### Chapter 97: Cave Opportunities (Ten)
Lin Yi's fingers tightened around the 魔器碎片 (demon artifact shard) in his palm. It pulsed faintly, as if sensing the 魅魔 (succubus)'s aura. *This is our only chance*, he thought.
"Lin Yi, what are you doing?" Peng Qingyun hissed, slashing at a demon. They were barely ten feet from the Core Formation nun, but the horde pressed in, their claws scraping against Lin Yi's 骚包法衣 (Sao Bao robe).
"I'm going to help her," Lin Yi said, his voice low but steady.
Peng's eyes widened. "Are you疯了 (crazy)? That's a Core Formation succubus! We'll be killed before we get close!"
The Level 9 cultivator nodded vigorously, his sword trembling. "Senior Peng's right. We should hide—wait for an opening!"
Lin Yi shook his head. "There *is* no opening. If she falls, we all die. Think—when has hiding ever saved us?"
Peng fell silent. Lin Yi was right. Every time they'd survived, it was because they'd fought, not cowered.
"Cover me," Lin Yi said, drawing the *Kuang Wang* sword. He infused it with the last dregs of his *Five Spirits* power, its blade glowing faintly.
Peng and the Level 9 cultivator nodded, redoubling their efforts. Peng's sword whirled, creating a barrier of steel, while the other cultivator hurled his last 中品法器 (mid-grade artifact) into the demon horde—*boom!* A gap opened, just for a moment.
Lin Yi darted through, his body low, the *Kuang Wang* sword slashing at ankles and knees. Demons howled, grabbing at him, but he slipped past, his *Sao Bao* robe absorbing glancing blows.
"Foolish boy!" the succubus, Wu, sneered, noticing him. He didn't even bother to send a fiend—he flicked a finger, and a black spear of magic hurtled toward Lin Yi.
The Core Formation nun's eyes widened. "Watch out!" She tried to intercept, but Wu's 黑云 (black cloud) forced her back.
Lin Yi's heart 狂跳 (raced). He couldn't dodge. With a roar, he 激活 (activated) the demon artifact shard, slamming it into the oncoming spear.
*Crack!*
The spear shattered, but the backlash sent Lin Yi sprawling. He skidded across the stone, blood streaming from his nose, but he was closer—only five feet from the nun.
"Good strike," she said, her voice tight as she parried Wu's next attack. "But stay back. This isn't your fight."
Lin Yi ignored her, pushing to his feet. The shard in his palm burned, as if hungry for more magic. He noticed something—Wu's 魔力 (demonic energy) fluctuated when he attacked, as if the cave's arrays were 压制 (suppressing) him slightly.
*He's not at full strength*, Lin Yi realized.
"Senior!" he shouted, tossing her the shard. "Use this!"
She caught it, surprise flickering across her face. When her fingers touched the shard, it 爆发出 (erupted) with black light—*not* demonic, but 共鸣 (resonating) with her spiritual energy.
Wu's eyes narrowed. "A demon artifact? You dare sully your hands with that, human?"
The nun didn't answer. She 融合 (merged) her spiritual energy with the shard's power, and a 奇异的 (strange) aura erupted—half holy, half dark. Her sword glowed, now streaked with black.
*Clang!*
Her sword clashed with Wu's claws, sending sparks flying. Wu staggered, his black skin smoking where the blade had touched. "Impossible… you can wield it?"
"Everything has a 弱点 (weakness)," she said, pressing her advantage.
Lin Yi grinned. *Bingo.*
But the victory was short-lived. The remaining fiends—those equal to Foundation Establishment—roared, abandoning the other cultivators to charge the nun.
"Peng!" Lin Yi shouted. "Bring everyone here! Help her hold them off!"
Peng didn't hesitate. He rallied the survivors, their spells and artifacts 交织 (intertwining) to form a fragile barrier around the nun. Even the weakest Level 4 cultivators hurled stones, anything to slow the fiends.
Lin Yi fought beside them, his *Iron Sand Palm* breaking jaws and snapping necks. He was exhausted, his body screaming, but he kept going—for Zhang Ziyan, for Peng, for everyone who'd fought beside him.
*Roar!*
Wu unleashed a 毁灭性的 (devastating) wave of magic, forcing the nun back. She gasped, blood trickling from her嘴角. "I can't hold much longer!"
Lin Yi's gaze 锁定 (locked onto) the 魔器碎片 (demon artifact shard) in her hand. *It's draining her. Just like it drained Huo Bin.*
An idea sparked. He 冲 (dashed) forward, ignoring the fiends clawing at his back. "Senior! Give it to me!"
The nun hesitated, then tossed the shard. Lin Yi caught it, 注入 (pouring) his last scrap of *body force* into it.
*Hum…*
The shard 膨胀 (expanded), its black light 吞噬 (devouring) the surrounding magic. Wu screamed, clutching his head—the shard was 干扰 (disrupting) his connection to the demons.
"Now!" Lin Yi shouted.
The nun 爆发 (unleashed) her full power, her sword piercing Wu's shoulder. He howled, vanishing in a cloud of black smoke—fleeing, not dead.
Silence fell.
The fiends,失去 Wu's command, 溃散 (scattered). The survivors collapsed, gasping, their bodies 颤抖 (trembling) from exhaustion.
Lin Yi fell to his knees, the shard clattering from his hand. The nun knelt beside him, pressing a 疗伤丹 (healing pill) to his lips. "You have courage, young man."
He swallowed it, warmth spreading through his chest. "Where… is she?" he mumbled, thinking of Zhang Ziyan.
The nun's gaze softened. "Who?"
"Zhang Ziyan. A cultivator with a whip."
Before she could answer, a weak voice called from the shadows. "Lin Yi?"
He looked up. Zhang Ziyan stumbled into view, her arm in a makeshift sling, but alive.
"Ziyan!" He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and pulled her into a hug.
She laughed, tears mixing with dirt on her face. "I knew you'd survive."
Peng clapped him on the back, grinning. "Told you she was tough."
The nun watched, a faint smile on her lips. "The cave's core is ahead. Yin Demon stirs. We must hurry."
Lin Yi nodded, still holding Zhang Ziyan's hand. Whatever lay ahead, they'd face it together.
The journey wasn't over. But for now, they were alive. And that was enough.