The world was divided into five continents: Dongying, Western Wilderness, Nanyang, Northern Ao, and Central Yuan. Above each of the five continents stood a sacred mountain—Xingzhao, Wenxuan, Tianqi, Kongyuan, and Mount Henggao.
Legend had it that in ancient times, the world was wild and chaotic. Five thousand years ago, when the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons invaded, the Five Immortal Ancestors emerged from nowhere, drove out the outsiders, and each took responsibility for one continent. They established the laws of the mortal world atop the high mountains and passed down the path of immortality for a hundred years. Once all living beings had crossed that threshold, the five ancestors gave up their ascension, died sitting atop the mountains, and sacrificed themselves to build a wall beyond the heavens, ensuring that the five continents would never again suffer the intrusion of the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons.
From then on, the people revered the Immortal Ancestors even more, and began calling the high mountains sacred mountains. To this day, the sacred mountains had become the respective centers of the five continents. Whether sects or cities, all regarded those above the sacred mountains as supreme.
Chuyun City, where You Su had lived since childhood, lay in the south of Central Yuan Continent and enjoyed the protection of Mount Henggao. In such a remote place, seeing people from a sacred mountain and immortal sect gave him an almost unreal feeling.
Although the Spiritual Treasure Sect was not as renowned throughout the world as Xuanxiao Sect, the foremost sect of Mount Henggao, it was still quite prestigious in the eyes of Central Continent cultivators. No wonder You Su was astonished.
"How many times have you encountered an evil creature like the one just now?" True Man Ling could understand. After all, they had only met by chance, and a few words were not enough to make this clever youth completely lower his guard.
You Su was silent for a while before replying, "Answering True Man Ling, this is the first time."
True Man Ling let out a low sigh. "How much do you know about evil creatures?"
"Please enlighten me, True Man Ling."
"Beyond the five continents lies an endless deep sea, and in the abyss of that deep sea is boundless filth. The filth has corroded the earth. It is the source of all evil creatures." True Man Ling clasped his hands behind his back. His tone was calm, but every word was heavy. "Evil creatures have polluted the immortal path. Mortals have become toys for them to toy with, while cultivators are the prey they covet, because what they desire is the pure Mystic Qi refined within cultivators' bodies."
"Some say cultivation is the process of removing dust and grime, and that filth is the dust and grime cultivators shed. Others say evil creatures are actually cultivators' inner demons, which is why they taint the mind and spirit, slipping through every opening. Still others say they are the remnants of the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons from thousands of years ago, rotting away at this world. To this day, opinions on their origins remain divided, with no consensus. But there is one thing that cannot be overturned!"
True Man Ling's voice suddenly rang out like a great bell, his teeth clenched in fury. "Evil creatures are the common mortal enemies of every living being across the five continents!"
You Su's heart was also thrown into a tempest. He had only heard a little about evil creatures from his master when he was young. But his master feared neither Heaven nor earth, and regarded evil creatures as no more than insects. Under that influence, You Su had never taken them seriously.
Only after what he had seen and heard today did he understand how terrifying evil creatures were.
Seeing You Su rendered speechless, True Man Ling assumed that the youth, still in the swaddling clothes of ignorance, could not understand the calamity brought by evil creatures. He sighed. "Do you feel that evil creatures are too distant from you?"
Before You Su could answer, True Man Ling seemed to think of something painful. His expression turned grief-stricken as he said, "Do you know who the person eaten by that Lantern Ghost was?"
"It was my junior brother! My junior brother, who was as close to me as my own flesh and blood!" True Man Ling was stricken with grief. At that moment, he was no longer an immortal master from a famous sect with extraordinary cultivation. He was merely an old man overcome by sorrow.
"To protect the people of the world, the five sacred mountains jointly established the Evil Warding Department. My junior brother and I were both members of it. For decades, my junior brother had upheld the righteous path and slain countless evils. Just last month, he told me he was ready to break through into the Water Condensation Realm, and had even prepared the elixir! Yet on the final mission before entering seclusion, he fell into the Lantern Ghost's trap! I chased that evil creature for more than a hundred li, only to find that my junior brother had been completely devoured. He had such a bright future ahead of him... How many of our people have died at the hands of evil creatures while trying to save others?"
No wonder True Man Ling had cried out so heartbreakingly when he captured that evil creature. Affected by his grief, You Su could only remain silent for a moment before saying:
"Please mourn your loss, True Man Ling."
True Man Ling drew a deep breath and composed himself. Cultivators emphasized purifying the heart. Unless their emotions had reached an extreme, even an old man of his cultivation would never have lost control so badly.
"I know you must be wondering why, despite being blind, you can see that evil creature, while I am not surprised by it."
"Answering True Man Ling, I am indeed wondering that."
"That is because you have seen something even more evil than it!" True Man Ling suddenly said something shocking, his tone firm and unyielding. "I do not care whether you lied to me! I only want to know where you saw it!"
True Man Ling keenly noticed that after he said this, the youth's swordlike brows drew together slightly, and his fingers clenched a little tighter. Having read countless people, he knew this was a sign of nervousness. A trace of anger also entered his gaze as he looked at the youth.
"Why would True Man Ling say that? This junior... is only a blind man..."
True Man Ling seemed to have anticipated that You Su would say this. He gave a cold snort.
"Obstinate fool! Evil creatures are strange and bizarre, but they do not appear without a trace! Legend speaks of three hidden Great Evil Gods—Lord of Flesh and Blood, Lord of the Five Elements, and Lord of Dreams. They stole the corresponding portions of the Heavenly Dao's authority and distributed them among their own dependents, while hiding in the world's darkest corners, constantly reproducing and spying. Thus, the methods used to harm others by most known evil creatures can be classified into three categories: flesh and blood, the five elements, and dreams. This Lantern Ghost is of the Dream Master Type, so naturally it uses methods that confuse the mind and spirit."
"The strength of evil creatures is also related to the amount of authority they have obtained. Once someone has directly looked upon a more powerful evil creature of a certain type and survived, all weaker creatures of that same type will thereafter be unable to hide from that person's eyes! This comes from the iron law of positional suppression, in which authority descends from greater to lesser!"
"Those who have seen deeper darkness will naturally never again be intimidated by more shallow evil! Even if you are a mortal! Even if you are blind! As long as you remain conscious, this iron law will certainly take effect!"
True Man Ling's voice grew ever more impassioned, until at the end it seemed capable of shattering clouds and splitting stone.
You Su's expression shifted uncertainly. He clenched both fists and remained silent. True Man Ling could feel that You Su had fallen into deep confusion.
"But True Man Ling, I have been blind since birth. Before today, I truly had never seen anything."
You Su's expression twisted with struggle. He could vaguely guess the answer to this question, yet he still dared not believe it.
"The Lantern Ghost is of the Dream Master Type. What you saw in your dreams naturally counts as well."
True Man Ling's flat sentence seemed to crush the last straw supporting You Su. The youth staggered back two steps.
Looking at You Su's dazed, empty expression, True Man Ling shook his head and sighed. He then took an ancient green jade pendant from inside his robes. The two characters "Evil Warding" were carved into it. Looking closely, one could even see faint ink-colored currents flowing beneath the bamboo-green surface.
"This Evil Warding Token can sense evil creatures nearby. I tested you because after I captured that Lantern Ghost, the ink color did not disperse. But after testing you, I discovered that you had not been possessed by an evil creature. You had merely come into contact with turbid qi recently. Combined with your eyes, I can be certain that you have encountered a powerful evil creature in recent days!"
"I do not know how you escaped alive. Perhaps that evil creature was injured, perhaps it simply did not consider you worth noticing, or perhaps it has some greater scheme! Its existence is an extremely dangerous hidden threat, not only to you and your family, but even to every citizen in this entire city! Now, I need you to tell me everything you know! Only then can you save them and save yourself!"
"My family..." You Su muttered to himself, as though his soul had left his body.
Whenever someone was in a daze, chaotic images would flash through their mind. But You Su had been blind since childhood. Other than the strange dream that morning and the Lantern Ghost, what else could he remember?
That was right. He remembered the soft, delicate feel of his junior sister's cheek. He remembered his junior sister happily calling out, "Happy birthday, You Su!" He remembered every laugh, every scolding, every burst of joy and anger she had shared with him over the past three years. He remembered the few brief encounters he had had with Mistress over the past eight years.
But why... why couldn't he forget that grotesque, disgusting face on his junior sister and Mistress in the dream?
I just couldn't forget it!!
Before you continue