Chapter 200: Chapter 199: The Spring’s Eye Boils, Breaking the Yin Yang Immortal Lock

On the seventh floor, the heavily injured Jingyue collapsed to the ground. "Ah, we’re finally back. We’re safe now."

Su Qi asked worriedly, "What about our other junior sisters? Will they be okay?"

Jingyue shook her head. "I don’t know. I told them to meet on the fifth floor and hide. They should be fine.

Besides, the Mist on the sixth floor was no joke. If that attack hadn’t suddenly exploded and blasted a path through it, we might not have found our way back."

Su Qi helped Jingyue sit up. "Was that Mist his doing? But who is he? And how is he so powerful?

We’re a Saintess and a Candidacy Saintess, yet we couldn’t even handle him."

Jingyue didn’t know the answer to that. But their opponent had truly terrified them, especially since Su Qi had nearly died.

It was petrifying.

They still couldn’t figure out why Su Qi had ended up unharmed.

But Jingyue would never allow Su Qi to suffer an attack like that again, no matter what.

Jingyue shook her head. "Let’s not worry about him for now. We need to find a way to get our junior sisters back, then hide up here and not go out. Once the ritual is over, we’ll make a run for it."

Jingyue had no intention of fighting the man below. She had to either protect her junior sisters or make it out of the ritual alive.

They never should have been sent here for this.

’As for the Yin Yang Fish’s request... I’ll just have to tell them it’s impossible.’

’I couldn’t do it even if it killed me.’

Just then, the water of the Immortal Spirit Spring suddenly began to boil.

Su Qi cried out, "Senior Sister, look! The water’s boiling!"

Jingyue glanced from the lake to Su Qi. "Boiling? It’s more like something is about to burst out."

Su Qi didn’t overthink it, simply pulling Jingyue back with her.

Seriously, the water was genuinely boiling and about to splash over them. It was obviously a bad sign.

’Seriously?’ Jingyue thought. ’I just refused to help the Yin Yang Fish in my head, and now the water has to boil this violently?’

By now, the lake was boiling furiously.

It was also evaporating rapidly, looking for all the world like something was about to emerge from its depths.

"Hey, isn’t this a bit much?" Jingyue exclaimed. The roiling water had grown so violent it had already engulfed the passage for the ritual’s water pillar.

This meant the ritual had been brought to a halt.

They felt utterly helpless. ’Has any ritual ever had so many disasters?’

’And each one is more insane than the last.’

"Senior Sister, what do we do now?" Su Qi cried out. "The boiling is making the lake erupt! The whole seventh floor is about to be flooded!"

It was like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. The ritual felt more dangerous than ever.

The lake began to surge and boil, the turbulence rising in intensity, like a series of great waves, each one higher than the last.

It wasn’t just on the seventh floor. Down on the sixth, Jiang Zuo felt it too. He was right beside the pillar of water.

He could also sense that something was about to emerge.

He frowned. Events were already in motion. To have room to maneuver, he first had to break the Yin Yang Immortal Lock.

Being trapped here put him in a difficult position. If the threat was aimed at Su Qi and the others, he wouldn’t even be able to get them out.

However, he needed an opening to break the Yin Yang Immortal Lock.

If he could just get a crack in it—even a tiny one would do.

He could shatter the rest of it in an instant.

******

On the third floor, the lake was also boiling, and the Mist was growing thicker, clouding everyone’s senses.

It was nearly impossible to recognize someone just a few meters away.

Zhang Songxian arrived at the lakeshore, forcing himself to remain calm.

Yin-Yang Fish Sixteen had told him it would be over soon and wouldn’t take long.

Squatting by the lake, Zhang Songxian took out a Brocade Bag. From it, he tipped out a single black needle covered in dense, incomprehensible Runes.

Zhang Songxian asked, "What is this?"

Yin-Yang Fish Sixteen replied, "Mm, probably the toughest needle there is. In any case, I can read what’s on it. Let me activate it."

Zhang Songxian then placed the needle in the water. A tiny fish appeared in his hand, and in the water, it began to circle the needle endlessly.

With every rotation, the needle grew a fraction brighter.

The fish spun faster and faster, and the needle shone more and more brightly. Finally, the needle dove to the bottom, shot directly toward the pillar of water, then surged up it to strike at the Yin Yang Immortal Lock.

"Is it done? Can we go now?"

Just then, Zhang Songxian saw a great wave rolling toward him. If he didn’t leave now, he would die.

"It’s done. Be careful."

The next moment, the boiling lake water engulfed Zhang Songxian. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In that instant, Zhang Songxian felt he was about to die. ’But I’ve obtained a great destiny! How can I die so easily here? How can I just resign myself to this fate?’

’I will fight to survive.’

’Even before this destiny, I struggled to survive for so long. I can’t give up.’

******

Meanwhile, Jiang Zuo had gone to great lengths to reach the fourth floor. He was attempting to use his Innate Two Qi to comprehend the Yin Yang Array.

But it was difficult to penetrate; he still needed an opening.

Just then, a new disturbance emanated from the lake.

With Jiang Zuo’s perception, he knew at once that something had happened to the Yin Yang Immortal Lock—something powerful enough to break through the obstruction of the Mist.

This disturbance was a fierce one.

Then, Jiang Zuo froze. He sensed a flaw in the Yin Yang Immortal Lock. No, it had been breached.

And it seemed the other party was attempting to dismantle the entire Yin Yang Immortal Lock.

Unfortunately, it was only a matter of chance.

And now it was locked in a stalemate with the Immortal Lock.

Jiang Zuo smiled faintly.

’Whether it’s a matter of chance is irrelevant. What’s important is that it created an opportunity for me.’

His Innate Two Qi immediately invaded the Immortal Lock, beginning to dismantle the Yin Yang Immortal Lock from within.

Inside, Jiang Zuo discovered a needle. The moment he saw it, he was stunned. ’The Celestial Defect? How could something like this possibly be here?

No wonder it could breach the Yin Yang Immortal Lock.

Right now, the only one who could possibly wield the Celestial Defect is Zhang Songxian, who obtained a Yin Yang Fish.’

A Yin Yang Fish possesses the ability of evolution, but it cannot use this power on itself.

A person or object must possess them to utilize the Yin Yang Fish’s Talent Ability.

And so, to prevent the Yin Yang Fish from being completely defenseless, someone specially forged an invincible Magical Treasure: the Celestial Defect.

The Celestial Defect can shatter all things and pierce all techniques. It is a Magical Treasure of the Dao Artifact Level.

Its only flaw is that it cannot be retrieved once used, making it essentially a single-use Magical Treasure.

An absurdly extravagant item for anyone to use.

That was why, although Jiang Zuo’s first thought was of Zhang Songxian, he found it hard to believe. Given Zhang Songxian’s poor, shabby appearance, how could he possibly possess such a Magical Treasure?

But no matter what, he was taking the Celestial Defect.

Once he took the Celestial Defect, the Yin Yang Immortal Lock began to rapidly disintegrate.

Many people outside sensed the disintegration of the Yin Yang Immortal Lock, as if they could see chains rapidly crumbling.

The Mist also began to spread rapidly from the sixth floor to the others.

The Daoist who had been telling fortunes outside (and getting slapped repeatedly) suddenly looked up toward the sky above the ritual.

"Is that needle really so powerful? Should I do a divination?" After a moment’s hesitation, the Daoist gave up on the idea.

Fate truly moves in mysterious ways.