Chapter 105: The Eye of the Netherworld

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At the bastion of the Spirit Capital, a faint, strange energy swirling around me infused itself into the female ghost's spectral form. Her damaged ghostly body swiftly began to heal.

After a while, I withdrew my hand from her ghostly form and sat aside, sipping from a golden teacup filled with San Yin tea brewed from the San Yin fruit.

Her ghostly form solidified once more, nearly indistinguishable from that of a living person. She opened her eyes and floated before me, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she spoke in a soft voice, “Thank you, my husband, for saving me. More importantly, thank you for saving the thousands of souls in Spirit Capital.”

Souls? Rather, ghostly subjects!

I drained the San Yin tea from my cup in one gulp, then lit a cigarette amidst the startled gaze of Da Ya. Yet, my ghostly wife showed no reaction at all.

“Hong Zhuang, you must have known from the start that I’m not a ghost,” I said.

“Yes, husband. At first, when I seized you back, I did not know, but by the time of our wedding night, I understood,” Hong Zhuang nodded.

“I’m a living person. Why didn’t you harm me?” I asked, puzzled.

“No matter what you are, we have taken our vows before heaven and earth as husband and wife,” Hong Zhuang replied.

I exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking at the ghost queen’s shy expression with a hint of disbelief. They say ghosts are full of lies; I would only believe you if I were a ghost myself.

“Then why did you kidnap me? How many have you taken before me?” I asked, not in the best mood.

Hong Zhuang squatted beside me, tilting her head to look up at me like a wronged little wife.

“My kidnapping is but an obsession. True, I have taken many, but before the wedding ceremony, they all perished under my killing intent, their souls scattered. They were unworthy, mere chaotic ghosts without true intelligence. How could they qualify as my husband? In life, I was the queen of Spirit Capital; in death, I am its ghost queen. My husband must be one who can truly move my heart,” she spoke softly. Though her posture was humble before me, her pride was unmistakable.

“Did I move your heart?” I asked.

Hong Zhuang smiled, pressing her lips together. “At that time, no ghost dared linger on that road. I sat in a bridal sedan chair out of habit, but unexpectedly, I truly met someone. At first sight, I knew this obsession should be placed upon you.”

“Before I died, the Taoist Seer of Huaguo once visited my residence. He spoke in riddles, but one phrase stood out: 'On the path of the Yin spirits, a suitor will come; after a spring night, follow him home.'” Hong Zhuang rested her head on my lap, murmuring.

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“I am trapped in this realm of the dead, unable to escape. To be freed, I must fulfill these two lines of poetry,” she answered.

“You want to return to the living world with me?” I asked.

“Of course. You are my husband, a living man. Naturally, I shall follow you to the mortal realm. Where my husband goes, I shall go,” Hong Zhuang said matter-of-factly.

“You are the lord of Spirit Capital. Even if I could bring you back, what about the city?” I asked.

Hong Zhuang rubbed her cheek against my leg. “Let Da Ya manage it for me. No matter where we go, I will always be in your shadow. You can’t shake me off.”

I smiled wryly. So, I’m bound to her. A ghost queen following me around—truth be told, I wouldn’t mind that. Yet, I have the feeling things won’t be so simple.

A windfall from the heavens fell upon me: a ghost queen for a wife. From now on, I just need to speak, and she can handle everything. Perhaps, if the mood strikes, we might even witness a spectacular battle between humans and ghosts.

It sounds wonderful, but reason tells me not to indulge in such fantasies. Usually, the more beautiful the dream, the harsher the reality.

“So, what about the siege by the demon souls and zombies? How did you get hurt?” I asked.

“I was the executor in the contest for the Netherworld’s Eye. I won,” Hong Zhuang said, lifting her head proudly.

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The Netherworld’s Eye?

My heart skipped a beat. Finally, there was news.

Before I could ask, Hong Zhuang recounted the chain of events.

The Netherworld’s Eye is that gigantic stone eye. It appeared suddenly in this realm of the dead. At intervals, it awakens, releasing a vast and pure surge of Netherworld energy capable of rapidly augmenting the power of the undead.

The Netherworld’s Eye possesses intelligence. It incites the ghost king, corpse king, and demon soul king to compete, selecting the executor who will channel the energy surge.

The executor not only gains the prime position but also receives rewards—treasures born of the Netherworld.

“That’s all?” I asked.

“That’s all,” Hong Zhuang replied.

I raised an eyebrow. The Netherworld’s Eye appearing in the undead realm—is that a coincidence? Absolutely not.

It is reshuffling the power dynamics among the undead according to its will, pitting ghosts, corpses, and demons against each other for some unknown purpose.

I closed my eyes, reclining on the bed, cigarette in mouth, lost in thought.

Sky Burial Sand River, the realm of the dead, the Netherworld’s Eye, the Netherworld Rift—there must be a pattern here. But what exactly?

Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through my mind.

I remembered that I initially came tracking the source of the Yin Vein.

The Yin Vein lies beneath the Sky Burial Sand River, which is indeed a realm of the dead.

Could it be said, then, that this realm of the dead is essentially the Yin Vein itself?

The Netherworld’s Eye, appearing within the Yin Vein—could it be attempting to rip open a rift through the Yin Vein?

After all, the Yin Vein exists tangibly in the real world.

“Husband, what are you thinking?” Hong Zhuang suddenly asked.

“When will the Netherworld’s Eye awaken?” I inquired.

“Soon. When the time comes, I will receive a warning from the Eye,” she replied.

…

Once again, I gazed upon the Netherworld’s Eye. Unlike last time, when thousands of undead swarmed around it, the place was now desolate and empty.

I watched from afar for a long time before slowly approaching.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

I tapped the Netherworld’s Eye, feeling it was no different from ordinary rock.

At the spot where I previously entered its inner space, I tried leaning backward, but nothing happened.

I guessed I would have to wait until the Eye “opened,” then use the array-breaking ring to enter.

I circled the Netherworld’s Eye a few times and began to retreat.

As I stepped back, my foot struck a long, protruding rock behind me.

These rock ridges were everywhere—front, back, left, right. During the last energy surge from the Netherworld’s Eye, the undead stood divided along these ridges, those at the front absorbing the densest energy.

At that moment, a thought struck me. I pulled out my compass and began rapid calculations.

While working, I marked locations.

Halfway through, my expression turned grave.

“It’s another Yin array of the Eight Trigrams, only arranged differently. The array’s core is this Netherworld’s Eye,” I thought.

“But this Yin array is placed atop the Yin Vein. What’s the Netherworld’s Eye’s true purpose in unleashing these energy surges? Would Netherworld beings be so generous as to feed the undead of the Yin Vein with such pure energy?”

I scratched my scalp, feeling overwhelmed.

“Husband, what are you thinking?” Hong Zhuang’s ghostly form appeared.

“Hong Zhuang, as executor of the energy surge, where do you control it from?” I asked.

She pointed to the Netherworld’s Eye. “Inside.”

“Will you take me in when the time comes?” I asked.

“Probably not,” she shook her head.

Seeing my disappointment, she pondered a moment. “Husband, but I can try.”

In the time that followed, I learned more about this realm of the dead.

It felt like a space similar to the Netherworld Rift—relatively independent yet connected to the real world.

Still, I don’t understand why I can enter here but not leave. The first time, I exited through the Netherworld Rift after entering via the Netherworld’s Eye.

Besides Spirit Capital, the realm hosts clusters of demon souls and zombies. The entire space stretches several hundred kilometers—roughly the length of the Yin Vein.

In Spirit Capital, I led a carefree life, listening to Hong Zhuang play the zither, teasing Da Ya, and exploring the grand splendor of Spirit Capital as it was centuries ago.

Time seemed meaningless here; there was no sense of its passage.

Though outwardly at ease, my heart remained restless.

Hong Zhuang played the zither while I lounged in a rocking chair, cigarette in mouth, Da Ya kneeling before me massaging my legs.

Midway through her playing, Hong Zhuang stopped and looked at me. “Husband, the Netherworld’s Eye is about to awaken.”

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