: Yin-Yang Unity Vessel

Returning to the military camp, Liu Er immediately ducked into his tent to examine the treasure gifted by his master.

The Yin-Yang Unity Vessel stood three feet tall, its body crafted from a combination of fiery gold and dark crystal. The fiery gold portion resembled dancing flames, while the dark crystal was like the deep night sky, shimmering with a strange light. Two dragon spirits—one purple-red, the other azure-blue—coiled around the vessel, forming a pair of handles as their bodies twisted upward. They intertwined at the neck of the vessel, climbing all the way to the mouth, where they faced each other, each exhaling streams of breath. These breaths were drawn into the vessel, transforming into red and blue energies that alternately shifted and merged, appearing both magnificent and eerie.

The artifacts of demonic cultivators reflect their aesthetics—often flamboyant and vivid, with stark color contrasts. After observing for a while, Liu Er sensed the former glory of the Blood Slaughter Empire within the vessel and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He attempted to channel his magical power into it but saw no reaction. Liu Er thought, "Master said this artifact is called the Yin-Yang Unity Vessel; it must be related to the dual energies of yin and yang." Being male, he possessed abundant yang energy. With that in mind, he tried infusing yang energy into it.

The next moment, the vessel suddenly unleashed a powerful suction force, greedily swallowing the yang energy he had channeled. Liu Er's expression changed drastically. Not only had it absorbed the yang energy he released, but it also firmly attached his hand to the handle, using its mystical power to violently draw out the yang energy from within his body.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

A small whirlwind briefly swirled around Liu Er inside the tent. His eyes widened in terror. Unable to move, he was completely immobilized by the vessel, forced to watch as vast amounts of his yang energy were drained away.

This lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the suction finally ceased, and the vessel returned to normal. Liu Er dropped to one knee, weak all over, letting the vessel fall to the ground.

"What kind of demonic artifact is this?!" he exclaimed, his face full of shock and fear.

Looking at his hands, which were once plump with flesh, they were now emaciated, with skin barely covering the bones. His ears rang, his vision darkened, his eye sockets sunken, leaving him looking gaunt and skeletal. Moving slowly, he took out some pills and gradually absorbed their effects, taking about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before he began to recover slightly.

"My yang energy, the primal yang I've accumulated over a lifetime..." Liu Er felt like crying but had no tears. Though he hadn't practiced a virginity-preserving cultivation method, his master had strictly forbidden him from losing his primal yang. Now, while his primal yang remained intact, most of his accumulated yang energy had been drained, leaving him weak as if he had indulged in a decade of non-stop revelry.

Liu Er continued to study the Yin-Yang Unity Vessel. This time, when he picked it up, it felt much heavier. Attempting to channel magical power still yielded no effect, but when he extended his spiritual sense into it, he felt a slight response. He persisted, allowing his spiritual sense to penetrate deeper into the artifact.

Suddenly, the vessel activated. The purple-red dragon on its surface glowed brightly, spewing streams of yin energy from its mouth. As this yin energy touched Liu Er, it merged into his body as smoothly as a swallow returning to its nest. Astonished, he thought, "Has my yang energy completely transformed into yin energy?"

After absorbing for a while, he realized the danger and exclaimed, "Stop! Stop it now!" Fortunately, this time, the vessel obeyed his spiritual command and ceased.

Liu Er heaved a sigh of relief, his face having paled from fright. "This artifact is truly mystical—it can turn my yang energy into yin energy. If this continued, wouldn't I become like a woman? Or a eunuch? No wonder it's called the Yin-Yang Unity Vessel."

He thought about dual cultivation. Normally, dual cultivation involves yin and yang energies from a male and a female cultivator, merging to benefit both and boost their cultivation. But here, it was a unity of yin and yang, both originating from the same person.

"What is this vessel really for?" he wondered. "Transforming yin energy... Wait." An idea struck him.

Liu Er sat down cross-legged and began to merge his yang and yin energies. With his primal yang intact, his yang energy regenerated far quicker than an average person's. As the yang and yin energies intertwined, they unified, rapidly elevating his cultivation level.

"So, this is an artifact that speeds up cultivation. Strange... Why did Master give it to me now? If he had given it to me when I first became his disciple, wouldn't I have reached the Nascent Soul stage by now? Perhaps Master wants me to infiltrate Liangzhu Kingdom with Golden Core cultivation, as the levels of caution and defense against Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators differ. Or maybe Master has other intentions I haven't figured out yet."

While pondering, a subordinate arrived with a report. After Ning Zhuo had kept the appointment, Liu Er, feeling uneasy, had sent someone to follow and gather information. The subordinate brought two pieces of news.

"You're saying the strategist and Shuang Jing parted on bad terms?" Liu Er was pleased—this was good news. Then he heard that "Mu Lan acted arrogantly, forced her way into the granary, and even injured Zhao Xi." Liu Er found it slightly odd and shook his head. "Mu Lan, after all, has the backing of the Upper General's estate, which is why she acts this way. How enviable—if I did that, I'd be kicked out in an instant."

"Our provisions haven't been delivered either. It turns out the supply convoy was ambushed by the Old Monster in the Stone. That old fiend is so cunning, specializing in earth techniques and not at all honest, despite being born from a ten-thousand-year earth essence—as sly as a fox!"

Just as Liu Er was reflecting on this, another subordinate came with a report. This time, it was bad news. Upon hearing it, Liu Er couldn't stay calm. He shot to his feet and exclaimed in a low voice, "What? Third Brother went to storm the Red Flower Camp?!"

Zhang Hei, filled with rage, charged to the gates of the Red Flower Camp, roaring like thunder, "Mu Lan, get out here now!"

Mu Lan, who had just returned to camp after being outmaneuvered and was in a foul mood, flared with anger at the sound of Zhang Hei's shouts. She couldn't let him cause a scene at her camp's entrance, so she stepped out. "You black brute, what are you yelling about?"

Zhang Hei pointed his Black Serpent Spear at her and shouted, "Mu Lan! You let your soldiers provoke my troops, ganging up on them and beating them near to death. You're too arrogant! Earlier, in the ambush battle, you pinned the blame on us and ran off! Draw your weapon—today, your Grandpa Zhang will teach you how to behave!"

(End of )