Jiang Li helped Cang Yaochen sit against a jagged rock. The blood on his lapels had not yet dried, and every breath he drew was accompanied by a slight tremor. Despite his state, he reached up, his fingers trembling as he wiped a smudge of mud from her cheek. "The debris field is just ahead," he whispered. "The Abyssal Mirror fragment should be there."
Before the words fully left his lips, a series of piercing screeches tore through the mist. Three Bone-Eroding Demons lunged from behind the rocks. Their grey-black claws, coated in a sickly green glow, aimed straight for Cang Yaochen. Their hunger for Buddha Qi was so insatiable that they completely ignored Jiang Li.
Cang Yaochen forced himself up, leaning heavily on his bamboo pole. Just as a flicker of golden light gathered at his fingertips, the Calamity Ash recoiled with savage force. He groaned, fresh blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Seizing the opening, a demon pounced, its talons inches from his shoulder.
"Get back!"
Without a second thought, Jiang Li threw herself in front of him. As she clenched her fists, the Turbid Qi within her erupted uncontrollably. For the first time, she consciously—yet desperately—unleashed this power. Black mist swirled around her arms like sentient vines. When the demon's claws collided with the mist, a foul black smoke hissed into the air. The creature let out a soul-rending shriek as its talons were corroded down to the white bone in an instant.
Cang Yaochen's pupils constricted.
He sensed something terrifying—the energy radiating from Jiang Li was cold, predatory, and diametrically opposed to Pure Qi, yet it suppressed demonic entities with surgical precision. Even more unsettling was its resonance with the Blood Sand Mark he had planted. Is the mark awakening her true essence? he wondered. It seems Li'er is far more than just a bearer of my Karma.
"Stand back!" Cang Yaochen suppressed the agony of the backlash. He swept his bamboo pole in a wide arc; though the Buddha light was faint, it was enough to repel the wounded demons. "I will purify them."
As the light in his palm grew, a cold, mechanical voice resonated in his mind:
[Ding! High-concentration Turbid Energy detected. Conflict with Host's Buddha Qi is escalating Calamity Ash backlash.]
[Triggering Mission: Choose One of Two]
Extract the Turbid Source from Jiang Li (Blood Sand Resonance Body): Will suppress Calamity Ash and loosen the seal on the Asura by 10%.
Devour the Bone-Eroding Demons with Demonic Intent: Convert the Turbid Qi while maintaining your Buddhist nature. Reward: Temporary 30% boost to Buddha Qi.
Cang Yaochen paused. He looked at Jiang Li, who was still locked in combat; the black mist draped over her arms like silk, protecting her rather than harming her. He spoke inwardly, his voice cold: "Option Two."
[Warning! Choosing to devour will temporarily force the True Buddha Godhead into a near-death dormant state. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
The Buddha light exploded with a brilliance far beyond anything seen before. Cang Yaochen closed his eyes and began chanting a sutra. The light flowed out like a golden river; wherever it touched, the demons dissolved into nothingness amidst their agonized screams. But as the external threat vanished, the Calamity Ash within him went berserk, clawing at his internals. He spat a mouthful of gore onto the dirt, his body swaying, held upright only by the grace of his bamboo pole.
Having finished off the last demon, Jiang Li rushed to his side. "Monk! Talk to me!"
"It is... nothing," he gasped, the golden light receding into his pale skin. "The corruption is purged. The fragment..."
In the center of the debris, a silver shard embedded in a stone slot began to glow. To their surprise, it drifted toward Jiang Li, drawn by the lingering black mist on her arms. As she reached out, the Blood Sand Mark on her finger burned white-hot, fusing with the silver radiance.
VROOOM—
The moment her fingers closed around the shard, a fragmented memory flooded her mind: A desolate battlefield, a figure clad in black wielding a longsword amidst a sea of monsters. On that figure's brow was a mark identical to her Blood Sand Mark.
The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Jiang Li with a splitting headache. She gripped the fragment, noting how its silver glow now pulsed in perfect rhythm with the mark on her hand.
"Are you alright?" Cang Yaochen supported her trembling frame, his eyes filled with genuine concern.
"I'm fine," she lied, pushing the vision aside. "We have it. We need to go."
As they turned, heavy footsteps approached. Lin Yuan appeared at the entrance of the clearing, flanked by two disciples from the Discipline Hall. His expression was unreadable. "Jiang Li, Cang Yaochen. So, you actually secured the fragment."
"Senior Brother Lin," Cang Yaochen stepped forward, shielding Jiang Li. "The rules of the trial permit competition. We claimed this fairly."
Lin Yuan glanced at the blood on Cang Yaochen's chest and the darkness lingering in Jiang Li's gaze. "I am not here to steal it. The Elders sensed a disturbance in the forest and sent me to investigate." He paused. "I found Wang Zilong. His Life-Wheel is shattered. He has been taken back for judgment."
Jiang Li remained silent, her grip tightening on the shard. She noticed Lin Yuan's gaze lingering on it.
"Since you are here to investigate, we shall take our leave," Cang Yaochen said flatly.
"Wait." Lin Yuan blocked their path. "That fragment resonates with you. They say the Abyssal Mirror reflects the past; perhaps it holds the key to your secrets." He took a breath. "The Elders are deeply interested in this piece. If you hand it over, the sect will reward you with the Cleansing-Tribulation Grass and a residence on Spirit-Gathering Island."
Jiang Li's heart leaped. The Cleansing-Tribulation Grass! She looked at Cang Yaochen, whose eyes were fixed on her, searching.
"I will give you the shard," Jiang Li declared, her voice ringing with authority. "But I have conditions. I want the Cleansing-Tribulation Grass now. I want two residences on Spirit-Gathering Island—I am living there with him." She pointed at Cang Yaochen. "And you will provide the finest pills available. His injuries cannot wait."
Lin Yuan blinked, taken aback by her audacity. He looked at the frail monk, then at the fierce girl, and finally sighed. "Very well. I will take you to receive the grass and medicine now. As for the dual residence, I will speak to the Elders."
As the mist cleared, sunlight finally pierced the canopy. Jiang Li held the fragment tightly while supporting Cang Yaochen as they followed Lin Yuan toward the sect gates. She knew that surrendering the shard was a temporary move; the secrets within the mirror and the ash within Cang Yaochen required her to grow stronger—fast.
Cang Yaochen watched Jiang Li from the corner of his eye. So many failed to pull that shard, yet it came to her. It requires a power of the same source to be drawn out. But what is Li'er's true origin? Why do I feel a trace of 'Evil'... and why does the mark I gave her not reject it, but rather... embrace it?
[Ding! Mission Complete. Conversion successful. Buddhist Nature maintained.]
[Warning! The True Buddha Godhead is entering a near-death dormant state. Host must find a secure environment to meditate immediately.]
Cang Yaochen ignored the system's frantic warnings. He leaned into Jiang Li's shoulder as they walked. The silver light of the mirror and the red glow of the mark intertwined like an invisible tether, binding two entwined fates together.
Lin Yuan, walking ahead, felt the jade pendant at his neck grow warm. He sensed that the meeting of these two would bring an upheaval to the Xuanying Sect that no one could foresee. What he did not know was that the patterns on the Abyssal Mirror had already begun to memorize Jiang Li's soul...