Chapter 1: Prologue

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In the depths of midwinter, with heavy snowflakes swirling down, the vast mountains had transformed into a world of silver and white. Long icicles hung from the bare branches, glistening like crystal under the sunlight. Two figures trudged through the snow—one, a handsome man with an air of dignity, wore only a thin azure robe, his body stained with blood in many places. Where the blood had dried, frost had formed. Perched on his shoulder was a small, spirited gray monkey whose lively eyes darted constantly to the sides.

Clinging closely to the man was a woman of exquisite beauty, her face as delicate as a peach blossom. She was draped in a heavy black cloak, holding a swaddled infant in her arms, the child fast asleep. Her face was as pale as paper, drained of all color from what was clearly severe blood loss, but she bore no visible wounds—she had only just given birth and was left weak and frail.

“Qingshuang, hold on—we’re almost at Mount Kunwu. As long as we find my friend and entrust Zheng’er to him, we’ll survive this calamity. Look, there’s a house ahead. Let’s rest there for a while.”

Supporting the delicate-looking woman, the man spoke in a hoarse voice. Ahead of them stood an old wooden cabin, likely built by hunters as a shelter during their expeditions.

“Yunxiao, Zheng’er is so newly born. I don’t want to leave him,” the woman said, a crystalline tear sliding down her cheek. Her voice was as sweet as a songbird’s, yet laced with exhaustion.

“Qingshuang, we have no choice. If we don’t send Zheng’er away, none of us will survive. It’s all my fault—I’ve dragged you into this. You were once the sacred maiden of the Jiang family, and now you’ve been reduced to this. I am useless. Once we escape our enemies, we’ll find Zheng’er and bring him home,” Li Yunxiao said, patting her shoulder, his expression grave.

“Do you really think you can still escape? Li Yunxiao, after killing so many disciples of our Qian family, today you must pay with your life!” From the wooden cabin emerged an old man with a sinister, vulture-like face, clad in a black cloak and leaning on a withered cane, his face deeply wrinkled and gaunt as if he were at death’s door.

As soon as he appeared, four more elderly men stepped out, each wearing black cloaks and wielding black banners from which thick, ghostly mist seeped, turning the pure white world ominous and chilling.

Though there were only five of them, Li Yunxiao felt an unprecedented weight upon him. These were not ordinary disciples from the Qian family—they were the family’s supreme elders, the most formidable among them.

“Who is truly hunting whom? You have the nerve to speak of justice after sending wave upon wave to kill us?” Li Yunxiao retorted coldly, shielding Jiang Qingshuang.

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“There’s no need for talk. We’re near the Heavenly Dao Sect—let’s not draw their attention. Eldest brother, let’s finish this,” said another elder, stepping forward, his face twisted with malice.

“Indeed. Set up the Celestial Ghost Net. Let them die here together,” the leader nodded. Instantly, the other four elders spread out like phantoms, surrounding the couple. They drove their black banners into the snow, shards of ice flying, the poles sinking deep into the frozen ground, and began chanting incantations.

At once, the banners radiated black light, their surfaces crawling with the vicious faces of evil spirits. From the banners erupted a dense, sticky black mist, enveloping the area and congealing into a solid dome, as if a giant bowl had been overturned above them.

Li Yunxiao tore a strip from his robe, bit his finger, and quickly wrote something upon it with his blood. He tucked the bloodstained piece into the infant’s swaddle. The baby squirmed uncomfortably but continued to sleep soundly.

“Qingshuang, we’re not far from the Azure Dragon Sect. I’ll use the Li family’s secret art to break open a passage in this Ghost Net. Exorcist Monkey, you must deliver Zheng’er to Master Qingxu of the Azure Dragon Sect,” Li Yunxiao said, his face dark as he glanced at the dense black mist. He turned to the gray-brown monkey on his shoulder, who nodded intelligently.

Were he not so wounded, he could have fought his way out, but now he had to plan for the worst to ensure his son’s safety.

The Exorcist Monkey leapt to the ground, thumping its chest as its body grew to half a man’s height, its fur turning golden and runes flashing along its arms. With deep reluctance, Jiang Qingshuang handed the child to the monkey, tears streaming from her eyes.

Li Yunxiao sat cross-legged, choosing a direction and rapidly forming seals with his hands. Above his head, rays of multicolored light rose, and three azure lotuses appeared faintly.

“Heaven and earth without bounds, with the green lotus as guide, all evil shall be vanquished—by decree!” he cried, eyes wide, pointing into the distance. The three lotuses fused into one and shot off ahead.

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Clutching the infant, the spirit monkey raced after the lotus. Upon reaching the black barrier, the lotus’s runes whirled, blasting open a man-sized vortex through which the outside world was visible. The monkey, agile and swift, leapt through the gap with the child, disappearing swiftly into the distant snowy mountains.

“Eldest brother, the array just shook—was there a problem?” one elder asked anxiously.

“Damn it, that cursed monkey escaped with the baby!” another elder cried, but bound by the array, he could only shout in frustration.

“Blood Thunder Talisman!” the eldest elder snarled. He snatched a few thin jade slips from his robe, each inscribed with runes as red as blood. With a flick of his wrist, the slips shot out, transforming into a storm of blood-red lightning arcs.

The lightning streaked through the air, reaching the monkey in just a few breaths. The monkey dodged several bolts, snow exploding all around, but the rest barreled toward its back. At that moment, the leading azure lotus halted, shielding the monkey from nine arcs of crimson lightning. The final arc struck its back, scorching its fur and drawing a scream of pain. Still, the monkey clutched the child and, after cresting a snow-covered hill, vanished without a trace.

“That monkey must be dead—it couldn’t survive the Blood Thunder Talisman. Even ghosts below the Manifest Shadow realm would be utterly destroyed by it. Now, focus all your power on suppressing Li Yunxiao and his wife!” the eldest elder commanded coldly, his gaze fixed with a chilling intensity on the couple trapped within the Ghost Net.