One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng stood on the observation deck of the Bund in S City. The damp, chilly river breeze swept over him. The skyscrapers of Lujiazui on the opposite bank stood silently under the gloomy sky, like a group of cold, steel giants. He had just submitted the report for the "Vampire" mission on his phone, attaching a photo of Lin Ye wearing the Blood Suppression Ring and Night Owl's assessment. The moment he clicked send, he felt a strange sense of relief.

This trip to S City was simpler than he had expected, but also... more complicated.

The mission itself is simple: a "mutated vampire" struggling for love, under the company's supervision, will most likely get back on track. The complicated part is the clues that follow—"Cain's Blood" might be connected to the Yaoxing Society. This means that Qu Tong, that mysterious woman, might have tentacles reaching further than he imagined, even... extending overseas.

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to meet with this President Qu," Nie Lingfeng muttered to himself, putting his phone back in his pocket and preparing to call Chen Duo, who was leaning on the railing and watching the boats passing by on the river, to have lunch.

Just as he turned around—

"Buzz!"

The yin-yang jade pendant on his chest suddenly became incredibly hot without warning! It wasn't a gentle warmth, but a scorching heat, like a red-hot iron branding his heart! At the same time, the Yaochi Warm Jade Heart hanging around his neck also suddenly lit up with a bright green light, which shone and resonated with the black and white light of the jade pendant, as if it were excited, as if it were... giving a warning!

"Hmm?" Nie Lingfeng groaned, instinctively clutching his chest. Chen Duo also noticed the abnormality and immediately stood up straight, her emerald green eyes looking at him warily: "Nie Lingfeng?"

"It's nothing..." Nie Lingfeng was about to comfort her when his black phone in his pocket started vibrating like crazy, with an alarmingly rapid frequency.

He took out his phone, and the screen automatically lit up, displaying the red alert interface that the "Dawn" app had forcibly popped up. A glaring exclamation mark was flashing continuously, and below it was a line of bold text:

【Urgent! Top Priority!】A violent geological anomaly has occurred in Leshan, Sichuan Province! At the confluence of the Minjiang, Qingyi, and Dadu Rivers, the spiritual energy of the water veins is surging, the earth's crust is uplifting, and unknown ancient ruins have appeared! Preliminary drone reconnaissance has discovered a giant Buddha head. All "Dawn" members, temporary workers, and company combat members are requested to immediately proceed to investigate! Mission Level: SS! (Repeated, Mission Level: SS!) Location coordinates have been sent!

SS-rank mission?

Nie Lingfeng's pupils constricted sharply. Since the founding of "Dawn," the highest-level mission he had handled was S-rank (the one involving the Black Dragon in Changbai Mountain). SS-rank—this was the first time he'd encountered one!

He immediately opened the attached images and videos.

The photos were taken by drone from above. The once picturesque Leshan scenic area, where three rivers converge, has been completely transformed. The river surface is no longer calm; instead, it churns with turbid waves mixed with mud and sand. Large-scale landslides have occurred on both banks, exposing fresh, reddish-brown rock layers. And where the Leshan Giant Buddha should have been located…

Nie Lingfeng's finger froze at the top of the screen.

There is no complete Leshan Giant Buddha, built against the mountain and over seventy meters tall, there.

There is only one... head.

An enormous, stone Buddha head "grew" out of the cracked mountainside, or rather, the mountainside split open like a seed-encasing husk, revealing it. Facing the river, the Buddha head's eyes are slightly closed, its expression compassionate, yet a faint, enigmatic smile seems to linger at the corners of its mouth. The stone surface is covered with the marks of wind and rain erosion and moss, but the exquisite craftsmanship of the carving is still evident; every fold of clothing, every strand of hair, is lifelike, carrying the weight and vicissitudes of a thousand years.

This Buddha head... Nie Lingfeng is all too familiar with it.

So familiar with it that just seeing the picture instantly overwhelmed his rationality with a strong mix of emotions—excitement, fear, nostalgia, and bewilderment—making his blood seem to freeze for a moment and then boil again in the next!

Leshan Giant Buddha!

No, that's not right!

It's the entrance to Lingyun Cave! It's the starting point and the end point where he received Nie Feng's inheritance, fused with the Qilin blood, and ultimately crossed over to this world!

In his original world, the palm of the Leshan Giant Buddha concealed the entrance to the Lingyun Cave. There, he experienced life and death, had extraordinary encounters, and ultimately, amidst the rampage of the Qilin Demon Blood and some unknown spatial turbulence, arrived at this seemingly real yet ambiguous world of "Under One Person".

Having been in this world for over a year, he had traveled far and wide, handled countless incidents, and conducted secret investigations, but had never discovered the existence of the "Leshan Giant Buddha." He once thought that perhaps this world did not have this world-famous Buddha statue at all, or perhaps it existed somewhere else, and he just hadn't found it yet.

But now, it has appeared.

It appeared in such a dramatic way, accompanied by geological upheavals and a surge of spiritual energy!

Moreover, only one head appeared!

What does this mean? Is Lingyun Cave still there? Is that cave, which hides the Blood Bodhi, the Snow Drinking Blade, the Six Secrets of Aohan, as well as the Fire Qilin and countless dangers, still beneath the Buddha head? Is the "passage" that I traversed back then hidden within it? Is the appearance of this Buddha head a coincidence, or... some kind of summoning? Or even... a signpost to "return home"?

Countless thoughts exploded in Nie Lingfeng's mind, leaving him momentarily stunned, with only the howling of the river wind and the pounding of his heart in his ears.

"Nie Lingfeng?" Chen Duo's worried voice pulled him back to reality. She reached out and took his cold hand, her emerald eyes fixed on his suddenly pale face. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Nie Lingfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, and tightly grasped Chen Duo's slightly cool hand. The warmth and real touch of his palm calmed him down a little.

"I'm fine." His voice was a little hoarse as he pointed to the image of a Buddha head on his phone screen, trying to make his tone sound calm. "Chen Duo, look at this."

Chen Duo leaned closer, examined the picture carefully, then looked up at Nie Lingfeng, her eyes full of doubt: "A big rock...head? Is it scary?"

"It's not scary, but...it's very important. I'm sorry Chen Duo, we can't go to Disneyland this time." Nie Lingfeng said slowly, his gaze returning to the compassionate yet eerie Buddha head in the picture. "I must go to this place. Immediately."

"it is good"

Nie Lingfeng immediately opened his contact list, found "Eagle," and pressed the call button.

It was answered almost instantly.

"Mr. Nie," Eagle's voice was more serious and urgent than ever before, "Did you see the alarm?"

"I saw it. SS-rank, Buddha's Head, Leshan." Nie Lingfeng stated succinctly, "What are the specifics? How much do you know?"

"Not many!" Eagle spoke rapidly. "The geological anomaly started around 3 a.m. today. Initially, it was just a minor earthquake and unusual river water conditions, which the local branch thought was a normal geological disaster. But an hour later, all the spiritual energy monitoring devices went off the charts! Then the mountain collapsed, and a Buddha head appeared. The company headquarters and the southwest branch have activated the highest emergency response, but all electronic devices within a three-kilometer radius of the Buddha head have malfunctioned, and drones can only film from the edge. Currently, it is observed that the 'Qi' field within a ten-mile radius of the Buddha head is chaotic beyond comprehension, with signs of spatial distortion, suggesting the existence of a powerful seal or... a dimensional rift!"

A rift between realms? Nie Lingfeng felt a chill run down his spine once more.

"Casualties? Any moves by other forces?" he pressed.

"The scenic area has been evacuated, and there are currently no reports of civilian casualties. However, three of our field scouts who were initially on the ground have lost contact; their last vital signs were detected near the Buddha head." Eagle paused, his voice growing deeper. "As for other forces… ten minutes ago, planes from the Tang Clan, the Tianxia Society, the Yaoxing Society, the Qiuzhen Society, and at least four unidentified foreign supernatural organizations landed at airports near Leshan. The area is like a pot of boiling oil, just waiting for a spark. Chairman Zhao has ordered that at all costs, the truth about the Buddha head be uncovered, the risk level assessed, and… the situation brought under control as much as possible!"

"Understood." Nie Lingfeng's eyes were icy. "I'll set off immediately. Chen Duo will come with me."

"Approved. The interim head of the Southwest branch is already waiting at the airport and will provide all necessary support. Also..." Eagle hesitated for a moment, "Chairman Zhao asked me to tell you that the location where this Buddha head appeared is similar to where you appeared, and might even... be related to you. Be careful in everything."

"What does this have to do with me?" Nie Lingfeng gripped his phone tightly. Chairman Zhao really did know something.

"Got it. Keep in touch." Nie Lingfeng hung up the phone and immediately pulled Chen Duo up. "Let's go to the airport. The earliest flight to Leshan is here."

"Mmm." Chen Duo didn't ask any more questions, but just followed him closely, her hands holding the panda plushie tightening slightly.

Three hours later, the flight carrying Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo landed at Leshan Airport.

As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, a chaotic yet subtly ancient and majestic aura of "Qi" rushed towards him. The airport was in chaos, with passengers being urgently evacuated and uniformed staff and various strange individuals hurrying about with different expressions and auras everywhere. Nie Lingfeng even spotted several young men dressed in Tang Clan-style tight-fitting clothes with cold expressions, as well as two Tibetan monks wearing cloaks and exuding a chilling aura.

"Mr. Nie! This way!" A middle-aged man with a sharp face, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, waved at the arrival gate. Standing next to him were two equally capable young men, who were Lao Zhou, the temporary head of the Southwest Branch, and his subordinates.

Nie Lingfeng walked over quickly.

"Mr. Nie, Miss Chen Duo, you must be tired from your journey." Old Zhou didn't exchange pleasantries and directly handed over two specially made communication headsets and a tablet computer. "Latest situation. The area within three kilometers of the Buddha's head has become a restricted zone. The space is unstable, and conventional communication is completely cut off. This is a specially made 'Earth Vein Resonance' communicator, with an effective range of five kilometers. This is the latest monitoring data and a map showing the distribution of various forces."

Nie Lingfeng took the tablet and quickly scanned it. The heat map on the tablet showed that, centered on the Buddha's head, a huge, dark red energy field pulsated like a heart, constantly radiating chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations outward. Small dots representing various forces, like sharks smelling blood, were densely scattered around the edge of the energy field, wary of each other, yet all eagerly trying to probe inward.

"Where was the last known location of our missing brother?" Nie Lingfeng asked.

"Here, about 800 meters directly in front of the Buddha's head, at the bottom of a suddenly appearing cliff." Old Zhou marked a point on the map, his face grave. "The signal disappeared in an instant. There was no fighting or distress signal coming out, as if... it was swallowed up by something."