Chapter 28: Delivered to the Underworld

The storm gradually subsided, the clouds dispersed, and the night sky was once again adorned with countless stars.

The people of Wenma County had just been awakened by the sound of torrential rain, hastily rising to prepare for flood prevention. Yet, as they watched, the relentless downpour inexplicably ceased right before their eyes.

A strange phenomenon, indeed.

Nevertheless, they returned to their beds; tomorrow, after all, they would need to labor again.

Far away atop Gaoping Mountain, Chen Jin was pondering the idiom “seasoned and cunning.”

“But Teacher, the Mysterious True One Qi Gourd was taken by him as well,” Boyang said anxiously.

“No need for concern. This is but one part of the plan. I shall retrieve it,” Ge Hong replied with a smile, waving his hand.

He chanted an incantation, and the Hundred Herbs Staff in his hand emitted a golden spiritual light. The light transformed into a beam, shooting southwest.

“He cannot escape my grasp,” Ge Hong declared confidently.

The spiritual light departed swiftly and returned just as quickly; barely had Ge Hong finished speaking when it came back, carrying the Mysterious True One Qi Gourd.

Compared to before, the gourd now looked much dimmer, evidently damaged by the recent contest.

Ge Hong took the returning gourd and chanted once more. A mass of purple-black gas was expelled, wrapped within a golden net of threads held by Ge Hong. No matter how the purple-black gas struggled, it could not break free.

Chen Jin was surprised upon seeing this gas; it reminded him of the one-eyed man.

“Xin Yang, I suppose you recognize him as well,” Ge Hong smiled, looking at Chen Jin.

“The One-Eyed Lord?” Chen Jin asked hesitantly.

After all, that one-eyed man had been decapitated by the Soul-Dispelling Sword, his soul utterly destroyed—how could he possibly still be alive?

“To destroy a soul is to accumulate much karma, yet you bear no trace of such karma upon yourself. Clearly, he did not truly perish. This one’s scheming is deep indeed. He must have known I would come, so he played along, feigning defeat and secretly plotting to seize my Celestial Talisman. Alas, the ways of evil are ever outmatched by the ways of righteousness; in the end, he was captured by me,” Ge Hong explained.

“Karma?” Chen Jin murmured in confusion.

“Without the Celestial Eye, karma cannot be perceived. He hoped to exploit this flaw, but my Celestial Eye has long been opened. With karma upon him, he cannot escape my gaze,” Ge Hong said.

Such is the nature of the seasoned and cunning.

Chen Jin had not anticipated the one-eyed man’s intricate scheme; he had initially thought him mad to the extreme, but had not expected such cunning.

“One-Eyed Lord, reveal your true form!” Ge Hong shouted at the purple-black gas trapped in the net.

The gas writhed for a moment, and then, as if through some magical sleight of hand, it condensed from vapor to solid—a lesson in physics for Chen Jin, a true sublimation.

“Heh heh... Little Immortal, your reputation is well earned,” the One-Eyed Lord said, his solitary eye shining with a bizarre smile as he looked at Ge Hong.

“One-Eyed Lord, your cultivation predates even mine, yet you pursue longevity without cultivating virtue, accumulating no merit, only slaughtering others to extend your own life. Now you seek to seize the Celestial Talisman. Though Heaven is merciful, it is not yours to claim,” Ge Hong declared, his voice resonant and righteous.

“I shall leave you one true spirit, sending you to reincarnation. May you not repeat your errors in your next life,” Ge Hong proclaimed his victory, full of vigor and uprightness.

‘Isn’t it common knowledge that villains die from talking too much, and heroes from excessive righteousness? Can’t you do more and speak less?’ Chen Jin grumbled inwardly, though outwardly he followed Ge Hong’s lead, his expression fierce.

After all, the One-Eyed Lord was still his mortal enemy.

But it was clear Ge Hong only spoke at such length because he was certain of victory; otherwise, given his resolute and shrewd nature, he would have dispatched the One-Eyed Lord to the underworld with a single flash.

Having finished his speech, Ge Hong transformed the net into a ball of golden fire, which burned fiercely upon the One-Eyed Lord.

The One-Eyed Lord rolled on the ground, tormented by the flames, yet unable to escape, forced to endure the burning.

“Little Immortal, if you truly send me to the underworld, the people of Wenma will never know peace,” the One-Eyed Lord tried one last time to save himself, uttering his final words.

“If you remain in the mortal world, countless others will suffer eternal unrest,” Ge Hong replied, unmoved.

The golden fire blazed ever brighter, until the One-Eyed Lord was reduced to nothing but ash, leaving behind only a faint yellowish speck of spiritual light, no larger than a fingernail.

Ge Hong then produced a blue talisman.

As it was cast, Chen Jin felt the air turn icy cold in an instant, as if winter’s wind had swept through the southern heartland.

Then, he saw Ge Hong make a respectful gesture toward the void, his lips moving as if speaking, though Chen Jin heard nothing.

When Ge Hong nodded with a smile, the chill vanished, and the faint yellow spirit light before Chen Jin’s eyes disappeared without a trace.

“The One-Eyed Lord has been sent to the underworld by me. He will likely suffer the punishment of the newly established Eighteen Levels of Hell,” Ge Hong declared.

“Eighteen Levels of Hell?” Chen Jin asked in surprise.

Were there already eighteen levels of hell in these times?

“Since the foreign religion of the West entered the Middle Kingdom, the great powers of Heaven took its essence and established the Eighteen Levels of Hell in the underworld, appointing the ten judges of Yama. It serves as a warning to the world to always maintain a kind heart. Alas, people are often foolish, so such measures must be used to both coax and frighten them,” Ge Hong explained.

‘So the Eighteen Levels of Hell were created first, then spread among people? Not the other way around?’ Chen Jin wondered.

But hearing this, he realized even the great powers above were not stubborn, but open to change. It seemed that obstinacy was rare among cultivators—just look at Ge Hong to see that.

Moreover, their wisdom was unfathomably deep; Ge Hong’s stratagems had delivered the One-Eyed Lord straight to the underworld.

Seasoned and cunning, truly seasoned and cunning.

Soon, Zhongxin and Bao Xincun returned. The group went back to the cave, awaiting Ge Hong’s next instructions.

“The plague in Wenma County may well be tied to the One-Eyed Lord. In the coming days, walk frequently below the mountain and see if any traces of his handiwork remain,” Ge Hong said, sitting cross-legged upon a meditation mat, his voice grave.

“Do not assume that with the One-Eyed Lord’s death, the traps he set will be easily unraveled. His mind was deep, and the methods he left behind are no mere tricks.”

“Xin Yang, I ask you to visit Lan Family Village again and check for any omissions.”

“Boyang, you are to investigate the site where the demon serpent was slain on the back mountain.”

“Zhongxin, look around Baibu Stream.”

“Xincun, head into Wenma County’s town and see if anything is amiss.”

Ge Hong assigned tasks to each of them.

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