After the immense tearing sensation, darkness surged over him like a tidal wave once again.

Chu Hanjin felt as if something was tearing at him, almost ripping him apart. The two puppet curses behind his ears activated, forcing him to comply and obey the commands, overwhelming him with pressure.

Gritting his teeth, Chu Hanjin swung his sleeve heavily in the darkness, shattering the shackles before his eyes!

He could not accept Mu Lianchun’s methods.

And he had no desire to become some sword spirit, a weapon in his senior brother’s hand used to slaughter the innocent.

…He had his own ambitions.

And he had family waiting for him to wake up.

The faces of Yue Lin and Chu Zhaoyang flashed in his mind, and the weariness in Chu Hanjin’s eyes gradually brightened, banishing the nightmares that had been entwining him.

Wraiths, like a tide, swirled around him, snarling and screeching. They grabbed at his wrists and ankles, trying to drag him into the abyss of that pitch-black, sickly sweet mud, their long, twisted forms writhing and clawing.

It was nearly impossible to escape or retreat.

“Ugh…”

Chu Hanjin coughed, enduring the intense pain as he adjusted his internal energy, controlling his breath. Two streams of spiritual energy flowed through his body, trembling violently. The flow of spiritual energy, when combined with the natural laws of the heavens, moved in its own rhythm. As he experienced this prolonged sensation, Chu Hanjin felt as though he were standing in a galaxy, his vision chaotic and dizzy. Yet, the longer he endured, the more the chaotic spiritual energy began to form a pattern.

Realizing this, Chu Hanjin felt a slight boost in his spirits.

…Could this be the method to undo the puppet curse?

Focusing his thoughts, he withstood the sharp pain in his chest, continuing to sense the flow of spiritual energy in his body. The spiritual energy coursing through his meridians was like countless streams merging into a vast river, continuous and unending, but with a clear path. Chu Hanjin nodded, confirming how to suppress the two streams of energy with his own spiritual power.

With just a little more adjustment, he could devise a method to break the puppet curse.

The puppet curse that controls the living and summons the dead.

The puppet curse that had caused a wave of chaos, leading the Six Sects into internal strife.

Thinking of this, Chu Hanjin grew more energized, but unfortunately, the spiritual energy in his body was draining too quickly. Just as he figured out the final path, adjusting his energy for the last solution, a wave of extreme fatigue swept over him, causing his eyes to close.

Faintly, he heard someone speaking.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry…” a low voice comforted.

“Father will wake up.” A clear but tired voice sounded.

It seemed as though a long time passed.

“QQ, stop crying. Let your father rest well. I promise you, your father will wake up.”

Chu Hanjin’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

A cold, damp cloth rested on his forehead, and he smelled the fishy scent of water. A pair of hands slowly lifted his hair, gently wiping his face and the back of his neck with the cloth.

A large hand touched the back of his neck, its warmth unmistakable.

Chu Hanjin suddenly struggled, opening his eyes. No longer was he faced with the endless darkness. Instead, he was met with intense soreness throughout his body and the feeling of dehydration. His throat was parched, and his lips dry. He murmured softly, “Yue Lin…”

The cloth in Yue Lin’s hand dropped to the floor with a plop.

“Water…”

Yue Lin stared at him for a moment before snapping back to reality. He quickly rushed to the table, poured a cup of water, and sat back down beside the bed, lifting Chu Hanjin into his arms and bringing the cup to his lips.

Chu Hanjin was too weak to move, so he leaned into Yue Lin’s embrace, tilting his head to sip lightly from the cup. His face was pale, his damp hair clinging to his ears, and his neck was tinged red from the struggle. As he lowered his head, the water wet his lips slightly.

Thirsty for relief, Chu Hanjin drank deeply, not noticing as Yue Lin’s fingers brushed against his ear, leaving a soft kiss behind.

Yue Lin sighed with relief, “I knew you’d wake up.”

The water soothed his burning throat. Chu Hanjin drank eagerly, some spilling down his chin. Before long, Yue Lin’s long fingers gently lifted his chin, wiping away the moisture on his lips, then softly licking it clean with a moist sound.

“Yue Lin…”

Chu Hanjin, caught between emotions, wanted to push him away, but his hand gripped Yue Lin’s wrist tightly. Smelling the anxious scent of Yue Lin so close, his heart softened, and he didn’t exert any force.

Yue Lin cared for him, loved him.

If his body were in better shape, Chu Hanjin might not have been able to resist something more intimate as well.

In the past, Chu Hanjin would never have understood this mutual worry and affection, but now his heart softened, quietly waiting for his strength to return as Yue Lin kissed him, breathing in the scent of his neck and ears.

This tender moment seemed to stretch on.

Yue Lin’s breathing was labored, as though he wanted to hold Chu Hanjin tightly but was careful to control his strength. His brow furrowed, and he kissed Chu Hanjin’s pale nose and lips over and over until his restlessness finally eased.

He kissed Chu Hanjin’s forehead and said, “You’ve been unconscious for five days. QQ was so worried about you. He cried by your bedside every night. Last night, he refused to sleep, insisting on staying by your side. I just managed to coax him to rest.”

Chu Hanjin murmured, “Let him sleep a bit longer.”

He added, “I’m fine now.”

“Yes, you’re fine. I knew you’d wake up,” Yue Lin said with a faint smile, lowering his head to rub gently against Chu Hanjin’s brow, “The puppet curse targets internal energy. You and Mu Lianchun share the same sect, and you’re the master of Yuanshan Sect’s heart method. If you can’t break the puppet curse, then no one in this world can.”

“My senior brother…”

Hearing Mu Lianchun’s name, Chu Hanjin’s mood grew heavier.

He still remembered practicing martial arts with Mu Lianchun, their midnight outings, their spring excursions, and how his senior brother had always stood up for him when they were targeted by Rongku Sect, angrily defending him.

But the more he thought about these memories, the more they added to his unease.

Chu Hanjin forced himself to say, “I already know how to break the puppet curse. His army of wraith-trained soldiers will no longer be effective. Next time we encounter him and Bai Gu, we can capture them and bring them before the Six Sects for justice. We can rally the Six Sects to prevent war.”

Yue Lin didn’t respond immediately, instead lowering his head to move the teacup aside.

Chu Hanjin grabbed his hand, “We must act quickly.”

He tried to sit up but, too weak, fell back into the bed, exhausted, “I don’t want to see things with my senior brother go beyond repair.”

Yue Lin shook his head, “Don’t rush. Sit down first.”

He stroked Chu Hanjin’s hand and helped him settle back into bed. His gaze flashed with a difficult expression as he said, “It’s already beyond repair.”

No wonder his expression was so grave. Chu Hanjin raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

Yue Lin replied, “When we escaped the Demon Realm’s capital, we left behind puppet curse corpses we couldn’t handle. Mu Lianchun and Bai Gu framed us, accusing us of using dark magic and claiming they had ‘irrefutable evidence.’ Even as your senior brother, he said he could no longer cover for us and asked the Six Sects to cleanse the sect of us.”

“He was that ruthless?”

Chu Hanjin’s back felt cold, and his lips parted slightly.

“Yes, ruthless,” Yue Lin slowly massaged Chu Hanjin’s pale fingers, “Now we’ve been branded with yet another crime. The Six Sects can’t wait to kill us. How can they join forces with us to stop Mu Lianchun and Bai Gu’s plan?”

Chu Hanjin’s fingertips throbbed with slight pain, and a moment of silence passed in his eyes.

If nothing else happened, Mu Lianchun’s plan was to provoke the Six Sects into killing each other, righteous cultivators slaughtering each other, with even the Demon Realm falling into infighting. When their strength was depleted and they were greatly weakened, he would unleash his puppet army and reap the rewards.

Such a vicious plan.

By then, the world would be a hellish scene of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, a living purgatory.

“We can’t let him do this.”

Just as Chu Hanjin was about to speak, there was a sudden noise at the door. It was Chu Zhaoyang, panting heavily as he stood there, having hurried over upon hearing movement. When he saw Chu Hanjin, his eyes reddened, and he rushed into his arms.

Chu Hanjin smiled and patted his head, “QQ.”

“Father!” Chu Zhaoyang called out in his soft voice.

After speaking, he carefully placed his little head in Chu Hanjin’s arm, snuggling up close but being gentle so as not to burden his father’s weakened body.

“Were you a good boy these past few days?” Chu Hanjin asked.

Chu Zhaoyang’s voice choked a bit, “I was very good.”

“Yes, very good.”

Yue Lin added, “But also very sad.”

Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but smile, continuing to stroke his son’s head.

Chu Zhaoyang’s hair was light, not dark black, and felt soft to the touch. As Chu Hanjin stroked it, memories of the hardship he endured during the pregnancy filled his mind—how he had held his child in his arms that night at the foot of Fog Ridge, searching for Yue Lin, his clothes torn by the wilderness as he hurried from starlit night to dawn, not knowing where he was going but never stopping.

Zhaoyang, Zhaoyang.

The light in Chu Hanjin’s eyes gradually darkened.

…Dawn, dawn.

The darkness of the cultivation world had already arrived.

When would the light of dawn come?

Chu Hanjin’s thoughts drifted, but Yue Lin pulled him back to reality, “The Six Sects are now gathered in Yushui City to investigate the murder of Old Master Lu a few days ago. We can return and see if we can capture Mu Lianchun and Bai Gu alive.”

Even if they killed the two, the world was already in chaos, beyond repair.

What they had to do was clear their names and stop the rising war. They couldn’t let the crimes of the past repeat themselves.

The road ahead was long and arduous.

“The path is steep and long,” Chu Hanjin said, “but we must go.”

He rested at the inn for a day. Though his body hadn’t fully recovered, his spiritual energy had returned, and he could now travel without issue.

In the early morning, Yue Lin brought clean clothes into the room, “You’re still weak. Shouldn’t we rest a few more days?”

“The more we rest, the more people will die.”

Chu Hanjin packed his belongings, took Chu Zhaoyang’s sleepy hand, and placed a straw hat on his head, “Let’s go. We can’t waste any more time.”

The Six Sects had lost trust in one another. Conflicts between the righteous and demonic paths were unceasing, and even the Demon Realm was full of disputes. It was like a pot of water on the verge of boiling. If they didn’t act soon and missed the best opportunity, once a full-scale war broke out, the chaos would be uncontrollable.

Yue Lin nodded, “Alright.”

They both donned their hats, one black, one white, and slowly walked down the street in the early morning. The sky was just beginning to lighten, the stone-paved road still damp, with almost no signs of life. The wind carried the chill of autumn.

Yue Lin asked, “How long do you think this conflict will last?”

“Some towns have already started fighting. Killing, burning, razing cities… Innocent corpses fill the ditches. The Battle of Bi Hate from my childhood lasted five whole years.”

Yue Lin looked at him, “If it’s five years, then what about us?”

Chu Hanjin thought for a moment and said, “We save people.”

No one should die because of others’ greed.

Yue Lin kept his gaze fixed on him, slowly nodding, saying nothing more as they walked side by side.

At the end of the clouds, the brilliant rays of dawn began to spill over the mountains.