The bloody battle in Youzhou had barely ended, and the army was still reeling from the aftermath. Yet the northern wind howled fiercer than ever before.Beyond the Great Wall, remnants of the Yan King's forces had entrenched themselves among the wilderness and mountains, locked in a years-long stalemate with the imperial court. Now, the shadow of the Inverse Spirit Sect had quietly slipped into this troubled land, weaving a dark alliance with those who still served the fallen king.
Inside an abandoned temple in the Yanbei region, firelight flickered weakly across cracked walls. A strange chant echoed through the ruined hall, mingling with the hiss of wind through broken stone.On the altar sat a blood-red bronze cauldron. Its mouth exhaled wisps of black smoke, twisting as though some unseen creature was trying to claw its way out.
A tall man in a black cloak raised his voice, cutting through the eerie chant."Enough."
He lowered his hood, revealing a hard, cold face. His eyes glimmered with a faint, unnatural light—mirroring endless shadows within.This was Du Qian, the Northern Protector of the Inverse Spirit Sect.
"My lord," the kneeling men in the temple chorused, pressing their foreheads to the cracked floor.
Du Qian's gaze swept across them like a blade."The Yan King is dead. You are weeds without roots—without our protection, you'd be crushed long ago. But if you swear yourselves to the Inverse Spirit Sect, chaos may yet be your salvation."
An older man with streaks of gray in his beard raised his head, eyes sharp as a hawk's."My lord underestimates us. Though our king has fallen, the people of Yanbei still honor his name. If we kindle that loyalty again, gathering soldiers will not be difficult."
Du Qian gave a chilling laugh."You think only of blades and banners. But my sect wields a different power—one that feeds on human souls. With the blood of the people, we can raise a formation that even your so-called imperial army cannot withstand."
As he spoke, the cauldron suddenly roared, spewing a jet of ghostly flame that painted the walls in shades of crimson and black.Du Qian raised his palm, the fire curling toward him. In his hand, it solidified into a dark talisman pulsing with sinister light.
"Go," he commanded. "Release the blood talismans. Let the people destroy each other. Their deaths will fuel our array."
Days later, unrest swept across Yanbei.At first, it was whispered that villagers were vanishing at night. Soon after, tales spread of demons stealing souls. Panic consumed the towns—fear turned to suspicion, and suspicion to madness.Shrines were smashed. Houses burned. Neighbors murdered one another in blind hysteria.
When Li Tianyuan and his army arrived, they found a county town transformed into hell. Smoke rose from the streets. Cries of grief filled the air. Worst of all, many townsfolk had blood-red eyes and feral expressions, attacking their own kin with weapons and farm tools.
"Spirit-borrowing ritual!" Fu Yuan shouted from horseback, his face darkening. "It's the Inverse Spirit Sect—they're binding monsters to human hosts, using their blood to power a summoning array!"
Mu Xueyin's eyes glistened with tears. She gritted her teeth. "They're innocent! If we don't stop the array, they'll all die!"
Rage ignited in Li Tianyuan's chest. He spurred his horse forward."Listen, all of you!" he roared. "Save the people! Dispel the curse wherever you find it! If the array completes—there will be no retreat for any of us!"
The soldiers charged into the burning city. Steel clashed, cries echoed, and the streets ran red. But this time, they weren't fighting monsters—they were fighting their own people. Every swing of a blade was a wound upon the heart.
As night fell, the sky turned a deep, bloody crimson. The city's cries converged into a single, eerie wail.At the heart of the town, a massive array glowed across the ground, born from the blood of thousands. A bronze cauldron floated above it, talismans spinning in the air. The formation pulsed like a living thing, devouring the townspeople's life force strand by strand.
"My lord! The formation is complete!" cried a black-robed priest, kneeling in delirious excitement.
Du Qian emerged from the shadows, his expression twisted with triumph."Excellent. With this power, the Inverse Spirit Sect will root itself in Yanbei once and for all. Once the array stabilizes, we shall summon the ancient demon revenants to serve us!"
At that moment, Li Tianyuan and his forces stormed into the central square.His eyes blazed as he beheld the sea of blood beneath the cauldron."Inverse Spirit Sect… you have gone too far!"
He drew his sword. Power erupted from him like a storm. Behind him loomed a spectral figure—an ancient war god reborn.With a single strike, his blade cleaved through the bloody formation, tearing open a breach in the spell.
The cries of the townspeople weakened. Threads of blood-light snapped, and many collapsed, gasping for air.
"He broke the array?!" Du Qian snarled, then sneered coldly. "So, your 'Ding Force' truly surpasses mortal strength… Very well. Let it be your undoing!"
He gestured sharply. The formation twisted, releasing a surge of backlash energy—a tidal wave of blood crashing toward Li Tianyuan.
Li Tianyuan met it head-on. His sword blazed with defiance, cleaving through the crimson flood. But the backlash struck deep, sending tremors through his body. The power of the Ding Force surged wildly, threatening to tear him apart from within.
"AHHH—!" His roar echoed through the city. The sword quivered in his hands, nearly turning against him.
"Tianyuan!" cried Mu Xueyin.
Fu Yuan caught her arm, his eyes solemn. "Wait. His power… there's something hidden within it."
Through pain and fury, Li Tianyuan forced himself forward. Step by step, he closed in on the cauldron, his eyes burning crimson. With a final cry, he brought his blade down.
The bronze cauldron split apart with a deafening boom. The array shattered. Black smoke billowed into the night as the dark energy scattered into the air.
The townspeople collapsed, freed from the curse.The battlefield fell silent at last.
Du Qian stared at the shattered cauldron, his face shadowed with fury—but he did not stay. His figure dissolved into the darkness, leaving behind a whisper like the hiss of a dying flame:
"Ding Force… it shall be the key to our ascension."
Li Tianyuan staggered, gasping, his sword slipping from his grasp. The Ding Force within him raged uncontrollably, nearly burning his veins to ash. Had Mu Xueyin and Mu Changfeng not steadied his energy together, he might have lost himself completely.
Fu Yuan watched silently, murmuring,"The true origin of the Ding Force… it's not merely the remnant power of an ancient cauldron. It may be tied to the Inverse Spirit Sect's greatest secret—the forbidden Grand Yin Formation."
The night wind howled across the ravaged city, carrying away the scent of blood and despair—but it left behind an even deeper mystery.