When the white light vanished, Zhou Xuan was already carrying the Bai Gu Monk into the Totem Hall.
The familiar Blood Tree swayed its branches in the distance, as if welcoming an old friend.
Zhou Xuan carried the White Bone all the way to the base of the tree.
He placed the Bai Gu Monk beneath the Blood Tree and reminded it, "Tree, be careful now. This pile of white bones belongs to me; don’t go smashing them."
He feared the Blood Tree might batter the white bones to dust as it once did with the Netherworld Stone.
Divine Revelation had taken the Monk Zhu Jiu, the relic of the Stele King, and gone to great lengths to forge this precious object. If the Blood Tree were to destroy it, wouldn’t Ah Qi drown in grief?
The Blood Tree, heeding Zhou Xuan’s warning, extended a branch to gently "pat" the gleaming skull of Bai Gu Monk, its attitude amicable.
Only then did Zhou Xuan feel at ease, and he slowly sat under the tree, preparing to learn new tattoo maps before descending into the Blood Well.
Two branches twined themselves around Zhou Xuan’s left and right arms, imparting new tattoos to his mind.
Zhou Xuan had burned two inches of incense before coming to the Totem Hall, and as he anticipated, the Blood Tree imparted a total of six tattoo maps this time.
The first was a battered coffin, its surface bound tightly with filthy hemp ropes.
The second, a Ghost Head Blade, its body bloodstained.
The third, a Paper Banner.
"These three are steeped in plenty of yin energy."
After grasping the techniques and taboos of the first three tattoos, Zhou Xuan remarked.
Who could have known,
The latter three tattoos were even more saturated with yin energy, so intense that frost began to condense on Zhou Xuan’s eyebrows.
A pit streaked with blood, a long river littered with countless corpses, and a towering mountain built from white bones.
As Zhou Xuan visualized the images of the pit, the river, and the mountain in his mind, he could already smell an overwhelming scent of death.
Once the six tattoos had settled into his heart, the Blood Tree withdrew its branches, and the entire tree fell into a state of withering.
"Tree, you’ve worked hard."
After gently patting the Blood Tree, Zhou Xuan began the preparations for descending into the Blood Well.
To enter the Blood Well, he needed to perform the Opening Well Ritual, which involved creating the opening of the Blood Well.
The Opening Well Ritual was recorded in the talismanic script and was not particularly difficult; the key was Zhou Xuan’s "High Monk Moon Gaze" tattoo.
As a devoted follower of the Blood Well, one would receive its blessing—a small portion of the Time Law.
When the incense fire level is low, the law cannot be used, but with this fragment of the Time Law, one can open the true passage into the Blood Well.
The passage is narrow, but it allows devotees to enter the Blood Well.
The "High Monk Moon Gaze" tattoo contained the Time Law within.
Zhou Xuan laid the "High Monk Moon Gaze" tattoo on the ground, sliced his palm to drip blood, and, using the tattoo as the center, traced a simple diagram of the Blood Well Temple with his blood.
As the blood dripped,
The eyes within the Blood Well Secret Realm erupted with divine radiance,
Under the gaze of these eyes, the blood-stained area began to swirl into a vortex of crimson.
The vortex occasionally rolled out streaks of blood, splattering onto Zhou Xuan’s body.
The Blood Well’s passage was now open.
Zhou Xuan took out the Pocket Watch, adjusted the hour hand to the 12 o’clock position, and instructed Bai Gu Monk, "When the hand points to ’one,’ pull me out."
One inch of incense burns for half an hour,
Three inches burn for an hour and a half.
According to the talismanic script "Blood Well Enlightenment Scripture," one must emerge from the well within three inches of incense.
Being cautious, Zhou Xuan felt that exiting after an hour and a half posed too much risk, and to allow room for error, he set the retrieval time at one hour.
Only then did Zhou Xuan let Bai Gu Monk wrap the Black Water Chain around his waist.
"Tree, the Ancient Tattoo Clan has deep ties with you. I’m going to uncover what their three-hundred-year-long plan truly entails. You must ensure I return to the point when the Ancient Clan’s plan first began."
The withered Blood Tree struggled to sway its dried branches, signaling its understanding.
With no further worries, Zhou Xuan jumped directly into the well.
With the sound of blood splattering, Zhou Xuan entered a world entirely bathed in crimson,
A strange, viscous sensation clung to his body, and his ears were filled with a "buzzing" hum.
As his body descended rapidly, sinking deeper and deeper, Zhou Xuan gradually grew accustomed to the environment within the Blood Well. The ear-splitting hum faded, replaced by a cacophony of strange whispers.
"Customer, buy some ice cream? Only one dime two."
"Sir, come in and have fun! The new girls are stunning."
"What would you like to eat, dear guest?"
"Oh, sweetheart, you always tease me so convincingly, saying you’ll buy my freedom, but it’s never true. Your scholar’s silver tongue is truly a liar’s art."
Judging by these whispers—tone and choice of words—it seemed time was rewinding at an incredible speed.
"The weather is dry; beware of fire."
With the crisp ringing of a watchman’s clapper,
The blood-red surroundings vanished,
And Zhou Xuan found himself standing beside a vast river.
It was already dusk, the riverbank verdant with young wheat, willows budding with fresh green, the area desolate. The source of the clapper’s sound was unknown.
"Mingjiang’s waters, deep and deep, Lanterns bloom on the fifteenth night, Joy pours forth in the Yuanxiao tide..."
A melodious fisherman’s song drifted along Mingjiang’s muddy waves, reaching Zhou Xuan’s ears.
He gazed out and saw a small boat borne by the river’s current, approaching the shore.
A boatman stood at the stern, steering, while at the bow sat a young man dressed in white scholar’s robes, his head bowed as if dozing.
"Young man, do you want to cross the river?"