Four years later, in the cave dwelling atop the main peak of Parent-Child Peak, the glamorous young woman Silver Moon had transformed into stood waiting respectfully outside the sealed chamber that had never once been opened.
The previous day, while she had been using the Green Liquid to accelerate the growth of spirit herbs, she had suddenly heard Han Li's mental voice transmission. That was why she was here today, waiting for him to emerge from seclusion.
The door to the seclusion chamber, unopened for years, did not keep Silver Moon waiting long before it let out a creak and slowly rose upward.
Silver Moon raised her bright eyes expectantly. But Han Li's figure did not appear within. Instead, a gust of dark, gloomy wind blew out from inside, followed by a low, soft chuckle. Then a dark cloud roughly ten feet across shot outward from within — flickering once before hurtling straight toward Silver Moon.
She started in alarm and hastily retreated several steps, her face paling as she stared at the thing.
The dark cloud halted abruptly. Its surface was pitch-black and gleaming, like a sheet of black silk.
"This is...?" Silver Moon's thoughts raced, a vague suspicion stirring in her mind.
"So? My second nascent soul has been cultivated to this degree — it should count as a great success, wouldn't you say?" The dark cloud suddenly condensed and took shape, instantly transforming into a tiny black-green infant less than an inch tall, which spoke in a human voice.
"Congratulations, Master, on the great completion of your divine art!" Silver Moon smiled radiantly, then performed a graceful curtsy toward the nascent soul.
The nascent soul appeared identical to Han Li's main nascent soul in every feature and expression — only smaller.
"To fully refine the second nascent soul so quickly — that's actually a bit beyond my expectations. Though now that it's done, it does feel rather strange." The familiar voice rang out from inside the chamber, and Han Li's figure finally appeared at the doorway before stepping out.
At that moment, the black-green infant grinned and shot toward Han Li of its own accord, circling once before settling atop his hair knot.
"For one person to possess two independent nascent souls — naturally it feels different from before. But once Master grows used to it, it'll be no problem." Silver Moon looked up at Han Li, pressed her lips together, and smiled.
"Oh? From the way you speak, it seems you know something about the second nascent soul. Could it be you remember something about it?" Han Li's eyes flickered with interest.
"This servant isn't entirely sure. I don't know why the words just came out of my mouth. Perhaps I really did know of similar techniques before." Silver Moon blinked in surprise, then answered honestly.
Hearing Silver Moon's explanation, Han Li nodded without comment. But the nascent soul atop his head suddenly flipped its tiny hand, producing a small banner, which it began to toy with.
The object was pitch-black and gleaming — none other than the Yin Luo Banner, which had absorbed a full measure of demonic qi!
"Master's second nascent soul looks like this — have you been cultivating demonic path techniques?" Silver Moon watched the scene, glanced at the nascent soul, and could not help but ask.
"Once the second nascent soul is formed, it naturally needs to possess some divine abilities. But it has no physical body of its own and cannot cultivate techniques independently. So I first used my own body and the pure demonic qi within the Yin Luo Banner to help it cultivate some of the transcendent transformations from the Mysterious Yin Great Art. As for whether to truly grant it a physical body — I'm still deliberating. Once a second nascent soul gains a physical form, it becomes extremely susceptible to backlash. I have to proceed with great caution." Han Li frowned slightly at Silver Moon's question, then slapped the top of his head with one hand. A flash of black light, and the nascent soul vanished into his skull without a trace.
Through inner sight, Han Li could clearly see that where his main nascent soul sat meditating within his dantian, the second nascent soul had seated itself cross-legged opposite, sitting perfectly still.
"A measure of caution is only natural, Master. This Mysterious Yin Nascent Transformation Art — I've never heard of it before. Most other cultivators' avatar techniques involve cultivating split consciousness or divided souls. The higher-level ones, like that Divine Priest Zhong of the Mulan, simply use a great divine ability to forcibly split the Primordial Spirit apart." Silver Moon tilted her head in agreement.
"Heh! Their avatar techniques, while not fundamentally enhancing one's power, do have their uses when fighting multiple opponents or preserving one's life. They're a formidable method in their own right! But enough about that — has anything happened at the cave dwelling during this time?" Han Li said a few words, then waved his hand dismissively as he strode toward the main hall.
"One year after Master entered seclusion, Miss Mu successfully formed her core. Following your instructions, I delivered the Reversing Phoenix Origin Nurturing Art along with several other pills useful for the Core Formation stage. Miss Nangong is likewise safe and sound within the restrictions — the Soul-Sealing Curse has been steadily weakening under the effects of the Fire Toad Pill. I estimate that even without a dedicated unsealing method, the curse should be fully dispelled within another hundred years. Of course, this is merely this servant's speculation, and Master would do well to see for yourself." Silver Moon followed behind Han Li with light, graceful steps, answering each matter in turn.
Hearing two pieces of good news the moment he emerged from seclusion, Han Li felt a surge of delight and was about to ask about other matters when Silver Moon spoke again.
"There is one more matter to report, Master. Those Six-Winged Frost Centipede larvae, having consumed Rainbow Garment Grass continuously over the years, should by all rights have grown rapidly and undergone split evolution by now. But for some unknown reason, they have been growing at a frustratingly slow pace — they shed their shells only once and then refused to split further."
"Shed their shells?" Han Li halted mid-step, a trace of puzzlement crossing his face.
"That's right. After shedding, these centipedes seemed considerably more formidable. And these past few days they've grown restless again — it looks as though they're preparing to shed once more." Silver Moon lightly bit her lower lip and slowed her pace as she spoke.
"Let's check the insect room first." Han Li furrowed his brow, then continued in a flat voice.
He changed direction and led the way down another corridor — the one leading to the insect room.
Moments later, Han Li arrived before the insect chambers. He walked a few steps to a small opening in the side wall of one chamber and peered inside.
Before he could make out what lay within, a wave of cold air struck his face. Everywhere his gaze fell, everything glittered with a crystalline sheen.