Chapter Sixty-One: The Fierce Battle with the Underworld Envoys

“Nonsense!”
Grandfather lifted his hand and swung a slap at me, but his palm passed right through my cheek. I only felt an icy chill, followed by a searing pain.
Though Grandfather’s slap hadn’t touched my body, it landed squarely on my heart.
I gave a hollow laugh, paying no heed to his anger, and said, “Grandfather, you’ve always been the one protecting me. This time, let me protect you!”
“And what makes you think you can protect me?”
Grandfather’s rebuke struck me dumb. Indeed, with my current strength, what right did I have to protect him? Was I relying on nothing more than my hot-blooded courage and that mysterious Netherworld Incantation?
Grandfather seemed to want to apologize to the underworld envoys, but it was already too late.
Their primary duty was to capture wandering souls. They must have faced resistance before, but never had they suffered such a setback as now, with Grandfather possessing a body and openly defying arrest. In truth, he’d already crossed the underworld’s line; resentment toward him simmered beneath the surface.
After my actions tonight, the envoys’ patience had reached its end. Even Grandfather, powerful as he was, could not hope to stand against hundreds of them.
Almost simultaneously, every envoy on the street drew from their waists the soul-locking iron chains, each exuding a chilling aura. Everything seemed prearranged—their movements were swift as lightning, flawless in execution.
As they strode toward us, encircling, my heart clenched. I traced a sigil in my palm and fired off a Thunder Talisman at the nearest envoy.
He shrieked and was sent flying, limp as a kite with a broken string.
At the same time, Wang Feiyang behind me drew his bamboo knife and struck hard at an iron chain wielded by another envoy.
But Wang Feiyang was no match for that envoy. Sparks flew as his blade clashed against the iron chain. The envoy let out an eerie screech, and his soul-locking chain coiled around Wang Feiyang’s wrist like a serpent.
Wang Feiyang was pinned in place. Another envoy’s chain struck his shoulder with a heavy blow, wringing a cry of pain from him.
“Heaven’s Principle Supreme, Master of Arms, guardian of the earth, preserver of essence, Azure Dragon to the left, White Tiger to the right, bearing the Dragon Sword, seal of five blessings, commander of sacred officials, general of three and five, all evil must be struck, all monsters destroyed, let this sword decide—by urgent command!”
Suddenly, I heard Lu Li’s incantation, and a golden blade of energy shot from his fingertip, striking the envoy’s soul-locking chain with a resounding clang.
The chain snapped. Wang Feiyang seized the chance to free his knife and, in a single motion, slashed the envoy across the face.
Then, as if by unspoken agreement, Wang Feiyang and Lu Li took up positions on either side of me.
A complicated tangle of emotions welled up in my chest. I was gratified that my brothers would throw themselves into battle for my sake, but I worried for these two fools—by raising their hands against the underworld, they had surely invited disaster.
Both Wang Feiyang and Lu Li seemed to sense my thoughts. Wang Feiyang glared at me, “Is this really the time for daydreaming?”
My eyes burned. I managed only, “I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“Nonsense!” Wang Feiyang snapped. “My whole family is gone. You’re my only brother left—how could I ever turn my back on you?”
Lu Li added, “I’m not afraid. The Shu Mountain Sect has some ties with the underworld; many of our past masters and elders hold positions there. So I roughed up a few envoys—my superiors will cover for me!”
Wang Feiyang and I both shot him a look, complicated with envy. Having connections really was a blessing!
By now, the envoys had surrounded us from all sides, at least ten chains lashing out at once. I managed to deflect two, but another struck me squarely in the chest.
These soul-locking chains were nothing like those of the mortal realm. They left my body unharmed, but agony ripped through my soul—an indescribable pain, as if an itch deep inside your ear could not be scratched, except the itch was replaced by pure torment.
With over a hundred envoys here, even my father, the Ghost-Faced Marquis, would not escape unscathed. The three of us barely held our ground, but we hadn’t come to destroy the envoys—only to buy Grandfather time to escape.
To my dismay, Grandfather stood unmoving the entire time. The envoys dared not attack him directly, and he made no move to help us, as if weighing some great decision.
At last, just as we could hold out no longer, Grandfather moved—not to flee, but to step before us.
A surge of formidable underworld energy burst from within him. He roared at the envoys, and at least ten flew backward as if struck by an invisible force.
“Go!”
With a wave of his hand, a gust of spectral wind swept the three of us into the coffin shop, and Grandfather followed in a flash.
Before we could steady ourselves, Grandfather swept his arm again. The lids of dozens of coffins in the shop simultaneously flew off, and from each shot a talisman inscribed with protective spellwork.
At his command, the talismans plastered themselves across the shop’s main doors.
Held at bay by the power of dozens of talismans, the envoys could not break through at once. The door rattled violently, as though it might shatter at any moment, and the talismans began to burn. In a blink, fewer than twenty remained.
Seizing the opportunity, we dashed toward the backyard, scaled the wall, and Wang Feiyang asked where we should run.
“To Shu Mountain!” Lu Li answered at once. “Shu Mountain is the foremost Daoist sect. Even the underworld must have proper documentation and the sect leader’s approval to make an arrest there. The current sect leader is my master—the envoys won’t come knocking anytime soon!”
I nodded. We had nowhere else to go. Escaping the envoys was our only hope for now.
Lu Li took the lead, but before we could make our escape, a terrifying voice rang out all around us.
“Wu Zhenlong, return to the underworld with me. I promise no harm will come to these juniors beside you.”
The voice was like the bellow of a demon from the deepest hell, rattling our eardrums and chilling us to the core.
Grandfather, who had been floating along with us, suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if frozen with fear.
“Grandfather, what are you doing? Run!” I cried desperately, dismissing the voice as just another envoy leader.
Since we’d already thrown ourselves into the fray, why should I care about one more?
“There’s no escape.”
To my shock, even Lu Li, who had been leading the charge, stopped. He muttered, voice trembling, and his face was etched with terror and disbelief.