vast and overwhelming the horde was, even a single empty spirit empowered by the moonlight of the full moon had grown far more terrifying and difficult to handle than usual. Standard attacks were practically useless against them. Apart from Buddhist light, only Shi Yu's supreme Yang, fierce spiritual flame could destroy them.
Yet she was only one person. No matter how many tricks she had up her sleeve, clearing a path of retreat through an innumerable siege of empty spirits was nearly impossible.
“We don't have time.” Seeing more and more empty spirits flooding in, Shi Yu's brows knitted tightly. She turned to look at the secret treasure gate in the distance, which was slowly pulling open under the pull of the moonlight. After only a moment's hesitation, she said in a cold voice, “Head behind the gate!”
Entering the secret treasure was their only silver lining now. Though she knew there might be something sinister or strange within the secret treasure, they had no better option at hand.
None of the others raised an objection to her decision. Pivoting around, they rushed toward the secret treasure gate under the protection of the Buddhist light.
The chaotic, wailing crowd of cultivators was struggling against the attacking empty spirits. Seeing Shi Yu's group approach from nearby, holding an artifact that radiated Buddhist light capable of dissolving the entities, a few desperate individuals flared with fierce, ruthless intent and unleashed abilities to snatch the clay Buddha statue.
Shi Yu snorted coldly. She drew her curved blade from the flute and struck back with a reverse grip, the blade wind whipping up billows of sand and driving back the attackers. She warned without mercy, “Try snatching it again if you value your life!”
Seeing the thick, powerful spiritual Qi surging around her, the cultivators were horror-struck that someone so young possessed such high cultivation. Gritting their teeth, they dared not step forward again.
Grasping her curved blade tightly, Shi Yu surveyed her surroundings with icy eyes, intimidating any other cultivators who were harboring restless thoughts of ambushing them.
She didn't consider herself a selfless saint; if she had energy to spare, she would willingly lend a hand to help others. But in a life-or-death crisis where she couldn't even guarantee her own safety, how could she talk about saving others?
She only wanted to protect those at her side.
Sheltered within the Buddhist light, the four fought off the relentless waves of pouncing empty spirits while remaining vigilant against the blood-eyed cultivators surrounding them, waiting for the secret treasure gate to open completely.
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