The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

He raised the black jade mirror and pointed it at the sky. The originally gray sky instantly became more chaotic, as if it was being stirred by an invisible giant hand.

"Oh no! He used the black jade mirror to distort the celestial phenomena!" Guanglingzi exclaimed.

Before he finished speaking, a sudden change occurred!
In the city, the people who were originally running and shouting were now frozen in place as if they were under a spell.

Their skin began to become rough and the color gradually darkened...

"They... they are turning into stone statues!" Su Heng shouted in horror, her voice trembling slightly.

At this critical moment, an unexpected figure appeared—Xiaohong!
She broke free from her restraints without knowing when, clutching the half-blood-stained jade pendant tightly in her hand, and stumbled towards the bell tower.

"Give me back... Daddy..." She said hoarsely.

"Xiaohong! Don't!" Su Heng wanted to stop her, but it was too late.

Xiaohong suddenly inserted the half jade into a groove in the base of the bell tower!
"Om-"

A strange sound, like a call from ancient times, resounded throughout the city.

The secret book that the man in white opened suddenly moved without wind, and the pages turned "rustlingly", and finally stopped at a blank page.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling light shot out from the secret book, projecting a huge, holographic star map in the air!

The star map rotates slowly, complementing the real celestial phenomena, yet it is completely different.

Everyone stared at this miraculous scene in amazement, and for a moment they even forgot that they were in danger.

Suddenly, Su Heng's attention was attracted by something on Sima Zhao's neck.

It was a jade pendant, crystal clear and emitting a faint light.

That is... the Prime Minister’s jade pendant!

"The Prime Minister's jade pendant...how did it end up in Sima Zhao's hands?" Su Heng murmured to himself, his heart full of doubts.

At the same time, a familiar cough was heard from deep within the City Lord's Mansion.

"Cough...cough..."

Although the sound was faint, it was clearly heard by everyone.

"Yes... Daddy?" Xiaohong suddenly turned her head and looked in the direction of the City Lord's Mansion, and the light of hope rekindled in her eyes.

"Old Cai?!" Su Heng also exclaimed.

"He is not dead yet..." Guanglingzi stroked his beard, thoughtfully.

Sima Zhao stared at Xiao Hong with sinister eyes, growling with gritted teeth: "You..."

The light of the blood jade is brighter than the star map, and also more mysterious.

It seemed to have life, pulsating and breathing, echoing the jade pendant on Sima Zhao's neck.

No, it’s more like a blood jade than a jade pendant, a crystal clear jade pendant with a faint blood color.

This is exactly what Xi Yu has, that unique symbol!
Xiaohong's heart suddenly shrank and an inexplicable premonition surged into her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She subconsciously stretched out her hand, wanting to touch the blood jade, but stopped in mid-air.

At the same time, the blood-colored lines on the secret book seemed to come alive. They began to flow and spread, and finally converged into a strange pattern.

That pattern is exactly the same as the lines on the blood jade!
"Oh my god..." Guanglingzi exclaimed, his beard trembling, "This is... blood resonance!"

Golden lines crawled up Sima Zhao's neck like a spider web. He roared in pain but was unable to break free.

The fear in his eyes was clearly visible, as if he had seen something terrible.

At this moment, a white figure appeared like a ghost and snatched the blood jade from Sima Zhao's hand in the blink of an eye.

Something unexpected happened!

The moment the blood jade left the body, the golden lines on Sima Zhao's neck suddenly disappeared.

He was breathing heavily, staring at the white figure in shock.

However, before he could react, the blood jade turned into a stream of light and with a "whoosh" sound, it penetrated into Xiaohong's forehead!

Xiaohong only felt a burning sensation between her eyebrows, and then a powerful force surged into her body, making it almost impossible for her to bear it.

She staggered back a few steps, golden stars dancing before her eyes.

At the same time, from deep within the City Lord’s Mansion, there came a long roar like a dragon’s roar, deafening and heart-pounding.

"Roar--"

This voice...is Xi Yu!

The armored guards covered their ears in pain. Their armor began to disintegrate, turning into pieces and scattering all over the ground.

The leader of the secret guards was seriously injured, but he struggled to point his finger in the direction of the underground palace of the City Lord's Mansion, and roared with his last bit of strength: "Prime Minister...back then...there was a blood letter...only...the bloodline of the Cai family...can break...the Heavenly Secret Lock!"

Before he could finish his words, he collapsed to the ground and died.

In the dungeon of the City Lord's Mansion, Lao Cai suddenly opened his eyes, and a strange tattoo suddenly appeared on his neck, which was exactly the same as the pattern on the secret book!
The tattoo emitted a strange light, as if responding to something.

Sima Zhao walked up to Lao Cai with a grim smile, and placed a huge bronze tripod on his head. His voice was as cold as if it came from hell: "Twenty years ago, you stole half of the Tianjilu... Now, I will use your body to complete the altar!"

Outside the dungeon, a strange altar slowly rose up, engraved with mysterious runes, exuding a suffocating pressure.

"No..." Xiaohong struggled to stand up, but she felt weak all over and could only watch everything happen.

Sima Zhao raised the dagger in his hand, which flashed with a cold light, and pointed it directly at Lao Cai's heart.

"Stop!" A cry resounded through the sky, but it didn't come from Xiao Hong...

The wind howled, stirring up the dust at the dungeon entrance and blurring everyone's vision.

A figure, as light as a swallow, descended from the sky.

Not a fairy, but better than a fairy.

Cai Wenshuang, she is back.

Not the weak mountain girl, but the goddess of vengeance with tremendous rage and determination.

What she was waving in her hand was not a sword, but a colorful banner embroidered with strange patterns. The edges were decorated with tiny bells, which made crisp sounds as she moved.

This is the "soul-guiding banner" unique to the mountain people. It is usually used to summon souls and pray for blessings, but at this moment, it has become her weapon to fight against fate.

The soul-guiding banner flew out like a spirit snake, wrapped around the huge bronze tripod, and made a low "buzzing" sound, as if it was wailing, or as if it was resisting.

Cai Wenshuang landed on the ground. The moment his feet touched the ground, an invisible air wave spread out in all directions, making everyone's clothes rustle.

Her eyes were red and tears were welling up in them, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She stared at Sima Zhao intently, then suddenly turned her head to look towards the altar. There, Xi Yu's breath became clearer and clearer, making her feel more and more unfamiliar and frightened.

“Xi Yu!” She screamed, her voice hoarse but with the power to penetrate people’s hearts, “Back then, you held me and my father hostage to look for medicine. It turned out that it was all for today! In order to use his blood to break this Heaven’s Secret Lock!”

Her voice echoed in the empty dungeon, hitting the walls and everyone's hearts.

Sima Zhao was stunned. He didn't expect Cai Wenshuang to appear suddenly, and he didn't expect her to know all this.

He opened his mouth and wanted to explain, but found that any explanation seemed pale and powerless.

At this moment, the seriously injured leader of the secret guards used his last bit of strength to stab the broken sword in his hand into his heart.

Blood gushed out and spilled on the cold ground, like a gorgeous blood-red flower blooming.

What's even more strange is that the blood did not flow randomly, but followed a certain trajectory, outlining an incomplete formation pattern on the ground.

As the leader of the dark guards sighed for the last time, the formation pattern suddenly lit up, emitting a dazzling red light.

"Click, click..."

The sound of gears turning came from the direction of the clock tower, dull and regular, like the death knell. The puppet generals who were originally facing the city gate suddenly turned to the city lord's mansion, their eyes flashing red and murderous.

Sima Zhao's face changed drastically. He looked towards the direction of the bell tower in horror, then looked at the body of the secret guard leader on the ground. He seemed to understand something, but it was too late.

"You...you guys..." He pointed at Cai Wenshuang and the dead leader of the secret guards, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Cai Wenshuang ignored Sima Zhao. She stared at the direction of the altar. There, Xi Yu's aura was getting stronger and stronger, making her feel more and more chilled.

"Xi Yu," she murmured to herself, her voice low and sad, "Who are you? What do you want?"

She stretched out her hand, trying to grab something, but it fell down weakly.

"Could it be that... all this is..."

On the altar, the green flame inside the bronze tripod flickered, illuminating the weather-beaten face of Cai's father.

Suddenly, his gray hair seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, and each strand stood up, turning into a dazzling silver-white in an instant.

The pupils of those cloudy old eyes suddenly contracted, revealing a chilling double star totem - that was the iconic symbol of the Tianji Pavilion!

He opened his mouth, and his cracked lips moved, uttering hoarse and strange syllables. It was not any known language, but more like some ancient spell, with a creepy rhythm.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Xi Yu had never heard of such secret words.

An ominous premonition, like a poisonous snake, entangled his heart.

Xi Yu's pupils suddenly shrank, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

Without time to think, he waved his sleeves, and three "soul-locking nails" flashing with cold light broke through the air and pierced directly into the top of Cai's father's head.

This soul-locking nail was his hidden weapon, which he would never use unless it was absolutely necessary. But today he had to use it to deal with this innocent country bumpkin.

"Dad!" Cai Wenshuang exclaimed, and without thinking, he rushed forward and used his body to block his father.

With a muffled "puff", a soul-locking nail pierced Cai Wenshuang's left shoulder. Blood gushed out and dripped onto the altar.

What was shocking was that the bright red blood did not flow randomly, but instead gathered together strangely to form a miniature Tianji formation diagram!

The array pattern flickered with a faint light, wriggling like a living thing, and emitting a heart-pounding aura.

"Wenshuang!" Xi Yu's eyes were bloodshot. He didn't expect Cai Wenshuang to rush out recklessly.

He wanted to move forward but was blocked by an invisible force. He could only watch as the blood soaked her clothes.

It all happened so fast. In a flash, before anyone could react, Guanglingzi, who had been lurking in the dark, appeared next to the altar like a ghost.

With a sinister smile on his face, he pressed the strange black spot on his arm onto the altar without hesitation.

"Om-"

The altar began to vibrate violently, and a powerful energy wave swept out. The ground of the entire city began to crack and spread like a spider web.

What was horrifying was that in those cracks, there was actually a blood-red liquid flowing, like winding blood-colored meridians, throughout the entire city.

Taoist Qingfeng, who had been acting crazy all the time, suddenly laughed out loud at this moment. The laughter was sharp and piercing, like the cry of a night owl, which made people shudder.

“Hahaha…Heavenly Secret Lock! The five souls are back! Back then, I secretly divided the Heavenly Secret Lock into five souls. Now, it’s time to take it back!”

Xi Yu's heart sank, he finally understood that all this was a huge conspiracy, and he, Cai Wenshuang, and the people of the entire city were just pawns in this conspiracy.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Cai Wenshuang, but saw that her face was pale, her eyes were empty, but there was a strange smile on the corner of her mouth.

"Xi Yu..." A strange voice came out from Cai Wenshuang's mouth. The voice was low and hoarse, like a call from hell, "You... lost..."

"Do you think you really understand me?" Cai Wenshuang, or rather, "it" that occupied Cai Wenshuang's body, said in a joking tone, slowly stretched out his hand and pointed at Xi Yu.

"Xi Yu..." The voice was cold and hollow, as if it came from the Netherworld. Every syllable was wrapped in a suffocating chill.

Xi Yu's heart sank suddenly, and he stared at Cai Wenshuang, or rather, the "thing" that occupied Cai Wenshuang's body.

At this moment, a strange, creepy smile appeared on that familiar face, as if mocking his ignorance and naivety.

At this moment, a white figure flashed like a ghost and grabbed Cai Wenshuang. It was the man in white who had been hiding in the dark before!

He had a blank expression and his eyes were as cold as ice, like a machine without emotions.

He roughly dragged Cai Wenshuang to the center of the altar, and his movements were so fast that Xi Yu had no time to react.

"Let her go!" Xi Yu roared, his voice hoarse and his eyes bloodshot.

He wanted to rush forward, but was held in place by an invisible force, unable to move.

The man in white turned a deaf ear to Xi Yu's roar. He just glanced coldly at the bright red jade pendant mark between Cai Wen's eyebrows.

The mark was now emitting a strange light, which reflected the formation formed by the blood flowing on the altar, creating some kind of mysterious resonance.

The altar shook violently again, and the dark green flame jumped even more violently, as if something was about to break out of the ground.

The man in white pressed Cai Wenshuang in the center of the altar without hesitation. The mark on the jade pendant perfectly matched a concave shape on the altar!

“No——!” Xi Yu roared in despair. He felt like his soul was about to be torn apart.

He struggled desperately, trying to break free from the invisible restraints, but in vain.

At this critical moment, Cai Wenshuang suddenly spoke, his voice clear but with a chilling calmness: "Master Xi, the purple gold pill you hid in the Cai family medicine house back then was prepared for today, right?"

These words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Xi Yu's heart.

His eyes suddenly widened and stared at Cai Wenshuang, his mind going blank.

The Purple Gold Pill was a rare treasure that he had spent a lot of effort to obtain. It was something he used to... used to... He couldn't even remember its purpose for the moment!
"Purple Gold Pill..." Xi Yu muttered to himself, countless images flashed through his mind, but he still couldn't piece together a complete answer.

He felt as if his memory was shrouded in a fog that prevented him from seeing the truth.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
"what--!"

Xi Yu and Cai's father screamed at the same time, and both fell to the ground, their bodies twitching violently as if they were in great pain.

A translucent figure slowly emerged between their bodies!
The figure was wearing a simple robe and his face was blurry, but he exuded an awe-inspiring aura.

That is... the shadow of the Master of Tianji Pavilion!

At the same time, Sima Zhao, who had been silent all the time, suddenly laughed out loud. His laughter was sharp and piercing, like the cry of a night owl.

The bronze chimes in his hands made clear sounds without any wind.

The sound was not an ordinary piece of music, but an ancient and mysterious melody - "The Requiem"!
"Boom-thump-thump-"

The sound of the chimes, like a death curse, echoed throughout the city.

The ground began to shake violently, houses were crumbling, and people fled in panic. The sounds of crying, screaming, and collapsing houses intertwined to create a doomsday scene.

What’s even more terrifying is that the entire city actually began to slowly sink into the ground!
It felt as if a huge hand was dragging the city into an endless abyss.

"It's over... Everything is over..." Taoist Qingfeng smiled foolishly, with a crazy light flashing in his eyes.

Guanglingzi had a grim smile on his face. He looked at the chaotic scene in front of him, his eyes flashing with excitement.

He knew that his plan was finally going to succeed!
Xi Yu lay on the ground, raised his head with difficulty, and looked at the doomsday scene in front of him, his heart filled with despair.

He wanted to stop it all, but found that he was powerless.

He could only watch the city, and everything he held dear, go to destruction.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded in his ears: "Is this what you want?"

Xi Yu turned his head suddenly, but only saw Cai Wenshuang's familiar yet unfamiliar face. There was a strange smile on the corner of her mouth and her eyes were empty, as if she was laughing at his powerlessness and despair.

The tremors underground became more and more violent, as if the roar of a giant beast was echoing under the earth's crust.

The cracks spread like a spider web, devouring the foundations of the city.

Houses collapsed, rubble flew everywhere, and the air was filled with dust and the smell of fear. (End of this chapter)