A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not know how long he had been gone—perhaps six or maybe even eight hours.

Since the sun was shielded by a thick layer of gloomy clouds here, it was impossible for Qi Xuansu to determine the time based on the position of the sun. Day and night seemed no different.

Moreover, it was strange that he and his grade horse never seemed to tire, so he could not estimate how much time had passed based on his physical exertion.

Qi Xuansu had another way to calculate time, by using his heartbeat and pulse or by calculating the cycles of innate qi circulation in his body. However, he had lost his cultivation in this place. He could not even sense his heartbeat or pulse, much like a dead person.

That was why Qi Xuansu did not have a clear concept of the passage of time in this place.

After all the pedestrians disappeared, this long street seemed unending. The buildings on the side seemed to be rearranging themselves in a loop. They all looked familiar, but the restaurant that was originally adjacent to the silk shop suddenly appeared beside a bakery or a pawn shop the next time he saw it. No matter how many times Qi Xuansu passed by the same buildings, he could never seem to reach the end of the street.

The repetitive and monotonous journey made Qi Xuansu feel a little dazed.

He thought to himself, Why can’t I see the Imperial City yet? Is the Imperial Capital that big?

Qi Xuansu tried forcing his way into one of the buildings, but he could not break down doors and windows easily, as he only had the strength of an ordinary person here. The Xuan Jade of Death also had no effect on these inanimate objects.

He also thought about turning back, but all he could see was a vast expanse of white behind him, with no road to be seen.

Qi Xuansu could not help but wonder if this place was a real city shrouded in strong yin energy or if it was all an illusion.

Spells could turn falsehoods into reality, especially advanced spells. Perhaps this city was fake to Immortals, but to Qi Xuansu, it was tangible.

After some time, when Qi Xuansu and the grade horse under him were numb to the scenery, there was finally a change in their surroundings.

The long street finally came to an end, and Qi Xuansu could see many figures. However, he could only see a vague outline of their figures and could not identify their clothes or faces. These humanoid figures were huddled around a copper basin, mumbling something.

Qi Xuansu was so excited that his mind became clearer. This feeling was akin to washing his face with cold water after a long nap on a summer afternoon.

He listened carefully to the whispers and thought that it sounded familiar. Although he could not understand what they were saying, he had heard this chant before.

Qi Xuansu pondered seriously for a while before recalling that he had heard this chant in his recurring dream.

Every time he went to that mountain in his dream, he could see some figures hiding in the shadows away from the fire, murmuring the exact same chant.

Were these figures also members of Ancient Wuism?

Ancient Wuism was different from the Lingshan Witch Cult. The Lingshan Witch Cult’s members could not even remember the founders of Ancient Wuism, which were the Ten Great Witches of Lingshan. They only knew who Wu Luo was, but they did not know much about that Ancient Immortal’s history.

At this moment, one of those figures took out a straw figurine and threw it into the brazier.

In an instant, Qi Xuansu’s body ignited in flames. Qi Xuansu frantically put out the fire on his body, but he could still feel the searing pain on his skin.

Strange laughter echoed from these figures as they mocked Qi Xuansu.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu was furious. He took out the Xuan Jade of Death from his pocket and pointed it at those figures, instantly absorbing them into the jade.

As a result, the Xuan Jade of Death became a little brighter. Qi Xuansu was delighted to see that these figures contained divine power.

At this moment, he heard a chuckle from behind.

Qi Xuansu turned around and saw the little girl in the yellow shirt who made fun of him earlier.

“Little girl, will you tell me where we are right now?” Qi Xuansu dismounted, held the reins of his horse, and tried his best to look friendly.

The little girl replied, “The Ghost Kingdom, of course!”

Qi Xuansu’s heart sank, but he was not too surprised because he roughly guessed this was the Xuan Jade’s doing. He asked again, “How can I get out of here?”

“Just use the gate!” The little girl stretched out her hand and pointed behind her. The clouds and heavy white fog cleared in the direction she pointed, revealing a majestic city gate about 60 meters tall that was vaguely visible in the distance. Someone standing right below it would seem like an ant in comparison. Beyond the gate was a shimmering expanse of light, resembling the rippling surface of a lake.

At this moment, a white mist descended again between where they were standing and the city gate, concealing the countless buildings. Occasionally, some corners of the eaves would peek out through this mist.

Qi Xuansu looked around and saw many black dots on the top of the city wall, walking back and forth. If he was not mistaken, they should be the Spirit Guards.

“Is that the gateway to and from the Ghost Kingdom?” Qi Xuansu mumbled.

“Exactly!” The little girl smiled and added, “But if you take this path, you will probably be asked how you got in. If you don’t give a clear answer, those fierce Spirit Guards won’t let you leave.”

Qi Xuansu understood this. He quickly probed, “What about you? How did you get in?”

The little girl answered confidently, “I came in with Grandpa!”

“Where’s your grandpa, then?” Qi Xuansu asked patiently.

The little girl pondered before replying, “I don’t know where he is. Grandpa is very busy every day. He has so much work to do, but he will always come back for me when he is done. He can find me no matter where I am!”

Qi Xuansu inquired. “Will you tell me more about your grandpa?”

The little girl blinked innocently. “Well, for starters, my grandpa is not human.”

“Not human?” Qi Xuansu’s face remained calm, but his heart was pounding anxiously. “Are you going to tell me he’s a ghost?”

“Yes, I am a thousand-year-old ghost.” A voice interrupted them from behind.

Qi Xuansu felt a slight chill on his back. He turned around abruptly and saw the old man he had been talking to before standing not far from him.

His face grew solemn as he questioned, “Sir, why did you bring me here?”

The old man waved his hand. “Don’t accuse me of bringing you in here. You followed us here yourself!”

Qi Xuansu subconsciously lowered his head and looked at the Xuan Jade of Death in his hand.

The old man’s voice sounded ethereal. “That’s a valuable thing you have there. It can open a gap between the yin and yang realms. You should be familiar with the Yin Yang Gate, right? It’s a spell that allows one to bypass the distance between the yang realm by walking through the yin realm. After all, one step in the yin realm is equivalent to hundreds of kilometers in the yang realm.”

The old man paused for a moment before continuing, “This is related to the Ghost Kingdom. Back then, the Zaoge Cult created a mountain of corpses and a sea of ??blood in the Ghost Kingdom. The intense corpse qi corroded the barrier between the yin and yang realms, connecting the netherworld to the mortal realm. This caused the reversal of yin and yang energies within the Ghost Kingdom.

“Although most of the corpses had been cleaned up after the Daoist Order, the Ghost Kingdom still has a special existence. You can consider it the weaker link in the barrier between the yin and yang realms. That’s why strange things often occur when the yin and yang realms overlap.

“During that period of overlap, the residents in the Ghost Kingdom would venture to the mortal realm. Daoists call it the opening of the ghost gate. That was why the Daoist Order built a Ghost Pass. The Daoist Order told the outside world that the Ghost Pass was built to guard against foreign enemies, but in fact, it was to secure the Ghost Kingdom. In such places, it’s easy to encounter things that aren’t from the mortal realm.

“You carry this valuable object that can connect you to the netherworld, yet you still dare to travel through the Ghost Pass. I don’t know whether I should applaud your bravery or laugh at your ignorance. Otherwise, why did you think I chose to talk to you out of so many passersby?”

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly as he thought, Why am I always finding myself in such troublesome situations?