Chapter Twenty-Six: Delusion

The rain of falling petals had ceased.

Xi Chunxue withdrew her gaze as well, turning her head to look at the Wailing Inferno now encroaching beneath the shadowy slopes of the Netherworld’s Yin Mountain. Above the plain, the blood-red sky of the inferno and the gray, hazy heavens of the Yin Mountain formed a stark, unyielding boundary.

“The Wailing Inferno has spread all the way here, yet not a single ghost warden has appeared to stop it. That’s rather odd,” Xi Chunxue remarked, her tone puzzled.

“It’s because the inferno was always at the foot of the Yin Mountain. Someone forcibly separated the Wailing Inferno from this Netherworld mountain with a stretch of open plain,” Su Yuanbai replied. His eyes, moments ago as red as the other shore flowers, faded back to their usual jet-black.

“To forcibly sever a hell? What kind of peerless power and mastery would that require? Only a lord of Hell itself could manage such a feat,” Duan Lingqi exclaimed in awe.

Xi Chunxue shot him a sidelong glance. It was rare to see this wicked dragon show any expression other than mocking flattery, and his shock eased some of her suspicions toward Su Yuanbai. If the beast was truly so alarmed, his master could hardly be omnipotent.

“Yet we’ve seen no ghost wardens, nor the King of Hell who oversees the Wailing Inferno,” Su Yuanbai said quietly.

“But isn’t the Fifth Court’s King Yama supposed to preside over the Wailing Inferno?” Xi Chunxue frowned, confused by Su Yuanbai’s calm assertion. She had never heard of this so-called King of the Underworld.

“The Netherworld is a vast realm of its own. Yama need not personally govern the Wailing Inferno and the Sixteen Hells of Heart-Piercing Torment. He often journeys to the Hall of Judgment to preside with the other nine kings over the fates of countless souls.

“So the lesser judges and ghost wardens handle the myriad affairs of the land on his behalf. Yet the Sixteen Hells and the Wailing Inferno are guarded by his sixteen ministers and the Brahman-Yama wardens under his command.

“By rights, there should be a Brahman-Yama warden in the Wailing Inferno. But now, they are nowhere to be found—nor are the sixteen ministers of the Heart-Piercing Hells,” Su Yuanbai said, eyes lowered.

“There really aren’t any,” Duan Lingqi added, peering into the blood-red hell before them. Aside from the wailing souls suffering disembowelment and torment by flying blades and fiery stones, there was no sign of wardens or ministers.

“Do you remember what you said?” Su Yuanbai turned to Qu Hanchen, who stood trembling behind them, eyes fixed in fear on the blood-colored hell.

“What?” Qu Hanchen asked blankly.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember. The pact is already sealed.”

Su Yuanbai approached Qu Hanchen, touching a long, pale finger to the center of his brow. An intricate, sinister black pattern unfurled across Qu Hanchen’s forehead.

“Why do I feel… happy?” Qu Hanchen muttered, rubbing at his brow with a puzzled frown.

“If the Brahman-Yama warden and the sixteen ministers are absent, it means they must have followed Yama to the Hall of Judgment to escort the souls condemned to torment,” Su Yuanbai explained, withdrawing his finger and gazing down at Qu Hanchen’s suddenly radiant smile.

“Why are you telling me this?” Qu Hanchen scratched his head in confusion.

“At this moment, only the minor judges and ghost wardens remain in the Palace of Yama. If you’re lucky enough to encounter a judge on patrol or a ghost warden on a soul hunt, you’ll have but one enemy to face,” Su Yuanbai said slowly.

“Enemy?” Qu Hanchen’s confusion only deepened.

But Xi Chunxue seemed to guess at something and quickly took several steps back, one foot already dangling over the mountain’s edge, the other barely keeping her from falling.

“What are you afraid of?” Duan Lingqi grabbed her arm, perplexed by the fear etched into her face.

Su Yuanbai’s next words froze Duan Lingqi as well, his own face mirroring Xi Chunxue’s terror, his eyes bulging with dread.

“Yes. Your enemy is the Lord of the Palace of Yama,” Su Yuanbai said.

At this, Qu Hanchen’s legs buckled beneath him, his very soul seeming to shrink, and he stammered incoherently.

“Don’t worry. The Yama that the Brahman-Yama warden and sixteen ministers follow is the Lord of Suffering, the male Yama. The only one you must face is the Lord of Joy, the female Yama, who now holds the Palace of Yama.

“Compared to her brother, she is much weaker,” Su Yuanbai stated calmly, as if discussing something trivial. He looked at the three huddled together in fear.

“Go on, His Excellency is speaking to you!” Duan Lingqi tried desperately to shove Qu Hanchen forward, but this time Qu clung to him so tightly that the dragon’s claws left raking marks on his arms.

“Whether male or female, the Lord of Yama is still the sole sovereign of the land. Making her your enemy is a perilous choice. We all return to the Netherworld after death—what if she bears a grudge and takes revenge?” Xi Chunxue whispered, forcing herself to breathe.

“She will not seek revenge,” Su Yuanbai replied evenly.

“How can you be so sure she won’t—”

“Because she will die,” Su Yuanbai said, his tone light.

With a thud, Duan Lingqi, Xi Chunxue, and Qu Hanchen collapsed to the ground in terror, staring wide-eyed at Su Yuanbai.

“If she does not die, we will,” Su Yuanbai continued, raising his hand. The black, intricate pattern flickered across his skin as he reached toward Qu Hanchen, grasping at the air.

Qu Hanchen felt as if invisible fingers closed around his throat, lifting him off the ground. This time it was no illusion—he truly sensed the pain and suffocation.

Death.

He would truly die.

Suspended in midair, Qu Hanchen thrashed desperately, his arms flailing like a drowning man grasping for a lifeline.

“Do you want to die?” Su Yuanbai’s calm voice echoed in his ear, burrowing into his mind, sinking from his ears to his heart—haunting, inescapable.

“No, I don’t want to die!” Qu Hanchen’s bloodshot eyes locked onto Su Yuanbai, bulging as if they might fall out, his throat rasping with each breath.

A foul-smelling demon rose up at Su Yuanbai’s feet, jaws flayed of flesh, revealing jagged, saw-like teeth as it began to gnaw at Su Yuanbai’s flesh.

“Good,” Su Yuanbai said, lowering his hand. He paid no heed to the demon at his feet, his gaze fixed on Qu Hanchen, who was now wreathed in black, intricate patterns.

“Next, we go to slay Yama.”

Turning aside, Su Yuanbai’s eyes grew dark and deep, gazing toward the endless expanse of the shadowy Yin Mountain, his voice steady as the path ahead stretched into infinity.