A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu hurriedly asked, “Sir, how should I leave this place?”

“Well, you’re already here, so you might as well make the most out of your visit.” The old man motioned for Qi Xuansu to stay calm. “The Ghost Kingdom is regarded as a restricted area by the Daoist Order, so no one is allowed to set foot in here. Since you managed to get in, why don’t you follow me around? You never know if you’ll ever get the chance to come here again.”

Qi Xuansu was about to refuse, but after some consideration, he decided that the best way for him to leave the Ghost Kingdom was to depend on this mysterious old man. After all, Qi Xuansu did not want to be escorted out of the Ghost Kingdom by the Spirit Guards.

Thus, he had no choice but to agree. “As you wish, sir.”

“You don’t seem that willing to tag along, kid.” The old man laughed and walked ahead.

The little girl glanced at Qi Xuansu and skipped along behind the old man.

Qi Xuansu speed-walked to catch up with the old man and kept about a meter’s distance between them.

Wherever the old man went, the white mist dispersed, revealing the surrounding scenery.

Qi Xuansu looked around and noticed a variety of buildings with different heights and shapes. Although Qi Xuansu did not have a deep impression of the Imperial Capital, he could still recognize its typical architectural style. This street was no different from the long street he walked through earlier, except it was deserted.

He had a feeling that the street was only deserted because everyone had gone into hiding, as if a large army was about to pass through. Every door was closed, and no one dared to wander around.

Just as he was deep in thought, fog gathered at the old man’s feet before turning into a white rainbow bridge. The old man then led his granddaughter onto the bridge.

Qi Xuansu raised his head, but he could not see the end of this white rainbow bridge because it was blocked by more fog.

He hesitated for a moment before following the old man. The moment he stepped onto the bridge, he felt as if he were stepping on fluffy cotton. Fortunately, he did not fall through the bridge.

Qi Xuansu broke the silence first. “Sir, I haven’t asked for your name yet.”

The old man walking in front said without looking back, “My name is Yin Jiuyin.”

“Please forgive me for being presumptuous, but I think your name gives off a strong yin aura,” Qi Xuansu quipped.

The old man laughed and retorted, “I’m a millennial ghost. Do you reckon I should name myself Jiuyang?”

The little girl interjected. “Grandpa, I heard that you should name yourself based on what you naturally lack. That way, you will achieve balance. Since you are lacking in yang energy, you could really name yourself Jiuyang!”

“Watch your manners, girl.” The old man jokingly chided her before explaining, “Yang energy can come from yin energy too, as long as the yin energy is intense enough.”

“Oh, I see.” The little girl nodded.

Although the old man claimed to be a thousand-year-old ghost, Qi Xuansu still had yet to figure out whether this old man was a human or a ghost. No matter what, the old man had a much higher cultivation than he did, so Qi Xuansu had no choice but to follow them.

After an unknown amount of time, the white rainbow bridge extended into the thick fog. Although the fog parted wherever the old man passed, Qi Xuansu still could not see what was happening on both sides of the bridge.

At some point, the surrounding mist and the white rainbow bridge had merged into one, making the path indistinguishable. Qi Xuansu was worried that if the old man had not been right in front of him, he would have deviated from the path and fallen off the bridge.

They continued walking until the white rainbow bridge finally began to slope downward. The path under his feet became clear again.

Qi Xuansu only breathed a sigh of relief when his feet touched solid ground again.

The old man waved his hand. The fog in front of them receded to both sides, revealing a huge palace gate and a continuous stretch of city wall, built entirely of black boulders nearly 30 meters high. There was a sign that read, Wu Gate in the middle.

Qi Xuansu was shocked, wondering if this place really was a replica of the Imperial Capital.

The old man pointed at the Wu Gate and explained, “The master of the Zaoge Cult back then was known as the Emperor of the Netherworld. That was why he created a replica of the entire Imperial City in the Ghost Kingdom. Daoists called this place the Imperial Palace of the Netherworld. If this fog dissipates, you’ll be able to see how similar it is to the Imperial City.”

Qi Xuansu wondered aloud. “Why is it so foggy here?”

Yin Jiuyin replied, “This fog is the creation of the Daoist Order. You’ll find out the specific reason for it soon.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and did not pursue the topic further.

Past the Wu Gate was the Chengtian Gate in the south, the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the east, and the Altar of Land and Grain to the west.

The old man went to the Altar of Land and Grain.

In the mortal realm, the Altar of Land and Grain was built during the reign of Emperor Taizong, located opposite the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The significance of this altar was for the emperor to perform sacrificial rituals to the deities in hopes of having enough harvest for the empire, thus maintaining a stable reign.

Qi Xuansu followed the old man into the Altar of Land and Grain.

Heaven was considered a yang force and faced south, while the earth was considered a yin force and faced north. Since this was the Altar of Land, the buildings here were all facing south. The northernmost gate was the Halberd Gate, which also served as the main gate.

After the Halberd Gate was the Worship Hall, and the south of the Worship Hall was the State Altar.

However, the State Altar in this place was replaced with a majestic hall that was 100 meters tall. It could have been seen from the Wu Gate if it were not shrouded by the fog.

This hall was strange, with a square shape and a very flat roof that did not have any ridges or tiles. It looked more like a stool.

In fact, this hall was indeed a stool for the giant sitting atop it.

Although this giant was skinny, its body seemed to be made of countless corpses piled and spliced together. It was eerily disturbing.

The giant lowered his head and did not make a sound. Qi Xuansu could not tell if it was dead or sleeping.

Yin Jiuyin stopped about 300 meters away from the giant and the main hall, as if he was afraid that the giant would not be able to see him if he stood too close.

That was when Yin Jiuyin called out, “Master Wan!”

Yin Jiuyin’s shout was like a thunderclap that resounded right next to Qi Xuansu’s ears, creating ripples of shockwaves that caused the dense fog around him to stir endlessly.

The giant slowly woke from its slumber, revealing two red lights in its deep, abyss-like eye sockets. What was even creepier was that countless human-sized eyes all over the giant’s body opened at the same time. They were densely packed. Qi Xuansu estimated that there were at least thousands of pairs.

Countless mouths gaped open at the same time, exposing their glaring white teeth but no tongue. A yellowish-green corpse gas continuously sprayed out their mouths. With every move the giant made, dozens of corpses fell from its body, like rain.

Even though Qi Xuansu had seen his fair share of dead people, he was still dumbfounded by this sight.

This giant was literally made of corpses. Even the birds would be scared to go near it.

However, the corpse and corpse gas sizzled and disappeared as soon as they came into contact with the fog.

That was when Qi Xuansu finally understood what this fog was used for.

“Why did you disturb my sleep, old ghost?” The giant asked. His tone was casual, but his voice was too loud and overwhelming for Qi Xuansu.

“How’s your appetite lately?” Yin Jiuyin asked casually. They seemed like acquaintances. Otherwise, why would Yin Jiuyin wake the giant up and engage in small talk?

The giant replied calmly, “I ate 500 of them last month, so I’m not hungry yet. The remaining corpses in the Ghost Kingdom can last for about 100 years, so there’s no need to worry about supply for the time being.”

Qi Xuansu was once again flabbergasted.

This giant known as Master Wan actually fed on corpses in the Ghost Kingdom. This was the Daoist Order’s way of cleaning up the corpses. After all, in a place like this, the yin energy was too strong, so the corpses would not decay for centuries.

It was also not realistic to bury or burn all these corpses due to the sheer volume. Transporting the corpses out was even more unfathomable because the Daoist Order had finally restored Beimang Mountain to its original appearance. Moving these corpses out was equivalent to wasting all their previous restoration efforts.

“That’s great!” Yin Jiuyin added, “I came here today because I want to borrow something from you, Master Wan.”

Master Wan sat up straight. He was already over 166 meters tall just sitting up. If he stood upright, he would be taller than 300 meters.

The giant stared at Yin Jiuyin, who was as small as an ant in comparison. “That thing?”

“Yes.” Yin Jiuyin nodded.