The Immortal Arrives

As the snow drifted gently down, those touched by these white petals displayed a passion that seemed at odds with the chill of winter. The “vampire” and the “chainsaw man” exchanged glances, then suddenly howled, “Yoo-hoo! It’s snowing!”

On Halloween’s eve, dusk had already settled. Lanterns and streamers adorned every corner, welcoming the parade of a hundred ghosts, immersing this ancient city of Lincheng in a lively and bustling atmosphere. The young people laughed and joked, critiquing the “monsters” who tried to scare them, while the elders shook their heads—ah, this world! The children corrupted by foreign culture, dressing up as ghosts in the street for fun. Do they not believe that if I, an old man, suddenly collapsed, I could frighten them to death?

At this very moment, in an unremarkable dead-end alley piled with junk in Lincheng’s old city, a white point of light suddenly appeared, as if a tiny bubble had risen from the surface of calm water. Simultaneously, a misty white curtain, invisible to ordinary eyes, appeared at the mouth of the alley. At first, the light point was no bigger than a grain of rice, its glow faint, but in mere moments, it trembled violently, radiating a soul-stirring brilliance and slowly growing and splitting. Instantly, a fierce wind arose. The sky above Lincheng, still pale a moment before, was now covered with swirling black clouds, so dense and roiling that an inexplicable fear crept into the hearts of those below, as if doomsday were at hand.

The light point that caused this celestial phenomenon had now become a fr