Chapter 177: One Was Left Behind

Yun Jiao reinforced the seal once more, weaving additional layers of formation into it. This way, even when Zi Chen’s residual demonic energy eventually dissipated with time, the Crimson Abyss’s miasma would never again erupt.

Sheng Heng, however, remained sitting where he was—motionless, hollow-eyed, as though his soul had been cut away. Whatever they said or did, he gave no response at all. His entire consciousness seemed trapped inside a dead knot of guilt and despair, impossible to untangle.

Yuan Jiang sighed. Zi Chen’s second death was truly a pity. Even as bystanders, they felt it deeply—how much worse must it be for him? It seemed Sheng Heng would never escape that shadow.

“Uncle Yuan,” Yun Jiao said, glancing at him, “please send him to the Spirit Domain. He’s beyond reason now.” Then she looked up at the darkening sky. “It’s getting late. We’ll head back to Qingyang Sect first and wait for you.” She gave a deliberate look toward her ancestor beside her.

Yuan Jiang immediately understood. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve already contacted the Spirit King. He’ll meet us at the Underworld’s gate. Sheng Heng’s in no state to cause trouble. I’ll return shortly after.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Yun Jiao took out a teleportation talisman. “Old man, we’re going.”

“Wait, we’re leaving already?” the old man blurted, blinking. “Aren’t we going to find Brother Xi?”

“…”

Both Yun Jiao and Yuan Jiang froze.

Ahem. Yuan Jiang cleared his throat, forcing a serious expression. “Little niece, Brother Bai is right. Perhaps we should stop by the Spirit Domain first. You’re skilled with formations—you’ll be useful. The Spirit King is also a Yama; he can help us trace Xi’s soul. It won’t take long.”

“I completely agree, Uncle Yuan,” Yun Jiao said, matching his tone with perfect composure.

“So we’re going to find Brother Xi now?”

“Yes!”

Old Man Bai: “…” You totally forgot about him, didn’t you? You both did!

凸(艹皿艹)

And so, abandoning their plan to return home for dinner, the group turned instead toward the Spirit Domain.

Among the countless souls they had released from the Eternal Forest, none had been Xi Teng’s. That meant his disappearance had nothing to do with the Sky-Swallowing Beast. Moreover, when they last went to the Underworld, the beast had already been taken away by Sheng Heng—so the only one who might know Xi Teng’s whereabouts was the Spirit King himself.

The Spirit King was more than happy to see them. The lost souls of his city had been restored, and the culprit delivered to him on a platter—what wasn’t there to celebrate? When he heard they were searching for a missing soul, he pounded his chest proudly. “Leave it to me!”

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and began to channel his power. “If your friend’s soul still lingers in my domain, I’ll find him. Human souls stand out clearly here.” He closed his eyes, fingers forming a detection seal.

After a moment, his expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face. “Huh?”

“You found him?” the old man asked urgently. “Where is he?”

The Spirit King hesitated, his face growing more peculiar. “I found him, yes… but his location…”

“What? Don’t tell me he’s no longer in your realm?” Yuan Jiang asked.

“He’s here,” the Spirit King said, grimacing. “Just… not in the Ghost Domain.”

“Then where?”

The Spirit King pointed at the ground beneath their feet. “In the Purgatory. And not just anywhere—he’s on the lowest level.”

“What?” all three exclaimed together.

Purgatory—the place reserved for the most vicious, condemned souls.

The Spirit King frowned. “Who exactly is your friend? He carries no sins, yet somehow ended up there. I only noticed because I sensed an unusual disturbance from that level.”

“Brother Xi was teleported away at the city gates,” the old man said anxiously. “How could he have ended up in Purgatory?”

“The city gate?” The Spirit King’s eyes narrowed. As if realizing something, he turned toward the ruins of the former royal city and traced a quick spell. A streak of red light shot from the rubble and landed in his palm, solidifying into a black book. His expression cleared. “Ah, I see now.”

He turned to look at Sheng Heng, still trapped within an immortal seal, dazed and unresponsive. “So that’s where you hid the Book of Life and Death—at the city gate.”

At the sight of the book, the others understood. Sheng Heng had wanted control over the royal city—not only against the Yama, but also against his ghost judges. Stealing the Book of Life and Death gave him that power. The formation at the city gate had been his trap, designed to send anyone who entered into Purgatory to buy himself time.

That cursed realm was a one-way pit; once inside, even a golden immortal like Yuan Jiang would have to exhaust himself to escape. It was only because Yun Jiao had disrupted the formation that they were spared—though Xi Teng had still been caught in it.

“At least we’ve found him,” the Spirit King said at last. “Allow me to escort you to Purgatory myself. I’ll bring him out.”

“That would be a huge help, Your Majesty!” the old man said at once, deeply relieved.

“No need for such formality, Lord Youling,” the Spirit King replied with a smile. With a wave of his hand, the Book of Life and Death flared, and before them opened a glowing pathway that spiraled downward into the depths.

“Come, girl!” the old man said, stepping eagerly toward it.

But Yuan Jiang moved quickly, blocking Yun Jiao with one arm. “Wait—little niece must not go.”

“Why not?” she asked blankly.

Even the old man blinked in confusion.

Yuan Jiang shot him a look that screamed idiot. “The Purgatory isn’t like the Ghost Domain. Its yin energy and baleful aura are hundreds of times stronger. I bear celestial essence, you carry the Yama’s token, and your master’s cultivation speaks for itself—but she’s a mortal. If she goes in there, she’ll become a spirit for real.”

The Spirit King nodded gravely. “Daoist Yuan is correct. It’s far too dangerous. Retrieving a single soul won’t take long anyway.”

“Oh.” The old man finally realized and turned toward Yun Jiao, suddenly uneasy. Without her, he felt strangely… insecure. “Then wait for us here, girl. Don’t leave, all right? Promise you won’t run off before we’re back.”

Yun Jiao: “…” What are you, five?

“Go on already,” she said dryly. “Be quick about it—it’ll be dark soon, and I haven’t had dinner.”

Only then did the old man nod reluctantly. Turning toward the aloof figure nearby, he started, “Then, Ancestor, shall we—”

Before he could finish, the previously indifferent Night Abyss abruptly took a step back, returning to Yun Jiao’s side. He shot the two men a cold look that clearly said: If my disciple’s not going, I’m not joining you fools either.

The old man: “…” Why does it feel like I just got rejected again?

Yuan Jiang: “…” Why am I still catching strays when I’m the furthest one away?

(End of chapter)