### Chapter 93: Cave Opportunities (Part 6)
The中年 cultivator's sudden leap caught everyone off guard. His body, a shriveled husk, moved with unnatural speed, driven by a final, suicidal fury.
"Die with me!" he shrieked, his aura flaring as he 自爆 (self-detonated) his remaining essence.
Lin Yi's pupils contracted. *He's sacrificing himself to take me down!*
At the same moment, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators' artifacts erupted—*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Three explosions merged into one, a 毁灭性的 (devastating) wave of energy that tore through the chamber. The中年 cultivator's self-destruction added fuel to the inferno, sending shards of stone and flesh flying.
Lin Yi had no time to think. He unleashed *Soul Shatter* without hesitation, every last drop of spiritual energy surging into his fists. This technique drained him, but in this chaos, it was his only chance to 抵挡 (withstand) the initial blast.
*Crackle!*
A faint barrier of condensed energy flickered around him, but it shattered instantly. The force slammed into him, sending him flying. His *Black Water Lotus* dimmed, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface; the *Sao Bao* robe shredded, exposing his bloodied back.
"Ugh!" He coughed up blood, vision blurring. *Soul Shatter* burned his meridians, leaving him 虚弱 (weak) as a mortal.
But the chaos worked in his favor. The explosions triggered the cave's latent arrays—*whoosh!* A vortex of light swallowed him mid-air, yanking him into the void.
The last thing he saw was the three Foundation cultivators being caught in the blast: Old Wang, the mid-stage expert, was thrown into a wall, his ribs caved in; Han and Qin were sent sprawling, their cultivation auras flickering wildly. The chamber collapsed around them, burying the carnage.
…
Lin Yi landed hard, rolling several times before slamming into a rock. He lay there, gasping, every inch of his body screaming in pain.
*Soul Shatter* had gutted his spiritual energy, leaving his meridians raw. His *body force* was 枯竭 (exhausted), and the *Purple Demon Gourd*—cracked from earlier—hung limply at his side.
"Survived… again," he muttered, a weak smile tugging at his lips.
He'd escaped, but at a cost. Without spiritual energy or *body force*, he was vulnerable—even a lowly fiend could kill him now.
He fumbled for a *Condensation Dew Pill*, only to find his bag empty. He'd used them all in the pagoda and the fight.
"Great," he groaned, closing his eyes. He needed to rest, to let his meridians mend, but the cave's silence felt 不祥 (ominous).
Minutes stretched into hours. When he finally stirred, his fingers brushed something cold—a shard of the *demon dagger*. He'd clung to it in the chaos.
He pulled it out, staring at its black surface. Merged once, it had unleashed terrifying power, but at a price—Huo Bin and the others had withered using it. Yet Lin Yi, with his *Five Spirits Tempering Technique*, had barely felt its drain.
"Curious," he murmured, tucking it away.
A soft rustle echoed. Lin Yi tensed, reaching for the *Kuang Wang* sword—only to relax when a familiar voice spoke.
"Lin Yi?"
He looked up. Zhang Ziyan stood at the cave entrance, her robes torn, face streaked with dirt, but her eyes bright with relief.
"Ziyan!" He tried to stand, stumbled, and she rushed to steady him.
"You're hurt," she said, her fingers brushing his bloodied back.
"Nothing I can't handle," he grinned, though it pained him to move. "Found you."
She smiled, tears pricking her eyes. "I've been looking everywhere."
They sat together, Zhang Ziyan sharing her *Condensation Dew Pills*—sparingly, since they were low. Lin Yi told her of the pagoda, the *Body Technique: Earth*, and the fight with the Foundation cultivators. She listened, her hand in his, silent but steady.
"Peng?" she asked eventually.
Lin Yi's smile faded. "Haven't seen him. But he's tough. He'll survive."
She nodded, but worry lingered.
Outside, the cave rumbled faintly—the sounds of distant battles, of artifacts exploding, of fiends roaring. But in this quiet corner, for a moment, they were safe.
Lin Yi closed his eyes, letting her presence ease his pain. *Strength*, he thought. *I need more strength.*
The *Five Spirits Pagoda* had shown him a path. The *demon dagger* hinted at hidden power. And with Ziyan by his side, he had a reason to keep fighting.
When he opened his eyes again, resolve burned in them.
"Let's find Peng," he said. "Then get out of this hellhole."
Zhang Ziyan nodded, squeezing his hand.
Together, they rose—slowly, carefully—and stepped into the darkness, ready for whatever the cave threw at them next.
The road ahead was perilous, but this time, Lin Yi wasn't alone.