While the three siblings fought and chased each other over there, Huo Chongxiao’s situation on the other side was turning dire.
Hearing Yue Yunqiao cry out "Senior Brother!" in panic, Bai Menglian turned her head and saw Huo Chongxiao clutching his chest, his entire body wreathed in black qi.
"Oh no, Immortal Huo has been eroded by demonic qi!" Bai Menglian wanted to go help, but a dull thud echoed through the air as all the spiritual qi and demonic qi surged toward that direction, forming a massive vortex.
A tremendous suction force erupted from the center of the vortex. Everyone staggered a couple of steps, and Bai Mengxing grabbed hold of her eldest sister's arm in terror, crying out, "Eldest Sister, it's sucking us in! What should we do?"
Planting her feet firmly on the ground, Bai Menglian barked, "Why aren't you running your cultivation technique yet? Will it stop just because you shout?"
When had Bai Mengxing ever bothered to cultivate of her own accord? Spurred by her reprimand, she flurriedly began running her technique.
Seizing the opportunity, Guan Mowen struck out with a palm toward Huo Chongxiao. Since Huo Chongxiao was already fighting against the demonic qi, he couldn't possibly withstand this blow and was sent flying straight into the vortex.
"Senior Brother!" Yue Yunqiao lunged forward.
The junior and senior brother-apprentice crashed heavily against the door, firmly trapped by the suction of the vortex as their magical power drained away bit by bit.
"Fairy Yue!" Bai Menglian wanted to help anxiously, but was utterly powerless.
Seeing this, Guan Mowen chuckled and said, "Since Eldest Miss is so eager, then go join them!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Bai Menglian and Bai Mengxing were sent flying over as well.
Bai Mengjin couldn't help raising her eyes to look at the Yin-Yang Umbrella. The vital essence of the Bai clan members had already been completely absorbed by the Yellow Springs Wood, and spiritual qi, demonic qi, and vital energy were converging through it, channeling into the house. Even this vortex was being driven by it...
Noticing this, Guan Mowen asked with a smile, "Is Second Miss having second thoughts?"
Bai Mengjin revealed a trace of timidity. "No, no..."
"That won't do!" Guan Mowen said. "You are going to be the master's sole surviving relative and will inherit his cultivation technique. How can you be so frightened?"
Bai Mengjin let out an "ah" and pointed at herself. "I—am I going to cultivate demonic arts too?"
"Of course. Otherwise, how could you stay by the master's side for long? Normal people would be eroded by the demonic qi."
"This..."
"Second Miss is unwilling?" Guan Mowen pressed step by step, as if he would throw her in as well if she did not agree.
Bai Mengjin blurted out, "I am willing! Since I chose Grand-Uncle, I am willing to do whatever he asks of me."
A smile appeared on Guan Mowen's face, but before he could say anything more, the surging demonic qi around them suddenly came to a halt.
He turned his head. "Master?"
A long, drawn-out sigh came from inside the room. Bai Chong'an said, "There seems to be an anomaly within the array. When I ran my cultivation technique, I actually felt a sense of obstruction. Send Qingru to investigate."
Guan Mowen acknowledged the order and dispatched a transmission talisman.
With such a massive maze array, someone naturally had to maintain it. Since the old servant Qingru was not here, he was presumably the one in charge of it.
On the other side, Huo Chongxiao and the others temporarily recovered their breath. However, their condition was abyssal; each of them was drained of color and shrouded in black qi, looking as though they might draw their last breath at any second.
Dizzy and disoriented, Bai Mengxing asked her eldest sister, "Eldest Sister, why did it stop?"
Coughing twice, Bai Menglian replied, "There's a problem with Grand-Uncle's array."
"Oh." Though Bai Mengxing's mind was a complete mess, she suddenly recalled every scene from their journey here, where Bai Mengjin had used the blood of demonic creatures to draw the array diagrams.
What was this array for? What had she answered at the time?
Oh, right, it was for self-preservation. Could it be...
He glanced toward his second sister, only to see her standing meekly beside Guan Mowen with lowered head, looking thoroughly well-behaved.
Bai Mengxing shook his head, thinking hazily: Could it really be that he was just too stupid? Why couldn't he figure this out?
"Senior Brother!" Catching her breath, Yue Yunqiao crawled laboriously toward Huo Chongxiao.
As Bai Chong'an's primary target, most of his magical power had already been sucked away, leaving him half-dead.
Seeing him in this state, tears involuntarily welled up in Yue Yunqiao's eyes, and anxiety devoured her heart.
Why wasn't Master here yet? Could it be that the communication jade talisman had been blocked as well? What should they do? If he didn't come soon, Senior Brother would...
A soft sigh drifted from the house once more: "We cannot drag this out any longer. What manner of mighty abilities does a Deity Transformation cultivator possess? This maze array of mine can only stall them for a moment. I fear Senior Uncle Changling may already have perceived it..."
"Then..."
"Second Lass, bring the Yin-Yang Umbrella inside." Bai Chong'an said.
Bai Mengjin raised her head in surprise. "Me?"
Without waiting for Bai Chong'an to reiterate, Guan Mowen reached out with a beckoning hand, causing the Yin-Yang Umbrella to fly down from the Yellow Springs Wood and thrusting it into her hands. "Go! Didn't Second Miss say she was willing to cultivate demonic arts? Surely you aren't afraid of even this?"
Meeting his coercive gaze, Bai Mengjin reluctantly agreed. "Fine..."
She opened her hands and grasped the Yin-Yang Umbrella. The snow-white umbrella canopy, the pitch-black interior, and the umbrella handle crafted from the bones of the Ming River—the icy, malevolent tactile sensation was identical to the one in her memories.
She had finally obtained it.
Lowering her head, Bai Mengjin walked slowly toward the small house.
With a creak, the door swung wide open.
Watching her step by step closer, Bai Menglian felt a mix of anger and helplessness. "Second Sister! Are you truly going to help a tyrant do evil?"
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Yue Yunqiao chimed in, "Junior Sister Bai, last time you helped us find the vengeful ghost, and now you are going to become his vengeful ghost yourself? He harbors no good intentions and will not let you go!"
Regaining a breath of air, Huo Chongxiao spoke with a pale, ashen face and a threadlike voice, "Miss Bai, he... his cultivation is obstructed, and he called you inside to use you as the array core. Do not fall for his trick..."
Bai Mengjin halted, looking at him and then at Guan Mowen, as though she didn't know who she should believe.
With his hands tucked in his sleeves, Guan Mowen said with a smile, "Second Miss doesn't have to go if you don't want to. It's just fetching the Yin-Yang Umbrella; you don't strictly have to be the one. But if you don't go inside, you'll end up just like them."
Bai Mengjin lowered her gaze to inspect the four people at death's door, and finally stepped inside.
In the small room, Bai Chong'an sat cross-legged in the center, still maintaining his leisurely appearance with billowing wide sleeves, yet his entire person was wrapped in heavy, thick demonic qi. Even his pupils were pitch-black, making him look far more terrifying than an ordinary demonic cultivator.
"Gran—Grand-Uncle..."
"Good child," Bai Chong'an replied with a smile. "Hold the umbrella and stand by my side."
"Yes..."
Bai Chong'an reached out to grasp her hand, then suddenly squeezed hard as demonic qi surged forth wildly.
"Ah!" Bai Mengjin let out a cry of pain. The demonic qi of the entire maze array surged anew, and the vortex formed once more, except this time, its focal point was centered upon her body.
The Yin-Yang Umbrella spun violently. Even though the handle was gripped in her hand, the canopy rotated at a dizzying speed, blending demonic qi and spiritual qi together and pouring them in one breath into Bai Mengjin's body, tearing at her meridians.
The violent demonic qi completed its transformation inside her body; carried by the natural affinity of a blood relative's flesh, when it reached Bai Chong'an, it shed its volatile hostility and grew gentle.
Bai Chong'an rapidly condensed his Demonic Heart.
"Second Sister!" Overcome with distress, Bai Menglian let out a cry.
It was over. Regardless of whether Grand-Uncle succeeded or not, Second Sister was truly finished. How could a mere Qi Condensation minor cultivator possibly endure such erosion by demonic qi?
At that moment, a flash of light crossed Bai Mengjin's eyes. The Yin-Yang Umbrella in her hand paused for a fraction of a second, and then abruptly reversed its rotation!
Those streams of demonic qi and spiritual qi, which had originally been channeled through her to Bai Chong'an, now reversed direction, stripping away from Bai Chong'an's Demonic Heart layer by layer and surging toward her instead!