The crack sealed under the Chained Woman's chains with a final shudder, like something below had reluctantly closed its mouth.
The forest went silent.
The mountain went still.
Even the fog stopped moving for a heartbeat.
Lin Feng dusted off his robe calmly.
"Well. They're chatty."
The ghost child peeked from behind him, splinter sword raised like it planned to defend the world.
Its hands trembled so much the splinter vibrated.
The newly fainted man lay half-buried in leaves, arm still glowing dully.
Lin Feng stepped over him.
"Pathetic," he murmured. "And yet he survived this long. Luck is a hidden talent."
He turned to the Chained Woman.
"Hold the altar steady."
She obeyed without hesitation.
Chains wrapped around the cracked shrine, lifting it slightly from its broken foundation, as if presenting it for repair.
Lin Feng inspected the missing crescent-shaped seal in his hand.
[SYSTEM]
Item: Echo Seal Fragment
Usage: Reconnect to shutdown predatory mark link
Risk: Unknown side effects
Host is recommended to avoid direct contact.
Lin Feng ignored the last line.
He brushed dirt off the fragment, then tapped it lightly against the shrine.
Dong.
The shrine trembled sharply, almost violently.
The man—still half-conscious—squeaked.
"S-Senior… p-please be careful…"
"I am being careful," Lin Feng said calmly, striking it again.
Dong.
The shrine quivered harder. Dust fell like snow.
Dong!
A crack shot through the stones.
The mark on the disciple's arm pulsed as though screaming.
The ghost child shook in the air.
Even the Chained Woman's chains tightened, sensing the buildup.
Lin Feng nodded.
"Good response. Compatible fit."
"C-Compatible?!" the man croaked. "I-It's glowing like it wants to explode!"
"Exactly," Lin Feng said.
He pressed the fragment into the shrine's missing slot.
Immediately—
The world inhaled.
The fog was sucked toward the shrine in spirals.
Loose stones vibrated.
The vines shriveled.
The air turned colder than death.
Whispers rose from every crack in the mountain—
"…no…"
"…stop…"
"…do not bind…"
"…we must… return…"
Lin Feng held the fragment in place with one hand and casually pressed his other hand over the shrine.
"Quiet."
The voices froze mid-whisper.
The ghost child blinked.
The man stared, forgetting to breathe.
Even the Chained Woman paused for half a second—
shocked?
No.
Impossible.
But close.
Lin Feng pushed the seal fully into the shrine.
A burst of ghostly energy erupted outward—
cold, silver, spiraling.
The ghost child tumbled backward in the air.
The man rolled like a sack of potatoes.
The Chained Woman's chains rang loudly.
But Lin Feng remained planted where he stood, robes fluttering but expression unchanged.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Shrine: Stabilized
Mark Influence: Weakening
Nearby hostile spirits: Disconnected
Progress: 60% Complete
The mark on the disciple's arm dimmed significantly.
The circular burn faded to a faint outline.
The man gasped loudly.
"T-The pain… it's… it's gone…!"
"Temporarily," Lin Feng corrected. "Your stupidity remains permanent."
The man nodded gratefully anyway.
The ghost child drifted closer, staring in awe at the now-still shrine.
Its splinter sword no longer trembled.
The Chained Woman stepped back, chains lowering calmly.
Lin Feng inspected the shrine one last time.
"Good. Step one complete."
The man blinked.
"S-Step one…? There are more steps?!"
"Yes," Lin Feng said simply.
"We sealed the echo. But the thing that created the mark is still alive."
The man nearly screamed.
"Th-Then what do we do next?!"
Lin Feng turned toward the deeper path—
a dark, narrow trail swallowed by thick, unnatural mist.
"We follow the lines."
He pointed.
The vines around the shrine shifted, revealing faint markings burned into the earth—
curved lines, branching out like roots.
One line pulsed faintly, as if calling.
The mark on the man's arm pulsed back.
"No," he whispered. "N-No no no no—Senior, that leads deeper into the mountain!"
"Exactly."
"I don't want to go deeper!"
"You also don't want to die," Lin Feng replied. "Your options are limited."
The ghost child floated next to the man and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
The man sobbed quietly.
Lin Feng stepped forward, following the glowing trail.
"Come. We find the source before it finds you."
The Chained Woman followed silently.
The ghost child floated after them, gripping its splinter sword like a brave little soldier.
And the man dragged himself to his feet, whimpering, but unable to choose any fate other than the one walking in front of him.
Broken-Soul Peak exhaled.
The fog thickened.
Something far ahead shifted—
awake, aware, waiting.
Lin Feng smiled softly.
"Time to meet the landlord."
---