Chapter 759: Seizing the Sha (2)

Shi Xuan’s tone was firm. “Our junior brother, the one disguised as a fisherman, carries an Exotic Treasure that makes him extremely sensitive to Yin-Sha Aura. He risked getting close to investigate and confirmed the Evil Qi is of extremely high quality. It is supremely yin and cold, carrying an intent of annihilation, which matches the description of the ‘Nine Nether Yin Fiend’ in the ancient texts. Moreover, the entrenched Demon Path aura is tyrannical and frigid—seventy percent similar to the recorded True Essence characteristics of Lü Hanyin.”

“Brother Chen, Elder Gong has already gone ahead.”

Ruan Lingxiu looked at Chen Qing. “Lü Hanyin is absorbing the Nine Nether Yin Fiend. If we wait until he succeeds, his strength will increase immensely. Trying to eliminate him then will be incredibly difficult. I think we should head over immediately!”

Chen Qing’s gaze sharpened as he fell into silent contemplation.

‘Although I only appear to have gone through one True Essence Refining, with my current combat prowess, taking down this Lü Hanyin would be no difficult task.’

‘Besides, Elder Gong has already gone ahead. For the sake of both duty and reason, I absolutely cannot stand by and do nothing.’

‘If I still hesitate now, it would not only be a breach of righteousness, but it would also be difficult to justify to my fellow Sect members.’

‘And the Nine Nether Yin Fiend is indeed a rare find. If I can launch a surprise attack while he’s refining it, I might be able to catch him completely off guard…’

Seeing him remain silent for a long time, Ruan Lingxiu pressed him again, “So what do you think, Brother Chen?”

“Eliminating this demonic threat is indeed imperative.”

Chen Qing spoke slowly, “However, our opponent is a Demon Sect Elder, after all. We must act with caution. You must remember—act according to the situation and do not be reckless.”

Ruan Lingxiu’s spirits lifted at his words. “There’s no time to lose. Let’s set out now.”

The two of them immediately cupped their fists toward Shi Xuan, and without further delay, they rose and left the inn. Summoning a Golden Feathered Eagle, they sped off southeast toward Ghost Cry Ravine.

Longze Lake was vast and misty, its surface dotted with islands of all sizes like stars in the sky.

High above, a bitter wind howled. Below, the lake’s surface was wreathed in mist, obstructing their view.

Fortunately, Shi Xuan had provided a clear location. The Golden Feathered Eagle was incredibly fast, and in just over an hour, the scenery ahead changed abruptly.

The once-calm surface of the lake seemed to have been split asunder by an invisible force, revealing a deep, dark, and massive aquatic ravine, like a hideous scar on the great marsh.

This was Ghost Cry Ravine.

They hadn’t even truly gotten close before the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped several degrees. A blast of yin, damp, and cold air rushed toward them, making their skin crawl.

A thin, but dense and unmoving, black-gray mist hung above the ravine’s entrance, as if countless wronged souls were wailing and weeping within it.

The pair guided the Golden Feathered Eagle to land on a relatively hidden reef at the edge of the ravine’s entrance.

“This place connects to a subterranean Yin River. We need to be careful.” Ruan Lingxiu focused her senses on their surroundings and reminded him in a low voice, her tone filled with obvious vigilance.

She cultivated a Water Attribute Technique, making her more sensitive to the abnormal Water Element and yin-cold energy of this place.

Chen Qing nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the environment. “First, let’s assess the situation. If anything changes, we retreat immediately.”

Ruan Lingxiu nodded. “Alright.”

The water inside the ravine appeared calm, but it concealed surging undercurrents. The water itself was an ominous, inky black, as if it were bottomless.

Occasionally, whirlpools would form, kicking up a bone-chilling cold.

The water of this Yin River was no ordinary cold; it was a yin-evil chill that could corrode flesh and bone and freeze one’s very blood and qi.

If one were to fall in carelessly, even with True Essence Body Protection, it would be like being plunged into an ice cellar. The flow of their blood and qi would stagnate, and their movements would become stiff and sluggish.

An Astral Force Realm Martial Artist probably wouldn’t last a moment before being frozen stiff. While a True Essence Realm expert could resist it, over time, the True Essence consumption would be immense, and their strength would be greatly diminished.

What was more troublesome was that this yin-cold energy also seemed to have a certain interfering effect on one’s Divine Sense, limiting its range.

Just then, Chen Qing keenly sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of True Essence from behind a cluster of reefs shrouded in thick black fog, about a hundred zhang ahead and to their left. There was also a barely perceptible yin-cold Evil Qi.

“Over there.”

Chen Qing lowered his voice, pointing in the direction of the fluctuation.

The characteristics of that Evil Qi were an exact match for Shi Xuan’s description of the Nine Nether Yin Fiend.

“Mm, I feel it too.” Ruan Lingxiu’s expression turned grim, and she nodded.

The two of them concealed their auras completely and, using the jagged, bizarre rocks and the spreading black mist for cover, stealthily crept toward the reef cluster.

……

Deep within the cluster of reefs, the scene was bizarre.

A spring eye, about a zhang wide, was gurgling forth not with water, but with a viscous Evil Qi so dense it was almost tangible.

This Evil Qi was supremely yin and cold. The moment it spilled out, it caused fine black ice crystals to condense in the surrounding air and coated the reef surfaces with a hard, dark layer of ice.

Directly above the spring eye, a gaunt figure sat cross-legged in the void. It was none other than Lü Hanyin, the Tenth Elder of the Demon Sect.

His hands were formed into a strange Dharma Seal, and the pores all over his body seemed to have transformed into countless tiny whirlpools, greedily devouring the Evil Qi from the spring eye—the exceptionally rare Nine Nether Yin Fiend!

As the Evil Qi entered his body, an unnatural blackness appeared on Lü Hanyin’s somewhat pale face, and the aura he emitted grew even more frigid.

His eyes were tightly shut as he fully operated his Demon Skill, guiding the Nine Nether Yin Fiend to temper and strengthen his own True Essence. He was clearly at a critical stage of absorption and refinement, a moment where he could not afford the slightest disturbance.

On several taller reefs a short distance away, a few figures stood scattered about. They were all Demon Sect experts with formidable auras.

Three of them were particularly conspicuous. They were the sworn sons Lü Hanyin had taken in, a man famous for winning over people’s hearts. At this moment, they were standing guard loyally on the perimeter.

The other two, however, were not directly subordinate to the Demon Sect.

One of them was, surprisingly, Zhang Huaguo, who had just recently crossed hands with Chen Qing. His expression was grim.