In a high-level martial arts game, a wife is given to you at the start.

Canggu Mountain Range. Black Wind Valley. Dry Bone Ridge. Fallen Star Beach. Old Dragon Abyss. Valley of No Return.

The order of the first four places corresponds exactly to the route he took.

He put down the file and his gaze fell on the old map on the wall—he was very familiar with that map; there was an identical one in the Gu family ancestral hall.

Seven sealing points, arranged in a circle.

At the center of the circle is the Holy City.

He suddenly realized something: the Blood Ravens weren't trying to pry open the seven seals, but rather the lock surrounding the Holy City. What they wanted to release was buried beneath the temple.

The temple, unfortunately, was built right in the center of the lock.

He closed the file, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the temple's spires cast long shadows in the twilight.

He recalled the temple deacon's words—"The aura you carry reminds me of an old friend."

He did not linger at the Purification Department; after reviewing the files, he returned to Qing Shi Lane.

Luo Sheng is about to give birth.

In the days that followed, he slowed down his work at the Purification Bureau—he would go to the office every day to check in, review the newly delivered records, and spend the rest of his time in the courtyard.

Luo Sheng's belly grew bigger every day, and the little girl squatted beside her every day, earnestly asking, "When will my little brother come out?", which made Luo Sheng both laugh and cry.

Two weeks later, Luo Sheng gave birth.

It was a son. The sound of a baby crying echoed in the courtyard of Qing Shi Lane. Luo Sheng lay on the bed, her face pale, looking at the baby in swaddling clothes, and remained silent for a long time.

Lin Qiye stood by the bed, looking at the wrinkled little thing, the palm of his hand slightly warm.

He clearly felt that this child carried the bloodline mark of the same origin as him. A warm power flowed back through his bloodline, surging into his limbs and bones. The bloodline feedback circulated within him, and although this was not the first time he had felt this power, each time it was like adding a new piece of firewood to the furnace.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power flowing through his body.

The child was named Lin Chi, and his nickname was Tan Tou (Charcoal Head) – a name given by Xiao Man Niu, who said her little brother's face was dark, like charcoal.

Upon hearing this, Luo Sheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The population of the holy city has grown even larger.

With an official identity and a position in the Purification Division, Lin Qiye had truly established himself in the Holy City. He began to refocus his energy on the Purification Division's files.

Gu Chen was somewhat surprised to see him flipping through the files so quickly: "You can remember them all, flipping through them so fast?"

"I can't remember," Lin Qiye said, "but I can remember which places had the most accidents."

He unfurled a map he had drawn himself—the locations of the seven sealing points, the number of anomalies, and the number of casualties were all marked on it. Gu Chen leaned over to take a look, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes: "You've got something, kid."

"That's not enough." Lin Qiye pointed to a spot on the map. "Old Longyuan has experienced fourteen unusual events in ten years, resulting in the deaths of over sixty people, but the records of the Purification Division only show three instances of on-site investigation. Why?"

Gu Chen paused for a moment, then said, "Because none of those who went have returned."

How many batches have been sent?

"Four batches," Gu Chen said. "Each batch consisted of three people, all elderly members of the Purification Division. The last batch—they didn't even find their bodies."

"And then what?"

"They haven't sent anyone else since." Gu Chen took a drag of his cigarette. "The higher-ups said that Lao Longyuan's unusual movements are within a controllable range, and there's no need to waste manpower."

"Who's in charge?"

Gu Chen didn't reply. He tapped his pipe, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "Kid, some things you should stop investigating halfway through. The matter of Old Longyuan is too complicated."

"I'm the kind of person," Lin Qiye said, "once I get wet, I have to wash it until it's completely clean."

Gu Chen stared at him for a long time, finally sighing. He pulled an old iron plaque from his pocket and tossed it to him: "This is an old token of the Purification Division. An old buddy of mine entrusted it to me for safekeeping before he went to the Old Dragon Abyss. He said that if he didn't come back, he should find someone to check what the Old Dragon Abyss was hiding."

"Is he back?"

"No," Gu Chen said, "but this sign has found an owner today."

Lin Qiye took the iron plate; it was icy cold to the touch. A simple symbol was engraved on it—two curved horns.

His pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen this symbol far too many times. On his coat of arms, in the notes of the Gu family ancestors, and on the murals of the altar in the Canggu Mountains.

It should never appear on the old relics of the Purification Bureau.

"When was this brand passed down?" he asked.

Gu Chen thought for a moment: "I don't know. It was passed down to him by his old friend's master. He said it was left by the earliest members of the Purification Division."

Lin Qiye gripped the iron plaque tightly and remained silent for a moment.

He suddenly realized that the pool was much deeper than he had thought.

He carefully put away the iron token, said nothing more, and simply asked Gu Chen, "Old Longyuan, which way do I get there?"

Gu Chen stared at him for a long time, then finally tucked his pipe back into his belt and uttered two words:

"North."

Old Dragon Abyss is north of the Holy City, much farther than Dry Bone Ridge.

Lin Qiye didn't rush on his journey. He first went back to Qing Shi Lane to settle down for the night, and set off early the next morning, leaving the city gate and heading north.

After traveling north for most of the day, the terrain gradually changed. The gentle hills surrounding the holy city disappeared, replaced by rugged black stone mountains, sparsely covered with vegetation, and a faint smell of sulfur in the air. The further north they went, the stronger the smell became, as if something deep within the earth was slowly burning.

Old Dragon Abyss is located in a deep valley.

The valley entrance is extremely narrow, with almost vertical black rock walls on both sides, covered with a layer of dark green moss, making them wet and slippery. The bottom of the valley is not visible, only a thick black fog churning within, from which occasionally a very low, muffled rumble can be heard, as if some enormous creature is turning over in the deepest part of the valley.

Lin Qiye stood at the entrance of the valley, not going down immediately.

He took out the compass, but only a small patch of its silver light illuminated the surface—the compass malfunctioned most of the way here; the needle spun wildly a few times before finally stopping in one direction, trembling slightly. He tried again, with the same result.

The disturbances here are much greater than those at Dry Bones Ridge.

He didn't force his way in, but first circled the valley entrance. In the pile of rocks on the east side of the valley entrance, he found several skeletons—already weathered to grayish-white, but judging from their postures, they were all facing the valley floor, as if they wanted to go in, or as if they wanted to come out, but ultimately they couldn't leave.

Several weapons lay scattered beside the skeleton, rusted beyond recognition. Lin Qiye rummaged through them and found a half-buried bronze plaque under the rubble, with the words "Purification Division" engraved on it.

This is one of the four groups of people that Gu Chen mentioned.

He carefully put away the bronze medal and walked back to the valley entrance.

Black mist churned at the bottom of the valley, carrying a damp, rotten smell. He closed his eyes and probed downwards with his senses—below the black mist, the rock walls contracted inwards, forming a narrow passage, and at the end of the passage, something was beating slowly and rhythmically, like a sleeping heart.

It shares the same rhythm as the heart hidden in the crevice of Black Wind Valley.