The rusty knife in Master Mao's hand glinted in the dim light of the cave. Xiao Lin stared at it, his heart pounding. The shouts of the Hongmeng Sect soldiers were getting closer—they would be able to reach the cave entrance in a second.
"Choose quickly, brat!" Master Mao growled, his eyes gleaming wildly. "Your ears or your life!"
Xiao Lin bit his lip until it bled. *If I lose my hearing, how can I master sword techniques?* But the Jiuying in his grasp was shaking, as if it was squeezing for life.
"No need," a cold voice suddenly echoed from the darkness. **Luo Yan** stepped in, his clothes torn in several places, but his face remained calm. His ice dagger dripped with fresh blood.
"You…" Master Mao narrowed his eyes.
Luo Yan threw the head of a Hongmeng soldier at Master Mao's feet. "I've already cleaned up half of them. The rest will be here in ten counts." He turned to Xiao Lin. "He won't pay for a scum like you."
Master Mao chuckled. "You think you can trick Tianmo by pretending to be a helper? I know who you are, *Dark Servant*!"
Luo Yan did not answer. His hands moved quickly, forming an ice seal that froze the cave door. "Xiao Lin, come with me. Now!"
But Xiao Lin did not move. "Why are you helping me?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"Because you are still useful," Luo Yan replied expressionlessly.
Outside, the screams of the Hongmeng soldiers suddenly turned into bloodcurdling screams. The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing filled the air. Master Mao hissed, "*They* are coming. The ones you killed were just bait."
---
**Resurrection of the Bone Army**
The door of Luo Yan's ice cave shattered into pieces. Hundreds of **armed skeletons** walked in, their hollow eyes glowing green. These were not humans—they were corpses brought to life by the Hongmeng Sect's black magic.
"*Tianmo Immortal Army*," Master Mao whispered in terror. "We must flee to the cave's basement!"
Luo Yan grabbed Xiao Lin's arm. "Don't touch anything down there!" he warned.
But it was too late. As they descended into the lower chamber, Xiao Lin saw a **stone tablet** that read:
***"Here lies Su Chen, the Sword God, his sacrifice was the beginning of the curse."***
The Jiuying suddenly shook wildly, pulling Xiao Lin to an ancient coffin in the center of the room. *Buzz!* The coffin opened, emitting a golden light. Inside, an armored skull held a **shabby book** that read *Forbidden Technique: Jiuying and the Nine Hells*.
"Don't take that!" Luo Yan shouted.
But Xiao Lin had already opened the book. The image of *nine dragons bound by fire chains* lit up, projecting the shadow of a deadly technique onto the wall.
Shifu Mao laughed hysterically. "He has aroused *Su Chen's Wrath*! Now we are all dead!"
---
**Sacrifice and Betrayal**
A dark energy swept through the room. Xiao Lin screamed in pain as Jiuying sucked his blood, forming a red dragon tattoo on his arm. With renewed strength, he plunged his sword into the floor—*earthquake* shook the cave, shattering the army of bones into dust.
But the victory was short-lived.
Luo Yan suddenly stabbed an ice dagger into Xiao Lin's back.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her cold voice cracking for the first time. "But Tianmo must awaken, and you… you're the key."
Xiao Lin fell, his blood flowing onto Su Chen's tablet. The inscription glowed red, and a mysterious voice rumbled:
"My blood… finally… free me…"
The entire cave began to collapse. Master Mao pulled Xiao Lin's weak body up. "You must perform the ritual! Forget everything, or you'll become a monster like Su Chen!"
"What… ritual?" Xiao Lin hissed, his vision starting to blur.
"*Memory Erasure*. We'll bury your current soul, and you'll be reborn without any burdens!"
In the distance, Luo Yan fled with the forbidden book, his face devoid of regret.
---
Xiao Lin nodded weakly. When Shifu Mao etched the blood symbol on his forehead, the last image he saw was the face of the woman in his dream—**Su Chen**, smiling bitterly.
*"Welcome to our family's curse, my child…"*
Outside, the full moon suddenly turned red. Throughout the *Jianghu World*, the other nine legendary swords began to tremble. **Tianmo Demon King** laughed from within his seal.
---