Chapter 69 Six-Harmony Golden Lock Array

　　"Mr. Seven, Mr. Eight, I’ve come to ask for a favor. Could you help take these wandering, unclaimed souls away? I hope you might make an exception,” I said, cupping my hands respectfully toward them.

　　"There are so many spirits here, I…” Black Impermanence started to speak, but White Impermanence shot him a look, stopping him mid-sentence. Then he turned to me and asked, “Brother, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your connection to these lonely, stray souls? Why are you so set on helping them?”

　　I glanced at Zhang Cuicui and the souls standing behind her. “We’re not related, but meeting them feels like fate. The living have a home to return to, so shouldn’t the dead have somewhere to go too?”

　　“Sir…” Zhang Cuicui called to me softly, her voice a mere whisper.

　　Now, she didn’t look like any fierce ghost. Instead, she seemed more like a poor, sorrowful young woman—just a bit pale and frail.

　　Black and White Impermanence exchanged a glance, then looked at me again, but didn’t say a word, just kept watching.

　　“Please, Mr. Seven, Mr. Eight, I’m begging you!” I pleaded once more.White Impermanence let out a sigh and said, “Alright, since you’re asking, brother, I’ll take it on.”

　　“Hey, Seven, come here for a sec!” Black Impermanence pulled White Impermanence aside and whispered something to him.

　　I looked back at Zhang Cuicui, and she gave me a small nod.

　　After a moment, Black and White Impermanence returned. White Impermanence said, “Brother, we can do this, but it won’t be easy. The tough part is the sheer number of souls here—there’s a lot of them. I’ll need to call in a few more brothers to help.”

　　“I’m grateful, Mr. Seven!” I said.

　　White Impermanence quickly held up his hand and said, “Hold on, don’t thank me just yet. You’re going to need to pitch in, too!”

　　I was a bit taken aback and quickly asked, “What do you need me to do, Mr. Seven?”

　　Black Impermanence jumped in, saying, “Brother, there must be at least two or three hundred souls here, right?”

　　I glanced at the spirits behind me, then nodded to Black and White Impermanence.

　　Black Impermanence sighed and said, “So, Seven and I talked it over. The best way isn’t for us to lead them one by one—it’s to open up a Spirit Road straight to the Underworld!”

　　I froze. I understood what Black Impermanence meant, but opening a Spirit Road like he was suggesting was different from what we usually think of as a ‘Spirit Road.’ Usually, opening one just means creating a path to the boundary of the Underworld, where the spirits can find their own way from there. But what he was talking about was a direct path right into the heart of the Underworld itself.

　　The main difference is whether or not they have to pass through the Ghost Gate.

　　Not everyone who dies can just pass through the Ghost Gate and enter the Underworld. For example, those who died by suicide often can’t get through, because the ghostly guards won’t let them in.

　　And why is that? It all goes back to the Book of Life and Death held by the Judge beside the King of Hell. This book records every person’s exact time of birth and death.

　　If someone dies before the time written in the Book of Life and Death, the Underworld usually won’t accept their soul. In that case, their soul is left to drift outside.

　　That’s why there’s a common belief that people who take their own lives can’t reincarnate. But that’s not exactly true. The real reason is that they died too soon—before the time marked in the Book of Life and Death—so the Underworld simply won’t take them in."Mr. Eight, just tell me what you need me to do!" I said.

　　Black and White Impermanence exchanged a glance, then Black Impermanence turned to me and said, "We’ll handle opening the Spirit Road. You just need to dismantle this formation here."

　　"That simple?" I asked.

　　White Impermanence let out a ghostly chuckle that made my skin crawl. "Brother, if it were really that easy, we wouldn’t be acting so cautious about it."

　　"What do you mean?" I asked.

　　"You’ll see if you give it a try," White Impermanence said.

　　I was skeptical but took a few steps forward. Activating my Third Eye, I looked up but didn’t sense anything unusual about this sealing formation. So, I quickly formed a hand seal and began chanting, "Xuanji Tai Chi, Yin and Yang reverse, the Eight Trigrams are under my control! By the spirit of Heaven and Earth, dispel this formation—break!"

　　In an instant, the talisman in my hand flared up, and I threw it out with all my might. The yellow talisman shot forward like a cannonball, striking the formation.

　　But all it did was create a faint ripple across the formation’s light barrier. Not even a shake. How could it not break?

　　"No way!" I said in shock.

　　"Brother," White Impermanence replied, "this formation is called the Six-Harmony Golden Lock Array. And, as it turns out, you have a bit of a connection to it."

　　"Me?"

　　White Impermanence didn’t respond immediately. He just extended his right hand, and with a flick of his palm, an ancient-looking book appeared. Its edges were worn and tattered.

　　"Take a look at this, study it a bit," White Impermanence said, handing me the book.

　　I took the book, and sure enough, written on the cover were the words Six-Harmony Golden Lock Array.

　　"This formation is originally one of the Underworld’s defensive formations. How it ended up here in the mortal realm, I couldn’t say," White Impermanence said, glancing up at the formation overhead. "Though, whoever set it up only got a rough outline of it. This formation has form but no true intent—they didn’t grasp its essence.""That’s right, and this formation has definitely been shrunk down. But its complexities are well beyond us," Black Impermanence remarked suddenly.

　　I frowned, glancing at them before turning my attention back to the ancient book in my hands. For some reason, it felt strangely familiar, stirring up a sense of recognition I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It wasn’t difficult to read at all; in fact, it flowed quite smoothly.

　　As I continued to flip through the tattered pages, White Impermanence exchanged a knowing look with Black Impermanence. They nodded to each other, their mourning sticks in hand, and suddenly leapt into a dance that resembled a folk celebration.

　　But just as quickly as they began, they stopped. I was still absorbed in the Six-Harmony Golden Lock Array. By now, I was thoroughly captivated by the book; the intricacies of the formations described within were far beyond anything I could have imagined. I was certain that if my master laid eyes on this book, he would treat it as a prized possession of Xuanxin Temple.

　　But why was I able to understand this book so effortlessly?

　　I closed it, shaking my head in confusion.

　　"Finished reading?" White Impermanence asked.

　　I nodded.

　　Without another word, White Impermanence waved his hand again, and the Six Harmony Golden Lock Formation returned to him, neatly tucked away.

　　"Now, let’s break the formation!" he declared.

　　"Aren’t you going to ask if I understood it?" I shot back, a bit defensively.

　　"That’s not necessary. If you didn’t get it, then no one could," Black Impermanence interjected, his tone teasing.

　　"Mr. Seven, Mr. Eight, what do you need us for?"

　　Just then, three more spectral enforcers emerged behind Black and White Impermanence: the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, along with a man in a black robe, his face obscured by a thick beard, with a large character for "Night" emblazoned on his chest.

　　It was clear who he was—the Night Wanderer, one of the ten great ghost commanders.

　　"Feng Shui master Wang Xiaofeng, it’s an honor to meet you, Lord Ox-Head, Lord Horse-Face, and Lord Night Wanderer!" I said, cupping my hands in a respectful greeting.

　　The Night Wanderer glanced at me, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. He circled around me, then turned to White Impermanence, saying, "Lao Seven, this kid is the one you mentioned..."

　　White Impermanence nodded but kept quiet, a knowing smile playing on his lips.