For a moment, Mei Ying blinked. Her heart thumped furiously like drums.

In the young woman’s mind, the faces of the senior hunters, Kong, the large cousin, the weeping mother, and innumerous other people flashed through; hence, reminding her of why she came this far. Subsequently, the dim faces of even her father and younger brother—appeared as well, both waiting in Cheng Xiu Village for the huntress’ return.

Being literally close to death itself, Mei Ying began to contemplate on what she has yet to achieve and those whom she had left behind for the main cultivation world.

With her sinking heart, she thought, Shifu, it seems…that I got myself into a huge mess, just like you said I would.

Her eyes began to wander for a bit, thinking about how she should respond.

As Mei Ying subtly scanned over the area on her right side, she spotted an unusual silk lantern, with a crimson-robed woman painted over it. It was tucked in the lowest shelf of the infinite wall of books and scrolls, all of which were organized around the First Judge’s massive desk. At eye-level, the item was partially covered in dust, leaning against some thin reading materials. What was more is that in the woman’s right arm were flowers, resembling the ones that Mei Ying often manifests from her spiritual energy.

The fleeting discovery of the lantern stirred the young woman’s deep sense of unease, especially with the painting’s floral birthmark. Why would First Judge have something like this here?

Mei Ying was then reminded of the dream that she had in the secret realm. Again, she recalled the gentle rain of maple leaves scattering across a yard of red chrysanthemums, the boy clinging onto her crimson skirt, and the man who rebuked such ‘sticky’ behavior.

Frowning, the huntress smacked her head.

“Why are you hitting yourself?” asked the man, arching a thick brow. “This woman’s gone crazy, ah…”

“Do not mind me…” Mei Ying laughed, sheepishly.

“I don’t have all the time in the world, waiting for your response. Neither do these souls that you came for!”

With her smile fading away, the huntress steeled herself. “Before I can make a deal, I want to make my purpose clear: I wish to retrieve the hundreds of cultivators’ reincarnation souls, because someone from the other realm forcefully disrupted and retained their main souls in a magical device.”

“In other words, the Netherworld…” First Judge’s cheeks puffed, nearly breaking into a scornful laugh. “…is supposed to just hand over these souls that were brought here by mistake to you?”

“No, the Mortal realm will burn millions of merits for you, First Judge.”

“Merits? I am not impoverished by any means.”

“Then, we will set up an elaborate feast in according to the Song clan tradition and burn thousands of incense sticks with prayers and songs for however days and nights.”

“Nope. Not that either.”

Huh? Mei Ying stared at the Immortal. “Well, First Judge, we can do both if that is—"

“It’s not our fault on whether they’re all here by mistake or not.” The man scoffed, turning away with hands clasped behind his back. Feeling the mortal’s glare burn through him, First Judge went on, “Souls are souls! If they are here, it was their fate all along!” He raised his eyes to the high golden ceiling overhead. “Unless…”

Quickly, the black-robed man rotated around to face Mei Ying, with a cold smug. He pointed his index finger at the wary spirit. “…you sign a Soul Bargain contract with me.”

“Contracts by the Netherworld are, unfortunately, notorious among the righteous cultivation sects.”

“Are you refusing my offer, arrogant child?”

Mei Ying fired back with a question instead—“And how would I know that you would keep your word?”

As quickly as these words were said, the courtroom’s two ghost guards walked up and stopped shortly behind Mei Ying, with glaives in hand.

“So insolent…” First Judge looked over at the ring around the young woman’s right finger. “Well, I’m sure that Song clan imparted you with the knowledge of what happens to those who does make it this far.”

“Of course.” The huntress flashed out her brilliant sword. Her demeanor frosted over like ice. “Many had died.” While holding onto the hilt of Fa Guang, Mei Ying’s hand subtly trembled.

Seeing the sword’s full body and white handle, First Judge creased his brows together. The spiritual energy was pure like snow, light as water, and clear like the cultivator’s conscience.

Promptly, both guards went to grab Mei Ying from behind.

Arrogant child… Casting his eyes to the black glossy floor tiles, First Judge sighed. This old person only remembers you because of the unique curse mark on your soul. If the caster does not remove it, you can only pray that your accumulated karma will free you.

At full tilt, the huntress spun around with her blade. Her footwork was elegant like a dancer, nimble—swift—but sharp. Like a vicious tornado, a swish of crimson petals surrounded Mei Ying and shoved the men back and across the colossal room—tearing the extensive courtroom in half.

Was your ‘justice’ worth it? The black-robed man pinched the small area between his brows, gently.

❁❁❁

“Young Miss!” Xiao Li could only helplessly watch the young woman tighten her jaw as sweat rolled alongside of her neck.

Much to his alarm, Mei Ying’s complexion was deathly pale. Regardless, she continued to chant the spell over and over. Xiao Li did not dare come closer to the shining golden dome that surrounded the huntress. He hesitated. There was a slight falter in Mei Ying’s oral incantation, and a soft spurt of blood dripped down from the corner of her lips.

“Her spirit is in trouble.” The teenager was about to turn at his heel, ready to hop onto the handle of his glaive and fly. However, he remembered Jian Yu’s strict order and the flash of his red eyes.

“F*ck!” Xiao Li was not allowed to leave. What can he do, then?! “F*ck! If only my sister came with us!”

Glancing up toward the tremendous floral-shaped seal overhead, the adolescent could feel the struggling repression of yin energy to avoid furthermore attention from surrounding demons, ghosts, and walking corpses. He was in the middle of what many Netherworld inhabitants would consider—as a lavish Ghost Festival buffet, especially with a young woman imbued in delicious celestial aura. If consumed, her soul, along with the core, would be a gold-tiered meal package that is fit for a king.

Xiao Li’s breath shuddered, watching the crimson speck of a cultivator in the sky. Jian Yu stared at the wide-ranging storm of low-ranking demons. They were a mix of Wild and Ferocious ranks, gleaming over with joy at the gathered helpless mortals with impressive and strongly cultivated cores. The juvenile’s sharp eyes allowed him to see Jian Yu make a soft motion with his hand as if to warn the creatures. One of the flying demons sneered. The young man flipped over his hand, revealing the burning black sword. A hazy reflection showed…

The demon’s expression twisted in a quick flash of horror.

Using the floating magical seal as a cover for what was happening above, Jian Yu swiped the sword of red flames in one broad horizontal motion. Instantly, all the demons’ ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the dark skies as every single one of them detonated into dust.

Meanwhile, cultivators, who were on their flying swords, pounded at the red ceiling that was casted just before one reaches the seal. It was odd that they were prevented from approaching or following Jian Yu. Feeling the scorching blast that spread over the barrier, many jerked back and away from the enigmatic event. Following that, a red scintillating light nearly blinded them as they covered their sight with broad sleeves.

“What’s that?!” Some of the men shouted at each other. “Did you all see?!”

“If I saw, don’t you think that I’d be blindly talking to you then?” One scowled. “Nobody’s dumb enough to go blind for you!”

“Oh, the boundary has been removed, everyone!” Another exclaimed. “But where are the demons?!”

Xiao Li, spoke a low, dulcet voice.

Composing his solemn self, the servant almost breathed out a sigh of relief and glanced back at the weakened Mei Ying, surrounded by her gold bubble. Yes?

I sensed that Mei Ying’s soul has become unstable. stated Jian Yu. How is she looking?

It was difficult to hide Xiao Li’s joy, listening to Jian Yu’s voice in the spiritual communication channel. Coinciding with that though, the teenager wanted someone to… His pale hand curled up into a tight, shaking ball. While observing the trail of blood grow and drip down Mei Ying’s chin, Xiao Li’s eyes grew hot. He wanted someone to save her.

Isn’t that normal to wish for that on someone who had saved him? For the servant, it was unbearable. Everyone but Jian Yu and his sister knew about Xiao Li’s true feelings toward humans and their fragility.

Mortals…are truly too weak. Their lifespan was like of a firefly to Xiao Li. They are born for a second, live for a moment, and then, they succumb to death. It was why humans were easy to manipulate, being wedged between following either the teachings of the Heaven realm or the Netherworld. They all fear death, wanting to live forever. To reach that end, many attempted to cultivate, channel spiritual energy, mold their cores, make deals with Heaven Immortals or demons, and crawl their way to Immortality.

So, what though? Once more, after a hundred years later, even as an Immortal, Xiao Li was useless.

To Jian Yu, Xiao Li responded, Her…face is really pale, she is sweating profusely, blood is coming from her mouth, and her posture seems a bit weak. I’m not sure how much longer Mei Ying’s spirit can reside in the Netherworld.

There was brief silence from the other side, and just when the teenager was about to ask about the next step, Jian Yu said, Thank you—

A tumultuous blast of stone and rocks shook the entire place, disrupting the servant’s focus. In a flash, the adolescent concentrated on the calm flow of his spiritual energy to retain his balance on the stone platform. What was that?!

Noting the shift in atmosphere, Xiao Li’s eyes flickered down to the field below at ground level. He watched Wei Sheng yank at the red, glowing ribbons that wrapped around the veiled stranger quite ruthlessly as Bing Wen’s dragon spirit gradually uncoiled the villain. With a snap of the man’s fingers, a large assembly of glowing talismans stuck themselves onto the captive who squirmed in his restraints.

Ah, it wasn’t that hard, was it…? thought the teenager.

Just then, Xiao Li’s pupils contracted. Both Wei Sheng and Bing Wen nonchalantly began to make hand seals against their chest while standing over the bounded villain. Wait, wait…

During the noise, confusion, and danger—the teenager saw that all the foolish mortals were too busy to even notice what was happening. Xiao Li stepped forward, only to glance back at Mei Ying, who was still seated and chanting. He extended two fingers out, neatly pressed together, and whispered out an incantation. A baleful shadow casted upon his youthful face.

Before the servant finished the summoning, a sword, wrapped in hot flames, whizzed over his hair.

Bing Wen’s head snapped up. As soon as he made eye contact with the weapon, the astronomical golden dragon flicked the flying sword aside, dousing the abnormal fire completely with its mighty wind. The current was so strong, that several cultivators were like ants, swept off their swords—only to be thankfully caught by their comrades.

“Big brother!” Jian Yu called out from afar, with a false grin. “Are you and that old pervert already leaving?!”

Glowering, the warrior god cursed under his breath. He snapped to the person by his side, “You! Complete the spell!”

Witnessing this, when the people realized that they did not get the jar of souls back—they began flying down to the arena and making their way toward the captured Heaven Immortal. To this, the ferocious dragon slammed its talons down against the stone and earth, creating an abrupt shockwave that sent numerous cultivators flying back or off their balance and tumbling to the ground.

Immediately, the crimson magical seal in the sky disintegrated.

There was a dismal quietude as cultivators stared wordlessly, with the blood pumping heavily through their beating hearts and veins. Their mouths parted open. Eyebrows were raised.

At that moment, even the highest-ranking cultivators were reminded how fragile their lives were. In the end, they were made of soft flesh and not—cold jade or clouds.

Soon, the towering white-and-gold beams that supported the amphitheater slowly cracked and collapsed, set by set. Again, the people began screaming and shouting at one another. Some reeled over and fell.

Without missing a beat, countless tiny orbs of red light gathered around the titanic structure to keep the building from toppling altogether! The clouds of fireflies had manifested from nowhere, and much to everyone’s bewilderment—they seemed extremely intelligent and was capable to understanding to human speech, further multiplying when needed and flying to wherever someone claimed to be disastrous.

Jian Yu lowered his eyes, with a bitter smile, “You’re so heartless that it’s going to make your brothers cry.”

Hearing this, Bing Wen snapped, “SHUT UP!” The god was seething, with his broad shoulders heaving up and down. His fists were red and white, tightly curled up until blood began to drip.

From the corner of Bing Wen’s eye, Jian Yu’s sword was relentless, picking itself up without its master’s order before racing toward the gods once more. Again, the dragon whipped the weapon away. The man stepped in front of the chanting Wei Sheng before unsheathing his sword when he realized that the other weapon had split into a wide arc of multiple clones!

During the chaos, the veiled stranger did not move, laying on the ground. In spite of the hundreds of scrolls around his body, the person’s eyes slowly curved up.

For the time being, the surprising display of swords, from earlier, coincided with the shattering of Mei Ying’s golden barrier. The young woman’s lashes quivered, eventually opening her eyes. The red birthmark on her forehead was glowing quite intensely.

On the other side of the towering amphitheater, a gust of wind blew against Xiao Li’s long braid. When he blinked again, the adolescent noticed that Jian Yu had already rushed over to Mei Ying’s side. Quickly, Xiao Li hurried toward the two, with his glaive.

“How can I help?” Jian Yu asked his friend.

“Answer me.” Rubbing her temple, Mei Ying sighed. She dropped her hand and went to stretch her aching legs from sitting all this time. “What’s…the situation?”

“Bing Wen and Wei Sheng are trying to ascend into the Heaven realm with the murderer.”

“And the pot of souls?”

“Still in their possession.” With a red handkerchief, Jian Yu leaned over and wipe off the dried blood from the young woman’s lips and chin. He tossed it into the air, and the fabric disappeared. “What do you want to do?”

Xiao Li’s attention flitted from the Young Master to the huntress and back to the latter. Ah, the teenager is here too, but for some unknown reason, he felt…like an outsider. Moreover, his mind was quite muddled by Jian Yu’s behavior.

“We’re going to retrieve it.” Instantly, Mei Ying’s entire body shrouded over with gleaming gold light. “They can’t get away with this.”

Despite her ghostly complexion, the young woman staggered to her feet. Her mind was jumbled with many questions, but her feelings on the matter had no place here. Swiftly, Mei Ying felt for her sword, which stayed in its scabbard, and, as always, the chain-belt hugging her waist.

Though Xiao Li had sensed the heavy air, he could not help but utter, “Young Miss…”

Jian Yu’s bottom lip trembled for a bit, noticing how dirty Mei Ying’s cloud-white outer robe had gotten, rolled in dirt, leaves, grass, and smeared in blood. Not only that, but there was also a hot teardrop that trailed down the young woman’s cheek.

Mei Ying used her sleeve to dry the tear away; then, withdrew the radiating chain and bells from around her waist. Walking over to the gold-rimmed jade railings that overlooked the field below, the huntress turned her back to both Jian Yu and Xiao Li. All at once, she seemed much smaller than before. Her shoulders appeared thinner as well, and even her grip on the weapon quivered a bit.

“I'm not going to stop you since you are just going to destroy the pot of souls so long if you do not try to seek vengeance…” Jian Yu gently spoke up. “But if you don’t want to hurt Bing Wen and Wei—"

“I’m fine.”

“But you’re a mortal—and you’re hurting!” Xiao Li was unable to suppress his thoughts, raising his agitated voice. “Have you eaten anything since last night?! Did you even sleep—Hey!”

Before anyone could stop Mei Ying, the last bit of her dirty white outer-robe had vanished out of sight. She had already dropped straight down below to join the fray.