Chapter 128: Yin and Yang in the Cauldron

Zhang Jun's heart lurched! The pure yang energy inside him instantly sensed extreme danger! Zhou Qian wasn't communicating or activating—he was using evil arts to contaminate the cauldron's energy core, like pouring venom on a treasure, trying to forcibly brand it, twisting and controlling it!

This method is utterly vicious! If he succeeds, this Medicine Sect cauldron will surely become a completely evil artifact!

Zhang Jun hesitated no longer and stepped forward!

The pure yang energy within him, blended with a hint of profound yin resilience, erupted like a volcano suppressed to its limit!

He didn't close the distance; from several steps away, he raised his right palm toward Qian and thrust it forward in a sudden palm strike!

—Hum—!

The air let out a deep, muffled boom! A scorching, radiant pure yang energy, seeming able to cleanse all worldly yin evil, shot forth like a released arrow, like a blazing sun, instantly tearing apart that sticky yin‑evil aura!

The black shadows lunging forward to seize the bronze cauldron were struck by this pure yang energy; they didn't even have time to struggle, emitting voiceless, shrill wails like green smoke before dissipating and melting away!

The yin‑evil aura filling the hall was swept clean by that overbearing palm!

Qian's spell was forcibly interrupted; his body shuddered violently, he let out a repressed groan, staggered back two steps, and a thread of black blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth. He lifted his head, his dark, vicious eyes locked onto Jun, filled with resentment, shock, and a hint of disbelief.

The hall fell into dead silence once again.

All the clamor, attempts, and schemes lost their meaning at this moment.

Everyone's gaze, whether startled, wary, or thoughtful, ultimately fell like a spotlight on Jun, and half a step behind him, the ever‑silent Xue, whose faint chill hovered around her.

All the previous signs, Qian's failure, Jun's strike… everything pointed to one fact.

Perhaps only the two of them could truly unlock this cauldron's secret—or truly be qualified to touch it.

Now it's their turn.

Yueyao lightly shifted her foot to a better vantage point for observation.

The hall was so quiet it was frightening; you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone felt as if their acupuncture points had been sealed, daring not to breathe.

Qian clutched his chest and retreated into the shadows by the wall, the black blood at his lips still un wiped, his face so dark it seemed water could be wrung from it, that resentful aura almost turning into knives ready to stab out.

The faces of the others showed a mix of emotions—some relief, some suspicion, and even an indistinct… had they let out a sigh of relief?

Jun couldn't be bothered to look at them.

He took a step forward, the blue stone slabs beneath his feet exuding coolness.

Xue made no sound, followed him up, and the two stood side by side.

No words needed, not even eye contact.

Having just shaken Qian aside with his strike, the two opposing forces within them—one cold, one hot—already pulling at each other, now spun even faster.

One force scorched hot, surging wildly; the other froze bone‑deep, freezing everything.

Now these two forces no longer went their separate ways; they began probing each other in the meridians, slowly yet firmly mixing together.

The two approached the large bluish‑black cauldron.

The air still carried the foul stench of Qian's evil art, mingled with the faint, aged‑wood‑like sandalwood scent the cauldron itself gave off.

This is the place.

Jun raised his hand.

Xue also raised her hand.

Last time they'd touched it by accident; this time they deliberately, tacitly agreed to try.

Deep in their minds, the chaotic fragments of the incantations that had surged in when they last touched the cauldron rose up again.

Yin and yang… opening and closing… circulating… reversing…

Many words and images flashed, still not forming a complete picture, but far better than last time's total darkness; a vague outline had emerged.

Their palms almost simultaneously pressed onto the icy cauldron surface.

It was hard and cold, a metallic chill, plus a… heavy death‑like aura, like touching an old tombstone.

The next second, the sensation in their palms completely changed.

The spot under Jun's palm on the cauldron began to heat; his internal pure yang energy flowed along his arm into it, no longer being yanked as before, but as if gently guided, it simply streamed in.

The spot under Xue's palm, however, instantly turned icy to the touch; her internal profound yin chill was likewise drawn, flowing softly yet resiliently along her meridians into the cauldron.

One cold, one hot; one yang, one yin.

The two forces met inside the cauldron.

Unlike last time, when it exploded, this was like finding long‑lost relatives; they intertwined in an indescribable way, slowly merging into one.

—Hum—

The bronze cauldron trembled again, but this time low and steady.

On the cauldron's surface, a bluish misty light shone again—not the chaotic flashing of last time, but with a restless edge; now the glow had rhythm, like a breath, soft and gentle.

The half‑cauldron of black, dead medicinal liquid at the mouth also came alive.

It stopped churning and began to turn slowly, forming a pitch‑black vortex that grew slower and steadier; the center was so black it made one's flesh creep, and a glance felt like it would suck one's soul in.

Then came something even stranger.

The chaotic ancient runes on the cauldron stopped flashing randomly.

As if waking up, they lit up one by one in a peculiarly odd yet perfectly logical order.

Light flowed between the runes, as if they had come alive.

Starting from the cauldron's legs, it climbed upward, tracing clear, distinct lines.

The light wove across the cauldron's top.

Slowly, a vague, twisting, ever‑changing three‑dimensional shadow was projected, hovering above the cauldron's mouth.

That shadow was horrendously complex—hard to say whether it was a star chart or a spell formation, layered upon layered, exuding an unfathomable ancient feel and power.

As soon as that shadow appeared, Jun and Xue's bodies jerked simultaneously.

A gentle yet immense energy surged back from where their hands pressed the cauldron!

This energy is very pure, carrying a bit of old, vast qi, flowing along the arm's meridians back and rushing into the body.

This energy does not clash; it is like a spring breeze and fine rain, like a highly skilled old craftsman, and it itself gently combs and polishes the bit of yin-yang qi that has just begun to mix in their two bodies.

Originally, because the cultivation methods had different attributes, there was always a bit of awkwardness, a clashing point; but after this energy smoothed it over, it immediately became smooth and harmonious.

Zhang Jun can clearly feel that the toughness in his pure yang qi has gained a bit of the flexibility and penetrating power of the profound yin qi.

Lin Xue can also feel that the freezing force in her profound yin cold qi has gained a bit of the warmth and vitality of the pure yang qi.

Their kung fu, in just a short while, actually made real progress upward!

It's not a foolish increase in strength; it's an understanding and control of one's own power, stepping up a level.

In the hall, Qin Xiaotian's usually stern face could no longer hold back, showing an excitement he could not suppress.