A dry well stood at the very center of the barren woods.
Eight rusty iron pillars, positioned at the eight cardinal directions: Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Gen, Xun, and Dui, each bore mysterious and eerie carvings on their surfaces.
Atop each pillar was a large iron ring, from which hung long chains, as thick as an infant's arm.
The other ends of these chains were locked securely around the well's opening!
This was...
The Eight Trigram Soul Locking Formation!
However, it was still incomplete, not fully formed due to the passage of time.
"Bang!"
Bai Zihe knelt on the ground, his usually clear eyes now brimming with an endless crimson hue, his handsome face contorted with unbearable grief. "Mother!"
"Your son is unfilial, only now do I come to bring you home!!!"
"Clang!"
Bai Zihe forcibly snapped all eight chains, sending a flurry of rust flying through the air.
In the next moment.
Bai Zihe gracefully descended to the bottom of the dry well.
What greeted his eyes was a desiccated corpse. The thumb bone of its right hand was severed, belonging to his mother, Lin Wanzhen!
Years ago, his mother had left this trace to protect him...
As Bai Zihe moved forward, his expression drastically changed.
Lin Wanzhen's forehead, chest, and limbs were each secured by seven long nails.
These nails were black, clearly stained with chicken blood.
This was...
The Seven Star Soul Extinguishing Nails!
The Eight Trigram Soul Locking, the Seven Star Soul Extinguishing!
Once the formation was complete, the souls trapped within would never find peace for eternity!
This was an extremely malicious formation!
Not only would it prevent the deceased's soul from ascending, subjecting them to eternal torment and infinite suffering, but it also cursed the descendants of the deceased to a miserable end!
They wouldn't even spare the dead...
The three great families were truly deranged!!!
Bai Zihe's eyes turned blood red, and he roared at the sky in fury, "Ahhhhhh..."
Terrifying killing intent surged from his body!!!
An icy, netherworldly aura, centered on him, instantly spread throughout the bottom of the dry well, as if the very air was about to freeze.
"The three great families!!!"
Bai Zihe tightly embraced his mother's remains, his hoarse voice echoing through the barren woods. "You destroyed my clan, killed my mother, and desecrated her remains..."
"I, Bai Zihe, swear by my blood here and now, I will tear you to shreds, capture your souls, and make you beg for forgiveness at my mother's tomb, for all eternity!!!"
Pfft!
As his words fell.
A mouthful of bright red blood spewed out – his heart's blood!!!
Using his heart's blood as a medium, he made a solemn vow to the heavens!
Simultaneously.
On the ground, a group of people was advancing towards the dry well. Leading them was a man with a defiant demeanor, Zheng Shaojun, the young master of the Zheng family, one of the three great families.
As the group approached the dry well, one of them shivered, "Why is it so cold here, even in broad daylight?"
"Cold?"
A person beside him chuckled mockingly. "Could it be that you're exhausted? Drained dry by your new girlfriend, Xiaomei?"
"Tsk..."
Another person's eyes gleamed with lechery, and he said lewdly, "Don't say it, if your girlfriend had Xiaomei's face and figure, you'd probably be walking with a limp."
"Indeed."
"Hahaha..."
The group laughed heartily, reminiscing about the matter.
Zheng Shaojun scanned his men and shouted, "Enough!"
"Business is important!"
"Let's quickly complete the Eight Trigram Soul Locking Formation as Master Wu instructed, and then we can go back for the old man's birthday celebration."
The Master Wu mentioned by Zheng Shaojun was the elder in a Xuanhuang Daoist robe behind him, following quietly like a fathomless mountain or deep pool.
"Not good!"
Suddenly, someone cried out, "Look, someone has destroyed the formation!"
Everyone looked up towards the dry well.
They saw a figure in white, unsullied by any dust, standing silently with their back to them, seemingly holding something.
But it was too far, and their back was turned, so they couldn't see clearly.
"Who are you?"
Zheng Shaojun stepped forward, his voice deep and commanding. "Why are you appearing within my Zheng family's forbidden area?"
Swish!
The person turned around.
Like a sword drawn from its scabbard, their aura pierced the sky, making the others struggle to breathe.
That figure was none other than...
Bai Zihe!!!
He was as white as snow, but the crimson bloodstain on his chest was shocking, causing pupils to contract.
What was even more devastating was that the withered skeleton cradled in Bai Zihe's arms was Lin Wanzhen's remains, the very target Zheng Shaojun sought for the Eight Trigram Soul Locking Formation!!!
At this moment.
Bai Zihe's gaze was icy, and his chilling killing intent, undisguised, enveloped everyone.
"Bai Zihe!"
Zheng Shaojun recognized Bai Zihe, his face turning pale with shock, his pupils fixed on him. "You... you're still alive?"
The Zheng family escorts were all in disbelief.
Four years ago, Bai Zihe had plunged into the sea, and the world had unanimously believed him dead!!!
But who would have thought.
They would encounter Bai Zihe again here.
"Zheng Shaojun."
Bai Zihe's voice was bone-chillingly cold, like the judgment of a king of hell, causing Zheng Shaojun to tremble violently. "Four years ago, you brought ruin upon my Bai family and threw me into the sea, nearly killing me."
"Now..."
"You've even held my mother's remains here, attempting the Seven Star Soul Extinguishing and Eight Trigram Soul Locking..."
"Such methods are an outrage against heaven and man!!!"
"You deserve to die!!!"
"The Zheng family deserves to die!!!"
"All three great families deserve to die!!!"
Recalling the harmony of his family in the past, holding the withered bones of his mother in his arms...
His heart was desolate!
His hair flew wildly!
The potent killing intent surged like a vast tide, threatening to engulf them at any moment.
"Bai Zihe!"
Zheng Shaojun snorted coldly, a cruel and bloodthirsty smile curling on his lips. "Four years ago, you managed to cling to life, you should have been offering incense and thanks to heaven and earth for their mercy!"
"And today, you dare to return to Prisoner Dragon Bay..."
"Then I'll finish this good deed and send you to hell to reunite with your short-lived mother!"
"Master Wu, kill him!"
As his words fell.
A Xuanhuang figure shot out like a fleeting shadow, bringing with it a wave of chilling wind.
The onlookers only saw a blur of afterimages, converging at Bai Zihe's location.
In an instant.
He was beside Bai Zihe, his right hand reaching out like a claw towards Bai Zihe's head.
Zheng Shaojun narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Master Wu's strongest killing technique lay in his hands.
He practiced diligently every day, plunging his palms into heated iron sand!
Zheng Shaojun had personally witnessed Master Wu rip open an enemy's chest with a single claw strike, extracting their heart.
And this time...
He intended to extract Bai Zihe's brain!!!
Who would have thought.
Bai Zihe, cradling his mother's remains, stood his ground, showing no intention of dodging or evading.
This was blatant contempt!
Master Wu let out a roar, his right hand moving even faster. "Kid, go to hell and reunite with your mother!"
"I will personally lock both your corpses in this dry well!"