Chapter 386 - 392: Yin Creature

The hole in the high ceiling through which she had fallen had now closed up.

Deep underground, the hall was incredibly dim. If not for the glimmer of a few strange crystals, it would have been pitch-black.

The surrounding ice refracted and reflected this light, creating a rather beautiful sight.

Song Wanning’s Spiritual Power had been sealed, but when she tried circulating her Demonic Qi, she discovered it was completely unrestricted.

She raised an eyebrow. ’It seems this place was likely once the Demon Clan’s territory,’ she thought, ’and they specifically set up a restriction against Spirit Cultivators.’

She now stood in a great hall, where the only thing she could see was a staircase spiraling upward.

Gripping her Longsword, she cautiously started up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cen had finally made it through the mist, her face pale from the freezing cold.

Her body was stiff, and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably. She desperately wanted to leave this place at once.

But the thought of the ultimate treasure here made her unwilling to give up, so she could only steel herself and press onward.

Towering ice sculptures came into view, and her heart leaped with joy. She forced her rigid body to hurry toward them.

But the cold made it impossible for her to slide smoothly across the ice, and in no time, she slipped and fell in a miserable heap.

She was so angry she could have spat blood. ’Since I transmigrated,’ she fumed, ’I’ve never been so humiliated!’

But the cold here was something even a Cultivator couldn’t withstand. Despite her defensive measures, she was still freezing.

With no other choice, Jiang Cen huffed in frustration and got to her feet, proceeding more cautiously this time.

This time, her progress was much smoother. When she reached the edge of the deep pit, she immediately looked down.

"This is it!"

Jiang Cen’s heart soared, and all her previous frustration vanished in an instant.

Without a second thought, she leaped into the chasm.

...

Elsewhere, Song Wanning had already reached the second floor.

The second floor was filled with Ice Mirrors, fracturing the large hall into a disorienting maze.

Walking inside, she saw her reflection everywhere. Within moments, she grew dizzy and disoriented, losing her sense of direction.

She frowned, gave the floor a quick search, and finding nothing of interest, she turned and headed for the third floor.

The third floor, the fourth, the fifth...

Song Wanning climbed floor after floor without seeing so much as a shadow of a treasure.

There was nothing but ice.

A glance at the Three Lives Mirror showed Jiang Cen was still falling; it would be a while before she caught up.

Her expression darkened, and she quickened her pace, continuing upward.

But the result was just as disappointing. There was nothing but ice.

’Could it not be here?’

Doubt crept into Song Wanning’s mind, but she refused to give up.

’It makes no sense that Jiang Cen could find it and I can’t. My luck is good right now. If I’m just a little more patient, I’m sure I’ll find it.’

She ordered the Golden Small Sword to guard the stairway below and began to search the top floor relentlessly.

There were no more stairs leading up, so the key had to be on this level.

Song Wanning could only continue weaving through the Ice Mirrors, trying to find a flaw in the illusion.

Time ticked by. Jiang Cen would be arriving soon, yet she still had no leads.

Song Wanning’s expression grew increasingly serious as her gaze swept across the room once more.

After only a few moments of looking, she felt dizzy again, her vision blurring as she started to lose her balance.

Before, she would have immediately looked away the moment she felt dizzy.

’But now,’ she considered, ’perhaps staring intently will lead to a breakthrough.’

So she fought through the discomfort, fixing her gaze on the Ice Mirrors and refusing to look away.

Soon, she became unsteady on her feet and stumbled to the side.

Song Wanning gave up trying to stand and simply plopped down onto the floor, her eyes still fixed and unblinking.

Finally, the Ice Mirrors began to change before her very eyes. Amid the dizziness, a winding path materialized, and in the haze, a great door appeared at its end.

Startled, she instantly got to her feet and, fighting the nausea, walked step by step down the winding path.

The dizziness made walking difficult, but her mind remained clear. Bolstered by her Demonic Qi, she moved with surprising speed, reaching the great door in just over ten seconds.

She reached out and pushed open the door without hesitation, only to be yanked inside by a powerful suction force.

SLAM—

The door slammed shut behind her. Song Wanning’s heart sank, but as she steadied herself, the dizziness finally vanished.

The room was pitch-black; she couldn’t see a thing.

Fighting back a wave of nausea, she took out a lamp, which allowed her to barely make out her surroundings.

In the dark space, an altar stood a short distance away. It was wrapped in chains, all of which converged on a box held tightly in the center.

Strange, tangled symbols covered the base of the altar, glowing with a familiar trace of Demonic Qi.

Faintly, she could also sense a heavy presence of Yin Qi.

Song Wanning’s confusion deepened. From what she’d heard of Jiang Cen’s thoughts, she only knew there was a treasure here; even Jiang Cen didn’t know what it was.

’Could it be this box?’

But no matter how she looked at it, the box didn’t seem like a treasure. It was more like some kind of dark Yin Object, something that couldn’t bear the light of day.

Yin Objects are born from absorbing the world’s Yin Qi. Their aura is similar to that of a Ghost Cultivator, but not identical.

Most Yin Objects lack sentience and act purely on instinct.

Most Ghost Cultivators, however, retain some degree of reason. Even the most malevolent among them are still sentient...

But with the underworld now cut off, Ghost Cultivators had long since vanished.

Yin Qi had dwindled along with them, making the appearance of a Yin Object exceptionally rare.

She stared at the altar in silence, cautiously releasing her Demonic Qi as she slowly approached its center.

"Sister, the aura here is awful. I don’t like it."

The Dragon Spirit suddenly spoke up. Ever since they entered, it had felt a suffocating pressure, as if it were being watched by something malevolent.

"There must be a Yin Object here. It’s stronger than you, which is why you feel suppressed."

Although the Dragon Spirit’s true form was powerful, its newly-formed Spiritual Body was no match for this Yin Object.

"What’s in there?"

The Dragon Spirit clung tightly to Song Wanning’s shoulder, its gaze fixed on the box. The sight sent a shiver down its spine.

Song Wanning shook her head and edged a little closer.

For some reason, despite it being a terrifying Yin Object, she felt a strange sense of affinity with it.

The feeling was utterly bizarre.

She tentatively released a wisp of Demonic Qi. As she expected, the sense of affinity grew stronger.

’It seems this Yin Object has an inextricable bond with Demonic Qi.’

Having figured it out, Song Wanning released an even greater amount of Demonic Qi. As she predicted, the box began to tremble with excitement, looking as if it was about to burst free from the altar.

She lowered her gaze. ’This Yin Object is sentient?’

That was truly unheard of.

But since the Yin Object showed no malice toward her, a bold idea began to form in Song Wanning’s mind.

She walked to the edge of the altar and began frantically pouring her Demonic Qi into it.

Sensing the Demonic Qi, the Yin Object grew agitated and tried to fly toward Song Wanning.

But the moment it moved, the mysterious symbols on the altar transformed into more chains, binding it fiercely in place.

A terrifying aura flared out.