Guang remained frozen from the whispers of Feng Haoran and Tianze. His body felt chilled as coldness spread through his veins. Although the sun was scorching that day, his face was pale and exhaustion was clearly etched across his features. Feng Haoran turned and re-entered the palace after greeting his people, followed closely by Tianze.
"Guang, come here," Feng Haoran commanded the man who still stood motionless at the main altar.
"Guang, do you hear me?" Feng Haoran asked with a voice that sounded divine yet carried an underlying pressure. Finally, Guang regained his senses and stepped inside the palace.
"Allow me to ask a question, Your Majesty. Why are you sending me to the Soul Abyss? Is it not a forbidden place? No one has ever dared to enter there," Guang asked, his curiosity mixed with a growing sense of dread.
"Calm yourself, Guang. You go there for a noble purpose, for the safety of the Golden Lotus Kingdom," Feng Haoran smiled as he walked, eventually turning his back toward Guang.
"What is that purpose, Your Majesty? What must I search for there?" Guang asked, confused by the scheme the Emperor was truly plotting.
"You wish to know what you must find, Guang?" Feng Haoran asked with a smirk. He glanced at Tianze, who was enjoying his tea while raising a single eyebrow.
"The Holy Water," Tianze answered as he stood up, tea cup in hand, looking at Guang with a thin smile.
"The... the Holy Water?" Guang asked, still baffled by Tianze's words. He felt a surge of suspicion because he had never heard of Holy Water existing within the Soul Abyss before.
"Correct, Master Guang. It is located at the very bottom of the Soul Abyss," Tianze said, glancing at Guang while smiling.
"And you must pass through the toxic mists first to reach the bottom. For your safety, I have prepared an artifact to assist you."
Tianze handed him a golden tablet. In reality, the artifact was a fake, possessing no power at all. Tianze then sat back down and continued sipping his tea.
"May Master Guang be victorious," he said, staring at Guang with feigned sincerity, though his eyes looked as if they were ready to devour a thousand souls.
"Thank you, Grandmaster Tianze," Guang replied. He knew the artifact was a fraud, yet he offered his thanks out of a lingering sense of respect, even though he felt as if the two of them were simply speeding up his journey to Nirvana.
"I take my leave, Your Majesty, Grandmaster Tianze."
Tianze nodded slowly while Feng Haoran kept his eyes on Guang even as the man walked away.
"Guang, may you return safely."
Guang looked back and gave them a thin smile. Meanwhile, Tianze and Feng Haoran shared a smirk as they locked eyes.
The forbidden adventure of Great Officer Guang had finally begun.
Guang soared through the sky, occasionally looking down at the Golden Lotus Kingdom. It appeared beautiful from a distance, yet it was a land filled with poison and hypocrisy. After a long journey over dark wilderness, celestial mountains, valleys, and rivers, Guang finally reached his destination: the Soul Abyss.
"Soul Abyss."
Guang stood at the edge and looked down. He saw toxic mists ready to melt and destroy anything, even celestial artifacts. The stench was overwhelming, like thousands of corpses piled beneath the earth. The rocks surrounding the cliff were pitch black, as if they had been scorched long ago by ancient fires. The swirling toxic mist grew more violent, seemingly ready to swallow its prey.
"How am I supposed to go down now? If I just jump, my body will surely be destroyed instantly," he thought.
The thought of his celestial artifact, the Vajra Sword, crossed his mind. However, he doubted if the Vajra Sword could pierce through such toxic mist.
"There is no other choice. Returning to the palace is impossible because they would surely intercept me and ask for the Holy Water. Well then, this is it..."
Guang raised one hand and summoned his Vajra Sword. The sky thundered violently as lightning struck the black rocks at the cliff's edge. The stones floated into the air, lifted by the lightning aura of the sword. Guang tightened his grip on the Vajra Sword with both hands.
"Now is the time! Show me your power, Vajra Sword!"
Despite his doubt, for he was not certain the sword could keep him safe, Guang had no other choice. He leapt into the air and forced his way through the toxic mist, shielded by the devastating lightning aura of the Vajra Sword. He passed through thousands of layers of poison. He could not breathe normally as the stench of rot and the Abyss pierced deep into his lungs. As he tore through the mist, he faintly heard the voices of a thousand souls from the depths.
"Help me, where is my family?"
"Help me, it is so dark here, someone please help me."
"Help me, am I already dead?"
The moans of agony disturbed Guang's ears while the heat and poison of the mist began to blister his skin.
"If not for this Vajra Sword, I would surely be dead by now."
Guang continued to push through the mist by force. Strange sounds began to echo from the bottom of the abyss: a terrifying laughter mixed with the weeping of a thousand souls. The sound of the holy lightning from the Vajra Sword grinding against the toxic mist made Guang's eardrums feel as if they were about to burst.
Finally, Guang was nearly at the bottom. However, as he approached the ground, exhaustion took over. The Vajra Sword slowly slipped from his grasp as his eyes began to close. The sword fell first, plunging into the wilderness filled with lost souls. Its devastating lightning aura shook the entire Abyss. As the sword struck the earth, lightning scattered everywhere like an impressive yet destructive dance of the gods, incinerating the trees and flora nearby. Guang then fell from above, completely unprotected.
Guang woke up covered in wounds. His hands were blistered from the toxic mist and his body was severely injured from the far from perfect landing.
"Damn you! Feng Haoran! Deng Rao! Tianze! I will tear you to pieces when I return! You will surely enjoy your gift of Holy Water later!"
Suddenly, his legs were ensnared by vines creeping from a massive tree. His legs were gripped by thorny roots until they were drenched in blood. Guang was now hanging upside down. He tried to release the roots from his legs with great difficulty.
"There is no other choice... CUT!"
Guang tried to summon the Vajra Sword but failed because he was completely out of energy. Finally, he decided to pull his legs with all his might until they were torn apart, and Guang fell to the ground once more.
"Damn it! I must use a regeneration artifact immediately so my legs can be used again and do not rot."
Guang quickly pulled a blue jade tablet for healing and regeneration from his pocket. He formed a symbol with his hand seven times and began to chant a mantra.
In the midst of his chant, which was incredibly difficult to focus on, Guang heard a strange sound and smelled a foul odor approaching from behind the massive trees scorched by his sword. Feeling increasingly threatened by a powerful killing intent behind him, he accelerated his chanting and shouted the final mantra of the blue jade tablet.
"Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa!"
Fresh flesh began to grow and his bones slowly regenerated. Veins of blood spread like needles, stitching his legs back together. The regeneration process was four times more painful than the act of tearing his legs apart himself.
The monster behind him grew hungrier, its killing intent vibrating through Guang's heart. As the creature prepared to pounce and let out a roar, Guang's legs were half-healed but still limp. He immediately rolled away to dodge the beast.
"Return to me, Vajra Sword!" Guang stared at his sword and summoned it back.
The Vajra Sword immediately unleashed a massive bolt of lightning, incinerating the surrounding flora into ash, even burning the creeping roots from before. It roared like the thunder of an angry god as it flew into Guang's hand. Guang gripped the sword tightly. He stood up with great difficulty because of his limping leg, while the aura of the Vajra Sword circled him. Its holy blue lightning was scorching, purging the sins surrounding Guang.
The monster stood before him, ready to strike. It was a giant bear with thick black fur that seemed to repel light. However, there was something bizarre: the monster had a human head, and shockingly, Guang recognized it.
"Senior Jiuye... is that you?" Guang gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing.
It was Jiuye, Guang's highly respected and kind senior. Jiuye was also one of the men most loyal to Feng Haoran. He was a Great Officer before Guang, sent by Feng Haoran two years ago.
Jiuye immediately charged at Guang, intending to maul him. Guang dodged the attack. The bear's claws were as fast as a lightning strike. However, Guang swung the Vajra Sword, sending holy lightning across their surroundings with divine energy. His sword movements formed a figure eight.
"8 HOLY LIGHTNINGS!" Guang shouted as he dodged and slashed. The lightning from the Vajra Sword spread into eight sections, forming chains of lightning filled with hundreds of ancient scripts glowing with a blue aura. They decorated every direction. Yet, the black bear managed to evade the devastating attack.
"So fast," Guang muttered while avoiding the fierce creature's strikes. Suddenly, the bear grew even more frantic, as if there was a soul inside struggling and screaming to be freed.
"Guang, save me! Please, release me from this suffering!"
Guang looked up and saw tears falling from Jiuye's eyes.
"Free me, Guang! Free me! Kill the monster!" Jiuye cried out while enduring mental and spiritual torture, even as Guang continued to dodge, parry, and swing the Vajra Sword.
"Feng Haoran! I will make sure your death is accepted by neither the heavens nor the earth!"
Guang screamed in fury while continuing to execute his Vajra Sword techniques.
The beautiful blue sky had been stained by the bad karma found within the dark and gloomy depths of the Soul Abyss. The Vajra Sword continued to roar with holy lightning, illuminating every shadow within the abyss. Lightning struck and the ground shook violently as rocks floated, following the rhythm of the Vajra Sword's swings. This was no longer just a battle for survival; it was a ritual that would determine what karma and whose soul would be redeemed.