Chapter Ten: The Netherworld's Shadow

Chu Tiange showed no sign of panic. He strode forward, stopping before the two ghosts and waved the steamed buns in his hand.

The Dwarf Ghost and the Old Ghost Woman began to drool uncontrollably.

Tempted by the scent of meat buns, both ghosts stopped trying to flee upon seeing Chu Tiange.

"Judging by your reaction, these must truly be human flesh buns. A dutiful son weeps for the dead, and those who pass are made into buns," Chu Tiange said, tossing the meat bun toward them.

"But do you dare eat it? This is no ordinary meat bun. If you eat it, who knows if you yourselves won’t end up on the table tomorrow?"

At these words, fear washed over the Dwarf Ghost and the Old Ghost Woman.

Humans devour humans; ghosts consume their own kind. In both the living world and the underworld, the law of the jungle prevails.

Seeing their terror, Chu Tiange shook his head. "Who would have thought that near Azure Profound City, a projection of the underworld would appear? When the shadow of the underworld falls upon this mountain town, its people are doomed to eternal torment. Two fates await them—becoming ghost slaves or ending up as meat on the dining table."

"Once they’ve tasted the crimson flesh, there’s no turning back. Their minds are ensnared by a sinister spell. This red meat carries the aura of the underworld—if you eat it, you too will fall under its curse."

"Ordinarily, you two, together with the ghost on the wall, should be able to contend with the Dutiful Son Ghost. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have survived this long without being targeted. But once you’re bewitched, you’ll be no different from meat on the chopping block—destined to become that monstrous creature’s tonic."

Having finished, Chu Tiange turned and walked toward the house in the front courtyard.

After a long hesitation, the Dwarf Ghost and the Old Ghost Woman watched his figure enter the room with the red coffin. In the end, they suppressed their hunger, dug a hole in the ground, and buried the meat bun.

Inside, the candlelight flickered, yet the room remained dim, filled with the stench of decaying wood.

Chu Tiange approached the red coffin and spoke, "Have you been waiting all this time?"

"Indeed, I have." A woman's voice emerged from within the coffin. "But I’m curious—how does a mere Mortal Bone cultivator like yourself know of underworld projections? Did Master Xiao tell you?"

"By rights, he shouldn’t have. This is a matter of stepping into the underworld with one foot—one misstep, and there’s no return. Even I may not be able to make it back."

Chu Tiange crouched, shaking his head at the red coffin. "Master Xiao told me nothing. I simply enjoy reading. Every issue of the Cultivation Weekly and the monthly reports—I never miss a single one."

"One hundred and twenty-three years ago, deep in the Northern Wilderness mountains, there was a case of underworld projection. It was only a tiny village, nothing like Dutiful Son Town—far fewer oddities. In a single night, that village became hell on earth, its people bewitched by the sinister spell."

"People devoured each other. Bones covered the village, not a single intact corpse remained. Over time, the resentment and hatred brewed by the power of the underworld would surely birth a terrifying specter."

"Then, within a hundred miles, all living things would be annihilated. Luckily, at that time, Real Person Taiqing of the Water Moon Sect happened to pass by, detected the projection, discovered the village, and before it could fester, sealed the area with an array, cutting off the yin energy and preventing its spread. He then slew all those bewitched, causing the projection to dissipate completely."

"But unexpectedly, when Taiqing left the village, he carried an infant in swaddling clothes. That child, a century later, became the youngest Nascent Soul female cultivator on the Azure Profound Continent."

The woman in the coffin fell silent.

She did not speak again.

For a long while, there was only silence.

"I do not recall this story ever appearing in the Cultivation Weekly or the monthly reports," Lu Shiqi finally said.

"You are the favored daughter of heaven, always busy cultivating. Would you bother to read such things?" Chu Tiange shook his head.

These tales had, indeed, never appeared in any publication. In truth, it had been Lu Shiqi herself who told Chu Tiange about her origins in his previous life.

Lu Shiqi was the sole survivor of that century-old underworld projection. When she learned this mountain town was shadowed by a similar projection, she volunteered to investigate its mysteries.

Why do such projections of the underworld exist in this world? Why do they reflect upon the mortal realm?

Such questions had haunted her mind, driving her to seek answers and uncover the true nature of this power.

Chu Tiange heaved a long sigh, his voice low.

That sigh seemed to carry infinite sorrow, as if weeping for all the world’s suffering.

The power of the underworld was simply too terrifying. Even in his past life, perhaps what he’d glimpsed was but the tip of the iceberg.

After a long pause, Chu Tiange spoke again.

"You already know in your heart, so there’s no need to wait—they will never find their way back. The people here cannot be saved. They must all be killed. Otherwise, the malice festering here will never cease. The so-called underworld projection merely amplifies the evil within them through the power of the underworld."

"But surely there are some good people, aren’t there? Like the infant in swaddling clothes back then—if she bore no malice, then her mother can’t have been evil either, can she?" the woman in the coffin asked.

"Human nature is originally evil. Only through innate teaching does one know good and evil; only through later nurturing does one learn loyalty and filial piety. Innate nurturing brings benevolence and righteousness, later nurturing brings propriety and etiquette. Such character is formed by intrinsic nature and cannot be changed by later upbringing."

Chu Tiange shook his head and continued, "This is the result of generations of stubborn depravity—utterly beyond redemption."

"In Dutiful Son Town, there are butchers who worship wicked Buddhas. Some sell their aged parents for three strings of copper coins just to buy a wife. The butchers then make buns from these people and distribute them free to the townsfolk, accumulating ghostly merit to cultivate the Ghost Path and seek unnatural longevity."

"This morning, I walked through the town. Every household hangs white sashes—this place is terminally ill; all have sold their kin."

"Such evil thoughts... even unborn infants are affected. Only the madwoman here remains normal—because she was trafficked in and, before becoming a Dutiful Son’s wife, had already been taught virtue and was not assimilated by the town."

"So, a hundred years ago, that infant’s mother was not from that village but had been trafficked there. Since ancient times, remote and impoverished places breed evil, uneducated folk—practically barbarians. That’s why the underworld’s projections mostly occur in such places. But what’s strange is, this town should fall under Azure Profound City’s jurisdiction—how could such an irredeemable mountain town exist here?"

Chu Tiange pondered aloud; by all rights, underworld projections should only appear in the destitute regions of the Northern Wilderness, Southern Frontier, Eastern Extremities, and Western Desolation—not here.

The room fell silent again.

Lu Shiqi remained quiet, lying peacefully in her coffin.

Chu Tiange also said nothing further, knowing she was deep in thought.

She wished to believe there were good souls in this town. But, alas, reality would not bend to her wish.

"The malice here will only grow more potent with time. Eventually, it will be more than a mere underworld projection. Not only will the lurking Ghost King become even more dreadful—"

"Worse, this place will become a bridge to the underworld. Should the beings of the underworld flood in, blood will flow like rivers, and the immortal sects will pay a heavy price to seal it," Chu Tiange spoke first, having already made up his mind.

"The greatest threat in Dutiful Son Town is the Ghost King. But it is too cautious, fearing the net cast outside the town. Even with the immortal sects’ experts in ambush, it has yet to show itself."

"Using myself as bait and waiting is pointless. So I will seek it out. I refuse to believe it will not reveal itself when the prey comes knocking. If it dies, you’ll have more time to decide."

The Celestial Bone, a creation of heaven and earth, is the holiest of bones and extremely sensitive to the uncanny. Chu Tiange had concealed its aura for his own safety.

He knew that waiting endlessly would never draw out the Ghost King. He’d have to gamble with his life.

"You’re mad! Leaving my side is suicide," Lu Shiqi exclaimed in disbelief.

"No choice—it's almost time for the Immortal Sects’ joint examination. As a good student, I can’t miss it, can I? This is also for myself," Chu Tiange answered with a faint smile.

Lu Shiqi fell silent, but one could imagine the confusion on her face within the coffin.

"It’s already past dawn. The sun here cannot be seen—the underworld’s yin and yang have replaced it. If its rays touch me, ominous consequences will follow. So, I’ll wait here until dusk."

Chu Tiange found a seat, took out a stack of yellow talisman paper from his breast, and began crafting protective talismans.

Lu Shiqi, her spiritual sense muted inside the red coffin, could still hear the faint sound of brush on paper—he was drawing talismans.

Yet she believed it pointless. Talismans drawn by a mere Mortal Bone cultivator were useless against ghosts.

What she didn’t know was that, though Chu Tiange’s cultivation was low, he had once been a mighty Divine Crossing expert in his previous life—his mastery of talismans unmatched.

Now, reborn, he wielded his past knowledge and extraordinary understanding. Though his current realm limited the talismans’ power, combined with his Thunder Sword Art and the Taiqing Jade Pendant, they were enough to save his life.

As long as Chu Tiange survived the first attack, Lu Shiqi would have time to emerge from her coffin.

Chu Tiange began with the Ghost Suppression Talisman, which demanded intense concentration. When he finished the last stroke, he put the yellow talisman away, sat cross-legged with eyes closed to recover his energy, then resumed drawing.

He lost track of time, utterly absorbed in his work. The sun set, casting a red glow over the mountain town, which, for that brief moment, seemed serene—a utopia from afar.

Opening his eyes, Chu Tiange exhaled a heavy breath and put away the seven completed talismans.

Suddenly—boom!

A bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening thunder. Fierce winds howled, tossing Chu Tiange’s hair. He looked up sharply toward the window.

Outside, rain poured down in torrents. In an instant, darkness fell. The clouds churned, merging into a single mass, and the storm intensified, as if a dragon devoured the mountain.

"This rain... damn, it’s fierce. Looks like the moon won’t show tonight."

Chu Tiange stood, pushed the door open. His hair and robes whipped wildly in the gale, but he let the storm rage.

"Do not nurse false hope any longer. Even sages are merciless, regarding heaven and earth as straw dogs. What are we, mere mortals, in comparison?"

The downpour roared and lightning danced.

Chu Tiange gazed up at the sky, his eyes deep and cold as an abyss.

"Heaven and earth are heartless; all things are but dust. Sages are unfeeling; all beings are but ants."

He murmured these words as he strode purposefully into the courtyard.

"If possible, I, Chu Tiange, would become a sage—one equal to the immortals, to safeguard the righteous spirit of this land and purge the world of its uncanny evils."

Crash—

Lightning tore the night asunder, rain fell in sheets.

Chu Tiange raised a paper umbrella, stepped into the muddy streets, and walked away until he vanished into the boundless night.

A madwoman had waited for some time in a nearby alley.

She watched as the man approached, umbrella in hand, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

In that instant, it was as if all the darkness had receded.

Rain washed the grime from the woman’s body, revealing a slender, pale neck, though nothing could cleanse her suffocating grief.

For a moment, Chu Tiange seemed to see a dignified, graceful woman standing before him, smiling and playing in the rain.

But it was only a fleeting illusion.

"I’m here," Chu Tiange said softly.

"Mm. You... will take us away, won’t you?" The woman’s lifeless eyes seemed to regain a glimmer of hope, her voice full of yearning.

Chu Tiange did not answer immediately. He lowered his head, gripping the paper umbrella tightly. At length, he nodded. "Evil shall not reign here. Such malice must be purged."

"Be careful—don’t die," the woman said, her mind seeming to grow clearer.

"Mm," Chu Tiange replied. He reached out his left hand into the rain.

As if sensing his gesture, the woman turned, their gazes meeting gently. She too extended her hand.

"Let’s make a promise—one hundred years, no lies. I will take you all out of here."

The woman trembled slightly, then turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Chu Tiange followed. Along the way, only the sound of rain accompanied them. The streets were deserted; every house’s candlelight flickered wildly in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment.

They walked the length of the street, passed several dilapidated houses, and finally reached the east city gate.

There stood an old, grand residence, a few shattered lanterns dangling from the eaves.

Above the door, two characters were written: "Jia Residence."

But the woman did not enter through the front door. Instead, she crawled in through a dog hole in the back courtyard.

Imitating her, Chu Tiange entered the residence. Lifting his head, his face froze in astonishment.

The torrential rain could not wash away the evil lingering here.

In the courtyard, sparse willow branches swayed in the wind, exuding a sense of decay.

And behind the willows, hanging from the eaves, several children swung back and forth, grinning from ear to ear.

Suddenly, a wave of consciousness surged into Chu Tiange’s mind.

It did not belong to him.

He heard furtive whispers, uncontrollable laughter, and the madwoman’s weeping.