"Okay, enough," he said, breaking eye contact as he leaned back.

  "Time to pay your debt."

  Without another word, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and dragged her toward the hole.

  Her eyes remained distant, blank. She didn’t resist. Didn’t even flinch.

  Like her spirit had already let go.

  At the edge of the hole, he stopped.

  He turned her to face it, hands gripping her shoulders. Then he leaned close and whispered into her ear:

  "I'm rooting for you."

  Push.

  He shoved her through.

  "Thank you," she whispered as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

  She landed hard on the bridge below.

  -----

  In a dark room glowing with long lava threads that seemed to be breathing within the rock.

  Seer's milky white eyes has grown even more distant as he grabbed the bubble before him tightly, pressing hard against it.

  The bubble trembled violently in protest, straining to slip from his grip, but it was useless. He only tightened his hold.

  Minutes dragged by. His eyes began twitching, narrowing and constricting as though something deep within was clawing its way out.

  The bubble shook harder. The black amulet inside began to tremble as well, sensing danger. It unleashed waves of oppressive spiritual force, lashing at Seer's soul.

  But the attacks had no effect.

  His eyes twitched more erratically now, shrinking to slits, then pulsing wide, then snapping shut again. Pressure built.

  And then, finally, whatever had been trying to break free… did.

  Though it couldn’t be called a “thing.”

  The milky white of his eyes peeled away slowly, detaching from his gaze like mist uncoiling. It gathered into a single, gleaming white thread, slim, steady, and alive with power.

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  It pulsed with pure, untainted divine energy.

  An energy born from the Dao of Restraint, capable of locking down even the most monstrous of demons, stripping strength from the mighty, and sealing chaos with a whisper.

  Exhaustion washed over Seer as the thread travelled down his eyes and went towards his hand that was holding the bubble, it stretched into his five fingers, rooting deep into it like a living vein.

  Its glow increased as he tightened his grip on the bubble.

  The rebellious bubble and amulet froze in fear, trembling slightly from dread as the divine aura enveloped them like a tide.

  Even the breathing lava quietened, obeying an undisputable authority.

  They gave in and bowed, not daring to disobey.

  Crack!.

  A faint crack echoed in the silent room, a single crack appeared on the bubble.

  Crack! crack! crack!.

  It spiderwebbed across it, then— Burst!

  It shattered into million fragments.

  The amulet dropped to Seer's hand and lay quietly.

  Done with it's work, the white thread slithered up his arm and went towards his eyes. It attached to them and dimmed in color before disappearing.

  The original brown color took over.

  He raised the amulet to his eyes level and smiled in satisfaction, exhaustion bordering on his face.

  He tucked it away, and walked towards the giant door behind him.

  -------

  On the platform, Jin Yu looked at the girl who lay on the bridge listlessly as if she had given up on life.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  "No trap?, Good, Move your ass bitch, who knows what's killing you on the other end"

  A barrier of Qi appeared around the girl, shielding her from the unforgiving fire.

  She pushed herself to her feet, and stared at the distant door for a moment, before moving forward, and without looking back, she muttered.

  "We will meet again and I will take my revenge"

  Jin Yu remain unmoved, but he replied.

  "Then you need to survive."

  "I will" she muttered, not as a reply, but a vow, to herself.

  Jin Yu didn't bother looking again, he stared at the red film instead.

  "Old shite, open another hole"

  Silence stretched far a while.

  Jin Yu sighed, long and dramatic.

  “Must I curse your mother before you finally answer me? Every time I talk, it's like screaming into a corpse. Not a single damn point, not a sliver of use, what are you good for, huh? You couldn’t even cough up one answer. Honestly, you should’ve rotted quietly in a piss-stained grave and saved the world the trouble.”

  He shook his head pitifully, lips twitching into a disappointed smile.

  Just as he opened his mouth to continue

  Wmmm.

  The film shimmered and the old man appeared.

  Jin Yu blinked at his dimmed figure and let out a jagged, broken laugh.

  “Hah! I see shame finally squeezed your guts dry, you’re halfway dead again. Maybe this time, stay down.”

  The old man stared at him, lips curled in righteous disgust, as if Jin Yu had just pissed on the heavens.

  “Bug,” he began coldly, “you have so much to say about others. Have you ever once looked back at your own sins? Defined yourself?”

  Jin Yu raised a brow, unfazed.

  “What bullshit are you about to spit now? Make it quick. Drop it like you dropped your pride, not that you had any to begin with.”

  The old man remained stone-faced, clearly unmoved by Jin Yu’s jabs.

  “You just threw a girl to her death while hiding like a coward. You’re no better than an echo, loud for a moment, gone the next. You shine light on everyone’s flaws like a damn lantern, but never once turned it inward. Don’t you feel even a flicker of shame?”

  Jin Yu casually poked his ear with his pinky, not even glancing at him.

  “Are you done whining?”

  The old man gave a theatrical shake of his head, pity dripping from every word.

  “She was right. You won’t go far in this world. People like you die young, eaten alive by the demons in their Dao heart, forever stuck in mortal flesh.”

  Something in those words crawled under Jin Yu’s skin. His brow furrowed.

  Ding!

  [Heart Curse Rejected!]

  Jin Yu’s eyes went cold as the system alert faded.

  “You cursed me?” he said, voice low, too calm.

  The man didn’t flinch. Just lifted a brow and shrugged.

  “So what? What are you going to do about it?”

  Jin Yu’s eyes turned glacial.

  Then he stepped forward. His voice rang like thunder spoken through a blade.

  “Then let the Heavens bear witness...”

  “By My Name, My Will, And The Wrath Of My Dao...”

  “I curse you and the tainted blood that bore you.”

  "May your ancestors know shame in the afterlife.

  May your descendants never rise above the dirt.

  May your name be erased from fate, hunted by all that remembers.”

  The air stilled. The wind stopped breathing. Even the World seemed to hold its breath.

  "SHUT UP!"

  The man thundered, shaking the air as willpower gathered around him, primed to strike Jin Yu down.

  But Jin Yu remained calm. Unbothered. Unmoved.

  DING!

  Bloodline Curse Registered.

  Name: RED THREAD OF RUIN

  Target: [Lou Yansha]

  Scope: Ancestral Lineage – Active

  Effect: Soul Erosion, Karmic Poisoning, Chain of Restraint.

  This curse is irreversible without divine intervention.

  Warning: Using high-level soulbinding curses may attract divine attention.