"…A pill? that was a Supreme Grade pill."
She looked up sharply.
"Where did you get something like this?"
Ye Xiu paused.
"Oh," he said after a moment, as if just realizing the problem. "That is a supreme grade pill."
Wu Shuang's mouth opened slightly. "Is?"
He waved his hand lightly. "Don't worry."
"How am I supposed not to worry?" she asked weakly.
Ye Xiu thought for a second, then spoke in a perfectly serious tone.
"A few days ago, an immortal appeared in my dream and taught me cultivation."
Wu Shuang froze.
"…An immortal?"
"Yes," Ye Xiu nodded. "When he was teaching me about innate bodies, I asked him about you."
"He said you possess a Supreme Yin Body," Ye Xiu continued calmly.
Wu Shuang's brain shut down for half a breath.
"W– wait a minute," she said, raising a hand. "Your story is quite good but not convincing you are implying that an immortal gave you a supreme grade pill"
"Yes."
"…All in a dream."
"Yes."
Silence.
Wu Shuang lowered her head, she is clearly not convinced with story.
"I see," she said after a long pause. "If you don't want to tell, not tell such story."
Ye Xiu nodded, completely satisfied.
"Wait here," he suddenly added.
Before she could ask anything else, he turned and walked back into his room. The door closed softly behind him.
Wu Shuang stared at it.
"…Why do I feel like I'm the only normal one here?" she murmured.
Inside the room, Ye Xiu raised his hand.
Streams of light gathered at his fingertips, weaving together words, diagrams, and symbols. Laws folded neatly, simplified and restrained. In just a few breaths, a thin jade-like manual took shape in his palm.
A cultivation method tailored exclusively for a Supreme Yin Body.
Ye Xiu glanced at it once.
"Good enough."
He came out and gave the manual to Wu Shuang.
"Now what is this"
"See yourself" Ye Xiu said.
Wu Shuang took the manual and began reading.
At first, her expression was calm.
Then her brows knit together.
A few breaths later, her fingers tightened.
Her eyes widened.
"This…" Her voice trembled slightly. "This is a Divine-grade cultivation technique—no… no, it's beyond that."
She looked up sharply, disbelief written all over her face.
"This is above Divine grade."
Ye Xiu blinked.
"Ha… is it that powerful?" he said lightly, scratching his chin. "I didn't really notice. It was just… given to me."
Inside, however, his thoughts shifted.
Oh.
It seems I used a little too much Origin while creating it.
Wu Shuang stared at him for a long moment.
"…You're not doing something dangerous, are you?" she asked quietly. "How do you keep obtaining things like this?"
Ye Xiu straightened immediately.
"No. Absolutely not."
She held his gaze, searching his face.
Then, after a moment, she sighed.
"Fine," she said softly. "I won't ask anymore."
Her expression hardened just a little. "But promise me one thing."
Ye Xiu paused. "What?"
"Don't do anything that puts your life at risk."
He nodded. "I promise."
Wu Shuang lowered her eyes back to the manual, her grip unconsciously tightening.
Inside her mind, turmoil raged.
If this technique appeared in the Immortal World…
It would cause an uproar.
No—chaos.
Entire sects would be destroyed for it. Immortal Emperors would descend personally. Blood would flood the heavens.
Yet here it was.
Placed casually into her hands.
In my past life, I reached the Immortal King realm.
I led a great sect.
And even then… I never once encountered something like this.
"You should eat the pill now," Ye Xiu said calmly. "Then cultivate according to the manual."
Wu Shuang nodded, clutching both the pill box and the technique as if they were something unreal.
The scene shifted.
A rocky plain stretched outward beneath the open sky, uneven stone scattered among patches of dry earth. Tall trees surrounded the area, their branches swaying gently in the early wind.
Ye Xuan stood alone at the center.
Her expression was tense.
"System," she asked in her mind, "where can we find the Dao Fragment?"
There was a pause.
[System Response:]
[Apologies, Host. System functions are currently unavailable.]
Ye Xuan's brows furrowed.
"What do you mean unavailable? To recover, you said we must find a Dao Fragment."
[System Response:]
[Correct. However, due to damage, precise location functions cannot be accessed.]
Ye Xuan clenched her fists.
"Then what nonsense are you saying?" she snapped. "There are only eight hours left before the Heart of the World begins its evolution."
She glanced around sharply.
"If this place weren't so close to home, I wouldn't have come here at all."
The system flickered weakly.
[System Response:]
[Please remain calm, Host.]
[Although exact coordinates cannot be determined, residual detection indicates a Dao Fragment within a two-kilometre radius.]
Ye Xuan inhaled slowly, steadying herself.
Two kilometres.
And no guidance beyond instinct.
She lifted her gaze toward the forested horizon.
"Fine," she muttered. "Then I'll find it myself."
She stepped forward onto the rocky ground.
Suddenly—
A vast surge of demonic energy erupted from somewhere ahead.
It was violent, cold, and filled with malice.
Ye Xuan halted mid-step, her heart tightening as she turned sharply toward the source. That kind of aura was impossible to mistake. It crawled across her skin, whispering danger with every pulse.
She moved cautiously in that direction.
After several minutes, the scent reached her first.
Blood.
Then she saw it.
Between the trees lay a clearing stained dark red. Countless animals were strewn across the ground, their bodies twisted unnaturally, arranged with deliberate precision. Each corpse occupied a specific position, forming a grotesque formation etched into the earth with flesh and bone.
The air hummed faintly.
Demonic runes pulsed beneath the bodies, feeding on lingering resentment and death.
Ye Xuan's gaze hardened.
Then her eyes locked onto the centre of the formation.
There—
Resting atop a stone altar—
Was a broken, glass-like object.
It looked fragile, as if it might shatter at a touch, yet it radiated an ancient authority that made the surrounding demonic energy recoil. Fractured edges caught the light, reflecting countless distorted images.
Around it, golden inscriptions hovered in midair, rotating slowly, suppressing the demonic formation while simultaneously sealing something far more profound.
Ye Xuan's breath caught.
"That's it…" she whispered.
A Dao Fragment.
But before relief could settle—
She felt it.
This place was not abandoned.
Someone had created this formation.
And whoever they. they are very close.