Along with the onset of those spring dreams, Chu Hanjin would call this the second most absurd thing that happened since leaving his retreat.

Just as he was about to undress, he heard a commotion outside the door.

They’re back again?

There were footsteps in the front hall, mixed with loud voices. “Damn it! Wait until the master finds out, let’s see how he deals with you all!”

“How is this my fault?”

“If it’s not your fault, then whose is it?!”

A group of disciples ran past outside the hall, their swords marking them as members of the Rongku Sect, pointing at each other as they hurried along.

Chu Hanjin asked, “Why are you making noise here instead of at the night banquet?”

“We’re looking for my senior brother, Xue Wuya. He’s gone missing!”

“Gone missing? What do you mean?”

The person caught his breath and explained, “Earlier, we were drinking at the night banquet. My senior brother, having won first place in the hunt today, was in high spirits and drank a few more cups than usual. He got drunk. A disciple from another sect started mocking him, saying that he was too young to act so arrogantly and that he didn’t respect the elders of the Six Great Sects. My senior brother got upset, and I couldn’t help but argue back. It escalated into a fight.”

Each year, when the youths of the Six Sects gathered, no one wanted to back down, and fights often broke out. Chu Hanjin gestured for him to continue.

“My senior brother went a bit too far and injured the other cultivator. But we were afraid the situation would blow up, and our master would punish us. So that person said, if my senior brother was really so capable, he should prove it by spending a night in the Celestial Burial Pit at the bottom of the Far Mountain Abyss and return with a finger bone from a corpse… My senior brother, in his drunkenness, agreed to it…”

Upon hearing the name Celestial Burial Pit, Chu Hanjin knew things were about to get messy tonight.

The former Lord of the Far Mountains, Chu Kuang, who was also Chu Hanjin’s father, had once moved the Sect Palace from the serene and picturesque Jiangnan region to the remote and desolate Banks of Nine Rivers for a reason. The Celestial Burial Pit had been the site of an ancient battle between immortals and demons. After the chaos subsided, the place was filled with heavy resentment, with winds that carried corpses and rains of flesh throughout the year, ghosts crying at autumn graves, and blood-soaked bones that never settled. The surrounding land was barren, with no crops growing for miles, and hungry ghosts would tear at human flesh in the dead of night. There were no living souls around.

However, the Banks of Nine Rivers controlled many of the region’s waterways, making it a necessary route for travelers. After much deliberation, Chu Kuang had decided to relocate the Sect Palace to the Celestial Burial Pit. Every beam and pillar was made from spiritual wood that repelled ghosts and suppressed evil. The white clay used for the walls was mixed with talismanic ash, and the pit itself was sealed by divine nails, forged over decades, which blinded the eyes of the vengeful spirits, preventing them from seeing any way out, thus restoring peace and tranquility.

The Celestial Burial Pit was a forbidden and extremely dangerous place for the Far Mountain Sect, let alone outsiders.

At the pavilion of the night banquet, Mu Lianchun, having heard the entire story, set down his wine cup and said, “Junior brother, you’d better quickly lead a group to search for him. But don’t worry too much. There’s a barrier around the Celestial Burial Pit. Without the proper token, he won’t be able to enter. If you hurry, you might still catch him at the entrance.”

Chu Hanjin took the young disciple and left the night banquet.

The abyss was the general term for the battlefield where immortals and demons clashed. The place with the most casualties was known as the Celestial Burial Pit. A massive, jagged canyon lay in the distance, its landscape split open by the sword of a Demon Lord. As they approached, even the speed of the wind seemed to increase, making breathing feel faintly suffocating. Dark red snowflakes swirled in the air, and the distant glow of crimson light painted the sky, making the night even brighter than day.

“Who goes there?” Chu Hanjin suddenly drew his sword.

A dark figure emerged from a nearby slope, carrying a large sword on their back and a bow in their left hand. Their posture was straight as a pine tree. “We meet again.”

The young disciple shouted, “It’s you, Yue Lin! You’re known to never get drunk, so why are you here instead of at the night banquet?”

It was the same man who had barged into Chu Hanjin’s private chambers earlier.

Chu Hanjin’s expression remained emotionless.

So, his name is Yue Lin.

However, he now seemed much calmer, his wild behavior from earlier completely gone, replaced by a composed demeanor.

“Brother Yue Lin, did you find your wife?” asked the young disciple.

Yue Lin glanced at Chu Hanjin and replied, “I did.”

“…”

Chu Hanjin found his gaze highly disrespectful and, with a stern face, asked, “What are you doing here?”

Yue Lin responded in a calm, orderly tone, “Earlier, I overheard Brother Xue making a bet with some other cultivators. I thought it was reckless and impulsive, and since I’ve heard the stories about the Celestial Burial Pit, it seemed too dangerous. So, I followed him to persuade him to stop, but I got distracted along the way and lost sight of him.”

Got distracted? He was probably referring to when he barged into the chambers.

Chu Hanjin wanted to ask further, but the words stuck in his throat.

The young disciple eagerly said, “We’re also here to find my senior brother, with Lord Yue Zhao!”

Yue Lin smiled, “Then let’s go together. More help is always better.”

The bottom of the pit was connected to the upper levels by a wooden ladder and chains. Chu Hanjin touched the barrier, sensing the flow of spiritual energy. “The barrier has been broken. He’s already gone inside.”

The young disciple, whose name was Xue Wan, took one look at the swirling red mist of the pit and stepped back in fear, swallowing hard. “Did Senior Brother really go down there? Just over a bet? Was he really that serious?”

“This is troublesome,” Chu Hanjin frowned. “You two should go back and call for help. I’ll go in and find him.”

Yue Lin said, “I can go down with you, Lord Yue Zhao. Xue Wan, you go back and report this. Are you afraid to go alone?”

Thinking of the pit filled with blood and carnage, Xue Wan nodded vigorously. “Not afraid, not afraid.”

He had no objections, but it seemed someone else did.

Chu Hanjin glanced at Yue Lin, his demeanor completely upright, his lips pressed into a thin line. His lowered gaze had a subtle glint of cold light, as though he was somewhat displeased.

Yue Lin showed no sign of embarrassment and replied candidly, “Lord Yue Zhao, I’ve heard that the Celestial Burial Pit is full of evil energy. I just want to lend a hand and ease your burden. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Chu Hanjin’s brow twitched slightly, but he quickly turned away. His long black hair swayed in the wind, and his snow-white figure, as pure and clean as goose feathers, descended the wooden planks toward the bottom of the pit.

The cleaner he looked… the more it made people want to tear off that pristine robe of his.

To make him lose his composure, to dirty him.

It made one want to lick him.

Yue Lin’s eyes swept over his retreating figure as he followed behind.

Upon reaching the bottom, Chu Hanjin took out a talisman and lit it, using it to mask both his and Yue Lin’s presence. This particular talisman was made from special materials and required the “life force of living beings” to ignite. Once lit, it could detect the flow of human presence by observing how the flame flickered, growing weaker or stronger. Usually, lighting such a talisman would be no different from burning paper, but in a place filled with ghostly energy and devoid of life force, its true effect became apparent.

The tiny flame flickered weakly, as if oppressed by the overwhelming ghostly energy surrounding it. But after a moment, it stabilized and extended its tongue of flame in one direction.

“Right,” Chu Hanjin said.

The bottom of the pit was the remnants of a battlefield, the ground blackened and mixed with dark red clay, like the flesh of the dead. Broken swords jutted out from the soil, and the wind roared so fiercely it seemed to tear the sky apart. Dust, scattered stones, and tattered, weathered clothing swirled in the air. Large stones piled up into mounds, and as they moved forward, a massive crater came into view.

—The Celestial Burial Pit.

At first glance, it was nothing but a sea of bones.

The flame on the talisman suddenly flared up, growing even brighter!

Chu Hanjin said, “Someone’s gone into the Celestial Burial Pit.”

Yue Lin raised an eyebrow. “Shall we go in and take a look?”

The pit was filled with such intense resentment that just standing at the edge, they could hear the wails of the damned. “I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die…”

“My legs… why are they gone… Where are my legs? Where are they?”

The cruelty of war had left countless people to die without peace, and their bones, saturated with hatred, had coalesced into countless vengeful spirits. Having never been laid to rest, they constantly fought among themselves, forming endless ghosts and ghouls. As soon as they caught the scent of a living person, they would pounce like ravenous wolves, tearing their victims to shreds and devouring their life force.

Chu Hanjin said, “If we go in, we must conceal our life force, or the ghouls will sense us. I don’t know how long Xue Wuya has been inside, but with his level of cultivation, he won’t last long. We must move quickly.”

He lit another talisman. “By the time our senior brothers arrive, Xue Wuya might already be torn to pieces. I’ll go down first, you stay here and wait.”

Yue Lin said, “I’ll go with you.”

What seemed like a simple statement was spoken with a surprising degree of familiarity.

Chu Hanjin replied sternly, “If you insist on coming with me, know that if your life is at risk. I may not be able to save you.”

Yue Lin chuckled, “Is Lord Yue Zhao so concerned for me?”

Chu Hanjin: “…”

After Yue Lin had had enough fun teasing, he added, “I have my own ways of protecting myself. You needn’t worry about me.”

Since he couldn’t persuade him otherwise, Chu Hanjin didn’t argue further.

He descended the stairs into the pit.

As soon as he stepped down, a child’s ghost grabbed the hem of his robe, its eyes bleeding, its jaw split open by a blade, revealing sharp white teeth. “Have you seen my mother? Have you seen my mother?”

An old man with a white beard, his legs severed, dragged himself along the ground. “Kill him… kill him… kill him!!!”

A woman holding her severed head staggered forward, her body clumsy as she shouted angrily from her decapitated head, “How dare you hurt me? You’ll never die in peace! Are you dead yet? Why aren’t you dead yet?!”

“…”

The wails of thousands of ghosts created a hellish scene.

Chu Hanjin suppressed his presence, and the child ghost, having grasped only air, turned and ran elsewhere. “Have you seen my mother? Have you seen my mother?”

This technique would temporarily conceal them from the ghouls, but it consumed a lot of spiritual energy, and the effect wouldn’t last long. They would need to act quickly. Chu Hanjin wanted to remind Yue Lin but, when he glanced back, saw Yue Lin casually brushing off a small ghost that had grabbed his robe, gently flicking it aside as though it were nothing more than a toy, smiling. “Go play elsewhere.”

The little ghost cried out in distress.

“…”

Chu Hanjin, holding the talisman, continued forward, struggling to climb over a heap of corpses and push onward.

With a sudden “whoosh,” the flame on the talisman went out, the life force in this place severed.

The surroundings grew cold, and before him was a pitch-black wall.

When the Celestial Burial Pit was built, there had been a small house constructed for a craftsman, now long abandoned. Chu Hanjin placed his hand on the door and gave it a push. Dust billowed into the air, and the room inside was dark.

On the ground lay what seemed to be a person, dressed in the black robes of the Rongku Sect. Chu Hanjin asked, “Xue Wuya?”

There was no response.

Chu Hanjin moved forward cautiously, keeping an eye on the distance between him and Yue Lin.

As he bent down slightly to examine the person on the ground, he called again, “Xue Wuya?”

Footsteps approached from behind, and Chu Hanjin suddenly turned, flicking three bright yellow talismans from his fingers. Flames burst forth, shooting straight at Yue Lin’s face.

“Ahh—!”

Yue Lin reacted, realizing that the attack was aimed at him. He turned his head, but it was too late. The flames scorched his face.

The fire burned fiercely, nearly setting his hair ablaze, illuminating the entire room with its roaring light.

“Lord Yue Zhao, what are you doing?” Yue Lin’s voice was calm, as if puzzled.

After speaking, he leisurely raised his hand to straighten his robes, ensuring they were properly in place. He then reached for his face, gently pulling at the now-singed skin. “If you wanted to see my true face, Lord Yue Zhao, you could’ve just asked. Why go to such violent lengths?”

Beneath the plain exterior of his clothes lay a strikingly handsome face, perfectly suited to his imposing figure. Although his skin was slightly pale from the recent burn, his features were sharp—his nose straight and high, his lips thin. It was a face that exuded equal parts beauty, wildness, and darkness.

Chu Hanjin’s fingers tightened around his sword hilt, and his voice deepened. “You knew all along, didn’t you? Xue Wuya isn’t here at all.”

What lay on the ground wasn’t a person.

It was just a set of clothes, along with a bloodstained feather earring and a broken little finger bone.

Yue Lin pursed his lips, an oddly calm yet excited smile playing on his face. The scent of blood lingered in the air. “Lord Yue Zhao, you’re as clever as ever.”

The atmosphere in the room dropped to an icy cold.

Chu Hanjin gripped his sword tightly and locked eyes with him. “You lured me here. What’s your real purpose?”

“Purpose?” Yue Lin seemed displeased by the hostility, setting his crossbow on the stone table with a soft thud. He glanced at Chu Hanjin and said, “I just want to know if Lord Yue Zhao truly doesn’t recognize me, or if you’re only pretending not to.”

With that, he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Chu Hanjin’s wrist!