Chronicles of the Purple Heavens, Piercing Illusions

In the neon-drenched outskirts of Xuandu, the Purple Sky Temple, founded in the Tang dynasty, lies hidden among the gaps in a forest of steel and concrete. Shen Yan, its master, frowns at the compass on his desk. The needle spins wildly around the Li position, while the bronze divination tiles move on their own, though there is no wind, arranging themselves into a broken Evil-Quelling Talisman. Three days ago, people in the city began falling victim to a strange condition known as “soul loss.” Their pupils turn gray, and they move like stiff puppets on strings. Hospitals can find no cause, and security cameras capture only a wisp of black mist that vanishes in an instant. A crisis is upon them.