After a moment of silence, Chu Hanjin asked, “Why did you bring me here? What’s your purpose?”

Yue Lin replied, “I just wanted to tell you that the Six Great Sects are worse than I thought.”

“…”

Still about Xue Wuya, clearly trying to use this to his advantage.

Chu Hanjin’s expression remained calm as he stepped to the left. “Tomorrow, the Six Sects will go to the Celestial Burial Pit again. I’ll handle these two tonight. If there’s nothing else, forgive me for not accompanying you.”

Yue Lin followed behind him. “Do you remember what I told you that day?”

Chu Hanjin gripped his sword tightly, locking eyes with him.

Yue Lin said, “Someone wants to kill you.”

Chu Hanjin asked, “Who?”

Yue Lin paced back and forth. “I don’t know who yet. All I know is that there’s someone.”

“… If you hadn’t acted so weird a couple of days ago, this would be more believable,” Chu Hanjin lowered his eyelashes.

Yue Lin laughed, “Blame me for being too impulsive.”

“…”

Chu Hanjin headed towards the Moonlight Palace, pausing slightly as he walked, “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

When Chu Hanjin returned to the Moonlight Palace, he found Mu Lianchun slouched in a chair, sighing. Ever since becoming the Lord of the Far Mountains, he had always consulted Chu Hanjin on important matters. Now, he sat messily, tossing his boots onto the couch, looking utterly frustrated. “Bad luck.”

Chu Hanjin stood for a moment before kicking the boots off. “Take them away.”

Mu Lianchun smiled bitterly, “I forgot how particular you are about cleanliness, junior brother.”

Chu Hanjin sat down and poured himself some tea. “How did the discussion go?”

“The Sect Leader has a temper, huh! He’s now demanding that we go down to the Celestial Burial Pit to find Xue Wuya’s remains. Fortunately, the Six Great Sects are willing to help. They’ll go with us tomorrow,” Mu Lianchun’s expression became serious. “Otherwise, we might not be able to find it alone.”

Chu Hanjin said, “So many people going down into the Celestial Burial Pit… we have to be careful—”

“I understand,” Mu Lianchun interrupted him, “I’ll remind everyone properly.”

The two sat in silence for a moment.

The real danger of the Celestial Burial Pit didn’t come from the thousands of vengeful ghosts. Every grievance has its source, and if you remain silent and don’t provoke the spirits, they won’t harm you.

But when there are too many people, all it takes is one person breaking the rules and angering the spirits. Then, the entire group will be dragged into a chaotic mess.

Mu Lianchun stood up. “Tomorrow’s going to be busy. I’ll head back now.”

Chu Hanjin stood up to see him off.

As they reached the palace gates, Mu Lianchun suddenly turned around and studied Chu Hanjin’s face, searching for any changes in his expression. “By the way, junior brother, haven’t you been resting well lately? You don’t look too good.”

Chu Hanjin froze. “What?”

Mu Lianchun said, “Last time in the Celestial Burial Pit, you suddenly ran out of strength. With your level of cultivation, you shouldn’t have run out of spiritual energy after just a few hours, right?”

It was true.

At that time, Chu Hanjin had suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion, assuming it was because his spiritual energy was unstable after his retreat. He hadn’t thought much of it, soon distracted by the bizarre nightmares that followed.

After hearing Mu Lianchun’s words, Chu Hanjin realized, “Yes, that did happen.”

“What’s wrong?” Mu Lianchun stood at the door, concern written all over his face.

“…”

Chu Hanjin wasn’t sure if it had to do with his recent nightmares.

But how could he even explain something so embarrassing?!

After a long pause, Chu Hanjin simply said, “It’s nothing.”

Mu Lianchun shook his head. “If anything seems off, just let me know anytime. After Master passed away, the senior uncles took control of the Far Mountain Sect, and they’re all outsiders. I barely managed to secure the position of Sect Leader and inherit Master’s teachings. You must stay well and be my right-hand man.”

With that, he swept his sleeve and left the palace.

Chu Hanjin had always been open with his senior brother, but this…

Was simply too absurd!

Chu Hanjin decided to handle it on his own first. If he really couldn’t find a solution, then he’d talk to his senior brother.

The next day, the sun blazed as the cultivators from the Six Sects lined up outside the Celestial Burial Pit, grouped according to their respective sects. The pit was just a few steps away, and the wind howled ominously. Even under the blazing sun, the faint red glow at the bottom of the valley was terrifying.

Mu Lianchun stepped forward and cupped his hands in a salute. “Sect Leader Xing, I’d like to remind everyone once again: once we descend into the pit, please follow my instructions. Everyone should hold their breath, refrain from using spiritual energy, don’t act alone, and absolutely do not provoke the vengeful spirits below.

“About two years ago, when the seal of the Celestial Burial Pit weakened, our sect sent people down to repair it. One disciple clashed with the spirits at the bottom, causing all sixteen of the disciples working on the seals to die. None survived.”

He bowed again. “That was a lesson in blood. Please cooperate.”

Xing Jiangxin’s face was solemn. “Of course.”

Lord Bao Yang nodded. “Let’s proceed.”

The cultivators from Mo Fa Sect and Wu Ji Sect also nodded in agreement.

Besides them, there were a few cultivators from the Hundred Families present.

Mu Lianchun led the way, while Chu Hanjin stayed at the back of the group. Just as he was about to step onto the wooden boards, a dark figure carrying a massive sword walked beside him.

Someone noticed and said, “Yue Lin, you’re coming too? You’re going down?”

Chu Hanjin glanced to the side. Sure enough, it was Yue Lin. The cultivator who spoke to him smiled, indicating that Yue Lin was well-liked.

But based on how Yue Lin had forcibly pinned him against the rose bush wall the previous night, Chu Hanjin knew he was… rude, arrogant, and very aggressive.

Yue Lin replied, “I went down once before with Lord Yue Zhao. Compared to the rest of you, I’m more familiar with the terrain.” He then turned to Chu Hanjin with a smile and asked, “Isn’t that right, Lord Yue Zhao?”

Chu Hanjin shot him a sideways glance but didn’t respond.

The cultivator who had greeted Yue Lin stumbled as the eerie wind blew up from the pit. He stuck out his tongue and said, “My goodness, the spirits in this Celestial Burial Pit are really strong!”

The disciples from the Six Sects shot him disdainful looks. “Don’t talk.”

“Why can’t I talk? Did Sect Leader Mu forbid it?”

The Six Sect disciple rolled his eyes and turned away.

At the bottom of the pit, broken weapons were scattered everywhere. A few wandering spirits, dressed in tattered clothes, missing limbs, and with blood streaming from their eyes, roamed the scorched ground. They seemed lost, not knowing their purpose or identity.

The same cultivator let out a hiss again. “These spirits are so fierce! Their murderous aura is making my scalp tingle. If we catch one and use it to forge a magical weapon, it’d be amazing!”

That statement crossed a line.

Xing Jiangxin turned his head, disgust evident in his voice. “Who dares to say such a thing?”

Even ghosts have dignity and should be respected. If they can’t be guided, they should be suppressed, like the seals placed on the Celestial Burial Pit by the Far Mountain Sect. However—using spirits to forge weapons was an entirely different matter. While ghosts could harm the living, using them for one’s gain was an even greater evil. Only those with corrupt intentions would suggest using spirits to forge swords.

Under Xing Jiangxin’s stern glare, the cultivator shrank back, falling silent.

Chu Hanjin felt a headache coming on.

… We shouldn’t have come down here.

If someone accidentally stumbled into the Celestial Burial Pit, the best course of action would be to reinforce the surrounding barriers and seals, not send more people down to search, putting themselves at risk. Mu Lianchun had said as much last night, but Xing Jiangxin, heartbroken over the loss of his disciple, refused to listen.

And now, with so many people around…

Including this reckless cultivator.

If anything went wrong, they’d all be dead.

From a distance, a gust of wind howled. The once dusty valley was now filled with a thick, blood-red mist, as if from a great battle. Faint sounds of swords clashing and battle cries echoed in the air. Above them, the illusion of countless cultivators fighting and killing one another appeared in the sky. This was the “mirage” of the Celestial Burial Pit!

Mu Lianchun frowned and stopped in his tracks. “Everyone, hold your breath.”

Yue Lin tilted his head. “Why didn’t we see this last time?”

Chu Hanjin thought for a moment and said, “There are more people this time. The vengeful spirits probably sensed us and became more agitated.”

Yue Lin scoffed, “The disciples of Rongku Sect sure know how to stir things up.”

“…”

Everyone around them heard, but no one spoke.

As seasoned cultivators, they instinctively placed their hands on their sword hilts, adopting defensive stances, some even preparing to form battle formations, all while keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

Ahead, the blood-red “bowl” of the Celestial Burial Pit emitted waves of black energy. From within came a roaring sound, like the cries of thousands of wronged souls. Mixed with sharp wails and anguished screams, the sound was so piercing it made everyone’s ears ache. It was so grating that they wished they could tear the ghosts’ mouths apart.

The noise irritated someone, who cursed aloud, “So annoying! Why is it so loud?!”

As soon as he spoke, a gust of wind blew up from the ground beneath him, and suddenly, he fell towards the bottom of the pit—

Chu Hanjin shouted, “Don’t use spiritual energy!”

But it was too late. The moment the cultivator realized he was falling, fear overtook him, and he immediately tried to summon his sword. As soon as he used his spiritual energy, the spirits detected the presence of a living person and swarmed towards him, their bloody mouths wide open!

Chu Hanjin quickly threw out his weapon.

It was a serrated chain, resembling a snake’s tongue. The two ends were fan-shaped blades that could open and close. Like a flexible rope, it wrapped around the cultivator’s leg and yanked him up—

The cultivator let out a bloodcurdling scream!

His left leg had been bitten off by a fierce ghost, revealing a white, bony stump. Blood poured from the wound as he convulsed uncontrollably in pain!

A perfectly healthy person! A perfectly healthy person!

And in just an instant, he had become crippled!

The others took a sharp step back.

Mu Lianchun’s expression turned grim. He looked away and said, “There’s something off. The spirits at the bottom of the pit are far more agitated than before. It’s probably due to the frequent disturbances in the past few days, which have triggered the seals. Our sect believes it would be best not to go down today.”

Xing Jiangxin stood still, glancing at the others.

After witnessing the cultivator’s leg being bitten off, everyone’s faces were solemn, and no one spoke for a moment. After all, who would dare to make a decision with so many lives at stake?

In the silence, the chatty cultivator from earlier looked around and scratched his head. “We’re just going to leave like this? But we’ve already come all this way—”

This sentiment clearly echoed the thoughts of everyone present. The Mo Fa Sect had always been bold and adventurous. Agreeing with this, Venerable Liu Ming said, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! How many tomorrows will there be? Just because this guy had some bad luck, we’re all supposed to turn back? Does that mean the Six Sects are useless now? The sooner we find Xue Wuya’s remains, the sooner we can settle this. If we keep postponing, who knows when this Six Sect trial will finally happen?”

Mu Lianchun, displeased, replied pointedly, “Liu Ming, if you were in such a hurry to cultivate, why did you even bother coming to the Spring Banquet?”

Due to Chu Hanjin’s kidnapping years ago, the Mo Fa Sect and Far Mountain Sect had never had a good relationship. Sensing that another argument was about to break out, Lord Bao Yang tried to smooth things over. “That’s not really the issue. All of us sects are here, and it’s just about going down to find someone. It shouldn’t be a problem. No need to argue. Let’s talk this through.”

Mu Lianchun, barely containing his frustration, said, “I’ll just say this: you all truly don’t understand the dangers of the Celestial Burial Pit.”

He fell silent.

In this group, Xing Jiangxin was the eldest, and having lost a beloved disciple, his voice carried the most weight.

After a moment of silence, Xing Jiangxin said, “Send someone to take the injured disciple out. The rest will follow me down. Sect Leader Mu, if you’re worried about the danger, you don’t have to come.”

Mu Lianchun’s eyes widened. “Junior wouldn’t dare have such intentions!” Since Xing Jiangxin’s words left him no choice, he nodded. “If everyone agrees to go down, I’ll follow at the cost of my life!”

“Junior Brother!”

He turned to Chu Hanjin. “You don’t need to come. Take this disciple to the medical pavilion for treatment.”

Chu Hanjin was about to help when Liu Ming snorted arrogantly. “That won’t do. Lord Yue Zhao has been down to the Celestial Burial Pit before and is familiar with the terrain. He cannot leave. As for the injured disciple, someone else can take him up.”

Mu Lianchun, furious, retorted, “Do you just oppose everything I say, Liu Ming? Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

“…”

It looked like another argument was about to erupt.

Yue Lin raised his hand to his forehead and let out an impatient “tsk.”

He stepped forward in front of the group and said coldly, “If you all keep arguing, this poor brother’s blood will have run dry by the time you’re done.”

Even a cultivator from the Hundred Families stepped forward to watch the spectacle. Xing Jiangxin, now also irritated, ordered, “Chun Chu, you take him back for treatment.”

One of his puppets stepped forward from behind him. It was a burly figure with bulging muscles and three crimson golden talismans etched on its forehead. It approached, scooped up the legless cultivator, and rushed towards the exit, leaving deep footprints with each step.

“The rest of you,” Xing Jiangxin stared into the pit, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s, “those who are scared, get lost. The brave ones, follow me down.”

With that, he ignored the others and started down the steps.

Chu Hanjin was about to follow when suddenly his wrist was tightly grabbed.

Yue Lin’s voice lowered as he said, “Let them go first.”