Chapter Five: Severing the Garment, Breaking All Ties

Meanwhile, in the Celestial Realm.

The Heavenly Emperor was leisurely sipping tea and playing chess with the Demon Sovereign when, all of a sudden, a tremor shook the heavens. The chess piece the Emperor had been hesitating over slipped from his fingers, landing squarely in the midst of the Demon Sovereign’s encirclement.

The Heavenly Emperor immediately scattered the chessboard. “Ah, that doesn’t count, that doesn’t count. Let’s start over!”

The Demon Sovereign shook his head in exasperation and laughed. “With your shamelessness, I can’t imagine the resolve your father must have had to choose you.”

The Heavenly Emperor let out a hearty laugh. “Who else would the old man choose if not me? Pass it to my little sister, perhaps?”

“You! If you ruin the game again, don’t bother inviting me next time!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, this is the last time, I swear.”

The Demon Sovereign sighed, “Do you sense it? Our days of leisure are coming to an end. That troublesome ghost is back again.” Thinking of that wild and unruly being, the Demon Sovereign ground his teeth in frustration, yet there was nothing he could do—he owed that person a debt of gratitude.

The Heavenly Emperor clapped his hands in delight. “Isn’t that all the better? Without that old ghost, I’d be bored to death. Besides, he’s been gone and resting for so long—it’s time for his return. I’ve already brewed my peach blossom wine, and there’s plenty to go around!”

The Demon Sovereign grumbled, “Honestly, you just can’t stand it when the heavens are too peaceful…”

The Heavenly Emperor replied, “Only when chaos erupts can calm be restored. Besides, some parasites have festered long enough—it’s time they were purged…”

The Demon Sovereign chuckled softly; it was rare to see the Emperor so serious. “You’re not wrong…”

…

Almost the moment the Ghost Lord opened his eyes, Yama did the same, his hand clenching involuntarily. He vanished from his secluded residence, heedless of any consequences for his abrupt departure.

The crimson streak along the horizon deepened. Bored with waiting, the Ghost Lord was about to leave for elsewhere. “Slave, you know I don’t care for filth.”

The dark servant replied, “Understood.” There was still enough Eradication lingering on him to erase the entire Council of Elders. At worst, once the Three Oddities had their fun, they could clean up afterward.

Without another pause, the Ghost Lord appeared before the Pool of Rebirth. The pool was awash in blood-red, and the souls in the Yellow Springs remained just as he’d left them. He never liked to owe favors; cleansing this place would be his way of repaying these souls.

The Soul-Suppressing Sword, which kept the Yellow Springs in check, sensed its master’s call and shot up from the depths, shattering the barrier in an instant. A cacophony of screams and wails erupted as ten thousand ghosts wept.

The Ghost Lord paused, then sneered coldly. Wielding the Soul-Suppressing Sword, he began to purify the Pool of Rebirth. In mere moments, the pool and the Yellow Springs returned to their former state. The freed souls, without guidance, lost their way and scattered in confusion.

The Ghost Lord’s voice rang out, solemn and resonant, “Hear me, spirits. I am the Ghost Lord. For the events of that day, you have been trapped here for years—a fault that is mine. Here and now, I swear upon my soul: all present may choose freely their fate. Those who wish to remain may stay in the Underworld; those who do not may reincarnate at once. I thank you all for answering my call on that day.”

“Oh, no need to be so polite…”

“This is wonderful! We can finally be reborn…”

…

The spirits bustled about, dispersing in an orderly fashion to their chosen paths.

The Ghost Lord exhaled softly, then froze. Even without turning, he recognized the aura behind him. He turned with a faint smile. “You’re here…”

As he paused, he was clad in blood-red robes, crimson light flickering in his eyes—a mirror image of how he’d looked the day he fell into madness. For the mighty Ghost Lord to lose control and descend into demonic frenzy would be a laughingstock, but those who knew the truth understood it was inevitable.

Yama was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. The Ghost Lord’s jet-black hair was turning white before his eyes. “You…”

The Ghost Lord hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He picked up a strand of his now-white hair and joked, “Old age catches up to us all.” But behind the jest was an inescapable sorrow.

The dark servant returned, leading the Ghost Lord’s three monsters. “My lord!”

At the sound, the Ghost Lord’s smile faded, and he nodded impassively.

Yama stared fixedly at the Ghost Lord, his expression icy and impenetrable. Yet the hand he gripped behind his back betrayed his agitation. “Are you leaving?”

“Indeed.”

They stood in silence. In the Underworld—which had not seen snow in years—flakes began to fall, swirling and soon blanketing everything in white.

The world turned silver, the wind biting cold.

The Ghost Lord’s gaze at Yama was devoid of emotion, as if seeing a stranger. Yama felt a dull ache in his heart and unconsciously took a half-step forward.

The Ghost Lord let out a soft laugh. “You should know that sparing you was already a mercy.” He had grown weary of this game.

Yama’s heart was filled with bitterness.

The Ghost Lord raised his hand, sliced off a piece of his robe with the Soul-Suppressing Sword, and declared, “In ancient times, men would sever their robes to end their bonds; today, I cut my garment to sever all affection. From this day forth, the Ghost Lord has no connection whatsoever with Yama of the Underworld.”

Before the echo of his words faded, he was gone—should they meet again, it would be as strangers.

It dawned on Yama at last: Kings of the Underworld are fated to be heartless. In his heartlessness, he did not understand love, and so he let that person down. Now that he understood, it was already too late.

“What a fool you are!” Who knows how much time had passed when Guiding Lantern found Yama. He had come to break Yama’s pointless longing, but seeing him now, he realized that longing would not be severed anytime soon.

A good elder brother should help his younger brother through his troubles; and a good subordinate ought to offer his superior some advice. Since that block of ice could not let go, then so be it…

“He was infatuated with you for so long, and you have Nianqing between you—how could your ties be so easily broken?” said Guiding Lantern.

A faint gleam returned to Yama’s vacant eyes.

“Besides, he clung to you so shamelessly at first—can’t you learn from that and give it a try yourself?”

Sensation returned to Yama’s numb body.

“And don’t forget, he’s never lacked for admirers—graceful beauties, stunning enough to shame the moon and flowers. With his reputation and abilities, he could have as many as he wants.”

The snow fell heavier, impossible to bear—the thought of anyone else drawing near, touching him, was intolerable.

“I’m going out,” Yama said coldly.

“Then take Nianqing with you,” replied Guiding Lantern.

“Absolutely not. I won’t take that brat,” Yama retorted without hesitation.

“If you want to get close to him again, then take Nianqing,” Guiding Lantern insisted.

“…”

At the border between the Demon Realm and the Underworld.

The Ghost Lord returned to his residence—the Hall of Shura. Back when he was pursuing Yama, he had built an identical mansion in the Underworld. Now, that place meant nothing to him.

Thinking of this, the Ghost Lord drained a jug of wine in one go. With a crash, the jug shattered on the ground. At that very moment, the Hall of Shura in the Underworld vanished without a trace.

Ah, and after another jug of wine, he remembered he’d left something behind.

In the Underworld, Yama was staring blankly at the iron tree. In the blink of an eye, the iron tree vanished. That man—truly, that man…

The iron tree, already in bloom, appeared before the Ghost Lord. He stared for a moment, then burst into laughter—louder and louder.

It was all too late. The Ghost Lord would never turn back on what he had decided.