[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality":3,"chapter-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-976":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Mortal's Journey to Immortality",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2335902,4565,"Chapter 976: Splitting Up","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-976",976,"\u003Cp>\"Since there’s a demonic artifact as reward, I shall certainly do my best.\" The ancient devil nodded calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good, that’s all I need to hear. Everyone, follow me into the lake bottom. Though this place is remote, we must still be careful not to be spotted by passing cultivators—no need to invite trouble.\" As soon as the square-faced cultivator finished speaking, a flash of spiritual light enveloped him as he plunged straight toward the lake’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the others also swiftly descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the lake water rippled, and the cultivators vanished without a trace, leaving only a gentle breeze stirring the surface, silent and still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, far away from the small lake, at the bottom of the Yin-Yang Cave, Han Li and his group encountered a minor difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a flick of his spiritual sense, a cluster of golden light erupted before him, effortlessly shredding a lone horned yin ghost that lunged at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, golden light flashed above and below him, slicing two more ghosts cleanly in half, their bodies dissolving into clouds of black mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Han Li turn his gaze to the others beside him; the elderly Fu man and the rest had likewise used their magic treasures to eliminate several other ghostly creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These yin ghosts were all small in stature, slender, yet each bared fangs and claws, fearless and relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li’s expression showed no triumph; instead, his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Fu, we’ve traveled for days now, yet still no trace of the yin zhi horse. These ghosts are merely low-grade entities formed from yin energy, lacking even basic sentience—but killing them one after another like this isn’t a solution.\" As the large Han man pointed a finger, a streak of green fire pierced a small ghost, he couldn’t help voicing what Han Li had been thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Yuan, don’t rush. This underground cave system is vast, and the yin zhi horse excels at concealment—how could we possibly find it so easily? Though these little ghosts are endless, defeating them costs us no effort. As long as we constantly replenish our magic power with spirit stones, we can sustain this for a long time.\" The elderly Fu man remained confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s true, but resisting the Jingpo Yin Wind drains magic power significantly. Even with our Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivation, we can last at most two months underground.\" Bai Yaoyi glanced around and sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood within a vast tunnel, over a dozen zhang tall, its walls glistening with black ice. Thicker than at the entrance, the black wind swirled relentlessly around them, emitting piercing, chilling shrieks that sent shivers down the spine and unsettled the spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever these yin winds entered the halo emitted by the old man’s treasure pearl, more than half of their force dissolved automatically. Even so, Han Li and the others glowed with intense spiritual light, refusing to let even a trace of the residual black wind touch their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the small ghosts continuously emerged from the surrounding black wind, flying toward them like moths drawn to flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a flash of cold light turned one ghost into an ice sculpture that shattered, the surrounding ghostly horde was finally cleared. The group immediately recalled their treasures and drifted onward along the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Yin-Yang Cave, yin winds howled ceaselessly, preventing spiritual sense from extending far. None dared fly swiftly using spirit flight—otherwise, they could have scoured every passage in mere days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after a short while, the black wind ahead suddenly intensified, and abruptly, a three-way intersection appeared before them: one large passage flanked by two smaller ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group halted instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another intersection. This won’t do. If we keep splitting like this, two months won’t be enough to explore all the caves—we must split up.\" Han Li’s eyes flashed coldly as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Split up? But we only have one Ziyou Pearl. Without its protection, our magic power will drain twice as fast when resisting the Jingpo Yin Wind—we’d last even less time underground.\" The Han man glanced at the pearl in the old man’s hand and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for the Ziyou Pearl, I can expend some of my essence blood to temporarily enhance its divine radiance for each of you. But it won’t last long—assuming the Jingpo Yin Wind remains unchanged, each enhancement will hold for roughly seven to eight days.\" The elderly Fu man’s expression shifted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seven or eight days should be enough to explore each branching passage. But before the Ziyou radiance fades, we must be able to locate each other precisely to have it recharged. So we must leave behind spiritual power markers—only then can we use our secret techniques to find one another.\" Han Li appeared to have already considered this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if unlikely, what if one of us encounters a high-grade ghost we can’t handle?\" Bai Yaoyi frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph! If a ghost is strong enough to defeat us, Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators, it must be at least a Ghost King level. This isn’t the true Yinming Realm—how could mere yin energy form such a being? At most, deep in the cave, there might be a few powerful ghosts. Legends of Ghost Kings equivalent to great cultivators are merely baseless rumors—no one has ever seen one. This risk is worth taking. Otherwise, once our magic power runs out and the yin winds weaken and the flood season ends, re-entering this place will be next to impossible.\" As a cultivator from the Southern Frontier, the Han man naturally understood the Yin-Yang Cave better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the elderly Fu man and the black-robed beauty exchanged glances, both showing a hint of hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, for safety’s sake, they had never considered splitting up. But the underground cave system’s vastness and the sheer number of passages far exceeded their expectations. If they didn’t split up, they might return empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yaoyi seemed convinced. After a moment’s thought, she said nothing further in opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well. I’ll follow your advice. But remember—do not stray farther than three days’ travel from me, or you may not reach me in time for a radiance recharge.\" The elderly Fu man finally decided, adding a cautious warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry. There must be a main passage underground. The side passages can’t possibly be too long. Three days is more than enough to explore them thoroughly.\" Han Li glanced at the clearly distinct central passage and spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Han Li’s words, the old man no longer hesitated—he spat a clump of essence blood onto the Ziyou Pearl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pearl blazed with radiant light!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly cast several hand seals, then reached out with one hand toward the pearl in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a blinding purple glow emerged from the pearl, slowly floating into his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the purple light in his hand, the old man swept his gaze over the other four, then reached out and lightly slapped the black-robed beauty beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of purple light—the glow vanished into her body. Immediately, a layer of purple radiance enveloped her, identical to the halo of the Ziyou Pearl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this secret technique worked, the Han man and the others relaxed. The old man then repeated the process for the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After marking each other with spiritual power sigils, the group split into three teams and entered the three passages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly Fu man naturally paired with his junior sister, entering the central, thickest passage first. The Han man and Han Li each took one of the side passages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yaoyi hesitated briefly, then followed Han Li into the same passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the palace-dressed woman behind him, Han Li paused slightly, then slowed his pace until she caught up, and the two advanced side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Han Brother, don’t you think this Yin-Yang Cave is misleading? They say any cultivator entering will be severed between yin and yang, implying extreme danger. But since we entered, aside from the troublesome Jingpo Yin Wind, we’ve encountered no real peril. Are the legends of this place just exaggerations?\" Bai Yaoyi asked suddenly as she fell into step beside Han Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li was slightly surprised by her words, but smiled faintly in reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though I know little of this place, the reputation of the Seven Absolute Zones of Great Jin should be genuine. Don’t forget, Bai Daoist—the Jingpo Yin Wind is so fierce that any cultivator below Nascent Soul entering here, even with a life-bound treasure for protection, would be torn apart by the wind vortex at the entrance. Only we, protected by the Ziyou Pearl’s radiance and possessing cultivation far beyond ordinary cultivators, have remained unharmed so far. Moreover, we’ve only been underground for a few days, encountering only the lowest-grade yin ghosts. If we go deeper, though the yin energy grows denser, we’ll surely encounter stronger ghosts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Han Brother speaks wisely—I was too hasty. Oh! The yin ghosts are coming again!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Bai Yaoyi finished speaking, seven or eight of the previous yin ghosts suddenly surged from the nearby wind, lunging viciously at the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold light and golden radiance flared—within moments, the ghosts were obliterated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the two temporarily teamed up, slowly searching forward. After half a day, they found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they emerged empty-handed from another cave, a piercing shriek suddenly pierced the yin wind—shrill, agonizing, brimming with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s that?\" Bai Yaoyi froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It sounds like a corpse cultivator. We've likely encountered a high-grade ghost.\" Han Li's eyes flickered as he spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A corpse cultivator? How coincidental!\" The palace-dressed woman raised her delicate brows in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two, undeterred, moved toward the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the next bend, a cavern several zhang high suddenly opened on the tunnel’s side. Inside, black wind howled violently—far fiercer than the wind in the main passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghostly shriek emanated from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh! What’s that?\" Bai Yaoyi noticed an object embedded beside the cavern entrance, entirely encased in ice, glittering crystalline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She raised her hand and fired several fist-sized fireballs at the object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a loud bang, crimson flames instantly melted the ice, revealing the object’s true form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a blue flying sword, its entire blade embedded in the wall, with only a small portion protruding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the instant the ice melted, the sword, previously lifeless, flickered with faint spiritual light and emitted a clear, ringing tone. The hilt began trembling violently, writhing like a serpent, struggling to free itself from the ice wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yaoyi’s face showed astonishment. She flicked her sleeve, and a crimson rope shot out, glowing red as it instantly wrapped around the hilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a gentle tug, she pulled the sword free from the ice wall and drew it into her jade hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>www.feiazw.com\u003C\u002Fp>",1789,"2026-06-20T21:12:49.722Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","adf6e34c183b3afd9f6ed7a0739afe58be22a38cbbf2b6e4a20ab271da4efa2a","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-977","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-975",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]