Chapter 128: The Divine Manifestation

A storm of emotions surged through Wen Qing’s chest—guilt, anger, disbelief, and a deep, choking pain.

Han Shu had been his eldest disciple. Born into tragedy, the boy had nonetheless been upright and diligent—Wen Qing had always favored him above the rest. When Wen Qing and his second senior brother had descended into the Underworld to investigate the Chi Xiao incident, they had sought Han Shu out directly.

On the surface, Han Shu had claimed ignorance. But then—behind their backs—he had led them straight into a Heaven-Slaying Formation, grievously injuring them both. If not for his second senior brother’s desperate defense, sacrificing his golden body, Wen Qing would have perished there and then. When Han Shu found himself unable to finish the job, he had sealed them within this formation instead, leaving them to die slowly.

To think he had raised such a monstrous traitor—he had cursed himself a thousand times for his blindness. Yet now, his little junior niece was telling him that the one who had betrayed him hadn’t been his disciple at all. The real Han Shu might have been dead for months—and as his teacher, he hadn’t even known.

The truth came too fast. Wen Qing’s chest ached so badly he almost couldn’t breathe. Was he truly that poor a master? His thoughts drifted back to the Taiqing Sect, destroyed millennia ago; to his teacher’s thinly veiled disappointment in him. His fragile self-confidence shriveled to dust, leaving only hollow self-loathing behind.

“By the way,” Yun Jiao suddenly said, noticing how utterly deflated he looked, “I forgot to mention—Han Shu’s seal token still held a trace of his soul. I kept it. It might be possible to save him.”

“What? Truly?” Wen Qing jerked his head up, hope flashing in his eyes.

“Little ghost, what you said—really?” Xi Teng blurted out too, face lighting up. “My senior brother still has a remnant soul?”

Yun Jiao nodded. “Mm. Unless my ancestor decided to swat it into dust already.”

The two men visibly relaxed. A remnant soul meant there was still a chance—a long, difficult one perhaps, but a chance nonetheless.

Just then, the second senior brother turned his gaze toward Xi Teng, narrowing his eyes. “You’re from the line of Master Long Chang, aren’t you?”

“You know my master?” Xi Teng blinked, surprised.

“Of course,” the elder replied with a small smile. “Your master is our senior brother.”

Xi Teng froze, realization dawning. “Then you must be…” His eyes widened in shock as he looked from the elder to Wen Qing. He’d always known that Han Shu’s master hailed from the Celestial Realm, but given the strained relationship between Heaven and the Underworld, he’d never imagined meeting that “immortal teacher” here of all places. Flustered, he scratched his head awkwardly, unable to bow while still holding Han Shu’s body, and finally gave a sheepish nod. “Disciple Xi Teng greets his two martial uncles.”

Wen Qing wanted to continue asking about Han Shu, but Yun Jiao had already pulled out the last of her needles. She stood, frowning slightly. “The yin energy here is too dense. I can’t continue treatment safely. You should be able to move now—let’s get out of here first.”

The two immortals exchanged glances and cautiously tested their limbs. To their astonishment, they could indeed stand, and the searing pain that had wracked their bodies had dulled considerably—as though muted by a layer of protective energy. Their heart meridians pulsed with faint vitality, guarded by a steady foreign force that was slowly repairing the damage.

The second senior brother looked at Yun Jiao curiously. He’d heard Wen Qing call her “little junior niece,” but she looked unfamiliar—perhaps the latest disciple of one of their younger brothers? Still, he couldn’t recall anyone in their sect with such advanced medical skill.

Wen Qing, however, had long since accepted her miracles as normal. He got up briskly, nodded, and said, “Yes, yes, let’s leave quickly! Little niece, which way do we go?”

Without hesitation, he looked straight to Yun Jiao for direction—completely treating her as the one in charge rather than a junior.

The second senior brother blinked in mild disbelief. But the strangest part was—no one else seemed to find this odd. They all turned toward Yun Jiao at once, eyes full of trust.

“Let’s head back to the three-way fork from before,” Yun Jiao said simply. “One of those paths has to lead out.”

Everyone nodded. But just as Wen Qing and his senior brother took their first steps, the ground suddenly quaked violently. More stones crashed down from above, and thick, roiling yin energy began to flood through the cracked walls. The dim chamber darkened further, and a piercing shriek echoed through the air.

The swirling shadows gathered rapidly, coalescing into a single massive shape.

The second senior brother’s expression darkened. “Not good—it’s a Ghost King!”

So that was it—the impostor “Han Shu” had stationed a Ghost King here as their warden, programmed to awaken the moment they left the platform.

Every face turned grim. Under normal circumstances, Wen Qing and his brother would have destroyed such a creature with ease—but now, still heavily injured, they could barely stand, let alone fight.

“I’ll handle it!” Xi Teng barked, handing Han Shu’s body to Captain Jiao. He gripped his long blade, and with a roar, charged forward. Flames erupted along the weapon as he swung it down toward the forming specter.

The fiery strike tore through the shadows, scattering them—but only for a moment. In seconds, the darkness gathered again, thicker and faster than before. His flames, instead of purging it, seemed to make it swell.

“What—what’s going on?!” Xi Teng stammered, staring in disbelief as the Ghost King solidified into a snarling, fanged form.

“This isn’t an ordinary Ghost King,” the second senior brother said grimly. “Its energy feels… different. There’s another force mixed in—I can’t tell what.”

“Xi Teng, fall back!”

Xi Teng turned to retreat—but the Ghost King lashed out first. A tendril of black energy shot toward him like a whip. He raised his blade instinctively to block, but the dark strand passed straight through the weapon as though it didn’t exist, stabbing directly toward his chest.

He gasped, too slow to dodge. Just as the attack was about to pierce him, Captain Jiao clenched his teeth, formed a seal, and threw up a shimmering barrier between them.

With a sizzling crack, the black tendril slammed into the barrier and snapped apart. Xi Teng collapsed backward, gasping. He was saved—but not unharmed. A blotch of corrosive black energy burned on his chest, spreading rapidly through his soul.

Yun Jiao immediately drew a defensive talisman, activating it to shield all five of them in a dome of golden light. In her haste, the burst of power smacked Xi Teng on the foot, making him yelp.

He blinked, startled, glancing between her and the others. His eyes went wide. “Wait—was that Xuan Sect magic? You— you’re human?!”

“Yep. One hundred percent alive.” Yun Jiao nodded briskly, ignoring his confusion as she examined his wound. Her expression turned grave.

“…” Xi Teng was speechless. Immortals were one thing—Heaven had its ways of crossing realms—but mortals? Since when could ordinary humans stroll in and out of the Underworld like tourists?!

(⊙_⊙)

“Don’t move,” Yun Jiao ordered curtly. The dark energy was devouring his soul; if left unchecked, he’d soon become part of the Ghost King itself.

Since when can Underworld Ghost Kings absorb living souls like this? she thought grimly. Something was very wrong.

She prepared her needles, then paused, quickly swapping her usual silver ones for the special gold set her ancestor had crafted for treating incorporeal beings. Silver would have no effect on a pure soul body like Xi Teng.

While Yun Jiao focused on sealing the corruption, Wen Qing and his brother watched Captain Jiao’s duel in astonishment.

“That technique—” the elder murmured, eyes widening. “Little junior brother… isn’t that the Xuan Heart Sutra? When did ordinary disciples start learning that?”

“Mm.” Wen Qing nodded tiredly. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that in the modern mortal world, everyone could practice the Xuan Heart Sutra now—not to mention new spells like the Celestial Descent, the Five-Element Refinement, and the Yin-Yang Rebirth Mantra…

Captain Jiao, meanwhile, was clearly reaching his limit. The Xuan Heart Sutra was powerful, yes, but he was still a mortal cultivator. Facing a Ghost King of this caliber alone was impossible—especially one that wasn’t quite normal.

He retreated under Yun Jiao’s barrier, panting, as the Ghost King’s claws scraped against the protective light. “Yun Daoyou, do you have any more talismans?” he asked, voice tight with strain.

Yun Jiao shook her head while focusing on her acupuncture and defense array. “Not enough to make a difference. Hold it off for a moment; I’ll set a killing formation.”

But Captain Jiao had already bitten down hard and pulled out his last two talismans. “No choice,” he muttered, activating the first. “Let’s pray this works. Ancestors above, please bless your loyal disciple—!”

He formed a quick seal and shouted:

“Heaven and Earth of the Xuan Gate, deliver mercy to all beings, purge evil and subdue demons! By this summoning talisman, your disciple Heng Yi beseeches the appearance of the exalted Taiching Patriarch—Wen Qing Tianzun!Grant me your divine power to smite evil!”

A blinding golden beam erupted from the talisman—

—and landed squarely on Wen Qing’s head.

Yun Jiao: “……”

The second senior brother: “……”

Wen Qing Tianzun himself: “……”

Captain Jiao, however, didn’t notice anything amiss. Assuming it had failed, he quickly lit the last talisman, changed his incantation, and shouted again:

“Heaven and Earth of the Xuan Gate, deliver mercy to all beings, purge evil and subdue demons! By this summoning talisman, your disciple Heng Yi beseeches the appearance of the virtuous and mighty Patriarch Yuan Jiang Tianzun! Grant me your divine power to smite evil!”

Yun Jiao: “……”

Wen Qing: “……”

Second senior brother—Yuan Jiang Tianzun—: “……”

MDZZ.

(End of Chapter)