Twilight crept in, painting the sky above with streaks of orange and purple. But for Li Xian, those colors felt bland. His entire attention was fixated on a sheet of blue tiger skin in his hand, which radiated a cold yin light. The light wasn't just a glow; it was a pulsating energy that felt like burning ice, sucking the warmth from his fingertips. The sequences of blue light snaked across the skin's surface, forming an intricate pattern that finally converged at one point on the map: the Red River.
"This river... I'll make it your grave," Li Xian hissed. His dark eyes, as black as onyx, reflected a faint shadow on the map's surface. The shadow wasn't his own but the silhouette of Shanghai Hei, complete with his perpetually cunning smile. The promise was not just a threat but a vow bound by the burning hatred in his heart. A faint voice echoed in his mind, a voice he had heard when Shanghai Hei looked at him, a gaze full of calculation and mockery, as if he were just a puppet in a bigger game.
Beside him, Luo Feng rubbed the spiral tattoo on his chest. Its throbbing was no longer a dull ache but a vibration, as if something was squirming under his skin, a spiritual thread pulled taut. "His evil energy... is seeping into the river," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I can feel it. A powerful, foul force... like a corpse soaked in demonic Qi."
Their journey to the Red River felt like swimming against a current of death. The air grew stuffier, and every gust of wind brought a sense of foreboding. The scenery around them deteriorated with every step. The water of the Wuyang River, which usually flowed clear, was now a deep red, as if thousands of liters of blood had been poured into it. The metallic smell of blood stung their nostrils, sticky and nauseating. Carp and catfish floated belly-up, their white bellies pointing to the sky, their eyes empty.
From behind the dilapidated bamboo houses, whispers of fear flowed like smoke. "The Underground Dragon is furious!" an old grandmother muttered, her wrinkled fingers clutching a good luck charm. "It needs a sacrifice! It needs a sacrifice!" The whispers spread like a plague, creeping under the skin of Li Xian and Luo Feng. The villagers' gazes were filled with suspicion, as if they were the bearers of bad luck who had drawn the gods' wrath.
Wang Meng, who had been walking calmly all this time, suddenly flinched. Around his neck, two twin jade pieces that had protected him since childhood were now burning his skin. He quickly touched them, pulling at his collar to soothe the heat, but the sensation was like a burning ember. "Something's not right," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "My jade has never reacted like this. This... isn't just a curse. It's an incredibly powerful formation." The heat wasn't just a burning heat but a warning heat, a sign that a great danger was right in front of them.
"Damn it," Li Xian muttered, gripping the map until his knuckles turned white. "He knew we were coming here. He's challenging me."
"This isn't a challenge, Li Xian. It's a trap," Luo Feng corrected, his voice firm. "Do you know what he wants? He wants you to act like a wounded tiger. Your anger will blind you."
Finally, they arrived at the banks of the Red River. The sight before them was far more terrifying than they had imagined. On the river's side, an old building that might have once been a textile factory now stood towering like a monster waiting for its prey. Its peeling paint looked like rotting skin, and its evil aura felt like a cold draft on a hot day.
A rickety wooden pier stretched over the turbulent water. On it, a spider's web of golden silk, as thick as silk threads, stretched between the wooden pillars. The gloomy moonlight reflected on its surface, making the web look like laser threads. "Heavenly Golden Spider Web... Tianluo Jin Si," Luo Feng muttered. "Once we touch it, it will bind us. A beautiful trap."
An indescribable stench greeted them, piercing their noses. The smell of sticky, wet blood, mixed with the damp yin scent of a graveyard, and... something sweet, intoxicating, and strange. Wang Meng suddenly coughed, his eyes watering. "Be careful! This is the smell of Mihun Xiang! Mind-erasing incense! Don't inhale too deeply!" The scent made their heads spin, their minds become foggy, as if their brains were drowned in a thick fog.
Right on the rickety pier, the most horrifying sight was revealed. Three figures hung there, bound by thick chains that were not made of iron but of spiritual energy. The chains, which they recognized as the Bound Soul Ropes, tied the victims' wrists and ankles, making them hang like puppets over the turbulent red water. The chains felt cold to the touch and emitted an evil pulsation that felt like a pulse.
Around each victim's neck hung a small gourd made of bitter gourd. The gourds emitted a thin, pulsating purple smoke, like a beating heart. "That's... the Soul Separation Gourd," Wang Meng whispered, his face pale. "Inside... is the Soul-Splitting Poison."
Suddenly, a bamboo scroll floated down from above, landing softly in front of Li Xian's feet. The scroll was tied with a blood-red thread. Li Xian opened it. The red ink seemed to drip from the paper; Shanghai Hei's elegant but mocking handwriting was etched there: "One wrong step = one life lost."
Li Xian's grip on the scroll tightened, his knuckles turning white. His dark meridians churned wildly under his skin, the destructive energy locked within him struggling to be released. His eyes blazed with pure rage. "I'll charge straight in!" he growled, stepping forward.
But a strong hand gripped his arm, pulling him back forcefully. It was Luo Feng. His face was tense, the spiral tattoo on his chest throbbing with pain. "Don't be reckless, Li Xian! This is a trap! He has calculated our every move. He wants you to act like a wounded tiger. Your anger will blind you."
"Then what? We sit here and watch them die?" Li Xian snapped.
"No! We think!" Luo Feng snapped back, his voice sharp. "Look around you. The scent of Mihun Xiang, the Qi from the Soul Ropes... he wants us to fight in our weakest state. He's playing a game... with these souls as his pawns. He's waiting for us to make a mistake."
Following Luo Feng's intuition, they entered the building called the Abandoned Water Temple. The air inside was hot and humid, filled with a sulfur-like vapor.
The first room was the Room of Eternal Fire. The stone walls there radiated a scorching heat, making their skin feel burned. Hot Yang vapor filled the room, mixed with a thicker Yin fog. Li Xian felt the Qi in his meridians churning, difficult to control. As he stepped in, his vision blurred, as if his brain was drowning in a fog.
Suddenly, from behind the shadows, three figures leaped at them. Their faces were pale, their eyes empty, and their movements stiff. They were Blood Puppets, created from the victims' own blood, and armed with long, sharp claws.
"They're using... blood puppet techniques!" Luo Feng exclaimed, swinging his sword. "Don't let them touch you! Their blood is already contaminated!"
Li Xian hesitated for a moment. The faces he knew, now empty and pale, attacked with deadly claws. "Damn you, Shanghai Hei!" he yelled, as he parried an attack from the puppet resembling one of the victims. "You won't even let their souls rest!" He fought reluctantly, every attack feeling like a stab into his own heart.
After defeating the puppets, they entered the Dharma Wheel Corridor. This corridor was filled with giant iron wheels that spun slowly on the walls. The wheels were carved with ancient mantras that emitted a Qi-destroying aura. With every rotation of the wheel, they could feel the Qi in their bodies being drained. It felt like a drain was pulling energy from them.
At the end of the corridor, three larger iron wheels stood tall. A bloody message was written on the wall: "Spin 3 Yin and 3 Yang in 10 breaths. If you fail, the Dharma Wheel will crush you." The ten breaths felt so short, making their hearts pound.
"What does that mean? How do we know which is Yin and which is Yang?" Li Xian asked, his voice tense.
Luo Feng didn't answer. He knelt beside the corpse of a Blood Puppet. He flipped the puppet over and examined the necklace around its neck. The necklace was made of black jade, carved with intricate patterns. "These patterns... are the same as on the Dharma Wheel. The three jades in front are Yin jades, and the three behind are Yang jades."
They spun the wheels according to the instructions, with every second feeling like an hour. On the last spin, the corridor shook, and a rumbling sound echoed. A door opened, leading to the next room. They had succeeded.
The next room was the Room of Soul Mirrors. A large room with walls made of silver mirrors that reflected their distorted reflections and terrifying illusions. In the middle of the room, a large mirror, a Bagua mirror, shone with a silvery light.
In the mirror, they saw Shanghai Hei. He sat calmly in a luxurious room, sipping tea from an elegant porcelain cup. A mocking smile was on his lips. He saw Li Xian and Luo Feng, as if they were just insects trapped in a jar.
Suddenly, bloody writing appeared on the mirror's surface: "Time remaining: 5 keshí."
Li Xian swallowed hard. Five keshí... that's ten minutes. Their time was up.
"He's deliberately showing us this," Luo Feng said, his eyes narrowed. "He wants us to panic. He wants us to act recklessly."
"What will happen after 5 keshí?" Li Xian asked, his voice tense.
Luo Feng shook his head. "I don't know. But I'm sure it won't be good."
"Look around you, heroes," Shanghai Hei's voice echoed from the mirror, his voice like a whisper from hell, vibrating every mirror in the room. "The game has just begun."
In front of them, two doors appeared out of nowhere. One was pitch black, representing Yin. The other was pure white, representing Yang. Above the black door, there was bloody writing: "Save the victims." Above the white door: "Neutralize the poison."
"Choose, Li Xian," the voice echoed. "The Yin door to save their bodies from the chains, or the Yang door to neutralize the poison in their gourds. Choose, and the other will be annihilated."
Li Xian stared at the two doors, cold sweat running down his temples. This was an impossible choice. "This is a trap!" he exclaimed.
"Of course!" Shanghai Hei laughed. "Welcome to a game you can't win. Now, Li Xian, feel your memories."
Suddenly, familiar and painful voices filled the room. A familiar woman's voice, full of hatred, came from the mirror. "Devil's child! If only you had never been born! You are a curse to our family!"
Li Xian's face turned pale. It was his mother's voice. He had tried to forget those memories that prevented him from moving forward, but now...
Then, another voice appeared. The sobs of a small child, followed by the sound of a sword cleaving. "Brother! Help me! Don't leave me!" It was Luo Feng's little sister's voice, moments before her head was severed.
Luo Feng flinched, his face hardened, and his eyes glistened. He clenched his fists, blaming himself for his sister's death.
Shanghai Hei's shadow danced on the mirror, forming a terrifying illusion. He danced on a coffin, while Li Xian and Luo Feng stood helpless. He pointed at them with his thin index finger.
"I know your weaknesses," he said, his voice full of triumph. "Li Xian, you hate yourself because you are a curse to your family. Luo Feng, you blame yourself for your sister's death. You are both puppets in a drama I direct. Now, I give you a final challenge. Choose one of your memories to be sacrificed. The death of Luo Feng's sister... or the curse you carry? Only one can survive!"
The anger that Li Xian had suppressed for so long exploded like a volcano. The dark energy churning in his meridians, which he had suppressed for years, now came out uncontrollably. Pain and relief mixed, filling him.
"ENOUGH, DEMON!" he roared.
He swung his palm forward. A wave of destructive dark energy, like a giant sledgehammer, struck the Bagua mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Shanghai Hei's laughter was cut short. However, his action had a consequence.
The sharp mirror fragments flew through the air, cutting the wires on the ceiling of the room. One of the wires fell and touched the Dharma Wheel that was still spinning in the corridor. A rumbling sound echoed, and from outside, they heard a piercing scream. Li Xian had accidentally reactivated the wheels, injuring the victims who were still tied up.
Li Xian stared at his hand, trembling. He had just hurt the people he wanted to save. Guilt hit him like a hammer. "No...!" he whispered, his head bowed.
Suddenly, a loud ticking sound filled the room. The ticking came from the gourds around the victims' necks. The ticking grew faster, frantic, like a ticking time bomb about to explode.
Li Xian and Luo Feng rushed out of the Abandoned Water Temple, running toward the pier. The ticking grew faster, echoing in Li Xian's ears, in his head, in his mind.
"Time's up, heroes!"
On the temple's roof, Shanghai Hei's silhouette appeared. His black robe fluttered in the wind. He smirked, his smile spreading from ear to ear, his face illuminated by the gloomy moonlight. "Five keshí have passed. Now, watch them turn to liquid!"
Li Xian felt despair creeping into his heart. He was helpless. He looked at the victims, who were now writhing in pain. The gourds vibrated violently.
"Wait, Li Xian!" Luo Feng shouted, stopping him in his tracks. He took a small knife from his robe and cut his palm. The blood flowing from his wound was not red but a bright gold, radiating a soft light.
"This is... Heavenly Golden Blood," he whispered. He looked at Li Xian. "It's the only way. The yin power of this poison... can only be balanced by the strongest yang."
Without hesitation, Luo Feng poured his golden blood into the river. Drop by drop, the blood fell into the red water. The pain from the cut burned his hand, but he endured it.
And a miracle happened.
As the drops of golden blood touched the water's surface, the red river water churned, emitting a thin vapor, and its color changed. The deep red faded, replaced by a clear color that reflected the moonlight. The cursed water became holy again.
Simultaneously, around the victims' necks, the Soul Separation Gourds vibrated violently, then burst with a silent pop, releasing purple smoke that immediately evaporated into the air. The poison had been neutralized.
Li Xian sighed in relief. They had succeeded.
However, the victory was short-lived.
"I'm sorry, Master Li."
The voice came from Xiao Lan, the oldest victim. Li Xian turned, looking at him in confusion. Xiao Lan's face was full of tears, but his eyes were empty, lifeless. His trembling hand was gripping a Split Soul Kris, a silver kris that pulsed with dark energy.
Without warning, Xiao Lan stabbed Li Xian with the kris.
Li Xian flinched, a terrible pain burning his chest. He looked down, seeing the kris stabbing him. Its tip almost pierced his heart, stopping just a few millimeters from his vital organ.
"Shanghai Hei... Shanghai Hei promised... my family's freedom..." Xiao Lan whispered, his eyes glistening.
Betrayal. Li Xian gripped Xiao Lan's hand, trying to pull the kris out.
Li Xian versus Xiao Lan. However, this was not a fair fight. Xiao Lan was being controlled; his empty eyes showed that he was a puppet without a will of his own. On his back, a small golden needle pulsed, controlling his every movement. It was Shanghai Hei's Kundalini Needle. Li Xian tried not to hurt him, only parrying. Every attack from Xiao Lan felt like a kris stabbing into his own heart, a psychological torture.
At the same time, Luo Feng screamed. In front of him, five illusionary figures appeared, made of the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and wood. It was Shanghai Hei's Five Elements illusion. The earth illusion struck him with a rock fist, the fire illusion burned him with fireballs, while the wind illusion cut him with an air sword. Each illusion attacked him from a different direction, forcing Luo Feng to defend against the unseen attacks.
"Five Elements... Shanghai Hei divided his Qi into five directions," Luo Feng muttered, swinging his sword, cutting the wind illusion.
Meanwhile, Li Xian fought with Xiao Lan. "Xiao Lan! Snap out of it!" Li Xian growled, trying to talk to him. "You don't want to do this!"
But Xiao Lan's eyes remained empty.
Luo Feng, who had successfully destroyed the Five Elements illusion, saw the battle. He looked at Xiao Lan's back and saw something small, yet deadly.
"Li Xian! On his back! There's a Locked Spirit Seal and a spiral symbol!" Luo Feng shouted.
Li Xian understood. This was a spiritual seal that bound Xiao Lan's soul to Shanghai Hei's will. He used his remaining strength, gathering Qi in his palm, and placing it on Xiao Lan's back. He channeled Qi into the seal, destroying it from within.
The seal vibrated, then exploded into dust.
Xiao Lan's eyes returned to their conscious state. A consciousness filled with horror. "Forgive... forgive me, Master Li..." he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I... I didn't mean to..."
The kris fell from his hand. He stumbled backward, then collapsed into Li Xian's embrace. His body was cold. His soul had been annihilated.
A painful victory. Li Xian stared at his hand clutching the Split Soul Kris. His skin was now pale, and blue-black veins spread across his hand. The Soul-Splitting Poison had entered his body.
Luo Feng collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. He rubbed his chest. The spiral tattoo that was once the size of a coin had now grown to the size of a palm, pulsating with a dull pain. The pain felt like it was burning, spreading throughout his body.
The victory felt so bitter. Two victims survived, but one died. Xiao Lan's lifeless body lay on the pier, cold in Li Xian's embrace. Xiao Lan's blood and Li Xian's blood dripped into it, merging as if to say, in the next life, I hope we meet again.