The first rays of dawn emerged, yet the mist hadn't completely dissipated. The mountain path outside the Taoist temple was still chilled by the remnants of the night. Withered branches hung low, and fallen leaves were swept into the deep path by the wind, as if recounting the eeriness and oppression of the previous night.
The Soul Reaper sat in a corner of the hall, eyes closed, regulating his breath. His face was rather pale. Although the nightmare spirit mark on the palm of his hand hadn't acted up again, the faint pain lingered like a shadow. Every heartbeat seemed to remind him of the existence of this dark power.
Darlene stood beside him, looking at him with a complex expression. Her hands were tightly clenched, as if she was deep in thought.
Lucas pushed open the door of the hall. His long sword hung at his waist. His gaze swept over the fallen stone statues in the courtyard, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Although this battle has subsided, the seal beneath the Taoist temple is still restless," he said in a low voice. "After last night, I patrolled the area around the Taoist temple. I found several new cracks. There were bloodstains on the stone steps leading to the underground seal."
Upon hearing this, Darlene suddenly looked up. "Bloodstains?"
Lucas nodded slowly, his expression growing more solemn. "They aren't ours. They're from outsiders."
The hall fell silent for a moment. Only the Soul Reaper opened his eyes slightly. His gaze was calm, like still water. He looked at Lucas. "This means someone may have already entered beneath the seal."
"While we were fighting the Soul Nightmare?" Darlene's face changed slightly. "But the Taoist temple was right under our noses. How could someone have sneaked in silently?"
The Soul Reaper shook his head slightly. "In this world, many things can't be explained by common sense. The power of the Soul Nightmare was drawing the nightmare spirit mark. Dark entities often attract their own kind."
Lucas slowly walked up to the Soul Reaper, looking straight into his eyes. "Who do you think it could be?"
The Soul Reaper pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "During our fight against the Soul Nightmare, there was a power lurking in the shadows... Perhaps, it's her."
Darlene's face changed. Her voice trembled slightly. "You mean... that woman?"
"She's already dead," Lucas interrupted, his tone firm.
The Soul Reaper merely smiled faintly. "Just because someone is dead doesn't mean they've disappeared."
The air fell silent again. Lucas and Darlene exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock and doubt in each other's eyes.
"Then let's go and see."
The Soul Reaper slowly stood up. A faint blue light gradually condensed in his palm, suppressing the nightmare spirit mark on his palm slightly. His steps were slow and steady, as if he was walking on the edge of a blade, with danger at every step.
The three of them walked out of the hall together and followed the dilapidated stone steps towards the back mountain of the Taoist temple. The mountain path surrounded by mist seemed even more silent and deep. The swaying tree shadows were like ghostly hands with outstretched claws, pointing towards the sealed stone gate at the end of the path.
In front of the stone gate, a trail of deep red blood wound downwards and finally disappeared into the crack of the door.
Lucas tightened his grip on his long sword and slowly took a step forward. He gently pushed open the stone gate. The heavy friction sound echoed through the valley, startling a flock of crows that flew across the sky. Their shrill caws pierced the air.
Behind the stone gate was a deep corridor. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell. The runes on the surrounding walls had already dimmed, as if they had lost their former protective power.
Darlene tightened her grip on her staff and condensed a golden light ball to illuminate the way ahead.
The figures of the three were projected onto the walls, distorted and blurred. It seemed as if there was a fourth shadow following them.
"Someone has come in," Lucas said in a low voice. His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, scanned the darkness at the end of the corridor.
They walked forward slowly until they entered the underground sealing area.
The stone hall underground was vast and empty. In the center stood a broken stone statue. The face of the statue was already blurred, and it was covered with cracks, as if it had endured countless disasters.
However, what drew the most attention was the figure sitting cross - legged in front of the statue.
It was a woman in a black robe. Her hair hung messily over her shoulders. Her exposed skin was as pale as paper, like that of a long - dead corpse. Yet, her chest rose and fell slightly, proving that she still had a glimmer of life.
Darlene gasped. "How could she still be alive..."
The Soul Reaper walked forward slowly, his gaze fixed on the woman in the black robe. "You've come."
The woman in the black robe slowly raised her head. Her eyes were empty and deep. A faint sneer curved the corners of her mouth. "So you've noticed."
Lucas instantly drew his sword, the tip of the sword pointing directly at the woman. "How did you get in here?"
The woman's gaze swept casually over Lucas, as if she didn't take his threat seriously. "This
place... is my destination. Why would I need your permission to enter?"
"You're already dead," Darlene said in a low voice, a hint of fear in her eyes. "The Soul Reaper buried you with his own hands..."
The woman's smile grew wider. Her voice was as ethereal as a ghost's. "What you buried was just my physical body."
As she spoke, she slowly raised her hand. On the palm of her hand, a black crack similar to the one on the Soul Reaper's palm was suddenly visible.
The Soul Reaper's face changed slightly. "The nightmare spirit mark... You've already been infected by the power of the nightmare spirit."
The woman slowly stood up. Her figure merged with the stone statue. It seemed as if the darkness of the entire stone hall became even denser because of her presence. "You planted the mark with your own hands. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
The air suddenly froze. Both Lucas and Darlene wore expressions of disbelief and looked at the Soul Reaper.
The Soul Reaper was silent for a moment and then said in a low voice, "Back then, I sealed the nightmare spirit with my soul - blood. But I never expected that a part of the nightmare spirit's power would split and lodge itself in her body."
The woman sighed faintly, a hint of resentment in her voice. "You sealed me. That was betrayal. Now, the mark in your body will eventually lead to the downfall of all of us."
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire stone hall began to tremble. The runes on the surrounding stone walls cracked one by one. Black qi billowed out from the cracks, forming pairs of pitch - black eyes that stared fixedly at the three of them.
Lucas's face changed suddenly. "She's triggering the source of the nightmare spirit beneath the seal!"
The Soul Reaper slowly closed his eyes. A pale blue soul power overflowed from his palm again, wrapping around the black crack. "Since things have come to this, the only way is to use my soul to counter the soul threat."
The woman chuckled. Her figure gradually dissipated in the black qi. Her voice drifted from afar. "Come on. Let's see who falls into the abyss first."
In the stone hall, darkness surged like a tide, swallowing everything.