Nine Desolate Records

Yun Jin's consciousness faded away as quickly as the tide receded.

Inside the secret chamber, Lu Li felt a strong wave of dizziness wash over him the instant the faint voice in his mind dissipated. It wasn't physical exhaustion, but some more fundamental depletion; Yun Jin's forceful transmission of information while unconscious had consumed her already fragile spiritual power.

"Miss Yun!" Shi Yong's voice came from above the secret passage, filled with panic. "She's fainted again! Uncle Chen, Lu Li, come up quickly!"

Uncle Chen's expression changed drastically, and he turned to rush back. But he stopped abruptly after taking a step, turning back to look at Lu Li, his aged face full of struggle: "The secret chamber is open, and the Cleansing Dew is in the jade box. But Miss Yun, she..."

Lu Li's gaze quickly swept across the secret room.

The circular stone chamber was about three zhang square, with bookshelves on the walls extending from the floor to the ceiling. The densely packed scrolls of books exuded the distinctive smell of old paper. On the central stone platform sat a jade box about a foot square, entirely bluish-white, with a faint spiritual light flowing across its surface, clearly not an ordinary object.

But the large characters on the wall that read "Do not trust Xun Wenruo," and the information that Yun Jin had just conveyed at all costs, struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

"Uncle Chen, please go upstairs and look after Yun Jin." Lu Li's voice was unusually calm. "I'll get the Cleansing Dew and be right back. Also... please bring Brother Lin down with you."

Uncle Chen was taken aback: "Lin Qingyuan? His left arm is immobile, what's he doing down here?"

"Since Senior Yun has left a backup plan," Lu Li walked to the stone platform, lightly touching the surface of the jade box with his fingers, feeling the warm medicinal power contained within, "it's impossible that he only left one kind of medicine. The Cleansing Dew treats the erosion of the soul, and perhaps there's something suitable for Brother Lin's fear erosion in his left arm as well."

The old man's cloudy eyes brightened: "You mean...?"

"Senior Yun Potian investigated the 'Demon-Feeding Project' for thirty years, so he must have researched how to combat the erosion of various concepts." Lu Li turned to look at the bookshelves. "There should be notes, prescriptions, and even... finished products here."

Chen Bo nodded emphatically, said no more, turned around and strode up the stone steps.

Lu Li was the only one left in the secret room.

He didn't open the jade box immediately, but instead walked to the wall and touched the inscription. The touch was cold and hard, the edges of the inscription as sharp as ever, as if it had just been carved yesterday. Every stroke of the characters carried a resolute force, and the last stroke, the character "若," even cracked the stone wall at the end, leaving a small dent.

"Do not trust Xun Wenruo."

Lu Li repeated these five words in a low voice.

At Cangwu Mountain, Jiang Yin said, "Xun Wenruo is scheming against everyone"; at Shu Mountain, Xuan Ji, though not explicitly stating it, was indifferent; now, Yun Potian uses his last strength to inscribe this warning.

But what exactly did Xun Wenruo do to make these people so wary?

He walked to the bookshelf and casually pulled out a roll of sheepskin. The sheepskin was yellowed and brittle, and the writing on it, made of cinnabar mixed with some special ink, remained clear even after thirty years. It began: "March of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, investigation into the Cangwu Mountain sacrificial case, suspected to be related to the Demon-Slaying Guard..."

These are investigation notes.

Lu Li quickly flipped through the records and found that Yun Potian's records were extremely detailed. They included everything from the time, location, and number of casualties of unusual events in various places, to the background, whereabouts, and social relationships of those involved, and even personality analyses and behavioral predictions for certain individuals. Many predictions were marked "confirmed" or "disproven," and those that were disproven were accompanied by an analysis of the reasons.

Rather than a notebook, it is more like an investigative report on the "Demon Feeding Project" and its execution network.

Lu Li put down this scroll and pulled out another one next to it. This scroll was thicker, and the cover read: "A Study on the Pathology of Conceptual Erosion (Draft)".

He turned to the first page, his pupils contracting slightly.

The page features a detailed diagram of the human body's meridians, with different colored lines marking the spread and symptoms of nine concepts such as "fear," "tyranny," and "greed." Next to it are densely packed annotations detailing the onset mechanism of each type of erosion, methods of combating it, and... the possibility of healing.

Under the entry for "Fear Erosion," Yun Potian wrote:

"The essence of fear erosion is the 'mark of terror,' which originates from the pollution of the soul by fragments of the prisoner's concept of 'fear.' In the early stages, it manifests as localized numbness in the limbs and sensory confusion; in the middle stages, the erosion penetrates deep into the bone marrow, accompanied by 'fear of insect hallucinations'; in the late stages, the erosion seeps into the heart, and the patient will be trapped in an eternal nightmare, with the physical body gradually transforming into a 'fear puppet.'"

"There are three ways to combat this: First, 'suppression and sealing,' which uses high-level sealing techniques to temporarily curb the spread, but this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause; second, 'purification,' which requires mixing 'Dust-Cleansing Dew' with 'Soul-Nourishing Spring' water and using the 'Heart-Cleansing Array' for three months of continuous treatment; and third, 'source-severing,' which involves finding the fragments of the source of the erosion and using them to completely destroy the corresponding fragments of the Great Yu Dagger, allowing the patient to heal on their own."

"Note: If the erosion has passed the shoulder and is approaching the heart meridian, the heart meridian must be protected with the 'Heart Locking Pill' before purification. The recipe for the Heart Locking Pill can be found in the third compartment of the Class C medicine cabinet."

Lu Li immediately looked up and gazed at one side of the secret room.

Sure enough, there were three medicine cabinets side by side, labeled "A", "B", and "C" respectively. He quickly walked to the medicine cabinet labeled "C" and opened the third drawer.

The drawer contained a dozen or so small porcelain bottles, each with a handwritten label. He searched quickly and finally found a black porcelain bottle in the middle, with a label that read: "Heart-Locking Pill, Grade Three, Made in June of the Year of Gui Mao".

The bottle was sealed with wax, which Lu Li carefully peeled off, releasing a refreshing medicinal fragrance. Inside were six pills, each the size of a longan, entirely crimson, with naturally formed cloud patterns on their surface, similar to the patterns on the collar and cuffs of a cloud-patterned brocade robe.

He took one out and examined it carefully. The pill felt warm to the touch, and its medicinal power was restrained yet pure; it was indeed a top-grade pill.

Besides the Heart-Locking Pill, there were other pills in the drawer: "Bone-Regenerating and Muscle-Regenerating Powder", "Mind-Clearing and Brain-Awakening Pill", "Poison-Dispelling Pill"... all of which were medicines for various injuries and abnormal conditions, and all of them were of high quality.

Back then, Yun Potian was truly prepared for a long-term struggle.

Lu Li put the Heart-Locking Pill back into the bottle and quickly checked the two medicine cabinets, A and B. Cabinet A contained raw materials of various rare medicinal herbs, while cabinet B contained semi-finished medicines and experimental records.

He didn't have time to look closely and turned back to the central stone platform.

The jade box had no lock, only a simple clasp. Lu Li gently pried open the clasp, and the lid automatically popped up half an inch.

A refreshing, invigorating scent, seemingly capable of cleansing the soul, wafted over me.

The jade box was lined with dark purple velvet, on which were fixed three small jade bottles. Each bottle was only the size of a thumb, and its body was transparent, allowing one to see the liquid inside—a strange silvery-white liquid that flowed slowly within the bottle, sometimes condensing into droplets, sometimes dispersing into mist, as if it were alive.

The label on the bottle reads: "Cleansing Dew, Grade A, Personally Made by Yun Potian".

Grade A, the highest rank.

Lu Li carefully took out a jade bottle and uncorked it. No medicinal fragrance wafted out, but the surrounding air seemed to become clearer, and even the musty smell in the sealed room had faded considerably. He looked through the bottle opening and saw that the liquid inside was glowing faintly, the light soft and steady.

This is what can save Yun Jin.

He carefully put away the jade bottle and closed the jade box. After thinking for a moment, he took out one bottle each of "Heart-Locking Pill" and "Mind-Clearing and Brain-Awakening Pill" from the Class C medicine cabinet and put them into his pocket.

After doing all this, he quickly walked toward the entrance of the secret passage.

Hurried footsteps echoed from above the stone steps. Uncle Chen carried Lin Qingyuan on his back, while Shi Yong supported Yun Jin, who could barely walk. The four of them were struggling to move down the steps. Yun Jin was completely unconscious, her face even paler than before, and fine cracks were beginning to appear on the skin around the Soul-Stabilizing Needle between her brows.

"Quick!" Lu Li rushed forward and took the brocade from Shi Yong's hands.

The girl's body was as light as a feather, but the sense of life slipping away was so heavy it was suffocating.

Lu Li gently laid her down on the floor of the secret chamber and quickly retrieved the jade bottle of Cleansing Dew. According to Yun Potian's notes, the treatment required Cleansing Dew mixed with Soul-Nourishing Spring Water, in conjunction with the Heart-Cleansing Array. But since he had nothing at the moment, he could only use the Cleansing Dew to forcibly stabilize her soul and delay its collapse.

He uncorked the bottle and carefully dripped a drop of silvery-white liquid onto Yun Jin's forehead.

The moment the liquid touched the skin, an unusual phenomenon occurred.

The seven Soul-Stabilizing Needles between Yun Jin's brows trembled simultaneously, emitting a clear, melodious hum. The grayish-black aura emanating from the needle ends was rapidly absorbed and purified by the silvery-white liquid. The cracks in the skin healed and disappeared at a visible speed. The girl's breathing suddenly became steady and powerful, and even a trace of color returned to her pale face.

But nothing more.

The Cleansing Dew can only purify the erosion of fear that has seeped in and repair the cracks on the surface of the soul. The fundamental damage deep within Yun Jin's soul, the root trauma caused by the backlash from the Eye of Delusion, has not been healed.

She remains unconscious.

"One drop... can only last for two hours." Lu Li looked at the remaining liquid in the jade bottle and estimated in his mind, "Three bottles of Cleansing Dew, about ten drops in each bottle, a total of thirty drops. If all of them are used, it can last for sixty hours, which is five days."

"Five days," Lin Qingyuan leaned against the medicine cabinet, the black lines on his left arm beginning to twitch again, "is that enough time for us to reach Xinglin Valley?"

Uncle Chen shook his head: "It's 800 li from Guilin Manor to Xinglin Valley. In your current condition, it will take at least seven or eight days to walk there. And..."

He paused, his voice low: "And the watchdog birds outside the manor haven't returned yet, those things... might have already arrived."

As if to confirm his words, a dull thud suddenly came from above the secret passage.

"Thump—"

It felt like something heavy had hit the gate of the villa.

Then came the second and third sounds.

The impacts grew more frequent and heavier, interspersed with the creaking of wood struggling under the weight, and... a sharp, piercing noise, like fingernails scratching a door panel.

Shi Yong's face turned pale: "What...what is it?"

Lu Li handed Yun Jin to Uncle Chen: "Senior, please take care of her. Shi Yong, you support Brother Lin. I'll go check on her."

"I'll go too." Lin Qingyuan struggled to stand up straight. "My left arm can't move, but my eyes can still see."

Lu Li glanced at him but did not object.

The three climbed back up the stone steps and returned to the main hall.

The impacts had escalated into a continuous rumble, causing the entire manor to tremble slightly. Tiles on the eaves rattled, and dust fell steadily from the beams and pillars. The scene at the main gate was even more horrifying.

Dozens of raised bulges have appeared on the surface of the heavy wooden door, as if it had been deformed by a tremendous impact from the outside. A dark red, viscous liquid seeped in from the cracks in the door, dripping onto the ground and corroding small pits, emitting a strong, fishy stench.

Even more terrifying was the view faintly visible through the crack in the door.

Through the gaps in the deformed door panel, you can see that what's standing outside isn't a person.

They were three twisted, inhuman shadows. They had humanoid outlines, but all their limbs were bent backwards, and their heads were tilted at impossible angles. The surface of each shadow's body was constantly writhing, as if countless insects were crawling under its skin.

"Fear puppets..." Lin Qingyuan's voice tightened. "They're the products of late-stage fear-corruption patients mentioned in Senior Yun's notes. How did they end up here? This place is at least a hundred miles from the Dragon Locking Well..."

Lu Li stared at the shadows, the dark gold in his left eye glowing slightly.

In the prisoner's fragments' view, he saw more.

Within each monstrous puppet lies a dark red, constantly pulsating core. This core emanates a terrifying aura, originating from the same source as that beneath the Dragon-Locking Well, but far weaker. These auras intertwine, forming a coarse network. The center of this network is not outside the door, but rather…

In the mountains and forests outside the villa.

"Someone is controlling them," Lu Li whispered. "The dinosaur puppets are just puppets; the manipulator is behind them. And..."

He paused, his voice growing deeper: "The manipulator carries the aura of the Sword Tomb Token."

Lin Qingyuan turned his head sharply: "What?!"

"I can't be wrong." Lu Li pressed his chest; the three-dagger seal was slightly warm, a resonance reaction when encountering a sealing object of the same level. "It's very similar to the aura on Senior Xuanji, but more... tainted. It's like the Sword Tomb Token has been corrupted."

The banging outside the door suddenly stopped.

A dead silence.

Then, a young but chilling voice pierced through the door and came in clearly:

"Friends inside, please open the door."

The sound carried a strange rhythm, as if it could drill directly into the mind and evoke the most primal fears in people's hearts.

"I know you're here," the voice continued, its tone as casual as if it were a chat. "A severely injured successor of the Eye of Truth, a half-crippled man corrupted by fear, a foolish boy with decent brute strength, and... an interesting vessel."

Lu Li's pupils suddenly contracted.

The other party knows too much.

"Let me introduce myself." The voice outside the door carried a smile. "My name is Zhou Xuan, the 'Black Sword Envoy' of the Zhuoyuan Sect. I've been ordered by the sect leader to retrieve what Yun Potian left behind. And also... to recover the 'experimental subjects' lost within the sect."

Experimental subject.

These three words pierced Lu Li's heart like an icicle.

"Don't be nervous." Zhou Xuan's voice grew closer, as if it were pressed against the door. "I have no interest in killing. As long as you hand over everything in the secret room and that kid named Lu Li, I might spare the others' lives."

"Of course," he added, "if you put up a stubborn resistance, I wouldn't mind taking a few more terror puppets. After all... the more fear, the better."

The moment the words fell.

"boom--!!!"

The entire door shattered.

It wasn't smashed open; it was burst open from the inside by some invisible force. Amidst the flying sawdust, three dark figures darted into the main hall like ghosts. They were the terrifying puppets outside the door, but now they were several times faster than before, instantly forming a triangular formation that surrounded Lu Li and his companions.

Outside the broken doorway, in the pouring rain of the night, a young man dressed in black walked slowly towards the door.

He was in his early twenties, with a handsome face and even a scholarly air. But his eyes were pure, unadulterated black, like two bottomless black holes that would make one dizzy if stared at for too long.

What is most eye-catching is the token hanging from his waist.

It is about the size of a palm, completely black, with a mountain shape engraved on the front and the character "守" (shǒu, meaning "guard") engraved on the back.

Sword Tomb Order.

Unlike Xuanji's token, which was warm and smooth like jade and exuded restrained sword intent, this Sword Tomb Token was covered with fine, blood-red patterns on its surface, pulsating slowly like blood vessels. The token itself did not emanate pure sword intent, but rather a murky power mixed with various negative energies.

Zhou Xuan stepped over the threshold, his dark eyes sweeping across the main hall before finally landing on Lu Li.

"Ah..." He let out a satisfied sigh, "It really is you. Exactly as described in the church's archives, the bloodline of the Yan Emperor, the prisoner's vessel, Xun Wenruo's most prized creation."

He tilted his head, his smile terrifyingly innocent: "So, are you coming with me yourself, or should I break your limbs and drag you away like a dead dog?"

Lu Li pressed his hand against the dagger in his pocket.

The Dragon-Suppressing Dagger was burning hot, the Phoenix-Suppressing Dagger was humming softly, and the Tortoise-Suppressing Dagger was trembling.

All three daggers simultaneously sensed a tremendous threat.

The Sword Tomb Token at Zhou Xuan's waist suddenly burst forth with a blinding bloody light the instant Lu Li pressed down on the dagger!

The crimson patterns on the token's surface writhed wildly, and a hoarse, overlapping voice, as if countless people were roaring simultaneously, emanated from within the token:

"The container...seize him...and offer him...to the cult leader..."

The sound was exactly the same as the sound of the terrifying projection beneath the Locked Dragon Well.

Zhou Xuan's smile grew even brighter.

"Look," he said lightly, "even the 'Sword Spirit' likes you so much. So stop resisting and come back to the main altar with me. The leader will definitely 'treat' you well."

He extended his right hand, slowly closing his five fingers.

The three terrifying puppets surrounding the three simultaneously raised their twisted arms.

Their palms split open, revealing countless tiny, black bone spurs.

Dark purple venom dripped from the tips of the bone spurs.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Below the secret passage lies a secret chamber.

Uncle Chen held the unconscious Yun Jin in his arms, his cloudy eyes fixed on the ceiling, listening intently to every sound coming from the main hall.

His withered fingers quietly reached into his robes.

There, there was a jade talisman that Yun Potian had left him years ago, which he had never used.

A line of small characters was engraved on the jade talisman:

"If things cannot be accomplished, shatter this talisman, and both you and the enemy will perish."

The old man's fingers slowly tightened.