It was the second day of the Kaigan pit festival. Compared to the first day, the audience was lesser. This was because the event was being broadcasted to the general public in a way they can access easily from wherever they want. Thousands of players were now inside the pit, monitoring them was an arduous task. But the general scene was apparent, souls that resembled tartar, souls that were once players like themselves who had now lost all their sanity and only now chase life, stuck to the players, dragging them down, beating their spirits and consuming them alive. To these residual spirits the new players were nothing short of food.
Zhang Xiyu was one of the last ones to enter the pit and so was lucky to find that there was no one chasing after him the second he entered. He looked up at the sky, it was nothing but a tiny speck of red light, encased within a long tunnel.
The exit was so far above that he lost any hope to climb his way out. The only way to get out now was to complete the task given by Yuan Hai. The sooner he gets it done, the sooner he gets out.
Following Yuan Hai's instruction, he chooses a safe corner between the rocks and sits down in a lotus position.
"Meditate?" Zhang Xiyu looked at Yuan Hai incredulously.
Who does he think I am? Some cultivation hero from a pocket novel? Soon he will tell me I can jump over falling leaves.
"Stop looking at me like that. Yes, meditate. Back at Liu Lei's, you must have been exposed to something. Otherwise, you would not even be capable of scratching that woman." Yuan Hai's gaze pierced him. Zhang Xiyu did not accept nor deny that theory.
Yuan Hai pulled out an amulet from his sleeve. "Here, wear this. Even an amateur can cultivate something with this. It has my guiding mana."
Zhang Xiyu reluctantly took it. "Your vessel already has a string of the fragment I want. It is the same as the one you saw at Liu Lei's."
"Let that string wander back towards its owner."
Zhang Xiyu closed his eyes.
"Follow it. Slow and steady."
____________________________________-
Broadcast of the day was over. The day was coming to an end. While the audience was filling out, the seven princes stayed alert in the box.
Ren Jiang placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "It is coming."
Right on cue, pure white lightning thundered across the dusty red sky of hell. There was no entity in sight but a powerful voice greeted the royal family of hell.
"Good evening to the seven princes."
The princes bowed lightly in response. Ren Shan, the second prince stepped forward. "Messenger from Heaven, what brings you to Hell?"
The sky thundered again, as if chuckling in light humour. "Fear not. The councils of heaven are in no way interested in your little fest. We have no intention of interrupting it yet."
He Bolin, the third prince, scowled. He wanted him out of his sky.
"I bring with me a prophecy for Lord Enma."
"So, if you will, let your father know of my presence." This time the lightning struck strongly in the direction of Lord Enma's palace.
"Our father is preoccupied at the moment. Please excuse his absence. You may leave the message with me and I will let him know." Ren Jiang said coldly.
A gentle breeze caressed their body, the wind brought countless shimmering particles with it. The particles glittered and swirled around a nucleus, slowly taking the shape of a human. A delicate face akin to a sculpture with golden locks framing it, the messenger opened its eyes. Eyes that glowed like the warm sun.
No matter how beautiful the messenger was, everyone present there had to restrain their hostile instincts in the presence of such a heavenly entity.
"I am here to meet your father." The messenger asserted once again.
"His absence is out of my hands. No one has seen him for the past two centuries." Ren Jiang shook his head.
The messenger looked thoughtful. "No wonder. Lord Enma's careless conduct will be the main reason behind his doom."
"What?"
"Tell this to your father."
The messenger ignored him and raised his neck towards the sky. Lightning struck without a pause as he spoke in his true voice.
"The power of Hell shifts. Equilibrium condenses into one flower."
Huge tides crash mercilessly on the shore of a small village. The realm, unable to bear the prophecy.
"The King will be dethroned."
Deep within the forests, monsters cried like a child calling for their mother. Their loyalty to Enma was rooted firmly in their bodies. This loyalty, unable to bear the prophecy.
"Hell will see, a river of blood. A catastrophe beyond words. That is the will of the flower."
The dark sky rumbled and a violent storm poured out. They did not like this creature of heaven. It thundered down like a child throwing a tantrum. He Bolin could do nothing to calm it down and watched on helplessly.
He looked at the messenger who was slowly fading away, his body turning translucent. "Heaven does not meddle with Hell."
Which translated to, 'We will not help you anymore. We do not care to do so.'
Ren Shan grit his teeth. The messenger continued. "Our job was to send you your prophecy. Lord Enma can do what he seems to be fit."
His voice along with his body faded away.
Silence stifled the judge's box. Ren Shan opened his mouth to discuss what to do next. "Elder Brother- "
Ren Jiang teleported away without a word. Shame filled his face. He turned around to find that Yuan Hai and Liu Xue were gone too.
The remaining princes were left to silently gawk at each other's blank expression.
________________________________________
Time slipped away; six years gone without notice. He has been here for six years now. In eight more years, his soul will face judgement. That's what Foghand said. But will it be okay? He hasn't completed any round of punishment he was assigned. What happens now that he is stuck in the Kaigan Pit?
Zhang Xiyu woke up from his slumber. During the years his appearance had changed, the cue hairstyle had grown to full length now that he wasn't required to shave the front part off. It felt good to break out of it. He was no longer required to prove his loyalty to the government by making his ancestors sad.
He sighed. Value of independence after death came with the restriction of freedom. He had changed but the stone walls remained the same. It trapped out the light, trapped in the players.
Let us talk about that year's festival. Since Yuan Hai had pressured him to break away from the competition and do his bidding, he was no longer an active player of the Kaigan Pit. In his theory, the ones who could be easily tracked were the ones considered to be the winner. What he didn't know was that after that year, the association fell apart and the players were naturally abandoned.
That was in fact the last occurrence of the Kaigan Pit Festival.
Zhang Xiyu will not know of this fact anytime soon. He put on his robes, transferred his stuff into his interdimensional ring, pulled his hair up in a ponytail, and picked up his longsword. After six years of tracking, he can finally reach the fragment. While figuring out its location was relatively easy, he couldn't just recklessly barge in and snatch it away. His vessel did not have the strength to shield his soul from the immense aura of the fragment. Zhang Xiyu had to eat his own words and actually cultivate under the fragment's presence. Apart from that the pit also had its fair share of demonic energy. Since he was not an expert in cultivation, in his early years he very well ingested that demonic energy too. Its existence was seen through the light red lines that bordered his eyelids.
With time he strengthened his vessel to the point where it resembled a human's body. Previously it was just a weak shell that contained his soul power, breaking it or 'killing' it would mean that the energy would get scattered and become demon food.
Zhang Xiyu walked out of the hideout he made himself. It was a small cave he carved out from the mountain. It was necessary to live under such shelter as one cannot roam the pit unguarded. The ghosts are always there. Watching. Waiting. Their limbs camouflage beneath the dark background, always reaching out for prey. It was raw hunger incarnated.
The pit was also infested with numerous monsters, malicious ghosts, and demons who made it their home. As he got closer to the fragment, the number of these ghosts and demons dwindled while the monsters increased significantly. It was as if they were putting their life on the line to protect the fragment.
Zhang Xiyu looked at the cleared-out area, there were barely any monsters. He walked briskly towards the target area. Zhang Xiyu had killed them all. He used their skin to create various articles and used their Dantian to progress his cultivation.
Why do I even bother? This thought had pricked his mind countless times during the years.
'Why can I not just give up? Let them eat me. Have my soul scattered. It would not be as painful as living.'
He crosses a small river by jumping over the stones.
'Do I really want to reincarnate? Why work this hard? For Yuan Hai?' Zhang Xiyu laughed.
He looked up at the entrance of a grand cave. The entrance was ladened with priceless gemstones that lit up the entire area. The gemstones replicated the flora, hanging down as fruits or glittering up like soft petals. Zhang Xiyu was mesmerised for a moment. He hadn't seen actual light for a long time.
His hand reached out to pick up a yellow 'flower'. He brought it near his face and stared at it for so long that his eyes dried out and they spasmed under the unusual brightness. But Zhang Xiyu could not bring himself to drop it. He desperately wanted to forget the eternal darkness that fell over this blasted pit. After a while, he forced himself to composure and slipped that flower in his ring. The ring he had collected from another player whom he killed.
I did not go through all of that just to give up at this moment. His willpower returned to him slowly.
I deserve to live. I will not go down just because they all want me to.
Zhang Xiyu inhaled deeply. I will live because I want to. Nothing else should matter. Nothing else should affect my determination.
He stepped inside the cave resolutely. Right in the centre of the cave there flowed a pond. In the midst of that clear crystal-like water a familiar object floated. The blue fragment was larger than the one owned by Liu Lei. Its spiritual pressure grabbed at him, trying to figure out what foreign creature had entered its territory.
"So, it is you." A light feminine voice echoed in the cave.
Is that the fragment who's talking?
"At least you are smart enough to not meet me with one of those weak, delicate skin they give out to the new ghosts."
"Who are you?"
"Why? Do you want to see me?"
"Huh?"
The still pond then rippled up into a large fountain. From the fountain a figure dressed in turquoise emerged. Her blue hair floated around her waist, gems hanging down her neck. The pond went silent again.
The woman smiled. "I am the sister."
Zhang Xiyu looked at her blankly, waiting for her to continue. What sister? Who's sister?
"The fragment string that strengthens your body belongs to my other sister. That is why I allowed your presence."
"So…. you are…that fragment?" He pointed behind her.
"Yes. This is my spirit form."
"Okay. You know why I am here."
"You are here to take me."
"Correct." Zhang Xiyu nodded.
"You cannot."
"What?"
The sister's smile broadened. "You cannot. Not in this form. I will not allow it."
"I see the misunderstanding. I do not want you. The fourth prince of Hell, Lord Yuan Hai wants you."
She shook her head. "If he wanted me then he should do it personally. I am not something to be delivered. I am a treasure one obtains."
Within a blink of an eye, she was right near him, her hand rested on his shoulder. "We want you. Me and my sister. You should want us too."
Zhang Xiyu did not dare to move. The woman looked amicable on the surface but her immense strength radiated towards him. The pressure was so strong that he could barely stand to maintain his dignity.
He gasped, out of breath, and choked out the words. "I- I do not know…. what use you are to me."
"I just want to reincarnate and leave hell. I am sure you and Yuan Hai can work something out. I do not wish to take any part of it."
The fragment laughed wildly. She laughed at him. Oh, what foolish dreams.
"Young boy. Do you know who I am? A fragment. But of what?" she scoffed and stood behind him.
"I belong to hell. I am his will. I am power and I belong to power." She covers his frustrated eyes with her hand.
"Let go and see for yourself what we are." Multiple voices rang in his head.
Zhang Xiyu was engulfed in pure darkness. He could not even make out his own limbs within the pitch-black space. That's when he heard a mad laugh. The crazed guffaw sent chills to his back. It said nothing, it did nothing. And yet he has never felt so belittled.
The space transformed into the inside of a huge volcano. His body floated above the sweltering ocean of lava. This time the laughter was accompanied by countless screams. The numerous souls trapped under the lava tried their best to break out, seeking for help and mercy.
"Forgive me God!"
"Save me!"
"It is so painful…."
No matter how many souls yelled, the insane laughter yet again overpowered it. Zhang Xiyu felt nauseated when he looked at the charred corpses trying to crawl up. He felt himself being thrown up in the turbid sky. Intense dizziness gripped him, the voices still ringing loudly.
DONG
Now he faced a ceiling. He was lying on the cold floor gasping for breath. Within the dim lighting he sensed that someone was watching him.
He could hear the wet smacking of lips and insistent chewing from his left side. Licking and sucking. Horrified, he moves his head towards its direction. Head of a goat and eyes of a human, the monster's yellow eyes glowed as it nibbled on a carcass. Bones and flesh lying around in black residue. Its hands and face drenched in warm blood as it drowned its face in the corpse.
Zhang Xiyu cried silently. He cried because he knew that once he turned his head around, he would find more of such ghouls behind him. He stayed dead still.
Evil in its purest form.
The monster in front of him opened his blood-stained mouth. Shreds of meat stuck between its sharp teeth. A strange gurgle came out from it followed by a muffled laugh. "Heh heh."
The wild laugh from before merrily mingled with the monsters.
Zhang Xiyu couldn't take it anymore. He forced out every strength inside his lead-like body and stood up. He kept his head low, tears dripping down his face, and angrily roared.
"Shut. The fuck. Up!"
The monsters went silent. But now they were staring at him eerily. Zhang Xiyu did not know which one was worse. The laughter or the silence.
Fortunately, he didn't get the chance to ponder over it in fright as the scene rapidly changed again. This time he was thrown into thousands of pictures spanning only over a few seconds. From flowers blooming to crops withering. From a cub's birth to a lion's death. He saw life flash through his eyes like a never-ending montage.
"This…. Is…"
--- The Order.
"You?"
--- Yes, we.
Zhang Xiyu was still falling through life.
--- We are the maintainers of equilibrium. Life grows, life falls. Good grows, evil falls.
His mind went completely blank all of a sudden.
--- We showed you. The imbalance.
Memories of those monsters peering into his soul pierced him poisonously. They cannot be allowed. Their existence should not be allowed. He didn't realise that he was shivering.
He was back to where he started from. The walls of the volcano hissed out the steam but he did not feel any of it. In the middle of that boiling lava a familiar object floated. He had never seen it but the feeling of familiarity was unshakeable.
The Blue Lotus.
The overbearing lava could not diminish the sapphire glow of the flower as it obediently flowed around it.
--- The balance is breaking, Zhang Xiyu. Take this and own your destiny.
Take this! Take this! Take this! Take-
DONG
The hand pulled away from his disoriented eyes. The sister stood beside the fragment with a knowing smile.
"So, young boy. Did you think you had a choice?"
Zhang Xiyu looked at her blankly. "Why me?"
The sister chuckled. "Who says it's only you? The order does not place all of its eggs in one basket."
She raised an eyebrow. "We have other subjects. We will go with the most suitable one. Which means- "
The sister stepped back. She put her hand over the small pond and a turbulent hole was created. The dark hole extended deep down the ground which reminded him of the first time he saw the Kaigan Pit. What in the fuc-
"-you will have to prove yourself." The sister smiled innocently. Zhang Xiyu did not fall for the façade and backed out. He turned around and tried to run out but the gravity on him had suddenly increased tenfold. The hole expanded and his body was dragged back like a ragdoll.
Before dropping down, the last thing he saw was the malicious victory spreading over her face like oil on canvas.
"I will destroy you, bitch." Zhang Xiyu declared before falling back into darkness.