Lan Yin traveled day and night, desperate to uncover the truth about the Yellow Springs, and why he could never unite with outsiders. After half a month, he arrived at the foot of Jingde Mountain.
A towering, majestic mountain stretched for dozens of miles, with a road winding upward. Midway up, a ridge supported a small village, named Guanyun Village for the perpetual mist swirling around it.
Few people ever came here. On the hillside, several acres of terraced fields could be seen, with figures busy at work. Lan Yin stepped onto the ascending path, excitement in his heart.
The sun was just rising, and the mountain was still shrouded in thick mist, revealing only one edge of the village. The trees on both sides were tall and imposing. Lan Yin broke into a run, quickening his pace.
"There isn’t much time left," Lan Yin muttered.
Lan Yin muttered to himself, then prepared to use the power of the Vermilion Bird to fly up. He stopped, and flames sprouted from his back. But just as the fire was about to take shape, it suddenly extinguished, as if blown out by the wind, fading away behind him.
There wasn’t a soul around—that was Lan Yin’s first reaction. He couldn’t sense a trace of human presence. Feeling helpless, he could only keep climbing.
After a while, Lan Yin was walking through the thick morning fog, a vast white expanse. Apart from the path beneath his feet, everything around him was obscured.
Lan Yin could only keep moving, feeling that everything here was deeply strange. Just moments ago, at the foot of the mountain, he’d seen people working in the terraced fields—but now, as he released the Specter Web, he sensed nothing at all.
After walking for a long time, Lan Yin grew tired and stopped. The fog was still thick and white all around. He sensed something was wrong; it was as if the road had no end. He paused, releasing the Spirit Veil, letting it drift in all directions.
Yet strangely, the Spirit Veil simply drifted back to Lan Yin, circling around his body as if it couldn’t find its direction, hesitating in the air.
"This is strange," Lan Yin muttered.
With a sudden whoosh, a pale figure floated past in front of Lan Yin. He stopped, startled, sensing something was off. Another gust of wind, and several more white shadows flashed by.
Just then, a fierce wind surged in front of Lan Yin, pushing the fog aside. A massive stone gate appeared out of nowhere.
On the stone gate was a huge pink symbol—an ancient 'Lan' character, with three oval petals arranged around it. The rest of the gate was densely covered in tiny writing.
While Lan Yin was still in shock, the 'Lan' character on the stone gate suddenly radiated a blinding golden light, followed by a stern voice.
"Descendant of the Lan Family, present your blood as proof."
Lan Yin understood immediately. Raising his hand, he pricked his finger with a sharp blade. A beam of golden light shone down, and a drop of crimson blood flowed from his fingertip toward the 'Lan' character, glowing under the golden light.
With a clear, bell-like sound, the drop of blood was absorbed by the 'Lan' character, which turned bright red. Then, with a rumbling noise, the massive stone gate opened, revealing the village beyond. Lan Yin quickly stepped inside.
He hurried after, but as he was about to step through the gate, a golden light bounced him back. The force sent him crashing into the thick fog. Stunned, he watched as the stone gate slowly closed and the mist gradually concealed it.
After getting up, he rushed forward, but saw nothing—the stone gate seemed to have vanished into the fog. Completely lost in the mist, he tried to release the Specter Web to find his bearings, but this place felt like a boundless wilderness shrouded in fog; he couldn't find his way at all.
After lingering in the mist for a while, he heard footsteps—it was Lan Yin, emerging from the fog, his face deeply worried. At that moment, the fog completely dispersed, revealing the entrance below. Stunned, he looked around and saw the night sky filled with stars; it was already evening.
He couldn't understand what had just happened. He was unable to follow Lan Yin's memory into the ancestral house of the Lan Family.
A look of sorrow never left Lan Yin’s face, as if he had learned something unbearably painful and unchangeable. After reaching the foot of the mountain, he sat on the ground with a sigh, clenching his fists, looking deeply wounded.
"There must be a way, there must..."
Lan Yin muttered to himself, then stood up, preparing to return to where Mo Yu and Lucas Qi were. Their child was due in two or three months.
"I have to do something."
Lan Yin began to travel day and night, but he didn’t return directly. Instead, he contacted many people: those from the Maoshan Sect, the Breaking Vow Sect, the Brahma Sound Sect, people from Naraku, and even those from Ghost Mound—he reached out to all of them without exception.
Lan Yin was investigating something: the restoration of souls. He didn’t know why he was searching for this, but after two months of inquiry, he at least learned a few methods.
Lan Yin began desperately searching for something—Awakening Water. In order to find it, he tried every possible way, seeking out learned people, even confronting some from the Yellow Springs. The Yellow Springs people soon noticed his movements.
Battle after battle, Lan Yin gradually approached Xiao Zhetian, where Mo Yu and Lucas Qi were. Still, he hadn’t found the Awakening Water, and the worry on his face deepened.
He even considered going to the depths of the Yellow Springs, since perhaps Awakening Water could be found there. But although Lan Yin was already very powerful, he was clearly not strong enough to confront the people of the Yellow Springs.
On a rainy day, Lan Yin sat in a teahouse, eating steamed buns and drinking tea, deeply unhappy. With only a month left, he didn’t know if he could find it. If he failed, Mo Yu and Lucas Qi would be in grave danger.
At that moment, I noticed that Lan Yin had been completely targeted by someone near the teahouse on this stretch of road. It was Wang Su. He didn’t approach immediately but watched Lan Yin, as if he had been following for a long time.
After eating, Lan Yin seemed extremely agitated. Outside, heavy rain was falling.
"Guest, it’s raining outside."
The shop assistant called out, but Lan Yin strode into the downpour, running as if to vent his frustration. Success was within reach, but if he couldn’t find the Awakening Water, everything would be lost.
As he ran, Lan Yin stumbled and fell into the mud. Furious, he clenched his fists, pounding the ground. Just then, a voice rang out.
"What’s wrong, young man? I just happened to pass by. This is our third meeting."
It was the figure shrouded in black energy. I watched in surprise as he stood behind Lan Yin. Raindrops, as large as beans, seemed to pass right through his body, falling to the ground. His form was almost transparent, as if he didn’t exist here at all.
"Where are you going this time?"
Lan Yin put away his sorrow and managed a smile. The figure wrapped in black energy had a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"We are truly fated. Since this is your third time meeting me, let me help you a little. You’re looking for Awakening Water, aren’t you?"
Suddenly, Lan Yin stood up, excitement lighting his face as he leaned in.
"Do you know where to find it?"
"There is indeed such Awakening Water in the depths of the Yellow Springs."
The figure wrapped in black energy spoke, but the excitement on Lan Yin’s face faded.
"Don’t worry, young man. I know where you can find Awakening Water. In seven days, at Xiaocang Mountain in southern Jing, a learned scholar named Yuan Mei will pass away. If you can reach him at the time of his death, you can collect Awakening Water. But from here to Xiaocang Mountain, you may not have enough time."
Lan Yin immediately thanked the figure shrouded in black energy, then let out a roar. Instantly, the stormy sky and heavy rain eased. As flames appeared on Lan Yin’s body, a hole opened in the clouds and sunlight streamed down.
"You’ll have to fly—but it depends on whether you can endure it."
Hope gleamed in Lan Yin’s eyes. With the Vermilion Bird’s cry, a pair of massive flaming wings unfurled from his back.
"I can endure it. No matter what happens, I’ll reach there within seven days."
With that, Lan Yin flapped his wings, surging forward with unstoppable momentum, flying south. His body was wrapped in flames, and in broad daylight he looked like a meteor streaking across the sky.
I followed Lan Yin, watching him endure endlessly. After three days and nights, he finally couldn’t hold on and fell. Heavy dark circles ringed his eyes, though they would heal after a while.
Since leaving, Lan Yin hadn’t slept well for a long time. He knew that the people of the Yellow Springs hadn’t come for him because the problem of the seven Ghost Sovereigns had thrown the ghost realm into chaos. Hades was shaken, and the Yellow Springs people had to obey Hades’ orders and cooperate with their forces to hunt down those seven Ghost Sovereigns.
Lan Yin landed in a forest and rested quietly. Night had just fallen, and exhausted, he finally couldn’t endure anymore and fell asleep. In no time, he was deep in slumber.