Chapter 43: The Dead Return to Life

Chen Hongyi has caused me a great deal of trouble this time, and I am certainly not going to let her off lightly.

I signaled to Uncle Hu, who was standing nearby, to be cautious; the entity we were about to face might be extremely powerful. Uncle Hu nodded. Ever since we dragged that coffin out of the well, he had felt a profound change in the surrounding air. It seemed that the Chen Hongyi I had mentioned was indeed no easy opponent.

"Qiyue, don't worry about me. It has been a long time since my Spirit-Viewing Technique has had to deal with someone this formidable!" Hearing Uncle Hu’s steady voice, I felt a little more composed myself.

I walked over to the coffin, planted a soul-summoning banner in front of it, and burned some spirit money to drive away the minor ghosts lurking nearby. Once finished, I leaned close to the coffin, waiting silently for the spirit of Chen Qiyue to appear. I didn't want to resort to violence, but that was only if he understood the boundaries.

Perhaps because I had set up the soul-summoning banner, the clear, sunny noon sky suddenly turned overcast and gloomy. It looked like a heavy rain was brewing.

"Qiyue, this yin energy is as thick as ink. It seems we’ve truly met our match this time," Uncle Hu said. "If I die here, tell Xiaojun not to avenge me, and certainly not to study the mystic arts. He must focus on his education and become someone useful to the country."

Hearing Uncle Hu speak like this made my heart tighten instantly. If I died, I would only have my own lack of skill to blame. But no matter what, I could not let Uncle Hu die here; he had a son to raise, and he must not come to any harm.

The yin energy in the sky gathered like ink. Uncle Hu and I remained unmoved, quietly waiting for the spirit within the coffin to return. Soon, a chilling gust of wind swept by, and I felt a sudden coldness wash over me, as if something were watching me from the shadows. I knew the spirit in the coffin was observing me.

I gave Uncle Hu a look, signaling that the target had arrived. However, I didn't want to rush into a fight until the opponent made a move. I kept pretending to be oblivious, observing the male corpse in the coffin, trying to gauge his intelligence based on his first reaction. Yet, for several minutes, there was no response. The feeling of being watched from behind, however, never faded.

I couldn't wait any longer and shouted, "Come out! I know you’re there!"

No sooner had I spoken than a dense, suffocating wave of yin energy surged behind me, extinguishing most of my Profound Yang energy. Such powerful Yin-malice!

"My dear brother, you've finally come. I have waited a long time for this day."

Accompanied by the swirling yin energy, a sinister male voice echoed from behind me. Damn it, he didn't seem like the type to be reasoned with. I cursed inwardly, my brows furrowing tightly. This creature, who shared my name and my birth chart, had evolved into a powerful Yin-fiend.

I turned around to look at him, only to see someone who looked exactly like me standing there. He stood on his tiptoes, his face as pale as white paper—a truly terrifying sight.

"I am not your brother, so stop calling me that," I said coldly. Being called "brother" by someone who had been dead for who knows how long made me deeply uncomfortable. It wasn't that I was heartless, but any normal person in this situation would feel the same. My task now was to break his obsession and make him realize that only through reincarnation could he find a new life. But I knew this process would be incredibly difficult.

As expected, upon hearing my words, a glint of malice flashed in the Yin-fiend's eyes, and his previously dull gaze turned blood-red.

"Brother, I'm so cold. There are snakes in the water biting me. Brother, I'm scared. Come down and keep me company..."

The Yin-fiend stared at me, his words sending a chill down my spine. As he spoke, he stepped forward on his tiptoes, clearly intent on killing me and dragging me down to join him.

"You scoundrel, how dare you speak to a successor of the Qingma Physiognomy like that? You clearly don't know what death really is!" Before I could react, Uncle Hu drew his broadsword with a sharp clang.

The Yin-fiend, however, seemed unfazed by the weapon. As a Yin-fiend cultivated after death, he was naturally arrogant and incredibly conceited. "Noisy old man! Don't interrupt my conversation with my brother!"

With a wave of his hand, the Yin-fiend struck Uncle Hu with a palm of toxic, malevolent energy, instantly knocking him unconscious. This made things difficult.

The Yin-fiend lunged at me, his pale hands clawing toward my throat with murderous intent. Damn it, the hope for a peaceful resolution was gone. Time to fight!

I pulled out a Soul-Suppressing Talisman and, with lightning speed, slapped it onto his forehead. "You bastard, you dare harm others? I wanted to settle this peacefully, but it seems that won't be possible now! Chen Qiyue, you are already dead. Why aren't you going to the underworld to reincarnate instead of lingering here?"

I roared, channeling my incantation. The talisman emitted a dazzling light, forcing the Yin-fiend to stumble back several steps. But soon, a burst of dark energy blew the talisman off his forehead, and he returned to his original, terrifying state.

Damn it! This is all Chen Hongyi's doing! His malice was too strong; dealing with him without suffering any harm would be impossible. I had no choice but to take a desperate risk to force his soul back into his body.

When he struck at me again, I deliberately pretended to be overwhelmed and fell to the side. Having succeeded in his attack, he became even more arrogant. "A mere mortal dares to stop me from becoming a demon god? How laughable."

He ignored me as I lay on the ground and headed toward the coffin. But before I had engaged him, I had already set up a small Soul-Devouring Barrier around the coffin. Though the Yin-fiend was powerful, he dared not rush into it. At that moment of hesitation, I lunged forward and kicked him hard in the back, sending him tumbling into the coffin.

I immediately began chanting the Soul-Returning Incantation: "Eyes closed, heart stilled, hands holding the Kunlun. One breath remains in this life, fire burns the heart's prayer. Yin soul, rise to the Yang spirit, awaken quickly and be human once more!"

As the chant ended, I burned a Soul-Returning Talisman and pressed the last of the ashes onto the corpse's forehead. Soon, the male corpse in the coffin reacted. After a few dry coughs, he suddenly snapped his eyes open.

"Brother!" he shouted instinctively. It felt incredibly strange. But almost immediately, his eyes turned fierce again, and his tone became hysterical: "I will kill you! Only when you are dead can I live with your fate. You must be buried with me! Sister Hongyi, wait for me. I will be truly resurrected soon!"

I knew he had just returned to his body and his consciousness was still blurred; he still thought he was a spirit. Without hesitation, I slapped him on the chest and channeled a bit of my Profound Yang energy into him. Under the stimulation of my energy, he quickly sobered up. Looking at his surroundings, a flash of joy crossed his face. He was resurrected! His Sister Hongyi had really done it!

I didn't give him time to dwell on it. "Listen to me, you bastard. You were murdered by an evil person, and you are already dead. I have given you five minutes of life. Decide for yourself: will you enter the cycle of reincarnation, or shall I send you on your way and shatter your soul into nothingness?"

As I finished, a look of sorrow appeared on his face. He knew that if he reincarnated, he would never see his "Sister Hongyi" again. "Please, can you let me live for a few more days? I want to see her."

He didn't realize that what I was doing was incredibly dangerous. Bringing the dead back to life was a forbidden art strictly prohibited by the underworld, a violation of the natural order. If the Underworld Enforcers found out, I would be in serious trouble.

I had no choice. I could not afford to be soft-hearted.