He Yiliang Comes Knocking

The person moved quickly, landing before him in the blink of an eye.

Lin Chen looked him up and down but found no recognition.

Moreover, this was Sect Leader Peak territory—no need to worry about anyone making trouble for him here.

His gaze sharp, he asked in a calm tone, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"My name is He Yiliang. I'm an elite outer disciple."

The newcomer seemed to bear no ill intent, stopping three meters away.

"I've come uninvited today over the matter of Lord Qin of Clearwind City."

Hearing this, Lin Chen immediately grew wary. "So you're that nephew of his, the one who aids his tyranny?"

He Yiliang frowned. He didn't understand the phrase "aids his tyranny," but he guessed Lin Chen was cursing him.

So he quickly explained, "Junior Brother Lin Chen, I mean no harm, nor am I here to avenge Lord Qin, because..."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "My family was also killed by them."

What?

Lin Chen's pupils shrank to pinpricks, a killing intent shooting from his eyes.

"Why should I believe you?"

This man had come too abruptly, his intentions unclear. Lin Chen remained on guard.

He Yiliang's expression was bitter and indignant. "I investigated your Lin Family. All died, only you survived.

My He Family was the same—only I lived."

Hearing this, Lin Chen still couldn't trust He Yiliang.

He even suspected that this man was one of the killers in the massacre.

A surge of rage rose within him.

"Do you ever see a pair of purple eyes in your dreams, or find yourself sleepwalking?" He Yiliang's face was pale, his lips trembling.

Lin Chen felt as if struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.

Those eyes had only appeared twice.

The first time was in the illusion on Heavy Mountain Path.

The second was in yesterday's dream.

Could the illusion on Heavy Mountain Path be the key to activating those eyes?

Lin Chen suddenly thought of a critical question.

Perhaps that illusion wasn't meant to restore his memory, but to activate the eyes.

If so, the whole matter was inseparable from Green Mountain Sect.

"How do you know this? What do those eyes represent?" he pressed urgently.

As he spoke, fear suddenly crept onto He Yiliang's face, terror spilling from his eyes.

Lin Chen could tell—this was no act, but genuine emotion.

"Because those eyes appear in my dreams too. They are the nightmare of the Soul Trial!"

Watching He Yiliang's dazed and lost state, Lin Chen stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, "Speak clearly. What Soul Trial?"

"The clan's vengeance, the hatred of murder—the flames of hatred will scorch the soul. Bear it, and you pass to the next stage. Fail, and your soul scatters to nothing!"

Listening to He Yiliang's rambling words, Lin Chen felt a nameless irritation rise in his heart.

He shoved He Yiliang away.

This guy had gone mad.

He seemed to have been tormented for a long time.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, recalling those eyes, his eyelids twitching. "I won't end up like this too, will I?"

"Bro... pfft! Senior Brother, why did you come find me, anyway?" Lin Chen looked at He Yiliang, utterly speechless.

He hadn't even said anything yet, and he'd already broken down. How were they supposed to talk?

Hahaha...

He Yiliang suddenly burst into wild laughter, then vanished in a flash.

What was that?

Lin Chen stood at the foot of the mountain, slowly calming down.

In truth, He Yiliang had already conveyed information to him.

First, he wasn't the only one who could see those purple eyes.

Second, those eyes tormented their bearer, possibly driving them mad.

Third, it seemed to be some kind of trial—pass it and move to the next stage, fail and your soul scatters.

Fourth, this matter is likely related to the Green Mountain Sect.

Or rather, to someone within the Green Mountain Sect.

Having connected these dots, Lin Chen decided to keep quiet.

He Yiliang was a case in point.

Those eyes might be able to sense the bearer's thoughts.

Once they sensed exposure was imminent, they would drive the bearer mad.

Lin Chen walked slowly up the mountain, his heart heavy with worry.

All his earlier good mood was gone.

Reaching the halfway point, he turned directly into the Sect Leader's main hall.

Ming Bufan was still reviewing memorials on Jade Slips.

"Lin Chen? Something on your mind?" Ming Bufan's gentle voice came without him even lifting his head.

Lin Chen approached and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, do we have any historical records of the Green Mountain Sect here?"

"Hm?"

Ming Bufan stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and looked at him calmly. "You want to investigate the Lin Family massacre?"

Lin Chen wasn't surprised that Ming Bufan knew about his family background.

Every disciple who joined the sect was thoroughly investigated.

This was both to protect the sect and to protect the disciples' families.

Lin Chen nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no. I want to look into the origins of the Heavy Mountain Path."

"Heavy Mountain Path?" Ming Bufan stood up and walked to the massive bookshelf behind him, where rows of Jade Slips were neatly arranged.

He searched for a while before finding one, took it out, and handed it to Lin Chen.

"Read it here. You can't take it out."

Lin Chen accepted it with both hands. "Alright!"

Holding the Jade Slip, he sat directly on the steps of the main hall and focused his mind to examine it.

It turned out that the Green Mountain Sect had a history of a thousand years.

A thousand years ago, this place was called the Purple Demon Abyss.

Inside, a Purple-Eyed Giant Demon was wreaking havoc on the mortal world.

Later, an enlightened cultivator came here and personally suppressed the Purple-Eyed Giant Demon.

But in doing so, he accidentally opened the barrier of the Purple Demon Abyss, where tens of thousands of giant demons were waiting to descend upon the mortal world.

After a bitter battle, the enlightened cultivator ultimately paid with his life to seal the barrier.

He passed away here, his soul slumbering within the Heavy Mountain Path.

Heavy Mountain Path was a homophone for "Heavy Mountain Blade," because that was the cultivator's lifebound treasure—the Heavy Mountain Blade.

What lay sealed beneath it was the barrier of the Purple Demon Abyss.

Purple-Eyed Giant Demon?

Lin Chen's expression turned grave. Could it be that the demonic beast was reviving?

He continued reading.

Because the cultivator had set up a formation here before his death and left behind his inheritance.

The Green Mountain Ancestor of that time happened to pass by, entered it, and obtained the inheritance.

With it, he founded the Green Mountain Sect.

And took over the task of maintaining the seal.

For a thousand years, the seal had never been quiet.

There had been three violent surges, all driven back by the Green Mountain Sect's cultivators.

Later, the Heavy Mountain Path was repurposed as a trial ground for disciples.

Lin Chen flipped through to the very end, but found no record of anyone encountering purple eyes on the Heavy Mountain Path.

"Could I be wrong?" Lin Chen set down the Jade Slip.

Those purple eyes had appeared on the day of the Lin Family massacre.

Had he already been afflicted back then?

And did this matter have anything to do with the Green Mountain Sect at all?

Lin Chen's doubts only multiplied.

He needed more evidence to prove and infer.

Most importantly, if he reported this as it was, would he be treated like a monster?

This was precisely what Lin Chen worried about most.

"What's wrong? Didn't find what you were looking for?"

At that moment, Ming Bufan quietly stepped closer.

"Actually, the Jade Slips here were all organized later. If you want to see more complete records, you'll need to go to the Scripture Depository—they keep older texts there."

Lin Chen stood up and cupped his fist toward Senior Brother. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll head back to prepare lunch now."

"Alright, just give me the Jade Slip."

Lin Chen returned the Jade Slip, turned, and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Ming Bufan furrowed his brow slightly.