As a dignified max-level Celestial Master, who am I supposed to explain this to?

In the middle courtyard, in Xia Yuanshan's room.

The light is still on.

The old man didn't sleep.

He sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a thick cotton robe.

He held the string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, his expression calm.

Seeing Han Xuan and Xia Zhiwei walk in together, he wasn't surprised, he just sighed.

"You went to the backyard." He looked at Han Xuan and stated it as a statement.

"I went." Han Xuan did not deny it.

"You saw it?"

"I saw it. A well, a ghost, and a seal that's about to collapse."

Xia Yuanshan remained silent for a long time.

His hands were trembling slightly, whether from the cold or something else, it was hard to tell.

"Sit down." He pointed to the chair in front of the bed.

Han Xuan sat down.

Xia Zhiwei stood behind him without saying a word, but she was closer to Han Xuan than during the day.

"That well..." Xia Yuanshan began, his voice hoarse and slow, "is something from my father's generation."

He closed his eyes, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

"My father's name is Xia Hongyuan, and he was the previous head of the Xia family. He spent his life fighting demons and monsters, and he was quite a figure in the martial arts world."

"But there is one thing that is his biggest regret in life... and his deepest scar."

He opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze falling into the darkness outside the window.

"One hundred and twenty years ago, the Xia family was not like it is now. Back then, the Xia family was a prominent family in the cultivation world. Although it could not compare with major sects such as Longhu Mountain and Maoshan, in the Jiangnan area, no one did not know the Xia family."

"That year, my father was young and impetuous, and he took on a big case. A town in the Jiangnan water region was haunted, and many people had died. He went to investigate and found that the ghost was not an ordinary vengeful ghost, but a cultivator who practiced evil arts. In his life, he cultivated the path of ghosts, and after death, his resentment did not dissipate, and he transformed into a vengeful ghost. The ghost's cultivation was extremely high, and my father was no match for it, but he refused to admit defeat and fought it for three days and three nights."

"And then?" Han Xuan asked.

"He won in the end."

Xia Yuanshan's voice lowered, "But the victory was dishonorable. He used a forbidden technique, the Blood Sacrifice Seal. Using his own blood essence as a catalyst, he sealed the ghost in a well. The seal was successful, but his cultivation was also severely damaged."

Han Xuan frowned.

Blood sacrifice seal.

He had seen this forbidden technique in ancient books from Longhu Mountain.

The power of the seal is obtained by exchanging the caster's life essence for it.

The cost is that the caster's cultivation level will be permanently reduced, and their lifespan will be greatly shortened.

"After the ghost was sealed in the well, my father's health deteriorated day by day. Before he died, he told me about this and asked me to guard the well and prevent the seal from breaking."

Xia Yuanshan gripped the prayer beads tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"I've guarded it for over fifty years. I've reinforced the seal with my true energy, repaired the runes, and done everything I could. But the seal is too taxing, and my cultivation can't keep up. Over the years, my health has deteriorated, and the seal has weakened as well."

He raised his head and looked at Han Xuan.

"You think I called you to the Xia family just for the sake of the engagement?"

Han Xuan remained silent.

"The engagement is real, but the real reason I called you here..."

Xia Yuanshan's gaze sharpened, as if in a final burst of energy before death. "I'm asking you to deal with this well."

He turned to look at Xia Zhiwei, his sharp gaze softening.

"I can't hold on much longer. If the seal breaks and that ghost comes out, what will happen to Zhiwei? What will happen to the dozens of people in the Xia family?"

His voice was trembling.

"I've asked others. I've asked elders from Maoshan, Qingcheng, and even Longhushan. But after they looked at that well, they all shook their heads."

"That ghost has been trapped by the blood sacrifice seal for over a hundred years, and its resentment is more than ten times stronger than before. Ordinary cultivators simply cannot deal with it."

He paused, looking at Han Xuan.

"But you can."

Han Xuan remained silent for a while.

Why should you believe me?

Xia Yuanshan smiled, a smile that held an indescribable certainty.

"That old fellow Zhang Qingyuan never praises people. But in his letter he told me that my apprentice is ten thousand times better than you can imagine."

He paused, then added.

"Ten thousand times. That's his exact words."

Han Xuan's lips twitched.

Master, Master, your praise is way too exaggerated.

Ten thousand times? I'm not a god.

"and……"

Xia Yuanshan's smile deepened. "When you were in the backyard just now, that ghost didn't attack you."

Han Xuan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Although that ghost was sealed inside the well, it could sense the outside world. After sensing your presence, it became quiet."

Xia Yuanshan looked at Han Xuan, his eyes full of profound meaning.

"It's afraid of you."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Han Xuan lowered his head and looked at his right hand.

A golden arc of electricity flashed silently across his palm.

"Grandpa Xia," he looked up, his expression turning serious, "I can handle this well. But there are a few questions I need to know the answers to."

"Go ahead and ask."

"First, what exactly is that ghost's background? You said it's a cultivator who practices evil arts, but what kind of evil arts specifically?"

Xia Yuanshan hesitated for a moment, then took out a yellowed ancient book from under his pillow and handed it to Han Xuan.

"Look for yourself. These are the notes my father left behind."

Han Xuan took the ancient book and turned to the first page.

The notes were written with a brush, the handwriting was messy and hurried, clearly written under extreme tension.

Han Xuan quickly scanned the area, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"The Netherworld Path?" He looked up, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes. The Netherworld Path." Xia Yuanshan nodded. "That ghost was a disciple of the Netherworld Path in his previous life. You know the Netherworld Path?"

Han Xuan certainly knew.

The Netherworld Path, the predecessor of the Netherworld Cult.

Or rather, the Netherworld Cult evolved from the Netherworld Path.

More than a hundred years ago, the Netherworld Path was wiped out by the righteous cultivators, and its lineage was almost cut off.

But unexpectedly, its remnants continued to operate in the shadows, eventually developing into the Netherworld Cult.

"Is the ghost in that well a remnant of the Netherworld?" Han Xuan pressed.

"He's not just an ordinary remnant." Xia Yuanshan pointed to a line in his notebook. "He was the direct disciple of the Netherworld Sect's leader, surnamed Liu, named Liu Rushi. One hundred and twenty years ago, he went mad while practicing forbidden techniques of the Netherworld Sect and became a vengeful ghost. That's when my father fought him."

Han Xuan's gaze darkened.

The direct disciple of the Netherworld Sect Leader.

One hundred and twenty years of accumulated resentment. Cultivation level between the fifth and sixth levels of the Golden Light Mantra.

This guy is no ordinary troublemaker.

But he was more concerned about something else.

"How did remnants of the Netherworld Path end up underground in the Xia family's territory?"

Xia Yuanshan remained silent for a long time.

Then he said something that made both Han Xuan and Xia Zhiwei's expressions change.

"Because this well originally belonged to the Netherworld."

"What?!" Xia Zhiwei lost her composure for the first time, her voice rising eight octaves.

Xia Yuanshan gave a wry smile: "The Xia family's ancestral home was originally a branch altar of the Netherworld Path. My father didn't know this when he bought this land. It was only after he fought Liu Rushi that he discovered this well underground. The well not only contains Liu Rushi's ghost, but also a large amount of death energy and resentment left behind by the Netherworld Path back then. Those things were absorbed by Liu Rushi's ghost, which is why she became so strong."

He sighed.

"In other words, the problem with this well is ultimately a problem of the Xia family itself."

The room fell silent again.

Han Xuan closed his notebook, shut his eyes, and mentally organized all the information.

The former site of a branch altar of the Netherworld Path.

A well sealed with resentment for a century. A vengeful ghost who went mad while practicing forbidden arts.

Xia Hongyuan, who used a blood sacrifice seal and thus lost his cultivation.

Xia Yuanshan, who has maintained the seal with his true energy for over fifty years, is now completely exhausted.

There is also a hundred-year-old vengeful ghost that is about to break free from its seal and whose strength is comparable to the fifth or sixth level of the Golden Light Mantra.

"I understand." Han Xuan opened his eyes, stood up, and said, "I'll take care of it before dawn."

Xia Zhiwei looked at him: "Now?"

"Now," Han Xuan nodded, "the seal could break at any moment, and the longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes."

He turned and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, Xia Yuanshan suddenly called out to him.

"Han Xuan".

"Um?"

"Be careful. That ghost... is very cunning. It can talk and deceive. My father wrote in his notes that Liu Rushi was an extremely intelligent person in life, and after she died, she became a ghost, even more adept at bewitching people. It knows what humans want most and what they fear most. It will use these things against you."

Han Xuan turned around and looked at Xia Yuanshan.

"Grandpa Xia," he said, "have you seen the Zombie King?"

Xia Yuanshan was taken aback: "No."

"I've seen it."

Han Xuan's tone was as calm as if he were talking about what he ate that day. "The night before last, in Xiangxi, there were three zombie kings at the level of golden-armored corpses. They were also very cunning, capable of deceiving and bewitching people."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"They're gray now."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out.

Xia Zhiwei watched his figure disappear into the night, remained silent for a moment, then turned to Xia Yuanshan and said, "Grandpa, I'm going to go see him."

Xia Yuanshan wanted to say something, but seeing the determination in his granddaughter's eyes, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Be careful." That was all he could say.

Xia Zhiwei nodded and quickly followed.

……