Chapter Thirty: The Ancestor's Manifestation

What Liu Chen did not know was that, after he closed his eyes, the shadows—once indistinct and wavering—began to take shape under the cold light ignited by the Netherworld Spirit Flame. It was as if the lamp of an old film projector were shining through celluloid to reveal an image. Slowly, those emerging shadows outlined a scene of a gray, desolate wilderness beneath the entire illumination, overlapping precisely with the location of Changle Palace. Yet, from its appearance, it seemed not confined to the palace’s current size; rather, it was limited by the palace’s dimensions, unable to fully manifest.

A chill immediately swept through Changle Palace, now covered by the gray wasteland, and this sudden cold roused the sleeping Taoists within the chamber. They cracked their eyes open, seeing the room flooded with light—a cold radiance that ignored any obstruction from walls.

“Damn it, damn it, did those two little brats knock over the lamp and start a fire?”

One Taoist, waking in a haze and seeing the brilliance throughout the room, immediately thought of a fire—perhaps a reflection of past experience. He shouted loudly, rousing everyone, then dashed out of the chamber, clothes askew.

“What’s going on?”

The other two Taoists, as well as the young acolytes Zhenchang and Zhen’an, were awakened by the commotion. Half asleep, they muttered in confusion at the dazzling light. But as clarity returned, the same thought struck them as the first Taoist: fire!

When they stepped outside the chamber, they found the Taoist who had rushed out ahead still standing there, frozen.

“Ji Yuan, what are you doing just standing there? Get moving and help put out the fire!”

Without taking time to assess the situation, one Taoist cursed loudly. These three Taoists had been assigned by the Ren family to oversee Changle Palace—a comfortable sinecure. Should the palace actually be destroyed, their futures would surely be ruined.

“Take a closer look—”

Ji Yuan, the Taoist in question, made no retort, but raised his hand and pointed toward the Hall of True Mystery, his tone light and airy.

“What’s there to see? Wait—what’s happening?”

Still cursing and flustered, the Taoist glanced in the direction Ji Yuan indicated, and his eyes were drawn to the Hall of True Mystery.

Inside and out, the Hall of True Mystery was ablaze with a radiant spirit flame, nothing at all like a fire. Under the glow of this spirit flame, the entire Changle Palace appeared as a gray wasteland, evoking memories of passages from the Daoist scriptures.

“Zhenchang, is this the Nether Prison?”

The Taoists harbored vague suspicions but dared not confirm them outright. The child Zhen’an, less burdened by doubt, tugged at Zhenchang’s sleeve, whispering that the scene resembled the Nether Prison depicted in the Daoist texts.

Though he spoke softly, the deep night was so quiet that even the fall of a pin could be heard, let alone whispered conversation.

“It is the Nether Prison, yes, it’s the Nether Prison! Three thousand li in circumference, desolate and empty, the dwelling place of ghosts.”

Asked by Zhen’an, Ji Yuan laughed heartily before Zhenchang could reply, his voice brimming with joy.

Zhen’an could not fathom Ji Yuan’s delight, but having received a definitive answer, he turned his gaze to the spirit flame enveloping the Hall of True Mystery and murmured to himself, “So this is the Nether Prison born from a single thought.”

As the words left his lips, a sudden clarity dawned. His eyes were seized by the spirit flame, and his heart seemed illuminated by its cold light.

“Hey, Zhen’an? Zhen’an?”

Seeing Zhen’an suddenly unmoving, Zhenchang called out anxiously but received no response.

“Don’t bother calling him, Zhenchang. The boy’s fortunate—under the manifestation of the ancestral master, he’s had a sudden revelation. Just keep an eye on him.”

Hearing Zhenchang’s calls, Ji Yuan glanced back, somewhat disgruntled, but quickly shrugged off the feeling and returned to feverishly watching the Hall of True Mystery.

“Alright.”

Though Zhenchang held little respect for his three uncles, he understood that in matters of cultivation, he was less knowledgeable. So he nodded, feeling a touch of happiness as he watched Zhen’an in the midst of his revelation.

The other two Taoists, however, were quick to pick up on the most crucial word in Ji Yuan’s statement.

“Ji Yuan, are you saying that the ancestral master is manifesting?”

They hesitated, their voices tinged with expectation and doubt, though at heart, expectation outweighed skepticism.

“What else? Who but the ancestral master Xuan Zhen could create such a spectacle? Look at this scene—it is the manifestation of the ancestral master breaking through the Nether Candle, traversing life and death. Surely our daily, sincere offerings have moved him, and so he reveals this vision to enlighten us! Otherwise, how could a boy from a poor family like Zhen’an, at twelve years old, already grasp the true essence of the Dao?”

Ji Yuan straightened, full of confidence, addressing the two who still harbored doubt.

His words were well reasoned, and with Zhen’an as a vivid example, he swiftly convinced the two remaining Taoists.

“Sincere offerings, indeed! Even the ritual of adding oil to the lamp at night is done by me and Zhen’an. What does it have to do with you lot?”

Watching his three uncles’ eager expressions, Zhenchang curled his lip, inwardly disdainful. After half a year here, he knew their character well and would never believe Ji Yuan’s nonsense about sincere offerings prompting the ancestral master’s manifestation.

At that moment, Zhen’an, emerging from his revelation, completed his transition from a commoner to a clerical disciple and regained his senses. Zhenchang ignored his uncles and asked Zhen’an,

“How do you feel, Zhen’an?”

“My mind is much clearer now—I understand things better, which explains why you’re always so clever, Zhenchang! But breaking through the Nether Prison this time seemed different from what’s described in the scriptures. In the light, I saw a person—tall and broad, dressed in coarse black linen, eyes entirely black. It was terrifying!”

Upon hearing Zhenchang’s question, Zhen’an first described his current state, then hesitantly recounted the unusual aspects of his advancement, hoping Zhenchang might explain it to him.