However, this was only in theory. Based on Ning Beichen's experience, even if James truly opened the ancient vampire treasure vault for them, the chances of them sparing his family were likely slim. This was not only something Ning Beichen understood, but James himself probably knew it too. However, if James did not comply with their demands, his family would have no hope at all. Therefore, even for that 0.01% hope, James had no choice. Fortunately, Ning Beichen told him that he had arranged for people to rescue his family, which somewhat improved his mood.
Ning Beichen also ate something and drank some hot water. He stopped paying attention to James and instead sat down cross-legged, using his spiritual senses to scan the outside situation. As night fell, the wind outside grew stronger and stronger. Even hidden in the snow cave, they could hear the wind howling like giants roaring in their ears. Ning Beichen sensed the outside conditions but found that his senses became very vague in this extremely harsh weather, as if covered by a veil. This feeling annoyed Ning Beichen, as it was like being nearsighted without glasses.
It wasn't that Ning Beichen desperately needed to find something, but rather he needed to observe the condition of the snow mountain to prevent an avalanche from burying them. Moreover, Ning Beichen was certain that the Badge Disciples and the vampires, by asking them to bring the Blood Key to open the ancient vampire treasure vault, would not fail to show up. Therefore, they must be waiting for them somewhere on the snow mountain. If Ning Beichen could sense their location, they could shift from a passive to an active role. Even if the Voidwalker couldn't find James's family, they would still hold the initiative.
However, the more Ning Beichen tried to sense clearly, the more confused he became because the wind and snow were too heavy, and sensing originally relied heavily on the surrounding environment. Yet, the more Ning Beichen couldn't see clearly, the more he wanted to see clearly, gradually becoming focused and forgetting James's presence beside him. Ning Beichen even entered a state of selflessness. Shortly after, James was astonished to see multiple phantoms appearing around Ning Beichen. James felt a bit panicked because he didn't know what was happening to Ning Beichen. He dared not make a sound or disturb Ning Beichen, but his worried expression was evident on his face.
At this moment, Ning Beichen was undergoing a drastic change. He felt as if his soul had detached from his body, like a real him, able to roam outside without being restricted by the harsh environment. If before Ning Beichen could only vaguely sense with his spirit, now he could truly see, even the shape of a snowflake, as clearly as if he were seeing it in person. Ning Beichen was also shocked because this situation had never occurred before. He clearly knew that this was definitely not his spiritual sense, as spiritual sense could not achieve this.
In essence, spiritual sense was somewhat similar to modern high-tech radar, allowing you to roughly scan certain objects. The larger the object or the higher its activity, the easier it was to sense. For example, humans, large animals, etc. Of course, it could also be used to detect enemy ambushes or sneak attacks. However, this kind of spiritual sense did not involve seeing with eyes; what could be sensed was only a general outline. It was like a pulse signal transmitting a simple symbol to your brain, and you could only understand and guess based on this simple symbol. But now, Ning Beichen was not like this; he truly saw things. This was not guesswork or imagination, but rather like the emergence of a Yang Shen.
"Could it be... I am emerging my Yang Shen now?" As Ning Beichen became agitated, he found that his vision suddenly began to blur. Startled, he quickly forced himself to remain focused. The emergence of the Yang Shen was not a myth. In the cultivation system of the ancient Eastern countries, there were many records of Yang Shen emergence. However, this was something that could only be achieved at a very high level, requiring profound Taoist cultivation and a high level of attainment, not something attainable by Grandmasters or those below them. The emergence of the Yang Shen was equivalent to a materialized consciousness, creating another identical self that detached from the physical body and roamed the world, unhindered by time and space.
According to ancient texts, those with profound attainment in Yang Shen emergence could even travel thousands of miles in an instant, merge with light, chase stars and moons, and wander the nine heavens with ease. In plain terms, it was equivalent to being an immortal on earth. Ning Beichen had indeed carefully studied the matter of Yang Shen emergence before. Calling it immortality might be an exaggeration, but it could indeed achieve many things only immortals could. However, the emergence of the Yang Shen was also very dangerous. If one couldn't find the way back, it would be a huge problem. Moreover, the emerging Yang Shen was very fragile, without any protection, like a newborn baby, unable to stray far from the body, and could not remain out for too long. Therefore, Ning Beichen did not dare to wander too far from the snow cave, lingering in its vicinity, experiencing the wondrous feeling of his first Yang Shen emergence.
However, Ning Beichen's composure didn't last long. Just as he was planning to venture further up the snow mountain, he suddenly heard an eagle's cry. He then saw a giant eagle in the sky fiercely diving towards his Yang Shen. Ning Beichen immediately felt danger and instantly retreated back into the snow cave. However, with this, the feeling of Yang Shen emergence vanished, and Ning Beichen's consciousness, without him knowing when, had already returned to his own body. Ning Beichen immediately stood up and walked out of the snow cave. He looked up at the sky, but there was no eagle to be seen, only the howling wind. A gust of cold wind blew. Ning Beichen quickly returned to the snow cave and saw James's terrified appearance.
"James, did you see something just now?" Ning Beichen asked him.
"Ning... Ning Beichen, I just... I think I saw two identical yous." James, being an old friend of Ning Beichen, was more frightened by the unknown and bizarre events than by Ning Beichen himself.
"You must have been seeing things. Get some rest early and don't think too much about it." Ning Beichen did not explain much to him. Besides, discussing what Yang Shen emergence was with a foreigner was like playing music to a cow.