The Moon-Shattered Valley lived up to its name. As the second day of their exile began, the silver mist within the canyon thickened, swirling around the mouth of the hidden cave like a protective veil. Inside, the air was no longer just oxygen and nitrogen; it had become a heavy, viscous liquid of pure lunar essence.
Qin Feng sat cross-legged, his palms pressed against Ye Chen's. The "Eternal Eclipse" technique was unlike anything he had ever experienced. In the mines, cultivation was a lonely, painful struggle to hoard tiny scraps of energy. Here, it was a symphony.
[DING! Dual Cultivation Session in Progress...] [Resonance Rate: 88%] [Qi Conversion Efficiency: 400% — Bonus from 'Fated Partners' bond!]
Qin Feng could feel his own Qi, warm, golden, and rugged, merging with Ye Chen's energy, which was a cold, sharp, and elegant violet. When they touched, the two energies didn't clash. Instead, they spun around each other, forming a Taiji diagram of light that illuminated every corner of the cavern.
"Don't just watch the light, Qin Feng," Ye Chen's voice echoed in his mind, clearer and more stable than the day before. "Focus on the 'void' between the breaths. That is where the Eclipse resides. If you cannot master the void, the power will consume you."
Qin Feng gritted his teeth. He felt as if his meridians were being expanded by a rushing river. The pain was sharp, but the rewards were immediate. Every cycle of breath brought him closer to the limit of the mortal realm.
[Host Cultivation Level Up: 7th Layer Qi Refining!] [Host Cultivation Level Up: 8th Layer Qi Refining!]
His skin began to emit a soft, metallic glow. The grey dust of the mines was finally being purged from his pores, replaced by a crystalline purity. Beside him, Ye Chen was also changing. Her ragged clothes seemed to shimmer in the silver light, and the "Bone-Piercing" marks on her neck were slowly fading into faint, silver scars.
"I can feel them," Qin Feng whispered, his eyes remaining closed. "Beyond the valley. They're close."
"The scouts," Ye Chen replied, her voice regaining its melodic, imperial authority. "The Azure Sky Sect is efficient. They've used 'Blood-Seeking Hounds' to track the residue of the Bone-Piercing energy I left behind. We have less time than I thought."
Three miles away, at the edge of the Moon-Shattered Valley, a group of four figures moved with predatory grace. These weren't the bumbling guards or the arrogant outer disciples Qin Feng had faced before.
They wore silver-trimmed black robes, the mark of the Inner Disciples. At their lead was a woman with a cold, scarred face named Senior Sister Meng. She was at the 10th Layer of Qi Refining (Peak), just a step away from Foundation Establishment.
"The scent is strongest here," Meng said, kneeling to examine a frost-covered leaf. "The traitor's seal is leaking. But there's something else... another energy. It's warm, yet it resonates with the moon. It's... impossible."
"Senior Sister, the miner is just a 3rd Layer trash," one of the disciples scoffed, unsheathing a jagged short sword. "He probably died the moment he entered the forest. We're just here to collect the woman's corpse."
Meng stood up, her eyes narrowing as she looked toward the valley's entrance. "If he's dead, then who killed the Silver Enforcer last night? Who flash-froze a Foundation Establishment expert's Qi? Don't be fools. This 'trash' has a secret that the Sect Leader wants. Anyone who underestimates him will end up like Zhou, broken and useless."
She raised a hand, signaling her team to fan out. "Move in silence. If you see the miner, break his legs. We need him alive to tell us how he's suppressing the Empress's seal."
Inside the cave, the System's alarm began to chime in Qin Feng's mind.
[WARNING: 4 High-Level Hostiles detected within 1km.] [Combat Power Analysis: 3x 9th Layer, 1x 10th Layer.] [Current Status: Breakthrough to 9th Layer in progress (92%)...]
"They're here," Qin Feng growled, his body trembling with the effort of the breakthrough. "Ye Chen, I need to stop. I have to meet them at the entrance."
"No," Ye Chen commanded, her hands tightening around his. "If you stop now, the backlash will kill us both. The 'Eternal Eclipse' demands completion. Trust me, husband. Trust the bond."
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. A single, silver tear fell from her eye, dissolving into a mist of pure energy.
[DING! Spouse Skill Activated: 'Moonlight Sanctuary'] [Effect: Creates an illusionary barrier around the cave for 10 minutes.]
Outside the cave, the vines began to grow at an unnatural speed, weaving together to form a wall that looked exactly like the surrounding cliff face. The silver mist grew even thicker, dampening all sound and scent.
But Senior Sister Meng was no ordinary scout. She possessed a 'Spirit-Seeking Eye'. As she approached the hidden entrance, her left eye glowed with a faint green light.
"An illusion," she whispered, a cruel smile touching her lips. "Clever. But a 10th Layer expert sees through the lies of the weak."
She raised her sword, her Qi flared into a brilliant silver arc. "Break!"
The strike slammed into the vine wall. The illusion flickered, but it didn't shatter. The power of the Empress, even in her weakened state, was far beyond what a Qi Refiner could easily break.
"Again!" Meng shouted, her face twisting with frustration.
Inside the cave, every strike against the barrier felt like a hammer blow to Qin Feng's soul. He could feel Ye Chen's energy wavering. Her face was pale, her teeth drawing blood from her lip as she maintained the sanctuary.
I won't let her fall again, Qin Feng thought, a roar of fury erupting in his mind. I spent twenty years being the 'trash' people stepped on. Not today. Not ever again!
He reached deep into his dantian, grabbing the roiling mass of Qi and forcing it through the final, stubborn meridian.
[CRACK!]
The sound wasn't physical, but it echoed through the entire valley. A shockwave of golden and violet light exploded from Qin Feng, blowing back the sand and stones within the cave.
[DING! BREAKTHROUGH SUCCESSFUL!] [Current Level: 9th Layer Qi Refining!] [New Skill Unlocked: 'Eclipse Flash' — A dash attack that ignores 20% of the target's armor.]
Qin Feng stood up. He felt like a mountain. His muscles were lean and corded with power, and his eyes carried a terrifying depth. He looked at Ye Chen, who had slumped forward, her strength exhausted.
"You did your part," he said softly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Now, let the husband handle the trash."
He turned and walked toward the cave entrance. As he stepped through the illusionary vines, he didn't hide his presence. He let his 9th Layer aura explode outward, a violent storm of energy that sent the silver mist screaming away.
Senior Sister Meng and her disciples recoiled, their eyes widening in pure disbelief.
"Nine... Ninth Layer?" Meng stammered, her 'Spirit-Seeking Eye' twitching. "How? You were a 3rd Layer miner yesterday!"
Qin Feng didn't answer with words. He reached out and grabbed his rusted pickaxe, which was now humming with a violet, crystalline light.
"You're the ones who wanted to collect a corpse," Qin Feng said, his voice sounding like the grinding of tectonic plates. "Come and see whose corpse it will be."
He didn't wait for them to move. He activated Eclipse Flash.
In a heartbeat, he was in front of the first 9th Layer disciple. The man didn't even have time to raise his sword before Qin Feng's pickaxe tore through his Qi shield like it was wet paper.
CRUNCH.
One down. Three to go.