27: Chapter 27: True Feelings Take Root, First Dual Cultivation

Detoxifying was like walking a tightrope; every step was perilous.

The "Nine Nether Cold Evil" within Su Qianxue was more troublesome than Ye Fan had anticipated. This sinister Evil Qi had existed for a century, having long since entangled itself with her Meridians, bones, and even her Divine Soul. Each time he stripped it away, she would tremble with pain, and Ye Fan had to remain fully focused.

Inside the formation, the black and white currents of Qi shifted constantly. Su Qianxue's clothes were soaked in cold sweat, her face deathly pale, and she had bitten her lower lip until it bled, yet she did not utter a sound.

Ye Fan was struggling just as much! The Yin-Yang Two Qi within his body poured into Su Qianxue's continuously. He had to maintain the grand circulation while simultaneously performing delicate operations. If not for the Yin-Yang Dao Body's natural mastery over energy, he would have collapsed long ago.

The cold poison seemed to possess a faint sentience; when being stripped away, it would instinctively burrow toward vital points like her heart meridian and Sea of Consciousness, attempting to drag her down with it. Detoxification could only be done slowly—ever so slowly.

One hour, two hours passed.

Su Qianxue's Mystic Yin Spiritual Power gradually became pure and active, like a thawing spring stream. Although her aura was chaotic due to the pain, its essence was growing stronger. Meanwhile, the Nine Nether Cold Evil was stripped away and gathered by Ye Fan, thread by thread, forming a jade-green ball of Evil Qi deep within her Dantian, sealed by the black and white Qi—this was the root of her century of suffering.

The moment the last wisp of the Evil Qi root was extracted—hum!

Su Qianxue's entire body shuddered, as if she had cast off a heavy burden. A sense of satisfaction, stemming from the instinct of life, erupted forth.

"Ah—" She finally could not help but let out a repressed moan.

Spiritual Qi from all around surged into her, and her aura began to skyrocket: Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, Late-stage Foundation Establishment, Peak Foundation Establishment! A century of suppression released in an instant was unstoppable.

However, just as she instinctively charged at the Golden Core Stage Bottleneck, an unexpected change occurred.

The jade-green ball of Evil Qi sealed within her Dantian suddenly struggled, violently battering against the Seal. Su Qianxue, immersed in the pleasure of the Breakthrough, reacted a beat too slowly. The aftershocks of the Evil Qi's impact triggered her massive Mystic Yin Spiritual Power, showing signs of backlash.

"Not good!" Ye Fan was shocked!

If he let the Evil Qi break the Seal or the Spiritual Power backlash, not only would all previous efforts be wasted, but at best, Su Qianxue would lose hope of reaching the Golden Core Stage, and at worst, she would suffer Qi Deviation.

In this critical moment, a flash of sternness crossed his eyes, and he made a risky decision.

He stopped reinforcing the Seal and stopped interfering with the chaotic Spiritual Power. Instead, gritting his teeth, he channeled his own Divine Sense and the last wisp of his most pure Yin-Yang Dao Body Origin Qi, following the contractual connection between them, and blasted it into Su Qianxue's body.

This time, it was no longer simple guidance. It was the fusion of water and milk, a resonance of Yin and Yang.

"Su Qianxue! Focus your mind, calm your heart, and guard your Dantian! Follow my guidance, harmonize Yin and Yang, and break through to the Golden Core Stage together!" Ye Fan's deep voice exploded within her mind.

At the same time, his wisp of Origin Qi instantly engulfed Su Qianxue's mind, merging seamlessly with her Mystic Yin Spiritual Power.

Su Qianxue instinctively resisted for a moment, but when Ye Fan's calm and vast aura made contact with her Spiritual Power, an indescribable and profound feeling spread throughout her body—her bone-chilling Mystic Yin Spiritual Power did not repel him; instead, like parched earth meeting sweet rain, it emitted a joyful resonance.

The chaotic Spiritual Power quickly calmed down, forming a grand Yin-Yang circulation with their combined Spiritual Power as the core.

Ye Fan's Yang-attribute Spiritual Power was on the outside, guiding and protecting. Su Qianxue's Mystic Yin Spiritual Power was on the inside, being purified and strengthened. Their Divine Senses also produced a subtle resonance; Ye Fan could clearly see every detail within her body, while Su Qianxue seemed to touch his Yin-Yang Dao charm.

Even more wondrously, amidst this Yin-Yang resonance, that jade-green ball of Evil Qi was like ice under a scorching sun; it was rapidly neutralized and refined, transforming into pure Yin-attribute energy that merged into Su Qianxue's Spiritual Power, becoming fuel for her charge toward the Golden Core Stage.

The obstacles were removed, and the Spiritual Power flowed smoothly.

Su Qianxue experienced a flash of inspiration. Under the guidance of Ye Fan's Dao charm, her comprehension of the "Mystic Yin Dao" instantly broke through its critical point. She no longer needed guidance, and her mind sank completely into enlightenment.

Spiritual Qi from beneath the ground gathered frantically; crystals shattered, and the dark river surged. Within her Dantian, the vast liquid True Essence began to collapse and condense, and the phantom of a pill radiating an ice-blue luster slowly took shape.

The condensation of the Golden Core was happening at this very moment.

Ye Fan slowly withdrew most of his guidance, keeping only the basic connection. At this moment, a pure and massive force of Mystic Yin Origin Power, accompanied by the Heavenly Dao feedback from Su Qianxue's Breakthrough, poured continuously back into his body through the Spiritual Power channel.

This was the Heavenly Dao feedback, as well as a complementary gift of the Mystic Yin Origin.

Ye Fan felt a cool and comfortable sensation flow through his entire body. His cultivation, which had already half-stepped into the threshold of the Golden Core Stage, felt the Golden Core Bottleneck loosen violently under the impact of this pure Yin energy. His Yin-Yang Dao Body operated frantically, pushing his cultivation to also charge toward the Golden Core Stage.

For a time, in the underground Secret Realm, one person was surrounded by a burst of ice-blue light as the Golden Core phantom gradually solidified, while the other was surrounded by circulating black and white Qi, their aura rising steadily.

The first Dual Cultivation thus occurred, unexpectedly yet inevitably. There were no romantic desires, only the resonance of the Dao, the fusion of Spiritual Power, and the entrusting of life and death to one another.

The seeds of sincerity were quietly sown at this moment.

However, just at the moment when both of them had entered the most critical stage of their Breakthrough and their perception of the outside world had dropped to its lowest point—

Outside the formation, that wisp of jade-green, venomous aura that had been watching for so long suddenly erupted. It transformed into a poisonous needle as fine as cow hair and as fast as lightning, silently piercing through the Talisman light screen, shooting violently toward the vital point of Su Qianxue's back!

At the same time, the sound of water being broken came from upstream in the dark river, and several powerful auras filled with greed and murderous intent were rapidly approaching.

The greatest crisis was not within, but outside; the hunters had arrived at the door.