Chapter 126: Ten-Zhang Yin-Fiend and the Secret of the Cold Pool

Thunder rumbled, illuminating the earth in a stark, snowy white. Below, waves surged a hundred feet high. In such treacherous weather, the maritime fleets of all major powers had ceased operations. Even the high-level cultivators, who usually soared through the skies with ease, dared not take flight; without the foundation of the Dao, a Yin spirit could not withstand the divine lightning generated by heaven and earth. To attempt it would mean the total annihilation of both body and soul.

The storm intensified. In the center of the river, a water vortex appeared, spinning in opposition to the celestial cyclone above. It was massive, its currents violent. Lu Qian had no doubt that anyone entering without proper protection would be torn to shreds by the water, to say nothing of the black clouds looming overhead. It was clear that the Golden Order of Water Command was indeed required to enter the eye of the water.

Scattered figures from various factions began to appear around the perimeter of Wanyang Island. From the north side of the river, clouds of Yin mist and blood-red malevolence drifted in, accompanied by the occasional screeching of old demons. Giant skulls, snarling Yakshas, and massive, baleful treasure ships emerged. The Tongyou Temple, the Demon-Ghost Sect, and the Seven Martial Mountains—masters from various heterodox and evil paths gathered like a dance of demons.

Within the Yin mist of the Tongyou Temple sat a giant cold crow. Beside it flew a pale-faced boy in red. Next to him was the Yin spirit of a handsome yet sinister-looking man. Had Lu Qian been there, he would have recognized this man as Pu Yu'an, with whom he had a past grievance. Pu was the son of the treasury steward—one of the eight deacons of Tongyou Temple—who had once feuded with Lu Qian over a seed of Yin Fire and had even executed a young Daoist acolyte who knew Lu. The boy beside him was Li Yutong, followed by two or three other "Spirit-Nurturing" Daoists. In the center was the Temple Master, Miaoming, who had failed to track down Lu Qian previously.

Observing the water eye as it gradually took form, the group was lost in thought. Pu Yu'an smiled with interest. "Master Miaoming, do you think Lu Qian will come?"

"Certainly," Miaoming replied with a smirk. "That man is cunning, deceitful, and obsessed with wealth. How could he resist such a grand event? We need only wait here for him."

After the previous failed search, Miaoming understood that the man must possess some method of concealment, much like the techniques Li Du had used for a century. Before departing, he had specifically requested a secret technique from a manifestation of the Tongyou Daoist. As long as anyone practicing the True Water of Yin-Gui appeared within a radius of several miles, Miaoming would sense it. This time, they came with the intent to kill, planning to block the entrance to the water eye and strike the moment they felt his presence. Every time Lu Qian gained fame, it was a slap in the face to the Tongyou Temple and the Tongyou Daoist himself. People would say that the Tongyou Temple was nothing special, as their disciples fled while those same individuals flourished outside. Thus, Lu Qian had to die—and he had to die spectacularly before all the major factions.

"I will deal with him first when he arrives. I want to see if he is truly as strong as the rumors suggest," Pu Yu'an said with a soft laugh. Having only recently completed his "Condensing of Malevolence" last year, at over fifty years old, he was considered a young genius among practitioners. He had expected his cultivation to allow him to look down upon his peers, yet he was constantly being compared to Lu Qian. Feeling perpetually second-rate to him infuriated Pu Yu'an. If it were anyone else, it might be different, but Lu Qian had once been nothing more than an ant before him, a creature he could crush at will. To now be measured on the same level as him was intolerable to his arrogant pride. He had been raised with the finest resources and the best techniques; how could such a person compare to him?

"We shall see," Miaoming said. If they failed to capture Lu Qian this time, it would be a humiliation beyond words.

Boom! Sparks flew as factions clashed with their rivals nearby. Looking toward the sound, it was the southern sects—the Slaying-Tribulation Treasure Pavilion and the bizarre Fangcun Demon Kingdom. White-robed figures fought against shape-shifting demons; various sword pellets and beast-spirit techniques intertwined, dyeing half the sky in brilliant light.

Lu Qian’s Yin spirit hid in the shadows, watching the battle above. He did not reveal himself, intending to wait at least until the Lingbo Tower and the Tongyou group had entered.

"Stop fighting! Something is happening!" A sharp cry interrupted their thoughts. Within the water eye, a massive black-armored "pig-headed dragon"—more accurately known as a *tuo*—emerged. It was a strange aquatic beast, appearing as if it were half-real and half-illusory. The water eye began to shift toward the *tuo*. As the eye moved away, the water surface gradually calmed. The crowd rushed to follow. Miaoming and his group remained stationary for a moment before Miaoming signaled, "Let's go."

After flying for some time, the *tuo* vanished, replaced by a massive island. Behind the island lay the water eye once more. This was the very place where they had obtained the Golden Order of Water Command.

"Interesting," Miaoming murmured, watching the giant beast and the island disappear, deep in thought.

"Charge!"
"I, the old Daoist, shall take the lead!"

The crowd scrambled, fearing that being left behind meant receiving nothing.
"Get lost, you old fossil!"
"You think you can run!"

Some deliberately obstructed their rivals, and fights broke out right in front of the water eye. Others, encased in transparent golden protective shields, were the first to dive in. The people from Lingbo Tower and Tongyou Temple remained unmoved. They exchanged a glance from a distance, waiting for something unknown.

*Are they waiting for me?* Lu Qian wondered. Unfortunately for them, he would not be entering so quickly. The water eye would remain open for at least five months; a delay of a dozen days or so would change nothing. With that, Lu Qian flew off in secret. He did not bring his physical body; he controlled it with a possession technique, having it check in at the Lingbo Tower periodically.

He flew for an unknown duration until he reached a cluster of islands. On the largest island in the center stood a forest that blotted out the sky. Dark green, poisonous miasma drifted through the dense trees like a prowling beast.

A Yin spirit flew down from the sky, wreathed in thirty feet of azure clouds. The cold was piercing, freezing the river along its path and creating a trail of ice. The azure clouds descended, and the baleful energy tightened. The ethereal Yin spirit stood on the ground, shielding itself from the miasma as it flew deeper into the forest.

In the heart of the woods lay a cold pool. Clear as a mirror, it was shrouded in green mist, emitting a wave of bitter cold.

"Finally found you," Lu Qian smiled. The malevolent energy seemed to sense him, forming long snakes that lunged to attack. But times had changed. Lu Qian did not even need to dodge; he released his thirty-foot Profound Frost Yin-Malevolence. It formed even larger serpents that opened their gaping maws, swallowing the smaller snakes and refining them into his own energy. Once digested, his thirty-foot malevolence seemed to have grown slightly.

Lu Qian sat by the edge of the cold pool, absorbing the malevolent energy continuously. One day, two days... five days. The energy grew—thirty feet, forty feet, until it reached a hundred feet. From a distance, one could see rolling azure clouds suspended above the Daoist’s head. The cold was peerless, freezing the trees into ice sculptures. The True Water of Yin-Gui within his body took on a trace of cold, becoming even darker and more profound.

During the stage of Condensing Malevolence, only when the energy is condensed to a certain degree—where every drop of true energy contains the essence of that malevolence—can it be considered complete. Otherwise, one cannot withstand the divine light of the astral energy and cannot naturally condense the True Astral Essence.

Once the azure clouds of malevolence reached a hundred feet, they ceased to expand, but their color grew darker and more profound. Suddenly, Lu Qian opened his eyes and shook his head. "Not enough. The concentration of malevolence is insufficient."

The deeper one went into the water pool, the more concentrated the energy should be. If he could find the "Essence of Malevolence," the quality of his refined energy would be even more perfect. He stared into the bottomless cold pool and dove in.

Splash! As the Yin spirit dove deeper, the darkness intensified. The malevolent energy in the water formed tiny fish with jagged teeth that attacked him, but they were absorbed before they could even draw near. With the consumption of these fish, his malevolent energy grew more solid, shifting from a dark cyan to a brilliant, luminous green.

After diving about five hundred meters, he still could not see the bottom. The Profound Frost Yin-Malevolence morphed into various demons and ghosts, attacking him frantically. Suddenly, a dim green light appeared at the dark bottom of the water. From a distance, it looked like a cave entrance. Endless chill poured out of it, accompanied by the wailing of countless resentful ghosts and the roars of demons.

"This is... the energy of the Netherworld? The breath of the Underworld itself!"