Chapter 0444 – Revealing Powder
Yin Turtles: Legendary terrifying creatures from the underworld, they feed on souls in the Netherworld, and on the blood and flesh of the living in the mortal realm. They possess powerful parasitic abilities, capable of embedding themselves in living bodies to rapidly produce large numbers of offspring. These Yin Turtles are the embodiment of extreme yin and evil. Under natural circumstances, their gestation takes decades, if not centuries. However, when nourished by the blood and essence of the living, the process accelerates tens, hundreds, even thousands or tens of thousands of times. In the Netherworld, they are one of the Ten Great Malignant Beasts. The more of them there are, the greater their destructive power. They prefer dark, cold environments and live underground. If they emerge to the surface, they soon retreat back below.
The Wordless Heavenly Tome immediately probed and displayed the information about these strange insects in Yi Tianxing's mind.
Yi Tianxing's expression drastically changed. A sense of dread crept into his heart.
"If these Yin Turtles can fully mature in mere moments using the blood and flesh of living beings, then imagine—when tens of thousands of cultivators fell here and were parasitized, turning into nourishment—how many Yin Turtles would have been spawned? The number must be beyond terrifying."
His mind conjured a horrifying scene of countless Yin Turtles squirming en masse, sending chills down his spine.
It was a scene too horrific to contemplate.Even with Yi Tianxing's strength, he wasn't confident he could emerge unscathed from such a monstrous swarm.
"Yin Turtles? What are those? Are they the cause of these sudden deaths? They're invisible! How do we defend against something we can't even see? Mr. Yi, do these things have any weaknesses?"
Qin Hongyi's face turned pale. Just the thought of an invisible predator lurking in the shadows filled her with primal fear. If they had no weaknesses, this place would become hell on earth.
"I'm not sure what their weaknesses are, but these creatures originate from the underworld and are pure evil. By logic, they should fear pure yang energies—things like blazing flames may suppress them. But considering they're one of the Top Ten Malignant Beasts of the Netherworld, it likely won't be that simple. Body-guarding True Qi might offer some protection," Yi Tianxing said after a brief pause.
Rustle rustle rustle!
Though they couldn't be seen, the sound of countless insects crawling echoed eerily through the air, intensifying the sense of dread.
Woooo... woooo...!
Suddenly, strange ghostly wails pierced the air.
"Not good! These Yin Turtles can fly, and fast! Let's go—leave now!"
In the dark, invisible foes are the most terrifying. These creatures not only flew but did so at unsettling speeds. The flapping of their wings emitted a ghastly sound, reminiscent of ghostly cries. They had clearly sensed Yi Tianxing and the others.
They swarmed forward.
While others were blind to them, Yi Tianxing could see a tide of Yin Turtles darkening the sky like storm clouds.
"I have Revealing Powder! It can expose any invisible entity. Traveling with you has paid off—now I'll get to see the true form of the monsters that caused this catastrophe!"
Just then, at one end of the mine tunnel, Luo Jianfei appeared, dressed in snow-white robes, surrounded by his subordinates. Fanning himself leisurely, his expression was one of confident delight.
Swish!
Without hesitation, he flicked his jade fan, releasing a cloud of white powder that spread rapidly in all directions. Carried by the chilling winds, it drifted into the main tunnel and beyond, covering other branching tunnels as well. It was colorless and odorless, with only a brief white shimmer as it dispersed.
Revealing Powder was clearly a powerful treasure.
To invisible entities, it was a natural nemesis—a direct counter to invisibility-type abilities. Its effects were immediate and devastating.
In an instant, the Yin Turtles, previously invisible to the naked eye, were all exposed. Each was pitch-black, their forms translucent and grotesque. Though intangible, they fluttered through the air, flapping their wings.
They had no visible eyes, but each one bore a bloodsucking proboscis like a mosquito. One could only imagine the horror if such a creature drilled into someone's body.
Gaa! Gaa! Gaa!
Sensing the gazes of Luo Jianfei, Qin Hongyi, and the others, the Yin Turtles became enraged. Their eerie screeches reverberated, echoing through the tunnels.
Woooo... woooo...!
As their cries intensified, the ghostly wailing in the wind surged, and a dark tide of Yin Turtles began converging toward the mine from all directions.
"Not good! They're summoning reinforcements. Yin Turtles are swarming from all sides. If we stay, we'll be trapped like fish in a barrel—no escape!"
Yi Tianxing's face darkened, a powerful premonition of death rising within him.
If they were surrounded, getting out alive would be nearly impossible.
"Run!"
Luo Jianfei and Qin Hongyi exchanged glances and didn't hesitate. With a sharp cry, they dashed forward at full speed. As cultivators, their agility was astounding—light-body techniques turning them into blurs of motion.
"Suppress!"
Yi Tianxing, however, didn't flee immediately. Facing the incoming swarm, he uttered a single word.
Nine Yin-Yang Locks appeared at once, quickly splitting into countless glowing Yin-Yang Rings of black and white. These flew toward the Yin Turtles in an attempt to restrain and suppress them.
The rings emitted a brilliant white light, radiating a pure and righteous yang aura.
Gaa! Gaa! Gaa!
But a strange scene unfolded— the Yin Turtles didn't seem to care. The Yin-Yang Rings didn't restrain them at all. The creatures easily slipped past the rings, or perhaps more accurately, the rings didn't even touch them.
Even the pure yang energy seemed ineffective. It was as if the creatures were mere illusions, without physical substance.
They charged straight at Yi Tianxing, shrieking and attempting to bore into his flesh.
"Vile creatures! You want to parasitize me?"
Yi Tianxing was taken aback. These things were unbelievably fast—mere moments had passed and they were already upon him.
"Body-guarding True Qi!"
A layer of chaotic-colored True Qi enveloped him instantly.
Yet, when the Yin Turtles struck, they passed through the protective barrier as if it didn't exist. Unhindered, they lunged straight for his flesh.
"Even Body-guarding True Qi is useless? What the hell are these things?! This is too bizarre... better not provoke them!"
His face hardened. But this was within his expectations—he had prepared for a possible retreat.
As the Yin Turtles lunged, a silver-white space gate appeared before him.
"Go!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed little Nannan and stepped into the portal.
A divine light flashed—
They vanished without a trace.
The Yin Turtles struck only empty air, missing even the hem of his robe. But now enraged, they let out wave after wave of bloodcurdling shrieks. Echoes answered from all directions as more Yin Turtles flooded in like a tide—a number too vast to count.
Some of the largest among them were as big as a human head, striking dread into the hearts of all who saw them.
"Dear heavens! There's something terrible in this mine. So many are dead!"
"Run! I saw dozens of cultivators drop dead in an instant. I saw black bugs everywhere. This is horrifying!"
"Forget the Divine Source Crystals—I'd rather live! I'm getting out of here. I'm never coming back! This place is suicide. I saw bugs crawling out of corpses... it was horrifying."
All around the mine, screams echoed as cultivators panicked and fled.
The Yin Turtles had returned—and they were wiping out wave after wave of cultivators. Corpses piled up, silent and sudden.
Under the effects of the Revealing Powder, many could now see the monsters. Some fainted from sheer terror. This was no ordinary mine—it was the heart of a Yin Turtle nest, a nightmare made real.
Some even saw the Yin Turtles crawling out of corpses.
Cold sweat poured down.
The aura of death flooded the mines.
Meanwhile, in a side passage of the mine—
A space gate opened silently. Yi Tianxing emerged with little Nannan, pulling her quickly into the new area.
The moment they appeared, he glanced around cautiously.
Seeing no sign of Yin Turtles, he let out a breath of relief.
"Nannan, are you scared?" he asked with a smile.
"Not at all. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything," she replied with a shake of her head.