Chapter 1: Prologue  

Eight thousand zhang beneath the earth lay the Ruin of Avici Hell.  

Underground flames surged upward, incinerating the land for thousands of miles. The towering Nine Heavens Shrine, standing thousands of zhang high, was engulfed in ferocious black fire, like a monstrous beast gnawing its way toward the heavens inch by inch.  

Ashes fell like snowflakes, and a small withered branch snapped under their weight with a faint creak. The sound startled the Cultivators below, causing one to abruptly draw his sword.  

The leading Dao Cultivator scowled and rebuked him.  

“Stop jumping at shadows.”  

“This Avici Hell is no place for the living,” the man muttered awkwardly, sheathing his sword. “Wasn’t Su Han Sheng’s cultivation crippled? How has he managed to survive in this hellish place for ten years? Can Liu Ying really track him down?”  

Countless fireflies swirled in the air, eerily clustering together before flying forward.  

One of the group sneered, “After all, he’s the son of an Immortal Lord.”  

“What son of an Immortal Lord?” another retorted. “Back then, he massacred his own sect, even slaughtering his fellow disciples… During the tragedy of the Enlightenment Rite, didn’t his fourth senior brother, Xu Nan Xian, die without a whole corpse because of him? Even now, his remains haven’t been fully recovered.”  

“A sinner like him deserves to rot in Avici Hell for eternity—”  

Before he could finish, a blade of frost-laden sword qi suddenly slashed toward him.  

The Cultivator hastily raised his sword to block.  

*Clang!*  

The man roared in fury, “Qi Jian Yi! How dare you?!”  

Standing at the rear of the group, a cold-faced man lowered his sword, its intent still lingering. His gaze was icy and sharp.  

“Shut your mouth, trash.”  

The others had long despised this young master’s arrogant demeanor and couldn’t resist mocking him. “Young Master Qi, weren’t you also bound by an arranged marriage and always despised Su Han Sheng? If I recall correctly, you played a part in his fall into Avici Hell, didn’t you?”  

Qi Jian Yi’s expression darkened, his grip tightening on his sword.  

“Enough,” the leading Cultivator said coldly. “The Three Realms are on the brink of calamity, and you still have time for petty squabbles?”  

The group fell silent.  

The fireflies suddenly surged forward into an endless forest of withered trees. Hundreds of towering trunks stretched toward the sky, and under the blood-red moon, strange, enormous leaves could faintly be seen growing from the branches.  

As they drew closer, their faces instantly paled.  

Under the eerie green glow of the fireflies and the crimson moonlight, the “leaves” on the withered trees were actually blood-drenched corpses.  

The more timid Cultivators stumbled back, covering their mouths to suppress their nausea.  

What was even more horrifying was that the tracking fireflies swarmed toward one of the corpses, circling it like flies drawn to blood.  

The group froze.  

Had Su Han Sheng… died?  

Qi Jian Yi’s expression changed abruptly. He strode forward, his trembling hand brushing aside the blood-matted hair covering the corpse’s face.  

The strands parted, revealing a face that was not Su Han Sheng’s.  

Yet the fireflies continued to whirl around the rotting corpse.  

Just as confusion set in, the long-dead corpse suddenly opened its eyes. Its lips moved, emitting a hoarse, shrill voice.  

“What business brings you esteemed guests to Avici Hell?”  

In an instant, hundreds of corpses around them snapped open their eerie ghostly eyes, each one glaring with widened sockets. Their necks twisted unnaturally as they turned in unison toward the group, repeating in a sinister chorus:  

“…What business brings you here?”  

The scene was too grotesque. The Cultivators’ hair stood on end as they drew their Spirit Swords in unison.  

The corpse was not Su Han Sheng, yet the fireflies never erred in their tracking.  

…This had to be one of that demonic heretic’s tricks.

“Lord Su.” The leading Daoist cultivator still gripped his sword, offering a perfunctory bow. “…Buzhou Mountain has collapsed, and the Three Realms are plunged into suffering. We implore you to surrender the Heavenly Dao Artifact to repair the Heaven Reaching Pagoda and save the people from this calamity.”

Liu Ying fireflies whirled through the air, gathering into a cluster of green light before dispersing like predators crowding over another corpse.

The nearly skeletal corpse’s jaw opened and closed.

“The Heavenly Dao is just. The fall of Buzhou Mountain has nothing to do with me.”

The cultivators followed the fireflies’ movement as one coldly stated, “The Heavenly Dao Artifact was born to stabilize Buzhou Mountain and save all living beings.”

The fireflies took flight again, their wings fluttering.

“Hahaha, how amusing. Can an artifact nourished by the tainted blood of sinners fallen into Avici Hell truly save the world?”

The ghostly Su Han Sheng changed corpses with each sentence spoken, leading the group around like dogs on a leash.

Finally enraged, the Daoist cultivator shouted, “Immortal Lord Xuan Lin perished at Buzhou Mountain with benevolence and righteousness to save the people! As his successor, will you stand by and watch the world suffer for your selfish desires?!”

The fireflies scattered from the corpse, rustling through dead branches, sweeping past the blood moon, and silently alighting ten zhang away.

A single firefly trailing red light fluttered its wings, landing between slender, well-defined fingers.

Following the sound, the crowd gasped in unison.

Bathed in countless fireflies, Su Han Sheng stood tall like a crane, draped in an ill-fitting Dark Crane Cloak. His ink-black hair cascaded like winding rivers, the ends brushing the ground where they caught fire, emitting an eerie crimson glow.

Qi Jian Yi froze.

After ten years, Su Han Sheng hadn’t changed at all from his youth.

Amidst the sea of fireflies, Su Han Sheng gazed indifferently at the insect on his fingertip, his tone light and airy.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Countless corpses with unseeing eyes suddenly fixed their ghastly gazes on Su Han Sheng, bleeding from all seven orifices simultaneously. Their ashen faces seemed briefly revived as their lips parted in unison, emitting hoarse, grating shrieks.

“Phoenix…”

“The Heavenly Dao Artifact!”

“…The sacred Phoenix Bone!”

Su Han Sheng flicked his finger, sending the firefly fluttering away. Finally raising his eyes, his amber pupils burned like charcoal, a smile playing at their corners.

“The sacred Phoenix Bone is right here in my body. Come and take it if you dare.”

The Daoist cultivator said coldly, “Since the young lord remains so obstinate, we have no choice but to act.”

Qi Jian Yi’s expression darkened. After a long silence, he suddenly raised his hand. Streaks of frost-laden light shot from his sleeves, trailing long tails as they landed in eight directions.

With a metallic clang,

The Entrapment Killing Formation intertwined with the black flames on the ground, its jagged lines glowing viciously red.

Su Han Sheng laughed.

He knew better than anyone the hypocrisy of this fiancé of his, but merely watched with disinterest, making no move to stop them.

Even if they hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have survived the day.

To Su Han Sheng, the Phoenix Bone bestowed by the Heavenly Dao was no blessing, but an inescapable torture device that brought him endless agony.

When the Phoenix Bone acted up, at its mildest it merely scorched his meridians; at its worst, it could reduce him to ashes.

An endless cycle of suffering.

This living hell had tormented him for decades.

Only…

Suddenly, a Demon Subduing Pestle shot through the air, embedding itself with a clang directly into the formation’s central eye, instantly shattering the intricate Entrapment Killing Formation.

Qi Jian Yi’s expression turned icy as he whirled around.

Someone had broken his Entrapment Killing Formation?!

A fierce wind rose from the ground, causing Su Han Sheng’s crane-feather cloak to billow wildly on his shoulders, nearly falling to the earth. A slender hand reached out from the side, leisurely straightening the cloak for him.

The sudden appearance of the tall and imposing man was striking. A bloodstained black silk cloth obscured most of his face from his brow to the bridge of his nose, revealing only his thin lips.

The green jade pendant hanging at Su Han Sheng’s waist flickered faintly.

He responded with disinterest, “Why are you here?”

When the Phoenix Bone flared up, there was no cure—except for this man before him. Merely by his presence, the scorching bone flames would instantly subside.

—Just like now.

As that hand touched Su Han Sheng’s shoulder, the searing Phoenix Bone flames within him quietly receded.

Chong Jue “gazed” at the shattered Entrapment Killing Formation, raising his hand slightly. His wide sleeves billowed wildly in the wind that seemed to materialize from nowhere, and a faint shadow of prayer beads flickered briefly around his wrist before vanishing.

In the next instant, a rusted Demon Subduing Pestle shot into his palm.

His long, bony fingers tightened slightly as torrents of surging spiritual energy poured into the Magical Artifact. His black robes and wide sleeves fluttered violently in the wind, the three-edged Buddha heads revealing their wrathful, ferocious visages.

The crowd stared at him in horror. “Who are you?!”

The Demon Subduing Pestle seemed to lend Chong Jue an air of compassionate salvation, yet the wild, murderous aura surrounding him mingled with black and crimson mist, transforming him into a bloodthirsty demon.

“Eight thousand zhang underground, the Ruin of Avici Hell—truly a fine resting place.”

Chong Jue smiled. “Since you’ve come, you may as well stay here for an eternal slumber.”

The highest-ranking Soul Transformation cultivator abruptly retreated, nearly suffocating under the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Chong Jue.

He shouted sharply, “Fall back!”

But retreat was no longer an option.

Yin Fiend Energy surged like a dragon, blotting out the sky. The Soul Transformation cultivators couldn’t withstand even a single move from Chong Jue. Spiritual energy erupted in violent explosions, painting the air with bloody mist.

A scorching wind carrying the scent of blood swept past. As the black cloth over Chong Jue’s face fluttered, glimpses of his peerlessly handsome profile were revealed—a slender crimson mark faintly visible between his brows…

And a pair of pale, sightless eyes.

A Daoist cultivator caught a fleeting glimpse of the face beneath the black silk and immediately widened his eyes in terror.

“Impossible! You’re Xumi… Ah—!”

Su Han Sheng watched indifferently as Chong Jue slaughtered his way through the battlefield.

He and Chong Jue shared no deep bond.

Even when this blind man imprisoned him in the forbidden palace, endlessly demanding his body, it was merely a means of survival in the depths of Avici Hell.

No love—only desire.

Su Han Sheng simply didn’t understand.

If they were merely tools using each other, why would Chong Jue save him?

Could it be that beneath decades of lust, a shred of genuine affection had taken root?

Absurd.

Su Han Sheng suddenly laughed.

He brushed aside his cloak, the green jade at his waist swaying slightly. Strange, root-like tendrils slowly sprouted from his knees, piercing into the ground.

Su Han Sheng resembled a tree, his roots burrowing into his meridians and spiritual bones, desperately absorbing vitality. In an instant, the ground was covered with writhing roots that stretched in all directions, tearing through the ruined temple.

The withered forest suddenly came alive, twisting and stretching into towering trees.

His dark hair whipped wildly in the rising wind as Su Han Sheng’s vitality was drained away, his black locks turning snow-white in an instant.

The Demon Subduing Pestle shattered Qi Jian Yi’s final protective Restriction, slamming him heavily into the scorched earth.

Qi Jian Yi struggled to rise, only to find a sinister, gnarled branch creeping from the ground like a bloodthirsty serpent.

As if realizing something, his face turned deathly pale as he struggled forward.

“—Han Sheng!”

The spiritual power of the Demon Subduing Pestle surged through the air. Chong Jue’s overwhelming spiritual force condensed into a single strike, piercing straight through Qi Jian Yi’s dantian, blood spraying out.

Despite being mortally wounded and on the verge of death, Qi Jian Yi still strained to lift his head toward Su Han Sheng’s direction.

The surroundings were already filled with densely packed withered branches.

Chong Jue retracted the Demon Subduing Pestle, his brow twitching slightly as a surge of sinister spiritual energy blasted open a path straight to Su Han Sheng.

Su Han Sheng hung his head low, his hands bound high by entwining vines, like a trapped bird caught in a net. Several withered branches stretched out menacingly, “embracing” him in a protective stance.

The enormous tree had already drained Su Han Sheng’s life force to the brink. His frail body continuously sprouted slender, withering branches, except for one emerging from his chest—unlike the others.

—It was a vibrant, emerald-green branch of phoenix flowers.

Hearing footsteps, Su Han Sheng slightly raised his eyes. His hair, grown so long it seemed to merge with the withered branches, cascaded like flowing water over the branches, resembling a dense spider’s web.

He let out a soft laugh, lips barely moving: “…Didn’t you always want the Phoenix Bone?”

The Demon Subduing Pestle in Chong Jue’s hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

The black veil covering his face fluttered in the wind, his pale pupils staring intently at Su Han Sheng as if he could see. His lips moved slightly as if wanting to say something.

“I…”

The spiritual power of the Phoenix Bone spread through the roots that covered half of Avici Hell, reaching the Nine Heavens Shrine. Amid the “knocking” of the Heavenly Dao Artifact, the realm gate of Avici Hell, sealed for thousands of years, finally opened.

The dark sky was like a slanted beam of light piercing into a black well, illuminating the path forward.

“I’ve opened the Nine Heavens Realm Gate for you.”

Su Han Sheng lowered his eyes, tender green buds sprouting from his jade-white ear bones. As his senses faded, he left behind one final sentence.

“…Return to the human world.”

The moment the words fell, the last trace of life in Su Han Sheng’s body was completely drained by the withered branches. In the final instant before losing consciousness, it seemed as though a pair of hands desperately pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Su Xiao Xiao—!”

The remnants of the Phoenix Bone within the corpse finally broke free from the suppression of its host, transforming into a blaze of orange-red flames. Like a phoenix reborn in blood, it spread wings spanning hundreds of feet, soaring straight toward the Nine Heavens Shrine.

In its wake, even the Buddha statues crumbled into ruins.

***

August 14th, the moon bright as day.

Amid the sweltering summer heat, the cicadas’ incessant chirping persisted even at midnight.

By the cold pond in Frosty Expanse Garden, this spot alone remained as chilly as winter. Plum branches stretched over the wall, blooming in clusters of snow-dusted flowers.

A young boy clad in robes embroidered with magpies carrying branches paced anxiously outside the courtyard. The flickering lantern light cast slanting shadows at his feet.

Before long, hurried footsteps echoed from the mountain path.

The boy looked up and exclaimed joyfully, “Fourth Uncle! You’ve finally come!”

The man addressed as “Fourth Uncle” wore an expression of irritation: “I was just passing by—what, has your young master finally come to his senses and decided to apologize to me?”

“Uh…” Chang Kong stammered, “No.”

Fourth Uncle—Xu Nan Xian rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

“Fourth Uncle, wait!” Chang Kong hurriedly stopped him. “After arguing with you earlier today, the young master has been reflecting by the cold pond. He must realize now that his harsh words were wrong.”

“Bullshit,” Xu Nan Xian retorted bluntly. “Does he even know how to write the word ‘reflect’? He probably stomped around cursing me until he wore himself out and went back.”

Chang Kong was at a loss for words.

Xu Nan Xian grew furious at the mention of this.  

“He had the prestigious Enlightenment Academy right there, yet he insisted on following that… what’s his name again? Ah, Qi Jian Yi—following Qi Jian Yi to that shabby Cold Mountain Academy! Was I wrong to scold him a little?!”  

Chang Kong muttered quietly, “You didn’t just scold him. You also injured Young Master Qi, which is why the Young Lord…”  

“I should’ve beaten him to death!” Xu Nan Xian snapped. “If it weren’t for that bastard’s deceitful tricks, how could your precious Young Lord be so blind and foolish?! Cold Mountain Academy barely scrapes into the top three on the Tide Watching Board, while our Enlightenment Academy has held the top spot for twenty consecutive years—twenty! The very top!”  

Chang Kong hurriedly tried to calm him. “Fourth Uncle, please don’t be angry. The Young Lord has rarely left home since childhood and likely doesn’t understand the significance of the Tide Watching Board. You should explain it to him properly.”  

“Did I even get the chance to explain properly?” Xu Nan Xian said coldly. “By the time I arrived today, that little bastard had already stamped his Natal Jade Seal on Cold Mountain Academy’s admission notice.”  

…So without another word, he drew his sword and shattered Cold Mountain Academy’s notice in a single strike.  

The residual force of the sword slash didn’t stop there—it gravely injured Qi Jian Yi, who coughed up blood on the spot. Only then did Xu Nan Xian sheathe his sword, satisfied.  

Su Han Sheng rarely ventured outside due to the severe poison afflicting him. Aside from Xu Nan Xian, all his senior brothers and sisters had long since established their own sects. Only Qi Jian Yi visited Echoing Warmth Sect from time to time to keep him company.  

Making the sheltered Young Lord fall for him was child’s play, especially since the two had a betrothal contract arranged by their elders.  

When Su Han Sheng saw Qi Jian Yi injured, he immediately flew into a rage and had a fierce argument with Xu Nan Xian.  

Chang Kong said blankly, “I thought Young Master Qi seemed to have some genuine affection for the Young Lord.”  

“Genuine affection, my ass,” Xu Nan Xian scoffed. “Qi Jian Yi doesn’t harbor any romantic feelings for him at all. It’s just that blockhead Young Lord who’s too dense to see it!”  

After cursing, Xu Nan Xian turned to leave, not wanting to stick around and argue with Su Han Sheng again.  

—That little brat was too quick with his words. He wasn’t sure he could win the fight.  

“Fourth Uncle!” Chang Kong hurriedly stopped him again. “I really came to you for something important—the Young Lord’s Soulbound Spirit has shown unusual activity.”  

Xu Nan Xian had been thoroughly impatient, but at the mention of “Soulbound Spirit activity,” his brows furrowed sharply.  

“Are you serious?”  

“Dead serious!”  

The Su bloodline was unique—every descendant was born with a “Soulbound Spirit” accompanying them.  

Su Han Sheng’s was a spiritual tree, its roots intertwined with his Divine Soul. If the Soulbound Spirit showed signs of disturbance, it meant its master was facing a life-threatening crisis.  

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?!”  

Xu Nan Xian could no longer care about his quarrel with Su Han Sheng. With a dark expression, he kicked open the tightly shut doors of Frosty Expanse Garden.  

—Except the doors were barricaded by layers of vines. Caught off guard, Xu Nan Xian nearly broke his leg from the impact.  

Xu Nan Xian: “…”  

Hopping on the spot a couple of times, his face twisted in pain as he glared murderously at Chang Kong.  

Chang Kong: “…”  

Expressionlessly, Chang Kong thought to himself: *”I was orphaned as a child, saved by the Immortal Lord, and taken in as a disciple. But not long after, the Immortal Lord perished, leaving behind the Young Lord—poisoned and confined to Frosty Expanse Garden, unable to travel far. How tragic, how pitiful, no one has suffered more than the Young Lord. I should cry now.”*  

In an instant, he mentally recounted every tragic event he’d experienced since childhood, forcing himself not to burst out laughing—lest Fourth Uncle murder him on the spot.  

Suddenly, a deafening hum erupted from the sealed Frosty Expanse Garden, shaking the entire mountain behind it. Massive boulders tumbled down with a thunderous roar.

**Boom—**  

Above Frosty Expanse Garden, the towering Lifebound Tree that blotted out the sky seemed startled. Despite being a tree, it let out an eerie, bone-chilling scream of terror.  

Xu Nan Xian’s expression changed. He struck out with a surge of spiritual energy, forcibly blasting open the garden’s gates and charging inside.  

“Han Sheng!”  

The frost-covered garden was now littered with withered yellow leaves, resembling a long-abandoned haunted house. At its center, the towering trunk of the great tree trembled violently, as if it had narrowly escaped a life-threatening ordeal, still shaken with lingering fear.  

Chang Kong, who had cared for Su Han Sheng for over a decade, had never seen the Lifebound Tree in such a state before. His face paled with fright.  

Seeing the trunk of the Soulbound Spirit gradually withering, Xu Nan Xian’s expression turned horrified. His face drained of color as he frantically searched for Su Han Sheng.  

Suddenly—**splash!**  

A pale hand shot out from the edge of the icy pool, gripping the rocks as it struggled to climb up.  

Without hesitation, Xu Nan Xian rushed forward and seized the hand, using all his strength to drag the drowning person out of the water.  

“Su Han Sheng—!”  

Su Han Sheng trembled violently, his azure robe with flowing cloud patterns soaked through, clinging to his frail, slender frame. He coughed up water, half-collapsed on the ground as he gasped for breath, droplets falling from his drenched hair.  

“Cough… cough…”  

Xu Nan Xian had initially assumed it was just an ordinary drowning, but upon closer inspection, he noticed a deathly pallor on Su Han Sheng’s face. His shock quickly turned to fury. “You fool! How could you drown in a pool this shallow?!”  

Su Han Sheng was still coughing, unable to speak for the moment.  

Chang Kong, his face ghostly pale, rushed over and draped an outer robe over Su Han Sheng’s shoulders. “Young Master!”  

Su Han Sheng shivered uncontrollably from the cold, his gaze unfocused for a long moment.  

He stared blankly at Xu Nan Xian and Chang Kong before him, as if dazed, murmuring, “Fourth Senior Brother? Chang… *cough*… Chang Kong?”  

Seeing that he was unharmed, Xu Nan Xian smacked him on the forehead in anger.  

“That icy pool is meant to suppress your **Bone Affliction** poison! What did you think it was, a hot spring for bathing? A pool shallow enough to wash your feet in nearly drowned you—only you could manage such a feat…”  

Su Han Sheng seemed not to hear his scolding, muttering dazedly, “You’re… alive?”  

Xu Nan Xian grew even angrier. “What, you’re wishing for my death now? Let me tell you—”  

Before he could finish his reprimand, Su Han Sheng suddenly staggered forward and threw himself into Xu Nan Xian’s arms, nearly knocking him over.  

“Senior Brother…”  

“Now you know to apologize? Where was this earlier—”  

Xu Nan Xian frowned, gripping Su Han Sheng’s wet hair to force him to look up—only for his scolding to abruptly stop.  

Having watched Su Han Sheng grow up, Xu Nan Xian had never known this heartless little brat…  

…could actually cry?  

Not the fake tears he shed when trying to act pitiful, but genuine ones—his naturally cold eyes brimming with tears that fell like rain from the eaves.  

Xu Nan Xian froze.  

Su Han Sheng’s Divine Soul was still unsteady. Trembling, he reached out to touch Xu Nan Xian’s neck, then cupped his face, laughing and crying as he whispered, “Senior Brother is alive…”  

For some reason, Xu Nan Xian’s anger dissipated.  

His brow furrowed as he wiped the tears from Su Han Sheng’s face, his voice unusually gentle.  

“Xiao Xiao… what’s wrong?”  

Su Han Sheng clutched Xu Nan Xian’s robes, shaking violently. Hearing his childhood nickname, he suddenly broke into heart-wrenching sobs.