Chapter 29: The Netherworld and Azure Heavens Obscured

Deep within the Nine Netherworld, a boundary between life and death to some extent, the Gate of Ghosts had astonishingly appeared in the mortal realm!

Thus, the perpetual shroud of fog that had always hung heavy found its explanation. The mist was no man-made artifice, but a natural condensation of the laws of heaven and earth themselves.

For the Netherworld and the Azure Heavens were not meant to meet. A Gate of Ghosts manifesting in the mortal world necessitated a veil, a concealment.

Those countless drifting souls gathered here, far exceeding the living inhabitants Xiaolin Town once held, now too had a purpose. The wandering spirits were drawn to the Gate of Ghosts, an instinct devoid of conscious thought. It was likely that the disembodied souls from the entirety of Fenglin City’s domain had converged here. And it was a certainty, as long as this Gate of Ghosts persisted, the congregation of wandering spirits would only swell, their power growing with their numbers!

But how, how could the Gate of Ghosts appear in this place?

Wei Yan, with hardly a moment’s hesitation after grasping the import of those three stark words, drew forth a vibrant red, ancient-looking incense stick from within his robes and thrust it towards Zhao Lang. "Quick!"

He, of course, carried flint, and was even adept in the fiery arts of Taoist cultivation. Yet, he could not match Zhao Lang’s sheer speed.

Having served alongside Wei Yan for years, their unspoken understanding was profound. As the scarlet incense was passed, Zhao Lang’s two fingers were already rubbing together, and a cluster of flames surged onto the stick, consuming the not-so-small incense in a fleeting moment.

Only then did his countenance turn somewhat grim as he spoke, "You had only this one red incense stick remaining."

The army of Zhuang State divided incense into three grades: black, red, and yellow. Only those of a certain standing were granted their possession, these being rare strategic assets. When black incense burned, the entire nation rallied for a death struggle. Only a scant few in all of Zhuang State were deemed worthy of igniting black incense.

When yellow incense perished in flames, it signified the igniter's dire plight.

And the red incense, poised between the two, represented the peril of a city's ruin and the loss of territory!

When red incense burned, the entirety of Fenglin City would quake, and even Wei Qujie would be roused.

Presently, the city guard and the Criminal Investigation Division within Fenglin City were both held in check. Wei Qujie presided over the City Lord's Mansion, a position where a single movement sent ripples throughout. Did Xiaolin Town, presently devoid of foes save for wandering souls, warrant Wei Qujie's personal presence? Or rather, should Wei Yan err in his judgment, and Fenglin City suffer disruption due to Wei Qujie's deployment, could he bear the weight of responsibility?

Yet, before those three words, such concerns dissolved.

For… that was the Gate of Ghosts.

It appeared in countless sagas, faintly mirroring the mythological epoch.

Indeed, as the phantom of the red incense suddenly ignited before him, Wei Qujie, the lord of the city, had already sprung from his seated position without a second thought!

He soared into the heavens, a whirlwind enveloping his form, and roared towards Xiaolin Town.

Almost simultaneously, Dong A, immersed in meditation, abruptly opened his eyes. Regardless of the circumstances, a powerful cultivator of his caliber had to remain stationed in Fenglin City. Since Wei Qujie had departed, he could not also leave.

Before he stirred, his solemn voice had already resonated beyond his chambers, "Issue the order! Notify all disciples who can be reached, regardless of their current task or cultivation, to cease immediately and return to Fenglin City!"

It was true that the Taoist academy nurtured the future of Zhuang State, and their growth demanded a lengthy process. But when the nation faced peril, everyone must take up the fight.

And the current deputy dean of the Taoist academy, Song Qifang, sat cross-legged before a pill furnace, gently fanning the flames with a cattail-leaf fan, tending to the heat. A very soft sigh escaped him, "Old."

...

In Xiaolin Town, Wei Yan did not pause after igniting the red incense, but immediately unleashed a slash with his long blade. The sharp glint of steel cleaved the very air, then vanished upon the archway.

Yes, it vanished in silent fashion, leaving not a ripple in its wake.

Subsequent assaults met the same fate. Whether it was flames or gusts of wind, any Taoist technique cast at it sank without a trace. Ling He even hurled his own sword, but it too disappeared completely.

As if it simply did not exist, not only itself, but everything that touched it also ceased to be.

Huang Azhan hesitated, lingering before the Gate of Ghosts for a long time. He harbored an enduring confidence in his own... unique method, but upon witnessing Ling He’s sword also vanish, he chose to yield with profound regret.

"This vortex... should be connected to the Netherworld. With the aid of so many wronged souls here... our attacks all fall into the Netherworld, not the present world." Wang Changxiang frowned and analyzed, "What appears before us, this should be the reflection of the Gate of Ghosts, and even this reflection hasn't fully condensed."

Hasn't condensed?

The calligraphy on the plaque, Jiang Wang had seen in the Taixu Illusion, recognized it as Taoist script, words that expounded the laws of heaven and earth. He had been pondering what the appearance of the Gate of Ghosts in Xiaolin Town represented, until he heard Wang Changxiang's analysis and was suddenly struck.

Then, when would the true reflection of the Gate of Ghosts condense, and in what manner? And what would it ultimately bring here?

The answer soon became apparent.

It was the countless wandering souls filling Xiaolin Town, those who could not be slain or dispelled. But at this moment, they surged inwards, gathering at the very center.

The group could not afford to consider anything else. They could only repeat their previous tactic, retreating a distance, using fire-based Taoist techniques to draw a circle, and each defending themselves within.

If someone could pierce the fog and gaze down from the heavens, they would witness countless wandering souls rushing forward, drawn by some unseen force, that vast river of disembodied spirits, flowing like a hundred rivers merging into the sea!

And the disciples from the Fenglin City Taoist academy, along with Wei Yan and Zhao Lang, were like the bitter reefs being battered by the river's flow.

Unable to move, unable to resist, and with no end in sight!

"The wandering souls from the entire Fenglin City area have been drawn. Perhaps, we will die here?" Wang Changxiang gave a wry smile.

These wandering souls were not inherently strong, and they could pass through their formation before. But that was predicated on the spirits being intellect-less and instinctively attacking when living beings approached. Now that these wandering souls were converging in one place, they simply presented an overwhelming obstacle.

Too many, almost without end!

At least within the vision that Wang Changxiang could barely disperse, they saw no end to the torrent of spirits.

What they did not know was that while previously only the wandering souls of Xiaolin Town’s deceased had gathered here, and scattered souls from further afield were being drawn in a dispersed manner. Now, the unconcentrated wandering souls of the entire Fenglin City area were converging here, at a speed far exceeding their own capabilities.

The dense lines of wandering souls that cut through the sky. Across the entire Fenglin City domain, they formed a web-like spectacle visible only to spiritual sight, stirring countless powerful cultivators.

"No." Wei Yan's voice was somewhat cold, and so was his heart. "The City Lord will be here soon."

No one knew how deeply he had dreaded igniting that red incense, how much he loathed revealing his weakened, pleading state to that man. But he could not do otherwise. Faced with the legendary existence of the Gate of Ghosts, he could not gamble the safety of the entire Fenglin City for the sake of his own pride.

Jiang Wang also watched those wandering souls, who bypassed the "reefs" and roared towards the Gate of Ghosts, absorbed and digested in an instant. His emotions were a complex, indescribable mix.

These wandering spirits likely had no intellect. Thus, there was no struggle, no howling, as if devoid of regret or pain.

But they were all once living people. They were all souls of living beings who should have found peace!

Among them, perhaps someone he had brushed past, or someone he knew, or his neighbors, his grandparents, or, his father.

He widened his eyes amidst the dense throng of wandering souls, searching for his father, who had perished on his sickbed. The man who was not tall but had always held up his sky.

Those wandering souls all flashed past, moving like lightning. They were everywhere. He only stared in the direction of Fengxi Town, his eyes bloodshot, but he could see nothing.

Having lived alone for so long, he had refused to show vulnerability. Later, living with An'an, he had to be strong as an older brother. He almost never spoke it, but truly, he missed him so much!

Jiang Wang yearned to see him again, yet he was also so terrified of doing so.

So afraid of the helplessness he would face before the Gate of Ghosts.

Suddenly, it seemed to have reached a certain critical point, and the vast river of wandering souls was instantly cleared away by some force. And the phantom of the Gate of Ghosts above the vortex became incredibly clear and defined.

In the next moment, Wei Qujie, the Lord of Fenglin City, descended from the sky, wreathed in a whirlwind. But the phantom of the Gate of Ghosts vanished at the very same instant!

Vaguely, Jiang Wang felt a wisp of breeze brush his cheek, but after a moment of bewilderment, everything before him changed.

The enormous vortex disappeared, and the fog that had gathered in Xiaolin Town immediately dispersed.

Everything was gone, the Netherworld and the Azure Heavens both!