Taicang City, the Green Ox Immortal Hall.
Blue incense smoke rose straight into the sky, gathering into a faint golden glow in the murky night.
Lu Hengsan's straight back slowly bent before the divine statue.
His knees bent slightly before he sank heavily to the ground. The hard bluestone floor silently caved beneath him, splitting into a fine web of cracks.
All the dignity of a city lord fell away. Facing the statue with his back to the townspeople, his face held only undisguised exhaustion and dread.
He raised his head toward the rough, gilded stone statue. His voice was low and hoarse, each word ringing distinctly across the quiet clearing before the temple.
"Calamity is about to emerge from Qingwu Mountain, and I am entangled in evil. Now I can neither live nor die. I fear I will ultimately become an accomplice to that calamity, with no road left before me."
"I beg you, great immortal, to grant me a method to drive out this evil and save my life—and deliver the people of this city as well!"
The instant his plea ended, the gray, dead skin on his neck abruptly blackened. A thin wisp of deathly black mist crawled along his flesh and burrowed between his brows.
Lu Hengsan's body jolted violently. He clenched his teeth, blue veins bulging at his temples.
The others noticed nothing amiss, assuming only that their city lord was praying devoutly.
Only Qin He saw everything clearly.
That wisp of black mist was the Death Imprint left by the ancient skeletal remains beneath Qingwu Mountain. Deathly aura wound around his soul, slowly eroding it. Rather than killing him outright, it would grind away his mind bit by bit, turning this city lord into a living puppet that obeyed the skeleton.
Su Qinghan stood