Chapter Fifty-One: The Infernal Sovereign's Seal

“Who are you, senior?” I furrowed my brows slightly, questioning the enigmatic old man before me.

He didn’t bother with pretense and replied, “It’s been so long, I almost forget my own name. But you may call me Emperor Yi.”

“Emperor Yi?” I thought the name sounded odd, but I didn’t dwell on it. As I was about to voice my doubts, Emperor Yi seemed to see right through me and asked, “Would you like to know what story is depicted on this mural?”

“Is it the tale of the Shadow Sovereign?” I asked instinctively.

Emperor Yi nodded and said, “You’re very clever.”

Then, at a measured pace, he explained: The Shadow Sovereign was born in accordance with the will of heaven. He vanquished countless demons and monsters, carved open the primordial chaos, and forged the path of reincarnation between the realm of yin and yang. He created the Underworld, established a new order for the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and ruled the Underworld for tens of thousands of years.

Two thousand years ago, the Underworld was shaken by a great upheaval. This mural records the events of that turmoil.

My heart skipped a beat, struck by the accuracy of my guess. I pressed on, asking if it was true that two thousand years ago, an Emperor Yanluo appeared in the Underworld, overthrowing the reign of the Shadow Sovereign and becoming the new Ghost Emperor, with the ten Kings of Hell now presiding over the entire Underworld.

A trace of disdain crossed Emperor Yi’s face. He said, “The Sovereign never abdicated. Even ten Emperor Yanluos could not overthrow him. Yet, the Underworld today, under the governance of Emperor Yanluo and the ten Kings, is orderly enough, not betraying the Shadow Sovereign’s painstaking efforts.”

Confusion swelled within me. Judging by Emperor Yi’s tone, it seemed the Shadow Sovereign had voluntarily stepped down two thousand years ago. I couldn’t fathom why. Yet Emperor Yi offered no further explanation.

He then asked if my journey to the City of Wrongful Death was for the sake of a great seal.

There was nothing to hide before him, so I nodded urgently and recounted my recent ordeal, telling him my grandfather was now in the hands of that female ghost. If I failed to retrieve the seal, my grandfather would surely perish.

“Such danger! Truly, the Book of Yellow Springs must never fall into mortal hands. If it did, the consequences would be dire. Fortunately, events have unfolded according to my plan,” Emperor Yi said, relief showing briefly on his face after hearing my account.

I frowned and demanded to know what he was plotting.

Emperor Yi did not answer, instead asking, “Do you understand what that great seal truly is?”

I shook my head and admitted my ignorance.

“Two thousand years ago, the Shadow Sovereign relinquished his path and entered the cycle of reincarnation, leaving behind three things.”

My heart lurched. I now understood the real purpose behind the Ghost-faced Marquis bringing me to this dark tower—not to harm me, but to present me to Emperor Yi, who seemed to know everything about the seal. I also realized this seal was intimately linked to the Shadow Sovereign from two millennia past.

“What are the three things?” I asked urgently.

“The Book of Yellow Springs, the Ghost Emperor’s Spear, and the Sovereign Seal of Hell.”

Shock flashed across my face. I hadn’t expected the Book of Yellow Springs to be a legacy of the Shadow Sovereign. And what were the Ghost Emperor’s Spear and the Sovereign Seal of Hell?

Emperor Yi quickly explained. The Book of Yellow Springs was an extraordinary tome composed by the Shadow Sovereign himself, divided into three sections: Hundred Ghosts, Yellow Springs, and Taboos.

The Hundred Ghosts section isn’t limited to spirits; it chronicles the myriad demons, monsters, and ghosts of all ages—from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, right down to modern times; nearly every supernatural creature is recorded within.

I frowned and asked, “Didn’t the Shadow Sovereign reincarnate two thousand years ago? How could his Book of Yellow Springs still record monsters appearing in the present day?”

Emperor Yi smiled mysteriously. “That’s what makes the book so remarkable. As for the Yellow Springs section, it details methods and secret arts for dealing with these entities. These secret arts share similarities with Daoist techniques—both require incantations and hand signs—but Daoist arts rely on talismans, whereas Yellow Springs arts demand the drawing of totems.”

He didn’t elaborate much on the Taboos section, only that it holds forbidden arts unknown to most: resurrection of the dead, soul-transfer, regeneration of severed limbs—techniques that defy the order of heaven and reincarnation, bearing both benefits and dangers. Once a taboo is triggered, it inevitably brings the curse of the heavens.

I was astounded. Who would have guessed that the Book of Yellow Springs concealed so many secrets? Anxiety weighed on me, for my grandfather had returned to me by using the soul-transfer from the book’s Taboos section. Did that mean he had already invoked the curse of the heavens?

I hurriedly asked Emperor Yi how one might break the curse if forbidden arts from the Taboos section were used.

He shook his head slightly. “I do not know.”

He moved on, not lingering further on the Book of Yellow Springs. The second legacy, the Ghost Emperor’s Spear, was the Shadow Sovereign’s weapon. Yet after his reincarnation, its whereabouts have remained unknown to this day.

Finally, when he spoke of the third item—the Sovereign Seal of Hell—Emperor Yi gave me a knowing look. “Boy, I believe you’ve already guessed that the great seal you seek is none other than the third legacy of the Shadow Sovereign—the Sovereign Seal of Hell.”

I nodded, affirming his suspicion.

Emperor Yi continued, “The Book of Yellow Springs was once dropped in the mortal world. Within it lies the secret of the Sovereign Seal of Hell. Whoever obtains the book and finds the Nine Yin Fate can enter the City of Wrongful Death and come to this tower to meet me.”

Suddenly, a chilling realization dawned upon me, sinking deep into my heart. I asked, “Was it you who deliberately released the Book of Yellow Springs into the world?”

A surge of anger rose within me. That book had destroyed my family and those around me; had it never existed, none of my suffering would have happened. And the mastermind behind it all was this elderly Emperor Yi before me.

“Why did you do it?” I strode toward him, intending to seize his collar, but as my hand reached out, it passed right through his body. The old man had no physical form.

“You’re a ghost?”

Emperor Yi regarded me with an inscrutable expression. “In this world, every cause has its result. All is ordained by heaven. Even the Shadow Sovereign two thousand years ago, though he sought to break the order of heaven, could only end up defeated and cast into reincarnation. You need not hate me—even if you could—for you need me to save your grandfather.”

I hadn’t expected this old fox to play tricks with me now, but what could I do? Even knowing he was the architect of my misfortune, his goal was to lure me, a bearer of the Nine Yin Fate, to this place. Whatever he intended to do next, I needn’t speculate; he would soon provide the answers I sought.

“Do you know what the Sovereign Seal of Hell truly is?” Emperor Yi suddenly became solemn.

I didn’t answer, merely stood there with a blank expression.

Finding me unresponsive, he replied himself, “The Sovereign Seal of Hell is like the imperial jade seal in the mortal realm. It was the exclusive seal of the Shadow Sovereign, the ruler of the Underworld two thousand years ago.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t surprised; the name itself had already given me clues.

Yet Emperor Yi’s next words sent a shiver through me. He said the Sovereign Seal of Hell had another name: two thousand years ago, it was not only known as the Sovereign Seal of Hell—it was also called the First Book of Life and Death.

I was stunned. The legendary Book of Life and Death, by which the King of Hell judges mortal fate, was none other than the Sovereign Seal of Hell? Incredible as it sounded, in this time and place, I had no reason to doubt its truth.

No wonder the Daoist nun had been willing to sever herself from Mount Shu, devising such an elaborate scheme over twenty years—she had known all along that within the Book of Yellow Springs lay the secret of the Book of Life and Death...