Chapter 9: Killing Intent at Every Step!

The leader’s voice was deep and domineering, reverberating beside the young Daoist’s ears, making even his Daoist robe tremble slightly. Yet the words he spoke were even more soul-shaking than the voice itself. Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor of the Central Heaven—even in the Heavenly Court, this honorific stood at the very pinnacle.

The exalted rank of the Eastern Radiance Shaoyang Great Emperor simply could not compare with that of the Great Emperor who simultaneously bore the three unique titles of [Central Heaven], [Northern Yin], and [Great Emperor].

Their divine rank and status were on entirely different levels.

Central Heaven referred to the very center of Heaven, around which all Immortals and deities gathered.

The title of Tianpeng Great True Lord was [Lord of the Law of the Northern Pole of the Central Heaven], while Grandmaster Xuandu, Taishang’s foremost disciple, had borne the title [Lingguan(Spiritual Observation) Great Emperor] during his time in the Heavenly Court. Each possessed only one of the distinguished titles, either [Central Heaven] or [Great Emperor], whereas the title spoken by the leader before him represented the highest possible rank. It had once belonged to the ruler of the Seventy-Two Offices of the Underworld, whose divine status stood just beneath that of the Four Great Emperors.

The young Daoist raised his eyes and looked at the terrifying ghost deities before him, each over a thousand zhang tall. Even after lowering their heads, their eyeballs alone were larger than his entire body. Yet his heart remained clear. The pristine Innate Spirit cultivated through the Taishang’s lineage had already given a faint warning, and he immediately recalled the art of divination taught to him by the gray-robed gentleman.

His Innate Spirit was warning him.

This was a trap.

The moment he acknowledged it, he would likely be killed on the spot!

The Fengdu Great Emperor, the Northern Yin Great Emperor of Central Heaven—someone capable of bearing such a title could never possibly be a mere cultivator at the realm of Innate One Qi. The Five Ghost Emperors were using the weight of that name to lure him into admitting it. If he accepted, then either he was nothing more than an impostor who had fortuitously obtained the Northern Emperor’s inheritance. Even if he truly had been sent by the Northern Emperor, should someone from the Northern Emperor’s lineage come to question them later, they would have ample justification.

Or else…

It would prove that the Northern Emperor’s lineage had already fallen into decline.

That even someone at the realm of Innate One Qi could become the Fengdu Great Emperor.

The eyes of the Five Ghost Emperors were deep and unfathomable, each revealing boundless fury and fear as they bent down to look at the young Daoist resting upon the giant palm. Nothing of their thoughts could be discerned; only the overwhelming pressure brought by their colossal forms and terrifying cultivation could be felt.

Qi Wuhuo’s Innate Spirit continued to sound its warning.

Unlike the gray-robed gentleman, whose heart had always been incomparably clear yet who had never concerned himself with such matters, the young Daoist merely replied in a calm voice, “How could the title of Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor of the Central Heaven possibly be borne by someone as insignificant as this poor Daoist?”

The Five Ghost Emperors lowered their eyes slightly and looked at the young Daoist.

The next instant, one of the Ghost Emperors flew into a furious rage, roaring, “Since you are not the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor of the Central Heaven, then you must be a thief to possess so many of the Northern Emperor’s treasures! Die!” Two arms rose from his shoulders, his hands clenched into fists as he smashed them viciously toward the young Daoist. The other four Ghost Emperors likewise revealed terrifying visages of wrath and death. Each towered to an unimaginable height, their killing intent vast beyond measure.

Qi Wuhuo replied evenly, “I am the Northern Emperor’s envoy.”

The terrifying fist, descending like a collapsing mountain, came to an abrupt halt.

The boundless currents of Primordial Qi swirling around it nearly tore Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit apart. The white strands at his temples streamed backward, yet his gaze remained calm, without the slightest ripple. His years as Master Wuhuo allowed him to remain composed even now, his mind undisturbed by the horrifying sight before him. The fist stopped directly in front of him, terrifying Primordial Qi still gathered upon it.

It was a test.

Otherwise, the Primordial Qi of a Ghost Emperor alone would have been enough to scatter his Primordial Spirit.

The young Daoist looked toward the first Ghost Emperor, who stood within that profound infernal darkness. His immeasurably gigantic figure was clad in black robes, concealed within ink-like shadows. Endless deathly stillness flowed across those robes, intertwining and shifting into countless manifestations of death, each incomparably real. There were human faces, beastly visages, even the auras of celestial officials, all revealing the terror they felt when confronted with death.

The Five Ghost Emperors.

The rulers of the Underworld during the transition from the end of the Third Kalpa Era to the beginning of the Fourth.

They had also been the strongest subordinates under the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor from the Fourth Kalpa Era until ten thousand years before the present age.

The greatest of heroes.

The mightiest of powerhouses.

The young Daoist raised his hand, his sleeve falling naturally as he clasped the Northern Emperor’s Exorcism Token within his palm. The side bearing the characters [Dangmo] faced inward toward himself, hidden from view, while he presented the reverse side of the Exorcism Token toward the Five Ghost Emperors. Carrying [Delivering All Living Beings to Oblivion] upon his back, he spoke indifferently, “Five Ghost Emperors, upon seeing the Northern Emperor’s token, why do you not pay your respects?”

The young Daoist stood there, sleeves stirring faintly, his expression tranquil.

The Ghost Emperor who had attacked Qi Wuhuo first—the one with six arms and the most powerful physique among them—slowly dropped to one knee.

One hand pressed against the ground as his voice boomed like a great bell. “The Northern Ghost Emperor, Yang Yun, pays his respects to the Northern Emperor’s token.”

The other Ghost Emperors likewise slowly lowered their heads. Though each stood a thousand zhang tall, the simple motion alone stirred the Yellow Springs into towering waves, reversing the flow of Primordial Qi into a raging torrent. Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit felt as though it could scarcely breathe, like a mortal gasping for air. His Daoist robe fluttered gently as all Five Ghost Emperors lowered their gazes.

At last, the man in black robes, whose appearance was plain and unremarkable, lowered his eyes. He merely cupped his hands slightly and said calmly, “The Central Ghost Emperor, Zhou Qi of Baodu Mountain, greets the Envoy.”

He said “greets the Envoy”, not “greets the Northern Emperor’s token”.

The Northern Pole Exorcism Institute answered directly to the Northern Emperor. Even the Jade Emperor himself could not command its generals. Since this young man had proven himself to be a member of the Northern Pole Exorcism Institute, his status as an envoy was beyond dispute. The Central Ghost Emperor said indifferently, “This place has remained sealed for ten thousand years. May I ask what instructions the Northern Emperor has sent? Why would he suddenly dispatch an envoy here—and one who is merely an insignificant functionary of the Northern Pole Exorcism Institute, not even ranked within the Ninth Grade?”

His tone was sharp as he calmly watched the young Daoist.

Qi Wuhuo put away the Exorcism Token and replied flatly, “There are countless great affairs beneath Heaven. Matters concerning the likes of you require only my presence.”

A trace of anger flashed through the Central Ghost Emperor’s eyes.

Yet the more arrogant the young Daoist appeared, the less certain he became. He had originally intended to capture him for questioning, to probe the situation outside. But seeing such confidence, could it be that the Northern Emperor still possessed authority that all but governed the myriad realms?

Thus he merely said, “Interesting… Then may I ask, Envoy, what instructions does the Northern Emperor have?”

Qi Wuhuo replied: “None.”

The Central Ghost Emperor had been about to ask for the envoy’s written decree, but upon hearing that answer, found it difficult to do so. He only asked slowly, “No instructions?”

“Yes.”

“The Northern Emperor sent this poor Daoist to the Underworld only to observe the changes here, and to see the current state of Fengdu City… and yet, I did not expect that you would bring me here yourselves.”

“Instead, this poor Daoist wishes to ask you—what do you intend to do? Oppose the Northern Emperor?”

The Northern Ghost Emperor seemed especially anxious. His voice rang out like a great bell. “We would never harbor such thoughts!”

The Central Ghost Emperor slowly replied, “The Northern Emperor believes that we betrayed him?!” His voice carried both anger and grief. “He believes we betrayed them?! Even the Northern Emperor accepted the Ten Yama Kings’ nonsense?! He believes it was they who turned the tide back then, who stabilized the boundary between life and death in the Underworld?!”

“At the end of the Second Kalpa Era, the Earth Official and Water Official under Hou Tu, the Sovereign Earth Deity, once fought against Haotian. They were simply defeated. That battle was unimaginably brutal. The foremost of the Earth Deities, Buzhou Mountain, fell at the hands of Heaven’s Water God, who then seized the opportunity to flood the Earth Deities. In the end, he himself was slain by the reincarnation of a deity who walked the Mortal Realm.”

“Such conflict continued for ten thousand years.”

“Taiyi fell, Haotian was born, and countless living beings were cast into slaughter.”

“It was the Northern Emperor who gathered the greatest Martial Gods beneath Heaven and founded the Exorcism Institute. The Exorcism Institute swept across the Six Realms, slaying untold numbers of beings. Only through that boundless slaughter was order established. The Heavenly Officials, Earth Deities, and Water Officials no longer interfered with one another, preserving a fragile peace on the surface, allowing all living beings to multiply and flourish.”

“But around ten thousand years ago, another great war erupted between the Heavenly Officials and the Earth Deities.”

“Even Hou Tu and Gouchen, two of the Four Imperials, personally took the field and fought one another!” [TL_Note: From now on, the Four Great Emperors are called the Four Imperials]

“Gouchen struck, severely wounding Hou Tu, yet he himself did not escape unscathed. The deities of every direction were once again dragged back into the wars of old.”

“The slaughter was so great that Immortals fell from Heaven, the Earth Deities collapsed, the Underworld lost its balance, and chaos broke out among the kings of the Mortal Realm. The boundary between life and death was thrown into disorder, and countless souls who had died unjustly flooded into the Underworld. Beneath Fengdu City, the Seventy-Two Offices imprisoned every undying soul and every most baleful Ghost King accumulated throughout those successive Kalpa Eras. Seizing the opportunity, they incited rebellion. Had it not been for the five of us suppressing Fengdu, who else could have prevented Fengdu City from reappearing in the world?”

“Who? Those ten pieces of trash?!”

“Or that Ksitigarbha King, who deceived them into opening the Yellow Springs and then used the obsessions of all living beings to seal Fengdu City…”

“Even we, who remained behind to cover the retreat, were sealed here alongside it!”

“Hahahaha! We fought here with everything we had, locked in bitter battle, only to be betrayed by our former comrades. The five of us were treated as supreme evil ghosts and sealed away here. Faced with such bitter injustice, the Northern Emperor did nothing, and even acknowledged the legitimacy of the Underworld’s current rule. How could that not chill our hearts?!”

The Five Ghost Emperors were overcome by memories of that sorrowful past. They cried out together in grief and indignation, and their furious roars became like the clamor of countless ghosts. Their voices echoed throughout the Underworld capital, whose Ghost Gate Pass alone rivaled the Heavenly Gate in grandeur. From within the city came sharp laughter, furious curses, and enraged howls. Ghosts and spirits wailed without end, enough to shatter even a steadfast Dao Heart.

Suddenly, the [Delivering All Living Beings to Oblivion] qin upon the young Daoist’s back trembled violently.

 Zheng—!

The qin’s notes rang out, stern and domineering, utterly devoid of any tranquil elegance.

With nothing but its music, it forcibly suppressed the ghostly cries that filled the entire city. Within those cries, several voices even cried out in horror.

“Slaying Buddhas, Beheading Emperors?!”

“It’s Delivering All Living Beings to Oblivion… that qin…”

“Who is it?!”

“Leave at once!”

“Run! Run! Hurry!”

After those few panicked shouts, silence returned once more.

The Five Ghost Emperors and the young Daoist remained locked in confrontation.

At this moment, Qi Wuhuo no longer had the mental capacity to dwell upon the ancient secrets revealed by the Five Ghost Emperors.

For the time being, he could not determine who had truly been right or wrong—the Ten Yama Kings, or the Five Ghost Emperors.

Qi Wuhuo knew he had to respond.

Otherwise, he feared he would never leave this place alive.

The warning from his Innate Spirit had become so intense that it was stretched to its absolute limit.

Like the string of a qin.

The slightest misstep, even by a single step, and the Ghost Emperors before him would strike him down without hesitation.

Moreover, to prevent the Northern Pole Exorcism Institute from tracing the matter, they would likely erase his very soul. Although the Northern Pole Exorcism Institute oversaw the myriad realms, if someone at the level of a Ghost Emperor truly killed him, even the Institute would not be able to settle the matter immediately. And Qi Wuhuo believed that Ghost Emperors—peerless figures who had dominated an entire Kalpa Era and whom even the Northern Emperor had personally needed to subdue—must possess methods to place him in a state between life and death, one that even the arts of divination could not detect.

The young Daoist said thoughtfully, his tone calm, “So that is how it was?”

The Central Ghost Emperor relaxed the hand resting upon his sword ever so slightly before saying solemnly, “In those days, everyone was deceived by the ten cowards of the Underworld. We only ask that the Northern Emperor discern the truth. We merely hope he will once again appoint a Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor of the Central Heaven, sweep away this so-called Underworld, restore Fengdu City, and allow our Seventy-Two Offices to return to the world.”

The other Ghost Emperors all voiced their agreement.

Only the Northern Ghost Emperor laughed loudly. “Exactly! Hahaha! We’ve spent all these years suppressing those ghosts with no small amount of effort. The Northern Emperor ought to clear our names. Those Ten Yama Kings are all cowards. They even joined forces with that bald monk. Once we get out, we’ll split their bellies open, hang them from trees, and let ants and insects eat them alive. That’s the only fitting end for them!”

The Central Ghost Emperor fixed the young Daoist with a steady gaze and said, “Then we must trouble you, Envoy, to relay this matter to the Northern Emperor.”

“We only hope the Northern Emperor will personally descend into the Underworld and settle this affair.”

The atmosphere seemed to ease.

Yet the young Daoist’s Innate Spirit remained as taut as ever.

The Central Ghost Emperor produced a cup of tea and offered it to him. “Please, Envoy, drink this cup.”

Qi Wuhuo looked at the crystal-clear tea. A faint fragrance drifted from it, and it seemed greatly beneficial to the Primordial Spirit. In an instant, the cup shrank to a size he could comfortably hold and floated before him. The Central Ghost Emperor said slowly, “This tea is brewed with the waters of Fengdu. Since the Envoy has come here, we cannot fail to offer our hospitality. Drink this cup, and we shall allow the Envoy to depart.”

The moment the young Daoist took the clear cup into his hand, his Innate Spirit tightened to the point that it almost seemed ready to explode.

Meanwhile, the Five Ghost Emperors stared fixedly at him.

Each pair of eyes was profound and terrifying.

The Southern Ghost Emperor, whose beauty was so peerless that merely looking at her caused Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit to instinctively react, as though his heart had begun racing, smiled gently and said, “We have waited here for several thousand years. At long last, an Envoy of the Northern Emperor has arrived.”

“Please, drink this cup.”

The young Daoist looked at the cup of tea before reaching out and taking it.

Then he smiled faintly, turned toward the northern heavens, and slowly poured the tea onto the ground.

“This meeting…”

“…is a toast to the Northern Emperor.”

Silence fell.

Seeing the title Slaying Buddhas, Beheading Emperors upon the qin on the young Daoist’s back, and sensing that Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord—the most unrestrained of the Ten Yama Kings—was tearing through the Yellow Springs and striding toward them at a terrifying speed, the Central Ghost Emperor neither could nor wished to press the matter any further. He merely said slowly, “Indeed, it should be offered to the Northern Emperor. Envoy, we shall await your news here in the Underworld.”

“Do not forget.”

“Hahaha! I’ll see the Envoy off!”

The Northern Ghost Emperor laughed heartily as he rose to his feet. One of his hands held the young Daoist aloft upon its palm, while another carried Qi Wuhuo’s Blood River Sword. Step by step, he walked out of Fengdu. Though he seemed unable to venture too far from the city, his speed was astonishingly swift.

Laughing loudly, he said, “Envoy, you’ve truly got some nerve. I’ve never seen anyone refuse Eldest Brother to his face so many times.”

“Hahaha! Even if your cultivation is this weak, I still think you’re worthy of being the Northern Emperor’s envoy.”

“Someone with such courage… that’s exactly the sort of person the Northern Emperor—who once held back the tide with one hand and settled the Three Realms with a single sword—would value. Hahaha!”

“But your sword is quite the arrogant one. It’s only half a Blood River, yet it actually wanted to drink my blood. Not to mention I’m just a ghost—where would I even get blood? Even if I did, it really ought to know the difference between itself and others… Hahaha. By the way, do you have a scabbard for it?”

Qi Wuhuo had his eyes closed, pondering everything he had just heard. Hearing the question, he answered gently, “I do not.”

There had been a scabbard beneath Lüzu Hall at Lianyang Temple, but that had actually been Ancestor Lu’s seal upon this sword.

Now the sword remained just as ferocious as ever. Having drunk the blood of demons and the blood of a Great Emperor, it had even begun to covet a Ghost Emperor, wishing to cleave one apart and devour the power of a Ghost Emperor’s Primordial Spirit. Its baleful might had become ever more unrestrained. The old scabbard could no longer contain it.

The Northern Ghost Emperor burst into laughter.

“That’s true enough. A sword this fierce could never be restrained by an ordinary scabbard.”

“But however savage a sword may be, it still needs a scabbard to temper its edge. Otherwise, sooner or later, it’ll wound its own master. Let’s see… Ah! I’ve got it!”

“Envoy, you should know that in ancient times there were three great spiritual veins of water. The first was the Yellow Springs, which washed away the obsessions of countless living beings.”

“If an Immortal crossed the Yellow Springs in the flesh, they would often fall in cultivation and once more sink into the Eight Sufferings and the obsessions of mortal life.”

“The second was Weak Water, also known as the waters of the Heavenly River. Even a feather cannot float upon it. Without peerless magical power, no one can even dream of setting foot upon the Heavenly River.”

“Of course, where the Star Lords reside, the power of the star palaces stabilizes the Weak Water, allowing travel across its surface. But in the regions between the stars, hidden currents rage fiercely enough to drag even Immortals and Buddhas down.”

“The third is the Blood River, formed from boundless slaughter and death.”

“Your sword is forged from the Blood River, hahaha! Then let the Yellow Springs, with the obsessions of all living beings, become its scabbard!”

The Northern Ghost Emperor roared with laughter as he reached out and seized an entire tributary of the Yellow Springs. The surging waters, together with the countless obsessions of living beings, condensed into a plain, unadorned scabbard. With his other hand, he grabbed the Blood River Sword and brought both hands together.

The Blood River Sword was directly sealed within the Yellow Springs Scabbard.

The gigantic hand then carefully fastened it at the young Daoist’s waist before saying, “My brothers, sisters, and I have guarded Fengdu City for these past ten thousand years, carrying out our duty with utmost diligence. We truly have been suppressing the Underworld. Yet the Ten Yama Kings betrayed us. We ask that the Envoy be certain to explain this matter to Grandfather Northern Emperor.”

As he spoke, he raised his hands.

With all six arms exerting force at once, he slowly pushed open the Ghost Gate Pass, the gateway that stood as the counterpart to the Southern Heavenly Gate.

The gates of Fengdu City opened.

Their rumbling shook the heavens, their momentum overwhelming.

But the Northern Ghost Emperor’s movement suddenly came to a halt.

Qi Wuhuo, who had only just begun to relax, immediately sensed how complicated the situation had become.

Outside Fengdu City—

Yin Virtue Settled Rest True Lord had already arrived.

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Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: Hi everyone, I’m taking a small vacation from posting this novel. I’ll see you all in September 🙂