Chapter 113: The Yin Jade

Just as Wen Meng had predicted, the Underworld Ministry was taking action on this night of the full moon.

In the incredibly distant Xu Province, a pillar of light suddenly erupted from the ground, piercing the heavens and dyeing nearly half the sky a golden yellow. In this daylight amidst the darkness, an eye of immense proportions—large enough to be seen across an entire continent—appeared above Xu Province. The eye was startlingly lifelike; its pupil constantly dilated and contracted, and bloodshot veins were clearly visible within the whites.

The moment the eye appeared, it cast a radiance that engulfed the entire province. To the naked eye, vast amounts of yin energy and demonic aura were being stripped from the land and drawn into the eye. This was likely the "cleanup" of Xu Province; only the Underworld Ministry possessed the means to influence an entire province in such a manner.

Under a towering tree, the statue in a Buddhist temple suddenly opened its eyes, and a crack appeared, running from its head down to its feet. It murmured in a low voice, "Time is running out..." The sound of chanting Buddhist sutras drifted from the small temple, and passersby on the street inexplicably stopped in their tracks, joining in the chant.

In the nearby government office, Daoist Hou, who had been sitting cross-legged in the courtyard cultivating, was interrupted by Wen Meng. Both men looked toward the northern sky and were instantly frozen in place. Daoist Hou had never seen such a scene; he was so shocked he could not speak. The eye must have been at least several hundred meters wide. His horsetail whisk trembled in his hand. "In all my years of cultivation, I have never heard of such a feat. Is this something only a terrestrial immortal could achieve?!!!"

"It could also be a grand formation," Wen Meng said, a hint of terror in his eyes. He had practiced both Daoist arts and the path of demons; compared to orthodox techniques, heterodox supernatural powers were incredibly utilitarian. Their cultivation speed was like racing a carriage, but the Great Dao shared the same source; as long as one reached the end, the differences were minimal.

As they spoke, the eye in the sky faded away, though looking toward Xu Province, one could feel that the region seemed significantly brighter. Daoist Hou looked left and right; the mortals on the streets of Hangdu were busy with their own affairs, seemingly oblivious to the terrifying sight that had just occurred. Seeing his reaction, Wen Meng said calmly, "I suspect only those who practice cultivation can see it. There have been too many monsters and spirits lately; the Underworld Ministry is merely showing its strength to intimidate the Nine Provinces."

"How can you see it? Isn't your cultivation destroyed?"

"My natal ghost artifacts and supernatural abilities have lost their foundation, but I have recently begun practicing Daoist arts again, fostering a breath of true energy. It is only enough to strengthen the body, however."

Daoist Hou looked at him with concern. Daoist techniques focused on refining essence into energy; practicing at his age brought more harm than good. He wanted to say something, but given the obscure origin of his own Daoist arts, he chose to remain silent.

"By the way, have you seen Zhou Bai? I haven't seen a trace of him since this morning."

"I haven't either. Where could he have gone?" Wen Meng suddenly realized that they were the only two left in the office.

Zhou Bai was completely unaware of the anomaly in Xu Province, for he was busy capturing a mysterious opportunity—the Yin Jade from the Ghost Domain. When the sun and moon aligned, he felt his eyelids twitch violently, and a premonition grew in his heart that he was being drawn toward an unknown destination. Among the hundreds of thousands of people in Hangdu, he alone witnessed the change in the moon. In Zhou Bai's eyes, a thin black line had appeared on the moon and was showing signs of expanding. This solar eclipse could likely only be seen under specific conditions, and it was fraught with immense danger.

Zhou Bai had not expected an eclipse to occur during the day; it seemed to have a deep connection to the Ghost Domain. The more the moon was obscured by darkness, the closer he felt to the Ghost Domain. He no longer cared about the Yin Jade; he had thought that if he couldn't obtain this opportunity, it wouldn't matter, but he had never imagined such an emergency would arise.

According to Wang Zhen, when the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth converged to their limit, the Yin Jade would emerge from the Ghost Domain for only an instant. If he seized the moment, he could obtain the treasure. But Zhou Bai's situation was slightly different; he felt as he had when he first awakened his Yin-Yang Eyes—he was being pulled into the Ghost Domain bit by bit. He could only slow the process, not stop it.

Zhou Bai had been standing on the city wall, which offered the best view of Hangdu, but now thick fog began to rise around him, and the houses and pedestrians gradually vanished. He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps a few breaths—before he regained control of his body. Looking around, he found himself in a sea of fog. He opened his system interface and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the log notification. The log informed him that he had entered an interlayer of the Ghost Domain because the aura of the Ghost Domain within the storage belt he was carrying was too potent, and he had been pulled in inadvertently.

Once he understood the situation, things became much easier. He took the storage belt in his hand and observed his surroundings. The full moon hung in the sky, its light causing a faint discomfort to his eyes if he stared for too long. Fortunately, this was merely the junction between the living world and the Ghost Domain; he would not encounter ghost beings like the Longbo Giants here.

He pushed his Yin-Yang Eyes to their limit, piercing through the thick fog, until a palm-sized white flower appeared. Inside the unfurling petals sat a bead that looked like jade but was not; it was rhythmically inhaling and exhaling wisps of fog. Zhou Bai immediately recognized it as the Yin Jade, and the petals of the flower were falling off one by one. Once they had all fallen, the Yin Jade would manifest in the living world.

Zhou Bai pondered for a moment and began tossing the corpses from his storage belt that radiated the Ghost Domain's aura into the fog. He immediately felt his body becoming lighter. He kept only the tailbone of the Heavenly Dog, but because most of the other remains had been discarded, he had enough to return to the living world.

His body was overcome by a sensation of weightlessness, like waking from a dream. The fog began to dissipate, and familiar buildings and houses appeared. It wouldn't be long before he returned. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward toward the Yin Jade.

At the same time, on the walls of Hangdu, Zhou Bai's figure appeared out of thin air; he had been gone for only a few breaths compared to when he had left. He was still disoriented from returning to the living world, but a faint burning sensation in the palm of his hand snapped him awake. Zhou Bai opened his palm to find a glowing jade bead resting there. He had attempted to retrieve the Yin Jade at the very last moment, and to his surprise, it had gone smoothly, requiring almost no effort at all.