94: Chapter 94 The Yin Soul Fruit, the Shadow Fiend Appears!

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, as the first light of dawn appeared, it dispelled some of the chill outside the gorge.

After a night of meditating and regulating her breathing, Leng Ningshuang's injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent.

A bit of color returned to her cold and beautiful face, and her aura became concise and steady once again.

The injuries of the three female Disciples from Zixia Peak had also stabilized, and they were now able to Move freely.

"The three of you, leave Gale Gorge first and wait near the ruins of the 'Ancient Teleportation Array'. If the one-month period expires and I haven't arrived, you may crush your tokens and leave on your own."

Leng Ningshuang instructed her three Junior Sisters in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Yes, Senior Sister. Please take care, Senior Sister!"

Although the three female Disciples were worried,

They did not dare to disobey. They bowed to Leng Ningshuang and Ye Chen before turning to head out of the gorge.

Watching the three leave, Leng Ningshuang looked at Ye Chen.

"Junior Brother Ye, let's go."

"Alright." Ye Chen nodded.

The two didn't delay any further, their figures leaping forward as they re-entered the gorge where the astral winds raged.

This time, they didn't linger on the outskirts but headed straight into the depths of the gorge.

The further they went, the more violent the astral winds became, like countless invisible whips lashing against the rock walls with sharp whistles.

The Protective Aura contained within the wind was also more piercing; an ordinary Wheel Sea Realm Cultivator would likely struggle even to maintain their protective true essence here.

The ground was covered with deep gullies carved by wind blades, scattered with the withered bones of unknown Yao Beasts.

Ye Chen spread his Hunyuan True Essence throughout his body, forming a thin, hazy grey shield.

When the piercing astral winds blew against it, it was like a clay ox entering the sea—easily neutralized and absorbed.

Instead, it became nourishment for tempering his true essence and Physical Body.

His steps were steady as he walked through the gale, appearing even more relaxed and at ease than yesterday.

Seeing this, a flash of surprise crossed Leng Ningshuang's cold eyes.

The "Purple Haze Sword Canon" she cultivated also had Body Refining effects.

Only with a strong physique and the support of her Fifth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm cultivation could she Move in this place.

Yet she saw that Ye Chen was only at the Middle Stage of the Third Level of the Wheel Sea Realm, yet he dealt with the astral winds so calmly.

He even seemed to be in his element.

This made her even more curious about the Cultivation Technique Ye Chen practiced.

The two walked one after the other in silence.

Leng Ningshuang did not seem fond of talking, and Ye Chen was not a talkative person either, making the atmosphere somewhat dull.

Only the whistling wind echoed in their ears.

...

After walking for about an hour, the gorge began to grow narrow and winding.

The rock walls on both sides took on an unnatural dark cyan color, covered in dense holes that looked like they had been corroded.

The astral winds in the air seemed to carry a faint, heart-palpitating aura of yin-chill.

It was different from the previous pure sharpness.

"Be careful, the wind here is a bit strange."

Leng Ningshuang suddenly stopped, her brow furrowed as she alertly scanned their surroundings.

Ye Chen had also sensed it.

He quietly spread out his Divine Sense to investigate carefully.

Sure enough, within the violent astral winds,

There were extremely fine, grey-black air currents that were so pale they were almost invisible.

These currents flowed with the astral wind as if they were alive.

They faintly emitted an aura of erosion, decay, and chaos, making one's Divine Soul feel a hint of discomfort.

"It's the 'soul-eroding yin wind'."

Leng Ningshuang said solemnly, her voice heavy.

"This wind not only erodes the physical true essence but can also wear down the Divine Soul; it is extremely malicious. It seems we've found the right place. Ancient records state that places where evil arts were practiced or demons were sealed will breed this wind over many years."

soul-eroding yin wind?

Ye Chen's heart tightened.

The name alone didn't sound like anything good.

He tried to let a strand of Hunyuan True Essence come into contact with a bit of the grey-black current.

The inclusive nature of the Hunyuan True Essence seemed able to resist its erosion to a certain extent.

However, he still felt his true essence being slowly consumed, and his Divine Soul felt a slight stinging sensation.

This yin wind was indeed powerful.

"Senior Sister, do you know where the source of this yin wind is?"

Ye Chen asked.

Leng Ningshuang took out a palm-sized, pale purple jade pendant shaped like a compass.

She injected true essence into the jade pendant, which immediately lit up with a soft purple light, and many fine Talismans appeared on its surface.

The Talismans flickered, finally pointing deeper into the gorge toward a direction slightly to the left.

"This is an ancient tool passed down in my Zixia Peak called the 'Probing Seeker Disk'; it can sense yin-evil and ruin-related auras. It seems the place we're looking for is in that direction."

Leng Ningshuang put away the jade pendant and pointed toward a fork ahead to the left that was even more profound, where both the astral wind and yin wind were exceptionally violent.

"Let's go, stay close to me, and don't let too much yin wind touch you."

As Leng Ningshuang spoke, a faint purple glow lit up around her, protecting her as she took the lead toward the fork.

The purple glow seemed to have a good defensive effect against the yin wind.

Ye Chen also strengthened his protective true essence and followed closely behind Leng Ningshuang.

The deeper they went into the fork, the higher the proportion of soul-eroding yin wind became.

Eventually, it was almost equal to the astral wind, forming a grey, oppressive, and suffocating storm.

Visibility was blocked, and the range of Divine Sense detection was also greatly compressed.

The two were forced to slow down and proceed with caution.

Along the way, they saw some scattered, even more ancient skeletons.

Some bones were a strange grey-black color, clearly corroded to death by the yin wind.

They also saw some broken stone pillars and ruined walls carved with blurred Talismans.

This proved that there were indeed traces of man-made structures here.

"It seems we aren't far from the ruins."

Leng Ningshuang whispered.

After another few hundred yards, the path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a massive circular valley surrounded by steep rock walls on all four sides.

In the center of the valley, there stood an ancient, dilapidated altar made of some kind of black megalith!

The altar was three zhang high and divided into three tiers.

It was covered in dense, eerie Talismans that had already lost their luster.

It emitted a desolate, evil, and unsettling aura.

On the ground around the altar, a massive and complex Formation pattern was drawn, covering the entire valley floor and also filled with Talismans.

However, most of it was damaged or broken, having lost its spiritual power.

In the sky above the valley, the dense soul-eroding yin wind was gushing out continuously from this altar and the damaged Formation.

Mixing with the astral wind of the gorge, it formed this dead land.

"Found it!"

A glint flashed in Leng Ningshuang's eyes, but her expression became even more solemn.

"This is... an ancient sealing altar? Looking at the style of these Talismans, they are sinister and treacherous; I'm afraid what was sealed here was no benevolent being. Moreover, the Seal seems to have been broken long ago, causing the yin wind to leak out."

Ye Chen also felt a pang of trepidation.

The feeling this altar gave him was extremely bad.

Those dim Talismans were like cold eyes watching the intruders.

His Divine Sense swept over the altar, and suddenly, his gaze froze.

On the second tier of the altar, in a relatively intact corner, a peculiar plant was growing.

The plant was only about a foot tall and was translucent grey-white throughout.

It had only three long, narrow leaves, and at the tip of each leaf,

There sat a strange fruit about the size of a pigeon egg, crystal clear, with grey mist seemingly swirling inside.

Around the fruit lingered a faint grey mist that shared the same source as the soul-eroding yin wind, yet it was more pure and concise.

"Is that... 'yinhun fruit'?!"

Leng Ningshuang also saw it, and surprise appeared on her cold face.

"This item only grows in places of extreme yin and evil with dense Soul Power. It contains pure soulshade power and is used for refining certain special Medicinal Pills and practicing yin-attribute Cultivation Techniques."

"It's even a rare treasure for nourishing the Divine Soul! But at the same time, it contains potent poison and strong mental hallucinatory power; picking and consuming it is extremely dangerous."

yinhun fruit?

Ye Chen's heart stirred.

This item contained pure Soul Power; perhaps it would be remarkably effective for his cultivation of 'Soul-Shocking Spike' and for repairing Divine Soul injuries.

But at the same time, looking at this environment, this fruit would definitely not be easy to get.

"The altar is damaged and the yin wind is leaking; I'm afraid this 'yinhun fruit' grew by absorbing that leaked sinister Soul Power."

Leng Ningshuang analyzed.

"We shouldn't stay here long. Since the Seal is broken, there's no telling if other changes will occur. We'll take the yinhun fruit and leave immediately."

"How do we take it? The yin wind is strongest around that altar, and there are remnants of the Formation; I'm afraid there's danger."

Ye Chen reminded her.

Leng Ningshuang was about to speak when suddenly, both of their expressions changed.

They abruptly turned their heads toward the entrance of the valley.

Three figures appeared at the valley entrance like ghosts, silently watching them.

These three were all dressed in black and wore hideous ghost masks, revealing only pairs of cold and heartless eyes.

They emitted a cold aura that faintly resonated with the surrounding soul-eroding yin wind.

Their cultivation levels were all at the Fourth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm or above!

The leader had even reached the Early Stage of the Fifth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm!

"Shadow Fiend!"

Ye Chen's eyes instantly turned cold, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

He hadn't expected to encounter people from the "Shadow Fiend" here!

Moreover, by the look of it, they didn't seem to be strangers to this place; they might have even come specifically for this!

Leng Ningshuang also recognized the other party's identity, her brows furrowing tightly.

Her jade-like hand was already pressed against her sword hilt, and purple true essence began to flow faintly around her.

"Heh, I didn't expect that besides us, there would be little mice who found this place first."

The leader, a "Shadow Fiend" killer at the Fifth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm, spoke with a raspy, unpleasant voice.

It sounded like metal grinding as his gaze swept over Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Leng Ningshuang's exquisite face, flashing with a hint of lewdness.

"And a top-tier beauty at that. What good luck."

"Boss, look on the altar, the yinhun fruit is still there!"

Another killer, who was sharp-eyed, saw the greyish-white fruit on the altar, his voice filled with excitement.

"yinhun fruit, a beauty, and two decent blood meals... today's harvest is quite something."

The third killer licked his lips, his eyes cruel.

Leng Ningshuang's face was cold as frost, Killing Intent cold in her eyes.

"Scum of the 'Shadow Fiend', you dare to run wild in the Secret Realm of my Tianyun Sword Sect? You're looking for death!"

"Tianyun Sword Sect? Heh, if we kill you here, who will know we did it?"

The leading killer grinned hideously.

"Do it! Make it quick, take the yinhun fruit, and act according to plan!"

"Yes!"

The three killers moved simultaneously!

Their figures were like three bolts of black lightning, carrying intense Killing Intent and a cold aura, charging straight at Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang!

Two lunged at Leng Ningshuang, while one went for Ye Chen!

Their division of labor was clear, obviously seeing that Leng Ningshuang's cultivation was higher and she was the greater threat.

"Junior Brother Ye, be careful!"

Leng Ningshuang gave a clear shout, her long sword already unsheathed, turning into a purple streak of light as she met the two lunging killers!

The sword light was sharp, carrying a solemn Purple Haze Qi, even pushing back the surrounding yin winds slightly.

Facing the killer at the Middle Stage of the Fourth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm charging at him, Ye Chen's eyes flashed with a cold light.

He was no longer the newly joined Disciple who had been chased miserably in the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp.

Middle Stage of the Third Level of the Wheel Sea Realm, Hunyuan True Essence, Gang Feng Body Tempering, and the enhancement from the crimson sun vermilion fruit.

With many trump cards, he had no fear of this battle!

"Die!"

The killer held a pair of pitch-black daggers, like venomous snakes emerging from their hole.

Accompanied by a foul wind, they targeted Ye Chen's throat and heart, their speed reaching the extreme, their angles tricky and ruthless.

Ye Chen neither dodged nor avoided, using "Phantom Step" amidst the fierce wind, his body twisting like a ghost.

He actually passed through the gap between the two daggers.

At the same time, he lifted the ice scar sword with a backhand strike, the greyish sword light carrying the Concept of "Hunyuan Wind Severing Slash".

He slashed toward the opponent's wrist holding the dagger!

"Clang!"

The dagger collided with the ice scar sword, producing a sharp ring.

The killer felt a strange force travel up his arm.

It actually dissolved more than half of his cold true essence, leaving his wrist numb and aching, causing him to be startled.

Ye Chen's sword techniques and true essence were indeed bizarre!

He didn't dare be careless, retreating rapidly while waving his left hand, sending several thin needles coated in a ghostly blue poisonous light.

They shot silently toward Ye Chen's face and major acupoints.

Ye Chen brandished the ice scar sword, the sword light forming a curtain that knocked away all the poisonous needles.

At the same time, his brow twitched, and an invisible "Spirit Stab" suddenly shot out, directly attacking the opponent's Divine Soul!

The killer was experienced in battle and seemed prepared for Divine Soul attacks; the moment the "Spirit Stab" struck...

He bit the tip of his tongue hard, the sharp pain clearing his Divine Soul.

Simultaneously, a black jade pendant on his neck glowed faintly, actually weakening more than half the power of the "Soul-Shocking Spike".

It only made him give a muffled groan, his movements stalling slightly.

"A Magical Artifact that defends the Divine Soul?"

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, knowing he had encountered a difficult opponent.

He stopped testing and let the Hunyuan True Essence surge within him, the grey glow on the ice scar sword intensifying.

Moving like the wind, he lunged again, his sword Moves becoming bold and sweeping.

Each strike contained the inclusive and dissolving power of Hunyuan True Essence and the "Nirvana" Sword Intent, clashing with the opponent.

On the other side, Leng Ningshuang fought two killers at the Fourth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm alone, yet she wasn't at a disadvantage at all.

Her sword techniques were exquisite, her movement fluid, and her Purple Haze true essence also suppressed the cold energy, forcing the two killers to retreat repeatedly.

But the opponents cooperated tacitly and their Moves were malicious, making it difficult to win quickly.

The valley suddenly fell into a chaotic battle.

Sword Qi crisscrossed, dagger shadows flew, and energy collided with the yin wind, producing bursts of explosions.

"Bang!"

Ye Chen exchanged a heavy blow with his opponent, and both retreated.

The fierce light in the killer's eyes grew even stronger.

He suddenly pulled out a pitch-black Talisman engraved with a ghost face.

He spat a mouthful of essence blood onto it and threw it fiercely at Ye Chen!

"Ghost Fiend Yin Thunder Talisman!"

The Talisman exploded, turning into a dense black lightning ball emitting a bone-chilling cold and destructive aura.

It came crashing down toward Ye Chen!

The power of this Talisman was comparable to a full-strength strike from a Cultivator at the Fifth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm!

Ye Chen's expression changed slightly, not daring to take it head-on.

He pushed his "Phantom Step" to the limit, his figure retreating rapidly.

At the same time, he slashed repeatedly with the ice scar sword.

Several greyish Sword Qi slashed at the black lightning ball, attempting to detonate or weaken it in advance.

"Boom!"

The black lightning ball was detonated by the Sword Qi, and the terrifying power of the yin thunder exploded.

It blasted a large crater into the surrounding ground, and even the yin wind was disrupted.

Although Ye Chen avoided the center, he was still hit by the aftershock, his protective true essence fluctuating violently and his blood and qi churning.

The killer took this opportunity to flicker his body.

He actually stopped entangling with Ye Chen and instead lunged toward the "yinhun fruit" at the top of the altar!

His target had always been the yinhun fruit!

"Don't even think about it!"

Leng Ningshuang also noticed this, forcing back the two entangling her with a sword strike and letting out a sharp cry.

A condensed purple Sword Qi, arriving later but striking first, slashed toward the killer's back!

The killer seemed to have anticipated this and didn't even look back.

He threw out a small black shield with a backhand motion, which grew in size and blocked the purple Sword Qi.

Although the small shield's spiritual light dimmed after being struck,

He also used the impact to accelerate, and was about to reach the second level of the altar.

A cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.

How could he let the opponent succeed?

Ignoring his churning blood and qi, he kicked off the ground forcefully, his figure like an arrow leaving a bow, arriving later but overtaking the other.

Before the killer could, he stepped onto the first level of the altar!

At the same time, he flicked his left finger, and a condensed gold-red spark

shot toward the killer's face!

"What?!"

The killer was greatly shocked, not expecting Ye Chen's speed to be so fast, and hurriedly tilted his head to dodge.

The spark grazed his cheek, leaving a scorched mark and causing unbearable burning pain.

His figure couldn't help but stall.

In that split second of delay, Ye Chen's figure rose again, lunging toward the yinhun fruit on the second level!

He knew that this item must absolutely not fall into the hands of the "Shadow Fiend"!

"Kid, you're looking for death!"

The killer was furious and, disregarding everything else, followed closely onto the altar.

Both of them reached for the three yinhun fruits almost simultaneously.

Ye Chen was faster, grabbing all three fruits at once and putting them into his Storage Ring.

The killer grabbed only empty air.

"Hand them over!"

The killer's eyes were nearly splitting, his dagger carrying sharp Killing Intent as it stabbed toward Ye Chen's back, clearly intending to kill him and seize the treasure.

Ye Chen was already prepared, parrying with a backhand sword strike.

At the same time, using the opponent's force, he charged forward and jumped down from the other side of the altar.

He sped toward the exit at the other end of the valley, shouting,

"Senior Sister Cold, I've got the items, let's go!"

Seeing this, Leng Ningshuang also knew they shouldn't stay and fight.

She made a feint with her sword, forcing back the two killers, and her figure turned into a purple shadow, following closely behind Ye Chen.

"Chase them! Kill them and take back the yinhun fruit!"

The leader, the killer at the Fifth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm, seeing Ye Chen snatch the food from the tiger's mouth, was fuming with rage and roared sharply.

The three killers immediately abandoned their opponents and chased after Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang.

Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang pushed their speed to the extreme, fleeing for their lives through the canyon where the Gang Feng and yin wind mixed.

Behind them, three black shadows pursued relentlessly, brimming with Killing Intent.

"Junior Brother Ye, go left! There's a narrow crack there that leads to the back mountain!"

Leng Ningshuang seemed more familiar with this place than Ye Chen and sent a transmission.

Ye Chen didn't hesitate and immediately turned.

Sure enough, on the rock wall ahead, there was a narrow crack that only allowed one person to pass.

It was pitch black and deep inside, with no telling where it led.

One after the other, the two quickly slipped into the crack.

Inside the crack, it was even darker; the Gang Feng weakened, but the yin wind remained, and the terrain was complex with many forks.

"Split up! Meet at the ruins of the 'Ancient Teleportation Array'!"

Leng Ningshuang made a prompt decision, choosing a fork and disappearing into it.

Ye Chen understood and chose another fork.

Splitting up could disperse the pursuers and increase their chances of escape.

He ran at full speed along his chosen fork.

At the same time, he pushed his Divine Sense to the limit, staying alert for dangers behind and ahead.

He could feel that at least one aura had locked onto him and was pursuing closely.

The dark and narrow crack passage barely allowed one person to pass.

The rock walls were slippery and cold, covered in moss and unknown glowing fungi.

Ye Chen pushed his "Phantom Step" to the limit, his figure almost skimming the ground.

He tried his best to minimize friction with the rock walls and made no sound at all.