Chapter 13: The Hidden Catalyst
The cave had become unnaturally quiet.
Only the distant roar of the waterfall remained.
Han Feng stayed motionless in the darkness, his back against the cold stone wall.
Across the chamber, the mysterious chrysalis continued to glow.
Gold.
Black.
Gold.
Black.
The two energies moved through it in an irregular rhythm.
Yet neither overwhelmed the other.
Han Feng narrowed his eyes.
"Incomplete..."
He whispered the word again.
Something was missing.
He was certain of it now.
The Gu wasn't simply sleeping.
It was changing.
Its internal structure was slowly reorganizing, as if it were preparing to undergo a transformation.
But the process had stopped halfway.
Like a flame lacking enough fuel.
Han Feng shifted his gaze toward the Mist Wolf.
The beast was lying beside the chrysalis.
Its eyes were closed.
Its breathing was slow.
Yet Han Feng could clearly see thin strands of blue Qi leaving its body.
They entered the chrysalis.
The Gu absorbed them.
Then returned a portion of the energy.
The process repeated.
Again.
And again.
Han Feng watched for several minutes.
"So you're nurturing it."
That alone was strange.
Spiritual beasts rarely formed relationships with Gu unless there was some benefit involved.
But the Mist Wolf wasn't simply guarding the chrysalis.
It was feeding it.
And judging from the beast's exhausted appearance...
It had been doing so for a long time.
Han Feng frowned.
"Why?"
There had to be a reason.
He carefully expanded his spiritual perception.
The answer came slowly.
The chrysalis was consuming the wolf's Qi, but it wasn't keeping all of it.
A large portion was being transformed.
Purified.
Then returned.
The wolf's spiritual energy became more stable with every cycle.
Han Feng's eyes widened.
"So that's the exchange."
The Gu was helping the wolf.
The wolf was helping the Gu.
Neither could complete the process alone.
A perfect cycle.
But there was still something wrong.
The transformation wasn't progressing.
Han Feng focused on the chrysalis.
Its two energies were constantly moving.
One followed a stable pattern.
The other was chaotic.
The two forces met.
Separated.
Then met again.
But they never truly merged.
Han Feng's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that pattern.
He had seen it inside his own Gu.
The Dual Chaos Larva.
"Could it be...?"
Han Feng slowly closed his eyes.
He connected his consciousness to the Dual Chaos Larva.
The small Gu responded immediately.
A faint pulse traveled through his body.
The chrysalis reacted.
Light suddenly erupted from within it.
Han Feng opened his eyes.
The glow lasted only for an instant.
Then vanished.
But it was enough.
Han Feng's expression became serious.
"They're compatible."
Not identical.
Not connected.
Compatible.
That distinction mattered.
The Dual Chaos Larva wasn't the missing piece.
But it could interact with the chrysalis in a way the wolf's Qi couldn't.
Han Feng began thinking.
Perhaps the Gu didn't need more energy.
Perhaps it needed something that could balance the two energies inside it.
And that was something the Celestial Diagram could do.
But there was a problem.
Using the diagram directly would expose his presence.
Worse...
It could accelerate the transformation beyond his control.
Han Feng looked at the chrysalis.
He wanted to understand it.
But curiosity could become a man's greatest weakness.
If he acted recklessly, he could lose the Gu.
Or worse...
He could lose control of the entire cave.
Han Feng slowly exhaled.
"Not yet."
Patience.
That was the safest path.
He would observe.
Learn.
Then act.
But before he could continue his thoughts—
A faint sound came from the cave entrance.
Footsteps.
Han Feng's expression changed.
The people from outside were entering.
He immediately activated the Art of the Celestial Veil.
His aura disappeared.
The Mist Wolf raised its head.
Its ears moved.
It had heard them too.
Han Feng looked toward the beast.
The wolf looked back.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the beast stood.
Its body became tense.
The blue markings beneath its fur began to glow.
Han Feng raised one finger to his lips.
A ridiculous gesture.
The wolf obviously didn't understand it.
But somehow...
It remained silent.
A few seconds later, voices echoed through the passage.
"Careful."
"There should be a chamber ahead."
Han Feng recognized the language.
The accents weren't from Misty River Village.
That alone made his expression change.
These weren't villagers.
They were outsiders.
Another voice spoke.
"According to the map, the formation should be nearby."
Han Feng's pupils contracted.
A map?
So they knew about the cave.
This wasn't coincidence.
They had come looking for something.
He slowly moved toward the wall.
The ancient formations remained inactive.
The chrysalis was hidden beneath the shadows.
The Mist Wolf stood between Han Feng and the entrance.
For the moment...
Everything was concealed.
Then three figures entered the chamber.
The first was a middle-aged man carrying a short sword.
His clothes were dark gray.
The second was a young woman with a small jade pendant hanging around her neck.
The third...
Was a boy.
Perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old.
Han Feng immediately noticed his cultivation.
Higher than Zhao Kun.
Much higher.
The young man looked around the chamber.
"Strange."
The middle-aged man frowned.
"What?"
"The formation should be active."
The young man walked toward the stone platform.
Han Feng's heart tightened.
He had touched that platform earlier.
Could they sense his interference?
The young man crouched down.
His fingers brushed across the stone.
Then his expression changed.
"Someone has been here."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
The woman looked toward him.
"Recently?"
The young man nodded.
"Very recently."
Silence.
Han Feng's hand slowly moved toward his weapon.
The middle-aged man looked around the chamber.
"Search everything."
The three began moving.
Han Feng remained perfectly still.
The Art of the Celestial Veil hid his aura.
But there was another problem.
The mysterious chrysalis.
If they found it...
Everything would change.
The young woman suddenly stopped.
Her eyes fell upon the ground.
A faint trace of blood remained on one of the stones.
Han Feng's blood.
His expression became cold.
The woman crouched.
She touched the blood with one finger.
"Someone was injured."
The middle-aged man looked toward the passage.
"Then they haven't gone far."
Han Feng's mind began calculating.
Three enemies.
One significantly stronger than him.
Two unknown.
The cave had only one obvious exit.
Fighting them directly was suicide.
Running was difficult.
And leaving the chrysalis behind wasn't an option.
Then Han Feng noticed something.
The Mist Wolf.
The beast was staring at the three intruders.
Its body was tense.
But it wasn't attacking.
It was waiting.
Han Feng looked at the ancient formation beneath its feet.
Then at the broken shackle.
Then at the chrysalis.
An idea formed.
Dangerous.
But possible.
The Celestial Diagram pulsed inside his consciousness.
One of its six points began to glow.
Han Feng's expression hardened.
He finally understood something.
The catalyst wasn't necessarily an object.
It could be an interaction.
A balance between opposing forces.
The wolf.
The chrysalis.
His Dual Chaos Larva.
And the Celestial Diagram.
Four pieces.
But he didn't know what would happen if they were connected.
And he certainly didn't intend to find out with three strangers standing nearby.
Han Feng slowly clenched his fist.
The intruders were approaching.
The wolf was preparing to move.
The chrysalis was beginning to glow.
And the Celestial Diagram was responding.
Everything was converging.
Han Feng whispered so quietly that even the Mist Wolf couldn't hear him.
"Just a little longer."
He wasn't ready.
But the situation didn't care.
The next few minutes would determine whether he left this cave with a new secret...
Or became another corpse buried beneath the Misty Mountains.