The branches of pitch-black essence soared high, spitting out whips of essence that stretched toward Zhi Xuan's body. The mist they passed through emerged as Yin needles radiating killing intent.

  WHIP! WHIP!

  The Taiyin Essence Whips from the Sacred Pool moved with a speed that defied the Laws of Nature. They tore through the air with a cold hiss, splitting the sturdy porcelain trunks of the Silver Moon Trees like wet paper. Zhi Xuan, running at full speed, heard the rumbling of the pool water behind him, which was now a roar of primal fury.

  "Damn it! This is going to freeze me to death! I cannot run faster!" Zhi Xuan screamed, panting heavily. He tightly hugged the Jade Bottle to his chest; the coldness of the Jade pierced to his bones, but he dared not let go.

  His Heavenly Samsara Wheel spun to its limit, drawing every drop of essence he had just recovered, but against a natural force like the enraged Taiyin Sacred Pool, the difference between Golden Core and Divine Wheel was meaningless. He was like an ant trying to escape a black tsunami.

  CRACK!

  The first whip struck a tree beside him, shattering the solid porcelain trunk of the Silver Moon Tree into fragments of jade essence. The fragments shot out like bullets, wounding Zhi Xuan's arm and tearing his robe.

  "Argh, my arm!" Zhi Xuan roared in pain; a bone-piercing coldness paralyzed the nerves in his arm. He felt the blood flowing from the scratch wounds instantly freeze into dark red crystals, slowing his movement. He ignored the pain.

  The Jade Bottle, now clinging to his chest, felt increasingly cold, as if drawing the remaining warmth from his body.

  WHUP! WHUP!

  Two more whips came from the left and right sides. There was no time to fully evade.

  "I cannot run! My body is already frozen!" Zhi Xuan screamed in his mind. He instinctively crossed both arms over his head, drawing the last pure essence from his Heavenly Samsara Wheel to form a palm-sized essence shield.

  BOOOM!

  It was not a sound of impact, but a sharp cracking sound. The Taiyin Essence Whip pierced his essence shield in an instant, and struck his left ulna with pure spiritual force.

  "Uargh! My bone! This pain!" Zhi Xuan screamed in pain that exceeded his limit; it was not just physical pain, but spiritual pain. The Extreme Yin Essence did not just break his bone; it tried to freeze his soul. He felt hairline cracks spread through his bones like creeping ice. He was thrown forward, landing hard on the ground covered in silver moss, and coughed semi-frozen blood onto the moss.

  WHIZZ!

  Zhi Xuan's Heavenly Samsara Wheel, which was already spinning wildly, now spun more chaotically, emitting a sound like metal grinding without lubrication. The gathered essence power quickly dissipated, almost like a candle blown out by the wind.

  "I... I cannot continue..."

  His voice was choked. The surrounding mist now seemed to emit a dark, evil Jade light, and every strand of moss beneath him trembled from the spiritual pressure. The pure, cold killing intent of the Taiyin Sacred Pool drowned his Sea of Consciousness.

  "I... promise... promise to plant your seed..." Zhi Xuan tried to whisper, but his words were no more than a stuck murmur in his throat. His eyelids felt heavy.

  BUM!

  A Silver Moon Tree that fell due to the previous attack landed just inches from his head. The ground tremor sent a new shockwave through his body, making his blood feel even colder. He closed his eyes. Darkness and an overwhelming coldness enveloped him. He could no longer feel his legs, his left arm was paralyzed, and even his Heavenly Samsara Wheel felt like it would extinguish forever.

  "Ruo... Ruo Xianxue..." The voice was his last whisper, a desperate call to the only entity that might save him from this freezing, futile death. Cold darkness swallowed Zhi Xuan.

  However, amidst the bone-eating cold darkness, just as the whips were about to swallow him whole, a majestic voice, radiating ancient aura and the sound of a silent explosion, echoed at the bottom of his Sea of Consciousness.

  "Break."

  The voice was calm, cold, and flat. As if displaying absolute boredom, a dominating aura. Millions of ancient devil monument runes faintly trembled, shattering hundreds of meaningless rune seals. It was as if that faint tremor was enough to make the heavens groan.

  "You truly are very weak, boy." The voice was subtle and different. Not like Ruo Xianxue's usual voice or the Ancient Devil Monument's. Instead, the voice of a pure, majestic, and flawless Ancient Sacred Devil. "However, carrying the Nine Heavens Bead means experiencing suffering like this."

  The shattered runes immediately enveloped Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, protecting the remnants of his mortal body from the Taiyin sacred pool's wrath. The sky above the Taiyin sacred pool violently churned; the black clouds that were previously clear as if welcoming the moon, now lowered and clumped together.

  Thunder boomed loudly. With a single subtle snap, the essence whips and silver needles that were about to strike Zhi Xuan reversed, dissolving and being absorbed by Zhi Xuan's body. They headed directly into his Sea of Consciousness, absorbed by the Ancient Devil Monument.

  At the edge of the turbulent Taiyin Sacred Pool, the pitch-black water suddenly soared high. It was no longer whips that attacked, but a concentrated vortex of Extreme Yin energy. From the center of the vortex, an entity made of cold shadows and pure essence emerged.

  The entity was shaped like a scale-less dragon, merely a lump of cold Taiyin essence, radiating a pure low-level Immortal Realm aura. It had no eyes, but its presence radiated the Sacred Pool's cold anger, the anger that the Taiyin essence had been stolen and the creature it protected had died.

  As the Taiyin dragon emerged from the pool—a giant shadow carrying coldness beyond the concept of cold—Ruo Xianxue's voice cut the silence.

  "Descend from your natural throne, little pool."

  The Taiyin entity trembled, its cold energy penetrating the mist, and its lethal "gaze" was fixed on Zhi Xuan's fallen body. It was the pure wrath of nature ready to cleanse all stains, refusing submission to the commanding voice.

  Slowly, Zhi Xuan's eyelids opened.

  His pupils were no longer ordinary black pupils. His right eye radiated a bright pattern like a white sun trapped in the night, and beside it, there was a small, dark crescent-shaped pupil. His left eye was the opposite, patterned like a silver moon, and beside it, a small, shining golden sun-shaped pupil. Dual Sun-Moon Pupils.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  In the depths of the Nine Heavens Bead, two faint rays collided—one black like the birth of night, the other white like the world's first breath. They were not fully awake, but their presence was enough to make the Taiyin entity feel a fear unknown to nature.

  This was the manifestation of the Ancient Sacred Devil's will, temporarily taking over Zhi Xuan's mortal body—only for a moment, only to counter the will of nature that threatened destruction. Zhi Xuan's weakly lying figure now emitted a calm and terrifying aura, contradicting his ragged and frozen body. His pale lips moved, and Ruo Xianxue's voice sounded, subtle, cold, and carrying an authority that transcended space and time.

  The scale-less dragon immediately roared sharply, charging straight toward Zhi Xuan. The tremor from the charge split the entire pool with higher intensity than before. The dragon's jaws widened and were about to swallow Zhi Xuan. With one impact, the Dragon struck Zhi Xuan's body.

  "You... are not worthy." With one subtle movement, Zhi Xuan's hand lifted and touched the Dragon's jaw. In an instant, the dragon was thrown backward, and its roar of pain echoed.

  The Dual Sun-Moon Pupils of the paralyzed Zhi Xuan stared straight at the Taiyin Entity, no emotion, only majestic observation.

  "The law of nature, huh?" Ruo Xianxue's cold voice flowed from Zhi Xuan's throat, sounding like grinding Jade essence, yet every syllable carried the weight of thousands of cosmic cycles. "Beneath the Starry Sky, all are dust. Even the will of the Sacred Pool you represent is merely a ripple in the Ocean of Destiny. Do you, a soulless entity, dare enforce Law in the presence of a Saint who violates their own cycle?"

  The scale-less dragon trembled violently, its essence body rippled, as if the words physically wounded it. It could not understand, but it recognized an authority far superior to the Taiyin Formation. Ruo Xianxue—through Zhi Xuan—swung his broken left arm. The arm ticked, and the fractured bone instantly fused, but not with Zhi Xuan's essence, but with the ancient energy contained within the Devil Monument.

  "This Jade Bottle is a gift from the Moth itself. It desires reincarnation; it is tired of your Taiyin cycle prison. The Moth chose a new Destiny," Ruo Xianxue continued, her voice now radiating pure contempt. "You are the Pool, you are the Extreme Yin."

  "Do not misunderstand," Ruo Xianxue whispered through Zhi Xuan's frozen lips, her voice as thin as a thread of blood. "I did not come to challenge your law..." The Dual Pupil Eyes narrowed.

  The Taiyin Entity tried to roar again, but its voice was choked. The vortex in the Taiyin Sacred Pool subsided, and the mist that radiated killing intent now returned to peaceful spiritual Essence mist.

  As the Extreme Yin vortex subsided, the sky that was previously only covered by black clouds now showed something that should not be possible to see. Constellations that should be far behind the veil of the mortal sky suddenly appeared clearly, as if an invisible hand had pulled the sky curtain aside. The starlight did not flicker—all the stars were still, completely still, as if the entire Cosmos was holding its breath.

  Even the spiritual river flowing through the rift in the universe stopped rippling.

  Spirit birds in the seven sacred forests flapped their wings at the same time.

  Beasts in the northern mountains opened their eyes in fear without knowing why. There was no sound. No tremor. Only the silence before something unnatural touched the mortal world.

  A resonating sigh traveled into the void, a subtle sigh with a tone like a finely plucked zither, echoing in Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, carrying a far more ancient voice. Then, a giant shadow finger, made of primal darkness older than the Extreme Yin itself, suddenly appeared from behind Zhi Xuan. The finger was too pure for the surrounding Extreme Yin to bear.

  "I should thank you, for bringing me closer to freedom." The voice echoed with two tones—Ruo Xianxue's majestic voice and a far more ancient, bloodthirsty voice. The nine gates that chained the Ancient Devil Monument trembled violently as the shadow finger fell toward the Taiyin Sacred Pool. "I, will take this legacy."

  The giant shadow finger penetrated the mist, shooting down with untraceable speed, aiming precisely at the center of the now-calm Taiyin Sacred Pool.

  BOOOMMM!

  Not the sound of an explosion, but the deafening sound of cosmic silence. When the Sacred Devil Finger touched the surface of the Taiyin Sacred Pool water, the entire Pool, the core of the natural Extreme Yin Formation, exploded into black and white light. The resulting shockwave did not consist of Spiritual Essence, but of Pure Void.

  The sturdy Silver Moon Trees around the Pool did not burn or split; they instantly vanished into spiritual dust. The Taiyin Entity, the scale-less Dragon, did not have time to scream; it instantly disintegrated and was absorbed into the Void shockwave.

  The invisible natural Formation runes that enveloped the Taiyin Sacred Pool—the Formation that had collected Great Yin Essence for thousands of years—could not withstand the Saint's intervention. They cracked and shattered with the sound of countless broken glass, and the Formation completely collapsed.

  The Pure Void shockwave swept in all directions, but, strangely, it stopped exactly one millimeter from Zhi Xuan's body. Zhi Xuan, who now lay with his eyes closed again, was wrapped in swirling Devil Monument runes.

  When the storm subsided, the Taiyin Sacred Pool was gone. There was no hole in the ground. There was only a vast, flat area where all the trees had vanished. In the center, the pitch-black water of the Pool had evaporated and condensed into a giant teardrop-shaped Extreme Yin crystal embedded in the ground.

  Beside the crystal, and a few steps from Zhi Xuan's body, the jade bottle slipped from Zhi Xuan's grip and fell to the ground. The black liquid inside gently rippled, as if the bottle had just witnessed the destruction of its parent Formation.

  Zhi Xuan, who no longer emitted the light of the Dual Sun-Moon Pupils, just lay silent amidst the remnants of destruction, his skin pale again, and his fractured left arm felt numb again. The Ancient Devil Monument in his Sea of Consciousness trembled, and Ruo Xianxue's voice, now sounding more relieved, echoed.

  "Damn it. These rune shackles will break soon..."

  Then silence, only the smell of burnt earth like cold metal. The Extreme Yin Crystal glowed faintly, but now radiated a softer aura. The collapsed Formation revealed a stunning view of the starry sky, as if a mortal shackle was able to break a thousand-year-old prohibition.

  Zhi Xuan slowly opened his eyes. His first sapphire blue sight was the sky. Not the ordinary mortal blue sky he was used to seeing, but a pitch-black expanse adorned with billions of stars. The starlight was so close, so clear, as if he could touch it. It felt like lying at the bottom of an ancient well whose depth reached the cosmic edge.

  "What... what happened?" Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice hoarse. He tried to move his left arm, but the freezing pain immediately pierced him, making him grimace. His bones felt like crushed sand.

  "You are lucky, boy," Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice returning to its usual arrogant tone, but now sounding tired. "If it were not for me letting the Saint's will take over your body for a moment, you would have become an essence crystal adorning the bottom of the Taiyin Pool."

  Zhi Xuan carefully sat up, ignoring the intense pain. He looked around. The sight before him was truly astonishing. The dense Silver Moon Tree Forest had vanished. In its place, lay a vast, flat area, as if a silent explosion had vaporized everything.

  "My eye," Zhi Xuan's hand moved to touch his left eye. "Blind in one eye..."

  Ruo Xianxue snorted sharply. "Do not be foolish! It is only a side effect of the forced channeling of the Saint's will, and a side effect of the Extreme Yin. Your pupil will heal soon. But that is not what is important. Look over there."

  Zhi Xuan followed Ruo Xianxue's gaze. He saw the Jade Bottle lying on the ground, and beside it, there was a giant teardrop-shaped Extreme Yin Crystal. The crystal radiated a soft dark jade light, no longer threatening.

  "The Taiyin Sacred Pool is gone," Zhi Xuan murmured, shocked by the absolute destruction. "And that Taiyin Dragon..."

  "Has been destroyed, absorbed, and subdued," Ruo Xianxue cut in with a cold tone, carrying a sense of satisfaction. "The Saint's will that took over your body subjugated nature. The Crystal there is the essence of the Taiyin Sacred Pool. The essence of thousands of years of Extreme Yin Essence condensed into one artifact. It is your greatest reward."

  Zhi Xuan stared at the Crystal, then at the Jade Bottle containing the pitch-black liquid. He knew which was the greater treasure, but the bottle was a promise.

  "This Jade Bottle," Zhi Xuan reached for the bottle, "The Moth wants it at the 'Folded Silver Moon'. I promised."

  Ruo Xianxue was silent for a moment, then sighed, sounding like grinding rocks. "Your obsession with meaningless promises will kill you one day. However, the Thousand Feathered Moth Fetus chose you. That Jade Bottle is purified Taiyin essence. It is its reincarnation seed."

  Zhi Xuan nodded. He painfully crawled toward the giant Taiyin Crystal. The pain in his left arm was intense, but now, the bone-piercing coldness had subsided, replaced by a strange numbness.

  "I need to recover first," Zhi Xuan muttered. "I cannot move with fractured bones like this. Can this crystal help?"

  "Of course!" Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice sharp again. "It is also useful to me, quickly crawl there! Do not be like a tortoise."

  With great difficulty, Zhi Xuan crawled, dragging his ragged and frozen body, until he reached the base of the Taiyin Crystal. The crystal emitted a freezing cold temperature, but somehow, its touch felt soothing.