Chapter Seventeen: Specter

Chen Yi cupped his fists to Su Fan, then turned and walked into the garden. All the while, Su Fan’s spiritual sense remained fixed on Chen Yi, a persistent unease lurking in his heart, though he could not fathom the reason. Vaguely, he sensed that the source of his disquiet lay with Chen Yi, but nothing more.

Chen Yi settled himself cross-legged in the very center of the garden, sitting upon the bare earth. His hands wove intricate seals, and a soft green glow enveloped his entire body. Observing this, Su Fan began to circulate his own spiritual power, taking the opportunity to recover just enough to be ready for battle at any moment.

Though the power of the Mountain Soul Collapse and Mountain Soul Fan was formidable, Su Fan was, after all, only in the Qi Refining stage. The spiritual energy stored within his body could scarcely support the use of such weapons and spells. Now, while Chen Yi was breaking the formation, Su Fan felt a measure of relief, allowing him to focus on his own recovery. Yet all the while, his spiritual sense remained alert, vigilantly observing Chen Yi.

Suddenly, Chen Yi drew five leaves from his storage pouch—each a different color: golden, brown, pale blue, fiery red, and earthy yellow—clearly representing the five elements. With a solemn expression, Chen Yi tossed the leaves into the air and closed his eyes tight. The leaves began to circle around Su Fan, spinning faster and faster, until a dazzling five-colored halo seemed to float around Chen Yi, radiantly beautiful.

Abruptly, Chen Yi uttered a single word: “Disperse!” Instantly, the five leaves halted their rotation, each releasing a blinding beam of light. Chen Yi then produced a Bagua Disk, which left his hand and floated above his head, turning slowly. He called out, “Gather!” The five beams of light converged upon the Bagua Disk, which seemed to devour them endlessly, absorbing every ray cast by the leaves. Gradually, the brilliance on the leaves faded, while the Bagua Disk grew ever brighter.

At last, the leaves ceased shining altogether, while the Bagua Disk shone with a piercing white light, as intense as the noonday sun in midsummer, filled with staggering power. When Su Fan probed with his spiritual sense, he was nearly harmed by the white light and hastily withdrew. In that fleeting moment, he thought he saw Chen Yi sneer coldly at him. But Su Fan could not be certain, for the ancient tomb was shrouded in darkness. Without his spiritual sense, he could only see a sheet of white light and, illuminated beneath it, the outlines of the formation array. As for Chen Yi’s condition, he could not discern it. Moreover, the white light had come so swiftly that Su Fan’s withdrawal was likewise hurried; perhaps he had simply imagined things.

Suddenly, Chen Yi cried out, and the white light shot forth like a phantom, flying toward the heart of the formation. The white light advanced with unstoppable force, obliterating all that stood in its way, and struck the very center of the array.

Su Fan, witnessing its overwhelming power, expected a mighty shockwave, but when the light struck the heart of the formation, everything remained eerily silent—there was no thunderous explosion as he had imagined. Presently, the blinding light faded, and the Bagua Disk reformed, flying back to Chen Yi, who swiftly caught it and returned it to his storage pouch.

Su Fan was astounded and sighed inwardly: this formation is truly wondrous. Without that white light as a beacon, I would never have realized it was here. Now I understand—the key to breaking a formation is to destroy its core, and the rest will collapse on its own.

At this moment, Chen Yi, guided by his spiritual sense, used his green dagger to carve rune after rune into the earth at the center of the garden. His hand seals grew ever more intense, and as soon as the last rune was completed, Chen Yi struck the ground with a fist from a distance. The freshly carved runes shattered instantly.

The earth burst open, revealing a stone slab beneath the soil. The stone slab slowly parted, releasing a flood of golden light and waves of fragrant air. Su Fan recognized the scent at once—it was the fragrance produced when the world’s spiritual energy reached its purest form.

Chen Yi shouted, “Fellow Daoist Su, come quickly and retrieve the spirit stones! I can only hold this stone gate open for five breaths!”

Hearing this, Su Fan hurried to Chen Yi’s side. Beneath the slab were several dozen lower-grade spirit stones. For a moment, Su Fan was dazed, but he quickly regained his composure. A single lower-grade spirit stone was enough to trade for many recovery elixirs; even in a great sect like Tianyuan Gate, disciples might wait months for one. Realizing time was of the essence, Su Fan wasted no time. With a wave of his hand, the spirit stones streamed into his storage pouch. The stone slab gradually closed, blocking out the golden light and leaving only the lingering fragrance.

Sweeping his spiritual sense over the pouch, Su Fan willed a pile of lower-grade spirit stones into being before Chen Yi. Smiling, he said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, there are thirty spirit stones in all. Let’s take fifteen each—please accept them.”

Chen Yi swept the stones with his spiritual sense, said nothing, and with a wave of his hand, sent them into his own pouch. Su Fan cupped his fists and said, “My thanks to you, Fellow Daoist Chen.” Chen Yi smiled faintly and waved his hand. “There’s no need for such formality between us, Fellow Daoist Su. Let us hurry now to the ancient tomb’s treasury. What do you think?”

Su Fan nodded silently. Chen Yi continued, “According to the records, the original defensive arrays of the treasury have already been broken by my sect. Only the final barrier remains; the two of us should have little trouble overcoming it.”

Su Fan asked, “And what is this final barrier?” Chen Yi smiled and replied, “You will understand when you see it, fellow Daoist.” Su Fan laughed. “Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way.” With that, Chen Yi produced a map and set off toward the treasury, Su Fan following behind, gripping his Mountain Soul Fan tightly. For reasons he could not explain, Su Fan found Chen Yi increasingly strange, as if he were not truly a cultivator. Yet Su Fan betrayed nothing on his face and followed without a word.

Soon, the two arrived at the foot of a tall tower. From Chen Yi’s explanations, Su Fan learned that this was the treasury, where the Nether King’s cultivation methods and insights might be stored—perhaps even a magical treasure left behind by the king himself. The Nether King’s skills were profound, and he had averted the fall of nations on several occasions; any arts or treasures he used must be truly extraordinary.

Moreover, every advancement in the path of cultivation was fraught with difficulty. Without proper guidance, even a lifetime of bitter cultivation could not guarantee a breakthrough; failure meant perishing without attaining the Dao. Now, if the king’s insights could be found here, they would surely save Su Fan much hardship on his journey.

Feigning composure, Su Fan asked, “Where is this final barrier you mentioned, Fellow Daoist Chen?” Chen Yi raised his hand and pointed to the tower’s door. “See for yourself—the last barrier is that seal upon the door. All you need do is remove it, and we can enter.”

Sweeping his spiritual sense over the tower, Su Fan saw a yellow talisman sealing the entrance, covered in golden sigils. Though weathered by countless years, it remained perfectly intact, its color undimmed. Glancing at Chen Yi, Su Fan said gravely, “My cultivation is not as high as yours, Fellow Daoist Chen. I think you should remove the seal.”

Chen Yi replied hastily, “I must meditate and recover a bit longer. Please, fellow Daoist, go and remove the seal so we may enter the tower.” Su Fan slowly edged back, his smile ambiguous. “You seem anxious for me to do this, Fellow Daoist. I must thank you for your concern.”

Chen Yi snapped, “Go on, remove the seal! Once we’ve gained our fortunes, we can leave this place at once.”

Suddenly, Su Fan’s expression changed. “Tell me, Fellow Daoist Chen, why did your sect break all the previous formations, only to stop before a seal that even someone of my cultivation could remove? Do you take me for a child?”

Chen Yi forced a bitter smile. “It’s true, I was acting out of self-interest. Removing the seal is dangerous, but with your Mountain Collapse spell and superior weapon, you have a seventy percent chance of succeeding without harm.”

Su Fan smiled. “Then I want the blueprint for the Soul-Scattering Array.”

Chen Yi suppressed his anger and said, “I was always going to give you the blueprint; it was only a matter of time. Since you ask now, I will give it to you.” He produced a scroll and tossed it to Su Fan.

Accepting the scroll, Su Fan said, “Very well, I will go remove the seal.” He walked slowly toward the tower, studying the golden symbols. A wave of unease surged within him, but he steeled himself, reached out, and tore the talisman away. As soon as it left the door, it burst into ashes.

Suddenly, the statue of the Nether King nearby began to emit a rainbow of light, illuminating the entire tomb. The statue slowly moved toward the tower, leaving Su Fan dumbstruck. Not far away, Chen Yi’s face twisted with malice as he stared at the statue, sneering venomously. “Nether King, your seal has been broken. When my Ghost King comes to open the Gate of the Ghost Domain, I will dig up your corpse, flog it for a hundred days, then display it on Ghost Valley for ten thousand ghosts to devour. I will seize your soul and exile it beneath the Bridge of Forgetfulness, never to be reborn.”

The Nether King’s statue responded in a deep, disdainful voice. “You pitiful ghostly wretch, how dare you speak so disrespectfully to me? Even if this so-called Ghost King of yours were to come, I would not fear him. I will destroy you myself, and seal the Gate of the Ghost Domain once more!” With that, he raised an immense sword and brought it down upon Chen Yi.

Caught off guard, Chen Yi’s physical form was instantly destroyed. Now, his entire being turned a dark green, his hair floating around his head, eyes blazing red beneath his brows. Chen Yi shouted, “With your measly Nascent Soul cultivation, you think you can oppose the Ghost King? How laughable!”

The Nether King’s statue snorted coldly. “You ghostly fiends dare covet the realm of the living? Die!” He swung his giant sword toward Chen Yi.

Just as the sword was about to strike, the tower door transformed into a swirling vortex. From within, a massive hand reached out and seized the sword.