DARK BEFORE THE DAWNAs Gu Mang's mind continues to deteriorate, he and Mo Xi set out for the prefecture of Lin'an, hoping to find a legendary sage with the ability to summon Gu Mang's missing souls. Chances of success are vanishingly small, but Mo Xi is unwilling to give up any hope of restoring his beloved to health.Upon arrival, however, Mo Xi and Gu Mang find no such fabled sage, but a familiar face-Murong Chuyi, who has arrived with the rest of the Yue Clan, including Yue Chenqing and the estranged Jiang Yexue, to complete a perilous blood ritual. What begins as a chance encounter soon turns deadly as Mo Xi stumbles across one of the clan's darkest and most deeply buried secrets.