20: Chapter 20 Clues

The witch looked at Daoist Wangchuan warily. "What is your stance now?"

"Seeking the truth," Daoist Wangchuan replied. "Chu Yang's choice has made me reconsider many things. If the soul of samsara can truly exist in another form, then perhaps it is time for me to let go of the obsession I've held for years."

The witch remained noncommittal, but Qing Luo suddenly spoke up. "He's not lying."

The witch looked back, and Qing Luo added, "I can tell if a person is lying."

Daoist Wangchuan looked at Qing Luo. "A Spirit Eye possessor? Rare indeed."

Bi Luo asked hesitantly, "Master, if it wasn't you who planted the Restriction, then who was it?"

"Those from the Dark Prison are skilled at imitation," Daoist Wangchuan explained. "They might have approached you disguised as me."

As they were speaking, Bi Luo suddenly let out a muffled groan and clutched her chest. Black energy began to spread through her body.

"This is bad," Daoist Wangchuan's expression changed drastically. "The Seal of the Dark Prison has been activated!"

The witch asked urgently, "What do we do?"

"We must find the formation core as soon as possible and extract the Yin Qi to save her," Daoist Wangchuan said. "Otherwise, her soul will be drained away."

Qing Luo pointed deep into the valley. "I can feel it, there are strong soul power fluctuations over there!"

The four of them quickly moved toward the center of the valley. Bi Luo's condition was worsening, and the black energy had already spread to her face.

"Hold on," the witch said, supporting Bi Luo. "We're almost there."

Bi Luo nodded with difficulty, but suddenly pushed the witch away. "Watch out!"

A bolt of black light shot out from the mist, hitting the exact spot where Bi Luo had been standing.

"Who goes there?" Daoist Wangchuan shouted.

The mist dispersed, and one of the Men in Black stood before them, holding a soul mirror. He was one of those who had attacked Bi Luo earlier.

"Daoist Wangchuan," the man in black sneered, "you've come too."

Daoist Wangchuan said in a low voice, "You of the Dark Prison are far too arrogant."

"Arrogant?" The man in black laughed loudly. "If you hadn't stolen our master's secret art of samsara, why would we be hunting souls everywhere?"

Daoist Wangchuan's face changed color. "Nonsense! I have never stolen any secret art!"

"Still refusing to admit it even now?" The man in black sneered. "It seems we'll have to wait until your soul is extracted for interrogation before you'll tell the truth."

With that, he raised the soul mirror and aimed it at Daoist Wangchuan.

The witch suddenly struck, firing a bolt of blue flame at the man in black. He raised the mirror to block it, and the blue flame was reflected, hitting a nearby tree which instantly turned to ash.

"The witch's blue flame?" The man in black was surprised. "It's said that it hasn't appeared for six hundred years."

The witch sneered, "It seems you know quite a lot."

The man in black grinned. "Of course. We in the Dark Prison collect more than just souls; we collect all sorts of secrets. For instance..." He looked at Bi Luo. "The Seal of the Dark Prison inside you was tailor-made specifically for you."

Bi Luo was furious. "Why are you targeting me?"

"Because you are Daoist Wangchuan's disciple," the man in black said as if it were obvious. "Capturing you is the same as capturing him."

Daoist Wangchuan was beyond furious. "Despicable!"

The man in black was indifferent. "In the face of absolute profit, what means are not acceptable?"

As he spoke, he suddenly formed a hand seal. The black energy inside Bi Luo surged, and she fell to her knees in pain.

"Stop!" the witch shouted.

"Want to save her?" The man in black sneered. "Unless you can find the formation core of Yin Yang Valley within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn and retrieve the soul bead, she is surely dead!"

After saying this, the man in black turned and vanished into the mist.

Bi Luo curled up in agony, the black energy nearly covering her entire body.

"Master..." she said with difficulty.

Daoist Wangchuan knelt down. "I'm here."

"If I don't make it through," Bi Luo said weakly, "please promise me one thing."

"Tell me."

"Do not seek revenge," Bi Luo said, looking at her master. "Hatred only brings more hatred."

Daoist Wangchuan's eyes filled with tears as he nodded in agreement.

The witch looked at Qing Luo. "Can you feel where the formation core is?"

Qing Luo closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then suddenly pointed southeast. "Over there! There's a powerful soul power fluctuation!"

Without stopping to rest, the four of them dashed in the direction Qing Luo pointed. Midway, Qing Luo suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" the witch asked.

Qing Luo looked uncertain. "I feel... a familiar aura."

"Whose aura?"

Qing Luo shook her head. "I can't say for sure. It's like the voice that calls to me in my dreams."

The witch's heart stirred. "Is it Chu Yang?"

Qing Luo was unsure. "Possibly. The aura is very faint, but it feels very warm."

As they continued forward, the mist gradually thinned. An open space appeared ahead, with a stone platform in the center covered in runes.

"The Yin Yang Platform!" Daoist Wangchuan exclaimed. "This is where the formation core is!"

The four of them rushed forward. The stone platform was shaped like a Bagua, and in the center of the platform was a black and white bead the size of a fist, slowly rotating.

"The soul bead!" Daoist Wangchuan pointed at the bead. "Retrieve it, and the Seal of the Dark Prison can be broken."

The witch reached out to take it, but was repelled by a force.

"There's a Restriction," Daoist Wangchuan explained. "It needs to be cracked."

Bi Luo was already in too much pain to speak, the black energy nearly obscuring her eyes.

Daoist Wangchuan pondered for a moment. "This formation requires someone with balanced Yin and Yang to crack it."

The witch asked, "What is a person with balanced Yin and Yang?"

"It's someone whose internal Yin and Yang energies are in equilibrium," Daoist Wangchuan said. "Back then, it was because of this constitution that Chu Yang was able to comprehend the Dao of Yin and Yang."

Qing Luo suddenly stepped forward. "Let me try."

"You?" The witch was doubtful.

Qing Luo nodded. "The voice in my dreams told me I could do it."

Daoist Wangchuan looked closely at Qing Luo. "Interesting. This girl truly has balanced Yin and Yang. No wonder she possesses Spirit Eye."

Qing Luo took a deep breath and placed her hand on the soul bead. Miraculously, the soul bead did not reject her; instead, it emitted a soft glow.

"Turn it," Daoist Wangchuan instructed. "Three times clockwise, three times counter-clockwise."

Qing Luo did as she was told. The soul bead's light intensified, and it suddenly jumped into her hand.

At the same time, the black energy on Bi Luo's body receded like a tide, gathering into a mass before dissipating into the air.

"It worked!" The witch looked at the gradually recovering Bi Luo in pleasant surprise.

Bi Luo opened her eyes weakly. "I... am I okay?"

Daoist Wangchuan helped her up. "The danger has been temporarily averted."

Qing Luo looked at the soul bead in her hand and was surprised to find it began to change shape, turning into a beam of light that entered her body.

"This is..."

"It has recognized its master," Daoist Wangchuan explained. "The soul bead has its own spirit; it chooses someone whose aura harmonizes with it."

Qing Luo felt the changes within her body. "I feel... like I can see more things now."

She looked around and suddenly pointed to the center of the stone platform. "There's something there!"

Everyone looked and saw a line of words appearing on the stone platform: 'Yin and Yang return to one, the soul returns to the source.'

"This is..." The witch frowned.

"It's Chu Yang's handwriting!" Daoist Wangchuan confirmed. "This is a clue he left behind."