Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

Upon hearing the noise, Ren Fengjue instinctively shielded Xia Ximo behind him.

However, another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by deafening thunder.

The sky outside darkened almost instantly.

Wuyou, inside the Soul-Crossing Lamp, immediately cried out in alarm, "They're here!"

Xia Ximo's ears twitched as she saw a dark figure flash past the door.

Her eyes sharpened, and she was about to give chase when Ren Fengjue grabbed her sleeve. "Be careful."

"Take care of yourself first."

Xia Ximo shook off his hand, walked to the door, and looked in the direction where the dark figure disappeared, only to find that the originally collapsed main hall had turned into an abyss.

Above that abyss stood a towering golden Buddha, its radiance dazzling, seemingly reaching the heavens.

Seeing this, Xia Ximo instinctively covered her eyes, but the next second, it was as if a suction force was pulling her body towards the abyss...

Suddenly everything went black, but a familiar voice rang in my ears.

"From today onwards, Miss, you should rest quietly in the side courtyard. There's nothing wrong with you, so you don't need to go out."

Xia Ximo suddenly opened her eyes, only to find herself in a familiar dilapidated house.

The surroundings were simply furnished, and the dampness was accompanied by a musty smell, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.

She immediately felt her "body" enveloped in fear and began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Let me out!"

"I don't want to live here!"

"Aunt, I'll be good, please let me out..."

Each desperate scream was met with the maid's sneer.

"Miss Xia, you should save your energy."

"The madam instructed that Miss is not in good health and needs to rest."

"This courtyard happens to be secluded, perfect for Miss to recuperate."

The door was locked from the inside, and the maid refused to open it, so she went to check the window instead.

Unfortunately, the windowsill was too high, and with her weak and sickly body, it was impossible for her to climb up.

The body began to lose strength, feeling cold and hungry, and could only curl up on the ground, hugging itself.

It's so cold! Is it snowing outside?

Xia Ximo looked out the window and, sure enough, saw that snow was falling heavily outside the half-open window.

Her clothes were too thin, and when she instinctively went to the bed, she could only find a tattered thin blanket.

Even with the blanket draped over my body, I was still cold.

I was so cold that my teeth chattered, and I gradually lost all feeling in my hands and feet.

The body felt as if it were covered in a layer of frost.

She heard a voice in her mind saying—Am I going to die here?

I'm not resigned to this; I can't die here!

I cannot allow Mu Tingting to marry into the Marquis's household in my place! I want to annul the engagement!

I will make the Fan family pay with their lives for murder!

A voice screamed from the depths of my heart, but my consciousness began to blur.

Just then, a dark figure appeared in the room and reached out a hand to her.

"I can help you with whatever you're thinking about."

"Just give me your soul."

"I will give you the power to do whatever you want."

The shadowy figure slowly approached, using enticing words to entice the other side.

Xia Ximo stared at the dark figure, his eyes seemingly blank.

However, just as the shadow gradually enveloped her, her eyes suddenly turned cold and terrifying.

"Are you sure you want my soul?"

The shadowy figure was taken aback. The next second, a dense, malevolent aura, incompatible with itself, surged forth, as if to devour it.

"Nine Netherworld Soul Imprisonment..."

"How could that be!"

"Why were you able to possess her body?!"

Xia Ximo gave a cold laugh, then stood up, and a black figure, as if painted with thick ink, attached itself to her body.

"You should ask the Underworld Lord about that."

Knowing he was no match, the shadowy figure suddenly let out a sinister laugh, followed by a deafening roar, and the illusion collapsed.

Xia Ximo stumbled and almost knelt on the ground.

When I looked up again, I found myself still in that dilapidated temple, and everything around me had returned to normal.

But behind her, Ren Fengjue stood motionless as if frozen in place, clearly also in an illusion.

"Ren Fengjue!"

Xia Ximo tried to call him, but there was no response.

Thinking back to when she was in the illusion, she didn't hear Ren Fengjue's voice, so people in the illusion are probably unaffected by the outside world.

Therefore, there is only one way...

Just as she was about to let her soul leave her body, Wuyou immediately stopped her, saying, "Don't do anything reckless! What if you can't get back in later?"

Xia Ximo remained nonchalant: "Then go back to where you came from."

As she spoke, a wisp of ghostly spirit detached from her body, then transformed into a shadow and entered Ren Fengjue's eyes.

Wuyou screamed in terror, "You'll regret this!"

-

"Miss Xia!"

Just as Ren Fengjue was about to step out of the palace gate, his foot suddenly slipped, and he fell into nothingness.

In his shock, he swung his arms, but suddenly fell hard to the ground.

I opened my eyes and saw a cold crescent moon on the horizon.

Beneath him lay a pool of blood.

"Young Master..."

A weak voice was calling to him. He turned his head and was startled.

A person was lying in a pool of blood.

Li Jun, deputy general of the Golden Feather Army.

He painfully forced out two words from his throat: "Go!"

Ren Fengjue stepped forward to help him up from the ground, but said, "No, I'll take you with me."

"No." Li Jun shook his head. "I...I won't survive."

"Quickly ride the little white dragon back to the military camp and tell General Yang that there are bandits here."

"To protect the safety of the people here, please, General, take action and capture the bandits."

"quick!"

With his last breath, Li Jun uttered his last word and collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Ren Fengjue was overwhelmed with grief.

He was telling himself yesterday that once he returned to the capital, he would be able to drink the wine his mother had brewed herself.

We are now on our way back to Beijing, and our return is scheduled. How could this happen?

Flames began to flicker all around, and someone shouted, "There's one more here! Don't let him get away!"

Ren Fengjue dared not delay. He picked up Li Jun's spear from the ground, mounted his horse, spurred it, and galloped away.

"Over there! Fire the arrows!"

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the air with a whooshing sound.

Ren Fengjue had no choice but to use his spear to block the arrows while rushing towards the Golden Feather Army's camp.

However, the other side ultimately had superior numbers and continued to relentlessly pursue them.

An arrow struck his left shoulder, causing him to lose his balance and nearly fall off his horse. Fortunately, he grabbed the reins with his other hand and braced himself against the horse's back, preventing him from falling.

But then two more arrows came flying, one hitting his calf and the other his right arm.

After struggling for a moment, he still fell off his horse and rolled into the dense forest.

I was in excruciating pain; my body felt like it was falling apart, but my mind was strangely clear.

He tried to get up, but couldn't move. He had only one thought in his mind—he couldn't die!

We cannot let Li Jun and those dozen or so brothers sacrifice themselves in vain!

He was determined to kill those bandits and avenge them!

Just then, a dark shadow floated in mid-air, almost blocking out half of the moonlight.

"This place is still a hundred miles away from the Golden Feather Army camp, and you don't have much time left."

"How about I help you?"

Ren Fengjue, feeling dizzy, asked, "Who are you?"

"Don't ask who I am, I just want to borrow your soul for a moment..."

As the shadowy figure spoke, it stretched out a hand, slowly enveloping him.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

"Get your dirty hands off me."