You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

Before the mud and dust had settled, a faint light suddenly shot out from the wreckage.

It is the true spirit of the River God!

He had somehow broken free from the golden body and now transformed into a faint ripple of water, twisting and moving within the dimly lit hall.

The water was so faint, almost transparent, that no one would have noticed it if the moonlight hadn't shone in and fallen on it.

He drifted silently toward the palace gate.

As long as we escape this temple, as long as we escape into the Ruyin River!

As long as we get back into the river!

He still has a sliver of hope!

The river is his foundation, his origin; once he merges into it, no one can find him again.

The palace gate is just ahead.

Moonlight streamed in, illuminating the threshold.

Soon, soon!

"Trying to run away?"

A voice rang behind him.

"Can you escape the light?"

The River God was greatly shaken, and the wave of water trembled violently, accelerating towards the palace gate!

But it was too late.

A beam of light appeared.

That was a light brighter than moonlight, the light of "Shadow Recognition" emanating from Qi Fei's palm.

"ah!!"

A scream rang out in the hall.

The water rippled violently in the light, struggling and churning like a fish thrown into a fire.

It twisted and turned wildly in mid-air, trying to break free from the light, but the light seemed to be stuck to it, and it couldn't shake it off no matter how hard it tried.

The water ripples became increasingly faint, thinner, and more transparent.

Its struggling movements became slower and weaker.

Finally, under the light, the water ripple completely turned into a wisp of smoke, drifting into the air, and was blown away by the night wind, leaving nothing behind.

The River God, the ruler of the Ruyin River, vanished completely from this world.

Silence returned to the hall.

Moonlight streamed in through the broken door, falling on Qi Fei and on the wreckage that could never be pieced back together.

Qi Fei stood amidst the rubble, slowly withdrawing the light from his hand.

His body swayed the instant the light faded.

He had never exerted his magic power so fully before. In the battle just now, he had only been able to hold on by sheer willpower, and the light of "Shadow Recognition" had never been extinguished.

As soon as I breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. My legs went weak, my vision blurred, and I almost couldn't stand up.

He leaned against the door frame, panting heavily.

Suddenly, the moonlight outside became very bright.

The light was dazzling, descending from the sky with a chilling intensity, illuminating the entire island as bright as day.

Then, a chilling aura swept over them.

It was a May night, but Qi Fei felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He shivered, went outside the River God Temple, and looked out the door.

A figure hangs in mid-air.

It is Yunqiyue.

She had previously hidden in the caravan, wearing a straw hat, silent, like an ordinary traveler.

But at this moment, she was suspended in the moonlight, surrounded by a layer of cool light, her clothes fluttering and moving without wind.

Behind her head hung a round, moon-like halo, like a delicate ring of light around the moon, slowly rotating and casting a soft glow.

Behind her, a faint shadow, like smoke and mist, drifted erratically, yet perfectly synchronized with her every move.

Now she is like a fairy under the moon, aloof and holy.

Yun Qiyue raised her hand and waved it gently.

A streak of azure light flew from her palm, piercing the night sky and landing on the riverbank.

Wherever the cold light passed, fine ice crystals condensed in the air.

The giant crabs and large fish that were still baring their fangs and claws on the riverbank, along with the rotten fish and crabs under the River God's command, froze instantly when that cold light swept over them.

A thick layer of frost spread from their bodies, freezing them into huge blocks of ice in the blink of an eye.

The ice block was crystal clear under the moonlight, and the fish, shrimp, crabs and turtles inside were still struggling in their postures, lifelike, but without any vitality.

The cold light continued to spread, falling into the Ruyin River.

The river churned a few times, and then large patches of ice floated to the surface. Ice floating in the river in May created an extremely eerie scene.

Yun Qiyue withdrew her hand, moved swiftly, and landed in front of Qi Fei.

She curtsied gracefully, her voice clear and cold: "I am truly grateful to you, fellow Daoist, for successfully retrieving my Yin Body this time."

Qi Fei was about to return the greeting, but before he could speak, a voice rang out from behind Yun Qiyue.

"You?"

The voice was exactly the same as Yun Qiyue's, but the tone was frivolous, arrogant, and had a roguish air, completely different from Yun Qiyue's.

A faint shadow floated out from behind Yun Qiyue and hovered beside her.

The shadow resembled the outline of Yun Qiyue, but was more elusive, like a lingering sliver of moonlight, or another version of herself emerging from a mirror.

The shadowy figure looked Qi Fei up and down, then suddenly grinned.

"You think you can get me back, you little punk?"

Qi Fei was taken aback.

The shadow floated in front of him, stretched out an illusory foot, and swayed it in the air.

"I'd love to be free and unrestrained, but you little rascal forced me back to my original form! Come here and lick my toes, and I'll forgive you!"

Qi Fei: "..."

Yun Qiyue's face turned bright red instantly, even her ears turned crimson.

She frantically waved her hands, stammering, "Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, don't listen to her nonsense! This is my Taiyin body, I just retracted it, and it's still a little... a little disobedient..."

"Disobedient?" the shadow immediately retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I am you, and I'm just saying what's on your mind."

She floated down to Yun Qiyue and poked her face with her illusory finger.

"What are you pretending to be so serious about?"

Then, she floated back to Qi Fei, her illusory face full of mockery.

She laughed arrogantly, "Hey kid, come here and lick my toes! Otherwise, I'll drag you back and make you my Xingnu!"

"..." Qi Fei stood there, momentarily at a loss for words.

Looking at the Taiyin body floating around in front of him, spouting nonsense, and then at Yun Qiyue beside him whose face was as red as a ripe shrimp, he suddenly found the scene absurdly funny.

This outspoken Taiyin spirit is neither some foreign demon nor some trick played by Yun Qiyue.

She is Yun Qiyue.

It is another side of Yunqi Moon.

Human thoughts are inherently ever-changing.

In an instant, dozens or even hundreds of thoughts may flash through one's mind, some noble, some humble, some kind, some dark, some serious, and some... unbearable to look at.

Some thoughts are suppressed by reason, restrained by morality, and pressed down by the combined forces of the "innate self" and the "acquired rational ideal self," never to be spoken aloud, never to be acted upon.

The Yin body before me is clearly a manifestation of one of Yun Qiyue's "selves".

He looked up, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Could it be..." he said, "that your Taiyin Palace also cultivates by starting with the three 'selves'?"

Yun Qiyue was taken aback.

She didn't speak, but the Yin-Yang figure beside her blurted out, "You've got some serious assets, kid, trying to have three affairs!"