50: Chapter 50 If you want to live, listen to me.

When Shen Xiao's words landed, the black energy in the cave seemed to understand his provocation and suddenly expanded by a circle.

Lin Yun had just climbed up from the ground, half his body still hanging on the ice wall, a trail of black blood hanging from the corner of his mouth; that blood was not red, for after being eroded by the black tide, his blood was mixed with a decaying aura, and even the color had changed.

Upon hearing Shen Xiao's words, his eyes were as cold and vicious as if he wanted to flay someone alive, but he did not refute it.

Because he had no strength to refute.

The corrosion of that black energy on his demonized body was heavier than on Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai, as if it had found the most palatable prey and was frantically drilling into his pores.

He could feel the link to the heart of the demon emperor within his body being severed bit by bit, as if someone were slowly cutting his Divine Soul with a blunt knife.

Xia Lengbai stood on high ground, the composure on her face having completely vanished.

She looked down at her hands; the skin at her fingertips had begun to wither, like dehydrated old tree bark, shriveled and clinging to the bone.

She tried to mobilize her spiritual power to resist, but the moment it left her body, it was swallowed clean by the black energy, without even making a sound.

Her breathing became rapid.

This was the first time she truly felt the approach of death.

It was not because of battle, not because of an enemy, but because this cave itself was turning into a giant meat grinder, and she was merely meat on the chopping block.

Just then, a figure soared into the air from below.

Shen Xiao stepped on the crumbling rock wall to gain leverage twice, pouncing like a leopard onto the stalagmite where she was, his left hand gripping her wrist with such force that her bones ached.

"If you want to live, listen to me."

Xia Lengbai looked up at him.

At close range, she could see the blood on Shen Xiao's face had not yet dried, and the wound on his left shoulder was still seeping blood, but his eyes held not a trace of panic; instead, they were startlingly bright.

It was a look she had never seen on any Cultivator; it was not a desire for victory, nor a fear of death, but a near-instinctual ferocity of biting back in a desperate situation.

"Use your Ice Spiritual Power to form a vortex at the position I designate; do not defend." Shen Xiao's voice was very low, yet carried an unquestionable force, "Do not block it; tear it."

Xia Lengbai was stunned for a moment.

"Tear it?"

"This energy has a structure." Shen Xiao's gaze swept over the surging black tide below, his speech extremely fast, "It is not some Chaos power; it is a byproduct generated during the operation of the Blood Sacrifice Formation, with a flow, nodes, and patterns to follow. When you form the ice vortex, do not stand in front of it; insert it into the middle of its flow and let it tear itself to pieces."

Xia Lengbai stared at him for two seconds.

She was not sure if what Shen Xiao said was true or if he was spouting nonsense.

But she was certain of one thing: if she did not find a way, her life force would be completely drained by this black tide within thirty breaths.

She gritted her teeth and formed hand seals.

Ice-blue spiritual power danced in her palms, much weaker than before, but not yet extinguished.

Following the direction Shen Xiao pointed, she condensed the Ice Spiritual Power into a high-speed rotating air current, stabbing into the flow path of the black tide like a drill.

The moment the Ice Spiritual Power made contact with the black tide, it emitted a harsh, grating sound, like metal scraping against glass.

The surface of the ice vortex was rapidly melting, but at the same time, the flow trajectory of the black tide was disrupted by that rotating force, like a reef suddenly inserted into a river, causing eddies and backflows to appear in the current.

Shen Xiao did not stop to watch her operation; he had already turned his head to look at Lin Yun below.

"Lin Yun! Use that half-baked demon emperor Bloodline to draw this energy over!"

Lin Yun raised his head, his eyes so gloomy they could drip water.

"By what right do you command me?"

"By the fact that if you say one more word, that demonized flesh of yours will be peeled off your bones piece by piece by this energy." Shen Xiao's voice carried no emotion, "I don't want to cooperate with you either. But the fact is, I can't handle this situation alone, and neither can you. If you want to walk out of this cave alive, you must do as I say."

Lin Yun's fists clenched, making a rattling sound.

In his life, he had always been an existence looked up to by others and favored by the Heavenly Dao; he had never been commanded in such a tone by anyone, and this person commanding him was the very person he wanted to kill most.

But Shen Xiao was right.

He could feel the black energy infiltrating his bone marrow; that bone-chilling, decaying sensation had already spread to his chest. If this continued, he would be hollowed out from the inside by this energy before Shen Xiao even needed to act.

Lin Yun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then snapped them open.

He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the demon patterns in his palms.

Those demon patterns seemed to be ignited, emitting a dark red glow, and began to frantically devour the surrounding black tide energy—not resisting, but guiding, like a magnetic field, drawing the surrounding black tide toward himself.

The flow direction of the black energy began to change.

Originally, it was spreading indiscriminately in three directions, but under the guidance of Lin Yun's Bloodline, most of the black tide began to converge toward his direction, as if dragged by invisible chains, rushing frantically toward his body.

Lin Yun's body began to tremble violently; the demon patterns on the surface of his skin began to crack, and black blood droplets seeped out from the fissures.

He could feel his life force draining away at a terrifying speed, but he did not stop.

Because stopping meant death.

Meanwhile, Xia Lengbai's frost vortex took shape in front of Lin Yun.

It was a high-speed rotating ice ring with a diameter of about three feet, its surface condensed with deep blue cold air, emitting a shrill, piercing whistle under the impact of the black energy.

Every time the ice ring rotated, a layer of the black tide was torn off, floating in the air like shredded cloth, and then frozen into black ice crystals by the subsequent icy power, falling to the ground with a pitter-patter.

A strange balance appeared.

Lin Yun was like a giant magnet, frantically attracting the energy of the black tide.

Xia Lengbai's frost vortex was like a meat grinder, tearing frantically along the path of energy flow, stirring the originally orderly energy flow into pieces.

And Shen Xiao stood in the center of this storm, motionless.

But he was not dazed.

His pupils reflected the flow trajectory of spiritual power throughout the entire cave.

Those invisible energy lines were clearly outlined in his vision, like a map drawn in the dark with a highlighter.

This was the true use of the "Alchemy talent" he had plundered from Nangong Li.

It was not Alchemy.

It was analysis.

The essence of Alchemy was the microscopic manipulation of spiritual power and the sensitive perception of energy changes.

The success or failure of a Medicinal Pill depended on the alchemist's control over the delicate balance between three variables: heat, medicinal ingredients, and spiritual power.

And this kind of control, when applied to the analysis of Formations and energy flow, had the same effect.

Shen Xiao's gaze swept rapidly across the four walls of the cave.

In his vision, the black energy was not surging out without pattern, but was spreading up from the depths of the underground along three fixed "trajectories"; those were the ley line nodes of the Blood Sacrifice Formation, the Foundation that maintained the operation of the entire Formation.

As long as these three nodes were destroyed, the black tide would lose its source.

But the problem was, all three nodes were hidden deep within the stone walls, their surfaces covered by thick rock layers and Formation patterns; smashing them directly would be impossible.

That was why he needed Lin Yun and Xia Lengbai.

It was not that he really wanted them to cooperate to solve the black tide; that was a lie.

With their current combat power, even if they joined forces, they couldn't last a stick of incense.

What he wanted was for them to create a large enough area of energy turbulence to cover his own actions.

The moment the frost vortex tore open the black tide, Shen Xiao moved.

He did not rush toward Lin Yun, nor did he try to escape the cave, but instead charged fiercely toward the left stone wall.

His right hand had somehow acquired a rusty short sword, which he had scavenged from a dried corpse on the outskirts of the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons; it was of poor quality and couldn't even be considered a Magical Artifact, but it was sharp enough.

When the short sword pierced the first spot on the stone wall, there were no flashy special effects.

The tip of the sword sank about three inches into the rock layer, and then with a light flick, a fist-sized stone was pried off.

Behind the stone, a small hole the thickness of a thumb was revealed, and dark red light shone through the small hole.

That was the energy exit of the ley line node.

Shen Xiao did not hesitate; he stabbed the short sword backhanded, precisely into the small hole.

A low, muffled sound came from deep within the stone wall, as if something had snapped inside.

The black energy gushing out weakened by nearly half in an instant, and the flow began to become unstable.

Xia Lengbai stood on high ground, her pupils shrinking sharply.

She understood.

Shen Xiao having her form an ice vortex was never about her using Ice Spiritual Power to confront the black tide; the commotion of that ice vortex tearing at the black tide was too great—so great that the energy fluctuations of the entire cave were disrupted, and so great that no one noticed what he was doing on the stone wall.

He had used her as a cover.

The thought had barely flashed through her mind when Shen Xiao had already charged to the second node.

With the same operation, he stabbed his short sword in, pried open the rock layer, and destroyed it with precision.

A second muffled thud came, and the entire cave began to shake violently.

It was not the small tremors from before, but the precursor to a collapse caused by the destruction of the mountain's internal structure; rubble fell from the cave ceiling with a rustling sound, and cracks spread wildly across the rock walls in all directions like spiderwebs.

At this moment, the black energy lost control completely.

Having lost the support of two nodes, the remaining third node could not sustain the operation of the entire Blood Sacrifice Formation.

The black tide that had been gushing out madly was like a beast being strangled; it let out an invisible roar, then began to violently expand, contract, and expand again, like a heart about to explode.

Shen Xiao did not bother with the third node.

Because it no longer mattered.

He turned and lunged toward the widest crack in the ground, shouting to Xia Lengbai above: "Come down!"

Xia Lengbai did not hesitate.

She released her hand seal, jumped down from the stalagmite, and used a piece of falling rubble in mid-air to gain leverage before landing beside Shen Xiao.

"What are you trying to do?" Her voice was slightly hoarse; that previous maneuver had exhausted most of her spiritual power.

"Escape."

Shen Xiao uttered only this one word, then grabbed her wrist and dragged her as he jumped into the crack.

Xia Lengbai's pupils dilated sharply.

"Are you crazy?! That is..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar erupted behind them.

The third node had exploded.

It was not a small explosion, but a chain reaction caused by the rupture of the entire earth vein; the energy accumulated over ten thousand years in the Blood Sacrifice Formation lost control in an instant, like a bomb compressed for ten thousand years, detonating completely at this moment.

The shockwave swept out from the depths of the cave with destructive power, grinding everything in its path into powder.

The moment Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai jumped into the crack, the world behind them turned into a sea of incandescent light.

Deep within the crack was a narrow natural passage, like an old path left behind after an underground river had dried up; the walls were slick and covered in dark green moss.

When Shen Xiao landed, he bent his knees sharply to dissipate the force, rolling forward several times before coming to a stop; his back hit a protruding stalactite, making him wince in pain.

Xia Lengbai fared slightly better than him; upon landing, she used the last bit of her spiritual power to condense a thin layer of ice beneath her feet, sliding a distance before coming to a halt.

But her condition was also very poor; her face was pale as paper, the color had drained from her lips, and her fingers were trembling slightly.

She did not speak, only looked up at the sea of light rapidly collapsing at the entrance of the passage, a trace of lingering fear remaining in her eyes.

That leap just now—if she had been half a breath slower, she would have been completely swallowed by that explosion.

Shen Xiao climbed up from the ground, brushed the rubble off his body, walked over to her, and crouched down, his gaze meeting her eyes.

"Cooperation is over."

Xia Lengbai lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

"Now," Shen Xiao's voice was as calm as if he were discussing the weather, "you are my hostage."

Xia Lengbai's reaction was faster than he had anticipated.

She did not even show a look of surprise, merely curling the corner of her mouth slightly, as if she had heard a predictable joke.

"You went through such great lengths to save me, just to take me as a hostage?"

"You almost killed me just now." Shen Xiao's tone held no ripples. "Did you think this matter would just be let go?"

Xia Lengbai looked at him, silent for a moment, then slowly raised her hand, a fingernail-sized ice crystal condensing in her palm.

The ice crystal spun once at her fingertips before she voluntarily shattered it, turning it into a mass of white cold air that dissipated into the air.

"Fine," she said, "hostage it is. I have no spiritual power to fight you anyway."

Her tone was light, but Shen Xiao could tell that this woman was not admitting defeat.

She was merely trading concession for an opportunity to observe; she was waiting, waiting for a chance to bite back.

Shen Xiao did not give her that opportunity.

He stood up, kept a tight grip on her wrist, and turned to walk deeper into the passage.

Behind them came the rumbling sound of collapse; the entrance to the cave had been completely sealed by rubble, and thick smoke and dust poured out from the gaps, carrying a scorched smell.

They had walked only a dozen steps when a slight noise suddenly came from the corner ahead.

It was not the sound of rocks falling; it was someone walking.

Shen Xiao stopped immediately, pulled Xia Lengbai behind him, gripped the short sword in his right hand, and stared into the darkness ahead.

The footsteps grew closer.

Around the corner, a figure stumbled out.

He was covered in blood, half the demon markings on his face had already cracked, one eye was almost pasted shut with blood, while the other eye was so red it looked as if it were about to drip blood.

It was none other than Lin Yun.

He had actually survived as well.

The moment Lin Yun saw Shen Xiao,

"You're really something." His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from his throat. "Using me as bait to pave your own way."

Shen Xiao did not respond.

His gaze quickly scanned Lin Yun's condition: severely injured, spiritual power nearly exhausted, the link to the heart of the demon emperor completely severed; he could barely even stand now.

But precisely because of this, the current Lin Yun was the most dangerous.

A Child of Destiny on the verge of death is capable of anything.

Shen Xiao did not give him a chance to strike.

He released Xia Lengbai's hand, stepped forward, and slapped his palm against Lin Yun's chest.

This strike used no spiritual power; it was purely a physical attack.

But Lin Yun could barely stand, so he was slapped backward, flying through the air and crashing heavily to the ground, shattering several stones.

He did not stand up again.

Shen Xiao walked over to him, looking down at that face, once arrogant and now covered in blood and grime.

"You owe me a life," he said. "Next time we meet, I will come to collect."

Having said this, he turned, grabbed Xia Lengbai's wrist, and walked toward the deeper reaches of the passage.

Behind them came Lin Yun's hoarse laughter, intermittent, as if his throat were choked with blood.

"Shen Xiao... you think... you've won..."

"I tell you... this game of chess... from the very beginning... you never had a chance of winning..."

The laughter gradually faded amidst the roar of the collapse.

Shen Xiao did not look back.

He dragged the severely injured Xia Lengbai, moving quickly through the rubble-strewn passage.

The rock layer beneath their feet was still shaking, and debris fell from overhead from time to time; the entire Cave of Ten Thousand Demons was collapsing, like a solitary city about to sink to the bottom of the sea.

Xia Lengbai was dragged by him, half-walking, half-stumbling, nearly falling to her knees several times, but Shen Xiao did not slow down, nor did he stop to help her up.

He could not stop.

Although Lin Yun was severely injured, the Yao Race army would arrive soon.

Moreover, the commotion of that explosion just now was enough to alert everything still alive in the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons, including that old monster that had been sleeping for who knows how many years.

Xia Lengbai was jerked by him and stumbled, finally unable to help asking: "Where exactly are you going?"

"To find a place to hide."

"This is the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons—a Cave of Ten Thousand Demons that has collapsed by half; where can you hide?"

Shen Xiao did not answer.

His gaze passed through the dim passage ahead and landed on a stone door covered by vines.

The door was not large, only a little over a person's height; its surface was covered in ancient runes, but most had been eroded by the wind until they were blurry and indistinct.

Shen Xiao flicked his wrist and pulled a black token from his waist.

It was something he had fished out from the stone wall when he destroyed the second node—a token of unknown origin, with a blurry character "Seal" carved on its surface; it felt cold to the touch and faintly exuded an indescribable aura.

He pressed the token into the groove in the center of the stone door.

It fit perfectly.