Chapter 212: The Price of Power: A Shortcut to Malevolent Yin

Mo Qingyan’s comforting words revitalized Xiao Qing. She resumed her diligent practice, focusing on the method of condensing malevolent energy.

To me, however, this progress felt entirely unconvincing, almost unnatural. It seemed far too rapid compared to the patient discipline required for Tai Chi.

This stark difference highlighted the contrasting philosophies between Mo Qingyan and Yi Zhiqiu. Yi Zhiqiu vehemently opposed shortcuts, believing that cultivation should always begin slowly, building from the very foundations.

Even if it took months, or even years, to cultivate the first wisp of true qi, he would insist on this gradual approach. He knew that Taoist techniques or artifacts could accelerate the process, yet he would never resort to such methods.

Mo Qingyan, on the other hand, was a complete opportunist. For her, the fastest way to learn a spell was always the best, and utilizing cursed artifacts or even Gu worms was not only acceptable but often preferred.

Personally, I could understand Yi Zhiqiu’s step-by-step approach. However, time was a luxury I didn’t possess. I had to improve myself as quickly as possible. What good was cultivation if I couldn’t even protect my own life?

The very purpose of cultivation was self-preservation, a concept that a legitimate Xuanmen disciple like Junior Bai Shi, who started with everything, would never truly grasp.

Therefore, after barely ten minutes of rest, I rose to my feet. I urged Mo Qingyan to continue teaching me the Malevolent Yin Finger and then declared, “Lend me the cursed artifact. I want to try it.”

“Take it, but be careful,” Mo Qingyan warned, handing over the red pencil. “This pencil has been possessed by many spirit mediums; it’s not something to be taken lightly.”

I had encountered this red pencil before during a ‘pencil spirit’ game, so I foolishly believed it would be no big deal. Yet, the moment Mo Qingyan placed it in my palm, I was assailed by countless terrifying illusions.

I saw myself leaping from a rooftop in utter despair, only to shatter upon impact. I felt the suffocating horror of being pinned into a pillar, cement poured over me until I choked to death. I kicked open a cage, only to have a rope tighten around my neck. Countless vivid moments of death overwhelmed me, making me feel each one as if it were my own.

“Agh!” I screamed, instinctively wanting to drop the pencil.

But the burning desire to grow stronger surged, overpowering my fear. I tightened my grip on the pencil, and in an instant, the horrifying illusions vanished into thin air.

“Haha!” I laughed, realizing that in those brief seconds, the illusions had dissipated. A cold sweat, however, drenched my entire body.

“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Mo Qingyan clapped, her voice filled with admiration. “Remarkable! Truly impressive! It’s my first time seeing someone overcome the fear of death so quickly. When Senior Liang handed me this pencil back then, I was far more pathetic than you.”

As she spoke, she suddenly averted her gaze, a faint blush spreading across her fair face, signaling a hint of embarrassment. I felt a flicker of confusion, then heard Xushan chuckle from nearby.

“Back then, when Senior Liang gave the pencil to Qingyan, she was so scared she almost…”

“Shut up!” Mo Qingyan snapped, slapping her hand out.

A massive, hideous demonic claw, swirling with malevolent energy and thick smoke, materialized in mid-air, imbued with scorching flames. It lunged towards Xushan.

“Bang!” Xushan raised a blood-red high-heeled shoe. The shoe instantly erupted with a surge of resentful blood qi, blocking the demonic claw. This was clearly a powerful and ominous cursed artifact.

The sea of blood was shattered by the demonic claw, sending Xushan flying several meters. Yet, he remained unharmed. After regaining his footing, he quipped, “Minister, there’s no need to get so agitated, is there? I was just talking.”

“If you utter another word, I’ll rip out your tongue!” Mo Qingyan retorted furiously, though she waved her hand, dispersing the demonic claw.

It was my first time witnessing Mo Qingyan directly attack someone, and her power was formidable. Even without an artifact, she easily repelled Xushan, who was defended by one. I also sensed that the environment here amplified the demonic claw’s destructive force.

Xushan wisely held his tongue. I refocused my mind, imitating Mo Qingyan’s earlier movements. I raised the red pencil, aimed it forward, and began to gather the malevolent energy.

I began to understand why cursed artifacts were such a great aid in cultivating the Malevolent Yin Finger. The red pencil already contained a vast store of malevolent energy; I merely needed to absorb a tiny bit, and the potent energy would automatically shoot out from the tip.

“Whoosh!” A black-red stream of malevolent energy shot forth. This time, I aimed at no one in particular. The ray remained concentrated, piercing directly through the burning building, effortlessly perforating the concrete wall and leaving a clean hole.

The hole looked less like it was shot through and more like it was melted by some highly corrosive liquid. There were clear signs of melting around its edges, and the residual malevolent energy from the blast still lingered.

“It’s that simple?” I exclaimed, holding the red pencil forward. I just needed to slightly push the malevolent energy within, and it would fire off, one shot at a time, like wielding a pistol.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Black-red rays of malevolent energy streamed out. Some shot into the sky, others pierced through the building. I even aimed a shot at a vengeful spirit struggling in the flames on an upper floor, hitting its body squarely.

The contrast was astonishing. Moments ago, I couldn’t even properly condense malevolent energy, let alone compress and project it. Yet, with the red pencil, it was mindless shooting—point and click, no difficulty at all.

Xiao Qing, who was still practicing condensing malevolent energy, watched with wide, stunned eyes.

“Don’t just play around,” Mo Qingyan reminded me. “Feel the pencil’s process of compressing malevolent energy. Then, you need to adapt your own body to it and learn that sensation.”

“I understand,” I replied. I fired a few more shots with the pencil, carefully sensing the condensation process of the malevolent energy within. Once I felt I had a grasp, I put the pencil down and tried to fire another shot myself.

“Poof!” A puff of malevolent energy sprayed from my finger, still scattered like flower petals. While slightly better than before, it remained utterly devoid of destructive power—a stark contrast to the rays shot from the red pencil.

This was the legendary ‘my brain says I’ve got it, my hand says ‘got what?!” It seemed mastering the Malevolent Yin Finger would require a very long period of practice.

I handed the red pencil to Xiao Qing. Her eyes had been glued to me as I used the cursed artifact to unleash the Malevolent Yin Finger, clearly eager to try. I had already memorized the operational process; all that remained was continuous practice.

Seeing me offer the red pencil, Xiao Qing instinctively reached out to take it. But Mo Qingyan intervened, “Wait, don’t give the pencil to Xiao Qing yet. She might not be able to withstand the death experience.”

I remembered the death illusions I had just endured, and my hand paused. Xiao Qing looked at Mo Qingyan, but after a moment of thought, she firmly declared, “Senior Mo, I want to try.”

“I don’t recommend it, but if you truly want to try, you can. It won’t kill you to just hold it,” Mo Qingyan said. “But you must be mentally prepared. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I understand.” Xiao Qing took a deep breath. She had witnessed my earlier scream. She took the pencil from my hand, but the very next second, she too let out a piercing shriek.

“Aaaah!” Xiao Qing dropped the pencil, which clattered to the ground. She then collapsed to her knees, a puddle of yellow urine spreading across the floor.

Now I understood what Jia Cheng had wanted to say earlier.

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