Chapter 17: The Guardian's Blood
Han Feng stared at the Mist Wolf.
The beast rested beside the stone wall, its massive body rising and falling with each slow breath.
Most of its wounds had already stopped bleeding.
But it was still weak.
The newborn Yin-Yang Spirit Moth hovered quietly nearby, its tiny wings giving off alternating golden and black light.
Han Feng watched the strange Gu carefully.
Something had changed after its awakening.
The connection between them was there, but it wasn't complete.
He could sense the Gu.
He could communicate with it through his spiritual sense.
Yet there was still a thin barrier between them.
Almost as if the Moth had awakened...
But had not yet truly recognized him as its master.
The Celestial Diagram confirmed it.
A faint sensation appeared in Han Feng's consciousness.
Incomplete Bond.
Han Feng frowned.
"So that's the problem."
The Gu had chosen him.
But choosing wasn't the same as submission.
A true bond required a foundation.
And according to the fragments of knowledge emerging from the Celestial Diagram, that foundation required an energy source capable of connecting the Gu's chaotic and orderly essences.
Han Feng's gaze slowly moved toward the Mist Wolf.
The answer was obvious.
The wolf's blood.
Not ordinary blood.
Spiritual blood.
The essence that had nourished the Gu for years.
But Han Feng hesitated.
He had already earned the beast's trust.
Taking its blood by force would destroy everything.
He couldn't do that.
Not after understanding what the wolf had sacrificed to protect this Gu.
Han Feng sat down several meters away from the Mist Wolf.
He didn't approach.
Instead, he took out a small jade dagger.
The wolf immediately opened its eyes.
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"Don't worry."
He placed the dagger against his palm.
A shallow cut appeared.
A few drops of blood fell onto the stone.
The Mist Wolf's nose twitched.
Its gaze became sharper.
Han Feng extended his wounded hand.
"I need your help."
The beast stared at him.
Of course, it couldn't understand his words.
But perhaps it understood something deeper.
Intent.
Han Feng slowly pointed toward the Yin-Yang Spirit Moth.
Then toward the wolf.
Then toward himself.
He made a small cutting motion with the dagger.
His meaning was clear.
He needed a small amount of the wolf's spiritual blood.
But he wasn't going to take it.
He was asking.
The cave became completely silent.
The Mist Wolf stared at him for several breaths.
Then it stood.
Han Feng's body became tense.
The beast approached.
One step.
Then another.
It stopped in front of him.
Han Feng didn't move.
The wolf lowered its head.
It sniffed the blood on his palm.
Then it looked directly into his eyes.
For a moment, Han Feng wondered if he had made a mistake.
Then—
Slash.
The wolf's own claw cut across the fur near its shoulder.
A few drops of dark crimson blood fell onto the stone.
Han Feng's eyes widened.
The wolf stepped back.
It had accepted his request.
No.
It had made its own choice.
Han Feng looked at the blood.
Then at the beast.
A strange feeling appeared in his chest.
"Thank you."
The wolf simply lay down again.
As if the matter were settled.
Han Feng carefully collected the blood in a jade container.
He used only a tiny amount.
Not enough to weaken the beast.
That was important.
Trust had been given to him.
He would not abuse it.
The Yin-Yang Spirit Moth suddenly fluttered its wings.
Han Feng looked up.
The Gu had sensed the blood.
Its golden eye glowed.
Then the black one.
A strange resonance spread through the cave.
The Celestial Diagram reacted immediately.
Han Feng closed his eyes.
The hexagram appeared inside his consciousness.
Six points.
Six streams of energy.
And in the center...
A faint image of the Yin-Yang Spirit Moth.
Han Feng understood.
This wasn't refinement in the traditional sense.
It was synchronization.
The Gu didn't need to be broken down and rebuilt.
It needed to recognize him.
To accept his Qi.
To accept the balance of his soul.
Han Feng placed the jade container on the ground.
He released a tiny thread of Qi.
The spiritual blood floated upward.
The Moth approached.
The moment the blood touched its body—
Boom!
A wave of energy exploded through the chamber.
Han Feng's robes fluttered violently.
The Mist Wolf raised its head.
The ancient formations beneath the cave floor began to glow.
Golden lines appeared across the stone.
Then black lines.
The two patterns intertwined.
Han Feng's expression changed.
"This is..."
The same symbols.
The same symbols from the Celestial Diagram.
The cave itself was responding to the Gu.
Han Feng immediately stabilized his breathing.
He couldn't lose control now.
The Moth's body began to change.
The translucent wings became sharper.
Golden patterns spread across one side.
Black patterns appeared across the other.
At the center of its body, a tiny spiral mark formed.
The same mark he had seen inside the chrysalis.
Han Feng felt the connection between them deepen.
The thin barrier disappeared.
For the first time, he could feel the Gu's emotions.
Curiosity.
Caution.
And something that felt almost like recognition.
Han Feng smiled.
"So we're finally connected."
The Yin-Yang Spirit Moth landed on his finger.
A stream of energy entered his body.
Han Feng's meridians trembled.
His Qi began circulating on its own.
The Dual Chaos Larva immediately reacted.
Two Gu.
Two different energies.
Yet neither rejected the other.
Instead, they began moving in opposite directions around his dantian.
One stabilized.
The other disrupted.
Then they switched.
Han Feng's eyes widened.
"The two Gu are balancing each other..."
This was something he had never experienced.
His cultivation didn't simply increase.
It became more stable.
His Qi became denser.
His spiritual perception expanded.
And the Celestial Diagram...
Changed.
A new line appeared within the hexagram.
Han Feng stared at it.
A seventh pattern.
Incomplete.
But visible.
His breathing stopped.
The seventh mark wasn't random.
It resembled the spiral symbol on the Yin-Yang Spirit Moth.
Han Feng's expression became serious.
"So you were one of the missing pieces."
Before he could investigate further—
The Moth suddenly became agitated.
Its wings stopped.
The Mist Wolf lifted its head.
Han Feng felt it too.
A powerful aura was approaching.
Fast.
Very fast.
His smile disappeared.
"He's back."
Footsteps echoed through the passage.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Not hurried.
The enemy cultivator wasn't alone this time.
Han Feng could feel several different auras behind him.
At least four.
His heart sank.
They had returned faster than expected.
The Mist Wolf slowly stood despite its injuries.
Han Feng immediately raised his hand.
"No."
The wolf looked at him.
"You stay here."
The beast growled.
Han Feng pointed toward the Moth.
Then toward the wolf.
He shook his head.
He couldn't let the wolf fight again.
It was already injured.
The Mist Wolf stared at him for several seconds.
Then, surprisingly, it lowered itself.
It understood.
Han Feng turned toward the entrance.
His expression became cold.
The previous time, he had survived because of surprise.
This time, that advantage was gone.
They knew someone was inside.
They would search carefully.
They would probably bring formations designed to detect hidden cultivators.
And Han Feng was still far weaker than them.
He needed another advantage.
His eyes moved across the cave.
The waterfall.
The ancient formation.
The stone platform.
The Yin-Yang Spirit Moth.
The Dual Chaos Larva.
The Mist Wolf.
And the strange black token carried by the intruder.
His mind began connecting everything.
The cave wasn't just a hiding place.
It was a formation.
The Gu wasn't just a treasure.
It was a key.
And the Celestial Diagram...
Might be the thing capable of controlling both.
Han Feng slowly clenched his fist.
A faint smile appeared.
"Then let's see..."
He looked toward the entrance.
"...who understands this cave better."
The footsteps stopped.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
"Search every chamber."
Another voice answered.
"We'll find whoever was hiding here."
The original cultivator spoke next.
"Don't kill him immediately."
A pause.
"I want to know who activated the formation."
Han Feng's eyes became cold.
So they knew.
That changed everything.
The enemy entered the cave.
One figure.
Then another.
Then another.
Han Feng remained hidden.
But this time, he wasn't merely hiding.
His fingers slowly moved toward the stone platform.
The Celestial Diagram pulsed.
The seventh mark responded.
A faint golden light appeared beneath his hand.
The ancient formation awakened.
Han Feng whispered:
"Welcome."
The cave trembled.
And for the first time...
Han Feng wasn't afraid of the people entering it.
He was curious to see what would happen when they realized—
The treasure they had come searching for...
Had already chosen its master.