Chapter 31 The Seven Fiends Formation

The vengeful spirit could never have imagined that the dragon soul, which he had stored in the Ring of Ten Thousand Spirits, was actually inside me and turned against him. In truth, it was even more unexpected for me; only later did I realize that the Eye of the Nether Dragon had absorbed the dragon soul from the ring. Why the dragon soul could enter the Eye of the Nether Dragon, I still did not know.

At this moment, the dragon soul lashed its tail and swiftly returned to the Eye of the Nether Dragon. I was left with only the instinct to survive, determined to devour the vengeful ghost occupying my soul sea.

My grip loosened, and Gu Lijinsha collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. “Damn it!” Zhang Ruyue shouted in fury, pressing the green bead directly into her forehead. Instantly, the green runes of the Eight Trigrams Yin Array flared brightly, and in that moment, it seemed as if the entire world began to collapse.

I regained some clarity; the dark mist faded from my vision, and the weakened vengeful spirit was forcibly consumed by me. I seized Gu Lijinsha’s hand and shouted, “The jade talisman to break the formation!”

She reached into her black robe, but as soon as she pulled out the talisman, it slipped from her grasp. She looked down in shock—beneath her feet was nothing but a glowing sea of green runes; it seemed as if there was an endless abyss below. An illusion, it must be an illusion! Yet the jade talisman had vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, the air filled with countless resentful souls, drawn into the green array. They transformed into a terrifying pillar of resentment that shot skyward. Thunder crashed overhead; my head spun, but the roar snapped me awake. Thunder in winter? Seriously?

In that instant, I recalled the Seven Calamities formation I had divined upon entering the valley. Six calamities had already appeared, and now with the arrival of the heavenly calamity, was the world itself about to be overturned?

Then I saw a fissure open beneath the green array, releasing a torrent of sinister energy. The Eye of the Nether Dragon seemed invigorated, greedily absorbing the dark power. Yet beneath that rift, I sensed a presence that filled me with dread.

Zhang Ruyue knelt on the ground, her pupils entwined with threads of green, chanting as if summoning something. In that tense moment, Gu Lijinsha gritted her teeth, leapt up with the Azure Phoenix Blade, and struck at Zhang Ruyue.

Zhang Ruyue looked up sharply, swatted Gu Lijinsha aside with a single swipe, and resumed her incantation. The sinister presence below intensified, overwhelming me with fear. Throughout history, once the Seven Calamities formation is complete, disaster will descend upon the world.

I had no idea what Zhang Ruyue was trying to summon, but I knew I had to stop her. I leapt forward, but Zhang Ruyue struck at me as if swatting a fly.

It was all or nothing.

I thrust the Eye of the Nether Dragon at my chest directly toward her claw. Last time, she had struck this same spot and the Eye of the Nether Dragon shot out a force that expelled the green bead from her forehead.

A metallic clang rang out as her claw struck my chest. Last time, she managed to pierce half an inch; this time, not even the skin was broken. Yet, to my disappointment, the Eye of the Nether Dragon did not expel the green bead as before. Still, I was certain that bead was the key.

Without hesitation, I lunged at Zhang Ruyue, aiming to dig the green bead from her brow.

Zhang Ruyue’s incantation broke off, and the widening fissure began to close. Enraged, she flung me to the ground and pounced, her weight like a mountain pinning me in place. A black, curved claw drove for my forehead—she knew she could not break through the Eye of the Nether Dragon’s defense at my chest, so she intended to pierce my skull instead.

I grasped her hand with both of mine, my face contorted with effort. Even as I summoned every ounce of strength, I could not resist her. I watched, helpless, as the razor-sharp black claw drew ever closer to my brow, cold light glinting off its tip.

Finally, her claw pierced my forehead, skin splitting and blood welling out. At that moment, Gu Lijinsha rose again, slapped a purple thunder talisman onto Zhang Ruyue’s body.

A deafening explosion. Zhang Ruyue was blasted away, and I was left reeling, my hair standing on end.

Gu Lijinsha rushed over to help me up, but I shoved her aside just as Zhang Ruyue darted back, her claws sinking deep into my shoulder.

Grunting with pain, I fixed my gaze on hers. Suddenly, I spat a mouthful of blood into her eyes.

She screamed, my blood streaming down her face. The green threads in her eyes receded, her expression twisting in agony.

“Zhang Ruyue, fight it! Expel the spirit controlling you!” I shouted, seizing the moment.

She struggled fiercely, her face shifting as if two souls were warring within her.

“Qin Feng, kill me, please kill me…” she suddenly cried out in anguish.

“You must all die, all of you!” she shrieked, lunging at us.

At that instant, Gu Lijinsha shouted, seized the Azure Phoenix Blade, and plunged it into Zhang Ruyue’s heart.

Half the blade sank in before Zhang Ruyue clamped her hands around it and let out a strange howl at the closing fissure.

I instantly felt that dreadful presence drawing near, sending a chill through my bones.

“Kill me, I beg you!” Zhang Ruyue’s once-beautiful face was twisted with pain as she pleaded with her eyes.

My heart trembled violently. As the green threads returned to her pupils, I shouted and grabbed Gu Lijinsha’s hand, thrusting the blade deeper.

With a sickening sound, the short blade vanished to the hilt, Zhang Ruyue’s gaze went blank, the green threads faded, and a peaceful smile touched her lips.

As she fell, her brow split open; a drop of green blood oozed out, forming a green bead. A fat worm crawled from the wound, only to dissolve into pus.

Instantly, the fissure slammed shut. I seemed to hear an anguished roar. The glowing green array faded and the darkness gave way to light. Gu Lijinsha and I remained within the Eight Trigrams Yin Array, but the blank spirit tablet was now riddled with cracks.

Zhang Ruyue lay on the ground, a smile on her lips, as if peacefully asleep.

Bloodied and dazed, I slumped to the floor, trembling as I lit a cigarette.

“Give me one,” Gu Lijinsha said, disheveled, sitting beside me and reaching out.

I handed her a cigarette. She took a drag, then burst into a fit of coughing, and soon her coughs turned to sobs.

“She was innocent…” she choked out.

I said nothing, only feeling the thread of black and white fate entwined around Zhang Ruyue, spun by the Eye of the Nether Dragon, finally vanish.

Two streams of energy surged from the Eye: one sank to my dantian, thickening my inner energy, while the other spread through my limbs, strengthening my body.

But I had no mind for such things now, nor any sense of triumph—only a strange sense of closure, as if this karmic cycle was complete.

I smoked five cigarettes in a row before lifting Zhang Ruyue’s corpse and carrying it out of the hidden chamber beneath the crematory.

Snow still fell outside, but the valley was silent as death.

I carried Zhang Ruyue toward the mouth of the valley, ignoring the dozens of corpses piled nearby, all members of the Zhang family, their chests split open and hearts and livers missing.

Their deaths meant no more to me than the deaths of beasts. Only Zhang Ruyue’s death, which came by my own hand, left my soul hollow and adrift, like a rootless reed.

I could no longer fathom the darkness of the world I had entered. I thought I’d come to accept demons and monsters, even found a thrill in killing. Yet when I guided Gu Lijinsha’s hand to drive the blade through Zhang Ruyue’s heart, I realized I was far less strong than I had imagined.

Not far from the entrance of the Valley of Shadowed Spirits, a new grave stood atop a snow-cleared hill.

A wooden marker stood before it, inscribed: “The Tomb of Ruyue, Forever Twenty Years Old.”

There was no signature, no surname. I thought, if Zhang Ruyue had a choice, she would never have chosen that name.

“Let’s go.” I tightened the cotton bandage on my wounded shoulder and spoke to Gu Lijinsha.

“To where?” she asked.

“Back to Linjiang. I have to get back to work,” I replied quietly, turning to leave.

“Huh?” Gu Lijinsha stared after me, bewildered.

…

Not long after we left, several helicopters landed in the Valley of Shadowed Spirits.

More than a dozen people disembarked, men and women, old and young. Among them was an elderly man with silver hair and piercing eyes—the same man who’d met mortuary worker Old Li in the limousine. The beautiful female driver was also present.

“Director Zhou, all these people bear traces of demonic energy. Their hearts and livers are missing. Judging by the claw and bite marks, it appears the work of lesser rat demons,” reported a tall man with a silver-steel arm.

“Fan out and search the entire area within ten kilometers. Leave nothing unchecked,” Director Zhou ordered sternly.

Once everyone had gone their separate ways, Director Zhou tossed a handful of copper coins into the air.

“It truly is a Seven Calamities formation. That thunder in winter signaled the arrival of the heavenly calamity. Yet though the formation began, it ended without incident—something must have happened,” he murmured.

Soon, the searchers returned.

“Director, we found a ruined new grave on the mountain five kilometers east. The soil and stone suggest something crawled out from within. There are traces of corpse energy at the site,” reported a man with gold-rimmed glasses, his hair meticulously combed.

“A corpse transformation?” Zhou frowned. It seemed he had underestimated this place; with both demons and the undead, they would have to scour it inside and out.

At that moment, a stout, robed Taoist emerged from the crematory chamber, exclaiming in shock, “Director, it’s another Eight Trigrams Yin Array!”

At his words, the faces of Zhou and his team changed dramatically.