Ghost Realm, Soulstone Vein
A month passed in a flash. Yun Chen, Han Lian, and Xun Kun had all left the soul-liquid pool one after another. Using the pure soul power, they refined that last trace of soul thunder and even raised their spirit to the Void Refinement stage. It was an unexpected gain.
But seeing Ran Xi still soaking with eyes closed in the pool, the three could not help feeling anxious. Yesterday, Ghost King Shen Tu had already knocked on the protective barrier, saying the time allotted by the First Hall Yama had run out and that he had to send the four of them away.
They made an excuse that the barrier had been set by Ran Xi and they could not open her artifact. Since Ran Xi had not awakened, they dared not disturb her. They asked the Ghost King to report to the First Hall Yama and see how best to handle it. In any case, they would not forcibly interrupt Yunxi's healing.
Ghost King Shen Tu was displeased, feeling they were trying to take advantage. He tried a probing strike, but it did nothing to the barrier. He could only go ask the First Hall Yama for instructions.
Han Lian frowned. "What do we do? If the Yama insists on interrupting Ran Xi, what then?"
Xun Kun shook his head. "He will not. The First Hall Yama is not so ill-mannered."
Yun Chen pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. Let us put away Yunxi's ice coffin first. Her physical body must not be harmed."
Han Lian tapped her forehead lightly. "Look at me, forgetting something so important."
She turned to Li Li, who was curled atop the ice coffin. "Li Li, we need to put your master's ice coffin away. Down you go."
Li Li opened its eyes and glanced at the three. It rose, planted its forepaws, stretched lazily, then opened its mouth and inhaled, taking the ice coffin into its inner space. It wagged its tail, then squatted by the pool's edge, staring fixedly at Yunxi.
Han Lian cleared her throat and said to Yun Chen, "Yun Chen, did Li Li just look down on me?"
Yun Chen consoled her. "You misread it. Ran Xi must have instructed Li Li ahead of time. Leaving it with Li Li is safer."
Xun Kun's brows knit. "Someone is coming."
The three instinctively stepped in front of Yunxi and peered through the barrier. The Ghost King approached with a man holding a folding fan and said respectfully, "Ten Hall Yama, this is the place."
The Ten Hall Yama waved Shentu away, then stepped forward. He circled the barrier once, finally tapping it gently with his fan. In the next breath he withdrew the fan, good-looking features showing clear interest.
Yun Chen stepped forward. "Lord Yama, it is not that we refuse to leave. This barrier was set by Ran Xi. We cannot control her artifact, and we dare not wake her by force. We beg a bit more time."
Xun Kun followed. "Please be magnanimous, Lord Yama. We will compensate for any excess time. We will not make things difficult for Ghost King Shen Tu."
Han Lian offered an apologetic smile and cupped her fists. She had noticed that this Yama did not seem inclined to break Ran Xi's artifact by force.
The Ten Hall Yama waved carelessly. "No matter. Stay as long as you like. Since my elder brother promised unlimited soulstones for your healing, we will not break our word. I only worry that if you return late, the Weiyu Realm will already belong to the evil cultivators."
The last sentence made all three tense up. Han Lian was the first to speak. "Lord Yama, what do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," the Ten Hall Yama replied calmly. "A large force of evil cultivators has invaded the Weiyu Realm. The Central Region is already a battlefield."
Han Lian drew a sharp breath and looked to Yun Chen and Xun Kun, then to Ran Xi in the pool.
"Amitabha. Might we know how they entered the Weiyu Realm?" Yun Chen asked.
They all knew the "Misty Snow Domain" had been contracted by Yunxi. Without that bridge, the evil cultivators could not send a large force from the upper realm into the Weiyu Realm.
The Ten Hall Yama seemed in a talkative mood. He shook his folding fan. "It seems your continent's own sects dug their own grave. They did not seal the channel to the upper realm, so the evil cultivators exploited it."
Xun Kun turned to the other two. "The Weiyu Realm has suppression. Those entering cannot exceed Divine Transformation."
The Ten Hall Yama nodded agreeably. "True. But a hundred Divine Transformation evil cultivators entered. That should be enough for you to kill for a while."
A soft splash drew everyone's attention. The three turned and saw Ran Xi frown as she rose from the pool.
There was still a final wisp of soul thunder in Yunxi's body. Hearing the Ten Hall Yama's words, she opened her eyes, swept her sleeve to retract the energy shield, then patted Li Li's head.
Li Li sent a voice transmission. "Zūnzhě, do not rush to leave. You should refine that last wisp of soul thunder. Back in the Weiyu Realm, without soulstones, finishing it will take longer."
"Forget it. He has already said this much. If I keep stalling, I may never get out. Bring out my ice coffin."
"Yes, Zūnzhě."
Li Li opened its mouth and spat out the ice coffin. Yunxi flashed into her body, then appeared beside Han Lian. She put the coffin away, scooped up Li Li, and said, "Ran Xi greets the Ten Hall Yama. I delayed you. Please do not blame me. May we trouble you to send us back to the Weiyu Realm?"
The Ten Hall Yama gave Yunxi a once-over and smiled. "No problem. My elder brother asked me to escort you. Please."
The four thanked Ghost King Shen Tu and took their leave of the heart of the soulstone vein.
Along the way, many mining ghost cultivators stole glances at them. The four's living bodies were far too enticing. As they stepped out of the vein, one ghost cultivator could not resist and lunged at the one who seemed weakest, Yunxi.
Before he could get close, a bead of golden light shot from the Vajra bodhi bracelet on Yunxi's wrist, sending the ghost cultivator flying.
The Ten Hall Yama's expression chilled. "Such lack of discipline."
He flicked his fan. The ghost cultivator dissolved into nothing before even hitting the ground. In the next instant, all the watchers withdrew their covetous gazes.
Yunxi cupped her hands. "Many thanks for your assistance, Lord."
"Come. I know you are anxious to return."
When the four followed the Ten Hall Yama back to Judge, they ran into Huo Wan, who had been lingering nearby. She rushed over, presenting tailored robes and a storage ring to Xun Kun."Senior, here are the robes you ordered and the items you asked me to prepare."
Xun Kun had not expected her to still be waiting. He said nothing extra, sweeping the robes and soulstones away with his sleeve and handing Huo Wan a jade box. "This is the remaining payment. Keep it."
"Thank you."
Huo Wan accepted the box, bowed to the four, and ran off.
The Ten Hall Yama scratched his nose, feeling a bit awkward. Ghost cultivators in the Ghost Realm did not salute him, yet were so deferential to these four. It was a loss of face.
So he said offhandedly, "Once you accept karmic merit, you also take on karmic ties. That is not necessarily a good thing."