Immortal Paladin

511 Soul Horizon

The Mighty Duck burst into movement in the vacuum of space. My party was currently composed of Alice, Gu Jie, Hei Mao, Chen Wei, Gao Fu, and me.

We had finally reached the edge of the Eighth Layer, nearing the threshold to the Seventh Layer. I turned my gaze across the deck and remarked, “Gao Fu, please tell the rest of the class what you know about the divide between the different layers of the underworld and what it means to cross them.”

Gao Fu answered readily, her voice steady and scholarly even in the eerie silence of the void. “There are ten layers of the underworld. By the end of the Age of Divinity, when the Supreme Death realized his Supremacy, he destroyed one, and now there are nine of them. Each layer is presided over by a Yama King, though they are more popularly known as the Judges. The ninth layer was presided over by the Lady of the Night, the Judge of Fate. This is the first layer the souls must pass through. If they lived a life according to their destiny and didn’t defy it, they would be allowed into this layer. If not, they would suffer by haunting the mortal plane or wherever they came from. Next is the eighth layer, presided over by the Judge of Legacy, weighing the impact you left behind. This is the layer we currently traverse.”

I nodded, adding my own weight to her words. “The first two layers of the Underworld were, by comparison, the most merciful. This, even amidst the disorder wrought by the long mismanagement of the Supreme Death.”

My gaze shifted, settling first on my disciple. “Hei Mao, as the ruler of Luminary’s Rest, such matters should not be foreign to you.”

I glanced at my nephew. “Chen Wei… you have yet to walk these paths. It is only natural that you remain ignorant.”

My eyes moved again, softer now. “Alice. Gu Jie. You have followed at my side; thus, you have glimpsed fragments of it. Yet fragments are but shadows. Alice, what you have seen is limited to what your sight could grasp. In the past thousand years, through the Ophanim, I have beheld the Underworld in its entirety from the faintest wandering soul to the most monstrous of spirits.”

Finally, my gaze rested on Gu Jie, carrying both expectation and quiet acknowledgment. “And you, Gu Jie… my daughter, whose vision rivals mine, you should understand this truth more than any here.”

I exhaled slowly, as though steadying the burden of what was to come.

“Steel your hearts,” I said, voice lowering. “For what lies ahead… will carve itself into your souls and never fade Gao Fu. Proceed.”

The threshold between the seventh and eighth layer finally became visible. A thick layer of souls visibly tried to crawl away from the Seventh Layer, but they were unable to escape. Their translucent forms twisted and clawed at the invisible barrier, mouths stretched wide in eternal agony.

“Mercy! Please, I beg you—make it stop!” one soul wailed, its voice a piercing echo that carried through the void despite the lack of air.

“Pain… it burns… I can’t take it anymore!” another screamed, its form flickering as if being torn apart from within.

“Forgive me! I’ll do anything, just let me out of here!”

Gao Fu continued her explanation, her tone calm yet grave.

“This… is the Judgment Horizon,” she said, her gaze sweeping across the bleak expanse. “Or simply just known as a Soul Horizon. A similar boundary exists between the Ninth and Eighth Layers. However, due to the nature of their judgment and criteria, passage between them is far less restrictive. With sufficient cultivation or an unyielding will, one may traverse those layers freely.”

She lifted a hand, gesturing toward the abyss below.

“The Underworld possesses a gravity of its own. It does not merely pull at the body, but at the very soul, dragging all the departed ever deeper.”

Her tone grew colder.

“In each layer, a soul is judged. According to the verdict, they may receive aid, guidance, or a method to descend further. Those who fail…” She paused briefly, letting her gaze fall upon the suffering masses. “They endure the consequences, just as these wretches do. And the judgment does not end. In every layer, the soul is tested again and again, worn down, and stripped bare, until nothing remains but its truest nature.”

Her eyes darkened as she spoke of the end.

“At the final layer once stood the Wheel of Reincarnation, where all journeys would conclude, and all things would begin anew. But that was before the Supreme Death. He destroyed that layer… and cast out the guardian of the Wheel. Since the dawn of the Age of Supremacy, no soul has known rebirth. Instead, every soul without exception is cast into the abyss that now festers at the heart of the Greater Universe.”

She turned back to them, her expression grave.

“A black void… whose depths no being has ever returned from.”

“That’s not entirely true,” said Hei Mao suddenly. “There was a time, even after the destruction, when the guardian you spoke of, Meng Po, still continued her duties. She housed many souls in her small territory within exile and used what remained of the wheel to bring something close to reincarnation. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave them a chance. A cycle, however broken.”

“I’m aware. I talked to Ox-Head,” Gao Fu simply shrugged, completely unfazed by the correction. “And now that Meng Po is dead, it doesn’t really make any difference anymore.”

Chen Wei voiced out, disbelief clear in his tone, “For someone who should be isolated in Losten, you sure know a lot.”

Gao Fu remarked evasively, “I keep in touch.”

Alice asked, her voice tight with unease, “What’s next?”

I gripped the wheel of the Mighty Duck firmly and remarked, “Hit the planar spell and the warp at the same time.”

I remained rooted at the helm, casting Divine Protection, a combination of the spells Shield of Faith, Shield of the Eternal, and Divine Flesh. It was just another ability I had created in the past thousand years after basically summarizing and combining all my powers. The golden radiance of holy energy enveloped the entire ship, shimmering like a second skin against the encroaching darkness.

“Brace yourselves, this will be rough!”

The Mighty Duck surged forward, engines roaring silently in the vacuum as the dual spells activated. The Soul Horizon loomed closer, a swirling vortex of tormented souls and crushing gravitational malice. I could already feel the pull trying to drag us downward, the screams growing louder, more desperate, as if the underworld itself sensed fresh prey approaching its maw.

The warp array felt like it would break down from its own weight. I poured more Divine Qi into Divine Protection, strengthening the golden barrier around the Mighty Duck until it glowed like a miniature sun in the oppressive darkness.

A few desperate souls latched onto our vessel, their translucent hands clawing frantically at the warp itself as they tried to force their way inside. For a brief moment their faces pressed against the shield, eyes wide with madness, before the holy energy flared and tore them into scattered fragments of light that vanished into the void.

Chen Wei’s voice rang out, shaky with uncertainty. “Just a quick ask… where do dead dead souls go? Like the one I just saw get ripped apart? I mean, this is already the afterlife, right? Is there an after-afterlife?”

Gao Fu provided the answer, her tone clinical despite the growing strain. “According to the Shén, they return to the Origin to enter a different circle of transmigration. They could become a rock in their next life, or someone’s strand of hair, robbing them of freedom or destiny.”

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Chen Wei snorted. “Really? I don’t believe you…”

Hei Mao offered calmly, “According to the Eternal Undeath Cult, you fall into the void.”

Chen Wei brightened for a second. “That doesn’t sound bad. So I just become nothing. You heard that, miss? That’s how you do mythology—”

“No,” Hei Mao cut in, his voice flat. “You actually fall forever. And you retain consciousness.”

Chen Wei sighed heavily. “I’d rather become a rock. At least, I know I won’t be conscious.”

Gu Jie chimed in with a lazy grin. “Lame. Do it like the Heavenly Demonic Cult.”

Chen Wei asked curiously, “How do they do it?”

“You reincarnate into a pill that the next disciple or elder can use to raise their realm,” she replied matter-of-factly.

A heavy silence fell over the deck. Both Hei Mao and I struggled to suppress our laughter. Chen Wei stood there, utterly flabbergasted.

“You reincarnate into a pill?” he repeated, voice cracking.

I kept a stern face with great effort and remarked, “You should ask Ru Qiu after I resurrect him.”

Alice shot us a glare. “Stop laughing, you goofballs. This seems serious.”

At that moment I noticed Gao Fu was bleeding from her eyes and every pore in her body, dark crimson trails running down her face and neck. She wiped at her cheek with a trembling hand and remarked through gritted teeth, “The Seventh Layer is ruled by the Judge of Suffering. The pain inflicted and endured. Now, I have to ask… why are all of you doing okay?”

Hei Mao swept his bangs aside, revealing the black diamond mark glowing faintly on his forehead. “I am using the Mark of the Hollow partially. It allows me to empty myself.”

Chen Wei shrugged. “I might not look like it, but I’m a magical baby made with the essence and powers of the Void. Not to mention my mother had been a Lost God and an Immortal Beast. I have a feeling my father might have been a Lost God too, though he didn’t live long enough to discover it. My constitution is just weird… All I feel is a tickle.”

Alice provided her own explanation with a strained smile. “My insides are liquefied right now, but they just regenerate too fast.”

Gao Fu looked flabbergasted, almost offended by our collective resilience. She turned toward me, clearly expecting an answer.

I was about to speak when she raised a bloodied hand and cut me off. “Forget about it. I don’t even want to ask.”

In truth, I felt like I was shitting blood at that very moment. The only reason I didn’t collapse was my Supremacy Trait, which let me bear the torment without showing it outwardly.

Chen Wei whistled softly. “It sure is impressive, though. If an Ascended Soul like you is suffering this much, what in the world were War’s people thinking of using this layer as a base?”

Hei Mao replied, “According to our spies, this layer was a proving ground for War’s people. This place was often in the middle of their conflicts, and they only stopped recently because of our advancement into the Eighth Layer.”

The ship continued to shake violently as we pushed deeper into the Seventh Layer. The golden shield of Divine Protection flickered under the relentless pressure, but I held firm, eyes fixed on the swirling crimson mists and distant silhouettes of torture realms ahead. No matter how brutal the suffering that awaited us, we had come too far to turn back now.

“We’re almost there,” I said.

The warp ended and we finally pierced through the Seventh Layer. We arrived at the Sixth Layer, where countless debris of lost worlds floated silently around us like the shattered remnants of forgotten civilizations. Massive fragments of continents, broken mountain ranges, and ruined cities drifted in the void, interspersed with swarms of Void Beasts that prowled the wreckage like predators in a ruined jungle.

I immediately lowered my voice and warned the crew, “Everyone, suppress your spiritual pressure right now. Be careful not to agitate the Void Beasts, or pray tell, not attract that Nidhogg if it happens to be here.”

Suddenly, a pained and warped cry resounded everywhere at once. Its source seemed to come from every direction, echoing through the debris and piercing straight into our souls.

Gao Fu sounded unsure as she spoke up. “That’s probably the Judge of Order. He… He’s unstable, reflecting the status of this layer. No one knows the reason or the cause, but he’s been like that since I was born. That was why this layer had been left untouched even before the Four Horsemen decided to make more mess of the underworld. Let’s avoid him as much as we can. He… could be very violent.”

The wails of the Judge of Order grew louder, filled with raw anguish and madness:

“Why… why must everything fall into chaos?! Order! I demand order! The laws fracture, the worlds collapse, and nothing obeys! Bring back the balance! I will enforce it… even if I have to crush every last soul that defies it! ORDER! ORDER MUST RETURN!”

I kept my eyes scanning the surrounding debris. “Let’s go look for Ru Qiu. His carcass should be somewhere here.”

The problem was, how exactly did one search for someone’s probably ripped-to-shreds carcass in the vast xianxia outer space of the underworld? Thankfully, we had two people on board with powerful foresight abilities.

Gu Jie stepped forward with determination. “I believe I have an idea, Father. Can I take the wheel?”

“Sure,” I said, stepping aside and letting her take control.

Gu Jie activated the warp array. The Mighty Duck lurched forward in a short, controlled jump. When we stopped, I couldn’t help but curse loudly, “Gu Jie!”

She answered quickly, “Father, it might be a combination of our bad luck that’s why this happened.”

Alice was practically radiating fury as she glared at both of us. “The two of you have the most powerful ocular and foresight abilities the universe has probably ever seen, and you two didn’t see this?”

I reasoned defensively, “This thing might be a blind spot to us.”

Gu Jie added, “Give us a break. This thing is a Ruler of Laws, probably touched by the essence of a Supreme Being!”

In front of us, coiling through the void like a gluttonous serpent, was an enormous Void Beast. It wound its massive body through the wreckage of lost worlds, devouring entire continental fragments with slow, grinding bites. It was freaking, fucking, licking Nidhogg… the same damn creature that had almost killed me, Alice, and Horse-Face back then.

Hei Mao stared at the monstrosity with a deadpan expression. “I can’t believe I am saying this now, but I wish I was doing paperwork instead.”

The creature finally noticed us. Its enormous head turned slowly in our direction as it let out a low, threatening hiss that vibrated through the hull of the Mighty Duck.

Chen Wei’s voice came out small and awkward. “Um… We come in peace?”

Nidhogg threw its massive head back and roared.

The sound was nothing like any beast I had ever heard. It was a primal, world-shattering bellow that tore through the vacuum itself, carrying waves of destructive law that made the debris around us explode into dust. The roar slammed into the Mighty Duck like a physical blow, shaking the entire ship violently and cracking several weaker sections of the hull. My ears rang even though there was no air to carry sound. Every bone in my body vibrated with the sheer force of it.

“Full reverse!” I shouted, already pouring more Divine Qi into the engines and Divine Protection at the same time. “Gu Jie, get us out of here—now!”

Gu Jie didn’t need to be told twice. Her hands flew over the controls as she slammed the warp array into emergency mode. The Mighty Duck lurched backward with a violent shudder, engines screaming silently in the void as we tried to put distance between ourselves and the monster.

Nidhogg’s serpentine body uncoiled with terrifying speed, smashing through floating mountain ranges as if they were made of paper. Chunks of broken worlds hurtled toward us like cannonballs, forcing Gu Jie to weave desperately between the debris while I reinforced the shield.

“Brace!” Alice yelled, drawing her weapon as smaller Void Beasts, agitated by the roar, began swarming toward the ship from every direction. “That thing is way bigger than the last time! David, you better have a plan!”

“We’re not fighting it, so that’s one strategy!” I snapped. “We’re running. Hei Mao, suppress the ship’s presence as much as you can! Gao Fu, any weak points or escape routes in this layer?”

Gao Fu was clutching her bleeding head, voice strained. “The Judge of Order’s domain is unstable… there should be fractures in the law fabric ahead. If we can reach one, we might be able to slip into a lower layer, but—”

Another roar cut her off. Nidhogg lunged, jaws wide enough to swallow entire continents. Its fangs glowed with void energy as it snapped at the spot where we had just been. Gu Jie threw the ship into a sharp corkscrew turn, narrowly avoiding the strike. The wake of the beast’s movement sent a tidal wave of shattered world debris crashing against our shield, nearly shattering Divine Protection.

“Father, it’s gaining!” Gu Jie called out, sweat beading on her forehead despite her powerful foresight.

“Keep going! Pour everything into speed! Alice, Chen Wei—man the secondary cannons and blast any debris or smaller beasts in our path!”

Explosions of holy light and void essence lit up the darkness as my companions opened fire. Hei Mao stood silently at the rear, channeling the Mark of the Hollow to dampen our spiritual signature, but Nidhogg seemed beyond such tricks. The serpent roared again, this time sending a spiraling beam of pure destruction hurtling toward us.

I stepped forward, raising one hand as I layered more Divine Qi over the main barrier. The beam collided with my protection in a cataclysmic flash. Pain exploded through my body like molten iron poured into my veins, but I held the line, teeth gritted.

“Ru Qiu’s carcass will have to wait!” I growled through the agony. “Right now, survival comes first!”

The Mighty Duck shot forward through a narrow canyon of floating palace ruins, Nidhogg’s massive form right behind us, smashing everything in its path. The Judge of Order’s distant wails mixed with the beast’s roars, creating a nightmarish symphony that threatened to drive us mad.

We entered short bursts of warps in between, but we just didn’t seem to widen the gap.

Gu Jie’s voice cut through the chaos. “I see a fracture ahead! If we hit it at full speed, we might drop into the Fifth Layer!”

“Then do it!” I ordered, pouring the last of my immediate reserves into reinforcing the ship.

Nidhogg’s jaws snapped shut mere ship-lengths behind us, the force of the bite creating a vacuum pull that dragged us backward for a terrifying second. Alice grabbed my arm to steady me as the ship groaned in protest.

The Mighty Duck surged toward the fracture, engines blazing, while Nidhogg’s thunderous roar chased us into the unknown depths below.