After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

Ye Yaoyao stood in front of Taigu Temple once again, her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Qin Jingyu asked.

"When I came last time, there was a lot of golden light of merit, but now it's almost gone."

Apart from Ye Yaoyao, the two of them couldn't see any golden light of merit at all. Prince Ding was shocked, as this was not a good thing.

"Yaoyao, how could this happen? Did that thing escape?"

"Uncle, take us there to have a look first."

The mountain path that Prince Ding led them through was rugged and difficult to traverse, with sharp-edged stones underfoot that could easily cause them to trip.

The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, and thorns kept tugging at their clothes, so it certainly didn't look like anyone would come.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with the occasional call of an unknown bird adding to the sinister atmosphere.

"This is the switch. My father took me here before. When I was young, I almost opened the door and came in, but I managed to resist my curiosity."

When Prince Ding recalled the scene from that year, a look of relief appeared on his face.

In a very inconspicuous place, he moved several stones of different sizes, revealing a small groove underneath.

He took out a square object that looked like a stone from his pocket and carefully placed it inside.

"Uncle, open it slowly."

Ye Yaoyao suddenly spoke up, and the Prince of Ding's eyes were full of confusion.

"what happened?"

"Just in case, I'll go in alone. You guys stay away from here."

"No."

"No."

"No."

Three opposing voices arose simultaneously.

"Uncle, Brother Wang, Yaoyao and I will go in together. You wait for us outside."

"Prince Ding is waiting outside, I'll go in too." Knowing what's going on inside, how could Ye Xiumu possibly stay outside?

"That won't do. If we came together, we'll all go in together."

"Father, Uncle, why don't we go inside and you two wait for me outside?"

Ye Yaoyao wasn't sure if things were alright inside, so she decided to leave her two elders outside.

"I think it would be better if we went in together."

"Brother Wang, someone must be outside. It would be bad if someone accidentally barged in."

Prince Ding and Ye Xiumu exchanged glances, remained silent for a moment, weighed the pros and cons in their minds, and finally reluctantly agreed.

"Alright... then! If there's any danger, come out right away."

"Will do."

Qin Jingyu responded and then turned the mechanism. With a series of muffled "click-clack" sounds, the stone door slowly opened.

A cold wind carrying the scent of decay swept over them. Qin Jingyu took out the luminous pearl with one hand and held Ye Yaoyao tightly with the other, then stepped into the unknown darkness.

The passage was so narrow that it could barely allow two people to pass side by side, and they moved their feet slightly to the side.

After walking for a while, the road ahead gradually widened, and the space was no longer so cramped.

At the end of the secret chamber, where the passage ended, a hidden mechanism was found on the stone wall. Pressing it caused the stone wall to slowly separate to the sides, revealing the space inside.

Inside the spacious, enclosed chamber, eight stone pillars are arranged in a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern.

"The turbid air is sealed inside the stone pillar."

Ye Yaoyao walked over first, unaware that Qin Jingyu had closed his eyes, his face was slightly pale, and his head swayed heavily as if he were feeling unwell.

It was the foul air that was eroding him.

"This is bad. The barrier is too weak. The turbid air is slowly leaking out of the barrier. No wonder the golden light of merit from Taigu Temple is fading."

As Ye Yaoyao approached, she discovered that the eight stone pillars had been eroded to the point that a strong wind could blow them down and turn them into dust.

"Brother Yu, do you feel... uncomfortable?"

Just as she was about to ask Qin Jingyu if he was feeling unwell, she suddenly noticed that he was covered in sweat, with large beads of sweat rolling down his face.

At this moment, a violent rage arose in Qin Jingyu's heart for no reason. This evil thought drove him to rush forward regardless of everything and smash those stone pillars.

Qin Jingyu clenched his teeth and used all his strength to prevent the evil force from controlling his body.

Suppressing the discomfort, he forced out a few words through gritted teeth.

"I'm okay!"

"You should go a little further away first."

He is now just a mortal, and mortals cannot withstand the foul air.

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Qin Jingyu clenched his fists tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging from the force.

"Then be careful, don't go inside the stone pillar, I'll be fine."

Seeing this, Ye Yaoyao didn't delay any longer, ran into the stone pillar, and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Before them floated a large, dense mass of black mist in mid-air, like a trapped, ferocious beast twisting and turning, desperately trying to break free of the crumbling seal.

Ye Yaoyao could even hear the roar of the black energy.

Quickly close your eyes, concentrate your mind, and summon the soul hidden in the system.

Before long, Qin Jingyu saw a ball of golden light fly into the sky, its dazzling light illuminating the entire secret chamber.

Immediately afterwards, the ball of light slowly condensed into the figure of Ye Yaoyao, which looked illusory and transparent, before plummeting rapidly downwards.

Qin Jingyu's heart leaped into his throat, his eyes fixed on the falling figure.

He began to blame himself, thinking that he had presumptuously claimed to be the reincarnation of a deity, but in the end he couldn't help at all.

If he knew that the rule that immortals cannot interfere in mortal affairs was set by Feng Yu Shenjun, and that he hadn't left himself a way out, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.

The golden light shone on the black mist, and in an instant, like the sun melting snow, the color of the black mist began to fade slowly.

As the battle between good and evil unfolds, the once peaceful sky outside is suddenly covered with dark clouds.

Thick bolts of lightning, like dragons, darted through the area, followed by deafening thunderclaps.

It seemed as if the heavens and earth were vying for supremacy, resulting in this strange phenomenon.

Seeing the lightning flashing overhead and the thunder rumbling, Ye Xiumu, who was outside, couldn't stand it any longer and ran inside, followed by Prince Ding.

The thunder gradually subsided only after the dark mist completely dissipated, and everything returned to calm.

Qin Jingyu felt the violent energy within his body disappear and the cave return to darkness. He was extremely anxious and rushed into the stone pillar.

Ye Yaoyao lay quietly on the ground, her face as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

"Yaoyao, how are you?"

Qin Jingyu gently picked her up, his voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.

"I...I'm fine. I've just lost a part of my soul, so I'll sleep for a few days."

Ye Yaoyao weakly opened her eyes, forced a smile, and reached out to touch his face.

"Don't blame yourself. This was the trouble I caused. Fortunately, the hidden danger has been eliminated. I have finally completed my mission and can rest assured."

This was the first time Ye Yaoyao had seen Qin Jingyu so anxious and flustered. Knowing what he was thinking, she smiled and comforted him.

Although I really wanted to fall asleep, I was genuinely happy.

"Then let's go back."

Qin Jingyu carried Ye Yaoyao away, only to encounter two people who hurriedly entered.

"How is Yao Yao?"

Ye Xiumu looked at his daughter's pale face and closed eyes, and fear welled up in his heart.

"She said she was alright after losing one of her souls."

Qin Jingyu didn't want to hide it from them; if she became mentally impaired later, everyone should be prepared.