Shen Jizhi closed his eyes, calming his mind for a moment, and slowly circulated the spiritual energy in his dantian.
Within his golden core, five spiritual tides of different colors converged into a vast ocean, the energy dense and powerful.
Floating within this spiritual tide was a five-colored demonic origin stone.
The five-colored spiritual energy on the surface of the stone was a cage forged by Gu Shan using the lightning tribulation of the Nascent Soul Stage, designed to imprison the demonic origin stone.
The power of the lightning tribulation was indestructible, preventing the demonic energy within the stone from seeping into Shen Jizhi’s golden core and sparing him the suffering of demonic corruption.
For a cultivator to fall into demonic corruption, within a month, their temperament would drastically change, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, becoming cruel, bloodthirsty, and craving human blood.
The surface spiritual energy of the five-colored stone remained intact, but Shen Jizhi could sense from its aura that his master’s condition was deteriorating.
At this thought, the young man’s long lashes trembled slightly, and his closed eyes slowly opened, silently landing on Jian Huan, who was diligently drawing talismans at the desk.
Just moments ago, she had been muttering complaints about “whoever’s mind isn’t calm,” but now her slightly pink lips were tightly pursed, her ankles crossed beneath the chair, utterly absorbed in her work. Her hand danced through the air, guiding the talisman brush to create flowing, elegant runes on the paper.
On the desk, a gilded bronze phoenix lamp burned quietly, the candlelight casting a soft, golden halo around her, warm and beautiful.
Shen Jizhi gazed at her almost greedily.
Over the years, he had lost count of how many times he had seen her like this.
Jian Huan had always been diligent.
Diligent in drawing talismans, diligent in cultivation, diligent in saving spirit stones.
He knew her habits—she would plan her day every morning and only rest at night after ensuring everything was done.
She had set a path for herself and walked forward without hesitation.
Three years ago, he had asked the sect leader to protect her during the final battle of the competition, ensuring her safety.
Now, with his master’s condition worsening, the journey to the Dark Abyss would undoubtedly be fraught with danger.
If everything went according to their plan, rescuing his master and Yu Qing without incident would be ideal.
But if something went wrong—
Shen Jizhi lowered his gaze, examining the demonic origin stone within his golden core. Beneath his calm and composed exterior, a searing magma seemed to churn.
This time, he would protect what was his.
She would surely walk the path she desired, climb the mountains she wished to conquer, and witness the most magnificent landscapes of the nine provinces.
The young man’s lips curled into a faint smile as his eyes pierced through the colorless barrier of the spatial bowl, gazing outside the cave.
The mountain had been thoroughly searched by the demons, and the cave where the two of them were hiding had been scrutinized in every corner.
Even high-ranking demons had used magical tools to probe for hidden spaces within the cave, but the spatial bowl was of a high grade, and the demons had found nothing unusual.
Failing to locate the two, the demonic figures had withdrawn from the mountain about half an hour ago, heading toward more distant peaks.
Now, outside the cave, many tree branches lay severed and scattered around the entrance.
The leaves, so dark they seemed to ooze ink, had faint traces of demonic energy rising from their surfaces.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through, twisting the lingering demonic energy into crooked black lines in the air.
A figure clad in a black cloak flashed into the cave.
The demon’s face was obscured by the demonic energy, hidden within the hood, making it impossible to discern their features.
Before the figure was nothing but a damp, moss-covered rock wall.
Yet, as if knowing something was there, the figure didn’t hesitate, charging straight toward the wall at incredible speed!
In the next moment, the figure vanished without a trace.
No longer in the dark, damp cave, the figure found themselves in a spacious room the size of a bedroom. The floor was paved with flawless white jade, and the room was sparsely furnished with a table, a chair, and a woven bamboo mat.
The candlelight still burned quietly, but the table, chair, and mat were all empty.
Outside the spatial bowl, the howling of the mountain wind and the gurgling of a stream could be heard.
Inside the spatial bowl, however, there was not a single sound, only an eerie silence.
A faint sense of danger lingered in the air. Just as the figure was about to speak, a flash of white light suddenly illuminated the space, and a chilling sword intent, carrying the force of a fatal strike, slashed toward the figure!
The sword technique sealed off all escape routes, leaving the figure with no way to avoid it. In a desperate move, the figure activated a teleportation talisman, disappearing and reappearing at the edge of the spatial bowl.
Where the figure had stood moments before, a large clump of hair had been severed by the sword strike, the strands disintegrating into black dust that scattered across the white jade floor, starkly visible.
The black hood had also been torn to shreds. Seeing another sword strike incoming, the figure hurriedly called out, “I’m Yin—”
With a loud crash, the furniture in the spatial bowl shook, the candlelight flickered, and a branch-like bolt of purple lightning struck the figure.
A sizzling sound followed, and a thick cloud of black smoke rose into the air.
Small flames danced across the figure’s body, and in an instant, the remaining hair was singed, the black cloak reduced to ashes, revealing a layer of protective scale armor underneath.
With a thud, the figure collapsed to the ground, fearing another attack. Struggling to speak, they gasped out the remaining words, “Yusheng—”
As soon as the words left their mouth, puffs of black smoke began to escape from their lips.
Ahead, the figures of a young man and woman in black appeared.
Jian Huan hesitated, her talisman sword still in hand, craning her neck to peer at the charred figure lying on the ground. She turned to the young man beside her, whose aura and sword intent were surging, and asked skeptically, “What did he say? I think I heard ‘Yin Yusheng’?”
Shen Jizhi sheathed his snow-white sword, disdainfully cleaning off the black hair powder that had stuck to the blade. His cold gaze fell on the man as he replied to Jian Huan, “You heard correctly. He said he’s Yin Yusheng.”
Jian Huan frowned, flying over on her sword but keeping a cautious distance. She scrutinized the figure carefully.
The face was still shrouded in black energy, making it impossible to see what they looked like, and their voice was completely different from the Yin Yusheng she remembered.
Jian Huan tilted her chin up, pointing her sword at the figure. “You say you’re him, but how do we know?”
The figure, wracked with pain—especially from the hair that had been nearly destroyed by the two of them—let out a bitter laugh, coughing incessantly.
If not for the protective scale armor left by Elder Yu Qing, more than just his hair would have been charred.
“I… I took a demon-transforming pill… I can’t show my true appearance…” Yin Yusheng struggled to explain. “Back then, we went to the Lotus Square Secret Realm together… with you, Wen Jiu, and Yang Ye…”
Shen Jizhi walked over, stopping beside Jian Huan, and interrupted impatiently, “How much did each of us get from that trip?”
Yin Yusheng lay there, thinking for a moment. “I vaguely remember it was 86,000 spirit stones, right?”
Jian Huan relaxed, giving Shen Jizhi an ‘okay’ gesture. “Seems like he’s telling the truth.”
Shen Jizhi nodded slightly.
Yin Yusheng: “…”
Jian Huan crossed her arms, circling Yin Yusheng slowly as she clicked her tongue. “Sorry about that, Senior Brother Yin. But you really should’ve announced yourself before barging in.”
Shen Jizhi stood beside Yin Yusheng’s nearly bald head, looking down at him with a mocking smile. “You brought this on yourself.”
Three years ago, when he and Jian Huan had emerged from Qi Wan’s evil formation, only to be knocked out by Yin Yusheng, who had been hiding in the shadows and stole the spirit tree, he hadn’t forgotten.
And then there was that strange dream he had in the Lotus Square Secret Realm, which he was sure Yin Yusheng had orchestrated.
But now wasn’t the time to settle old scores.
Shen Jizhi let out a cold laugh and said no more.
No one offered to help Yin Yusheng up, and he didn’t dare expect them to.
Trembling, he used his singed hand to pull out a pill bottle from his robe, taking a few spirit pills to recover. Half-sitting up, he explained, “I sneaked here. I’ve left a drop of my heart’s blood in Mu’er’s spatial bowl, so I could sense it.”
When intruders were detected in the Dark Abyss, the demons were thrown into chaos. Yin Yusheng had mingled with the demonic crowd, rushing to the scene, and had heard Jian Huan’s cry of “Brother, hold me tight,” confirming it was them.
He hadn’t dared to announce himself outside the cave, fearing that some demons might still be nearby and overhear.
Yin Yusheng had no choice but to enter the spatial bowl first and then reveal his identity. He hadn’t expected them to strike so swiftly, catching him completely off guard.
Jian Huan stopped circling and leaned casually against Shen Jizhi, asking Yin Yusheng, “You took the fake Bodhi Pagoda. The demons won’t let you go. How did you manage to infiltrate them?”
Yin Yusheng sat cross-legged, meditating to recover from his injuries while replying, "It was Peak Master Gu and Elder Yu who came to my aid."
Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi exchanged glances.
Shen Jizhi asked, "Where are they now?"
Yin Yusheng opened his eyes, looking up at the two of them, his voice growing softer. "In... the Dark Abyss prison..."
Jian Huan let out a long breath.
This answer didn’t surprise her, but hearing it still made her heart sink.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she frowned. "What exactly happened?"
"About the matter of the Bodhi Pagoda, Mu'er must have already told you," Yin Yusheng said after a moment of thought, briefly recounting the events of the past few days. "Somehow, news leaked out. The demons found out that the Bodhi Pagoda I had was a fake and sent someone to kill me. That someone was Ning Hui."
"Peak Master Gu and Elder Yu happened to be secretly tracking Ning Hui and saved me at the critical moment. The Demon Lord immediately summoned Ning Hui back to the Dark Abyss. Peak Master Gu made a quick decision to impersonate Ning Hui, and the three of us used this opportunity to enter the Dark Abyss."
At this point, Yin Yusheng paused, his tone heavy, like a waterlogged quilt in a stream, impossible to lift. "Three days ago, Peak Master Gu sensed the aura of the Bodhi Pagoda and infiltrated the Demon Palace with Elder Yu. But they... never returned. I later inquired and heard from the demon servants in the Demon Palace that they were imprisoned in the Dark Abyss prison. Their situation doesn’t seem clear."
The last seven words were spoken so softly they were almost inaudible, leaving the surroundings in a silence so profound that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.
Yin Yusheng looked up, his gaze lingering on Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi, who stood shoulder to shoulder, heads bowed, silent. He lowered his eyes, covering his face with his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "...I'm sorry."
In the end, he had been too arrogant.
He had thought his plan with the real and fake Bodhi Pagoda was foolproof.
But in the end, it had harmed both others and himself.
Jian Huan lightly tugged at Shen Jizhi's sleeve, her long eyelashes casting shadows under her eyes.
In the original story, it wasn’t Yin Yusheng and Ran Mu'er who stole the Bodhi Pagoda; in fact, the siblings didn’t even exist in the original plot.
In the book, it was one of the pagoda guardians who stole the Bodhi Pagoda, and it was eventually recovered by Jiang Qiaoqiao and Jing Chi. But since Jing Chi was a demon, the Bodhi Pagoda in the book likely fell quietly into the hands of the demons.
Perhaps because of her transmigration into the book, the original plotline had changed.
But no matter how it changed, the Bodhi Pagoda still ended up in the hands of the demons.
The demons wanted the Bodhi Pagoda.
"Why do the demons want the Bodhi Pagoda?" Jian Huan furrowed her brows, unable to help but ask aloud.
Yin Yusheng shook his head. "Peak Master Gu, Elder Yu, and I couldn’t figure it out either."
Having recovered somewhat from his injuries, Yin Yusheng stood up and took out two Demon Disguise Pills and three sets of clothes from his storage pouch.
He glanced at the sky outside and said, "We can’t stay here for long. Change into these, and I’ll take you back to the demon city. We can plan further from there..."
"No." Shen Jizhi, who had been silent until now, slowly raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black night outside. His light brown pupils seemed to float with icy shards. "The sooner, the better."
Yin Yusheng thought they were just anxious and gently advised, "Brother Jizhi, Junior Sister Jian, the Dark Abyss prison is heavily guarded. We need to take it slow and not act rashly..."
"We don’t have time," Jian Huan interrupted Yin Yusheng, speaking quickly. "I had the Bai Li Brothers use our names to enter various secret realms. The demons still don’t know it’s us who came in. But this plan won’t hold for long. The demons will soon notice something is wrong. If they find out it’s us, Peak Master Gu and Elder Yu will be taken away immediately, and a trap will be set to lure Shen Jizhi and me in."
"Tonight is the best opportunity," Shen Jizhi added, gently rubbing Jian Huan’s cool fingers.
His voice was calm and cold, each word like a drop of ice. "The demons have sent a large force to search the mountains. The Dark Abyss prison is at its weakest defense right now."
