: The Yin Spirit

Xin Ruyin smiled and sincerely congratulated her, "Congratulations, sister, on successfully forming your core."

Yan Ruyan's voice was clear and melodious, and her gaze was gentle. "I've succeeded by sheer luck. Judging from your pure aura, it shouldn't be long before you break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

For her, the short time it took to form the Golden Core far exceeded her expectations.

When he was in Tiannan, the elders of the clan calculated his journey and determined that it would take nearly thirty years.

Unexpectedly, the task was completed more than twice as early as today.

Tianxing City is rich in spiritual energy, far surpassing the so-called blessed lands and grottoes of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

What's even more remarkable is the peace of mind that comes from breaking free from the cutthroat, precarious environment.

With all mental shackles removed and no more worries or anxieties, spiritual practice can proceed so smoothly and swiftly.

Yan Ruyan pondered carefully; her speed in forming her core was even faster than the time recorded in ancient texts for cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots to break through to the Core Formation stage.

A Core Formation cultivator who was not yet forty years old.

If this were placed in the southern region, and those old guys found out, they'd be absolutely stunned!

It can be said that as long as he doesn't encounter a war, achieving the Nascent Soul stage in the future is almost a certainty.

Xin Ruyin smiled slightly, her white robes fluttering gently in the wind.

"It's too early. By the way, how long will your lifespan be after you break through to the Core Formation stage, sister?"

The dark black dress accentuated Yan Ruyan's radiant skin.

Upon hearing this question, she slowly replied, "In terms of lifespan alone, the Core Formation stage generally lasts around five hundred years. If one can diligently cultivate without ceasing and advance all the way to the later stage, and if the cultivation method focuses on nourishing life and prolonging life, it is not impossible to extend one's lifespan to seven hundred years."

Upon hearing this, Xin Ruyin frowned slightly.

The slight comfort brought by the two hundred years of lifespan gained from breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage vanished in an instant.

A sense of urgency washed over me once again.

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan's eyes flashed with a strange light, and she continued to explain, "If one can break through to the Nascent Soul stage again, one's lifespan will increase dramatically to around 1,200 years. If one truly has a great opportunity and reaches the legendary Divine Transformation realm..."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of remoteness, "That lifespan is two thousand years, two thousand years... For mortals, that is the time it takes for dozens of dynasties to rise and fall, enough to turn the ocean into mulberry fields, but for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it may just be a long period of seclusion, with spring coming and summer going, and the four seasons turning, truly 'a thousand years is but a sigh of autumn.'"

Xin Ruyin remained silent.

"Indeed, in just eight years, one has successfully established his foundation and the other has successfully formed his core."

A voice suddenly rang out, startling the two women into waking up in fright.

They activated their divine senses almost simultaneously, instantly sweeping across the entire cave's corridors, halls, and even the corners of the quiet rooms.

However, wherever the divine sense reached, apart from the layers upon layers of the ever-flowing aura of restriction that blocked some of the investigation, the perception was empty, with no human presence or figure.

His eyes darted around quickly, but everything was normal, quiet, and there was nothing unusual.

illusion?

No, absolutely not.

Although the thought of whether it was Senior Lu flashed through their minds, they quickly dismissed it.

The tone carried a hollow, ethereal echo, as if it came from nothingness.

It's completely different from Senior Lu's voice.

How could someone have sneaked in here so quietly?!

And they know such detailed information.

Startled, the two moved swiftly, standing back to back in an instant, each forming a hand seal, and a point of spiritual light suddenly shone from their fingertips, their six senses fully awakened.

His spiritual energy was gathering momentum, ready to be unleashed, waiting for that mysterious voice to sound again.

Only then did they notice a cloud of mist beginning to float up in the distance.

Its shape resembles a human, yet it is ethereal and uncertain, and its colors flow like ink.

Yan Ruyan and Xin Ruyin stared intently at it. Although they didn't know what it was, it seemed more like a spirit.

With so many restrictions in place, how could any ghost cultivator possibly sneak in?

As expected of a young lady from a family of cultivators, Yan Ruyan raised one hand and a magical artifact for exorcising evil spirits, the "Soul-Stabilizing Bell," flew out of her storage bag.

With a flick of the finger, the bell vibrated slightly, and a visible, transparent ripple spread out, causing the air to churn violently.

The humanoid "cloud" shifted its appearance before finally coalescing into the likeness of Lu Jianghe.

With a gentle wave of his illusory arm, the ripples vanished without a trace.

"Not bad, your reaction was quite timely."

The ethereal voice rang out again, filled with approval.

Xin Xinruyin and Yan Ruyan stared at the face before them, formed from clouds and ink, that looked exactly like Lu Jianghe. For a moment, they were in a daze and could not believe their eyes.

"Senior Lu, what's wrong with you?"

Xin Ruyin tentatively spoke, her tone filled with surprise and doubt.

Could it be that something went wrong during your seclusion?

"This is a manifestation of one of my Yin spirits; my true body is still in seclusion within the alchemy chamber."

Lu Jianghe then materialized into a form resembling ink painting, standing before the two women, and spoke.

Yan Ruyan let out a long sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing, replaced by deep admiration.

"Senior Lu's supernatural powers are unfathomable, capable of manifesting such a mysterious being. It was only then that I lost my composure."

Although Xin Ruyin did not understand the Dao of the Soul as well as Yan Ruyan, she still tried to comprehend it and said:

"Senior Lu, is this... a manifestation of a portion of your divine consciousness that you separated out?"

Could it be that Senior Lu also practices the secret arts of the Ghost Path?

Lu Jianghe seemed unwilling to explain in detail to them, but simply continued.

"You can think of it as a part of my true self, or as an external avatar, or a wisp of a soul. You can interpret it however you like. It is me, but not entirely my true self."

Lu Jianghe's Yin God was only formed for the first time.

Perhaps due to the distinct boundaries between heaven and earth, its overall form does not convey a somber and gloomy feeling, but rather presents a mottled artistic conception like an ink painting, with colors shifting between black and gray, hazy and mysterious.

Although it is newly formed, it has already possessed all the divine qualities that a Yin spirit should have.

Passing through walls is effortless, like an illusion, unrestrained and bound by heaven and earth, night is like day, and one can travel thousands of miles in a single thought.

However, such manifestation does not come without a cost.

Under the bright daylight, forcibly forming a physical form consumed his pure cultivation power every second, like fine sand flowing through his fingers.

Curious, Xin Ruyin took a few steps forward and reached out her hand, wanting to touch it.

However, before the fingertips even touched it, a chill spread from the fingers to the whole body, instantly raising goosebumps.

Lu Jianghe, the Yin God, laughed and said, "The so-called Yin God can also be regarded as a ghost or spirit. If a living person gets too close, he will naturally feel a chill."

Hearing this, Yan Ruyan couldn't help but feel curious and took a few steps closer.

Reaching out to get closer, I felt a distinct chill when I was about three feet away. Although it wasn't as biting as Xin Ruyin's, it still sent shivers down my spine, and I unconsciously pulled my hand back a little.