Chapter Fifty-Six: Astonishing the World

The moment the voice rang out, nearly everyone turned toward the swirling yellow sands. Even the Lord of the City of Unjust Death, who had just been about to leave the city wall, furrowed his brow at that instant.

“Di Yi!”

The city lord murmured the name in disbelief, then muttered to himself, “Impossible. How could you possibly escape from that Black Tower?”

Indeed, Di Yi could not leave the Black Tower—whoever had imprisoned him there remained unknown. Yet now, here he was, having not left the tower, but instead carrying the entire Black Tower along with him.

Amidst the shifting sands, the nine-story Black Tower floated three meters above the ground, eighteen iron chains dangling down, binding Di Yi’s elderly form tightly. He trudged forward, step by agonizing step, beneath the weight of the tower. Above his head loomed the nine-story edifice; behind him strode a ten-zhang-tall spectral general of the Yellow Springs, bearing a massive blade, both hands gripping the Black Tower, hoisting it high into the air.

With every step Di Yi took, he left a deep imprint in the earth. Each stride was a struggle, dreadfully slow, yet there was something almost magical about his progress. Time itself seemed frozen throughout the City of Unjust Death; all eyes were riveted on Di Yi, as though witnessing the climax of a world-class weightlifting contest, with every spectator’s gaze fixed unwaveringly upon him.

I do not know how much time passed until at last the old man stood before me, the Black Tower on his back. He looked at me, a flash of anger crossing his face.

“Boy, have you forgotten my warning?”

My heart trembled. I knew he was referring to my recent use of the Yellow Springs Curse. Ashamed, I lowered my head, at a loss for words—for I had risked my life using the curse, and now felt utterly drained, as if I might faint at any moment.

Di Yi sighed. “Fortunately, we are within the City of Unjust Death.” With that, he extended his middle finger and pressed it to my brow. Instantly, I felt renewed strength.

He turned from me, no longer concerned, and gazed up at the city wall where the city lord stood. He spoke slowly: “Ming He, you have guarded the City of Unjust Death for over a thousand years. Are you not weary?”

So the lord’s name was Ming He. Ming He gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Weary, yes. But whenever I recall the moment I claimed the Infernal Seal, I know it was all worth it.”

“Is that so? You are not of the Nine Yin Fate. What use is the Infernal Seal to you? You can never harness the power of the Yin Emperor sealed within, nor master the Yellow Springs Curse, which only the Seal’s power can unleash.”

“Di Yi, do you still seek to deceive me?” Ming He sneered. “The greatest secret of the Infernal Seal is not the Yin Emperor’s power—less than a third of his strength is sealed inside. Do you think I covet that?”

Di Yi frowned, then sighed. “No wonder you’ve waited over a thousand years for the Seal to leave the tower. You knew the true secret all along.”

“Of course. I am not a fool,” Ming He replied. “But what a pity—the Seal is free, and yet you cannot claim it. Now, the entire city knows of its existence. That is no good thing. So—are you all willing to accompany me to a place forever severed from the worlds of yin and yang?”

Ming He’s brow furrowed deeply. As he leapt down from the wall, he shouted to the others below, “Stop him!”

I had no idea what was happening, nor what the ultimate secret of the Infernal Seal could be. But the urgency in Ming He’s voice suggested that Di Yi was about to unleash something extraordinary.

The ghostly soldiers charged toward us at once, Yin-Yang Scholar leading the attack. Yet a mere glance from Di Yi froze him in his tracks. The next moment, a scream rang out as the scholar was flung backward, crashing heavily against the city wall.

“Useless.”

Ming He spat the insult, then his figure blurred into a streak of blood-red light, hurtling toward Di Yi. But Di Yi only laughed. “Too slow, Ming He. You’ve missed your chance.”

Even as he spoke, a black barrier appeared before Ming He. No matter what he tried, he could not break through it in time.

Once more, Di Yi looked at me. “Boy, do you remember my warning?”

I nodded instinctively and replied that, upon returning, I would retrieve the Book of the Yellow Springs from my grandfather at once, and that the secrets of the book and the Infernal Seal must never be revealed. Back in the living world, I would seek out the one known as the Seven Killing Demon Blade and have him acknowledge me as the Ninth Yin Ghost. The Yellow Springs Curse must never be used, save at the very brink of life and death, and even then, no one must know.

Di Yi seemed deeply satisfied. He glanced at Lu Li and Wang Feiyang beside me, and to my alarm, I saw a murderous glint in his eyes.

Startled, I pleaded, “Elder, these two are my closest brothers. They would never breathe a word of what happened here.”

Wang Feiyang and Lu Li, quick-witted, bobbed their heads vigorously, like chickens pecking at grain.

“Very well,” Di Yi sighed, turning to grin at Ming He. “Ming He, it is time for us to depart!”

“No—!”

Ming He’s scream of anguish echoed from beyond the barrier. None of us understood what Di Yi intended, nor why Ming He was so terrified.

“Endless Yellow Springs, Boundless Black Law, Prohibitions of the Eight Directions, Five Elements Annihilate the Immortals!”

The words had scarcely left his lips when a thunderous boom resounded. The spectral general released the Black Tower, letting it fall with a crash, sealing Di Yi back inside.

The general then let out a tremendous roar, planting his legs like a horse stance, his calves sinking into the ground. Reaching back, he drew forth his colossal black blade.

As the blade was unsheathed, the sky overhead darkened, wind and thunder roared, and gales swept the city. Wails of ghosts sounded from all corners.

In a flash, like a meteor streaking across the sky, the general swung his blade, cleaving open a rift in the very fabric of space.

What followed was a scene of utter terror: tossing aside the blade, its edge vanishing into the earth, the general gripped the rift with both hands and tore it wide open, creating a gaping void.

I was dumbstruck, as were Wang Feiyang, Lu Li, Yin-Yang Scholar, and all the ghostly soldiers. Every gaze was filled with terror and shock at the yawning chasm in the air, pitch black within, shot through with golden lightning. None could guess what world lay beyond.

Just then, Ming He broke through Di Yi’s barrier. His face was twisted with fear and rage, his long blood-red hair whipping wildly. Shouting “No!” he charged toward the Black Tower, hand outstretched to seize me by the throat. “Give me the Infernal Seal!”

I broke out in cold sweat, instinctively dodging backward. As his hand was about to close around my neck, an immense force dragged him toward the rift overhead.

“Wu Dao. Remember my warning!”

Di Yi’s final words echoed from within the Black Tower. The earth shook, sand and gravel filled the air so thickly I could not open my eyes.

The world spun wildly; I had no idea what was happening. Only when all was finally still did I dare open my eyes—and the instant I did, my blood ran cold.

Before me stretched empty space. The vast City of Unjust Death, the Black Tower—everything—had vanished without a trace.