Chapter Sixty: The Onslaught of the Underworld Messengers

In that moment, countless memories of my time with Grandfather surged through my mind, and grief and reluctance erupted from my heart like a volcano. Instinctively, I stood up, wanting to embrace Grandfather before me, only to find my arms passing straight through his body.

I stood there, stunned and utterly shattered, as Grandfather’s voice sounded once more in my ears.

“Wu Dao, remember what Grandfather said—live well!”

“Live well!” The words echoed endlessly in my mind, so familiar it tore at my soul. In the City of Unjust Death, my father, the Ghost Mask Marquis, chose to self-destruct his Dao body to spare me a difficult choice, ending with his soul scattered. Before he vanished, he too said those same words to me: “Live well.”

“Why? Why must my life always be exchanged for the lives of my dearest kin?” Eyes red, I shouted furiously into the empty room.

Grandfather instinctively reached out to stroke my head, but his hand passed through me as well. Helplessly, he withdrew his hand. “Wu Dao, don’t be sad. Grandfather must be on his way.”

After speaking, Grandfather suddenly turned, without a trace of lingering sentiment, and walked toward the door.

“Grandfather!”

I raised my head, watching Grandfather’s departing figure, tears already streaming down my face. At the instant he reached the threshold of the coffin shop, Wang Feiyang and Lu Li, who had been standing guard outside, suddenly rushed inside.

Both looked tense, beads of sweat covering their foreheads.

I shot up from my seat, anxiously asking them what had happened.

They exchanged a glance, and then Wang Feiyang’s words exploded like a bombshell: “There are many underworld agents outside.”

His tone, always cold, now carried a palpable tension that I could clearly sense.

A foreboding chill swept over me. I guessed the purpose of these agents appearing now—they were here for Grandfather.

“How many?” I asked.

“A lot. Too many to count.”

Lu Li’s answer left me cold to the bone. Normally, when someone dies, unless under special circumstances, the underworld will send agents to escort the soul. Usually, one agent per soul, rarely more than three. Yet now, a large swarm had arrived, making it clear they were not simply “escorting,” but coming to arrest Grandfather.

Grandfather had true skill as a coffin-maker, one who dealt with the netherworld; people like him, after death, were qualified to serve as underworld officers. Ordinary agents were no match for him. Moreover, Grandfather’s soul borrowing and repeated skirmishes against those sent to capture him violated the laws of the underworld. Though they did not know Grandfather’s soul borrowing was from forbidden Yellow Springs arts, now that he was to be apprehended, his fate would not be pleasant.

“At best, he’d be sent to the eighteenth layer of hell; at worst, his soul would be utterly destroyed!” This was the only thought in my mind.

My nerves stretched taut.

“Wu Dao, don’t worry, I’ll be fine!” Grandfather showed no sign of fear. He comforted me, then strode out the door, and I followed immediately.

When I reached the doorway and saw the scene outside, I drew a sharp breath. The street was packed with underworld agents, stretching from our coffin shop for fifty meters or more.

I estimated at least two hundred.

Each face was solemn, as if soldiers about to go to war. Every one wore black tunics and carried a black umbrella, a chilling aura pouring from their bodies, gathering overhead into a thick cloud, nearly obscuring the pale, dim moon.

Though it was midnight, cars occasionally passed in front of the shop. The drivers, unable to see these agents, would shudder involuntarily as they drove by, their hearts pounding, stepping hard on the gas as if possessed, racing away.

From among the mass, two agents holding black iron chains emerged. I recognized them immediately—they were the ones who had repeatedly come to our shop to seize Grandfather’s soul, only to flee in embarrassment after we repelled them with Palm Thunder talismans.

Despite the reinforcements, these two agents still eyed Grandfather warily. They approached with caution, glancing nervously at him with every step, fearing he might suddenly retaliate.

Grandfather saw their fear, and deliberately put on what he thought was a kindly smile, trying to appear less intimidating, and spoke, “Gentlemen, come on. Old Coffin won’t make things hard for you.”

He stretched out his hands, open and unguarded.

The two agents finally breathed a sigh of relief, their tension easing. As they approached, one said, “Old Master Wu, please don’t blame us. We’re just following orders. I’ll keep the soul-lock chain loose, and once we reach the Yellow Springs path, I’ll loosen it for you.”

Grandfather nodded lightly, showing his understanding.

Soon, the iron chains were placed on Grandfather, and throughout, Wang Feiyang, Lu Li, and I stood behind him, expressionless, watching everything unfold.

Though the two agents were polite, I knew that once Grandfather set foot on the Yellow Springs path, their attitude would change. Grandfather was now a high-profile offender in the underworld—there was no denying it.

“Heaven’s roundness, earth’s square, nine orders, Palm Thunder, myriad ghosts…”

“What are you doing?” Wang Feiyang suddenly grabbed my hands, which were secretly sketching Palm Thunder talismans, his brows furrowed and his face cold.

I turned to him, my eyes bloodshot. “If Grandfather is truly taken by these agents, he’ll at best be sent to the deepest hell. I cannot allow that to happen!”

“Have you considered the consequences?”

“What’s there to consider? Grandfather is the only family I have left.”

With those words, I resolutely resumed drawing the Palm Thunder talisman, aiming at the agent chaining Grandfather, and chanted, “Heaven’s roundness, earth’s square, nine orders, Palm Thunder, myriad ghosts concealed!”

Finishing the incantation, I struck the agent with a palm, holding nothing back.

Since entering the City of Unjust Death, the Hell Monarch Seal within me had been sealed. Though I dared not use its power recklessly, it still silently enhanced my Dao arts to some degree, unnoticeable to others. Even I hadn’t expected that my blow would send the agent flying over ten meters.

The sudden development caught everyone off guard. As the agent was sent flying, the street fell silent for two seconds—the first to react was Grandfather.

He shouted at me, shocked and furious, “Wu Dao, what are you doing?”

Having crossed this line, I knew there was no turning back. I would not fear Grandfather’s reproach. Eyes red, I stared at him with resolve. “Grandfather, I know what awaits you in the underworld—at best, the deepest hell. I cannot stand by and watch you suffer or be destroyed. Today, no matter what, I will keep you here, even if I must use the Yellow Springs curse!”