Chapter Sixty: The Dark Shadow

This is still a jungle, but not the one where Yu Qi fled earlier.

The previously quiet brushwood now made a faint rustling sound as two figures stepped out from within.

They were a man and a woman.

Although their clothes were stained with considerable dirt and their hair was somewhat disheveled, it could not conceal their striking appearances.

The man was refined and handsome, while the woman looked like a celestial maiden, forming a perfect pair of golden youths.

These two were precisely Mu Qingnan and Dong Yun.

Under Yu Qi's cover, they had escaped to another part of the forest, wandering within it for a full day before finally emerging.

"We're finally out." Mu Qingnan let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the surroundings, which were no longer choked with dense foliage.

He looked back at the jungle behind him, his hands clenching tightly. "I wonder how big brother is doing now."

"Rest assured, Yu Gongzi's strength is so great, he will be fine." Dong Yun could only offer such words of comfort, though in her heart, she was also deeply worried about the benefactor who had allowed her to avenge her great enmity.

Yet she also knew that with their current strength, even if they went back to look for Yu Qi, they would likely be of no help.

Looking at the path ahead, Dong Yun felt a sudden sense of bewilderment.

Previously, her mind had been entirely consumed by thoughts of revenge; now that her great enmity was settled, she had no idea where she should go.

"Where are we going next?" Dong Yun looked toward Mu Qingnan.

Mu Qingnan sighed. "Dong Yun girl, your matters are already settled, and you can go live elsewhere. I must return home and find people to rescue big brother."

There was no inherent need for Dong Yun to experience these dangers alongside them; indeed, after achieving her revenge, she could have departed immediately.

Dong Yun herself had once pondered this very question, but after spending these past few days together, she had unexpectedly grown fond of the time spent in their company. She wanted to leave, but her heart was reluctant to part.

Hearing Mu Qingnan's words, anger suddenly flared in her chest. "What kind of talk is that? Yu Gongzi could actually have left you behind to escape alone, but he didn't do so precisely because he didn't want the Vulture Sect people to harm me. He can be considered my benefactor as well. Do you take me for someone cold-blooded and ungrateful who doesn't know how to repay a kindness?"

The more Dong Yun spoke, the more agitated she became, her body stepping closer to Mu Qingnan step by step until he was forced to take a few steps back. A flash of determination appeared in her eyes. "Since you're going to rescue Yu Gongzi, I am going with you."

Mu Qingnan nodded helplessly. He truly did not want to drag a young girl into life-and-death perils with them, but seeing her utter persistence, he had to say, "Very well then. First, come back with me to summon reinforcements."

***

Nameless Manor.

Yu Qi stood frozen in place before this bizarre spectacle, dumbfounded for a moment.

It was only when his stomach let out a rumble that he snapped back to his senses. Remembering that he was ravenously hungry, he had no choice but to eat his breakfast.

As soon as he finished eating, the room seemed to reject him entirely. An intangible force arose from his back, pushing Yu Qi out, and then, with a creak, the door slammed shut once more.

"What on earth is going on here!"

Yu Qi felt as though he were losing his mind. Right now, he felt like someone's captive pet, constantly being toyed with.

Panic was clawing at his heart. It was bad enough that he couldn't get out, but to be kept in a state of constant terror day after day by some mysterious force—if this continued any longer, he would surely go mad.

Creak!

The sound of the main door opening drifted over once more, and Yu Qi looked toward the source.

He discovered that the door opening this time was not one of the other rooms, but the completely sealed attic.

Looking in from the outside, it was pitch black within, resembling a giant, gaping maw waiting for Yu Qi the prey.

Though it made his hair stand on end, Yu Qi still walked toward it.

By now, he more or less understood that this manor must be controlled in secret by some mysterious force, and he probably only had a hope of escaping if he followed the path designated by the other party.

Arriving before the pitch-black doorway, Yu Qi calmed his emotions and then stepped inside.

The door behind him closed once more.

The first sensation that struck Yu Qi was a stench—a stench so foul it was nauseating.

At that exact moment, the candle holders embedded in the surrounding walls suddenly flared to life. Although the light was dim, it was sufficient for Yu Qi to clearly see the first floor of this attic.

There were no decorations inside; it was completely empty. In the center of the space stood an exquisitely crafted high platform with neat, square sides, carved with clusters of maple leaves upon its surface.

Around this stone platform lay dozens of skeletal remains, scattered haphazardly about. Illuminated by the dim firelight, they appeared exceptionally eerie, and the nauseating stench he had smelled earlier clearly emanated from these bones.

"Could all of them be people who broke in here?"

Some of these skeletons had already decayed due to the passage of vast stretches of time, while others remained remarkably sturdy, the most recent ones likely having perished only a few years ago.

Boom!

A loud crash echoed out.

A massive force erupted from around the stone platform, crushing toward Yu Qi from three directions.

If Yu Qi were struck by this force, his body would likely be pulverized into dust in an instant.

The only direction he could evade toward was forward, and directly ahead of him lay the stone platform.

To preserve his life, Yu Qi had no choice but to take a step and leap onto the stone platform.

The moment his fingertips touched the stone platform, the surrounding force retreated like a receding tide, vanishing without a trace.

"What on earth do you want?" An expression of annoyance could not help but surface on Yu Qi's face. He was currently treated like a lab rat, manipulated at the other's whim without the slightest capacity to resist.

In response to Yu Qi's roar, the manor made its reply.

Four intangible walls of Qi abruptly rose around the edge of the stone platform, completely sealing Yu Qi within.

Yu Qi touched them, only generating ripples across their surface; with his current strength, he was utterly incapable of cleaving through these walls.

Directly before him, vortices of energy suddenly began to condense, swirling as if an invisible, gigantic hand were stirring the air, whipping up gusts of wind.

The vortex in front of him grew larger and larger, revealing glimmers of darkness at its center, resembling an alternate space.

Yu Qi could faintly perceive that within that darkness, a figure was slowly walking out.

With a solemn expression, Yu Qi grasped the demonic seed in his hand, his eyes locked dead on the center of the vortex.

Finally, the vortex ceased its rotation, the darkness slowly receded, and a shadowy figure roughly matching his own height gradually materialized.

Upon appearing, the dark shadow made no movement at all, merely standing quietly in place.

Although the figure was pitch black all over, Yu Qi could sense that it was watching him.

At that moment, within Yu Qi's dantian, a wisp of pitch-black aura slowly crept onto the evil seed, gradually enveloping it.

Meanwhile, on the dark shadow before him, the blackness began to dissolve from the bottom up, revealing a pair of cloth-shod feet.