"So, what do you think? Figured out what this place really is?"
Yi Tianxing casually glanced below him, a thought flashing through his mind and transmitted in an instant.
"Tsk tsk... shadows. This is actually a shadow space. And it wasn't artificially created—it's a natural consequence of the shifting of Heaven and Earth, a shadow realm birthed from an innate feng shui formation. What we see below is actually above, and all four directions are inverted. However, the upper and lower spaces aren't even in the same dimension. Escaping upward from this realm? Forget about it. A hundred years, a thousand years—you'd never make it out."
Yi Tianxie's lips curled into a grin of interest.
He himself was a shadow-formed clone. When it came to shadows and evil auras, he had an extraordinary sense for them. Born as the unique Ten Thousand Evils Physique, he had relied on the Shadow Demon Codex and his original demonic cultivation, as well as countless texts from the Scripture Pavilion, to absorb their essence and forge something new.
Eventually, he created a cultivation technique uniquely his own—"Ten Thousand Evils Heavenly Canon" (Wan Xie Tian Jing). Although newly formed and still far from qualifying as a true "Heavenly Canon," he was confident that with time, it would rival the "Heavenly Emperor Dragon Scripture". After all, it was a supreme technique crafted specifically to complement his physique.
Having created it, he immediately began transitioning to it. With his previous foundation and the endless streams of evil qi, seven emotions and six desires, resentment, and other negative forces in the world, his cultivation speed became utterly terrifying.
From Divine Sea to Life Aperture, and then to Life Map Realm, he completed them in a shockingly short span.
Not only that—when Yi Tianxing broke through to the Manifestation Realm after exiting the Divine-Demon Battlefield, Yi Tianxie simultaneously achieved the same breakthrough.
He used the core Life Map of the Ten Thousand Evils Heavenly Canon—Evil Emperor's Ten Thousand Swords Diagram (Xie Huang Wan Jian Tu), condensing the Evil Emperor Dharmic Body as his manifestation. Strangely, the Evil Emperor's appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to both Yi Tianxing and Yi Tianxie—almost identical.
In fact, Yi Tianxie's power had grown to even greater depths. If it weren't for constraints like the Heaven's Dao Seal, he could've broken through even earlier than Yi Tianxing.
In this chaotic world, his advantages were simply overwhelming.
The Ten Thousand Evils Physique naturally absorbed infinite evil qi. Once unrestrained, his cultivation surged by the moment. Although only at the Manifestation Realm, his mastery within that realm already surpassed that of his true body.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say: if the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda were set aside, his battle strength might not be any weaker than Yi Tianxing himself.
This was a testament to how terrifying it was—how perfectly the Ten Thousand Evils Heavenly Canon matched his physique. It drew out the full potential of his innate body. The Evil Emperor's Ten Thousand Swords Diagram was especially terrifying, capable of manifesting countless supreme evil swords, forming sword arrays potent enough to shatter heaven and earth.
The mystical nature of the Ten Thousand Evils Physique allowed him to open Life Apertures effortlessly—without even needing Life Aperture Pills. As he absorbed the world's evil aura, the apertures opened naturally and easily.
In short, his shadow clone's strength no longer lagged behind the true body—possibly even more dangerous and ruthless in certain aspects.
Because of the link between them, even separated by vast distances, Yi Tianxie could appear beneath Yi Tianxing in an instant, reforming into a shadow and entering this strange shadow space.
"Any way to get out of here?" Yi Tianxing asked.
"Rest assured, my true body. For others, this place might be nearly impossible to escape, with no exit in sight. But for me? It's child's play. I am the sovereign of shadows. No shadow can ever bind me."
Yi Tianxie spoke with unwavering confidence.
"Good. I'll leave this place to you," Yi Tianxing nodded, sending over another thought.
He had no more interest in remaining here. With the shadow clone present, unless something beyond the Manifestation Realm showed up, nothing in this realm could threaten him. In fact, this realm could be said to be Yi Tianxie's home turf.
"Heh heh... don't worry, my true self. This place seems to be an evolved formation created by Heaven and Earth. In this shadow realm, a Heavenly Treasure has taken form—one that feels like it was made just for me. It might just become my Life-bound Treasure."
Yi Tianxie licked his lips, visibly excited.
High-level feng shui configurations were known for nurturing Heavenly Treasures—this was one of Heaven's miraculous wonders. Upon entering, Yi Tianxie had already sensed it. Even his Ten Thousand Evils Physique was resonating with the treasure, a clear sign of compatibility and anticipation.
He was getting impatient.
After all, he hadn't yet chosen a Life-bound Treasure. Now, he could feel that the opportunity had arrived.
"A Life-bound Treasure..." Yi Tianxing paused for a moment, then nodded. "If it's your destiny, all the more reason not to miss it. I'll leave everything here to you. Now send us out."
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything smoothly," Yi Tianxie replied with a light laugh.
Though all this took some time to explain, in reality, their exchange happened in an instant—quicker than a single breath. Neither Cai Yan nor Yao Yue sensed that another figure had briefly appeared in the realm.
"All right, Zhaoji, Yao Yue—let's leave this place."
"How?" Cai Yan asked curiously.
"I have my ways. Just take my hand."
One by one, their hands joined together.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, an invisible force enveloped them. A flash of light, and the scene around them changed completely.
"We're out—this is Lanruo Temple!" Lian Xing exclaimed in surprise.
"It really is Lanruo Temple—this is the real world. We've left the shadow realm," Cai Yan added in amazement.
Sure enough, in front of them stood the previously seen temple, now returned to its ruined state. They were standing outside of it. The plaque above read "Lanruo Temple" in ancient script.
Not only had they escaped the shadow realm, they had exited the temple entirely.
Seeing the crumbling building again brought a deep sense of eerie dread.
"Should we just destroy this place?" Yao Yue said coldly.
Her impression of the temple was terrible—good, evil, real, or shadow, she wanted to raze it all.
Ding-dong...
Just then, a sound of zither music drifted through the forest, catching them by surprise.
They instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
It was daytime, yes—but they were in a wasteland, outside a ruined temple. And now, a zither played? No ordinary person would be performing here—and anyone with common sense would feel that something was definitely off.
The player was either no ordinary mortal—or not human at all.
Yi Tianxing and the others weren't unappreciative of the arts. They paused, listening intently. Within the melody was a sense of cold loneliness and desolation. A song steeped in sorrow and melancholy.
"Not bad skill, but hasn't stepped into the Dao yet," Cai Yan said. A master of the zither herself, she had long since stepped onto the Path of the Zither. Her judgment was beyond question.
She could hear that the performer had practiced for years and had excellent talent. They had begun to infuse emotion into the music—nearing a whole new level of artistry.
"It's a woman, no doubt. Could it be the ghost lady you've been worried about?" Yao Yue glanced sideways at Yi Tianxing.
"Why can't I get past this hurdle..." Yi Tianxing gave a wry smile before shaking his head. "Let's go. We should at least take a look."
The music wasn't coming from the temple, but from nearby wilderness. Judging by the sound, it wasn't far.
Without delay, they moved toward the source.
"Well, well... talk about hidden wonders. I didn't expect to find a lake here," Cai Yan remarked in surprise.
As they approached, they saw a lake—neither too big nor too small.
At its center was a small island. And on that island stood a pavilion, clearly aged. Within the pavilion sat a woman in white.
From Yi Tianxing's perspective, he could only see her back. The melody clearly emanated from her—undoubtedly the zither player.
"A ghost. Definitely a ghost," Yao Yue said calmly.
"From the silhouette... likely a stunning beauty," Lian Xing added.
"Let's go, husband. Since we're here, let's pay her a visit," Cai Yan said with a soft laugh.
"Very well. Let's go."
Even Yao Yue and the others could tell she was a ghost. Under Yin-Yang Eyes, Yi Tianxing had no doubt—she was a spirit.
They didn't summon the Nine-Dragon War Chariot. Instead, they stepped onto the lake's surface, walking steadily. The water did not wet them—it seemed to lift and support them as they moved forward.