Chapter Forty-Six: The Cult of Malignant Spirits (Part One)

Early the next morning, I told Xiyue about the school dormitory. She was overjoyed upon hearing it; after all, both of us desperately needed rare materials and treasures to recover and strengthen ourselves. A place like that couldn’t be more perfect. But just as Tu had said, once such a place is exposed, it becomes a bloody battleground—seizing its treasures is never easy. Besides, after countless years buried underground, who knows if we can even find it? And even if we do, there will undoubtedly be many guardians protecting those rare treasures.

Just think about it: the beings that guard these treasures are truly terrifying. In a ruined Blood-Slaughter Array alone, so many dreadful demons and spirits were born—let alone a hidden trove like this.

During the day, there are too many people and too much noise, and many formations or barriers only reveal themselves at night. Besides, it’s much easier to act under cover of darkness. So in the end, Xiyue and I decided we’d make our move at night. I went out for a meal during the day, then returned home and fell into a deep sleep.

Who knows what we’ll encounter beneath that dormitory tonight? Proper rest is paramount. I also knew now that my own blood held vital power, so I was determined to conserve my strength. If things became truly dangerous, I could always feed my sword or the Blood-Slaughter Array with my own essence, ensuring I wouldn’t drag Xiyue down with me.

Xiyue told me that, according to Nie Xiaoke, there was an ancient temple beneath this place, which meant this whole area was once a Buddhist monastery. That was no small thing. In ancient times, Xiyue said, the Buddhist realm was a force of terror. Only after a great cataclysm was it wiped out, leading to the emergence of the Yin-Yang world—the world as it is today. Though much of that ancient civilization has been forgotten, or is unknown to most people, it truly did exist in the river of history.

Such treasure troves are usually hidden by magical barriers, which is why they’re so difficult to find. Tu later explained it even more clearly to me. After all, he had lived through the march of modern society, while Xiyue had been asleep for ages, so his knowledge of the present day surpassed hers.

Tu gave me a vivid analogy that made everything clear. He said these ancient hidden troves are like the relics discovered by modern archaeological expeditions: many things are not as they seem. For instance, in one ancient tomb, a jar was found—researchers believed it to be wine, but Tu told me it was actually a precious spiritual elixir, pure magical essence from antiquity.

I was shocked by this, and a new idea took root in my heart: if Tu was right, I should frequent antique markets more often. Who knows what magical treasures might be hidden among the relics?

But Tu also told me there are more than ten great treasure troves in this world that he knows of. However, his soul has not yet recovered, and my own cultivation is far too weak for most of them. According to Tu, in his era, Yin-Yang masters called their arts “magical cultivation,” which was divided into many levels. Now, those distinctions have long since faded.

Yet I recalled Zhao Fifteen once mentioning that there were levels among Yin-Yang arts too, but due to the uniqueness of each practitioner, these distinctions were not so clear. The most obvious differences lay in physical strength and power.

I resolved to rest well and prepare for the ordeal ahead. If we truly found a forbidden formation or barrier beneath the girls’ dormitory, it would confirm the presence of an ancient Buddhist temple. According to Nie Xiaoke, that was exactly what lay below.

I slept well—so well that it was Xiyue who woke me. I felt her cool, jade-like hand stroke my cheek, her touch so vivid I could sense her very temperature. Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was her exquisite face.

“It’s already dark,” Xiyue whispered, her voice soft as a caress, filled with an almost bone-deep tenderness.

I nodded, sat up, and dressed. I gathered my peach-wood sword and other tools I’d prepared, but in the end, Xiyue made me put them all away.

“Where we’re going, these things are useless. And if we really run into others fighting for the treasure, they won’t be of any use either.”

She was right. These tools were for ordinary ghosts, and we had no idea what we’d encounter tonight. The memory of last night’s Master Wuwang still sent chills through me, and I wondered how Li Hongbo was faring now.

I made a quick meal, washed up, gathered my things, and called to Xiyue, who was standing by the window absorbing the essence of the moonlight.

Together, we walked the long streets to the school. The full moon hung high, and I could see the moonlight swirling around Xiyue, spinning into her body in tiny vortices.

“Xiao Dong, someone’s beaten us here!”

Someone? I couldn’t sense anything, but Xiyue grabbed me and leapt over the school wall. Instead of heading straight for the dormitory, we hid behind a large tree.

With a wave of her hand, Xiyue enveloped me in a chill so cold it numbed my skin. The air around the dormitory was already thick with yin energy. This reminded me of the Ninefold Calamity Fetus—had that ghost woman already become an adamantine corpse?

“We come here every night,” a voice muttered nearby. “We’ve searched everywhere—there’s nothing, no barrier, no clue.”

“Maybe the Deputy Master sensed wrong?”

“How could he? The Deputy Master is a Yin-Yang adept. He can trace the dragon veins of Yin Mountain itself—how could he make a mistake in such a small place?”

“But he said there’s a great Buddhist sanctuary beneath this school. What if it’s true?”

“I don’t know, but the Deputy Master will be here soon. Let’s keep digging where we started—the yin energy is strongest right there!”