Calamity

The moment the word "sacrifice" was spoken, Xu Yuan instantly understood why that yin ghost had obediently lodged within Xia Qing's corpse. A Yin-Sealing Human Tomb. Although yin ghosts—monsters born amidst the corpses of all living things and formed from soul power—could not be reasoned with, that did not mean they could not be used by the human race. As long as there was profit to be made, the mad scientists from the movies of his past life were mere novices compared to the cultivators of this world, whose divide between the mortal and the transcendent made them far more unscrupulous. Stacked upon a staggering mountain of human lives and the research of geniuses of every talent, intelligence and knowledge regarding yin ghosts had fallen into the hands of powerful rulers, yielding countless methods to exploit them. From the various ghost-path arts among the world's sects to the colossal formation of the later Chancellor's Manor that extracted the soul power of yin ghosts to refine elixir pills, all were the fruits of studying these creatures. And among these, the one that had taken the longest to study was the art of rearing ghosts. Yin ghosts slaughtered all living creatures indiscriminately. Beyond being driven uncontrollably by the extreme negative emotions within them, it was also because they could grow stronger through the flesh and souls of living beings. Operating on this fundamental logic of behavior, ancient cultivators naturally thought to exploit it, attempting to rear yin ghosts for their own use. Yet history proved they had failed. A deranged soul entity like a yin ghost could only ever be controlled temporarily at best, and there was always the risk of backlash. Yet despite their failure, the investigative fruits of these "predecessors" allowed certain lesser techniques directed at yin ghosts to be passed down. And the Yin-Sealing Human Tomb before his eyes was one such technique. A specialized spell that attracted yin ghosts was planted within a human body to lure the ghost inside to devour the flesh and soul. One would then seize the opportunity to detonate the spell, transforming the body into a tomb that sealed the ghost within, capturing it alive. Xia Qing had been turned into a human tomb through the combined efforts of Tianyan and Tianye. No doubt the voices he had heard through the Lock of Shared Life while on the verge of death had been Tianye's twisted amusement as she toyed with Xia Qing before striking... All was silent; the golden talismans gleamed dazzlingly. Xu Yuan slowly closed his eyes and ultimately shook his head lightly. There was no sorrow, nor sympathy, but only an emotional sigh. Had that senior, the Mad Swordsman, managed to assassinate Tianye, perhaps he and Tianyan might have become friends in adversity with them, fleeing the pursuit of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion and roaming the realm side by side. Yet there were no "what ifs" in this world. Xia Qing's fate had already been sealed the moment Tianye arrived. It was merely a pity that this pretty aunt had lived her entire life for her sect, and just when she resolved to live for herself, no path of survival was left to her... Furthermore, the moment the Mad Swordsman failed his assassination and died, his own trust in Xia Qing had completely collapsed. Even if Tianyan and Tianye hadn't acted, he would have done it himself. Thinking up to this point, Xu Yuan froze slightly, and then an enigmatic smile crept onto his lips. He suddenly realized that, as a modern man, he had somehow grown accustomed to depriving others of their lives... "Hehehe~" A crisp laugh broke Xu Yuan's train of thought. "Look at how serious you look. Getting so sentimental over someone who wanted to kill you—you really are quite the sentimental romantic~" Xu Yuan glanced over. Tianye leaned back, supporting herself with both hands behind her on that boulder. Smiling radiantly, she stared down at him lying on the ground: "If you can be like this over a Xia Qing, I wonder if you would also..." "I wouldn't." Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan interrupted her. "If you die, I won't bat an eye. If possible, I'd even like to do it myself." "How heartless. I was the one who brought you to this Yin Soul Pool, which counts as saving your life." Tianye blinked, speaking playfully without the slightest hint of offense as she smiled. "Besides, we are bound together by the Lock of Shared Life right now. In a sense, our relationship is far more intimate than the one you have with the girl beside you." "Intimate? But I hate crazy women." "Hate them because a crazy woman won't be controlled by you?" "You're very clever." "If Big Brother Changtian is willing..." "Tianye, you're twenty thousand years older than me." "..." Tianye's smile froze. Ignoring Tianye further, Xu Yuan still wanted to ask how to undo the Lock of Shared Life, but considering this demoness's nature, there was no chance she would ever tell him. *Rustle...* Pushing himself up with some difficulty from the damp ground, he rubbed his glabella with a grimace of pain, glancing sideways through his fingers toward Tianyan: "Tianyan, roughly how many more days can this human tomb last?" The secret art of the human tomb was not a permanent seal for a yin ghost. Using Xia Qing's body as the tomb, it could not last very long against a yin ghost at or above the Transcendent Realm. His injuries were still very severe; the duration the human tomb could hold out represented how much time he had to absorb the Yin Soul Liquid. Tianyan glanced at Xia Qing's corpse and hesitated slightly: "It should hold for about ten days." Hearing the timeframe, a thoughtful look appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes. Carefully sensing the injuries to his intent-soul, he murmured under his breath, "Ten days... that should be enough..." "Ten days is only a rough estimate." Tianye, left out of the conversation, suddenly chimed in with a sweet-faced reminder: "To be safe, we had best leave three to four days early. After all, if this yin ghost breaks the seal ahead of time, given my condition and Tianyan's, there might end up being four Yin-Sealing Human Tombs in this cavern once it gets out~" At this point, Tianye gave a soft, charming chuckle: "Still, with Big Brother Changtian's current injuries, even with the Yin Soul Liquid, is ten days really enough?" Xu Yuan turned his head, sweeping his gaze up and down the graceful curves beneath Tianye's black dress, chuckling meaningfully: "I wasn't referring to healing my injuries." Seeing this expression again, Tianye showed not the slightest tension despite having been tricked once before. Instead, she asked with great interest: "Not your injuries? Then what do you mean?" "You'll find out when the time comes." Time slipped by in silence. Nourished by the soul-nurturing supreme treasure Yin Soul Liquid alongside various soul-nourishing pills, Xu Yuan's completely torn intent-soul origin gradually began to reshape and heal. After the first day, his nearly paralyzed body could already manage to get up and walk. After the third day, his body showed no outward signs of ailment. After the fifth day, Xu Yuan could already attempt extending his intent-soul outside his body, though using it was still accompanied by bouts of dull pain. Time flew like a white steed flashing past a crevice; eight days passed in the blink of an eye... The dark cavern remained just as quiet as before. The only change was that the divine light on the runic prison trapping Tianye had dimmed considerably. Withdrawing his cultivation technique and opening his eyes, before Xu Yuan could make any move, Tianye's smiling voice immediately drifted into his ears: "How's the recovery going? Judging by the state of this Yin-Sealing Human Tomb, it's about time for us to leave~" "..." Xu Yuan ignored her. Sweeping his intent-soul briefly through the cavern, he found that Tianyan was not present. "Mmm... giving me the silent treatment? This was a well-intentioned reminder, and besides, we're grasshoppers tied to the same rope now..." "..." Listening to Tianye's prattle, Xu Yuan massaged his temples, which throbbed slightly from absorbing too much Yin Soul Liquid. This was the first time he had ever met a woman with so much to say. Over these eight days, he and Tianyan had hardly spoken, whereas Tianye, trapped inside the runic prison, had a mouth like a repeating crossbow, rattling on whenever she got the chance. Even if nobody answered, she could sit there giggling and talking to herself for half a day. She seemed like a madwoman talking to herself, yet many of the topics she rambled about happened to interest Xu Yuan immensely. After all, Tianye was willing to share intelligence on the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Amidst the silence, Xu Yuan furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "Where is Tianyan?" Tianye pointed toward the cavern exit: "She went out half a day ago. If you want to ask what she went to do, I have no idea." Hearing this, Xu Yuan swallowed back what he had been about to ask. But right then, Tianye giggled and continued: "However, if you're willing to beg me a little, I could use the identity of a 'Tianyan' to divine the reason for her outing for you." "What else would Tianyan go out for at a time like this?" As he spoke, Xu Yuan pointed to his eyes. "Your disappearance is bound to be a major affair within the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Tianyan going out now is definitely to confirm the safety outside. After all, those golden eyes of yours seem capable of spotting traces ordinary people cannot see." "Oh? She actually told you even that?" Tianye was slightly surprised, then giggled. "And here I thought she was someone who strictly upheld her duties as a Saintess." Xu Yuan stood up from the ground and replied casually, "She only mentioned it not long ago." "Not long ago, hm? Seems she only told you that much... Hey, do you want to know more about the Heaven-Deducing Art?" "You mean that earlier proposal?" Xu Yuan looked up at her. "Right." Tianye sat cross-legged on the boulder, resting her fragrant cheek in one hand, smiling gracefully. "You only need to tell me what the world twenty thousand years later looks like, and I'll tell you all of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's top-secret intelligence. How about it?" "Isn't that basically giving it away for free?" Xu Yuan scoffed. "No, this is a transaction." Tianye twirled a strand of silky black hair around her slender finger, speaking casually. "I want to know what the world twenty thousand years in the future will be like, and you want intelligence on the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Each gets what they desire—a fair trade, isn't it?" "..." Though intrigued, Xu Yuan still had no intention of agreeing to this topic. First, they barely knew each other, and he couldn't be sure if Tianye was deceiving him. Second, because of Tianyan. No matter how important the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's intelligence was to the Chancellor's Manor, he had to take care of the person right in front of him first. Respect was mutual. If he, the Third Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor, truly extracted nearly all of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's secrets from Tianye, it would become a thorn in Tianyan's heart. After all, though both were Saintesses of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, Tianyan wasn't a traitorous daughter like Tianye. Shrugging, Xu Yuan tapped his index finger against his own head with a hint of mockery: "Cut the sowers of discord. It won't work on me." "Tsk, caught me?" Tianye wore a pout of displeasure, sighing emotionally. "You truly are head over heels for that woman." "Perhaps." Xu Yuan offered no confirmation, asking curiously instead, "Though Tianye, don't you have even a shred of loyalty toward the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" Hearing this, Tianye smiled enchantingly, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents as she spoke leisurely: "Of course I have loyalty." Xu Yuan gave a teasing smile. "Do you? If you tell me these things, the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion will have a very hard time. In reality, the faction I belong to is far stronger than the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion." Tianye's eyes brightened, and she blinked, asking immediately: "Oh? Twenty thousand years later, there's actually a sect stronger than the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" "Heh." Xu Yuan gave a dry chuckle, watching her in silence. Tianye pursed her red lips: "Tsk, you really are wicked, dangling bait like that." "Right back at you." "I'm serious. Won't you really reconsider? Tianyan isn't here right now anyway, so this is between just the two of us." "Heaven only knows whether what you say is true or false." "I *am* Heaven, so naturally I know it's true," Tianye smiled. "..." Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. *Whoosh—* Her black skirt fluttering, Tianye suddenly leapt down from the boulder, landing right at the edge of the runic prison. Xu Yuan glanced at her with mild surprise. Over the past eight days, her backside seemed to have taken root; she hadn't stepped down from that boulder once. After staring at each other for a few breaths, Tianye's beautiful eyes shone bright as stars, limpid and alluring: "Xu Yuan, compared to the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's eternal reign and everlasting glory, I'd rather spend this false life of mine my own way. "After all, I've already been dead for twenty thousand years. "As long as you give up on Tianyan and be with me, I, Tianye, can promise you..." "I refuse." Xu Yuan interrupted her without hesitation. "No matter how many times you ask, my answer is the same." What a joke. He had already made up his mind to adhere strictly to the "Tianyan Only" policy within this illusion, at least until he thoroughly tied down that washboard Saintess. "..." Tianye was speechless. As he spoke, Xu Yuan looked over Tianye's maidenly form and snorted, "I'm truly curious. What about me is so appealing to you? Must you be so obsessed with me and so intent on driving a wedge between Tianyan and me?" "Because you are interesting." Tianye met his gaze candidly, her tone leisurely: "And you are special. In this false illusory realm, you are a uniquely real existence." "There's Tianyan too," Xu Yuan reminded her. "But I don't fancy women." Tianye winked at him, her phoenix eyes shimmering and her red lips curling seductively. "So, only you, Xu Yuan, are special to me~" "..." Xu Yuan felt like he had just been flirted with. Tianye always seemed able to see right through his thoughts. Her fingertip lightly stroked the invisible barrier, sending ripples across its surface, as she smiled slyly: "Your heart seems to be beating faster. Yet you still have reservations in your heart." A spot-on guess. Still, sister, if we were anywhere else, I'd play you so hard you wouldn't have a stitch left. Muttering inwardly, Xu Yuan maintained a serious expression and shook his head: "Your twisted tastes are truly boring." "Boring?" With a murmur, Tianye lowered her eyelids, a smile gracing her lips: "Making you fall in love with me, and then helping you return to that reality where I've already been dead for ten thousand years—don't you think something like that is very intriguing?" Lunatic. Cursing inwardly, Xu Yuan shook his head, still smiling: "'You were born before I was; when I was born, you were already gone.' Such a tale is indeed rather poetic." Tianye nodded at once: "You think so too, don't you?" Xu Yuan waved a hand, walking toward the cavern exit: "Then do your best. I hope you manage to make me fall in love with you, you twenty-thousand-year-old dead hag." "..." Tianye's eyelid twitched. Just as she was about to speak again, she saw his back vanish into the thick mist within the cavern. After Xu Yuan walked about a hundred zhang, a slender silhouette appeared in the cavern's dense mist. Great, Tianyan really had returned and was hiding here eavesdropping. It seemed his earlier judgment had been correct; if he had agreed to that woman Tianye, this washboard Saintess would have been heartbroken for quite some time. And as Xu Yuan looked at her now, Tianyan's exquisite little face was visibly struggling to stifle a laugh. It seemed the "heartfelt declaration" he had deliberately voiced just now had genuinely delighted her. Compared to that crazy woman Tianye, his own washboard was indeed much cuter. "You heard?" Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, his brow furrowing as he asked what he already knew. "Heard what?" Tianyan tucked away her smile, tilting her head and pretending ignorance. "Forget it if you didn't." Xu Yuan chuckled softly, not pressing the matter, and turned around to walk toward the runic prison holding Tianye. "How's the situation outside?" Tianyan hurried over to walk beside him, a faint, sweet smile lingering on her lips: "I found no traces of anyone else. It should be safe. What about your injuries?" "Healed about thirty percent. I can barely circulate my cultivation now." As Xu Yuan spoke, he changed the subject: "How do you plan to deal with Tianye?" At those words, a trace of bitter strain appeared on Tianyan's small face. Xu Yuan frowned slightly: "Does maintaining her seal take a huge toll on you?" Tianyan paused in silence for two seconds before shaking her head: "Not particularly." Seeing this, Xu Yuan understood immediately. After multiple fierce battles, compounded by the charm poison acting up in her body, Tianyan was actually not in great condition. Maintaining the seal on Tianye had to be a heavy burden. Pondering briefly, Xu Yuan suggested: "Can you use conventional restriction spells or something similar?" Stepping through the void, Tianyan shook her head, her voice soft: "No. The Heaven-Deducing Art has an inherent resistance to most restrictions. If we aren't careful, she'll break through them in no time, and we might not be able to stop her from sending a message outside." Xu Yuan stroked his chin, glancing up at the runic prison gleaming with golden light amidst the cavern's mist: "In that case, leave it to me." "Leave it to you?" Tianyan glanced at him. "Did you forget again? Drugging her." "..." Tianyan fell silent. Glaring at the scoundrel, Tianyan curved her lips into a smile. "That's all you ever know how to do." "So you agree?" Xu Yuan was slightly surprised. In the past, Tianyan would have traded sarcastic barbs with him at the very least. "What else can I do? I still need to conserve my strength to protect both of you." "Mm... I can use Dao Charm now. Why don't I help purge the charm poison from you first?" "No rush for that. Let's take care of Tianye first." "..." The two walked back together, discussing plans for their escape in low voices. The sound of their voices grew distant. Once their conversation faded away completely, countless withered vines silently breached the hard stone floor, sweeping across and carpeting the entire cavern as they spread toward the depths... In the deepest part of the cavern. Looking at the two people gazing at her with somber eyes outside the prison, Tianye—the meat on their chopping block—showed not the slightest worry. Instead, she asked somewhat flippantly: "Looks like you've discussed how to deal with me." As she spoke, Tianye tapped the cage formed of runes in front of her. "This Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal is on the verge of collapsing. I take it you'll be the one making the move, Xu Yuan? Word of warning: ordinary methods have limited effect on me. If you let me summon that old man named Luo, you'll have no choice but to follow me back..." "Rest assured." Xu Yuan interrupted with a smile. "Even if a Saint powerhouse were subjected to my method, they wouldn't have the presence of mind to do anything else." Tianye narrowed her beautiful eyes: "Oh? A method even a Saint cannot avoid..." Before she could finish her sentence, Tianye's voice came to an abrupt halt. She saw Xu Yuan take out the Charm God tree seed. The Meishen Dao Charm quietly unfolded, gorgeous cherry blossoms drifting through the mist like a dream. Holding the Charm God tree seed, Xu Yuan took one step after another toward Tianye: "Cat got your tongue? Scared already?" "Scared? Hardly. In fact, I'd rather like to experience this renowned Charm God cherry poison. But as for you, Big Brother Xu Yuan..." Tianye giggled, crossing her arms beneath her plump bosom and propping up her fair chin. Her petite tongue licked across her red lips, leaving a glistening wet sheen. "...can you resist touching me once I'm afflicted with the charm poison? After all, Tianyan might not be by our side every single moment." "..." Xu Yuan was at a loss for words. As a self-proclaimed "master of rhythm" accustomed to pacing situations, he felt thoroughly embarrassed. To think he was being seduced yet again by an old woman who had died twenty thousand years ago. Yet between a pile of broken glass and a gorgeous poppy dead for ten thousand years, there could never be any chemistry. Thinking this, Xu Yuan chuckled softly and was about to banter back when his mind suddenly caught a hint of discordance. Where his Dao Charm reached, he felt that something was missing from this cavern. Looking all around, he saw nothing amiss, yet the sense of wrongness did not disperse; instead, it thickened. The flirtatious mood vanished in an instant, replaced by a strange wisp of panic. Noticing Xu Yuan's expression, Tianyan immediately asked, "Xu Yuan, what's wrong?" Xu Yuan tightened his grip on the Charm God tree seed, sweeping his eyes over the dense mist around them as he sent a low voice transmission: "Something isn't right. I feel like something is missing from this cavern. Use the Heaven-Deducing Art to check." "..." Tianyan knitted her brows slightly. Divine light flashed in her golden eyes as she looked around, her pupils suddenly contracting sharply. "Gone..." "What?" "Xia Qing is gone." A moment of dead silence. Both Tianye and Xu Yuan instinctively glanced toward the spot within the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal where Xia Qing's corpse had been lying. And that spot was now completely empty. "..." Xu Yuan. "..." Tianye. Could a dead person move? The answer was obviously no. Was it that yin ghost? The answer was also no. The high-tier yin ghost guarding this place could not have devoured the Yin-Sealing Human Tomb formed from Xia Qing without alerting them. The only thing capable of doing this was a Saint-level yin ghost. "..." As if realizing something, all flippancy vanished from Tianye's voice, replaced by grave urgency as she snapped: "Tianyan, dismiss this Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal!" "What?" "If you want to live, let me notify the Holy Venerable right now! Here... a Saint Tier yin ghost has likely arrived here!" "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's pupils constricted sharply. He remembered his inexplicable attraction to those yin ghosts over these past few months, as well as Xia Qing's warning back then. There might be something on them continuously drawing the horrors from the deepest reaches of Zhujian Valley... "Tianyan, listen to her," Xu Yuan said, his voice somewhat dry. "Right now, that Saint Tier yin ghost should be devouring Xia Qing and the yin ghost within her corpse. We don't have much time." Hearing this, Tianyan made a hand seal without the slightest hesitation: "Release." The moment the word fell, the golden runes floating in the air disintegrated instantly. With the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal broken, her stagnated Source Qi and intent-soul began circulating once more. Without a moment's hesitation, Tianye immediately produced a medallion engraved with the character "Ye" from her Sumeru ring, channeled Source Qi into it, and crushed it with force. *Crack.* The medallion shattered, and an invisible ripple materialized instantly, rippling outward into the distance heedless of all obstacles. Having done this, none of the three made any move to flee. Because there was nowhere to run. Facing a Saint-level yin ghost, they had no possibility whatsoever of escaping. The more violently they reacted, the faster they might die. Right now, their only hope was that Xia Qing's corpse and the yin ghost guarding this place could hold out a little longer, and that the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's Holy Venerable would arrive quickly enough. After a brief silence, Tianye relaxed once more. After all, she had already been dead for twenty thousand years. Her golden eyes gleaming as she scanned their surroundings, Tianye sent an intent-soul transmission: "What on earth do you two have on you that could attract a ghost creature of this caliber?" "..." Tianyan shook her head to indicate she didn't know, but then Xu Yuan's voice suddenly spoke up: "I... think I know why..." Before either girl could react, he suddenly stepped forward, putting more than twenty zhang between himself and them. When the two girls looked back, Xu Yuan raised the hand clutching the Charm God tree seed slightly. As far as the eye could see, his hand, along with the Charm God tree seed, had quietly been wrapped and entwined by countless slender, tough willow branches at some unknown moment, eerie yin energy billowing outward from them. Looking back abruptly, they saw the surrounding cavern had completely transformed. Mist lay so thick one could not see one's outstretched fingers. Thousands upon thousands of willow branches hung down from the solid rock walls, bound around countless corpses hanging upside down. Looming vaguely through the fog, as drafts swept through the tunnel, they swayed gently like wind chimes... Xu Yuan coughed softly and gave a dry smile: "Um, well... it seems I've always been quite popular with the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow."