Chapter 38: Taiyin Becomes a Demon, Zhang Fan

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, as if about to rain at any moment.

Twelve-year-old Zhang Fan sat alone, curled in a corner of the school corridor, staring blankly at the sky, his expression as gloomy as the weather, his eyes hollow with numbness.

“The new transfer student’s name is Zhang Fan; I heard his mother just died in a car accident.”

“A child without a mother is like grass—no wonder he never talks.”

“I always feel he’s weird… better stay away from him. My dad says people who’ve been in accidents change drastically—they’re dangerous.”

From a distant classroom, several classmates of similar age peeked out, watching the newcomer huddled in the corner.

Waves of murmurs reached Zhang Fan’s ears without obstruction, yet he acted as if he heard nothing, his numb eyes showing not the slightest ripple.

At that moment, a shadow fell over him, blocking his view; he looked up and saw a boy his own age standing before him, wearing a kind smile.

Zhang Fan turned his head away, as if he hadn’t seen him.

“I heard your mom just died?” the boy whispered.

Those words struck a nerve deep within Zhang Fan; his numb eyes flared with deep anger and sorrow.

“How lucky…”

The boy’s next sentence made Zhang Fan clench his fists, but before he could react, the boy spoke again.

“My mom ran off with someone else… she left when I was in elementary school… then she brought back an uncle… drove my dad to death from rage…”

“Huh!?”

Zhang Fan froze, turning to face the boy, who wore a calm smile—as if recounting someone else’s story.

“But my grandfather treated me well… he raised me…” the boy went on, speaking to himself.

“They all have parents…”

The boy turned his head, glancing at the classmates still whispering inside the classroom.

“You still have a father…”

“Heh, guess what I’ve got?”

Zhang Fan stared at the boy’s smile, like a mask; suddenly, he fell silent, unsure what to say.

“I’m Zhang Fan… Class Three…”

After a pause, Zhang Fan finally spoke—perhaps, in this boy his own age, he found a flicker of resonance.

“I’m Li Yi!” the boy whispered.

The two sat side by side on the corridor, gradually growing more at ease.

At that moment, the school bell rang.

“Zhang Fan… Zhang Fan…”

A hurried call came from afar; Zhang Fan looked up and saw a stern middle-aged woman standing in the corridor, waving at him.

Seeing her, Zhang Fan quickly rose and ran over.

“You’re…”

“You’ve been enrolled for a week—how can you not recognize your homeroom teacher?” the woman said sternly. “If you keep this up, I’ll have to talk to your father…”

As she spoke, she lifted her eyelids slightly: “Didn’t you hear the bell? What were you doing over there?”

“I was talking to Li Yi…” Zhang Fan muttered, head bowed.

“What Li Yi? I only saw you talking to yourself…” the woman frowned.

Zhang Fan spun around—the corridor was empty, not a soul in sight.

Huh…

Inside the room, Zhang Fan lay asleep, his breathing growing rapid; soft moonlight streamed through the window, spilling over his body.

At that moment, atop the rooftop, Zhang Fan’s Nascent Soul sat in meditation, surrounded by flickering halos like mist and lightning; thick streams of yin energy gathered from all directions, coalescing above his head, instantly forming dense dark clouds that spread across the heavens, obscuring the moon.

Instantly, a deep rumbling echoed from the depths of the sky, and the surrounding temperature began to drop.…

“The weather’s changing!?”

Huangji Dao, He Family Estate.

He Tai ran stood by the window, gazing at the sky, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

To ordinary people, tonight’s night sky held nothing unusual—but to this head of the He family, he saw much more…

In some corner of Yujing City, yin energy had converged, the heavens had shifted; such meteorological signs had drawn his notice.

“Yin and yang are the workings of heaven and earth; spirits and ghosts are the subtle powers of the two qi… when meteorological changes occur, yin and yang must be in motion!”

At that moment, a hoarse voice emerged from behind the gauze curtains; amidst the incense smoke, the fox-shaped figure, seated like an ancient monk, flickered in and out of view.

“Someone is refining a shocking technique—using this path to reverse yin and yang!?”

Hearing this, He Tai ran’s eyebrows lifted; his gaze sharpened into a single line, fixed on the distant sky.

Meanwhile, in He Fei’s room.

A cold mountain wind blew in through the window, swaying the faint glow of a candle.

“Did you feel it? The yin-yang balance in Yujing City has been disrupted—yin energy surges wildly…”

A low, resonant voice came from the corner, tinged with interest.

“Someone is gathering yin to refine a technique!?” He Fei frowned, his expression puzzled.

“Who has the audacity?”

“This person is either a madman or a fool… daring to gather yin and refine techniques so openly in Yujing City!?” the low, resonant voice spoke again.

“The Daoists of Maoshan aren’t blind!”

Yujing City is the center of Jiangnan Province, and Maoshan—one of the Ten Great Daoist Mountains—is located in Jiangnan Province.

“Who would make such a commotion?” He Fei asked, puzzled.

“Pure yang is the method of immortals; yin is rarely passed down in the mortal world…” the low, resonant voice murmured.

“Gathering yin to refine techniques is rare—only the Yin Mountain Sect exists within Yujing City!”

“The Yin Mountain Sect!?” He Fei’s eyes widened in realization.

Only the techniques of the Yin Mountain Sect could produce such a disturbance.

“Watch closely—if this escalates, the Maoshan Daoists will descend from their mountain.” The low, resonant voice echoed through the chilly room; the flickering candlelight cast a glimmer of sharpness into the cold pupils in the corner.

“Maoshan!!!”

…

Yujing City, outskirts cemetery.

Gu Yuming’s brow was knotted into a deep “ Chuan ”; where he stood, the ground had turned to scorched earth, glowing as if alive with flame, yet no yin energy rose from it.

“What the hell? Is this really happening!?” Gu Yuming muttered, his face filled with disbelief.

“Master, are there really ghosts?” Xiong Ba, watching Gu Yuming’s expression, jumped in fright and quickly hid behind him, tugging at his sleeve.

“Shut your mouth!” Gu Yuming barked, about to scold this disgrace of Yin Mountain.

At that moment, a rumbling echoed from the distant night sky; Gu Yuming looked up and saw dark clouds gathering, black as the heavens.

“This is…”

“Taiyin becomes a demon, transforming evil into technique!?”

Gu Yuming’s pupils contracted sharply; his aged face trembled violently. He let out a roar, slammed his palm against his forehead, and his Nascent Soul shot out, racing toward the gathering clouds.

(End of Chapter)