Dual Cultivation With My Yandere Disciples

Half an hour later, the cavern had undergone a complete transformation.

The dense Death Qi that had once filled every corner was gone. The oppressive atmosphere had largely faded, leaving the underground space strangely empty.

At least, if one ignored the bizarre skeleton resting at its center.

As for the Myriad Souls Banner, its appearance had changed significantly.

The dark fabric had become even blacker, as though it could swallow all light. Countless runic symbols now covered its surface, intertwining to form the image of a ferocious skull.

At first glance, it resembled the war banner of the God of Death.

Its aura had likewise undergone a dramatic transformation.

Not only had its power increased severalfold, but even the sinister pressure it exuded had become far more intimidating.

Yet Chen Xuan did not look particularly excited. If anything, a trace of disappointment flashed across his face.

’Looks like I was overthinking things.’

’I wanted to use this opportunity to establish a foundation for a future Holy Weapon. In the end, it couldn’t even reach the Ultimate-Grade Spirit Weapon level.’

The outcome surprised him somewhat. However, after giving it some thought, it also made perfect sense.

Ultimate-Grade Spirit Weapons stood at the peak of their rank. In many aspects, they were already comparable to Low-Grade Holy Weapons.

The difficulty of nurturing such a weapon was obvious.

With that realization, the disappointment in Chen Xuan’s heart quickly faded.

The banner’s advancement was already a pleasant surprise.

Besides, it had now accumulated enough potential. All it lacked was the right opportunity to take the final step.

With enough luck, that might happen the very next hour.

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Xuan stored the Myriad Souls Banner.

With the Death Qi dissipating, he finally had a full view of the cavern.

Yet, he didn’t survey it for long. His gaze soon settled on the phantom.

Throughout the entire half-hour process, the demonic cultivator’s projection had remained completely motionless.

Yet as the final portion of Death Qi was absorbed, his silhouette began to tremble.

However, the moment the final strand of Death Qi vanished, its figure began to tremble.

The trembling grew increasingly obvious as seconds passed.

Finally...

Boom!

The phantom burst apart into countless fragments.

At the same time, the green flames inside the skeleton’s eye sockets dimmed rapidly.

Even the faint golden sheen covering its bones faded considerably, as though the source sustaining it had finally run dry.

Clearly, the Death Qi had been supporting both the skeleton and the phantom.

Now that it was gone, so too was their power.

Chen Xuan’s eyes brightened. This was exactly the result he had hoped for.

Even so, he remained cautious.

Rather than approaching directly, he raised a hand and condensed an enormous palm from Spiritual Energy before striking toward the skeleton from afar.

His aura surged to its peak. The moment anything seemed wrong, he was prepared to retreat.

Fortunately, his caution proved unnecessary.

As the illusory palm struck at the skeleton, the latter offered no resistance whatsoever.

With a loud bang, it shattered into countless fragments, just like the phantom before it.

Nothing remained in the place it once stood. Or at least, that was what Chen Xuan thought.

A brief moment later, a faint metallic click let him know otherwise.

As his divine sense spread outward, he captured the source of that sound. It was a golden ring.

Previously hidden on one of the skeleton’s fingers, it had survived the destruction and now lay quietly on the ground.

’Could this be the so-called inheritance?’ Chen Xuan couldn’t help but wonder, though he acted the same as before.

The spiritual palm picked up the ring and examined it thoroughly.

Only after confirming there was no hidden danger did he bring it closer.

His divine sense communicated with it. As a response came back, it became evidence that this was a magic weapon rather than an ordinary item.

As the connection between them was formed, a stream of information poured into his mind.

Chen Xuan’s eyes lit up.

The more he went through the information, the brighter his eyes became.

"So it’s this thing..."

He could not help but murmur under his breath, his voice filled with joy.

--

Meanwhile, back at the temporary resting place, Su Tianyi had finally finished bathing.

Rising from the river, she watched droplets of water slide down her fair, naked skin before instinctively waving her hand.

Unfortunately, nothing happened. No Spiritual Energy answered her call.

Su Tianyi immediately frowned. Only then did she remember that her cultivation was still sealed. Naturally, she could not use Spiritual Energy to dry herself.

A trace of irritation appeared on her face. Walking to the riverbank, she sat down on a smooth stone.

Her feet remained submerged beneath the water, lazily swaying back and forth as though they were playing with it.

"Phew..."

She let out a soft breath and brushed her damp golden hair away from her forehead.

Then, her expression became serious.

The image of the silver-masked man surfaced in her mind. Almost instantly, her face reddened with anger.

’No! I can’t stay here and wait!’

’I need to find a way to escape before that bastard returns. Otherwise, who knows what he’ll do?’

Recalling the tales told by her Junior Sisters about helpless Holy Maidens captured by "arrogant" demonic cultivators, Su Tianyi couldn’t help but tremble.

The more she thought about them, the more uneasy she felt.

Without delay, she focused her attention inward.

Inside her Dantian, her severely depleted Nascent Soul rested quietly.

Surrounding it was the familiar black-and-white mist. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

With her knowledge, Su Tianyi quickly determined its function. The moment she attempted to draw upon her cultivation, the mist would retaliate.

Even so, she knew she had no other choice but to try to bypass it.

After a brief hesitation, she gritted her teeth. The Holy Fire Codex began circulating under her control.

She urged her Nascent Soul and drew in a strand of Spiritual Energy from the outside world.

But the instant it entered her body and was about to be absorbed, the black-and-white mist erupted.

Countless projectiles shot outward like whips.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The whips lashed directly against her Nascent Soul.

The illusory figure trembled violently under the assault.

At the same time, the pain was reflected onto Su Tianyi’s body in the outside world.

An agonizing sensation swept through both body and soul.

A sharp hiss escaped her lips. Moments later, an even softer sound followed.

A low, trembling moan that was barely audible came out unknowingly.