Chapter Seventy-Four: Unexpected Complications

With hope of escape rekindled, I no longer resisted when the mute maids of Mingzhong's bedchamber carried me out for walks. It was the perfect chance to familiarize myself with the underworld’s palace grounds. I would even gesture for the maids to take me to different places, quietly drawing a map in my mind to aid in my escape on the day of the wedding.

That morning, Mingzhong was summoned away by the Lord of the Underworld. Keke also flew off, continuing her act as a mischievous spirit with a fondness for stealing wine, and took the opportunity to scold Mingmo again. Meanwhile, the maids carried me out of the bedchamber, heading toward the depths of Iron Encircling Mountain.

Within the chilling, sinister expanse of the Iron Encircling Mountain, twisted paths crisscrossed beneath cliffs where the wails of ghosts and demons echoed. Whenever wandering souls and wild spirits saw our group approach, they surged forth madly, their faces gaunt and hollow, mouths agape as if to devour everything in their path.

The maids waved their hands indifferently; those ravenous spirits shrieked and fled, some shattering upon colliding into one another, their primal souls dispersing and flying away. These forlorn spirits had suffered countless ages of torment within Iron Encircling Mountain—their karmic bonds long since worn away. Only a sliver of the will to live held their forms together, and the slightest force could crush that final hope, scattering their souls to oblivion.

We reached a mountain hollow, where a damp, icy wind blew from its depths, chilling me to the bone. Between two peaks, a massive vortex spun.

“Where are they taking me today?” I wondered.

The maids carried my sedan into the vortex. The biting wind seemed to penetrate my bones, stabbing straight into my heart. The purple bamboo fan left to me by the Seventh Princess rested on my lap, nearly snatched away by the wind. Instinctively, I gripped it tightly. Though Tiande had dragged me to the underworld, I would never forget the Seventh Princess’s gift of salvation.

My eyes stung from the wind as my body, borne by the maids, continued its descent. Scenes of cruelty flashed by: on one level, souls were being flayed and dismembered, their wails earth-shaking; on another, vast kitchens brimmed with steaming baskets that, when opened, revealed curled, featureless spirits being boiled mercilessly. Further down, molten lava roiled—a few demon kings hooked spirits by their clavicles, flying overhead to toss them into the inferno.

“Is this the Path of Unending Torment?” I recalled my master once told us of a road in the underworld leading to the Eternal Hell, where souls came to face punishment for their karmic deeds. Once their karma ended, they would be reborn. But the end of this path—the Eternal Hell itself—was suffering without end. Thus, the road both had an end and no end.

“Why are these maids taking me there?” Suspicion gnawed at me. The Eternal Hell was the deepest, darkest, most horrifying part of the underworld—no use to my escape, nor was it my way out. I had no desire to witness such darkness and cruelty, so I signaled for the maids to turn back, but they ignored my command entirely.

In a blink, we arrived at a vast, shadowy space, devoid of the earlier horrors. In its center stood a giant spirit tree, so large it would take several people to encircle it. The branches bore a dozen massive fruits, each glowing with a flickering blue light. Through the glow, I could clearly see that each fruit contained a curled, sleeping infant—a living child! I could even see the red heart beating beneath their translucent skins, the blue light throbbing in time with every pulse.

The maids set me down beneath the tree. One made a gesture, and the others bowed and silently withdrew.

“What is this place? What are these infants growing on the tree? Why have they left me here?” Unable to move or speak, I stared around in bewilderment. All was deadly silent—no ghost in sight—only myself, the spirit tree, and the ten eerie infants hanging above.

“Seventh Princess, you seem to be doing well,” a raspy voice suddenly called from the branches.

I clutched the purple bamboo fan, coldly amused. Such a greeting—clearly another enemy had found me.

A shadow drifted down from the tree, followed by a blood-red barrier that enclosed him, myself, and the tree.

A face twisted with murderous intent faced me—a stranger.

“A thousand years ago, your silver tongue deceived the Consort and the Lord of the Underworld. Now you’re mute? Serves as retribution!” he spat venomously.

“If I am retribution, you all ought to have died a thousand times for your murders, your soul-forging, your ravaging of life,” I thought.

“I am Soul Severer. Today I avenge Leng’er! You shall be the first feast for the birth of the Underworld King’s ten spirit children! These soul-devouring infants will consume even your soul!” With that, Soul Severer flung out a great decree.

He spoke of a thousand years ago. In this realm, those with a grudge against me from then could only be Mingzhong, the Lord of the Underworld, the Consort, and the Underworld maiden who died because of me. Leng’er must be that maiden.

The decree summoned a whirlwind. The fruits on the tree swayed and collided, their blue glow flashing ever faster. One by one, they dropped to the ground with a series of heavy thuds.

The transparent rinds shattered. Inside, the infants kicked and flailed, writhing desperately, their cries hungry and wild. As they wailed, their eyes opened—blood-red. Driven by a bloodthirsty instinct, the infants tore free of their skins and began crawling toward me.

Just as hope for life had flickered, I was plunged into worse despair, utterly powerless to resist. If I could not escape, dying like this was still better than being thrown to the Underworld’s soldiers and ghosts, starved of women for thousands of years.

In the palace, the Lord of the Underworld, ever eager for chaos, awaited the unfolding drama.

He listened closely to the stirrings of his realm, then cursed, “Damn it! Why is the Consort’s soul laughing so wantonly?” He froze, opened the eye on his forehead, and scanned the underworld. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh in alarm: “She’s vanished! That wretched woman dares play tricks on me! Second son, quickly! Soul Severer has abducted your little concubine! Damn it! He’s stolen the blood barrier—he’s probably going to kill her for revenge!”

Forced to study nearby, Mingzhong leaped to his feet and rushed out, the Lord close behind.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash resounded from Iron Encircling Mountain. Flames roared along the road to the Eternal Hell, mingling with the infants’ piercing cries.

I lay on the ground, watching those demonic infants burn to ashes, too stunned to grasp what had happened.

Just before, those infants had crawled near, eager to devour me, but each time they approached, they shrank back, fearful. Soul Severer, seeing this, cast a spell at me. My powers were sealed, my body still weak, but with that faint hope for life, I instinctively raised my arm to block. His spell struck the purple bamboo fan in my hand and passed into me.

A deafening explosion shook the earth; I was thrown aside, crashing heavily to the ground. Blood spurted from my mouth, yet I felt a sudden lightness. The first layer of the Divine Seal of Yin-Yang had been undone!

The broken purple bamboo fan at my side transformed into several fire dragons, swirling around me. The ten blood-eyed demon infants lunged with hideous ferocity, but the fire dragons attacked them instead, setting them ablaze in an instant.

“So, the Seventh Princess’s fan was truly that powerful!” I marveled.

Soul Severer, furious and humiliated, attacked again. Though the fan’s divine power had undone part of my seal, my immortal arts had not returned; I could not dodge.

A whip cracked—“Pa!”—and a head rolled to the ground.

Soul Severer’s corpse toppled.

Mingzhong appeared before me.

“Damn that idiot Soul Severer! He’s killed all the spirit-children born from the King’s tree!” The Lord of the Underworld ran over, panting—not hiding the joy and excitement dancing in his eyes. He leaned to whisper in Mingzhong’s ear, “Second brother, you don’t want those little monsters robbing you of glory, do you? I don’t acknowledge such creatures as brothers. Their deaths are just as well. It’ll all be blamed on Soul Severer—I’ll testify. Your little concubine’s in the clear. Now disperse Soul Severer’s soul—dead men tell no tales.”

Without a word, Mingzhong produced the Jade Dragon Chalice and collected Soul Severer’s soul, reducing it to its primal essence.

“The Jade Dragon Chalice! That’s how he killed my master!” Though Mingzhong had saved me again, I felt no gratitude—only deeper hatred.

The mighty spirit tree sensed the death of its offspring and trembled, sobbing.

The Lord of the Underworld conjured a ghostly flame, burning the tree to withered branches amid its wails.

“Second brother, in this world, only you and I are true siblings. The king needs no more sons. I do this for you. That demon-mother—Soul Severer killed her. He was obsessed with his lover’s death, betrayed the king, and tried to kill the Seventh Princess and the king’s child, sabotaging the king’s plan. We caught him in the act. He attacked us while you were gravely injured, leaving you no choice but to use the Jade Dragon Chalice to scatter his soul. Understood?” The Lord clapped Mingzhong on the shoulder.

“I understand, brother! Thank you for your guidance!” Mingzhong bowed respectfully.

He came to me, lifted my arm, and gently took my pulse. My heart trembled at the sensation—I stared at his hand. The technique, his hand—why...

He let go and swept me into his arms.

“Second brother, take care of your little concubine—she’s always causing trouble. The king said she’s still of great use.”

“Don’t worry, brother! I would not dare neglect father’s commands. I won’t let her die,” Mingzhong replied with a somber chill.

“Good, good! As long as you understand. For today’s mishap, perhaps the king will punish you again—just endure it. After all, you failed to watch the Seventh Princess, letting Soul Severer kill his ten sons. But I’ll speak up for you.”

“I’ll do as you say, brother.”

In front of the Lord, Mingzhong was less a younger brother than an obedient puppet.

No, he is a demon—Mingzhong, the puppet of the King and the Lord of the Underworld! I stared at that masked face and the lowered eyes behind it, forcing myself to remember. At the Cliff of Pursuing Immortality, I had been careless because of Mingzhong’s resemblance to my master in voice and gesture—and paid dearly. I would never again confuse this ruthless, sinister prince with my master, no matter how many illusions I suffered; I would never again soften my heart!