Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Union of Yin and Yang

“By the way, you must remember, you are not allowed to reveal this king’s existence. That little fellow is extremely suspicious!” As the black shadow approached Li Yang, it paused in its steps, issuing a domineering warning.

“Yes… I absolutely wouldn’t dare reveal the presence of my senior,” came the hurried reply. At the very moment the voice sounded, Uncle Jiu felt a chill seep into his bones, so cold that he could only hasten to offer this assurance.

“It seems fate is inescapable. In this life, my immortal essence is destined to fall into the hands of you men. Still, you seem decent enough. Fine! I’ll let you have it.” Gazing at the golden skeleton at the center of the altar, wrapped within the Four Symbols Array, and feeling the other consciousness in her body struggle ever more fiercely, the black shadow frowned, swept her hand, and tore open a rift in space. She turned into a streak of inky light, carried Li Yang’s skeleton, and vanished inside.

Li Yang’s consciousness had already sunk into chaos. He felt as if he had become a caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon, struggling in vain, for no matter how he writhed, the shell around him would not loosen. In the darkness and confusion, there was no sense of time. He did not know how long had passed when suddenly a beam of silvery moonlight pierced through the cocoon, enveloping his whole being.

Bathed in that pure moonlight, Li Yang felt warmth suffuse his body; a tingling sensation spread between his bones, as if something was growing within him. Gradually immersed in that gentle numbness, his awareness drifted toward slumber.

When he awoke again, he had forgotten time and years, and could no longer recall what kind of being he had once been. Driven by instinct, he struggled free from his cocoon and broke through his shell, transforming into a tiny golden centipede, scarcely an inch long. In the wild, following primal urges, he hunted and grew.

In the haze of his consciousness, time had no meaning. Ages passed as sun and moon shifted, seas changed into mulberry fields. Through endless battles and constant foraging, the golden little centipede grew into a monstrous creature—six wings on its back, its body a thousand feet long.

No foe remained among the mountains. Any who dared oppose him became food in his belly. Until one day, the centipede felt this world too small, unable to contain his ever-growing power or satisfy his hunger for energy. Trusting his instincts, the golden centipede burrowed into space, escaping the world that confined him and entering the boundless cosmos.

And so, a six-winged golden centipede, a thousand feet in length, ceaselessly traversed the dark universe. With each beat of its wings, it leapt across countless lightyears.

“How... how familiar... I feel as if I’ve seen this scene before!” He did not know how many years he had drifted through the universe. Staring at the galaxy before him, a strange sense of recognition welled up in the golden centipede, as though he had witnessed such a sight long ago.

“Where... where have I seen this before... Yes... six-winged golden centipede... I am the six-winged golden centipede... No... I am... I am Li Yang... Ha! I remember now, I am Li Yang!”

As his consciousness awakened, the six-winged centipede stretching across the universe suddenly changed form, becoming a golden giant over eighteen feet tall, his body knotted with muscle. In another instant, the giant’s shape shifted into a handsome man—sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, towering nine feet in height.

“Uhh...”

As awareness returned, Li Yang gradually awakened, realizing a soft body was pressed against him, the faint fragrance and warmth nearly suffocating. He opened his eyes, still muddled, and saw a sea of white. His hand, resting on skin smooth as creamy jade, sent a shiver through his mind, snapping him fully awake.

“Ma... Madam! Wake up...” Staring at the delicate figure in his arms, Li Yang was utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what had happened.

“Ah... you’re still looking...” At the sound of Li Yang’s voice, Lady He also woke in a daze. Feeling the awkwardness and unfamiliar sensation, she looked down and saw herself lying naked atop Li Yang. In an instant, she understood what had happened.

Her face flushed crimson. Looking up, she met Li Yang’s enraptured gaze, and in a fit of shame and anger, she scolded him. Then, hurriedly feeling about for something, she glanced at the heap of ruined clothing not far away and quickly covered her chest with her hands.

“You... turn your head away!” But how could her small hands possibly hide her voluptuous figure? Seeing the longing in Li Yang’s eyes, she felt both a secret joy and a touch of embarrassment.

“Heh... Madam, there’s no need for this. There’s no one else around.” Li Yang grinned, making no move to avert his gaze despite her sharp tone.

“You... you still call me Madam...” Helpless at Li Yang’s shamelessness, Lady He felt a trace of sweetness in her heart as she replied in a soft, blushing voice.

“Yuehua...” Li Yang murmured her given name, then gently asked about what had transpired.

“I can’t remember exactly what happened. I just recall your entire body bursting into golden flames until nothing remained but a skeleton...” At this, Zhao Yuehua’s eyes flashed with lingering fear as she continued, “Afterward, Uncle Jiu’s senior appeared, and the two of them fought. His senior summoned a bolt of lightning and struck you with it. Then... then I passed out...”

As she recalled the scene, her face was filled with lingering dread and helplessness, arousing sympathy in others.

“Yuehua, it’s all over now...” Seeing Zhao Yuehua’s look of helplessness, Li Yang’s heart softened. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her in a low voice, then said, “From our surroundings, it looks like we’re in a temporarily formed spatial rift. Let’s go out and see what has happened.”

Surveying the void around them, Li Yang’s expression grew grave. The space was like a mirror, reflections glimmering in all directions, with no sense of up or down. In this realm, aside from himself and Lady He, the massive egg of the Furious Bright Chicken was also present.

“What is this?” Seeing a sheet of golden foil atop the giant egg, Li Yang frowned and picked it up. The foil felt soft and silky, yet it was neither gold nor jade. Tiny, grain-sized ancient inscriptions covered its surface.

“Elysian Spirit Dwelling!” These ancient characters dated back to the pre-Qin era, and Li Yang just happened to recognize them. The golden foil recorded a spatial-opening technique called the Elysian Spirit Dwelling.

Filled with questions, Li Yang spread his arms, gathered up both the giant egg and Zhao Yuehua, and with a flash, vanished from the space.

When they reappeared, they were back in a side room of the mountain manor. Manipulating the centipede’s innate powers came as naturally to Li Yang as breathing.

After changing clothes, the two stepped out into the courtyard, their faces paling at the chaotic scene before them.

“Madam... wuwuwu... I thought I’d never see you again!” At that moment, Jin Ling and Uncle Jiu entered the courtyard. Spotting Zhao Yuehua, Jin Ling burst into tears of joy and rushed over.

“Silly girl, see? We’re both fine,” Zhao Yuehua soothed her gently, holding the distraught girl close.

“Where’s Little Tuantuan?” Zhao Yuehua looked around the courtyard, her expression suddenly anxious.

“Don’t worry, Madam. When Li Yang went into seclusion a few days ago, I sent Little Tuantuan to be cared for at Master Ren’s house,” Jin Ling explained, then added, “Madam, where have you two been these past three days? We searched all over the back mountain for you and nearly died of worry.”

“I don’t know where we were, either. You’ll have to ask Li Yang...” Zhao Yuehua replied, a hint of shyness and embarrassment on her face as Jin Ling’s curiosity shone in her eyes.

“Uncle Jiu, do you know what happened that day?” Seeing the two women reunited, Li Yang wisely left them undisturbed and pulled Uncle Jiu aside.

“To be honest, my young friend, I meant to act as your protector that day, but I nearly caused you great harm,” Uncle Jiu said, his face filled with guilt. “Because of some internal sect matters, I had a dispute with my senior brother. He sought me out a few days ago, and nearly dragged you into our quarrel.”

“Are you speaking of Shi Jian? To tell you the truth, we already had a score to settle. It’s not your fault,” Li Yang replied, recounting what had happened at Teng Teng Town, though he glossed over the part where he threatened Shi Jian with his son, to avoid making Uncle Jiu uneasy.

“My senior brother has always been competitive. It’s no surprise he’d act like this. This time, I’ve already sent him to the Maoshan ancestral court to be dealt with by our master. I doubt he’ll cause you further trouble,” Uncle Jiu said, looking both embarrassed and weary.

“That puts my mind at ease. But do you know what else happened afterward?” Li Yang was somewhat surprised Shi Jian had come during his breakthrough, but not shocked; it was his own carelessness. He’d known from their last encounter that Shi Jian would compete with Uncle Jiu for the Underworld God’s position, but hadn’t expected it to affect himself.

Li Yang had never wished to meddle too much in Uncle Jiu’s fate—everyone’s life is their own, and so he had gradually forgotten the matter, chalking it up to fate.

“After that, I went after my senior brother. As for what happened here, I’m afraid I don’t know...” Uncle Jiu, seeing Li Yang’s questioning look, glanced around nervously, his eyes finally landing on Zhao Yuehua, which startled him into speech.

“Oh... that is rather odd then...” Li Yang realized Uncle Jiu must know something; after all, it was impossible that he and Yuehua would appear in a spatial rift out of nowhere, let alone with the Furious Bright Chicken’s egg and the mysterious spatial technique. But since Uncle Jiu was reluctant to say more, Li Yang did not press him.

“If you are unharmed, then I shall not overstay my welcome,” Uncle Jiu said, glancing at Zhao Yuehua and recalling the ghostly phenomena and the tyrannical, cold black shadow from three days prior. Despite his experience, the memory made him shudder; the oppressive aura and soul-deep dread had left an indelible shadow.

“If you have things to attend to, I won’t keep you,” Li Yang replied, surveying the devastated courtyard. He knew there would be much to take care of in the days ahead.

...

A month later, atop the peak behind the mountain.

The altar had been transformed into a massive Four Symbols Spirit Gathering Array. At its center lay the giant egg, shrouded in vast streams of solar essence.

Li Yang sat cross-legged beside the egg, facing east. With each breath, tides of immense energy surged and ebbed, casting a glow across his face.

Above his head hovered a phantom six-winged golden centipede. As Li Yang breathed, its form shifted—sometimes dissolving into golden mist, sometimes coalescing into a lotus blossom, sometimes forming an auspicious golden cloud.

“Inhale...” With a deep breath, Li Yang’s body seemed to become an endless black hole, devouring all the visible streams of energy around him. The auspicious cloud above his head sank into his crown.

“Ha... transform!”

A thunderous roar escaped his lips as his eyes snapped open. Golden mist swirled around him, and in a blur, his form twisted, transforming into a six-winged golden centipede, ten zhang in length.

“Hahaha...”

He opened his maw and unleashed a torrent of golden breath, engulfing a distant mountain peak.

“What a marvelous power!” he exclaimed, his voice booming like thunder as the mountain vaporized beneath his breath.

“Spatial Slash!”

With a sweep of his six wings, a violent storm erupted. Suddenly, several pitch-black rifts appeared in the air, cleaving into the flank of another mountain.

Where the rifts passed, the summit—over thirty feet high—collapsed in an instant, the surface left glass-smooth.

“Hahaha... what a wondrous power indeed!” Li Yang marveled at the might of his new abilities. His form twisted through the air—now a golden giant, now arms turning to centipede legs, now three pairs of wings sprouting from his back—as he reveled in his transformations.

“Heaven and Earth Manifestation!”

With another great shout, Li Yang unleashed the golden toad’s divine power to its utmost. His body swelled in the wind, becoming a giant a hundred meters tall, his skin marked with copper coin patterns.

Fortunately, the place was remote, deep in the mountains, or else his antics would have caused an uproar.

“Rise... ka-ka-ka... rumble!!”

On a whim, Li Yang grasped the nearby mountain and heaved upward with a mighty roar. The earth shook as he gradually shouldered the colossal peak.

“Rumble... huff, huff... I can’t go on!” After just a short while, the giant’s face turned beet red, veins bulging on his forehead. He tossed the mountain aside and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.