Chapter Eighteen: Stories of the Past
Standing to the side, Su Fan was already shaken to his core. He suddenly understood that Chen Yi had been plotting against him from the very beginning. First, Chen Yi lured him in with the bell, then gained his trust with the spirit stones. Finally, he used the treasures within the tower to tempt him, causing Su Fan to break the seal.
Su Fan sighed inwardly, “Chen Yi’s cunning is like that of a fox—so sly and calculating. Without realizing it, I’ve aided him.”
He reasoned that the master of the giant hand was surely a formidable cultivator, and with such murderous intent, Su Fan was bound to be caught in the crossfire. He couldn’t escape; everyone present could kill him countless times with ease. And that sudden appearance of the giant hand left him even more fearful.
Quietly, Su Fan began to move backward, hoping to slip away amid the chaos. He knew that the only way to save his life was to flee this place, no matter what.
From afar, Chen Yi seemed to see through Su Fan’s intentions, his eyes gleaming with mockery as he said, “Fellow Daoist Su, I must thank you for helping me break the seal. You are the greatest contributor to my Ghost Domain. When the Ghost King deals with the Underworld King, I will surely collect your soul for the Ghost Domain. Perhaps the Ghost King will appreciate you.”
Su Fan glared coldly at Chen Yi, silent but frantically searching for ways to escape.
The Underworld King’s statue snorted and spoke, “Young friend, Chen Yi has cultivated for centuries and is certainly crafty. That he outwitted you is no surprise—I do not blame you. The Ghost King’s ambition to breach the boundary between the Ghost Domain and the Cultivation Realm will not be easily realized.”
With those words, the Underworld King’s massive body flashed with golden light, pouring fierce spiritual energy into the giant sword. The enormous hand that gripped the sword swiftly released it. The sword then slashed fiercely toward Chen Yi, whose ghostly body collapsed instantly, turning to ash.
A beam of golden light shot from the Underworld King’s statue to the tower’s edge, slowly coalescing into a human form. This figure was identical to the Underworld King, though lacking the malevolent aura, instead exuding a certain immortal grace.
He waved his hand, collecting Chen Yi’s storage pouch. Retrieving the spirit stones within, he sat cross-legged and absorbed them directly.
Su Fan stared, dumbfounded. Though spirit stones contained vast spiritual power, one could not absorb them by force—those lacking sufficient cultivation would be overwhelmed and perish as their meridians burst.
After a moment, the Underworld King opened one eye, glanced at Su Fan, and smiled, “I am about to seal the gate to the Ghost Domain. Young friend, would you act as my guardian?”
Su Fan hesitated, then hurriedly replied, “I am willing.” Though he agreed, his mind was filled with questions and complexity.
The Underworld King, as if seeing through Su Fan’s thoughts, said calmly, “I am the master here, the Underworld King. You need only help me gather spiritual energy while I set the seal.”
Su Fan nodded. He understood how to gather spiritual energy—it was a simple technique used in cultivation.
Seeing Su Fan’s assent, the Underworld King smiled slightly, then began to shift the hand seals in his grasp. Instantly, a massive Taiji diagram appeared above his head. At first, the colors were dim, but as his hand seals quickened, the contrast grew sharper—ultimately, pure black and pure white.
The Taiji diagram seemed to be reflected in the void. Gradually, all the spirit stones floating beside the Underworld King turned to ash, though it seemed more was needed.
Without hesitation, Su Fan took out all the spirit stones from his pouch and tossed them beside the Underworld King. A barely discernible glint of admiration appeared in the Underworld King’s eyes; he merely smiled. With a wave of his hand, the stones shattered. The surrounding spiritual energy grew dense, nearly dozens of times that of the Tianyuan Sect’s cave.
Thirty spirit stones converged to create spiritual energy for a single seal. Su Fan felt the loss keenly, but did not show it—after all, he was responsible for the situation. He possessed the spirit of responsibility, and besides, it was fortunate the Underworld King had not sought trouble with him.
At that moment, the Underworld King spat a mouthful of essence blood, forming a mist around him. Raising his hands to the heavens, the blood mist slowly drifted toward the Taiji diagram.
Suddenly, the black and white of the eight trigrams dimmed. Now, however, the eight trigrams radiated a powerful killing aura—any ordinary person would crumble at a touch.
The Underworld King slowly rose, drew a symbol with his hand, and sent it into the vortex. The Taiji diagram pressed swiftly onto the vortex. Gradually, the vortex transformed into a doorway.
Su Fan looked at the Underworld King, whose face was pale; clearly, the seal had drained him greatly.
The Underworld King drew a yellow talisman from his robe and cast it toward the door. Suddenly, a giant fist burst forth from within, shattering the seal instantly. The fist snatched the yellow talisman, which turned to ash. Then, another punch struck the Underworld King, who was sent flying hundreds of steps.
A figure emerged from the doorway. His handsome, arrogant face was framed by two ink-black brows and a pair of violet, bewitching eyes. His long silver hair floated behind him, mesmerizing all who saw him—even women would sigh in envy at such a striking visage.
He spoke slowly, “With your mere loose immortal cultivation, you think to seal the gate to the Demon Domain? Did this king permit it?”
His gentle yet domineering tone brooked no argument.
After finishing, he swept a glance at Su Fan standing to the side.
The Underworld King rose, expression unchanged, and smiled, “With your cultivation as Mo Ming, Ghost King, I truly cannot seal this place today. But since only your avatar is here, I hardly regard you as a threat.”
Mo Ming, Ghost King, paused, maintaining his composure. “Underworld King, why persist in this? You’ve guarded the gate to the Ghost Domain for so long. Your sect has likely forgotten you. Why not follow me to the Ghost Domain? You would stand as my equal—what say you?”
The Underworld King sneered, “Ghost King, perhaps my master frightened you senseless years ago, for you now speak such nonsense.”
The Ghost King smiled, unperturbed. “Underworld King, am I truly powerless against you?”
The Underworld King barked, “If you want battle, then battle—enough words!” With that, his hand seals shifted, and the previously hidden killing aura now surged forth.
He roared, “Starlit Blaze!” Instantly, a blaze descended from the sky before the Ghost King, spreading rapidly like a prairie fire.
The Ghost King stood with hands behind his back, waving his left hand to summon dense purple mist. The mist enveloped the fire, gradually suppressing it. The Ghost King smiled, “Underworld King, you are no match for me.”
A cold gleam flashed in the Underworld King’s eyes as he laughed, “Is that so?”
At once, his whole body blazed with golden light as he charged at the Ghost King. Mo Ming’s face paled, and he retreated hastily.
He cried out in alarm, “You are burning your own lifespan! You will truly perish—what madness!”
Retreating, Mo Ming hurriedly summoned waves of purple mist to block the Underworld King’s assault.
Mo Ming withdrew to the vortex, glanced at Su Fan, and said coldly, “Young friend, you feel strangely familiar to me. Come to the Ghost Domain with this king.”
He reached out to grab Su Fan. The Ghost King’s cultivation was far beyond Su Fan’s; he had no chance to resist.
The Ghost King’s giant hand seized Su Fan, then flew toward the gate. Suddenly, a red light radiated from Su Fan, and the world seemed to freeze. The Underworld King stopped in his tracks. The Ghost King hovered in midair, holding Su Fan.
After a moment, the Ghost King fell from the void to the ground, exclaiming in terror, “What is that?”
He failed to notice his giant hand withering visibly. At this moment, Mo Ming was thoroughly disheveled, oblivious to his own loss.
The Underworld King, burning his lifespan, stood aside, stunned. Su Fan’s heart was pounding.
The jade pendant on Su Fan’s body absorbed the Ghost King’s spiritual energy uncontrollably. Shortly, the Ghost King regained his senses and shouted, “You ant, how dare you absorb my essence! Return it all to me!”
The Underworld King recovered and charged at the Ghost King. Seeing this, the Ghost King’s face twisted in fury; he abandoned his intention to kill Su Fan and fled toward the vortex.
Thunderous roars issued from the vortex, followed by a furious howl, “Ant Su Fan, when I break open the gate to the Ghost Domain, I will find you and exile you to the eighteenth layer of the Ghost Domain, where ten billion specters will devour you!”
The Underworld King remained expressionless, chanting a spell. With a thunderous roar, his physical body shattered, leaving only his nascent soul. The nascent soul pressed its hands together, chanting, and gradually reconstructed the Underworld King’s body.
The nascent soul sent the body forward, merging it into the gate. It became a Taiji diagram sealing the entrance.
Having finished, the Underworld King smiled at Su Fan, gazing deeply at him. “Young friend, thank you for guarding me just now.”
Su Fan was about to speak when the Underworld King continued, “Your jade pendant is quite extraordinary, but as I am a dying man, I will not contend with you for it.”
Su Fan nodded and asked, “May I ask, senior, do you know what the jade pendant is, and what makes it so special?”
After a moment, the Underworld King replied, “With your current cultivation, it is best not to reveal the pendant again, lest it bring disaster.”
Su Fan remained silent. The Underworld King smiled, “You are called Su Fan, aren’t you? I have watched you since you entered this ancient tomb. You act cautiously but not without decisiveness. Though your cultivation is low, you kept your composure during the recent battle. Your constitution seems unusual. Still, reaching this level shows your strength of mind. I think, after you establish your foundation, things may improve for you. Alas, I am a dying man; otherwise, I would certainly take you as my disciple.”
At this, the Underworld King sighed several times. Su Fan raised his head to see the Underworld King’s nascent soul dimming and fading, though the King showed no fear.