Chapter Sixty-Five: The Candlelight Fades, Shadows Approach

“Don’t rush to praise her just yet—I think we’re about to face even bigger trouble. Everyone, stay close to me and do not act alone!” Leng Huaiyi’s expression was grave as he spoke, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings as if anticipating imminent danger.

It was only now that the others truly took in their surroundings. The place they stood in was bare: aside from the pristine white walls and the neatly arranged candles encircling them, there was nothing else. There was certainly no sign of any family scrolls or rare treasures. Even if this was only the outer layer of the treasury, where was the entrance? Were they meant to break through the walls? But even the walls were strange—spotless, devoid of any decorative patterns, yet it was this very cleanliness that made everyone uneasy. The longer they looked, the more chilled they felt, and without needing Leng Huaiyi’s orders, they instinctively huddled together. Even Yu Shang, usually so daring and meticulous, could not escape the cold dread that crept into their hearts.

“What kind of place is this? It doesn’t look like a treasury at all. And why is the atmosphere so gloomy? Did we come to the wrong place?” Yan Xue Su, no coward herself and well accustomed to terrifying things, nonetheless felt an unshakable fear rise within her. She unconsciously reached for her lover’s hand as she spoke softly.

“Though I haven’t been here before, if my guess isn’t wrong, this is the outermost layer of the treasury—‘A Room of Emptiness’,” Leng Huaiyi replied, his tone calm yet stern. He continued to watch the surroundings with caution, as if a monster might leap out at any moment. Yet so much time had passed without incident—perhaps they were overreacting, or perhaps this was merely the calm before the storm. The real game had yet to begin; whatever was to come would surely be a trial for them all.

“Didn’t you say you’d been here before we entered? Now you’re saying you haven’t? This concerns our lives, boy—if you’re joking, I’ll deal with you later!” Xiaoyin, too, sensed something was off, as if an unseen pair of eyes were watching them hungrily, waiting to make them their next meal.

“Huaiyi entered with my senior brother before. Do you really think they’d bother to break through each level? Of course not—they skipped the first and second layers and went straight to the heart of the treasury! My senior brother is quite the schemer—he kept the shortcut a secret from even his dearest disciple. Is he toying with us? Looks like we’ll have to rely on our luck to make it there ourselves,” Xun Mishuang said helplessly, though her attitude was the opposite of everyone else’s. She seemed utterly unafraid, as if such situations were nothing new to her—her demeanor was truly perplexing.

“Well, since we’re here, let’s just make the best of it. But everyone, please be careful and protect yourselves. This treasury is no safe place—whether we find the family scroll or not is secondary. Your safety is what matters most,” Yu Shang said with concern. He didn’t want anyone risking their lives for the family scroll; after all, what would victory mean if it cost the lives of his companions?

“Got it! When did you become so sentimental, you rascal? Don’t worry, none of us will let anything happen to ourselves!” Xiaoyin clapped Yu Shang on the shoulder with a laugh.

“As long as we stick together and don’t stray even a step, those demons and monsters won’t be able to harm any one of us! Didn’t we all agree—live together, die together? Take care of yourself, lest you end up being the only one in trouble!” Lan Wu blurted out, earning a ripple of laughter from the group.

“Can’t you say something nicer, you little rascal? All this talk of life and death—are you really that unfazed?” Yu Xiaoran could only surrender to Lan Wu’s candid, unfiltered tongue. Still, her straightforwardness brought relief and laughter to everyone.

“You all know I’m not good with words. As long as the meaning gets across, that’s enough!” Lan Wu stuck out her tongue sheepishly, but the group appreciated her “life-and-death pact.” If fate was to scatter them here, none would have the heart to go on alone. If the day ever came when they had to part, they would rather leave together than live on in solitude.

But as the group laughed and talked, a cold wind swept through, snuffing out one of the candles. The room, only just brightened, grew dimmer once more. On the wall where the candle had gone out, a dark silhouette began to rise, soon spreading to cover the entire surface. The shadow was vaguely human in shape—its outline whole, not as hideous as they had feared—yet its menacing, clawing posture was deeply unnerving. Everyone stared at it, wondering what it would do next, but it merely swayed left and right as if toying with them, never leaving the wall. That section of wall itself began to look illusory, as if the shadow were never truly there—one touch, and it might vanish.

“Brother Leng, do you know what that strange shadow is? Why does it behave so oddly, almost like some street performer?” Lan Bingxian asked, eyeing the shadow with uncertainty. It looked weak enough to be dismissed, but anything that appeared in this place was unlikely to be so easily dealt with. Besides, it was untouchable and uncatchable—a truly vexing foe.

“I’ve only heard stories about this shadow. Unlike normal shadows that cling to physical objects, it can break free and become corporeal, able to stand before us in the flesh. Though not the most powerful, it is highly persistent and troublesome. Once it grabs you, it’s almost impossible to escape, and it will drag you into the world within the wall,” Leng Huaiyi answered softly, never taking his eyes off the shadow for fear it might launch a sudden attack. In this treasury, they were always at a disadvantage—forced to react, never able to strike first.

“So we’re just lambs to the slaughter, unable to resist at all?” Yin Boxuan said helplessly. They were in plain sight, while the shadow could attack from the darkness—a clear disadvantage. Worse, it could leap from the wall at any moment. Yet it seemed content to wait, as if testing their patience and showing no sign of openly confronting them.

“That’s not necessarily the case. Lan Wu, try relighting that candle that went out,” Yu Shang said suddenly, eyes fixed on the candles. Clearly, he had noticed something.

“All right.” Without another word, Lan Wu flicked her fiery whip, lighting the candle once more. Instantly, the shadow on the wall vanished.

“Huh, the shadow disappeared!” Meng Youyuan exclaimed in surprise, then turned to Yu Shang. “Brother Yu, how did you realize the candlelight could subdue the shadow?” He was so curious he wished he could open Yu Shang’s head to see how it worked—how could he be so clever, so far beyond ordinary people?

“Didn’t anyone notice something odd since we entered? When Lan Wu lit all the candles, everything in this room—including us—should’ve cast shadows on the walls, but the walls remained perfectly blank, as if spotless mirrors. I kept wondering why, and only understood when the cold wind snuffed out the candle and the shadow emerged. The secret became clear then,” Yu Shang said, glancing at the now spotless wall. “This shadow is the cause of the anomaly—it devours the reflections that should appear in this room to strengthen itself, but it fears the power of the candlelight and dares not reveal itself. That’s why it blew out a candle, to create a safe haven for itself. And if you notice, it only ever appears on the wall without candlelight, never daring to cross over, as if terrified of getting burned. That’s why I thought to use the candlelight against it.” As Yu Shang explained, everyone’s doubts were dispelled, and they couldn’t help but admire his keen insight and quick thinking.

“But if it can snuff out one candle, it can put out another. Are we supposed to keep relighting them in an endless cycle? We need a way to subdue it for good!” Lan Bingxian turned to Yu Shang, confident he would have a solution.

“There is a way to restrain the shadow,” Yu Shang replied with a smile, turning to Lan Wu. “But I’ll need to borrow something from you.”

“What could I possibly have that you’d need?” Lan Wu looked herself up and down, then her gaze fell to her hand. “You mean my fire whip?” Without hesitation, she handed it over. For a cultivator, personal weapons were never casually lent out—this gesture showed just how close their bond had become.

“You really are a clever girl!” Yu Shang grinned, accepting the whip. “Now we just have to wait for our troublemaker to show itself.”

The shadow seemed to understand Yu Shang’s words. At once, a gust of cold wind blew out another candle, and the shadow reappeared on the wall without light, hands on its hips, chin raised in a defiant challenge. If the group hadn’t already witnessed its danger, they might have thought it was merely a mischievous child at play. Its stubbornness didn’t frighten them—in fact, it seemed almost endearing. If this weren’t such a critical moment, they might have indulged it a while longer, but now, every second counted—greater challenges still lay ahead.

“You strange thing, surrender while you still can, or you’ll regret it when the pain starts!” Xiaoyin called out with a mischievous grin, trying to startle the shadow. But the shadow ignored him completely, not even sparing him a glance, leaving Xiaoyin rather embarrassed.