Yin Yang Spirit

Chapter 40: Yin Yang Spirit

Xuanji transformed into a mosquito, trailing the Shadow Clan member as he tracked his quarry. With a faint aura of a behemoth radiating from his body, he feared neither the demonic trees nor the attacks of the flora.

Giant trees reached for the heavens, and exotic flowers and grasses carpeted the earth. Xuanji occasionally collected various specimens to enrich the Ancient Wild World. As the Heavenly Dao of the Ancient Wild World evolved, all the demonic energy settled into the depths of the earth, coalescing into a single mass, while the divine energy rose to hang high above the clouds.

The Primordial Gods and Devils were divided into righteous and evil; divine energy was righteous, while demonic energy was evil. Now, the Heavenly Dao of the Ancient Wild World was extracting and gathering the divine and demonic auras from the trees and plants. Through the information provided by the Heavenly Dao, Xuanji understood its intent.

The Three Realms!

The Heavenly Realm actually intended to use the energy of the Gods and Devils to evolve the Heavenly Realm and the Netherworld, dividing the Ancient Wild World into three realms. This left Xuanji both shocked and delighted. Possessing memories of his past life, he knew well that the Three Realms were an inevitable stage in the evolution of a world.

Attempting to evolve the Heavenly Realm and the Netherworld using the energy of Gods and Devils was an immensely difficult task, yet with Xuanji continuously collecting demonic trees and plants for the Ancient Wild World, progress was slowly being made.

Bang!

A muffled sound erupted. Xuanji froze, realizing it had come from far away to his left. At the same time, a feeling of extreme crisis surged in his heart, as if that place were a death trap where one would perish the moment they entered.

Once the sensation struck, Xuanji did not hesitate. He immediately sped forward, continuing his pursuit of the Shadow Clan member and ignoring the muffled sound entirely. However, shortly after he resumed his flight, two invisible shockwaves rippled out from the source of the noise. The shockwaves traveled at incredible speed, though they lacked destructive power, passing through Xuanji as they swept into the distance.

"Eh? Is this... Yin Yang energy?" The two shockwaves contained the essence of Yin and the essence of Yang. This discovery made Xuanji's eyes light up. Yin Yang energy was a treasure! Whether for evolving the Ancient Wild World or for his own absorption and use, the effects would be immense. He could not let this pass!

With my current cultivation, combined with the Primordial Avatar and the Ancient Wild World, I should be able to preserve my life against anything below the Celestial Immortal realm, he mused. Flapping his wings, he headed toward the source of the sound, keeping his aura restrained and his wingbeats as quiet as possible.

In the dense forest of giant trees, a bottomless, circular pit appeared, looking entirely out of place with its surroundings. It was about a hundred meters in diameter, and the pitch-black, deep pit floor shimmered with a faint, hazy, black-and-white light. A rich Yin Yang aura emanated from it, accompanied by a terrifying pressure.

"This... this pressure?" Upon reaching the pit, Xuanji's face turned pale with shock. The pressure radiating from the bottom was staggering; compared to it, the aura of an early-stage Earth Immortal behemoth was like a kitten facing a tiger.

"A Celestial Immortal! This must be the pressure of a Celestial Immortal." Xuanji froze and immediately fled at full speed. He no longer cared about the Yin Yang energy; the Celestial Immortal realm was far beyond his ability to contend with. However, just as Xuanji transformed into a streak of light, a surge of black-and-white Yin Yang energy shot up from the pit, forming a giant hand that tore through the void and descended, snatching Xuanji in an instant.

Bang!

The Yin Yang energy shuddered, and his mosquito form instantly reverted to human. Xuanji was horrified; he hadn't expected to be captured in a single breath. Now, he was surrounded by black-and-white light, and powerful Yin Yang binding forces locked him in from all directions, leaving him unable to break free.

Whoosh!

A gale erupted. The giant Yin Yang hand dragged Xuanji toward the bottom of the pit at high speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The speed was so fast that one might have thought it a mere illusion.

The black-and-white light was dazzling, and the air was thick with Yin Yang energy. Xuanji, bound by black-and-white ropes, stared blankly at his surroundings. Everywhere he looked was Yin Yang energy and black-and-white light; it was as if this were a Yin Yang world, a pure Yin Yang world.

The Yin Yang energy here is truly abundant. If I were allowed to absorb it, I fear it would not only allow the Yin Yang laws of the Ancient Wild World to manifest their prototype, but I could also cultivate the Yin Yang True Body, Yin Yang Pupil Light, and the Yin Yang Treasure Pagoda! he thought. It was a treasure trove, but unfortunately, his current situation was dire.

"Junior of the Illusion Clan, why have you come to this Ancestor's domain? Do you take the rules I have set for a joke? Within a thousand miles of this Yin Yang Domain, any living creature that dares to step inside—dies!" A muffled roar echoed. A mass of black-and-white smoke drifted forward abruptly. Even though it was only smoke, Xuanji still felt two cold, blade-like gazes fixed upon him. Under this gaze, his entire body ached as if being sliced by swords.

"Is this a Yin Yang Spirit formed from Yin Yang energy?" Xuanji stared, dumbfounded, at the smoke before him, his heart churning like a stormy sea. At the same time, the Yin Yang Spirit's questioning left him confused. A mysterious Shadow Clan member had just appeared, and now he heard mention of an Illusion Clan. Just how many strange and bizarre tribes were there in the Primordial World?

Rolling his eyes, Xuanji formulated a plan. He looked at the Yin Yang Spirit, and although he longed to absorb it, he sensed it was at least at the Celestial Immortal realm—to fight it would be suicide. He immediately suppressed his desires, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Senior, this junior has come on the orders of my Clan Leader to disturb you. I hope you will not take offense. There is a major matter that I have been sent to inform you of."

"Oh? The Illusion Emperor? Speak your piece!" The Yin Yang Spirit was also curious.

"Does Senior know of the Shadow Clan?" Xuanji asked cautiously, a flicker of imperceptible sharpness flashing in his eyes as a cold sneer touched his lips.

"Nonsense! How could the Ancestor of the six great clans of the Eastern Wasteland not know? Tell me your business. If you cannot satisfy this Ancestor, I will kill you." The Yin Yang Spirit roared, its terrifying pressure surging, causing the Yin Yang ropes binding Xuanji to tighten.

A wave of pain washed over him as strands of Yin Yang power surged from the ropes into his body, feeling like thousands of insects crawling through his bones and marrow. It was both itchy and painful, an agony no less intense than the thousand-cut torture of the Firmament Gale.

Gritting his teeth, Xuanji felt a cold glint pass through his eyes, his heart filled with murderous intent. At the same time, he pondered the Yin Yang Spirit's words: the six great clans of the Eastern Wasteland. It seemed there were six such tribes like the Shadow Clan, and likely many smaller ones. And this was just the Eastern Wasteland—there might even be a Western Wasteland, a Southern Wasteland, and so on!

"Senior! My Clan Leader sent me to tell you that the Shadow Clan is collecting the blood of behemoths!" As soon as he finished speaking, the pain and itching vanished, and the Yin Yang power was retracted into the ropes. At the same time, the Yin Yang Spirit began to fluctuate violently, like clouds blown by the wind.

"What? The blood of behemoths? The Shadow Emperor actually dares to risk universal condemnation to condense a God-Devil True Body?" The Yin Yang Spirit was astonished.

A God-Devil True Body? Behemoths are formed by absorbing the aura of the Primordial Gods and Devils, and their blood is the essence of their life, which must also contain the power of Gods and Devils. If they collect and refine the blood, condensing the aura of Gods and Devils might not be difficult! Xuanji mused. It seemed the Shadow Emperor was indeed trying to condense a God-Devil True Body; this was something he would have to account for.

"Senior! How do you view this matter?" He needed to clarify the major factions and tribes first. His memories of his past life were essentially useless for now; he could only use his foresight to gain an advantage once the era of fierce beasts reached its late stages. For now, he had to focus on improving his cultivation to survive and, incidentally, search for the Light of Taishi.

"How do I view it? If the Illusion Emperor sent you, surely you can guess. Hmph, enough talk. Go and contact the other four clans. This Ancestor will also go and meet a few old friends. If the Shadow Emperor cannot provide a good explanation this time, we shall join forces and wipe out the Shadow Clan." The Yin Yang Spirit snorted coldly.

Xuanji suddenly realized that the Yin Yang Spirit's strength far exceeded his expectations. It seemed his status was no less than that of the six great clans of the Eastern Wasteland, yet while they were entire tribes, he was but one individual. This showed his cultivation was truly terrifying!

Hearing the Yin Yang Spirit's arrangements, Xuanji secretly gave a bitter smile. Not only was his identity as a member of the Illusion Clan a lie, but he didn't even know where those four clans were! However, this did not stump him. He immediately spoke, "Senior, you do not know! My Clan Leader had a slight disagreement with the leaders of the four clans recently. He sent me here not only to contact you but also in the hope that you would emerge to mediate and reconcile our relations. I believe that with your superior cultivation, you can easily resolve this misunderstanding." His words were respectful, but he was laughing inwardly.

"A disagreement? A misunderstanding? Aside from his conflict with the Shadow Emperor, hasn't the Illusion Emperor always had good relations with the other four leaders? Where does this disagreement come from? And since you were sent on orders, why did you try to run away earlier?" The Yin Yang Spirit bellowed, and the Yin Yang ropes tightened again, sending strands of power into Xuanji's body.

Damn! I slipped up and aroused the old ghost's suspicion. With a depressed sigh, Xuanji broke into a cold sweat, his face twitching in extreme agony. He begged for mercy repeatedly; this bout of pain and itching was more than twice as intense as the last, and he found it hard to endure.

Watching the suffering Xuanji, the Yin Yang Spirit sneered and slightly reduced the Yin Yang power, shouting, "Speak!"

The pain subsided somewhat, but it was still worse than before. Xuanji had no choice; his cultivation was inferior, so he had to endure for now. But he would not forget today's grudge, secretly vowing to make the Yin Yang Spirit pay it back tenfold, a hundredfold, in the future.

"Senior set a rule that no living creature may step foot here. Although I came on orders, I was still very uneasy. When I felt your pressure increase, I was so scared that I fled—I am just a coward. As for the disagreement between my Clan Leader and the four leaders, I am not privy to the details. If you do not believe me, you can go out and investigate the Shadow Clan to see if I have lied. If there is even a shred of falsehood, my life is yours to take!" Xuanji said with a bitter smile, which convinced the Yin Yang Spirit somewhat. The Spirit felt a sense of disdain; was the courage of the Illusion Clan really this pathetic? It seemed his own reputation was still quite formidable.

"You brat, just stay honestly in this Ancestor's Yin Yang Domain. Don't even think about escaping; this place is sealed by me, and with the Yin Yang Binding Rope on you, even the Illusion Emperor might not be able to escape. If I verify that what you said is true, I will naturally spare your life." After saying this, the Yin Yang Spirit transformed into a streak of black-and-white Yin Yang light and soared upward.

Seeing the Yin Yang Spirit leave, Xuanji felt a surge of joy and couldn't help but chuckle to himself: When you return, old ghost, if there is even a shred of Yin Yang energy left here, I'll take your name! Hahaha!

Not only would he obtain this Yin Yang energy, but he had also learned a great deal of information and had successfully stirred up conflict using the Shadow Clan affair. He feared that a great battle was inevitable, and when that time came, he might even be able to reap some benefits.