A Pawn's Passage

Yin Jiuyin stuck his arm into the bloody lake and stirred it, conjuring a boat made from the bloody water.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What should I do with my horse?”

“You can leave it aside.” Yin Jiuyin waved his sleeves. The white mist turned into a canopy that blocked out the yin energy.

Qi Xuansu patted the grade horse and asked it to wait in the mist canopy, while he followed Yin Jiuyin onto the boat. Yin Jiuyin waved his sleeves again. This time, the boat automatically moved toward the corpse island in the center of the blood lake.

Qi Xuansu felt more astounded the closer they got to the corpse island and Emperor Willow.

From a distance, he could still roughly see the entirety of the Emperor Willow. But when he reached the edge of the corpse island, he could only see the huge trunk of the Emperor Willow and the hanging vines. It did not feel as eerie as he expected, but rather more ethereal and mysterious.

As Yin Jiuyin mentioned, the yin and yang energies inside the Ghost Kingdom were reversed. The yin energy here was also too strong, so firearms could not be used. As such, the corpses in the Ghost Kingdom had not decayed for thousands of years. Thus, it was no longer possible to get rid of these corpses through normal means like burning or burying.

The only option was to use some creations that were not what one would consider “normal.”

It was not difficult to build a cesspool, but it was a hassle to clean one. More than 200 years had passed, but the Daoist Order was still cleaning up the mess left behind by the Zaoge Cult.

After the boat docked, Qi Xuansu stepped onto the corpse island. The “ground” beneath his feet was sticky and soft, like mud. From this angle, he could no longer see the trunk of the Emperor Willow in its entirety. The trunk looked more like a wall.

Yin Jiuyin walked toward the roots of the Emperor Willow, which were equally big, resembling dead pythons and dragons.

After getting closer, Qi Xuansu discovered a hole within the trunk. To be fair, the tree hole was large, but compared with the gargantuan Emperor Willow, it seemed small, like an insignificant ant’s nest.

Qi Xuansu followed Yin Jiuyin into the hole and saw a wooden staircase that spiraled upward.

Yin Jiuyin explained, “Since the Emperor Willow restrains yin energy, and there are formations set up by the Daoist Order, we can’t fly and can only walk up step by step.”

Qi Xuansu could not fly to begin with, so he naturally had no objection.

The stairs seemed endless. The steps were also not uniform because they were built according to the veins of the Emperor Willow. Some of the stairs were inside the trunk, while some parts were outside the trunk. It was certainly a difficult and treacherous climb.

Along the way, there were some small treehouses serving as rest stops for the climb. Many straw figures in rattan armor, holding various weapons like bows and arrows, were stationed at these treehouses. There were also giant flying insects as big as tigers circling the Emperor Willow.

These should be the creations of the Daoist Order to guard the Emperor Willow. If Qi Xuansu had come here by himself, he would probably have been killed by these straw figures or the giant flying insects. However, with Yin Jiuyin leading the way, these guards ignored Qi Xuansu.

When Qi Xuansu came to the portion of the stairs that were outside of the trunk, he could still see the corpse island and the bloody lake below. Qi Xuansu could even see many roofs inside the lake, indicating that there were originally buildings in this place, just like the one in the yang realm. However, these buildings were somehow submerged in the lake, leaving only a few taller buildings exposed.

As they climbed higher, Qi Xuansu could only see the white mist when looking down. He could vaguely see the Palace of the Supreme Deity in the distance, looming in the fog.

In the end, the fog grew thicker, so much so that the Emperor Willow’s trunk was not visible at times.

When he reached the end of the stairs, Qi Xuansu saw a huge wooden platform above the top of the tree, as big as the Palace of the Supreme Deity. There was an altar in the center of the platform and a huge jet-black bird that was 10 meters tall. It had black feathers as sharp as knives and a wingspan of 33 meters. Its beak was like a hook, and its gaze was hostile.

However, after seeing Yin Jiuyin, the strange bird immediately folded its widespread wings and became docile.

Yin Jiuyin led Qi Xuansu to the altar, where there were many boxes and a Pingtian crown.

The Pingtian crown was worn by the emperor. It was a ceremonial headdress with a flat rectangular top and 12 beaded chains hanging down the front and back edges of the crown.

This crown was the “thing” that Yin Jiuyin was asking Master Wan and Madam Bai for.

Yin Jiuyin looked at the Pingtian crown and explained, “The owner of the Ghost Kingdom back then called himself the Emperor of the Netherworld. He built a replica of the Imperial Capital and formed a ghost army. This Pingtian crown is his relic, which symbolizes the fortune of the Zaoge Cult back then.”

Fortune was divided into two parts. One part was generated by the veins of the mountains and rivers, called the earth qi. The other part was generated by the human heart, called incense power.

At the end of every dynasty, people lost their faith as cities and lands were destroyed. This was the end of one dynasty’s fortune.

In a sense, fortune was a special kind of divine power, which took into account the strengths of both Earthly Immortals and the Godly Immortals. It was much more superior than the various divine powers of the Ancient Immortals. It could even compete with the mighty power of the heavens.

Yin Jiuyin continued, “With the downfall of the Zaoge Cult, the fortune condensed in this Pingtian crown gradually dissipates. The crown did not perish completely because this Ghost Kingdom still exists. The Daoist Order didn’t take this Pingtian crown out of the Ghost Kingdom because they did not need this bit of fortune, especially since the Daoist Order controls half of the incense power in the world and Kunlun’s earth qi. That’s why they left it to us. This is what Madam Bai said was one of the Ghost Kingdom’s few assets.”

Qi Xuansu already had a premonition in his heart, but he did not know what to say.

Yin Jiuyin stepped forward and held the Pingtian crown with both hands. “This Pingtian crown was originally kept by Master Wan, but he probably thought it was too troublesome. After all, he is closer to what Daoists call a Martial Arts Practitioner, so he’s not interested in external objects. Moreover, he’s quite careless, so he gave it to Madam Bai for safekeeping. I just didn’t expect Madam Bai to hide it up here.”

Qi Xuansu also figured that the giant Master Wan was not one to make enchantments to safeguard this crown. He was certainly suited to be a Martial Arts Practitioner with his sheer size.

Based on Yin Jiuyin’s techniques that he revealed so far, Qi Xuansu guessed that he was the equivalent of a Diviner, proficient in creating illusions.

Yin Jiuyin handed the Pingtian crown to Qi Xuansu. “I think this thing will be useful to you, my friend.”

Qi Xuansu dared not reach out to take it. Instead, he looked at Yin Jiuyin and asked, “Since this is one of the few assets that the Ghost Kingdom has, why are you giving it to me, Master Yin?”

“That’s a great question, kid.” Yin Jiuyin said with a smile, “I will repeat what I told Madam Bai. Life is fleeting, but one must have foresight and prepare for what is to come. Although the world is at peace now, no one can guarantee what the future holds.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered that Master Wan once said that there were enough corpses here to last a hundred years. He considered further. There were people in the Daoist Order who advocated for the destruction of the Ghost Kingdom. So if one day, the Ghost Kingdom ceased to exist, then Master Wan, Master Yin, and Madam Bai would inevitably have to find a way out for themselves. They could not possibly place all their hopes on the arrangements of the Daoist Order.

This was the reason Madam Bai only asked Yin Jiuyin about his plans but did not object to his idea.

Yin Jiuyin only gave an ambiguous reply. As he said, the specifics would have to wait.

In other words, Yin Jiuyin did not know what the future held, but it seemed like he was taking a gamble on Qi Xuansu. After all, no one could possibly predict what would happen a century later.

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly. “Master Yin, I’m afraid you think too highly of me.”

Yin Jiuyin chuckled. “I’ll be frank with you, kid. You are indeed ordinary, but this piece of Xuan Jade is extraordinary. If you accidentally got it, it means that you are a lucky one, destined for great opportunities. In that case, you will have a bright future.

“If it is a gift from an elder, it means that you have an extraordinary background, so you will still have a bright future. No matter what it is, I think you’re good enough for the three of us to take a bet on. Since this is just a gamble, it’s best if it works out. But if it doesn’t, it won’t matter either. After all, this crown is destined to perish.”

Yin Jiuyin was certainly honest.

Qi Xuansu was silent for a moment before he asked, “Master Yin, what do you want me to do?”

“Just a small favor.” Yin Jiuyin’s answer was still as ambiguous as ever. “We just ask that you help us within your abilities when the time comes. That’s all.”