The moon rose, casting silver light over the mountains. The wind whispered like the echoes of forgotten souls.
Lang Xiao carried Diep Van So, her body cold as ashes. Her breathing was so faint it felt as if her soul was slipping away.
"I will not let you die… Even if I must defy Heaven itself, I will save you!"
Clenching his teeth, Lang Xiao summoned a strand of remnant soul energy to guide him. It quivered, as though frightened of the direction it pointed to, but ultimately led him toward Five Peaks Valley—home of "Stonehead, the Mad Healer," a man rumored to bring the dead back to life… and just as easily kill an entire sect when his treatments failed.
1. The Encounter with the Eccentric Healer
Five Peaks Valley was shrouded in perpetual mist. No birds sang, no beasts roamed.
A short, scruffy man with wild hair and gleaming eyes hidden behind thick glasses stood at the entrance.
"You bring a dying woman here, and you think I'm some kind of god?"
Lang Xiao knelt, his voice steady but hoarse:
"If she dies, I won't live another moment. I'll accept any price—just save her."
Stonehead stared at him for a long time, then sneered:
"Will you bear her sins? Take her karma upon yourself? Trade your next life?"
Lang Xiao didn't answer. Instead, he silently infused his own remnant soul into Diep Van So's body to sustain her spirit.
The healer sighed.
"Foolish… but you remind me of someone I once knew… Fine. I'll try."
2. Little An and the Hunt
In a small village at the mountain's foot, Little An sat quietly, his eyes distant. A faint crimson mark glowed on his forehead—the Blood Summoning Seal.
From afar, blue-robed cultivators of the Tai Xu Sword Sect approached.
"That child can control remnant souls… If he grows unchecked, the consequences will be catastrophic."
Another cold voice responded:
"Righteous or demonic, they all want him. Perhaps… I should strike first."
In the shadows, a man watched Little An with eyes colder than steel, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.
3. The Plan to Open the 'Abyssal Ruin Gate'
At the headquarters of the Hidden Yin Cult, dark mist surged and swirled.
The cult leader knelt before an ancient stone carving, murmuring:
"The 'Abyssal Ruin Gate'… where ten thousand souls converge, where truth twists into madness. If we open it, we will seize what even the Heavens fear—the Emperor Bone."
An elder with hair like silver cobwebs stepped forward, his eyes bloodshot:
"You say… the Emperor Bone resides within the body of a man recently reborn from the Immortal Realm?"
"Yes," the cult leader replied with a cruel smile. "His name… is Lang Xiao."
4. A New Enemy – Tan Nhuoc Sinh
While searching for herbs for Diep Van So, Lang Xiao saved a young woman from a group of bandits.
Unbeknownst to him, those "bandits" were actually elite disciples of Tan Nhuoc Sinh, a ruthless elder of the Black Moon Sect.
Three days later, Tan Nhuoc Sinh blocked Lang Xiao's path in the valley.
"You dare kill my disciples and still claim righteousness?"
Lang Xiao's tone was cold and dismissive:
"A man who tries to defile innocent villagers doesn't deserve to live."
Tan Nhuoc Sinh's face twisted in rage:
"You humiliated my sect. Remember my name… From this day, I live only to see you die."
5. The Legend of the Emperor Bone
At a teahouse in the nearby town, old cultivators whispered rumors over steaming cups.
"Have you heard? The one who bears the Emperor Bone is destined to rule all Three Realms."
"But not everyone can withstand it. The last one who bore it… was destroyed by Heaven itself."
Another leaned in, speaking in a low voice:
"They say a man fell from the Immortal Realm… His Dao Core already resonates with remnant souls…"
"Could it be… the Emperor Bone has returned?"