Chapter 137: The Final Spiritual Artifact

Perhaps sensing Yinyao's inner thoughts, Silver Fox's gaze lingered upon her. At this moment, as the reinforcement of the barrier entered an increasingly crucial phase, Wang and Li did not open their eyes, affording Silver Fox this opportunity.

A mother and daughter share a telepathic bond.

At that exact moment, Yinyao slowly opened her tightly shut eyes, locking gazes with Silver Fox's haggard eyes. Her own eyes involuntarily turned red, moistening slightly at the corners.

Clearly her mother was right before her eyes, yet she could only gaze across the barrier, unable to touch or reach her! She could only blame her own strength for being too weak! Unable to face Wang in a direct confrontation! When all was said and done, she was still too weak!

Silver Fox looked at Yinyao calmly, revealing no excessive emotion in her eyes, yet it was precisely this tranquil expression of Silver Fox that caused Yinyao to shed a heartbroken tear!

Neither of them spoke first; they simply looked at each other. As Yinyao's tear fell, Silver Fox finally broke her composure. Gone was her placid expression; she grew somewhat anxious, the eyes looking at Yinyao filled entirely with worry. At a time like this, her primary concern remained Yinyao, completely forgetting that she herself was a prisoner.

"Yao'er, my Yao'er," Silver Fox whispered silently, pressing against that small space.

Seeing Silver Fox's expression, Yinyao shook her head, signaling her not to move anymore. Silver Fox's body bore scars of varying depths—not inflicted by Wang, but the result of the backlash from her relentless attempts to break through the barrier over the past six years! She thought of escaping every single second of the day.

Silver Fox nodded, a tear also involuntarily slipping down her cheek. She opened her mouth toward Yinyao, motioning for her to read her lips. Yinyao nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.

Perhaps sensing the faint sorrow radiating from around Yinyao—no matter how well she concealed it—it could not escape Ji Xuanyu's perception. Slowly opening his eyes, Ji Xuanyu looked at Yinyao and saw that she was silently communicating with Senior Silver Fox. Remaining silent, Ji Xuanyu simply watched the exchange between the two.

"Yao'er, I don't know how you managed to sneak in here, or how Wang ended up selecting you and bringing you here, but I believe your arrival here is also an arrangement of fate! Since fate has allowed me to catch sight of you, it means hope has been given to me! I know you want to rescue me, but this barrier can only be shattered from the inside; it cannot be destroyed from the outside."

"Therefore, whether I can get out depends entirely on myself! But you need not worry too much. Seeing you has shown me hope, and even if I have to risk my life, I will find every possible way to get out! This time, Wang wants to utilize the strength of you three young people to reinforce the barrier and prevent me from breaking through it."

"My power has already recovered, and for some reason, starting a month or two ago, my strength suddenly surged and began growing at a rapid pace. It is precisely because of this that Wang grew anxious and utilized this selection process. Your power can be used to undermine the reinforcement of this barrier!"

"This barrier was originally constructed jointly by several seniors of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan and Wang, and as a result, it repels the power of the White Fox clan. I was born into the White Fox clan, and no doubt your power also belongs to the White Fox lineage! Later, when you channel your energy, secretly mingle the spiritual energy exclusive to the White Fox clan within your own power. Be careful—you must be extremely cautious not to be discovered!"

Watching Silver Fox's lips move earnestly and reading her lip movements, a trace of a smile appeared on Yinyao's face. Fortunately, her mother could still be saved! As long as she could channel the spiritual energy exclusive to the White Fox clan inside, it would inevitably cause the power of the barrier to weaken once again. By then, relying on her mother's strength, she would definitely be able to break out from within!

Yinyao smiled through her tears and nodded. At the same time, she extended her right hand, and a strand of pure spiritual energy manifested in her palm. Seeing Yinyao's actions, Silver Fox also smiled with deep gratification: Yinyao was no longer the little girl who needed her to plan everything and protect her.

"Next, I ask everyone to draw forth a wisp of your vital essence, blend it into your respective energies, and channel it into the barrier," Wang's voice rang out, sounding somewhat excited! No doubt this step was of paramount importance!

Knowing full well that the vital essence of her White Fox clan would be easily detected, Yinyao deliberately drew out an additional wisp of vital essence belonging to the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. She purposefully left her movements open so that this aura would disperse widely, and then secretly slipped the White Fox vital essence in among it.

Wang opened his eyes slightly and glanced toward Yinyao's position, not expecting that this wandering cultivator Yinyao also happened to belong to the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. He figured it must be a twist of fate—perhaps something specially arranged for him by the heavens!

Having lost all misgivings, Wang closed his eyes once more, wholeheartedly plunging into the task of reinforcing the barrier. Aside from Ji Xuanyu and Silver Fox, no one else noticed the subtle movements in Yinyao's hands.

Watching Wang let down his guard and relax, Silver Fox suddenly wanted to laugh. Wang could never have imagined that the very person he deliberately brought in first to help reinforce the barrier would ultimately turn out to be the one to truly destroy it! How ironic and tragic.

Tracing the contours of Yinyao's youthful face, Silver Fox sank into her memories: Now that her daughter had arrived on the Primordial Continent, she must have experienced many trials! Now she ought to make some concrete plans. In the past, she merely harbored the notion of wanting to escape, but now it would no longer remain a mere thought—she would definitely make it a reality! And she still had to go find her husband...

The reinforcement of the barrier was a complete success. Overjoyed, Wang wore a much broader smile on his face, thinking to himself that these three young youths were indeed quite remarkable. Judging by the power they had channeled during the reinforcement process, he could deduce that all three had attained at least the strength of the Void Emperor Realm! Such talent was exceedingly rare!

Every face was wreathed in smiles. Wang simply assumed the others were happy because the task was successfully completed. As for Silver Fox's smile, he temporarily chose to ignore it; this woman occasionally behaved inexplicably—she might have long since gone mad, yet her power was truly terrifying, forcing him to treat her with caution!

Beneath Yinyao's smile lay a trace of a lucky escape. Thank goodness Wang had not noticed. She eagerly awaited the moment when the barrier would be compromised and her mother would break through—the expression on Wang's face then promised to be wonderfully colorful!

"Remain here. After seven days, you may come out for a breath of fresh air. During these seven days, if you have any needs, simply inform Li, and he will relay them to me. I shall trouble you all for the coming seven days!" With that, Wang departed in high spirits!

Seeing Wang completely leave, Yinyao let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, Li walked over and said, "Everyone, the next task requires each of you to guard one corner. After seven days, we will be able to go out. I must ask everyone to follow my arrangements over the next few days."

"Everything shall be subject to Senior Brother Li's command."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother Li, we will certainly follow your instructions!"

"Let us each return to our respective positions! Senior Brother Li need not worry; in order to leave on schedule, we will definitely be careful!"

...

"Yin, we are now lacking only one Water Spirit. We are about to sneak into the Dragon clan's territory, aren't we?" Lisu was still dressed in white as he looked at Yin walking a short distance ahead, speaking in a soft voice.

After a month, they had finally tracked down the Air Spirit. That had cost them no small amount of effort, though fortunately, the Air Spirit did not belong to the territory of the Four Great Clans, so they had only spent some time finding it. The Water Spirit, however, was hidden within the Dragon clan, and was also a treasure coveted by them!

It was just unfortunate that these spiritual entities possessed spiritual consciousness and were not so easily captured; they would only follow those who truly needed them!

"Mm, let's hurry up! This time I'm afraid it won't be quite so simple! We'll also have to deal with certain members of the Dragon clan, which won't be as easy as simply hunting down the Air Spirit!" Yin turned back and offered a gentle smile. It was already nighttime, and she was currently in her human form rather than that of a small white fox...

Yin's stride was athletic, and her speed exceptionally swift. It was evident that she was in extreme haste. In recent days, during the daytime, Yin would transform into a small white fox and fall directly into a deep sleep, refusing to wake up unless something special occurred! As soon as her human form returned, she would recklessly accelerate her journey! Infected by Yin's urgency, Lisu had no choice but to quicken his pace as well!

To accommodate Yin's resting schedule, Lisu generally rested during the day as well. If Yinyao were to find out, she would surely mock him for living on American time! Yet Lisu had noticed that Yin had become increasingly frantic over the past two days. To save some unnecessary time, Lisu simply shortened his own rest periods, carrying Yin as they rushed toward the Dragon clan's territory.

Lisu's actions were not lost on Yin; her heart melted with warmth, yet she uttered no words of gratitude! Saying more at this point was utter nonsense. If they failed to find these seven spiritual entities within the prescribed time, she and Yinyao would be forced into a choice of one or the other!

Only by finding them, successfully refining them, and rendezvousing with Yinyao within the allotted time could they achieve a win-win outcome; otherwise, none of them would have an easy time!

"Lisu, let's hurry. I know you're curious, but for now I can only tell you that we must be fast, or we won't make it in time! We only have the last fifteen days left. If we still haven't found them all within this half-month, the resulting situation will certainly not be something you wish to see!" Yin did not explain the details to Lisu, but she made clear the urgency of time and the gravity of the situation!

Lisu nodded with a faint smile, lowering his head, though a hint of bitterness lingered at the corners of his lips: After all this time, Yin was still unwilling to tell him everything. Was he truly so unworthy of Yin's trust?

Recalling Yin's reckless, death-defying drive when they were hunting for the Air Spirit, Lisu felt a sudden, sharp contraction in his heart—it hurt so much! For the sake of the Air Spirit, she could throw away her life, disregarding physical and mental exhaustion, ignoring severe injuries, thinking only of acquiring the Air Spirit sooner!

Every spiritual entity was guarded by a spirit beast. Although they had the experience of Lisu's elders to guide them, injuries were unavoidable, yet she acted as if she couldn't even feel them! Lisu had even wondered whether Yin lacked the very concept of pain! Was this still the Yin he had known before?

Was this still the Yin he had first encountered upon arriving at the Primordial Continent? Back then, she was gentle and meticulous, but now she seemed on the verge of losing her patience! He understood; he knew that time was pressing, but he simply couldn't bear to watch Yin push herself so desperately! Why was she in such a hurry?! What on earth was the matter, that it could torment someone usually so poised and calm almost to the point of losing her patience?

Watching Yin stride forward like flying, Lisu's eyes were filled with heartache! Since Yin was unwilling to speak, he could not force her. The only thing he could do was keep up with her pace and rhythm, helping her achieve her wish sooner! Only then would she be able to slow down her pace and wait for him to catch up!

Yin could not afford to scatter her attention right now; she could only temporarily avoid looking into Lisu's eyes. From some unknown point in time, she had suddenly grown afraid of meeting Lisu's gaze, terrified of accidentally catching the worry and concern within them—so pure and selfless! She did not want to break his heart!

Only Yin knew in her heart that she was not Yinyao; she could not become entangled with Lisu! If Lisu were to discover that the person accompanying him day and night was not the one he loved, but merely a stranger who looked identical to his beloved, what would he think? He would probably hate her!

Without her, Lisu would surely have rushed off to search for Yinyao long ago, rather than lingering here to help her find those spiritual entities! By what right did she deserve this?

It was simply that upon accidentally seeing him injured that day, a flash of compassion had stirred within her. Remembering his devotion to Yinyao back on the Barren Continent, she had wanted to use him to gain the assistance of the Lisu family, and also to borrow his strength to help herself track down the spiritual entities more quickly!

Unaware of Yin's inner thoughts at that moment, Lisu simply watched as the Yin ahead abruptly accelerated, increasing her speed by yet another notch. Left with no choice, he quickened his pace to keep up helplessly.

A tear slipped from the corner of Yin's eye, flashing briefly in mid-air. Something crystalline flickered ahead, and the next second a slight coolness brushed against her cheek. Lisu reached out to touch his own face—it was moisture. He mused that it was perhaps just the night dew.

...

"Yinyao, Senior Silver Fox said the barrier would shatter silently bit by bit. You said five days have already passed, so why hasn't there been the slightest movement yet?" Ji Xuanyu closed his eyes to rest, communicating with Yinyao via soul transmission.

Yinyao, who had kept her eyes closed all this while, opened them upon hearing Ji Xuanyu's doubt. She looked toward the square space at the center. Indeed, over these past five days, there was not the slightest sign of the barrier shattering; on the contrary, it appeared to be growing stronger in power, which left Yinyao extremely perplexed. Yet whenever she asked Silver Fox, Silver Fox simply told her not to worry.

"Don't worry, the time just hasn't come yet." Yinyao looked at the barrier, pondered for a moment, and ultimately relayed her mother's exact words to Ji Xuanyu.

Helpless, Ji Xuanyu could only nod.

Over the past five days, Silver Fox had not forcefully broken through the barrier even once. She sat cross-legged within the barrier, regulating her breath and circulating her vital energy. The pallor on her face had gradually receded, replaced by a trace of ruddy color, and her aura had also steadied considerably. It seemed that just before Yinyao and the others arrived, Silver Fox must have made another desperate attempt to breach the barrier!

Looking at Silver Fox, who no longer launched frontal attacks, Li felt torn, unsure whether to feel glad or worried.

If Silver Fox had given up upon seeing the barrier grow stronger, that would indeed be something to celebrate. But if Silver Fox had spent these past few days recuperating her body and storing up her power, that would spell trouble! Even though the barrier's strength had increased, the innate spiritual power belonging to Silver Fox as a Spirit Maiden would allow her to grow even faster! What he feared most was the latter possibility!

"Yao'er, today is the fifth day, isn't it?" Her mother's voice suddenly rang beside her ear. Startled, Yinyao looked up toward the barrier and saw Silver Fox smiling at her.

It seemed Silver Fox's power could now penetrate the barrier; she was already capable of soul transmission! Looking at Silver Fox, Yinyao nodded. "Yes, the fifth day! In two more days, I'll be able to get out!"

Sensing the sorrow in Yinyao's tone, Silver Fox smiled gently. "Rest assured, you needn't worry about my affairs. Just wait to leave together with your mother when the time comes."

"What?!" Yinyao jerked her head up, nearly letting out a gasp of utter shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Silver Fox, however, transmitted no more words. With a faint smile, she closed her eyes once again and resumed her breathing exercises.