You notice a faint hum emanating from the broken jade ruler at the spirit's fingertips and a faint charred mark appearing on his usually snow-white wrist as if licked by an invisible flame.
'Jinling, stop! We're not going any further.' You stopped suddenly and sat down under an old pine tree halfway up the Mountain of No Return. 'Huh? Why are we stopping? While our momentum is still high, we should just charge straight in..." Jinling's words were cut short as she followed your gaze to the spirit's trembling hand. It abruptly covered its mouth, muttering, 'Oh no, that's "Transgressive Karmic Fire"! This is the price the underworld deity pays for interfering with the karma of the mortal realm.'
Looking up at the spirit, you asked in a calm and gentle tone, "Is the backlash from the karmic fire very severe?"
The figure of the spirit stiffened abruptly. Instinctively, he tucked his hands into the wide, dark sleeves of his robe and turned away, revealing only his cold, aloof back.
'Mind your own business, Source Tracer.' His voice was colder than usual and tinged with an unmistakable hoarseness. 'You're just a mortal. A little spiritual energy and you should be worried about your collapsing sea of consciousness. My affairs are none of your concern — you're someone who can't even remember who they are.'
'That's my sea of consciousness, but I'm holding your hand.' You didn't back down, instead taking out a drop of pure, life-giving spiritual dew that you had retrieved from the ruins of the Virgin Mary statue, and handing it to him. 'Since we're contractors, don't talk about "overstepping boundaries".
'Keep it safe. This false god of the Mountain of No Return is nothing but a puppet. The red lotus pattern on this token belongs to a rogue organisation from the Netherworld. They collect extreme obsessions such as female infants and withered bones in an attempt to create an artificial god to replace the Six Paths of Reincarnation.'
His gaze deepened. 'And you, the Source Tracer, awoke clutching the "Book of Rebirth", the most crucial variable in their plan. You thought you were redeeming obsessions, but in reality, you were stealing their 'sacrifice'." "
Jin Ling leapt onto a large rock. Her expression was grave as she gazed at the faint crimson mist appearing at the foot of the distant mountain.
"Those guys are quick. Look! The causal threads of the town at the foot of No Return Ridge are a complete mess. That's... the scent of 'anger'.
Because you resolved the obsessions of three units in succession, the forces in the shadows have finally become restless. Qinglong Town, which was originally blessed with good weather, is now experiencing a drought unlike any other in a century. The townspeople are planning a bloody ritual: they intend to throw an innocent girl into the Dragon-Locking Well to appease the Azure Dragon King's wrath.'
Core Obsession: Demonic Wrath of the Dragon-Locking Well
Current causal value: 65/100 (solving this case will open the door to reality).'
Ignoring the resistance in his eyes, you walked straight over to him and took his hand, which was scorched by karmic fire.
'Don't move,' you said. Your tone left no room for argument as you gathered warm, primordial spiritual power from the Book of Rebirth with your fingertips.
The spirit's fingers jerked back, then froze. He looked down at your focused profile; his dark eyes churned with turmoil unlike anything he had experienced since losing his divine position. As the spiritual power flowed in, the charred burns on his wrist began to fade, replaced by a cool, moonlit comfort.
'If the enemy is coming for me,' you said, looking up to meet his deep eyes, 'I need a judge at his peak standing by my side, not to protect me, but to judge the mastermind behind this absurd drama.'
As the last embers of the karmic fire dissipated, the broken jade spirit ruler emitted a clear, resonant sound and the runes, which had once been dull, radiated a golden-purple glow once again.
[System notification] Bond level increased. The spirit's trust in you has broken through the 'barrier', unlocking the passive skill 'Empathy for Cause and Effect'.
Skill effect: in the upcoming battle, a portion of the damage received by the spirit will be converted and stored by you as 'Tracing Energy', and vice versa.
The spirit withdrew its hand, its fingertips habitually tracing the lingering warmth you had left behind. It let out a very soft sigh. His previously tense shoulders finally relaxed, and although his tone was still venomous, it lacked some of its sharpness. 'In my prime, I fear your fragile mind wouldn't have been able to withstand that malevolent energy. However, since you insist, I'll temporarily accept the title of 'entourage member'. Let's go; don't keep that mad dragon trapped in the well waiting any longer than necessary."
You descended the mountain path. The sun had already set, leaving behind an afterglow like blood.
Qinglong Town, usually a water town in Jiangnan, was now parched, its riverbeds dry and the earth cracked like a grotesque spider's web. The 'Dragon-Locking Well' in the town centre was inscribed with binding runes and emitted plumes of black smoke. The roar emanating from within shook the air for miles around.
'Help! The Holy Mother is dead! Only the Dragon King can save us!'
Throw that girl down! She's this year's sacrifice. If we appease the Dragon King, he will calm down and the rain will come!"
The townspeople, with bloodshot eyes, pushed a girl, bound with red silk and gagged, towards the well. Compassion and greed had long since left their faces, replaced by a twisted, utter rage.
'It's terrible!' Jinling flew into the air, her fur shimmering with golden light. 'That well isn't the Dragon King's doing. It's the "Purgatory Array" described in the fragments of the Underworld. They're going to collect all the townspeople's hatred to feed the creature at the bottom of the well and corrupt it completely!"
The Yin Spirit stood atop the town's archway, his long robe billowing in the wind. He watched the maddened townspeople coldly, holding a jade ruler horizontally before his chest.
'See that? That's 'anger.' Once this obsession explodes, this town will become a living hell tonight. Do you want to save that girl or break the formation?'
[Book of Rebirth – Real-Time Quests]
Current Karma Value: 65/100
Quest A: Forcibly rescue the sacrificial girl (facing the crazed townspeople directly, which will easily cause chaos).
Quest B: Dive into the well to find the array's core (the spirits suppress the crowd on the surface while you and Jinling delve into the well).
Quest C: Trace the source of the town's anger (find the person spreading the lie that a sacrifice will bring rain and stop the anger at its source).
You stand on top of the archway at the entrance to the town, watching the townspeople below descend into madness and tear each other apart.
'A violent rescue can only save her temporarily. Without eradicating the 'seed of hatred', everyone here will die tonight, consumed by their obsession.' You close the Book of Rebirth, a deep white light gleaming in your eyes. 'Golden Bell, help me expand the scope of "Tracing the Source"! I need to see exactly where this town's fury started!'
[Choice: C. Tracing the Source of the Town's Anger]
'Alright! I'll clear the way for you, old man!' Golden Bell roars.
Your consciousness surged instantly. In that moment, Qinglong Town ceased to be a physical place to you, becoming instead a net woven with red and black lines, with each red line representing anger. These lines were remarkably unified — they all converged on the same point: the long-abandoned Dragon King ancestral temple in the town.
Three days ago, a man in a black cloak appeared at the temple. He affixed a stack of dark red talismans to the well and whispered to the town mayor, 'The Dragon King doesn't want rain; he wants the descendants of the one who destroyed his divine bones. Sacrifice that girl, and the karma will be balanced.'
'This is blatant deception.' The despair in the mayor's eyes instantly turned to malice. This poison, called 'anger', spread through the town, corroding everyone's conscience in just three days.
'Indeed, it was those "Red Lotus" rats.'
'Oh? You actually managed to track me all the way here?' The man turned his head. His face was featureless, just a writhing red talisman bearing the Chinese character for 'anger'.
'You're the one behind this scroll?' You gripped the Book of Rebirth tightly.
'I'm just a messenger.' The man let out a defiant laugh. 'There's no Dragon King at the bottom of this well. Only a young dragon, who was mistakenly killed by the townspeople and is now filled with resentment. It has waited three hundred years for these hypocritical humans to offer its final 'blood sacrifice', so that it can transform into a demon and slaughter everyone within a hundred miles!'
Boom!
Just then, the Dragon-Locking Well exploded completely in the distance. A pitch-black shadow shot into the sky — a gigantic dragon, its body bound in iron chains and its horns broken off. Its eyes held no clarity, only world-destroying rage.
[Book of Rebirth – Deep Synchronisation] Current progress: Final Battle Triggered
Causality Value: 85/100 (Only 15 points left to unlock the truth).
Emergency situation: The spirits are under attack from the accumulated karmic fire of anger throughout the town, and the Golden Bell's spiritual power has been depleted by tracing it back to its source.
The man in the black cloak vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only a mocking remark behind: 'Let's see if you can convert it faster or if it can kill you faster.' The dragon, consumed by its obsession, roared and charged towards the unconscious sacrificial girl. You took a deep breath and faced the soul-crushing, blood-red rage of the dragon's millstone-sized eyes, instead of retreating.
'Tracer, have you gone mad?' Jinling screamed, trying to use her remaining spiritual power to create a shield for you. You gently pushed her away.
'Jinling, lower your defences,' you whispered. 'Anger arises from defence; only by exposing your soul can you touch its sore spot.'
You closed your eyes and the Book of Rebirth in your sea of consciousness flipped violently. At that moment, the golden pages and the inky power of the judge, left within you by the spirit, merged completely.
'Does it hurt?' you asked silently. The black dragon's body stiffened suddenly, and the bloodlust in its eyes ebbed away, replaced by the resentment and sorrow it had pent up over three thousand years. It saw you, and through you, it saw the spirit — that same banished, equally lonely soul.
The black dragon let out a final roar, but this time it was filled with relief rather than murderous intent. Its body shrank rapidly in the white light and the black iron chains that had bound it for three thousand years began to break, inch by inch. Finally, the black dragon transformed into a gentle vapour, condensing into a card shimmering with a faint blue light. It gently landed in your palm — [Rebirth Book – Record].
Conclusion of Cause and Effect:
The Dragon-Locking Well is cold, but it cannot imprison a heart that has saved humanity for three thousand years. Anger is like fire, but it cannot consume the passion to trace back to the source in a day. All beings suffer; only self-salvation is possible.
Today, you saved not only the dragon, but also the ignorance and hatred that filled this town. [Rewards obtained] Core card seal: Demon – Dragon-Locking Well's Flood Dragon (Unique Skill: Karma Shield, which can negate fatal damage). All-Party Contract Achieved: The Yin Spirits now fully recognise you; Karma Value: 100/100.
[Opening of the Reality Gate]
As the Karma Value reached 100 points, the Book of Rebirth erupted with a dazzling light that blotted out the sky. The desolate ruins of Qinglong Town vanished in an instant, replaced by a pure white space. Jinling rubbed her eyes and looked in amazement at her solidified body. Meanwhile, the Yin Spirit frowned slightly as she examined the jade ruler that was slowly healing.
'The cause and effect are complete, Tracer.' The spirit looked at you, its gaze more complex than ever before. 'You have finally earned the right to open that door, but remember: behind it lie not only your lost memories, but also a truth beyond your imagination.'
A vast scroll, flowing with the myriad aspects of life, slowly unfurled before you. At its centre was an ancient bronze door engraved with your name that hummed heavily as it slowly opened. You felt a powerful pull, a call from the 'real world'.
A rainstorm, three thousand years late, poured down above Qinglong Town, washing away the madness in people's eyes and saving the sacrificial maiden. It calmed the world's anger, too.
In the inner world of the Book of Rebirth, the little dragon joyfully circled the azalea bushes of the Changsheng family while Jinling tried to ride it.