The blood-red thunderlight was like a wound torn open by the heavens, carrying the violence to destroy all things, and abruptly shattered the dome of the Heavenly Dao Palace.Once upon that dome, thousand-year-old auspicious clouds and mythical beasts had been carved.Glazed tiles, gilded wood, white jade—all symbols of holiness and authority were utterly fragile under this blood-stained thunderbolt, shattering like scrap paper.Huge debris, wrapped in electric fire, crashed down with a roar, burying both the figures fighting desperately below and the ferocious shadowy attackers.Above the firmament, dark clouds rolled—not jet black, but an impenetrable dark red.The entire sky seemed to be bleeding.A dull boom, like an ancient giant drum, sounded deep in everyone's heart, drowning out the clash of sword blades, the roar of Daoist magic, and the wails of the dying.Between heaven and earth, only this single, soul-shaking roar remained.The slaughter had turned into a tragic pantomime.Cold rain poured down from the hole in the ceiling, mixing with still-warm blood, dripping along the broken eaves, and splashing dark red droplets on the blood-soaked ground.Drip, drip...The sound was faint, coldly counting the passing of lives.In the air, the pungent smell of burnt runes, the sweet and fishy scent of fresh blood, the earthy stench, and the charred odor of burning Jianmu mixed together, pressing heavily on the chest, suffocating.The Heavenly Dao Palace's last protection, the "Nine Heavens Golden Light Formation," was letting out a dying whimper.The bright golden formation patterns were dimming and shattering at a visible speed.Golden light fragments peeled off and drifted away— the final elegy for the fall of this sacred land.Amidst this symphony of destruction, a low, hoarse laugh seeped out from the Nine Nether Hells, echoing clearly.It was the Shadow Lord.He did not show himself; he was above the blood clouds, admiring his masterpiece.---Dou Mohen leaned against a broken palace pillar, the rough jade cross-section pressing against his back.His chest heaved violently, and every breath stirred a fishy, rust-like taste in his lungs.The tiger's mouth of his right hand, which gripped the sword, had long split open, and blood soaked the hilt.His sword "Autumn Water" let out a faint hum, and the spiderweb-like cracks on the blade announced that it was on the verge of breaking.As far as his eyes could see, in the square outside the palace, believers in black cloaks turned into a silent tide, devouring the last scattered resistance.The roars and screams of his fellow disciples grew sparser and sparser.Despair seeped into every fiber of his body.Just then, a faint sound of footsteps entered the main hall.Tap... tap...The comer wore the moon-white Daoist robe of an inner disciple of the Heavenly Dao Palace, with a tall and straight figure.It was Qin Yue.His junior brother—the little Yue who had always followed behind him, with bright eyes, calling him "Senior Brother."Dou Mohen's heart was seized by an invisible cold hand, then began to pound wildly.He turned his head with difficulty, looking toward the palace gate.When his gaze met Qin Yue's eyes, a chill colder than the blood rain froze his blood.They were a pair of dead obsidian, without the slightest trace of life.No light, no emotion, no trace of the liveliness that belonged to "Qin Yue."Only darkness that devoured everything.A black curse mark, like a living creature, wriggled between his brows, emitting a cold and evil power.Heart-Eating Curse!A vicious forbidden technique used by the Shadow Lord to control his core puppets!Qin Yue held a sword in his hand, the tip pointing obliquely at the ground, with blood droplets and raindrops falling alternately.That sword... the inconspicuous cloud pattern repair mark on the hilt was left by him when he personally forged and refined it for Qin Yue back then."Senior Brother, don't blame me."Qin Yue spoke, his voice clear and melodious, but his tone was flat, without the slightest fluctuation.It was not a confession, but a statement of fact."Lit... little Yue..."Dou Mohen opened his mouth, his throat feeling as if it was blocked by a red-hot branding iron. All his anger, shock, and pain finally squeezed out into two broken syllables.Qin Yue did not answer.He raised his right hand, which held the sword, steadily and smoothly.His movement was as standard as the thousands of times he had practiced swordsmanship in the past.He pointed the "Autumn Water" sword—forged by Dou Mohen himself, now stained with the blood of their fellow disciples—at the senior brother he had once revered the most.The bright sword blade reflected Dou Mohen's pale and distorted face.No hesitation.No pause.In the next moment, the cold metal tore through his Daoist robe and pierced his flesh.Squelch—The sound of the sharp weapon entering flesh was terrifyingly clear.The long sword pierced his left shoulder blade precisely, protruding an inch or so from his back, stained with blood.A sharp pain exploded, more intense than a thousand thunderbolts.But this pain was nothing compared to the vicious coldness that poured madly into his body along the sword blade.That coldness, like a living creature, rushed along his meridians to every part of his body. Everywhere it passed, his spiritual power froze and his vitality withered.His soul was being dragged into an eternal ice cave.He stared fixedly at Qin Yue, who was close at hand.That face was a delicate yet cold mask.His vision shook violently, and darkness surged in from all sides.Is it over?Dying by the sword he forged with his own hands, killed by the junior brother he treated like his own brother?How absurd!How... unwilling!Just as his consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness—Hum!A patch of skin on his chest erupted with extreme heat!The half piece of the "World Key" fragment he had hidden close to his body and nurtured with his essence and blood had awakened!A miniature sun ignited in his chest, almost burning his flesh and bones to vapor!A faint golden dragon-shaped rune flashed across the surface of the World Key fragment and disappeared.[Heavenly Dao Blessing]!A message directly branded deep in his soul.Immediately afterward, a vast, boundless, and extremely pure power erupted from the World Key fragment, rushing violently into his battered meridians!This power was too huge, following some kind of instinct, all rushing toward his right arm!"Ah——!!!"An indescribable pain, more intense than a thousand swords piercing the heart!The bones of his entire right arm were crushed inch by inch, his flesh and blood were torn off, and then recast in a chaotic melting pot!Dou Mohen let out a hoarse roar like a beast.Sizzle——The sleeve of his right arm instantly turned to dust.An astonishing mutation occurred.Starting from his right wrist, mysterious black-gold patterns came to life, turning into vines that grew and branded wildly under his skin and flesh!Wherever the patterns passed, his mortal body underwent the most thorough recasting.His skin took on a dark golden luster, and a faint dragon roar came from his bones.An ancient, majestic, and overbearing pressure emanated from this mutated arm!Golden thunderfire, pure and violent, containing the origin of tribulation punishment and creation, suddenly gushed forth from his palm!Boom——!!!The golden light turned into a circular shockwave, sweeping in all directions!The first to bear the brunt was the shadow barrier covering the Heavenly Dao Palace.The barrier light curtain, which had been as solid as iron, let out a whimper like broken glass, covered with thick cracks.After one breath.Bang——!!!The huge shadow barrier shattered with a crash!The long-lost heavenly light, mixed with wind and rain, sprinkled down again.The violent air wave slammed Qin Yue flying, his body shooting backward and crashing heavily into the palace wall more than thirty feet away.After a dull crash, he slid down slowly, motionless.Dou Mohen himself was also staggered backward by the counterforce, blood gushing from the penetrating wound in his left shoulder, and the severe pain in his right arm made his vision blur.He clung to consciousness with an unyielding will.His gaze swept rapidly across the main hall.The altar!Beside the ruins of the collapsed white jade altar, a corner of a dark blue cover caught his eye.Secret Records of the World Key!The highest secret scripture of the sect, personally handed down by his master before he ascended!Perhaps... there are clues about the mutation of his right arm!He couldn't let it fall into the hands of the Shadow Lord!Absolutely not!This thought overwhelmed the pain and weakness.He took a sharp breath, ignoring the tearing of his wounds, forced the last trace of spiritual power in his dantian, poured it into his legs, and rushed desperately toward the altar.Beneath his feet were puddles of blood and the bodies of his fellow disciples.These thirty feet felt like a gap between life and death.He pounced beside the ruins, stretched out his left hand, and grabbed the thick Secret Records of the World Key.The cover was cold to the touch, calming his anxious mind slightly.Just then, the severe pain and the surging sense of power in his right arm hit his consciousness again.An "instinct" originating from the depths of his soul quietly awakened.He lowered his head, looking at his right arm, which was covered with ferocious patterns and exuded a terrifying pressure.A thought emerged clearly.This arm can tear space!Not a gentle use, but the most primitive, most brutal... tearing!There was no time to hesitate.Outside the palace, shadow believers surged in again.A suffocating divine sense locked onto him like a poisonous snake—the Shadow Lord was about to descend!In the face of desperate danger, the only way to survive was to take a risk!A resolute and fierce light flashed in Dou Mohen's eyes.He stuffed the Secret Records of the World Key into his arms and clenched his right hand tightly!Crackle...The space around his fist let out a strained creak, showing spiderweb-like pure black cracks.He poured all the newly born wild power into his right fist, following the instinct to tear, and swung it with all his remaining vitality and will toward the empty void in front of him!No light effects, no incantations.Only the purest power, and the most direct will.Sizzle——!!!A loud noise like a thick brocade being forcibly torn apart.The space in front of him was abruptly... torn open by this extremely brutal power, revealing a pitch-black crack as tall as a person!Inside the crack were violent, chaotic spatial currents that annihilated everything in an instant.The aura of destruction and nothingness rushed toward him.A powerful and unparalleled suction force came from the crack in an instant, firmly absorbing his body.In the last moment before being swallowed by darkness, Dou Mohen turned his head with all his strength, looking in Qin Yue's direction.The shadow barrier was broken, and the suppression of the Heart-Eating Curse disappeared.Qin Yue curled up in the corner, his body twitching violently, struggling as if on the verge of death.The empty expression on his face was gone, replaced by extremely distorted pain.The black patterns between his brows turned into poisonous snakes, flickering frantically. Every flicker made his body twitch more violently."Ho... ho..."Incoherent gasps came from his throat.Then, Dou Mohen met his eyes.In those black eyes was an abyss of regret and despair.And deep in the abyss, there was still a faint plea.Not a plea to live.But a plea for release.Or... a plea for Dou Mohen to leave quickly.That gaze, like a red-hot carving knife, with the temperature of blood and soul, was permanently branded deep in Dou Mohen's soul.It was the last glimpse of "humanity" he saw before falling into darkness.He closed his eyes.The last breath that had supported him faded away.His body became light, no longer belonging to himself.The endless suction swallowed him.He fell backward, plunging into that cold, chaotic, boundless darkness and nothingness.Behind him, the spatial crack twisted violently, then suddenly collapsed inward and disappeared.Only the collapsing Heavenly Dao Palace remained, endless rain, blood, and the silence that was gradually swallowed by shadows.---Three years later.Shanghai.The sunlight on an autumn afternoon turned the huge arched window lattice of the Ancient Books Department of the Shanghai Library into a thick honey color.The tiny dust floating in the air formed a silent galaxy in the light bands.This was a haven from time. The smell of old paper and camphor bookcases isolated all the noise from the outside world.Dou Mohen, under the alias "Mo," was an ordinary-looking assistant in ancient book restoration.He stood in front of a row of tall redwood bookshelves, wearing a washed-out cotton shirt with cuffs rolled up to his elbows, revealing a slender but well-defined forearm.His lean and tall outline was gilded with a layer of golden light by the sun.His movements were extremely light. His slender fingers pulled out a Qing Dynasty local chronicles from the bookshelf.The tip of his finger brushed over the indigo cloth cover, as if touching a sleeping period of time.Just as he held up that thick chronicle flat, the old wound under his left shoulder blade suddenly tightened.It was not sharp pain.But a cold, numb feeling, like a maggot clinging to the bone, gnawing deep in his flesh and blood.This feeling was etched in his bones and heart.For three years, this sword wound left by Qin Yue had been reminding him of that bloody dusk day and night.His movement of holding the book froze for a moment.His right hand raised unconsciously, fingers slightly spread, making a starting gesture to suppress his internal injury.However, halfway up, his hand froze in the air.His fingertips were empty.In this world, there was no spiritual power, no spells, not even the slightest trace of qi could be captured.Spiritual energy was exhausted.A fleeting self-deprecating smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His raised hand dropped weakly, and he pressed it against the shirt on his left shoulder instead.Through the fabric, he could clearly feel that ugly, winding and raised scar.His cold fingertips touched the powerlessness of this mortal body, and also touched that never-extinguishing betrayal."Brother Mo, spacing out again?"A hearty and honest voice sounded from behind.It was his colleague Li Hao, a tall young man from northern China, holding two mugs in his hand."Here, your 'cultivation special supply'."Li Hao stuffed one mug into his hand. The warmth of the mug dispelled a bit of the coldness."Americano, no sugar no milk, bitter enough to ascend to immortality."He himself took a big sip of latte with double sugar, looking full of happiness.Li Hao's gaze swept over Dou Mohen's hand pressing his shoulder, then glanced at his right hand which had been empty-clenched just now."Still thinking about your arm? I said Brother Mo, what's wrong with you anyway? Don't tough it out. My second uncle is an expert at Huashan Hospital. Shall I book an appointment for you?"The steady warmth from his fingertips, like a weak anchor, pulled Dou Mohen's wandering thoughts back to reality.He lowered his eyes, looking at the dark brown liquid in the mug, reflecting the shadow of the bookshelf.When he looked up again, he pulled the corner of his mouth at Li Hao, but the smile had no warmth at all, like frost flowers on a winter window."It's nothing."His voice was steady and deep, with a texture like the friction of book pages."An old wound, I'm used to it."His tone was flat, as if he was saying the weather was nice today.But in those bottomless eyes, facing Li Hao's pure care, a tiny crack appeared in the ice.In the crack was suppressed pain, boundless loneliness, and a trace of helplessness towards this mortal kindness.But the crack flashed by, sealed again by a stronger will.Li Hao scratched his head, always feeling that this quiet colleague had a story that didn't belong to this era.But he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.He grinned, took something out of his pocket, and stuffed it into Dou Mohen's hand."Hey, this is for you."It was a fragrant wood bookmark strung with a faded red string, with a clumsily stitched "Fu" (blessing) character embroidered with gold thread on the front."My mom prayed for this peace talisman at an ancient temple in Suzhou." Li Hao rubbed his hands embarrassedly. "I feel weird wearing it as a big guy. Your temperament matches this thing, so I'll give it to you, for peace of mind."Peace of mind.These two words were like a stone, thrown into Dou Mohen's dead heart lake.He lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on the small bookmark in his palm.The sunlight happened to fall on it, illuminating the rough red string and the clumsy "Fu" character.He thought his heart had long been turned into ten-thousand-year black iron, beating only for the two cold goals of "survival" and "revenge."But this bookmark, this simple and clumsy kindness, was like a breeze, blowing into the crack of his mental defense.So ordinary, so trivial.Yet so... real.Jingle bell——The off-duty bell rang.Dou Mohen carefully put the bookmark into his shirt pocket and walked out of the library with Li Hao.Shanghai during rush hour, a awakened steel giant, swallowed him in an instant.The traffic flow was a glittering river of light, the sound of car horns rose and fell one after another, and the air was mixed with exhaust fumes, the aroma of food, and the wind from the subway entrance.Everything was vivid, noisy, full of vigorous and rough vitality.It formed a sharp contrast with the cold cultivation world in his memory, and the loneliness he had imprisoned himself in for three years.He was like a drop of water merging into the sea, expressionless and inconspicuous.He was not wasting time.For three years, taking advantage of his position, he had searched through the largest ancient books library in this city, trying to find a trace of clues about "spiritual energy," "cultivation," or even "other worlds" from the obsolete papers of human civilization.Shan Hai Jing, Huai Nan Zi, Feng Shen Yan Yi...Those things that seemed like myths and legends to mortals were his only hope.However, he found nothing.This world seemed to be completely sealed by an invisible barrier, cutting off all possibilities of transcendence.His steps stopped in the middle of a pedestrian overpass.Beneath his feet was a torrent of light, and in the distance was a forest of steel.The night wind ruffled his hair.The prosperity of the sect, the continuation of the Dao tradition, the enemies being executed... those were once what he cherished in his heart.Now, everything turned to ashes.The phrase "peace of mind" had long been a luxury.His right hand was in his trouser pocket, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the hard, warm wooden bookmark in his pocket.Perhaps, Li Hao's kindness, the lights of this mortal world, were not meant for him to forget his hatred.But to remind him that what he once guarded originally included such thousands of lights.The meaning of guardianship should not change because of the form of the things being guarded.This thought made a subtle loosening in his state of mind.Just then——Hum!An extremely faint but clearly audible vibration resounded in his soul, coming from his right arm!Dou Mohen's body suddenly stiffened!He quickly pulled out his right hand, looking at his arm in disbelief.That black-gold arm, which had been silent for three whole years, now, the mysterious patterns under the skin, actually lit up with an extremely faint, firefly-like dark golden light!The light flashed and disappeared.But that long-lost throbbing of power from the origin was absolutely unmistakable!What's going on?There is no spiritual energy in this world, why did it suddenly react?His gaze suddenly became as sharp as lightning, frantically recalling everything he had come into contact with today!Coffee... Li Hao... ancient books... the bookmark!It was that Qing Dynasty local chronicles!When he touched that book, he had felt a faint strangeness, but it was covered by the stabbing pain of his wound!That book was problematic!Or rather, that book was stained with a kind of "energy" that did not exist in this world but could be sensed by his black-gold right arm!A thought that had never occurred to him before split the fog in his mind like lightning.There is no "spiritual energy" in this world, but could there be other forms of "energy" that can drive transcendent power?Just like the fire flint and cold ice soul in his hometown, they are essentially different, but both contain power!The dead heart lake that had been suppressed for three years was thrown into a burning meteor at this moment, instantly setting off huge waves!He quickly turned around, looking at the brightly lit library behind him.It was no longer a cold building, but a treasure house hiding earth-shaking secrets!Old hatreds remained unresolved, and the road ahead was still vague.But the slight warmth in his chest and the fleeting throbbing in his right arm finally made him see the first ray of light piercing the long night in this unfamiliar darkness!He was no longer a wandering ghost.He took a deep breath of the night wind mixed with urban dust, turned around, and walked down the overpass.Merging into the endless crowd and lights again.This time, his steps were steady, firm, and full of purpose.The hunter had finally found the trace of his prey.
Chapter 2 - Shanghai Study, Traces of Mortal Bondage
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