Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The tremors from underground are still coming.

The spiritual veins were moving; this was the source of the continuous spiritual energy that provided the Yin-Yang barrier. Yet, at this moment, they began to waver.

With Shen Xun's nemesis, who had been with him for hundreds of years, finally settled, the wind and snow along the riverbank seemed to be weighed down by this heavy truth.

Danger lurked in the shadows of this frozen river. Before the shock on everyone's faces had subsided, hurried footsteps sounded behind them.

Lu Ye's geological monitoring team rushed over, their faces filled with barely concealed anxiety: "Team Leader Lu, Brother Shen, the data is wrong! We just finished scanning the riverbank with ground-penetrating radar, and the cracks in the riverbed are expanding much faster than we predicted!"

Lu Ye immediately took the tablet from his teammate, and Shen Xun and Ye Zhuo also joined in.

The screen displays a two-dimensional profile generated by a portable ground-penetrating radar. In the black and white radar echoes, there are dense, chaotic signals representing rock bed fissures. In just over an hour, the previously scattered fissures have merged into a continuous stretch, like a spreading tide that is gnawing at the core area corresponding to the boundary barrier. Even the tiny holes that the original spirit had repaired have been reopened with abnormal signals.

"This is a portable ground-penetrating radar that we brought, specifically designed to measure the structure of permafrost and ice layers. Its electromagnetic waves can penetrate ice and river water, revealing the distribution of fissures in the riverbed rock."

Lu Ye's brows furrowed deeply as he traced the abnormal area on the screen with his fingertips. "When we first started scanning, there were fewer than ten cracks of this level. Now there are hundreds, and they're extending towards the riverbank. If this continues, the ice and permafrost on the riverbank will collapse before the barrier core even breaks."

Another team member added, "We also used RTK for surveying to measure the surface displacement of the riverbank. In just over an hour, the area near the ice crevice had already subsided by several millimeters, which is completely inconsistent with the stability of permafrost in winter. We don't know what strange thing is going on at the bottom of the river."

Old Gu spat towards the river: "That damned Su Jin, she really doesn't leave us any way out."

"The original spirit was already severely damaged by the evil energy. It was already at its limit to barely stabilize the core of the barrier, and it couldn't stop this kind of all-pervasive infiltration." Ao Luya gently stroked the white deer's neck.

Lin Jian looked at the photograph. In the photo she had just taken, the black threads had already spread to the edge of the riverbank. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before these evil and malevolent energies broke through the ice and reached the shore.

All eyes eventually fell on Shen Xun.

He is the guardian of the cycle of reincarnation, and the only one present who can contend with this power.

Shen Xun's gaze remained fixed on the dark river surface. He understood the current situation better than anyone else. The primordial spirits couldn't withstand the erosion from the riverbed, and while the ground-penetrating radar could detect the cracks, it couldn't stop the malevolent energy. Once the cracks collapsed on a large scale, even if they could protect themselves, the surrounding villages and towns would be swallowed up by this sinister energy.

He had a vague feeling that a terrifying presence was lurking beneath the river.

I have experienced it myself in the void.

It was an indescribable feeling, unlike any other evil spirit I had ever encountered before.

"I will set up a binding array." Shen Xun finally spoke, his tone calm but full of certainty.

He glanced down at his palm, his fingertips still tinged with the numbness from activating his golden blood that afternoon, and the pallor left by his previous overexertion of his essence had not yet faded. "Using the peach wood staff as the array's core, and drawing upon my golden blood to guide the spiritual veins, I can not only monitor the abnormal movements of the evil energy at the bottom of the river in real time and provide early warnings, but also temporarily seal the cracks on the riverbank, blocking the leakage of yin and evil energy and relieving some pressure on the primordial spirits."

"No!" Ye Zhuo immediately spoke, his tone full of worry. "You already exhausted your life force at the bottom of the river this afternoon, and your soul was just impacted by the illusionary aura. If you then use the Golden Blood Formation, can your body withstand it?"

"Yes, Brother Shen," Lu Ye chimed in, "Golden Blood is your foundation; you can't just touch it. Is there any other way? What equipment or materials do you need? We'll get them for you if we can."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Shen Xun nodded slightly, reassuring everyone. "This formation only requires a small amount of golden blood as a guide and won't overdraw our source energy. The situation at the bottom of the river is changing rapidly right now, and the original spirits can no longer send messages. With the formation in place, any unusual activity can be detected immediately, so we won't be caught off guard."

He spoke with certainty, and everyone knew that this was the safest approach at the moment, so they stopped trying to persuade him and simply prepared to be on guard.

Ao Luya was the first to rummage through her deerskin bag and pull out some things: "I have Ganga grass passed down from the tribe, as well as dried Du Xiang leaves, which are passed down from our ancestors to purify impurities and stabilize spiritual energy. Burning them can dispel impurities and help stabilize the formation. I also have deer bone talismans, which can anchor the formation and prevent the evil energy from dispersing the runes."

Evenki shamanic rituals for exorcising evil spirits always begin with purifying the area with Ganga grass, a rule etched into the tribal tradition. She carried these items with her precisely to deal with sudden disturbances by evil spirits, and they came in handy now.

"What do we need to do? How wide should the perimeter be?" Ye Zhuo had already drawn his dagger, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surrounding windbreak forest, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

"You guys guard the outer perimeter for me." Shen Xun took the dried grass and talisman from Ao Luya, picked up a bit with his fingertips, and could smell the clean fragrance of the grass and trees, which could suppress the evil aura. "Lu Ye, have your men guard the key positions, and also keep an eye on the movements in the forest to prevent Su Jin's spies from launching a sneak attack. Continue to monitor with radar and RTK, and call us immediately if there are any geological anomalies."

Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Lu Ye quickly arranged for the team members to disperse around the camp, leaving one person to continue operating the ground-penetrating radar and updating the data on the riverbed fissures in real time, while the others, wearing night vision goggles, kept a close eye on the windbreak forest and the movement on the river surface.

Ye Zhuo and Lao Gu stood guard on either side of the deployment area, one holding a dagger and the other an entrenching tool, their eyes fixed on every shadow in the surroundings.

Ao Luya first lit Ganga grass at the four corners of the formation area. Grayish-white smoke rose and the refreshing grass fragrance spread. The cold aura that had been clinging to people instantly faded a bit. She stood to the side with the white deer in her hand, ready to use shamanic spiritual energy to stabilize the formation at any time.

Lin Jian stood in a safe area with his Polaroid camera in hand, his fingertips on the shutter button, ready to record any unusual activity at any time.

Bai Wuchang also emerged from Shen Xun's sleeve, his twin ponytails taut, his small figure floating in mid-air, surrounded by a faint halo: "I'll keep watch for you! If those evil spirits dare to come over, I'll devour them all!" Shen Xun smiled and then stepped to the center of the riverbank.

Shen Xun focused his mind and sensed for a moment, and a faint, warm aura emanated from beneath the frozen earth beneath his feet.

This is the most stable node of the Linjiang spiritual vein, and also the riverbank closest to the boundary barrier. It can not only firmly lock in any abnormalities at the bottom of the river, but also cover the entire dangerous section to the greatest extent.

He raised his hand and planted the peach wood staff into the frozen ground beneath his feet. The snake-eye pattern on the staff head instantly emitted a faint golden light, subtly echoing the spiritual veins underground.

In the frigid winter of Mohe, the frozen soil is as hard as steel, yet the moment the peach wood staff fell, it silently sank in half, standing firmly in the wind and snow.

Shen Xun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused his mind on mobilizing the remaining power of reincarnation within his body.

The golden hourglass on his chest was slightly warm, and a sluggish warmth spread along his veins to his fingertips. He raised his hand and bit his fingertip, and a drop of brilliant golden blood seeped out and landed on the peach wood staff.

The moment the golden blood touched the peach wood staff, a pale golden light suddenly exploded, spreading along the staff to the frozen ground, and slowly expanding outwards from the peach wood staff as the center.

Shen Xun's fingers flew across the ground, using the spiritual power of the golden blood to quickly outline the runes of the Yin-Suppressing Array on the snow, each stroke steady and precise.

The deer bone talisman handed over by Ao Luya was precisely nailed to the key point of the formation. The pale golden runes met the shamanic patterns on the deer bone, and the light became even more stable. The scattered evil energy that was originally rising along the ice crack was instantly forced back by the golden light.

The wind and snow swirled around him, but couldn't get close.

One after another, the runes outlined in gold and blood were completed, from the central array eye to the four bases in the east, west, south, and north, and then to the auxiliary array that locked the cracks in the riverbank, taking shape step by step.

He used only a small amount of golden blood as a catalyst to activate the surrounding earth veins and spiritual energy, without consuming even a fraction of his own essence. With each stroke, the feeling of stagnation in his chest intensified, yet he didn't even twitch his brow.

Even so, with each rune he placed, his face paled a little more.

The exhaustion from the continuous battles had not yet been recovered, and now, as he mobilized the Golden Blood Formation, the fatigue in his soul still surged up in waves. He gritted his teeth to steady his breathing, and the runes on his fingertips were perfectly in place.

"Shen Xun, slow down." Bai Wuchang floated beside him, her small hands clutching his clothes, her face full of worry.

Shen Xun didn't open his eyes, but shook his head slightly, his fingertips moving continuously.

Half an hour later, the main formation of the Locking Array was basically completed. Pale golden runes connected on the snow, like a glowing net, firmly covering this dangerous riverbank.

The peachwood staff stood in the center of the formation, with golden light flowing out continuously, echoing each rune. The evil aura rising from the bottom of the river was firmly blocked by the golden light under the ice layer, and even the cold air in the wind was much less intense.

"Only one last array-combining talisman is needed for the array to be complete," Shen Xun said in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

He gathered the last bit of golden blood and prepared to place the final rune at the core of the formation to completely close the entire array.

Shen Xun's fingertips hovered above the snow, golden blood condensing, about to fall.

Then he froze.

His perception of the Samsara Mark allowed him to recognize that power.

Behind that black tide, surging up from the riverbed and frantically crashing against the barrier, carrying a malevolent aura and chilling cold, lies a pair of eyes.

It was exactly the same gaze that had been fixed on him for hundreds of years.

He thought that gaze was just looking.

Waiting.

Wait until the hourglass burns out, wait until the barrier collapses.

He was wrong.

It is also taking action.

I've been taking action all along.

From the day he received the peachwood staff hundreds of years ago, from the day he heard that voice in the void, from the day he was chosen and marked with the hourglass mark.

It was plotting in secret.

What is the relationship between Su Jin and it?

Shen Xun's fingertips were trembling.

It was the first time he had learned that the ancient-robed figure amidst the flowing colors was Su Jin, who manipulated primordial spirits to wreak havoc on the human world, imprisoned Xiu Lian, and sought to seize his own reincarnation mark.

There was a pair of terrifying eyes behind it.

And those eyes have been watching him for hundreds of years.

He clearly felt that powerful force today.

From the moment he took the peachwood staff and became a passerby, no evil spirit could frighten him anymore.

At that moment, he felt fear.

It is a fear that comes from the depths of one's soul.

His bitten fingertip was still bleeding, the golden blood hanging above the snow, about to fall.

He didn't know whether the rune would seal it or enrage it.

The White Impermanence floated beside him, its small face deathly pale, its voice trembling: "Shen Xun...it...it knows you."

Immediately afterwards, a strange force, several times more ferocious than before, suddenly surged out from the crack in the barrier at the bottom of the river!

The black malevolent energy surged upwards like a raging tide, rushing through the cracks in the ice. The evil energy that had been forced back by the golden light surged and broke through the ice, carrying a bone-chilling cold. It shattered the smoke from the four corners of the Ganga grass and crashed violently into the cracks in the still-open magic array!