Night on Broken-Soul Peak didn't fall gently.
It dropped like a curtain pulled by unseen hands, swallowing every color except gray and blue.
The cracked lantern glowed faintly; the Chained Woman stood beneath it, casting no shadow at all—only a cold absence where light refused to touch.
Lin Feng swept a corner of the courtyard that didn't need sweeping simply because it made him look productive.
The ghost child floated nearby, fiddling with the splinter it treated like a toy sword.
A cold gust whispered across the peak.
Lin Feng stopped sweeping.
That wasn't normal wind.
This breeze carried intent.
Something was approaching.
The ghost child froze mid-air, trembling.
The Chained Woman lifted her head slightly, chains rising as if tasting the air.
Lin Feng set the broom against a broken wall, wiped his hands, and looked toward the mountain steps with polite curiosity.
A faint glow began to climb the stairs.
Not ghostly.
Not spiritual.
Human.
A lantern light.
And then—footsteps.
Soft.
Uneven.
Barely moving.
A man in ragged clothes finally stepped into view.
His face was pale, eyes sunken, body trembling like a leaf.
One arm hung limp, wrapped in bloody cloth.
His steps dragged, each one heavier than the last.
He looked like he had run from something worse than death.
When he saw Lin Feng standing calmly in the courtyard, he nearly cried.
"S-Senior… p-please… help…"
He stumbled forward and collapsed to his knees.
Lin Feng approached slowly, expression steady.
"What brings you to this peaceful tourist destination?"
The man shuddered, struggling to speak.
"S-Something… chased me… from the forest… a spirit—no, not just one—there were… eyes… everywhere…"
His voice cracked into a broken whisper.
The ghost child hid behind Lin Feng.
The Chained Woman's chains tightened, responding to unseen danger.
Lin Feng crouched, checking the man's injuries.
The cuts weren't normal.
They were burned into the skin, shaped like circular marks.
Each wound pulsed faintly with a dark, unnatural glow.
[SYSTEM]
Warning: Residual Spirit Mark detected.
Type: Predatory Echo
Effect: Attracts hostile spirits
Danger: High
Lin Feng looked up at the trembling man.
"You brought company."
The man's breath hitched.
"T-They're coming… Senior, please… I don't want to die…"
The wind howled suddenly—
sharp, hungry, alive.
From the forest below, shapes began to appear.
Glowing eyes.
Multiple.
Dozens.
The fog twisted violently.
A chorus of low, growling voices drifted up the steps.
"…found… him…"
"…found… found…"
"…the marked one…"
The man broke into sobs.
The ghost child pressed itself tight to Lin Feng's sleeve, shaking.
The Chained Woman's chains rose like a defensive wall, cold power rolling from her.
Lin Feng stood up.
He brushed dust from his robe.
He glanced at the growing pack of spirits climbing toward the sect.
Then he sighed lightly.
"Very well. Visiting hours are closed."
The first spirit lunged from the darkness—
eyes wide, mouth stretched open—
its claws gleaming with ghost light.
Lin Feng didn't move.
The Chained Woman did.
Her chains snapped forward like iron lightning.
A single strike.
The lunging ghost shattered into ash.
But more rose behind it.
Ten.
Twenty.
More.
Dozens of hungry spirits, all marked by that same circular burn, all staring at the man who had crawled into Lin Feng's courtyard.
The man screamed.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring them—!"
Lin Feng held up a hand.
"No apology needed. I enjoy learning new ghost migration patterns."
The spirits roared.
Their combined aura shook the mountain stones.
Even the ghost child hid behind Lin Feng's legs.
The Chained Woman's chains rattled louder, preparing to strike again.
But just before the spirits reached the courtyard—
They stopped.
Every single one froze in place.
Their eyes widened.
Their bodies trembled.
Not at Lin Feng.
Not at the Chained Woman.
But at something else.
Something deeper on the mountain.
A distant rumble echoed through Broken-Soul Peak.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The spirits lowered their heads instinctively—
then retreated at once, scrambling back into the forest as fast as they had come.
The courtyard fell silent.
The man collapsed forward, crying in relief.
Lin Feng glanced toward the deeper part of the mountain.
Something old had awakened.
Something the spirits feared more than death.
Lin Feng whispered softly,
"Interesting."
The ghost child tugged on his robe nervously.
The Chained Woman's chains went still—
not relaxed,
but… waiting.
Whatever lived deeper on Broken-Soul Peak had just made its presence known.
And it had noticed the Horizon Sect's new master.
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