Translator: AnubisTL
Side by side, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered the yin-yang cavern, stepping into the dense, harmonious yin-yang qi.
As they faced the Profound Yin Qi ahead, Li Qing's body stiffened slightly, as if he were sinking into quicksand.
He suddenly realized that even the abundant true essence within him had solidified, rendering it impossible to circulate normally!
"So this is yin-yang qi... No wonder one needs at least core formation realm cultivation to enter," Li Qing murmured, deeply awed by the yin-yang cave.
He couldn't help but glance at Shen Ningbing. Her expression was slightly tense, but nowhere near as strained as his own.
Indeed, this is the core formation realm.
With their true essence solidified into a Golden Core, the pressure from the yin-yang cave posed no significant threat.
"Senior Brother, it seems your prediction was correct. The yin-yang qi here is indeed balanced and hasn't erupted," Shen Ningbing said, her admiration for Li Qing growing even stronger. To conceive of harmonizing yin and yang required profound mastery of both paths!
Hearing his junior sister's admiring tone, Li Qing couldn't help but feel a pang of shame.
This wasn't his own brilliance; he had merely recalled the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram from his previous life.
"Isolated yin cannot generate life, solitary yang cannot sustain growth."
"When yin and yang harmonize, the world bows to its sovereign."
"These insights aren't my own; I lack such innate talent. I simply happened to read about them in an ancient text long ago."
Isolated yin cannot generate life, solitary yang cannot sustain growth.
Shen Ningbing silently repeated the words in her mind, deeply moved by their profound truth, akin to a fundamental principle of the Dao.
As the pair continued their slow descent, the dense yin-yang qi surrounding them suddenly began to tremble.
Upon noticing this, Shen Ningbing and Li Qing's faces turned deathly pale.
Could we be wrong? How is this possible?!
Li Qing's mind raced. Recalling the destructive power of the yin-yang qi's earlier eruption, his expression darkened. If another eruption occurred, he feared he would face a dire situation with little hope of survival.
"Senior Brother!" Shen Ningbing cried out, trying to pull Li Qing back.
Li Qing prepared to summon the Black Furnace and take refuge inside, but he quickly realized the surrounding yin-yang qi wasn't erupting as before. The situation was markedly different.
"Wait, Junior Sister, don't panic!"
Li Qing scanned his surroundings, feeling the Profound Yin Qi converging on him as if drawn by some unseen force.
Yet the pure yang qi remained calm, as if nothing were amiss. Shen Ningbing stood beside him, seemingly unaffected.
"Why is only the Profound Yin Qi being drawn in?"
Li Qing quickly realized the truth: his cultivation level was lower than Shen Ningbing's.
Both of them were using their bodies as seeds to balance the yin-yang qi within the cavern, but his cultivation was undeniably weaker.
Yin flourishing and Yang waning!
The phrase flashed through his mind.
He was completely at a loss as to what would happen next, having never experienced anything like this before.
"Senior Brother, are you alright? Should we leave now?" Shen Ningbing's face remained etched with concern, ready to forcibly protect Li Qing and escape if the situation deteriorated.
But Li Qing slowly closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't rush. I don't sense any immediate danger. Let me experience this fully."
Boom!
In the next instant, the Profound Yin Qi intensified dramatically. Li Qing felt as if he had been transported to the depths of the underworld.
With the profound yin enveloping him, the true essence suppressed within Li Qing's body began to stir, drawn by an unseen force, and started to spread through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Immediately afterward, the Profound Yin Qi intensified, enveloping his body in an increasingly dense shroud, as if resonating with the true essence within him.
"My dantian's mana is uncontrollably surging into my meridians. Is this a forced dissipation of my cultivation?"
"No! The current situation is one of Yin flourishing and Yang waning. How could it possibly continue to suppress my cultivation?"
Buzz!
The moment he finished speaking, the Profound Yin Qi surrounding Li Qing began to resonate with his true essence in a peculiar harmony.
Then, strands of pure Profound Yin Qi began to seep into his body, merging seamlessly with the true essence flowing through his meridians.
Soon, the mana within his meridians grew noticeably denser and more profound.
"Is this... strengthening my dao foundation?! Is the yin-yang cave attempting to restore balance between Yin and Yang?"
When this true essence, now infused with Profound Yin Qi, returns to his dantian, to what heights will his cultivation soar?
While cultivation advancement was undoubtedly a good thing, the way this power was being obtained left him uneasy.
Most critically, what would happen if this uncontrolled process continued?
Li Qing could only imagine two outcomes: either his meridians would rupture under the overwhelming true essence, or he would be forced into premature core formation.
But he wasn't ready for core formation. He hadn't yet cultivated the soul core method, nor had he gathered all the necessary spiritual objects.
Rushing into core formation now would likely end poorly. Failure to break through would still result in death and the dissipation of his cultivation.
Acting decisively, Li Qing said:
"Junior Sister, while I'm still fine, continue deeper into the yin-yang cave to search for the yin-yang spirit liquid!"
Hearing this, Shen Ningbing merely parted her lips slightly. Then, a resolute glint appeared in her beautiful eyes as she strode deeper into the yin-yang cave.
As the sound of her footsteps gradually faded into the distance, Li Qing exhaled deeply and entered a meditative state.
The true essence in his meridians continued to surge, growing ever more potent. Though it hadn't yet converged into his dantian, one thing was clear: his cultivation was steadily advancing.
Reaching the peak of the foundation establishment realm—the pseudo core formation stage—was now only a matter of time.
The challenge lay in controlling this process. While increasing mana was generally beneficial, excess could lead to disaster.
He had no desire to end up exploding to death!
"I need to regain control of this true essence," Li Qing muttered to himself. "I can't let it grow unchecked."
He prepared to reclaim control of his true essence.
But then he discovered something even more terrifying!
The number representing his lifespan was slowly ticking down!
997 years!
996 years!
So, the increase in cultivation wasn't free after all—it came at the cost of his lifespan!
"I knew this mana couldn't come so easily," Li Qing thought bitterly. "Using Profound Yin Qi to enhance cultivation actually drains one's lifespan!"
His heart ached with bitterness. Since arriving in the Great Wilderness Domain, he had diligently cultivated and refined artifacts, even establishing his own artifact refinement shop.
After painstakingly accumulating over a thousand years of lifespan, he now had to watch it slowly dwindle away.
"If this continues, I'll be finished! If I didn't have such a strong foundation, I'd probably run out of lifespan if I stayed here much longer!"
This wasn't enhancing his cultivation—it was trying to kill him!
To be honest, if not for his concern for Shen Ningbing's safety, he would have already turned tail and fled.
If he were to flee, the delicate balance of yin and yang in this place would be shattered. Shen Ningbing, who had ventured deep into the cavern, would undoubtedly meet a gruesome end, her body left unburied.
Li Qing couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
After all, Shen Ningbing had entered the cavern to retrieve the yin-yang spirit liquid for him. Abandoning her now would be utterly inhumane.
"What's a mere loss of Lifespan? Why should I care about such trivial gains and losses?"
"I can always refine artifacts later to replenish it!"
With these thoughts, Li Qing stopped looking at his dwindling Lifespan, fearing the fluctuating numbers would unsettle his resolve.
He then began focusing on regaining control of his true essence, determined to halt its uncontrolled growth.
Li Qing steeled his mind and began circulating the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, attempting to wrest back control of his true essence.
However, against the overwhelming force of the yin-yang harmony, his efforts yielded only meager results.
The true essence in his meridians felt as if it had congealed, barely moving.
Seeing this, Li Qing's heart sank once more.
If this continued, he would have no choice but to wait for Shen Ningbing to return and lead him out.
But if Shen Ningbing returned too late, his fate would likely be unspeakably tragic.
Must I entrust my survival entirely to another?
Though Shen Ningbing was trustworthy, he refused to simply wait for death.
"Get back to my dantian!" Li Qing roared, his eyes bloodshot as he desperately channeled his true essence through his meridians.
Still, nothing moved.
He felt like he was trying to push a mountain—no matter how hard he strained, he couldn't budge it.
What do I do? How can I escape this?!
Li Qing repeatedly questioned himself, hoping to calm his frantic thoughts.
He forced himself to regain composure, desperately searching for any way to turn the tables.
In this crisis, panic would only hasten his demise. Only by remaining calm—only by remaining calm—could he hope to survive.
Li Qing began to meditate, racking his brain for any remaining trump cards.
Spirit fire! That's it! The Netherworld Cold Fire!
With the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art amplifying its power, I can use the Netherworld Cold Fire to refine my true essence. Maybe that will let me regain control.
And since the Netherworld Cold Fire is also extremely yin in nature, it might even temporarily block the Profound Yin Qi's encroachment.
As he spoke, Li Qing activated the Netherworld Cold Fire within his body!
Boom!
In an instant, his pitch-black pupils were replaced by a pair of blazing white flames.
The bone-chilling spirit fire, under Li Qing's control, began to spread through his meridians.
Yes, even in this desperate situation, the Netherworld Cold Fire still obeyed his commands—truly worthy of being called a heavenly spirit fire!
Having confirmed this, Li Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
(End of the Chapter)
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