The next day at noon, Ji Chen was awakened by the buzzing of his phone. Carefully shifting his weight, he retrieved the device from his storage ring—an encrypted message from Lin Mo flashed across the screen:
"Safehouse compromised. Do NOT return. Night Owl headquarters confirmed at Qingming Mountain. The Underworld Rebirth Ritual will complete during the lunar eclipse—3 days from now. What's your location?"
Ji Chen quickly responded with the coordinates of the teahouse and turned to wake Su Wan. They shared a quick, dry meal and began to plan their next move.
"You're in no shape for battle," Su Wan said, her brow furrowed as she examined his still-pale face. "We should find a place to hide and wait for you to recover."
"We don't have time," Ji Chen shook his head. "If the Underworld Rebirth Ritual succeeds, we're all doomed."
Before she could argue, Su Wan froze—her head snapped up. "Someone's coming."
They moved quickly to hide by the broken window. Down the trail, three men in black approached, scanning the area like hounds. Night Owl's trackers.
"How did they find us?" Ji Chen asked under his breath.
Su Wan checked her silver ring. "It might be the tracker signal. All Su Clan artifacts are marked."
"Can you block it?"
"Not without time." She thought fast. "There's a back trail that leads into the valley. The terrain's rough, but we can lose them there."
Slipping out through the rear, they darted into the dense brush. Ji Chen's strength had returned slightly, but his spiritual power was sluggish—he could only fight at about thirty percent of his normal level.
The mist thickened as they entered the valley, reducing visibility to barely ten meters. Su Wan led the way, gripping Ji Chen's hand tightly, pausing now and then to listen for pursuit.
"Wait," Ji Chen said suddenly, tugging her back. "There's a formation up ahead."
Activating his Spirit Vision technique, he barely made out a web of near-invisible threads crisscrossing the ground, connected to talismans on the cliff walls. One wrong step would trigger an alarm—or worse.
"No way around," Su Wan muttered after a quick assessment. "We'll have to burn through it."
She pulled a silver knife from her ring and slashed her palm, letting blood drip onto the ground. The drops ignited into turquoise flames that raced along the threads, clearing a narrow path.
"Move!"
They slipped through just as a loud explosion erupted behind them—Night Owl's men had triggered their own trap.
"Idiots," Su Wan smirked.
But their relief was short-lived. More shadows closed in from all directions. Ji Chen counted at least twelve, three of whom radiated powerful spiritual pressure—likely Foundation Establishment experts.
"We're surrounded," Ji Chen muttered. "I'll hold them off. You run."
"Shut up," Su Wan snapped. "We die together."
The enemy drew closer—one of them was so near Ji Chen could see the markings etched on his mask. Ji Chen took a deep breath, preparing for a last stand.
Then—a roar from above.
"Get down!" Ji Chen tackled Su Wan to the ground.
A helicopter rumbled overhead. From its open door, a familiar figure took aim with a strange-looking rifle—Lin Mo. Muzzle flashes lit up the sky, unleashing a barrage of silver needles. Each shot hit with surgical precision, paralyzing Night Owl operatives and causing wisps of black smoke to rise from their bodies.
"Special Bureau weapon: Soul-Pinning Needles," Lin Mo's voice boomed through a speaker. "Get in!"
A rope ladder dropped. Ji Chen pushed Su Wan up first, guarding the rear. Just as he reached for the ladder, a streak of black light shot from the treeline—straight for Su Wan's back.
"Watch out!"
Without thinking, Ji Chen leapt and shielded her. The black energy struck him square in the back, sending icy pain flooding through his veins. Darkness swallowed him as Su Wan's scream echoed in his ears.
When Ji Chen next opened his eyes, he was lying in a moving medical vehicle. Lin Mo was at the wheel; Su Wan sat beside him, eyes swollen from crying.
"Water..." Ji Chen croaked.
Su Wan helped him drink, her voice trembling. "You nearly died. You idiot."
Ji Chen looked down. His chest was wrapped in thick bandages, faintly scented with herbs.
"This is...?"
"Special Bureau's mobile medic unit," Lin Mo answered without turning. "We're en route to Qingming Mountain. The Underworld Ritual has already begun. Global spiritual energy is in chaos."
Ji Chen tried circulating his energy. Though diminished, it was now purer—more refined. Even more surprising, his comprehension of the Scripture had deepened. Passages that had once baffled him now made perfect sense.
"How long was I out?"
"Two days," Su Wan said gently. "The eclipse begins tomorrow night. Lin Mo says that's when the ritual completes."
Ji Chen turned to the window. Distant mountains loomed like sleeping beasts, and above them hung a blood-red cloud. Even from here, the evil aura was suffocating.
"That's...?"
"Qingming Mountain—Night Owl's headquarters," Lin Mo said grimly. "According to our intel, Ming Zun has gathered eight forged scrolls. He only needs one more to open the Gate of Taixu."
Ji Chen's heart clenched. "And the final scroll... is the one inside me."
"Exactly." Lin Mo glanced at him in the mirror. "That's why they won't stop hunting you."
The vehicle slowed as they turned onto a hidden forest path. Ahead, tents and armored trucks came into view—the Special Bureau's temporary base.
"We're here," Lin Mo said. "The Director herself is leading the charge. We've gathered seventy percent of the Bureau's elite. This is it—do or die."
The camp was a flurry of activity. Agents in tactical robes prepared weapons and spirit tools. Ji Chen was led to the central command tent, where he met a sharp-eyed woman who looked to be in her fifties.
"Ji Chen?" she extended her hand. "I'm Nangong Xue. Thank you for the intel."
As they shook hands, Ji Chen was stunned—her spiritual force was vast as an ocean. She was easily at the peak of Golden Core stage.
"The situation is worse than we thought." Nangong Xue brought up a hologram. "Ming Zun's ritual is 98% complete. The last step is to devour the true Scripture's power."
The image showed a black pyramid atop Qingming Mountain, a massive blood-red crystal hovering above it—identical to the one in Qin Yue's office, but ten times the size. Eight phantom scrolls orbited around it, pulsing with dark light.
"Those are the forgeries," Nangong Xue said. "They're not as strong as the real thing, but they're enough to serve as conduits. Once the eclipse begins, he'll draw out the final scroll—no matter where you are."
Ji Chen clutched his palm, where the jade scroll mark throbbed with heat. "Then what do we do?"
"We launch a full assault at dawn," Nangong Xue said. "The Bureau will attack head-on. Lin Mo's unit will escort you through a secret route—straight to the pyramid."
"A secret route?"
"We have a mole inside Night Owl," Lin Mo explained. "He sent us detailed maps."
After the meeting, Ji Chen returned to the tent assigned to him and Su Wan. Though night had fallen, neither of them could sleep.
"Are you scared?" Su Wan asked quietly.
Ji Chen nodded. "A little. But more scared of dragging you down."
"I chose this path." She looked toward the blood-stained mountain. "Since I was little, I've seen strange visions. Like now... when I look at that mountain, I feel like something inside is calling to me."
Ji Chen's heart skipped. "What kind of feeling?"
"Like... going home," she murmured. "It doesn't make sense, does it?"
"I get it." Ji Chen hesitated, then said, "In the Scripture Realm, Taixu seemed to recognize something in you. And our spiritual energies... they synchronize too perfectly."
Su Wan went silent, absentmindedly rubbing the birthmark on her arm. Ji Chen noticed—it glowed faintly every time the blood crystal was shown on the hologram.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, we face it together," Ji Chen said, taking her hand. "Promise me."
"I promise," Su Wan whispered.
They exchanged a quiet smile. Outside, final preparations for war continued. In the sky, the moon had begun to tint red—an omen of the coming eclipse.
Ji Chen closed his eyes and meditated. Deep within the Scripture, a new line of text was now glowing:
"Forbidden Technique of Taixu: Soulburning Art."
A technique that could trade soul essence for immense power. The consequences would be devastating.
But if tomorrow came down to the wire...It might be their only chance.