Chapter 180: Obtaining the Yellow Spring Malevolence

Chapter 180: Obtaining the Yellow Spring Malevolence

Quanzhou.

Several colossal third-tier defense formations converged at a single location, fully activated. The resulting giant rune barrier spread for hundreds of miles, blotting out the sky and sun.

Every day, these formations consumed nearly a thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

Yet Nie Jing Zhen Ren paid no heed to such extravagant losses.

He had been stationed at the entrance of the Yellow Spring Palace day and night, monitoring its interior through talisman formations.

"Report, Zhen Ren", a subordinate announced, "the outermost Decree Talisman has been deciphered. So far, everything proceeds smoothly."

Nie Jing Zhen Ren nodded slightly, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.

Their initial goal had been to harvest malevolent qi, but this ancient palace was far better preserved than he had imagined.

This meant there was a high chance of discovering a legacy cultivation manual!

Reflecting on his past, he had risen from being a solitary cultivator who barely reached the Foundation Building stage at age sixty-three—a discarded failure.

His rise to power had stemmed from a stroke of luck: obtaining a fragmented copy of the Yellow Spring Secret Technique, followed by seizing the remaining legacies of the Yellow Spring Path.

Even a mere fragment of that secret technique had enabled the Divine Flame Sect's ascent.

If he could acquire the complete legacy, especially the legendary Yellow Spring Sovereign's World Salvation and Punishment Secret Manual, he could easily conquer Hezhou, unify the Southern Domain, and even breach the Golden Core stage to invade the Eastern Territory.

At that time, the name "Nie Jing Zhen Ren" would echo across all five regions—north, south, east, west, and central.

Now, he was only three days away from claiming this supreme treasure.

Once the third layer of Decree Talismans was removed, the Yellow Spring Palace would no longer restrict Golden Core cultivators from entering.

He would personally seize the Yellow Spring Secret Transmission and lead the Divine Flame Sect into a new era.

Inside the Yellow Spring Palace, however, the situation was far from what outsiders imagined.

"I can tell you how to obtain the secret manual left by the Yellow Spring Sovereign", the Artifact Spirit said, trailing behind Xiao Chen as he circled the entire underground chamber.

"This is already the most central and crucial location in the entire palace. There's no need to search further. There are no other hidden places."

The Artifact Spirit watched Xiao Chen inspect every gold brick and ever-burning lamp along the way, as if he intended to dig three meters into the ground.

What was wrong with this person?

If the Artifact Spirit had the power to interfere with the physical world, it would have already captured Xiao Chen and stuffed him into the golden coffin.

But it lacked that ability, so it had to keep up the charade.

"All the treasures were left inside the golden coffin by the master. To obtain them, you must follow my guidance. If you persist in this disobedience, I will strip you of your eligibility to inherit the legacy!"

The Artifact Spirit even resorted to threats in its final words.

"You're getting impatient again", Xiao Chen said with a smile, "I'm just trying to familiarize myself with the place."

For now, he would play along.

After searching the entire area, he had indeed found no pathways to other locations or clues about the malevolent qi.

Initially, he had considered asking the Artifact Spirit directly about the malevolent qi's location.

But at the last moment, he held back, concealing his true objective.

After all, one must always remain cautious.

Though the Artifact Spirit didn't seem like an enemy and had mistaken him for a Yellow Spring Path disciple, it wasn't necessarily an ally.

The Yellow Spring Path belonged to the Demonic Dao.

Demonic cultivators were notorious for backstabbing their own kind—betrayal was practically routine among them.

Legends said a master's nature shaped their Artifact Spirit.

Thus, Xiao Chen couldn't afford to trust it completely, even if it was an Artifact Spirit.

Better to feign cooperation and see what tricks it had up its sleeve.

He smiled and asked, "Tell me, how should we perform this legacy ritual?"

"I'll follow your guidance wholeheartedly."

Hearing this, the Artifact Spirit finally relaxed. "You've finally come to your senses. It's not too late."

"Come here. I'll recite an incantation. Follow my instructions to open the golden coffin."

"What? Open it directly?"

Xiao Chen turned his head, feigning doubt. "Is that appropriate? Won't it seem disrespectful?"

He still remembered his current identity as a Yellow Spring Path disciple.

Shouldn't he show some reverence for his predecessors?

The Artifact Spirit's spectral hair practically stood on end.

Are you serious? You actually believe you're a true Yellow Spring Path disciple? Who are you trying to act for?

And what about your earlier snooping around here—did that look respectful?

As an Artifact Spirit, where was your respect toward me?

Still, it maintained its composure. "Haha, young man, your sincerity is commendable. But you needn't worry about such formalities. Just follow my instructions. Would I deliberately harm you?"

"All the master's relics are inside the golden coffin. Of course, you must open it to retrieve them."

Xiao Chen nodded in understanding. So the Yellow Spring Path's Demon Head treated the coffin as a giant storage box?

No wonder he was a demonic cultivator—such a twisted idea.

Following the Artifact Spirit's guidance, he began dismantling the various sealing formations on the coffin.

After three arduous hours of effort, the forty-nine layers of sealing formations locking the golden coffin were successfully dismantled.

Even the miniature cityscape etched onto the coffin lid underwent significant changes.

Originally, many of these sealing formations were tied to the city's trials and tribulations, but those mechanisms were now rendered obsolete.

This eerie transformation caught the attention of over a hundred cultivators inside the palace.

However, since they were unaware of the true situation, they assumed it was a normal occurrence or the work of other cultivators.

They merely became more cautious, continuing their mutual killings and treasure hunts.

Meanwhile, the Golden Core Zhen Ren outside, who were dismantling the sealing formations, also noticed the sudden weakening or disappearance of some formations.

Lei Yin Zhen Ren expressed surprise. "Fellow Cultivator Yao Hua, I didn't expect you to be so proficient in formation arts. With your help, our progress has accelerated significantly."

He calculated mentally. "At this rate, we should be able to create a safe exit for the younger generation in another ten hours."

Yao Hua Zhen Ren, who had just arrived to assist, was taken aback.

She hadn't done anything—the sealing formations she was responsible for had vanished on their own.

She wanted to explain but was mistaken for being modest.

Yu Sha Cultivator even urged, "Fellow Cultivator Yao Hua, don't hold back your skills!"

Elsewhere, Nie Jing Zhen Ren also sensed the anomaly.

The third layer of Decree Talismans, which originally required three prodigies to decipher, had suddenly become fragile. It would likely be resolved in a day and a half.

Suppressing his astonishment, he forced himself into meditation to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Simultaneously, he dispatched messengers to alert other fellow cultivators to begin their preparations.

This time, they would inevitably face off against Golden Core cultivators from the Orthodox Dao in a direct confrontation.

As the outside world stirred, the Artifact Spirit inside the palace grew tense.

With the sealing formations removed, the next step was to lift the coffin lid and trick Xiao Chen into lying inside.

"First, release the eighteen clasps on both sides, then rotate these five positions in sequence", the Artifact Spirit instructed.

"Finally, push the lid one inch to the right from the top, then two inches to the left from the bottom. Repeat this cycle, increasing the push by one inch each time until the lid is fully open."

These steps corresponded to the mechanisms left by the Third Dao Lord.

If Xiao Chen made even one mistake, the hidden killing formation beneath the coffin would activate.

At that point, even a Golden Core cultivator would face certain death.

However, with the Artifact Spirit's betrayal, these mechanisms were now mere decorations.

As the massive coffin lid was pushed aside, the interior revealed a full chamber of flowing Yellow Spring water.

It surged ceaselessly from east to west, vanishing at the coffin's tail only to reappear at its head.

Xiao Chen merely gazed at the scene before him, yet it felt as if he were staring into the true Yellow Spring itself, sensing the bone-chilling cold of the Nine Netherworlds.

"This is the final step", the Artifact Spirit said, suppressing its voice to hide its excitement. "You must lie in the coffin headfirst, feet last. Don't be afraid—it's completely safe."

Safe? You must be joking!

Xiao Chen's eyes brimmed with suspicion.

The Yellow Spring water before him sent shivers down his spine just to look at. If he truly lay inside, he might never emerge again.

He raised another question. "Aren't the treasures supposed to be inside?"

"Why can't I see anything except this Yellow Spring water?"

The Artifact Spirit was prepared. "Don't be afraid. This is the final trial left by the master. In reality, there is no Yellow Spring water—what you see is merely an illusory veil. Only by overcoming your fear and returning to the Yellow Spring can you achieve rebirth within it."

This wasn't entirely a lie. It never specified who would achieve rebirth.

However, Xiao Chen didn't believe it outright.

To prevent deception, he activated his Truth-Seeing Spirit Eye to inspect the coffin's interior.

Yet the Yellow Spring water continued to flow, revealing floating bones rising and sinking within its currents.

The surging waves made the scene even more vivid.

Simultaneously, Xiao Chen felt threads of coldness piercing his eyes.

Despite the protection of his Divine Veil, the sensation was unmistakably real.

Could this truly be the legendary Yellow Spring water from the Nine Netherworlds?

That was impossible!

"Boy, don't be reckless!" the Artifact Spirit warned urgently. "If you keep probing the Yellow Spring with your techniques, you'll suffer backlash."

The liquid flowing in the golden coffin wasn't actually Yellow Spring water—it was the Yellow Spring Malevolence, a substance with lethal properties.

Without a secret technique to neutralize it, such close-range observation would invite an invasion of malevolent qi. At best, it would injure both eyes; at worst, it could damage the soul.

The Artifact Spirit certainly didn’t want Xiao Chen injured at this moment, after all, this body would soon belong to it.

However, its warning came too late.

A faint thread of yin demon qi had already surged into Xiao Chen’s eyes before the sentence was even finished.

It first reached the Yintang acupoint, then passed through the Yangbai acupoint, finally boring into the Shenting acupoint.

During this process, his entire forehead felt as if submerged in ten-thousand-year-old ice, his consciousness slowing as if wading through molasses.

Ordinary cultivators at this point could only watch helplessly as malevolent qi surged into their spirit sea, powerless to act.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was no ordinary cultivator—he had a way to handle malevolent qi.

The moment he felt the yin demon qi enter his body, he silently recited the Xuantian Consumption Secret Method in his mind.

At this moment, the malevolent qi hadn’t even begun attacking before the secret technique directly suppressed it, swallowing it whole.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Chen gained sudden clarity.

The malevolent qi he had just absorbed was Yin Water Qi, also known as Huangquan Sha.

According to the secret technique’s records, Huangquan Sha, though a type of yin demon qi, possessed extreme aggression, actively contaminating nearby living beings.

Precisely because of this characteristic, it was extremely difficult to accumulate.

Unless cultivated in a completely sealed environment, it would often dissipate as soon as it formed.

Only a place like the Yellow Spring Palace, untouched by life for tens of thousands of years, could accumulate sufficient Huangquan Sha.

Xiao Chen opened his eyes, staring in delight at the golden coffin before him.

He now understood—the reason it had initially resembled flowing water was simply because the malevolent qi within the coffin was so concentrated it had condensed into liquid form.

Never would he have imagined that here lay the greatest treasure, his primary objective all along.

“You’re awake! Are you alright now?” Seeing him open his eyes, the Artifact Spirit floated over with concern.

Generally speaking, when one’s spirit sea was attacked by Huangquan Sha, time would feel unbearably slow, as if enduring endless days.

Perhaps only a few breaths had passed in the outside world, but to the cultivator, it felt like an eternity.

“It’s partly my fault for not warning you in time—the malevolent qi was mixed in there,” the Artifact Spirit feigned self-reproach before continuing persuasively, “But no worries! If you follow my guidance, I can guarantee your safe entry without being eroded.”

“Just endure this final trial, and the Master’s legacy will be yours…”

“Ow! What are you doing?!”

Before it could finish, the Artifact Spirit suddenly saw Xiao Chen ‘plop’ himself into the coffin, cross his legs, and begin meditating.

“That’s not the right posture at all!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, you fool!”

The Artifact Spirit panicked.

Since Xiao Chen hadn’t fully laid down, it couldn’t use the golden coffin to perform soul transference.

Moreover, with the power of Huangquan Sha, within mere breaths, he would be transformed into a soulless corpse.

Yet the next moment, what unfolded before the Artifact Spirit’s eyes shattered its understanding.

Torrents of malevolent qi surged into Xiao Chen’s body, yet his physical form showed no signs of change.

Even more shockingly, a look of comfort appeared on his face.

What was happening?

Xiao Chen was actually absorbing the malevolent qi!

As the Artifact Spirit sensed the “water level” of Huangquan Sha in the golden coffin steadily dropping, it fell into deep confusion.

Whether through its years of studying the Yellow Spring Sovereign’s World Salvation and Punishment Secret Manual, or absorbing memory fragments from deceased cultivators in the miniature city, nothing could explain this phenomenon.

No—it had to stop this immediately!

Though the Artifact Spirit couldn’t comprehend what was happening, it knew one thing—if the malevolent qi no longer helped cleanse the soul, its soul transference plan would fail completely.

But there was still the same problem—it had no direct means to attack Xiao Chen.

Its frantic shouting proved equally ineffective.

Even threatening to erase his legacy left Xiao Chen completely unmoved.

At this moment, the Artifact Spirit finally realized the truth—Xiao Chen had come here for the malevolent qi from the very beginning.

After multiple failed warnings and threats, it finally gave up, determined to do everything possible to disrupt him.

Though it couldn’t affect the outside world, it still retained some control over the golden coffin itself.

Especially regarding various trials.

After scanning the miniature city, the Artifact Spirit quickly identified several demonic cultivators struggling to solve its puzzles.

From the memory fragments it had absorbed, these individuals were likely Xiao Chen’s rivals.

If so, why not help one of them escape early and deal with this nuisance?

The Artifact Spirit scanned the group, its gaze finally settling on a burly man in his forties.

Ideally, it wanted a younger vessel, but it hadn’t chosen anyone from the city earlier precisely because of this.

Unfortunately, due to the Divine Flame Cult’s interception, none of the cultivators who entered the underground palace early were particularly young—they were all Foundation Building Late Stage cultivators, with the youngest being in their forties.

The Artifact Spirit glanced at Xiao Chen once more before making a decisive choice.

In the miniature city, Zhou Xing Yuan was following Nie Jing Zhen Ren’s instructions, searching for and attempting to destroy all the sealing formations within the city.

Suddenly, an ancient voice echoed in his ears.

The speaker introduced himself as a guide, claiming after careful screening, he had selected Zhou Xing Yuan to inherit the treasures within the Yellow Spring Palace.

Following his guidance would grant him the true Yellow Spring Path legacy.

Initially, Zhou Xing Yuan remained highly vigilant, refusing to believe such good fortune.

But soon, the guide proved his words true.

Under his guidance, Zhou Xing Yuan easily solved a sealing formation in the city, obtaining a top-grade magic artifact—a shield.

Next came a complete Yellow Spring Path secret technique.

Then they effortlessly acquired a piece of Yin Metal, a third-tier forging material.

Zhou Xing Yuan was astonished to find the guide possessed encyclopedic knowledge of the entire city.

It was as if he had lived here for ten thousand years.

For every sealing formation, the guide provided the simplest solution, leading him directly to the core of the inner city.

Gradually, Zhou Xing Yuan began trusting the guide, following his instructions to complete one trial after another.

Along the way, they even retrieved a Metal Spirit Thunder hidden beneath the city.

“Senior Guide, why did we go through so much trouble to find this item?”

“Because outside, a greedy thief is already stealing treasures from the palace. When the time comes, use this divine thunder to reduce him to dust.”

Zhou Xing Yuan secretly rejoiced.

The guide had given him so many benefits yet still worried about his safety.

Instead of directly urging him into battle, the guide had even prepared a Metal Spirit Thunder—a weapon feared even by Golden Core Zhen Ren.

He now truly believed he had been chosen as the palace’s heir.

In reality, this was all his own misunderstanding.

The Artifact Spirit simply knew from memory fragments that Zhou Xing Yuan alone stood no chance against Xiao Chen.

Thus, it had no choice but to help him gain additional offensive power.

Originally, the city contained eighteen trials to screen qualified legacy inheritors.

The entire selection process was meant to last three to six days.

But now, with the Artifact Spirit’s cheating assistance,

Zhou Xing Yuan completed all trials in just half a day, opening the exit to the underground palace.

There, he saw the open golden coffin and Xiao Chen sitting in the center, half his body exposed.

Though a demonic cultivator, he recognized that face instantly.

Instinctively, he pulled out a defensive magic shield, creating distance for reaction time.

Facing a Foundation Building cultivator, one must remain fully alert.

“Don’t be afraid! Take out the Metal Spirit Thunder and strike him down!” The Artifact Spirit’s voice immediately urged, “Act quickly—the new intruder is already approaching!”

Its voice carried urgency.

The new intruder was none other than the Golden Core Zhen Ren attempting to break into the palace.

During the half-day Zhou Xing Yuan spent completing trials, the external attempts to breach the palace had never ceased.

Time was running out for the Artifact Spirit.

Once the Golden Core Zhen Ren arrived, its soul transference plan would become pure fantasy.

Hearing this, Zhou Xing Yuan immediately retrieved the Metal Spirit Thunder from his storage bag.

But before he could use it, a command rang out.

“Stay where you are! I’ll spare your life.”

Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes, “Dare you interrupt my cultivation? Today is your day of reckoning.”

Though absorbing Huangquan Sha, his spiritual sense had been monitoring the surroundings the entire time.

Seeing Zhou Xing Yuan’s movements, he issued a warning.

Primarily, Xiao Chen had reached a critical moment in condensing the Yin Water Seal—interrupting now would require several more hours to reform it.

Unfortunately, Zhou Xing Yuan failed to seize this opportunity.

“Boom~!”

A golden light technique flashed, and torrents of golden divine lightning instantly engulfed Xiao Chen.

When the light faded, only a shallow layer of Huangquan Sha remained in the coffin.

“Senior Guide, where did he go?!”

“Hmph, the Metal Spirit Thunder is a Five Elements righteous lightning. eliminating a mere Foundation Building cultivator? Complete annihilation is normal.”

The Artifact Spirit sneered, continuing its manipulation, “Next, follow my instructions and lie in the coffin…”

By now, Zhou Xing Yuan had mostly trusted the so-called guide.

Obediently, he lay down in the coffin.

Moments later, a glow surrounded him, resisting the Huangquan Sha’s cleansing. Awkwardly, he stood up from the coffin.

"How wondrous—this is what having a physical body feels like!"

“Puchi!”

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed as the Donghua Thunder Sword, crackling with electricity, pierced his chest.

“You’re still alive? How could this…”

Before it could finish, Xiao Chen struck again, severing his head, “I offered you mercy, yet you insisted on wasting my time.”

Though the Metal Spirit Thunder was formidable, the Night’s Blade performed steadily.

Then, he returned to the coffin, resuming his Yin Water Seal condensation.

Thankfully, no further interruptions came.

Three hours later, a Yin Water Seal successfully formed within his dantian.

“Good. With this, my Golden Core formation success rate increases by another ten percent.”

Xiao Chen inspected his dantian, nodding in satisfaction.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end