The afternoon sun was scorching. I’d already put on sunscreen—at this altitude, a moment’s carelessness could mean getting burned. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, I stood with Logan the Living Buddha at the entrance of the Golden Temple. We’d been waiting for half an hour. After breakfast, we came straight here and asked the lamas to announce our arrival. I wanted to see Abbot Samuel one more time.
"Let’s just give up. The Lama Order is probably on full lockdown now, and they won’t ask any outsiders for help. That’s how they are. We’re wasting our time here. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere fun instead."
Logan tugged at my arm, trying to pull me away, but I shook him off and stormed over to the temple gate, sitting down in frustration.
"It’s their business if they refuse help. But if I want to help, that’s my decision."
Logan blinked at me. My temper was flaring, and I didn’t care anymore. That vast swath of black mist hanging over the Golden Temple meant disaster was coming soon—within days, something terrible would happen here.
Logan could only sit quietly beside me, arms crossed, leaning against the gate. Another hour passed, and the air grew even more restless and oppressive.
Sweat kept dripping from my forehead. There were some clouds overhead, but the heat was unbearable. And at night, the cold was just as extreme.
"Roxie, listen to me—let’s go. If you stay any longer, you’ll get heatstroke."
I ignored Logan and kept waiting. But after a long time, still no one came to open the door. Around 3 p.m.—the hottest time at the Golden Temple—I started feeling sick, like I was about to pass out from the heat.
Inside, I was restless and uneasy. Just then, a chill swept over me. I looked up to see a mass of ghostly energy swirling above my head, turning the air icy cold. I felt much better. Logan grinned beside me, and I managed a weak "thanks."
"You know, Roxie, you’ve really surprised me."
"What’s wrong?"
I looked at Logan in confusion. He sighed.
"If more people in the Arcane Society thought like you, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. I know what’s really going on. But most in the Arcane Society have prejudices against each other. After all, we’re all human—and full of suspicion. Even now, at the brink of disaster, plenty of people would rather just watch. The Lama Order isn’t even planning to join the fight. Sigh."
I let out a sigh.
"That’s just human nature, isn’t it?"
By the time my stomach was rumbling with hunger, it was already dusk. The air had turned chilly. Shivering, Logan and I left the Golden Temple. I decided to get hotpot nearby—on nights like this, nothing beats a steaming pot.
At the hotpot restaurant, Logan ordered a mountain of food. I eyed him suspiciously.
"You’re really spoiling me, Roxie."
After a while, Logan and I started eating and drinking. I poured myself a small glass of liquor. I’d never been much of a drinker before, but now I realized alcohol was actually pretty nice.
"Roxie, you look troubled. Why not talk to me about it? I’m great at helping people figure things out."
I shot Logan a sideways glance and started laughing.
"Get lost, you conniving ghost."
Logan scratched his head, grinning.
"Fine, I’ll drink with you properly tonight."
Later that night, I returned to my hotel. Looking out at the Golden Temple across the way, I grew anxious. Now that darkness had fallen, the whole temple seemed swallowed by a haze of black mist. The foul energy was thickening, gathering in clusters. Too much of it would weaken the protective barrier—and now it was coming together faster than ever.
The speed at which it was gathering was beyond my expectations. Drowsy from the alcohol, I lay down and drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up, I heard a clamor outside. Annoyed, I got out of bed and noticed a crowd below. I opened the window—and was stunned. The entire plaza in front of the Golden Temple was packed with lamas, all chanting in unison. So many voices together—it was overwhelming.
Tourists surrounded the plaza, snapping photos and videos. Some joined the lamas, sitting quietly among them. I was amazed—the black clouds over the Golden Temple had nearly vanished.
I hurried downstairs and found Logan. Together, we went to the edge of the plaza.
"This method works—they’ve cut off the connection between the place sealing the evil spirit and the temple, and they’re using this to purify the foul energy. Looks like they’ve found a way, but last night the lamas rushed in from all over. They can’t keep this up for long."
I nodded. Logan and I watched from outside all day. By noon, some lamas couldn’t stand the heat and collapsed. Others hurried to help them inside the Golden Temple, rotating in and out to eat, then returning to chant and meditate.
By nightfall, a third of the lamas were gone, and many of those left were barely hanging on. Without the sunlight from the living world, the foul energy gathered quickly after dark. Soon, I saw black mist forming around the Golden Temple. This method could only delay the disaster, not stop it.
The real problem was the absence of the Buddha Statue of Visions. Maybe this solution would work for now, but one day the crisis would erupt. That’s why the three lamas returned the Buddha Statue of Visions so decisively.
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"Sigh, it looks like their days are numbered."
I nodded, wanting to intervene but unable to break into their circle. They seemed like solitary wanderers—only their lonely backs visible, but not helpless. I felt sorry for them, hoping they’d be safe.
Late at night, I returned to my hotel. Half the lamas on the plaza were gone. I glanced one last time before going to bed.
In my dreams, I saw a vast, blood-soaked land beneath a gray-black sky. A temple, burned to ruins, still belched black smoke. The heads of monks were impaled on sticks, standing upright in the earth.
A horse’s whinny rang out. I saw a general on a tall steed, holding a bloodstained Tang sword and the severed head of an old monk, laughing wildly. The ground was drenched in blood, silent and still, while eerie music drifted all around, leaving me lost and unsettled.
Suddenly, the general on horseback charged at me. I froze in shock as his bloodstained Tang sword slashed toward me. I tried to block, but found myself sitting in a prison cell. Next to me sat the evil spirit, its crimson eyes staring through the swirling black mist—I couldn’t see anything else.
"Make them leave the Golden Temple. Now. Or I’ll kill them all."
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Somehow, that evil spirit had invaded my dreams. I rushed to the window—there were even fewer lamas left in the plaza. After a quick shower, I hurried downstairs and entered the plaza. What I saw stunned me: among the lamas, some were actually corpses.
I circled the lamas, urging them to leave—the disaster was coming. But they didn’t move. I realized they’d become corporeal, their skin pale, eyes lifeless, yet their mouths kept chanting scripture.
"Leave now, or the evil spirit will kill you all!"
No matter how I yelled, the lamas wouldn’t budge. I ran toward the Golden Temple—the gates were wide open. Inside, bodies littered the floor, blood everywhere. I kept running, but no matter how many doors I passed through, I couldn’t reach the inner sanctum. Wails and screams echoed all around. I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Over here—come this way."
I heard a voice and noticed a small door nearby. Just as I tried to enter, a pitch-black hand shot out, grabbing for my throat. Suddenly, a flash of violet light filled my vision.
With a shriek, the hand was severed, and another agonized wail echoed from inside the door.
"Wake up, Lan Ruoxi. This is a nightmare. The evil spirit dragged you in here—it wants to devour you."
I swallowed hard. Wasn’t the person in front of me Mona Ouyang?
"This is a dream within a dream. Who knows how many layers deep you are? Stick with me—don’t get lost."
With that, Mona Ouyang led me back through the doors I’d entered. All around, pitch-black rooms appeared, skeletal hands reaching out to grab me.
"Don’t worry, it’s just a hallucination in the dream. Stay close to me."
I nodded and hurried after Mona Ouyang. But then I noticed something was wrong—his profile twisted with a wicked smile, his cheeks contorted and terrifying. He looked truly monstrous.