Deep within the northern peaks, the wind and snow grew even more savage. The world was reduced to a barren blend of white and gray. Ye Chenyu stepped cautiously across the thick ice, each crunch beneath his boots sounding sharp, as if warning him that unknown dangers lurked ahead. The howling wind carried whispers of countless lost souls, emanating from ancient fissures deep below, tightening his nerves with every breath.
Suddenly, the terrain opened up. An ancient well, half-buried in ice and snow, appeared in his sight. Frost around the mouth glimmered with an eerie light, as if blood had frozen in place. A faint, metallic scent lingered in the air, sharp and unsettling. Leaning over, Ye Chenyu saw that although the ice sealing the well was thick, a deep crimson light pulsed from below, as if some nonhuman presence dwelled in the depths.
"What… is this place?" he murmured, his exhaled breath quickly dissipating in the frigid air. A faint whisper rose from the well, sending a chill deep into his chest. The voice was soft, alluring, yet carried an irresistible pressure, as though emerging from the dark abyss below to pierce straight into his soul. Ye Chenyu felt a strange pull, as if some force within the well were calling him, blurring his consciousness.
Then, a form slowly emerged from the depths—a grotesque creature, half-human, half-pig, with clawed hands and a twisted, inhuman smile. It slithered lightly across the ice, its gaze piercing Ye Chenyu's chest, reaching directly into his mind. The creature's low, guttural murmurs blended with the whispers from the well, like a dark incantation, a spectral whisper—so indistinguishable from reality that it became almost impossible to tell illusion from truth.
Instinctively, Ye Chenyu stepped back, but each step felt as if the ice itself were swallowing him. Cracks spiderwebbed beneath his feet, threatening to drag him into the blood-red abyss. He tried to hold his ground with his ice staff, but the force of temptation and psychic pressure grew stronger, silently eroding his reason. The whispers of the well's creature grew clearer, each low murmur like a strange symbol etched into his mind, driving visions of him bowing to drink from the well, his blood flowing backward as his consciousness wavered.
"Do not approach!" A cold shout cut through his hallucination. Li Yueying's figure flashed through the wind and snow. She moved swiftly, grasping Ye Chenyu's wrist and yanking him away from the well's edge. The red glow from beneath the ice reflected on her impassive face, like a sharp, icy blade, pausing even the surrounding storm.
As he was pulled back, the creature in the well emitted a low, guttural hum, deafening as if ice and snow were fracturing around him. Ye Chenyu saw the twisted form trying to break free from the ice, yet Li Yueying's cold wave of her hand summoned a faint blue aura that suppressed its movements. It froze on the icy surface, grumbling quietly, unable to advance further.
Ye Chenyu panted, his heart hammering like a drum. He looked up at Li Yueying and saw a warning in her eyes, absolute and unyielding: "This place… is not just the Northern Mountains. The forces hidden in the abyss are far more dangerous than you imagine."
Silence returned around the well, leaving only the whistle of the wind. The red glow from the depths gradually faded, and the hallucinations dissipated, but Ye Chenyu's unease lingered. He stepped back to a safe distance, gripping his ice staff tightly, realizing how close he had come—not just to physical peril, but to having his very consciousness devoured. In the frigid depths of the Northern Mountains, even a single blood well could become a trap, swallowing any soul that misstepped.
Li Yueying's gaze swept the surroundings, confirming safety before she spoke calmly: "Move on, but remember—do not let temptation consume you. In the northern peaks, every well, every gust of wind, can be a trap."
Ye Chenyu drew a deep, icy breath and looked down at the fading blood-red glow. Determination hardened in his heart: no matter how desolate and perilous the Northern Mountains, he would uncover its secrets. The Blood Well was only the tip of the iceberg—the call of the abyss had only just begun.