The Yin-Yang Spring gathered the essence of heaven and earth and contained the powers of the sun and lunar power, making it the greatest body-tempering sanctuary in the Cave-Dwelling World. The sun's power blazed like fire, tempering muscles and bones and dispelling the cold within the body; lunar power was cool as ice, nourishing the meridians and harmonizing blood and vital energy.
The two mingled to form a unique energy field. Cultivators immersed in it could absorb both powers at once, achieving a balance of yin and yang and breaking through the limits of their flesh. Whether they were novices just beginning their cultivation or powerful veterans tempered by countless trials, all could make tremendous gains here. The Yin-Yang Spring was not only a treasure ground for body tempering, but also an ideal place to comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth, helping cultivators advance to higher realms.
The original master of the Cave-Dwelling World had attained great heights in body tempering. The Yin-Yang Spring had originally been in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Because of its potent body-tempering effects, the master had used mighty divine abilities and powerful formations to seize a region spanning over a hundred million kilometers and turn it into the Cave-Dwelling World.
Shi Yi had not expected such a body-tempering sanctuary to exist in the Cave-Dwelling World. He was delighted, for it meant he could use it to temper his flesh.
For the next few days, Shi Yi remained in the palace to heal. Though his external wounds were under control, the injuries to his internal organs were not so easy to mend.
His flesh was riddled with wounds, and his internal organs had suffered severe damage as well. Lightning power wreathed his body; some injuries were plainly visible, while others lurked within. The road to recovery was long, and every breath brought a reminder of the pain.
As he slowly healed, his wounds gradually closed and his strength quietly returned. The scabs over his visible injuries fell away, while the hidden damage healed deep within. Under the cleansing passage of time, his body gained new life.
The moment his injuries healed, Shi Yi eagerly sought out his master to ask about the Yin-Yang Spring. The answer filled him with both joy and sorrow.
The joyous news was that the Yin-Yang Spring lay deep within the palace. To make his cultivation more convenient, the original master of the Cave-Dwelling World had built the palace directly over it, sparing Shi Yi the trouble of searching far and wide.
The sorrowful news was that using the Yin-Yang Spring required certain conditions to be met. He had to consume both a Sun Flower and Netherworld Grass before entering to cultivate. Otherwise, with his current strength, the powers of the sun and lunar power would grind him into oblivion.
Thankfully, both kinds of sacred medicine grew within the Cave-Dwelling World, in Flame Valley and Frosty Ravine respectively. Yet both places were extremely dangerous. They were already perilous lands in their own right, and powerful races also lived there. As a member of the Human Race, Shi Yi would easily be recognized.
Even so, Shi Yi decided to search for them. This concerned his cultivation; he could not simply give up.
One day, a Wind-Thunder Leopard arrived in the White Ghost Race's territory. Had Shi Yi been there, he would certainly have recognized him. This was the very Wind-Thunder Leopard who had rescued Lei Shang from his hands.
"I am Lei Jie of the Wind-Thunder Leopard clan. I seek an audience with Senior Bai Ming, patriarch of the White Ghost Race. Sorry for the trouble, but please announce my arrival," Lei Jie called out.
"Venerable, may we ask what brings you here, so that we can report it?" a guard watching over the territory called back.
"I have come concerning an enemy shared by both our races. We have some important intelligence to share," Lei Jie said again.
"We rarely have any dealings with the Wind-Thunder Leopard clan. Since when have we shared an enemy?" one of the White Ghost guards asked.
"I'm not sure, but a few days ago, the ancestor returned from an outing in a furious rage and destroyed quite a few things. Could it be related? Besides, Elder Bai Ling and our two great young prodigies haven't returned in a long time," another guard continued.
The White Ghost guards discussed it a little longer. One raced off toward the rear, while the others remained to keep watch.
Before long, the White Ghost guard who had left returned and said, "Venerable, the ancestor invites you in!"
A guard led Lei Jie deep into the White Ghost Race's ancestral grounds, while the remaining guards continued their patrol.
Soon, the guard finally brought Lei Jie into the White Ghost Race's settlement. The entire place was built from enormous stones. Every stone in the city walls bore the weight of ages and was inscribed with formations. The massive stones linked together to form a flawless, powerful defensive formation that could hold off even a True God Realm expert for a time.
The city contained many houses, each engraved with formations to reinforce it. Since this was the White Ghost Race's ancestral settlement, outsiders were seldom seen here.
The guard brought Lei Jie to the very center of the city, where a towering building stood, majestic and magnificent, solemn and weathered by time.
"You're the one who wanted to see me? I'm in a foul mood. If your answer displeases me, you won't leave the White Ghost Race's territory today, even if you are a venerable of the Wind-Thunder Leopard clan," Bai Ming said heavily.
Bai Ming stood in the great hall, the runes around his body appearing and disappearing, flickering between darkness and light. They betrayed the turmoil within him.
"My lord, you must know that a human has appeared in Heavenly Thunder Valley. That human killed a direct descendant of our supreme elder, and also slew your descendants. This is a grave matter. We are willing to cooperate with your race to capture that human together," Lei Jie said.
"How do you know my descendants were killed by that human? Could your Thunder Shadow Leopard clan have done all this to frame someone else?" Rather than agreeing outright, Bai Ming changed the subject and questioned him in a low voice.
"Because of the Thunder-Avoiding Divine Needle. That day, our supreme elder also entered Heavenly Thunder Valley to capture Fierce Beasts. But that cunning human used the Thunder-Avoiding Divine Needle to draw down the endless lightning of Thunderclap Valley and injure our supreme elder. The Thunder-Avoiding Divine Needle is your race's artifact, and I also heard that fellow Daoist Bai Ling entered Thunderclap Valley and never came out. Thus, I ventured to conclude that he had already met a murderous end. Please accept my condolences, Senior." Lei Jie then continued, "That human's whereabouts are now unknown, so I have taken the liberty of coming here to seek your cooperation. Together, we can find his hiding place and avenge our dead."
The fury in Bai Ming's eyes seemed ready to take physical form and erupt. Thunderclouds gathered overhead, and lightning flickered through his fur. The energy pouring from his body made the great hall tremble. Several guards and Lei Jie were pressed flat against the ground by his terrifying aura, not daring to resist.
"S-Senior, please calm your anger," Lei Jie said in a trembling voice, prostrate on the floor.
Only after a long while did the terrifying fluctuations cease. The sky cleared, and the dreadful aura receded swiftly like an ebbing tide. Everything returned to stillness. None of them dared breathe heavily, afraid they might become the unfortunate target of his wrath. For a time, a falling pin could have been heard in the great hall.
"What do you intend to do?" Bai Ming finally asked.
The two discussed matters in the great hall for a long time before Lei Jie emerged. Though the details of their conversation were unknown, the excitement he could not hide in his eyes as he left betrayed his thoughts.
After Lei Jie departed, another White Ghost appeared silently in the great hall.
"Father, are we really going to cooperate with the Wind-Thunder Leopard clan to capture that human cultivator from outside?"
Bai Ming snorted disdainfully. "That human only has an Array Formation cultivation, yet he severely injured that old ghost Lei Shang. Though he relied on some tricks, it still shows that this human cultivator from outside is no easy prey.
"The Wind-Thunder Leopard clan wants to capture that human and monopolize the passage between this world and the outside. What a fool's dream! How could that lord of the Heavenly Wing Race allow such a thing? They have no idea what they're doing. If they truly capture that human and word of this secret gets out, their destruction won't be far off."
"Then do we just watch their clan take action and do nothing?" Bai Lie asked.
"What benefit would we gain from capturing that human together? I only agreed to some of their conditions to keep them steady. Go tell that lord that a human from outside has entered the Cave-Dwelling World. I'm sure he'll be tempted as well, and we might even receive some precious things in return," Bai Ming said.
Bai Lie was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Then when will Venerable Bai Ling be avenged?"
Bai Ming glanced at Bai Lie and sighed softly. "We only need that human to die. How he dies doesn't matter. There are many ways to take revenge. As long as we achieve our goal, we don't have to do it with our own hands. Once word spreads, every living being in the Cave-Dwelling World will join the hunt for that human. Once he's caught, he'll suffer a fate worse than death."
"In that case, why don't we sell this information to several more parties and earn more?" Bai Lie continued.
"Bai Lie, remember this: once we tell this information to a powerful figure we cannot afford to offend, none of it has anything to do with us anymore. Don't try to be clever. If you bring a reckoning down upon us, the losses will outweigh the gains," Bai Ming said.
After Bai Lie accepted his orders and left, Bai Ming murmured to himself, "Heavenly Wing Race, you have kept us beneath your heel in this Cave-Dwelling World for countless years. I wonder whether borrowing the Human Race's strength this time can drag you down from your divine pedestal."
After these days of rest and recuperation, Shi Yi's injuries had completely healed. He had spent the past few days searching for information about Sun Flowers and Netherworld Grass, learning about their growing habits and other details. Only with thorough preparation could he improve his chances of finding them.
By the time all his preparations were complete, another few days had passed. A pillar of light rose from the palace plaza. Spatial runes danced through the air, and powerful energy made the surrounding space shudder and waver. The pillar lifted Shi Yi toward the horizon, and he vanished in the blink of an eye.
In the northern part of the Cave-Dwelling World, cold winds blew like knives all year round, slicing through every inch of air. Their bone-piercing chill seeped into the marrow.
Thick, leaden clouds shrouded the sky, allowing not a single ray of daylight through, as though eternal night had descended. Silence lay over everything. Only the wind murmured beside the ears, like some invisible ghost wandering through the land.
The earth was utterly lifeless. Stone pillars stood like phantoms, as though wailing without a sound. There was no birdsong, no chirping of insects; even breathing seemed superfluous. Time seemed to have forgotten this place, leaving only endless cold and gloom to devour every trace of life.