Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The Third Elder had his back to the corridor and seemed to be talking to the guard by the door.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around.

Their eyes met in the dim light.

Oin's face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

But deep within his eyes, something forcibly suppressed was slowly flowing—like a surging undercurrent beneath a frozen river.

"Mr. Celen."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and his tone could even be described as polite.

"They came very quickly."

Xilun stopped three steps in front of him.

"Elder Campbell cannot wait," he replied calmly.

Oin's lips twitched, as if he were chewing something that was hard to swallow.

"really."

The air between the two seemed to freeze into an invisible layer of thin ice. Black Star stood half a step behind Xilun on the right, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two, his fingers unconsciously clenching into a fist.

The silence lasted less than three seconds.

Oin stepped back, making way for the oak door.

"please."

His voice remained calm and indifferent as usual, as if the apology letter he was forced to sign that afternoon had never existed.

Xilun didn't even glance at him before walking towards the door.

As he passed by Oin, he clearly felt the other man's gaze fall on the back of his neck—like an extremely fine needle that gently pricked him before withdrawing.

Black Star followed closely behind.

As they passed by Oin, Black Star spoke in a low voice, "Third Elder, aren't you going in to take a look?"

Oin shook his head.

"The fragrance here is too strong; it's bad for my head."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, the hem of his robe drawing a neat arc on the ground, and walked back towards the direction he came from in the corridor.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Black Star glanced in the direction he had left and whispered to Xilun, "He's been guarding this place, from yesterday until now."

"Keep watch over them?" Xilen pushed open the oak door, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Or just keep an eye on them?"

Black Star did not respond.

The scene inside the door came into view.

The quiet room was very large, about three times the size of a regular bedroom.

The four walls were covered with talismans for exorcising evil spirits, and in the corner stood four brass incense holders, each with three sticks of incense as thick as a thumb inserted into them. The bluish-gray smoke gathered under the ceiling into a thick cloud.

In the center of the room was a large oak bed.

There was a person lying on the bed.

This was the first time Xilun met Elder Campbell.

This senior Tier 3 Aberrant member of the Tusol family doesn't look like a strong person at this moment.

His face was ashen with an unnatural bluish tinge, like cured meat that had been soaking in cold water for too long.

Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, his lips were dry, cracked, and purple, and his chest rose and fell weakly and irregularly.

What caught Xiren's attention even more were his hands.

Those large hands, which once belonged to a third-tier extraordinary being, now gripped the bedsheets beneath him tightly, the knuckles of his ten fingers bulging and turning white, his nails digging deep into the fabric.

It was as if, even in his coma, he was still fighting desperately against something.

A young man sat by the bed, his face bearing a five or six-point resemblance to Campbell.

Lotte, son of Campbell.

When Lotte looked up and saw Xiren for the first time, a complex light flashed in his eyes—anger, resentment, but mostly anxiety.

"You're Xilun?"

"Yes."

Lotte stood up, towering half a head above Xilen. He looked down at Xilen, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Three days." His voice was tinged with suppressed emotion. "You made my father wait three more days."

Just as Black Star was about to speak, Xilun had already raised his hand.

"I need quiet."

He didn't look at Lott; his gaze remained fixed on Elder Campbell on the bed.

"Everyone, step outside."

Lott's expression changed drastically: "You—"

"Lotte." Black Star grabbed his shoulder, his voice not loud but with undeniable strength, "Don't make things worse."

Lotte opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything. He shook off Black Star's hand, strode towards the door, and snorted heavily as he passed Siren.

The waiters and pharmacists filed out of the room.

Black Star was the last to leave, glancing back at Xilun before he went.

"I'm right at the door."

"Um."

The door closed.

Only Siron, the unconscious Elder Kamber, and the fragrant mist that filled the room remained.

Xilun walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

He didn't rush to take action.

First, close your eyes.

The reverberation chamber slowly opened.

In that instant, all sounds from the outside world were amplified infinitely and then rapidly filtered out—the crackling of burning incense, the howling of the wind lashing against the glass outside the window, the heavy breathing of the guards in the corridor…

These noises were peeled away layer by layer.

Then he heard it.

It was very light and subtle, as if something was whispering in Elder Campbell's ear.

It was neither a song nor a prayer.

It's more like some kind of...coaxing.

It consists of fragmented syllables repeatedly pieced together and rearranged, without complete sentences.

Occasionally, a word can be captured—"come back," "warmth," "sleep."

However, the pronunciation of these words is distorted, with the tones artificially lengthened, as if a normal human voice were stuffed into a flattened iron pipe.

Xilun frowned.

He opened his eyes and leaned closer to Elder Campbell.

The reverberation cavity's sensing range further narrowed, focusing on the other person's body.

First, the chest cavity.

His breathing was weak but still rhythmic, and his heartbeat was slow and strong—this was the foundation of a third-tier expert; even in unconsciousness, his heart remained strong.

Then there are the meridians.

Xilun could hear the sound of blood flowing, heavy and slightly sluggish, like sand mixed into a stream.

Finally, the head.

When the echo chamber's perception reached Elder Campbell's head area, Siron's back suddenly tensed.

There's something there.

It's not large, but its density is extremely high.

It occupies the periphery of Campbell's spiritual core, like a coiled spider extending outwards with countless extremely fine threads.

Those threads are slowly, bit by bit, contracting inward, eroding the core of the spirit.

At the same time, the whisper came from this very thing.

It is feeding Campbell something—a false warmth, a false peace.

This caused him to stop resisting and struggling while unconscious, willingly allowing the threads to become more and more entangled.

An extremely insidious method of contamination.

It's not violent erosion, but rather the gradual boiling of a frog in lukewarm water.

Xilun slowly withdrew his echo and leaned back in his chair.

His mind raced, searching for a solution.

The whiteness of the sacred bud can purify pollution, a fact that has been repeatedly proven.

The problem is that Campbell is a third-order calculus.

His blood and energy density far exceed that of ordinary people.

The fact that the contamination could survive and expand within a third-tier body indicates that its concentration and resilience are far superior to those encountered before.

If you rashly try to force it with white water, it may cause secondary damage to Campbell's already fragile mental core while burning and polluting it.

It must be done step by step.

First, cut off the outer threads to prevent the pollution from spreading further.

Then, they proceed layer by layer towards the core.

This cannot be accomplished in one go.

Xiren took a deep breath.

He got up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack.

Black Star immediately came over.

"How is it?"

"It's more serious than I expected," Xiren said bluntly. "The pollution has begun to erode his spiritual core, using a pervasive method, like a silkworm eating mulberry leaves."

Black Star's expression darkened.

"Can it be cured?"

"Yes, but it can't be completely cleaned in one go." Xilun held up three fingers. "At least three cleansing sessions. Each session must be spaced at least one day apart, otherwise my mental strength won't be enough to sustain it."

"Three days..."

"This is already the fastest I can do," Xilen said calmly. "If I exhaust myself today, and he runs into trouble tomorrow, who will clean up the mess?"

Black Star took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll go talk to the chieftain. As for Lot..."

"I understand his feelings," Celen said, "but he can't be there during therapy. Nobody can."

"clear."

Black Star turned to leave, but then stopped.

"Silon".

"Um?"

"...Thanks."

He didn't turn around and strode quickly toward the end of the corridor.

Xilun closed the door and returned to the bedside.

He settled himself in the chair and slowly adjusted his breathing.

First, use the Great Thunder Breathing Method to bring the body's Qi and blood into a stable and powerful circulation state.

Then comes the Moon Memory Meditation Method, which gathers the chaotic thoughts into a single silver thread, guiding spiritual energy to converge at the center of the forehead.

Pray that the sacred bud will slowly awaken in the depths of your mind.

The pure white bud stretched out its leaves, releasing a pure and gentle white light.

Xilun guided the white light to the tip of his right index finger.

A tiny white light shone from my fingertip, not dazzling, even gentle—but in this room filled with the fragrance of incense smoke, that white light seemed to be the only thing belonging to another world.

Clean. Pure. Without any impurities.

Siren bent down and gently pressed his left hand against Elder Campbell's forehead.

His skin was cold, and his palms were damp with sweat.

He slowly placed his right index finger on Campbell's temple.

The moment the white light entered his skin, Campbell's body tensed up abruptly—like a plucked string.

The threads that had been lying dormant around the core of the mind sensed the intrusion and were instantly awakened from their slumber.

They began to shrink and twist frantically, trying to bury themselves deeper.

Xilun's white light followed closely behind.

He was unhurried and patient, like a hunter, tracing the threads along their veins, burning each one with white light as he caught it.

Campbell's body would twitch slightly each time a thread broke.

One.

Two.

Five.

Thirteen...

By the thirteenth time, Xilun's temples began to throb.

It's not physical fatigue, but rather the depletion of mental energy that's approaching a critical point.

His breathing became slightly heavy.

enough.

That's all for today.

Xiren slowly withdrew the white light, and the light at his fingertips went out. He released his left hand from Campbell's forehead and stepped back into his chair.

Elder Kamber, lying on the bed, looked a little better than before.

It was still grayish-white, but the unnatural bluish tinge seemed to have faded a little. His hands loosened their grip on the sheets, and his fingers were no longer as stiff and spasmodic as before.

Xilun let out a long breath.

He sat in the chair for a while, allowing the intense mental exertion to gradually subside to a manageable level.

Then he stood up and walked towards the door.

When he opened the door, there were more people outside than he had expected.

Black Star stood at the front, behind him was an anxious-looking Lott, and a middle-aged man who resembled Campbell but looked older—it should be the Second Elder Campbell Hearst.

Further down the corridor, at the far end, Austin's old butler, Lucas, stood quietly, holding a tray in his hands.

All eyes turned to Xilun.

"The first cleansing is complete," Xilun said in a steady voice. "I've severed thirteen of the outer contamination threads, and his spiritual core is temporarily safe."

Hearst stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly: "Really?"

"Go and see for yourself."

Hearst practically sprinted into the room.

Lotte followed closely behind.

A moment later, Hearst's suppressed voice came from inside the room: "His complexion... is indeed better, and his hand is looser..."

Black Star looked around the room, then looked at Xilun.

"And you? You don't look too good."

"Normal exertion." Xilun shook his head slightly. "The second time tomorrow at the same time. The third time the day after. After three times, he should be awake."

"What do you need?"

"A quiet room, a tranquilizing potion, and undisturbed sleep."

Black Star immediately turned to Lucas, and the old butler, already understanding, bowed respectfully and said, "Mr. Siren, the guest rooms in the west wing are ready, with hot water and medicine."

Xilun nodded.

Just as he was about to turn around and follow Lucas, a deep voice called out from behind him.

"Mr. Sir Lun."

Hearst came out of the room.

The second elder's eyes were slightly red. He walked up to Xilun and bowed deeply.

Thank you.

Xilun looked at his hunched back and fell silent for a moment.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "The treatment isn't finished."

Hearst straightened up and nodded heavily.

His barely concealed gratitude and sense of relief softened his otherwise dignified expression.

In contrast, Lotte, who came out of the room...

He looked at Xilen, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just looked away.

Xilun didn't pay attention.

He followed in Lucas's footsteps and headed towards the west wing.

The corridor was quiet.

The scent of the incense gradually faded behind me, replaced by the distinctive wood and leather aroma of the main house.

After walking for about two minutes, Lucas stopped in front of a carved wooden door.

"Mr. Siren, please rest." He pushed open the door and stepped aside to let him pass. "If you need anything, just pull the bell cord by the bedside."

"Thanks."

Xilun entered the room and closed the door behind him.

The room was small, but tastefully furnished. A wide single bed was covered with clean linen sheets, and on the bedside table sat a glass of calming potion and a small incense burner.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, completely blocking out the night outside.

Xilun unbuttoned his trench coat and draped it over the back of the chair.

Then came the vest, shirt, and belt.

He sat on the edge of the bed and glanced down at his right wrist.

The black mark remained calm and did not show any unusual activity despite the casting of the Prayer Sprout spell.

It's like it's asleep.

It's like watching from the sidelines.

Xilun withdrew his gaze, picked up the Tranquility Potion, and drank it all in one gulp.

The cool liquid glides down the throat, bringing a relaxing, slightly tingling sensation, and the tense mind slowly relaxes as if being soaked in warm water.

He put down the cup, blew out the lamp, and lay down in the darkness.

Exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave.

Before closing his eyes, Xiren's last thought was—

Tomorrow, there are still more than a dozen threads to cut.

And that thing lurking at the edge of the core...

What is it waiting for?

Consciousness plunged into deep darkness.