Chapter 860: Chapter 294: How can this be considered Dual Cultivation?
The space of the array is like an enormous vertical shaft, bottomless, seemingly leading straight to the Nine Netherworld.
Inside, the yin energy is like a tide, so thick it resembles black ink. It is no longer a vast airflow, but more akin to viscous liquid.
“Black Water Mountain and White Paper City…” Ning Zhuo, upon seeing this scene, suddenly thought of the name spread outside by the White Paper Immortal City.
The shaft walls are smooth as mirrors, neither stone nor jade, seemingly constructed entirely by the array.
Yin energy, like black water, churns within the shaft, roaring, sometimes raising black waves several yards high, crashing against each other with thunderous booms.
Yang Wenning and the others stood at the edge of the shaft walls, all feeling the bone-chilling cold brought by the “black water,” colder than ice and snow, penetrating the marrow, even suppressing their own yang energy and freezing the circulation of spiritual power.
Within the raging tides of yin energy, a figure floats quietly, it is the White Paper City Lord.
She does not drift with the tide, but rather floats and sinks slowly in the violent black tide with a nearly solidified, supreme majesty.
Her face is a standard oval shape, with sharp and clear bone lines, high cheekbones like knife cuts, a distinct and powerful jawline, even in slumber, exuding unquestionable decisiveness and cold hardness.
Her beauty is like two slender swords, slanting into her temples. Her black eyebrows now have a layer of silvery gray hue, like steel covered by icy frost.
Her eyes are tightly closed, shaped like narrow and sharp phoenix eyes, even when shut, the curve of the eyeliner resembles carefully drawn ink marks, the ends sharply upward, portraying an aristocratic, proud, and scrutinizing sense.
Her lips are thin and distinct, originally a fierce vermillion color, now lifeless pale gray-purple, like wilted wisteria petals, tightly pursed, maintaining a remote coldness even in unconsciousness.
Her form is tall and upright, well-proportioned, even lying flat, exuding resilience and strength.
Her long hair spreads out, shining black, not even the Black Water Yin Tide can cover it. At the tips, black gradually transitions to an eerie dark blue. Between strands, occasionally tiny, ice-blue yin energy crystals flash like stars, quickly vanishing amidst dense hair waves.
“City Lord…” Wen Ruanyu sighs.
After so long, he finally sees the City Lord’s true form, but the latter is clearly in a dire state, unable to awaken.
Yang Sanyan squints his eyes, it’s the first time he sees the current City Lord of White Paper Immortal City.
Even with his broad vision and cold heart, he is captivated by the City Lord’s charming countenance.
This is still when she is unconscious, hard to imagine what an aloof persona she would display upon opening her eyes.
The yin energy boils within the shaft, pounding like thunder.
At the center, the White Paper City Lord is like an amber frozen in time. All the fury near her, within a few feet, seems suppressed by some invisible, absolute will originating from herself, becoming sticky and slow.
The White Paper City Lord is like a millennial black ice thrown into an ocean of ink, not only uncorroded, but frantically assimilating and absorbing the destructively immense energy.
Each slow rise and fall seems like her unconscious breath, swallowing the vast yin energy into her body.
Her exposed skin is already covered in blue, like ghostly skin. With her authority, it feels like meeting a ruler of the Underworld!
The City Lord’s paperman avatar sighs longingly: “This is the state of my true form. For the sake of the entire White Paper Immortal City, she has borne most of the yin energy, resulting in her coma years ago, difficult to awaken.”
Wen Ruanyu gazes intently, with an extremely heavy expression: “The City Lord is originally a cultivator of the Mortal World; her yang energy should greatly surpass yin energy. But now, due to bearing too much yin energy, she is nearly at death’s door!”
“What can be done?”
The paperman avatar shakes its head: “I’ve secretly contemplated countless ways, all ineffective. The main reason is the true form is on the verge of death, methods cannot be too strong. Slight disruption of balance could shatter this fragile state, causing instant death!”
“Yet if methods aren’t strong, how can they affect this mountain-like and ocean-like yin tide effectively?”
As if stifled too long, suddenly finding someone to confide in, the paperman avatar continues its woes: “For the city’s larger picture, I’ve been hiding my true situation, sealing the true form here.”
“Forced, I play the true form with this avatar, handling certain affairs.”
Yang Sanyan’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.
If the true form is in this state, fundamentally unable to awaken, how could the divine contract be signed?
Just signing with the avatar greatly diminishes binding power.
“The sect’s information is correct.”
“The current City Lord is a woman full of ambition and control desire. Even in such a difficult and precarious situation, she refuses to let go of power, stubbornly persevering secretly for years.”
If this situation were exposed, the position of the White Paper City Lord would undoubtedly face multiple challenges.
Her true form’s inability to fight makes her easily deposed from the City Lord’s position.
Yang Sanyan takes out the divine contract: “City Lord, didn’t expect your condition to be so dire. If your true form cannot awaken, signing this divine contract, it would be hard for us to achieve even basic trust!”
“How can this issue be resolved?”
The paperman avatar bears a bitter expression, slowly shakes its head.
Wen Ruanyu suddenly says: “So that’s why the City Lord is broadly recruiting male consorts.”