Yin Twenty-Four

Startled wide awake in an instant, Li Weiyi reached out around him, his hands brushing against other bodies and limbs. He immediately realized he was no longer in the carriage and was likely already on the way to the Hidden Gate. Yet he could neither see nor hear, utterly blind to what kind of environment he was in. How long had he slept? Suddenly, someone tapped him on the head. The drawstring at the bottom hem of the black cloth bag loosened with a soft swish. His hearing returned, and the sound of oars lapping against the water filled his ears. Li Weiyi pulled off the bag at once. Before his eyes was an expanse of hazy golden mist. Beneath him was a flatboat over a dozen meters long, and crowded tightly around him were twenty to thirty young men and women. Most of them had already taken off their bags, while a few were still in the middle of pulling them off. Everyone possessed remarkable psychological fortitude; none who could make it here were ordinary people. After a brief stir, they promptly sat upright and took in their surroundings. Only a pair of gemlike teal eyes glared fiercely at Li Weiyi, fine teeth clenched, crimson lips trembling, both hands clenched tightly into fists resting upon her lap. She was the owner of the leg that had just been digging painfully into Li Weiyi's chest. Her seat was right beside his; the boat was too cramped to shift away. When they had first boarded, this rascal had seized her leg and pressed it down firmly beneath his body, leaving her completely unable to break free. His cultivation was exceedingly high. Every time she tried to struggle away, she was met with an even fiercer pull that left her thigh numb with pain and her calf cramping, as if her limb no longer belonged to her. It had definitely been intentional. Just which tribe had chosen this person? How could someone be so utterly base? Looking over at her, Li Weiyi was somewhat astonished. She was actually a Pure Immortal Physique. Which tribe had invested such immense capital? Did they not know that of all the people sent to the Hidden Gate each year, only one would survive? Yao Yin had been selected and sent by the Yao Li tribe among the Jiuli. Only fifteen years old, she possessed a cultivation of seven opened springs and was a Pure Immortal Physique, one could say with a boundless future. She possessed the flawless skin common to most with Pure Immortal Physiques, every inch of her body seemingly carved from translucent immortal jade, emanating a faint white shimmer all over. The beauty of a Pure Immortal Physique was far beyond the reach of mortals, and Yao Yin carried that ethereal charm; even her hair gleamed with exceptional luster. Sensing the chill in her gaze, Li Weiyi recalled his frantic groping upon waking and instantly realized whose leg he had been clutching. For a moment, he was so embarrassed he wished he could leap from the boat. It was far too humiliating. He hurried to apologize. "I'm sorry. I had just woken up and my senses were blocked... In short, I'm terribly sorry!" Having apologized, Li Weiyi naturally lacked the face to keep looking at her. He quickly turned away, reaching down to check his Yellow Dragon Sword and the insect cylinder. Both were still strapped to his back. The insect cylinder had been opened, but the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors inside had clearly not been recognized, so every one of them remained safe and sound within. Li Weiyi looked toward the bow. A tall, robust man sat cross-legged there facing forward, his back as imposing as a mountain. The dark-red cloak draped over his shoulders fluttered in the breeze, exuding an air of supreme authority. The golden mist drifted from a bronze lamp beside the man. The golden glow from the lamp was exceptionally bright, illuminating the darkness of the subterranean river. Li Weiyi spotted Li Qing. Li Qing's calm eyes also fell upon him, a sharp glint flashing briefly through his pupils. Then, he quickly turned his head and looked elsewhere. With just that one glance, Li Weiyi deduced many things. *He knows that the person dispatched by the Earth Wolf King's Army is me!* *Yet when I boarded the carriage, he was already wearing the black cloth bag. That means after I fell asleep, the mysterious elder took off his bag on purpose so he would remember me.* *There might be another reason why I slept so deeply, too.* *Why did he make sure Li Qing remembered me? Does he want him to kill me inside the Hidden Gate?* Li Weiyi did not want to get involved in the games played between the high-ranking figures of the Earth Wolf King's Army, the Jiuli Clan, and Mount Coffin; that was beyond his control anyway. For now, he had to remain cautious and keep his guard up against Li Qing. The flatboat glided across a broad subterranean river. Wreaths of dharma qi drifted from the man sitting cross-legged at the bow, controlling the oars across the empty air to row forward. The person who had removed the black cloth bags from everyone's heads was a young girl in black. Her figure stood as straight as a spear, and she was not very old, perhaps sixteen or seventeen. Untying the black bag from the head of the last boy, the girl in black stood at the stern with a sword strapped to her back, speaking in a crisp, clear voice: "We are currently traveling along the subterranean dark river leading to the Jiuli Hidden Gate. You all possess quite commendable resolve—none of you panicked, nor did you show cowardice or fear. "However, I must make things clear to you: the underground is a world ruled by the insect race. We must remain as quiet as possible." *Chirp! Chirp!* Right on cue, a chorus of insect chirps echoed along the banks of the subterranean river. In the darkness, countless pairs of red eyes lit up. The girl in black said, "You need not worry too much either. Burning inside the lamp on the boat are the pupal shells of commander-grade rare insects known as Tiger-Striped Golden Cicadas. Ordinary insect swarms will not attack us." Soldier grade, general grade, commander grade... Soldier and general grades were termed ferocious insects. Only the commander grade could be called rare insects. A single adult commander-grade rare insect could pose a threat to a Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator. "Allow me to introduce myself. I arrived two years before you as a Hidden One from two years ago. Because I entered the Hidden Gate in the twenty-fourth year of this sixty-year cycle, you may simply address me as Yin Twenty-Four," the girl in black said. Looking back at the girl in black, the boys and girls on the boat immediately showed far more awe and respect in their eyes. This was someone who had managed to survive to the very end among a batch of candidates! Moreover, she was even younger than quite a few people on board. She was definitely no ordinary person! The girl in black continued, "Your batch of candidates this year is more than twice as strong as last year's. There is someone who has opened nine springs, a Pure Immortal Physique, and even four who have opened eight springs. It seems that after the Inheritor of the Jiuli Clan was determined, every tribe realized that the selection for the Divine Hidden One would follow close behind, and all of them wish to contend for it. "Since you dared come to the Hidden Gate, you should all understand the cruelty involved, right? Only one person survives each year to become the Hidden One of that year. Only the Hidden One possesses the qualification to compete for the Divine Hidden One; all losers will be reduced to hidden servants for this cycle's Divine Hidden One. "Cruel? It is exceptionally cruel. Yet the cultivation resources and environment of the Hidden Gate are things nowhere else can offer. "Two years ago, I entered the Hidden Gate at age fourteen with seven springs opened. Two years later, I have opened nine springs and broke through into the Wuhai Realm eight days ago. With my natural talent, cultivating outside would never have allowed me to open nine springs, nor could I have broken through into the Wuhai Realm so quickly. "This is the strength of the Hidden Gate!" A nine-spring Wuhai Realm cultivator at sixteen? So monstrous? Among the celebrated geniuses on the surface of the Li Clan, how many could compare? Li Qing considered himself extraordinarily gifted and held only Cang Li in high regard in the entire Jiuli Clan, but at this moment, he suffered quite a blow. He asked, "Dare I ask, Yin Twenty-Four, are you the fastest among the Hidden Ones to break through nine springs and enter the Wuhai Realm?" A hint of mockery surfaced in the eyes of the girl in black, Yin Twenty-Four. "I can only tell you this: anyone who becomes a Hidden One must attempt to breach the ninth spring. All resources will be provided to you, all relevant ancient manuals will be open for you to peruse at will, and there will even be elders who were Hidden Ones from the previous cycle to assist you." A stir ran through the boat. One had to attempt the ninth spring? Yao Yin asked, "What if one fails to break through?" "Then you remain in the Yongquan Realm until you open the ninth spring. Only then can you enter the Wuhai Realm," Yin Twenty-Four replied. Yao Yin said, "Pushing for the ninth spring is perilous. Doing so by force will cost lives." "Do you think no one has died from it? My name is Yin Twenty-Four, but among the Hidden Ones from this cycle who came before me, only seventeen are still alive today." Immediately after, Yin Twenty-Four added, "Without a resolute heart, without the conviction of either victory or death, I doubt you would be sitting on this boat. Cruelty is necessary because the Hidden Gate is the Jiuli Clan's final line of defense. If we are not cruel now, our enemies will be cruel to our clansmen in the future. "I truly look forward to seeing which among you will become Yin Twenty-Six, the last one left alive." "It will definitely be me," said a youth who had opened eight springs. Li Qing chuckled. "Wait until you break through nine springs before saying such words!" Yin Twenty-Four said, "Having higher cultivation does not guarantee you will be the final victor. Half of those present are children with only four or five springs opened. Their potential is more malleable. Under the guidance of the Hidden Gate, they will grow faster and on a firmer foundation. Who is to say someone among them won't surpass you in the future?" Li Weiyi had already realized this. Perhaps having the nine major tribes send these half-grown children who had opened four or five springs and already developed independent minds had been the Hidden Gate's original intent all along. Instead, those with higher realms and older ages had been deliberately sent by the various tribes, who assumed that higher cultivation gave a better chance of becoming a Hidden One, or even the Divine Hidden One. *Crash!* The flow of the subterranean river suddenly turned turbulent, and the boat's speed surged. A great splash of water rose, spraying onto Li Weiyi. Li Weiyi wiped his face, his hand coming away bright red. Bringing it to his nose, he sniffed. "The water in this subterranean river is actually identical to that of the Blood Sea." Sitting beside him, Yao Yin—who had nearly tumbled into his chest just now from the sudden rush of the current—let out a soft scoff. "How ignorant! Beneath the Lingxiao Realm of the Living lie countless blood rivers extending in all directions, along with many vast river valleys, mining areas, insect realms, and monster dens. The surface is one world, and the underground is another world entirely. "The Earth Wolf King's Army, one of the three renowned barbarian bandit groups of the Southern Territory, once hid in this underground world for a long time; otherwise, they would have been wiped out by Lingxiao Palace long ago." Aided by the golden light of the bronze lamp, Li Weiyi saw many tributaries of the blood river along the way. The underground truly crisscrossed like a labyrinth; he had no idea how the man at the bow managed to find the correct path. Over the next few days, the flatboat continued hurtling forward, descending ever deeper into the bowels of the earth. Along the journey, they passed through a subterranean blood sea extending over two hundred li wide. No food had been prepared on the boat, but Yin Twenty-Four distributed a century-old precious herb to each person. Eating it kept hunger at bay for several days. Li Weiyi quietly calculated: these few dozen precious herbs alone were worth ten million copper coins. The Hidden Gate was astonishingly lavish. He did not know whether the nine major tribes offered tributes every year or if these were the Hidden Gate's own cultivation resources. By the sixth day, the flatboat's speed finally slowed as it entered a narrow tributary of the subterranean river. Just as they entered, everyone heard piercing cicada chirps that stabbed into their minds like daggers. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* Upon the pitch-black cavern walls, two beams of golden radiance blossomed, condensing into the silhouettes of tigers that clung to the stone walls like two massive golden beasts. Yet on closer inspection, one would find that inside the tiger silhouettes were two palm-sized golden cicadas. The man sitting cross-legged at the bow finally stood up, wearing a metal mask. "Do not panic. Those are two Tiger-Striped Golden Cicadas guarding the entrance to Jiuli Insect Valley. I was the Divine Hidden One of the previous sixty-year cycle; you may simply address me as Yin Jun for now." Two commander-grade rare insects guarding the passageway entrance? This Yin Jun also looked like someone not to be trifled with. Li Weiyi instantly gained an understanding of the Hidden Gate's power. If the Earth Wolf King's Army dared plot against the Jiuli Hidden Gate, they would surely suffer a grievous loss. An ancient clan with thousands of years of heritage was truly far from simple on the surface. The flatboat sailed on, and light gradually appeared underground. Radiance of various colors shone. Passing through an ancient stone gate, the view widened. The fragrant scent of vegetation drifted over, and along the banks of the river, which resembled a red ribbon, a vast subterranean river valley appeared. Mist hung thick within the valley. It was not true mist, but atomized dharma qi akin to that of a Dao Domain. *There is definitely an enormous Tianfa Earth Spring here!* Li Weiyi marveled inwardly. Looking into the river valley, he saw countless glowing plants growing on the ground in a riot of brilliant colors. Further in the distance, glowing trees grew as tall as a jungle. Along the subterranean blood river stood many stone steles, some carved with characters and scriptures, others with depictions of humanoid stances and combat techniques. Farther away, upon a towering, hazy cliff, four ancient, massive characters were inscribed, radiating an incomparable divinity that drew everyone's gaze. The flatboat came to a halt. Yin Jun went ashore first, followed closely by Yin Twenty-Four. After the twenty-six youths, girls, and children disembarked, they were all led beneath the cliffside inscriptions. In a deep, heavy voice, Yin Jun said, "The four characters 'Jiuli Insect Valley' upon this cliff were carved personally by the God of Jiuli. All who enter the valley must bow in reverence. Whoever can comprehend the wisp of martial intent belonging to the God of Jiuli within these carvings may directly become the Divine Hidden One."