Chapter 21
THE QIN’GUANG KING’S expression was grave. “Guardian, haven’t you realized? The Great Seal is broken. The Soul-Executing Emissary guarded it for so many years, but now we have no idea where he is, or even whether he still lives. The small lamps on the Huangquan Road can only buy us a bit of time. As things stand, it appears that the Netherworld will be the first to fall, followed by the Mortal Realm. Please calm yourself. I assure you, I’d never test you in this manner under less extraordinary circumstances. But now we should work as one to get through this catastrophe together.”
They’re offering the carrot after the stick, Zhao Yunlan thought.
He kept his face studiously blank as he released the Magistrate, but he didn’t lower his gun. Taking another look at the ethereal Soul-Guarding Lamp, glowing with unearthly energy, he said, “What exactly would the Qin’guang King have me do?”
The Qin’guang King sighed. “The Soul-Guarding Lamp was formed from the body of the Mountain God of the Great Wild, Kunlun. It calms souls and drives away evil. It is the last and greatest protection the Four Pillars have, but…” Another sigh. “Guardian, please take a look.”
As he spoke, he tried to lead Zhao Yunlan to the edge of the pool containing the lamp, but Zhao Yunlan didn’t budge. The Qin’guang King, feeling a little awkward under Zhao Yunlan’s icy stare, gestured with his hands. In response, the Soul-Guarding Lamp slowly floated up out of the water and rotated toward them. It even tilted forward slightly, displaying its lack of wick.
“Having reached this point, let us lay our cards on the table,” said the Qin’guang King. “It’s true that this humble god has treated Kunlun-jun disrespectfully in the past. But please, on account of this one’s lowly rank and tireless efforts to protect the Three Realms, show mercy.”
The sudden change in how the Qin’guang King addressed Zhao Yunlan was a shock for Zhu Hong. She turned to Zhao Yunlan, but as usual, his face betrayed nothing.
When he replied, Zhao Yunlan’s smile was laced with mockery. “I can’t say you seem much more respectful now. Why did you keep the Magistrate from taking me to see the Reincarnation Cycle? And given how many secrets the Yanluo Kings know, how could you not know it was Shennong who sealed Kunlun’s memory and powers? I want to find the Reincarnation Cycle that he left behind and awaken Kunlun’s divine spirit. If I do, I might even be able to help you deal with that overbearing Ghost Face outside. So why stop me?”
The Qin’guang King wouldn’t meet his gaze. “This humble god acted out of line…” he hedged.
“The problem isn’t how you acted,” Zhao Yunlan interrupted. “It’s that you dared to do something you shouldn’t have. You knew Kunlun’s divine spirit hadn’t awakened because the Soul-Guarding Lamp remained unlit, right?”
The Qin’guang King looked everywhere but at him. “This… This…”
“Even if it did awaken, a divine spirit that’s been sealed in a mortal body for hundreds of lifetimes has probably lost most of its power. I’d guess it’s pretty much useless, huh?”
Laughing awkwardly, the Qin’guang King replied, “How could the Mountain God say such a thing?”
Zhao Yunlan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “If you won’t say it, I will. The Qin’guang King has been hinting that the Soul-Guarding Lamp was formed from ‘my’ body. You’ve been working your way up to saying that the lamp’s wick was Kunlun-jun’s heart’s blood, haven’t you? I think you brought me here planning to extract a vial of it from my heart. Well?”
Zhu Hong stood behind Zhao Yunlan silently, fixing the Qin’guang King with a hostile glower.
With these words, the last shred of civility was ripped away. The other Yanluo Kings landed before them; the flutter of their colorful robes in the air was like a flock of parrots swooping down. “It is our hope that the Mountain God’s noble character will have you consider the bigger picture.”
With only the barest hint of a smile, Zhao Yunlan looked back at them. Zhu Hong, on the other hand, exploded. The lower half of her body transformed into a giant snake’s tail, coiling around Zhao Yunlan. The delicate corners of her eyes elongated to reveal a cold-blooded animal’s vertical pupils. “Don’t you know he’s just a mortal?” she demanded.
Unfazed, Zhao Yunlan answered for them. “They’re not blind. Of course they know. Besides, would they dare try to force my hand like this if I weren’t mortal?”
Zhu Hong’s scales were as red as blood; when she hissed in fury, her scarlet forked tongue flickered out. “Why not just say you want to take his life?!”
Zhao Yunlan snorted. “Just think how bad that would sound.”
“All mortals age and die,” chorused the Ten Kings. “It is a normal part of the Reincarnation Cycle.”
That’s right. It’s nothing but a mortal body! Can’t you give it up to save the world?
This time, Zhao Yunlan laughed loudly. As he did, the ground quaked ever more violently, and the shadow beneath the Wangchuan River struggled with increasing ferocity. The little lamps lining the Huangquan Road teetered, on the verge of falling. The violent ghosts that had escaped Ghost City were wreaking havoc everywhere, and some were trying to force their way into the halls of the Yanluo Courts. Ox-Head and Horse-Face, standing on either side, held the doors shut. “My lord, we can’t hold them back much longer!”
Now Zhao Yunlan sighed. Softly, he said, “I’d just like to remind you all it’s not wise to burn all your bridges at once.”
Zhu Hong transformed the rest of the way into a giant python, her gleaming red scales bristling in rage. She lunged toward the Qin’guang King, the nearest of the ten, and tried to bite him. A few reapers rushed forward and shielded him with pitchforks and large blades.
The Qin’guang King pointed at Zhao Yunlan. “Seize him!”
A cold voice pierced the air. “Seize whom?”
A crowd of yao rushed in. Every last one was either a tribe leader or an elder. Fourth Uncle gave Zhu Hong a stern glance, but to her surprise, he said nothing.
Then Fourth Uncle, who had been born in the zodiac year that corresponded to his own tribe, stepped out from the crowd. He first bowed solemnly to Zhao Yunlan. “Mountain God, this humble yao was a fool who failed to recognize the grace of your presence.”
Of course, since even the Crow tribe had known perfectly well whom Zhao Yunlan was the reincarnation of, it was hard to say whether the Snake tribe leader had truly been unaware or if he’d been feigning ignorance. Either way, Zhao Yunlan didn’t call him out. He just nodded with a tiny smile.
Fourth Uncle continued in righteous tones. “The Netherworld controls the Reincarnation Cycle and has always been rude and arrogant to cultivators from all walks of life. We can forget everything else you’ve done, but the yao are deeply indebted to Kunlun-jun. No matter how incompetent we might be, we could never permit you to treat the reincarnation of the ancient god with such impudence!”
“What do the yao mean by this?” the Qin’guang King demanded.
The Crow tribe elder, who had so clearly severed her tribe from the other yao but was now back in the fray for some reason, had tagged along at the back of the crowd. Hoarsely, she said, “If there is blame to be assigned, it belongs to the Yanluo Kings’ betrayal. They’re too dishonest.”
Fourth Uncle’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t wanted to be so blunt, and now that the quiet part had been said aloud, he didn’t know how to proceed.