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墨書 Inktalez
The Black Cloud Abyss is ever-changing, filled with myriad phenomena, resembling the sea of clouds before the sun rises. Every second brings a new transformation. Dark and magnificent clouds wrap around stars that shimmer like crystals, drifting across a deep blue canvas, radiating colors; the earth and sky are one, embodying the profound laws of nature, the transformations of nebulae, and the principles of earthly knowledge. It appears tumultuous yet remains calm; within movement lies stillness, and within stillness lies movement.
Once it erupts, it is like a mountain torrent crashing down, like towering waves surging forth, like a black dog swallowing the sun, or like a building collapsing in an instant. In that moment, the nebula shifts dramatically, dark demons arise, overwhelming everything in their path, causing the earth to crack and split... In the blink of an eye, it devours all, uprooting everything; chaos engulfs the starry sea, and the land changes color. The boundary between heaven and hell blurs in an instant.
The sudden death of the Brown Spotted Civet and the fruitless search for an escape left everyone feeling a chill deep within. An unprecedented sense of oppression filled everyone's nerves as the footsteps of death drew ever closer. The thought of seeing one’s own corpse atop Buddha Cave sent shivers down their spines!
Life is but death; death is but life. Standing at the intersection of life and death, one misstep could mean being trapped here forever, fulfilling my junior brother's careless words.
We lay on the ground delivering our last words, our emotions heavy with sorrow, causing tears to fall from listeners and hearts to ache for witnesses. Suddenly, Old Qiao's voice interrupted my confession. Everyone turned to follow his pointing finger and looked up to see dark clouds gathering above us, slowly converging into a massive vortex—just as it had when I fell with my senior sister—signifying that the Black Cloud Abyss was about to split open again.
Old Qiao abruptly sat up from the ground and exclaimed passionately, “I understand! I have a way to escape!”
Everyone jolted upright as if revived from near death, eagerly staring at Old Qiao. “What’s your plan? Hurry!”
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Old Qiao continued at a deliberate pace: “The concept of yin and yang originates from an ancient natural philosophy of the Chinese people. Through years of labor and life experiences—observing phenomena such as earth, sun and moon, day and night, seasons, male and female—they deduced that yin and yang represent a relationship that is both opposing and unified; it forms the basis of the five elements. Later on, this philosophical idea was organized into texts that eventually became what we know today as the Book of Changes regarding yin and yang.”
My junior brother could hardly contain himself and interjected: “What does this have to do with anything? We’re talking about life or death here! Old Qiao, can’t you just get to the point?”
Old Qiao chuckled lightly. “No need to rush! I’m considering this carefully. If you want me to skip over this analysis and jump straight to conclusions, neither of us may find it feasible. By laying out this analysis for everyone to hear, who knows? Inspiration might strike someone else with better ideas—it could give us another chance at survival!”
My junior brother shot a glance at the Black Cloud Abyss above us, fearing more bodies might be thrown down from above. Impatiently he urged: “Then stop rambling and get on with it!”
Old Qiao stroked his beard thoughtfully before continuing: “Systematic yin-yang theory posits that everything in the universe has two aspects that are both opposing yet unified; they constantly move and interact with each other. The ancients referred to this continuous motion as ‘the unceasing transformation of life.’ In Su Wen’s Great Treatise on Yin-Yang—do you know what Su Wen is? It’s a medical theory text written by Huang Di around the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period—‘Yin and yang are the principles of earth; they are the threads binding all things together; they are the parents of change; they are the foundation of life and death; they are where divine wisdom resides. Therefore, when treating illness one must seek out these fundamental principles.’ This means that existence based on opposing unity is a fundamental law governing all things; nothing can exist contrary to this law. The changes in things arise from their own yin-yang aspects constantly moving and interacting with each other—the creation and destruction of things stem from this fundamental law. This is where all natural mysteries lie. Thus, if we want to cure our ailments or find solutions to our problems, we must address this fundamental issue—‘yin-yang’—and perhaps we can find a way out!”
"The interplay of Yin and Yang is interdependent, existing together in life and death. Without Yin, there can be no Yang; if there is only Yin without Yang, or only Yang without Yin, then 'solitary Yang cannot thrive, and isolated Yin cannot endure.' Everything will return to stillness and extinction. Conversely, under certain conditions, the Yin and Yang of the same entity can transform into one another when they reach a certain stage of development; Yin can turn into Yang, and Yang can turn into Yin. As for what these conditions are, the Su Wen states, 'Excessive Yin must lead to Yang, and excessive Yang must lead to Yin,' and 'extreme cold produces heat, while extreme heat produces cold.' Just like our current situation: from life comes death, and from death comes life; within life there is death, and within death there is life."
As Old Qiao finished speaking, my senior sister exclaimed, "I understand! The Black Cloud Abyss is both the beginning of everything and the end of everything; it is both the gate of death and the gate of life! Our exit lies there!" With that, she pointed her sword toward the sky.
In an instant, a thunderous roar echoed from above. The swirling black clouds had formed a massive black vortex. In the center of the vortex, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as a crack about a palm's width gradually opened. Suddenly, a thick cloud of black mist surged through the crack, resembling a long torpedo as it descended with a whoosh, trailing a long tail of black smoke toward the center below.
In that moment, I recalled the immense pain of being pierced through by those Black Clouds and shouted in panic, "Quick! Get away from that black cloud!" (To be continued.)
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