Eye of Imprint

"It seems to be the Eye of Imprint of the Blood Moon."

As Zhou Qingchen observed the blood-colored pupil that appeared to be slowly rotating on the pitch-black banner, he suddenly recalled something.

"Blood Wheel Technique!"

In her state of agitation, Shangguan Qin let out a sharp cry, and a dark red halo suddenly emerged from the nape of her neck.

It was common knowledge that the Shangguan Family of the Fourth Realm had deep ties to the Blood Moon of the Upper Realm, much like the Zhou Family and Red Mountain.

Within the Shangguan Family, those with the most outstanding cultivation talent were often accepted by the Blood Moon.

Although Shangguan Qin did not have the qualifications to cultivate at the Blood Moon in the Upper Realm, her introductory techniques had originated from there.

Confirming that what was revealed on the banner was indeed the "Eye of Imprint," she immediately channeled the "Blood Wheel Technique" she had painstakingly cultivated, attempting to gain the favor of that blood-colored pupil through a technique of the same origin.

After the "Blood Wheel Technique" was activated, a blood-colored ring of light slowly emerged, faintly resembling the halo surrounding the "Eye of Imprint."

As a core member of the Shangguan Family, Shangguan Qin knew that the miraculous "Eye of Imprint" of the Blood Moon could survey its surroundings and imprint scenes that had previously occurred.

Great cultivators from the Blood Moon were often able to obtain key information through the "Eye of Imprint," thereby making correct decisions.

When such an anomaly occurred with the "Eye of Imprint," it meant that it was searching for someone related to the Blood Moon to transmit extremely important information.

With all the Blood Moon cultivators present now dead, and only Shangguan Qin having cultivated the "Blood Wheel Technique," she naturally assumed that the "Eye of Imprint" would choose her and pour the important information hidden within into her mind.

In this way, she would be able to know exactly how those Blood Moon practitioners had died.

She would also know whether it was truly the wild beasts in the nearby mountains and forests that had gnawed the flesh from their corpses, and she would be able to see whether the Zhou and Ning families, who arrived later, had obtained any fortuitous encounters here.

Sacrificing a few family servants to stimulate the "Eye of Imprint" with their blood could be considered worth it.

Thinking this, Shangguan Qin frantically channeled her "Blood Wheel Technique," waiting quietly for the information from the "Eye of Imprint" to be poured into her.

However...

She waited and waited, fully expecting to be the first and only choice of the "Eye of Imprint," but until the blood-colored pupil expanded and burst, she did not receive the information she desired.

After the blood-colored pupil exploded, it sprayed out bursts of blood, as if a rain of blood were falling above the Indeterminate Ferry.

Shangguan Qin, who had been waiting bitterly for the information, had a face full of astonishment; she clearly could not accept such a result.

Luo Meng, a burly man like an iron tower, had followed Shangguan Qin for many years and also knew of the wonders of the "Eye of Imprint."

Seeing the blood-colored pupil burst, he assumed Shangguan Qin had already obtained the information she wanted, so he stepped forward to ask, "How was it?"

Ning Yao, Ning Yuanshan, and even Han Duping and the others all turned their gazes toward Shangguan Qin.

They all unanimously believed that Shangguan Qin, having unleashed the "Blood Wheel Technique," must have obtained the key information from the "Eye of Imprint" and knew what had happened.

"It wasn't me!"

Shangguan Qin suddenly shrieked, her expression anxious as she searched the crowd, shouting angrily, "Who was it? Who obtained the most critical information from the Eye of Imprint? Who on earth was it?!"

She screamed like a madwoman, unable to understand why the "Eye of Imprint" had not chosen her.

Among everyone present, she was the only one who had cultivated the Blood Moon technique and had actively unleashed the "Blood Wheel Technique."

"Pang Jian, what did you see?"

Zhou Qingchen, who was closest to Pang Jian, noticed the strange look in his eyes and could not help but ask.

"Pang Jian?"

"Pang Jian!"

Gaze after gaze of astonishment and confusion immediately converged on Pang Jian, wanting to see right through him.

No one had expected that this young hunter from the Cenji Mountains would actually be favored by the "Eye of Imprint" and have the most critical information poured into him.

The crowd, who had initially been skeptical, scrutinized him closely and discovered that a blood-colored light was indeed quietly fading from Pang Jian's pupils.

Within that blood-colored light, there seemed to be scenes that were blurry and indistinct.

It was actually him!

The crowd no longer questioned it; although they did not know exactly what was going on, they all understood that the young hunter before them had replaced Shangguan Qin and received the gift of the "Eye of Imprint."

"I first saw the earth shaking."

Pang Jian said softly.

As if his words carried the mandate of heaven, the moment he spoke, the earth beneath their feet—which had cracked due to the fall of the Heavenly Phoenix's withered bones—suddenly erupted with a rumbling vibration!

Everyone looked at Pang Jian in disbelief.

Pang Jian was clearly stunned; he had not expected the earth beneath his feet to suddenly vibrate after his words, as if responding to him.

"And then?" Zhou Qingchen's eyes were filled with amazement.

He suddenly felt a sense of relief—relief at his own keen eye and proactive show of goodwill, and at his previous strong support for Pang Jian.

"After that..."

Pang Jian did not answer clearly, instead muttering as he sorted through the chaotic images in his mind, integrating the memories he had just received.

The earth was still shaking, the rumbling from deep below did not cease, and within those deep, gaping ravines, it was as if some unknown terror was lurking.

"Go! Leave this place, quickly!"

Finally seeing the next scene in his vision, Pang Jian's expression shifted drastically. He stared at the fissures in the ground, as if he had seen some terrifying entity about to burst forth from within.

"Young Master Zhou, trust me! We must go, now!"

Pang Jian vaulted onto his horse, snapped the reins violently, and spurred the chestnut warhorse toward the forest where the gray ape had vanished.

As the warhorse passed over a ground fissure, it leaped high, clearing a chasm that was tearing wider and wider in sync with the tremors beneath the earth.

Zhou Qingchen's expression flickered between uncertainty and conflict. After a brief internal struggle, he chose to trust Pang Jian and roared, "Follow Pang Jian! Move!"

Once he moved, the Zhou Family servants dared not hesitate, spurring their horses to keep pace.

"Little Yao, what about us?"

Ning Yuanshan, who had fallen a step behind, looked anxiously at Ning Yao in this moment of unknown peril.

"We go too!"

Following Ning Yao's decision, the two members of the Ning Family and the surviving Zhang Heng hurriedly spurred their horses away.

After the Zhou and Ning families had departed, Shangguan Qin listened to the terrifying "hissing" sounds rising from the earth. She looked at the Indeterminate Ferry, suddenly appearing at a loss.

"My Lady?" Luo Meng asked urgently.

"We go too!"

Lacking mounts, the Shangguan Family and the others chose to retreat in the same direction as the Zhou and Ning families.

"Hiss!"

From the deep fissures in the earth shaking behind them, shrill, ghostly wails echoed incessantly. It was as if demons were crawling out from the depths, taking advantage of the earthquake to slaughter all living things on the surface.

Pang Jian took the lead, accelerating repeatedly to put distance between them and the site.

Behind him, Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping followed closely, followed by the rest of the Zhou Family, as well as Ning Yao, Ning Yuanshan, and the others.

The earthquake and ghostly wails behind them did not last long before they slowly subsided.

At this point, Pang Jian finally reined in his horse and turned its head.

The others stopped one after another, lingering fear in their hearts as they looked back, filled with confusion.

None of them knew what had happened after they left, yet they instinctively sensed that something was terribly wrong.

"Through the Eye of Imprint, what exactly did you see?" Ning Yao was the first to demand.

Her bright eyes held a sharp edge of Sha; her attitude toward Pang Jian was no longer polite, and her tone was icy.

"Wait a moment, I will explain later. Let us first see if anyone from the Shangguan Family can make it out alive," Pang Jian said calmly.

A chill ran through everyone's hearts as they realized that a truly horrific catastrophe must have occurred on that fissure-ridden land.

Zhou Qingchen raised a hand, signaling everyone not to be anxious and to wait with patience.

"Wail!"

From the area they had fled, blood-curdling screams gradually emerged, sounding as if the Shangguan Family's cultivators were being hunted by some evil entity.

Zhou Qingchen's expression changed slightly. He gave Pang Jian a deep look but said nothing.

"That was close!"

Everyone trembled with fear, secretly rejoicing that Zhou Qingchen had chosen to trust Pang Jian, allowing them to pull away from that terrifying place in time.

Due to Shangguan Qin's indecisiveness, the Shangguan Family had surely paid a heavy price; there was no telling how many had died back there.

They did not have to wait long. Before long, Shangguan Qin appeared from the forest, her vibrant dress tattered and patches of her fair, supple skin exposed, her face etched with terror.

Her usual charm and allure were gone. On the pale skin of her upper back, behind her neck, fresh red blood seemed to be dripping.

"Luo Meng."

Shangguan Qin looked back from time to time, calling out softly, full of expectation.

It was as if that towering, loyal man would soon appear once more.

She had always known that the reason Luo Meng was so devoted to her was that he had long been in love with her, hoping that one day he might win her favor.

She had known it clearly, yet she had deliberately avoided him while simultaneously exploiting his feelings for her.

The result was that Luo Meng had risked his life, sacrificing himself to successfully send her out of that horrific slaughterhouse.

She had survived, but Luo Meng... it seemed he would never appear again.

The members of the Shangguan Family who had come with her to the Cenji Mountains to uncover the secrets of the Remains of the Heavenly Phoenix had all perished behind her.

"Why you? Why did the Eye of Imprint choose to impart information to you? Why not me?!"

Suddenly, she saw Pang Jian on his chestnut warhorse. Her mind was filled with the cruel images of Luo Meng and the servants dying.

She became hysterical, lunging at Pang Jian with claws outstretched, screaming crazily, "You are the one who killed Luo Meng! You killed our Shangguan Family members, you must pay with your life!"

She assumed that if she had been the one to receive the information from the "Eye of Imprint," none of those people would have died.

"Aunt Qin, please, calm down!"

Zhou Qingchen snapped his reins, whipping a streak of dark red lightning into the air with a "crack," blocking the path of the frantic Shangguan Qin.

"Understand this: it was your hesitation that killed the people of your Shangguan Family," Ning Yao interjected coldly.

With Zhou Qingchen and Ning Yao stepping forward, Shangguan Qin, in her frenzy, finally realized that she was now the only one left; no matter how much she struggled, she could never be a match for the people before her.

Gradually, Shangguan Qin quieted down, though she continued to glare at Pang Jian with eyes full of hatred.

"Alright, now tell us, what did you see through the Eye of Imprint?"

Ning Yao, who had been full of questions for a long time, waited until Shangguan Qin stopped making noise before turning her gaze back to Pang Jian.

"From the cracks in the earth, accompanied by tremors, many vines that seemed to possess sentience flew out. Like living, monstrous snakes, they instantly ambushed the practitioners of the Blood Moon, devouring their flesh and blood until nothing remained. Most of the Blood Moon people, just like you, were likely at the Pulse-Opening Realm, yet they had not the slightest power to resist."

Pang Jian looked at Zhou Qingchen and the others, recounting the bloody scene as he recalled the visions in his mind.

"They weren't killed or devoured by beasts; they were devoured by the vines emerging from the earth's fissures. It seems that every attack by these terrifying vines is accompanied by tremors from deep underground."

Pang Jian stated the conjecture he had formed after piecing the images together.

"Is this true?"

After hearing Pang Jian's description, Zhou Qingchen drew a sharp breath and immediately looked at Shangguan Qin.

A chill ran through his heart.

Among their group, only he and Han Duping had reached the Pulse-Opening Realm; the rest were all at the Qi Refining Realm.

The Blood Moon visitors who had been slaughtered by the vines, as far as he knew, were all at the Pulse-Opening Realm, led by a leader at the Xisui Realm.

If even a Xisui Realm expert had died, would he not have met the same fate had he not chosen to believe Pang Jian?

"It is just as he said."

Shangguan Qin gave an affirmative answer first, unable to stop herself from shivering, before asking the question that puzzled everyone present: "I just want to know, why did the Eye of Imprint choose you, and not me, who has cultivated the Blood Moon Technique?"