Chapter 74: A Forceful Intervention

Like a cold gleam piercing the night, the force seemed poised to rend the city of Fengdu asunder, thunderously striking at the undead whose eyes burned with malice.

With a deafening crash, it was as if a great rift had been torn open above the temple. From the gaping wound, thick mists began to spill outward, gradually spreading until they shrouded the entire sky above the temple.

Even the very heavens seemed to change color. All present stood transfixed, stunned by the astonishing spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

But none were more terrified than the undead themselves. A moment earlier, they had glared at Nyla and Shaoguang with venomous eyes. Now, in the blink of an eye, their gazes were fixed on the sudden rift and the encroaching mist. An uncontrollable terror seized them, as if this were the most irresistible force of darkness in existence.

The mist, ever thickening, soon enveloped every last undead. Within its depths, it seemed as though countless invisible hands were clawing at them, dragging them into an even more dreadful abyss.

Screams of terror echoed as the undead struggled in vain, their forms swallowed one by one by the rift. In the end, not a trace of them remained. The temple returned to its former calm, but this time, it was a deathly silence born of utter extinction.

At last, Nyla’s torment was over. No more undead remained; perhaps they had been banished to a realm even more terrifying than the underworld itself. The undead, she thought, would never know how narrowly they had missed their chance at rebirth.

All attention was drawn to this sudden turn, save for one exception.

The King of the Underworld gazed coldly in the direction where the undead had vanished. Withdrawing his power, the rift vanished as swiftly as it had appeared.

“Your Majesty, what do you think you’re doing? This is the mortal realm! Though they have become undead, until they enter the underworld, you have no right to treat them so!” Nyla’s eyes bore straight into the King.

“Oh? Perhaps that was true before, but it is not anymore. Fengdu is mine now.” The King declared his decision with chilling calm.

In truth, he had made up his mind the very first time he visited this place: here, he would establish the City of Reincarnation. When the undead gathered around the temple, he sensed something strange beneath it—something that drew the undead’s attention, perhaps intimately connected to the underworld.

Fengdu was his for the taking.

What did he want Fengdu for? Fuli was uncertain what agreement might exist between the King and Nyla, but from the sudden change in Nyla’s expression, she could guess at least part of it.

Nyla’s heart trembled—what was she to do now that the King desired Fengdu? Should she agree, or refuse?

“Your Majesty, perhaps this is not the time to discuss it further!” She was reluctant indeed. Though all life in Fengdu had been extinguished, in time, it might recover. But once it became the City of Reincarnation, it would mean that life itself would forever part ways with this land.

“Does the Earth Goddess wish to go back on her word? Only Fengdu will do—no other place will suffice.” The King refused without hesitation.

“Your Majesty—”

Nyla was searching for words when something utterly unexpected happened. The temple’s sacred light suddenly went out, like a solitary lamp struggling in a storm, its final glow flickering before dying away in silence.

Was this fate’s decree? Was Fengdu now destined to become a place where life itself must halt?

Nyla stared at the temple in shock, unwilling to believe that the sacred light could simply extinguish itself—especially after the rekindling of the sacred fire at the earth’s core. Yet now it had vanished without a trace.

Shaoguang, too, thought of the seasons and time within the temple. Had something befallen them? Why had there been no movement inside for so long?

Nyla and Shaoguang exchanged glances and rushed into the temple.

The King of the Underworld was surprised—what could have happened to alarm them so? He followed them inside.

The temple itself had changed little. Everything remained as before: sparse, simple furnishings, the central dais where the sacred light ought to have burned in quiet dignity—now shrouded in darkness.

A desolate, grieving temple.

Shaoguang almost cried out in alarm. She saw Time and Seasons lying motionless on the floor, as if lost to consciousness. She hurried to their sides.

Shaoguang reached out to touch them, but Nyla stopped her.

Nyla knelt beside them. Their state seemed as though they had fallen into some kind of trance.

After a moment’s thought, Nyla placed her hand upon theirs, channeling her power into their fingertips.

A faint moan escaped them, and both Seasons and Time opened their eyes.

“Your Highness!” they exclaimed together, hardly daring to believe Nyla had finally returned.

“How do you feel now?” Nyla asked. Shaoguang hovered anxiously at their side.

Both nodded, indicating they were much improved.

Slowly, they sat up, Nyla’s power having been enough to restore them.

The Goddess of the Seasons looked toward the sacred light’s usual place. “Ah!” she cried in alarm.

Her voice drew Time’s attention. Following her gaze, Time’s face drained of color.

They looked at each other, terror mirrored in their eyes. Why had the sacred light suddenly gone out?

“Your Highness!” The two goddesses, scarcely able to stand, knelt before Nyla. Alone in the temple, they felt the full weight of their failure—how could they bear such grave responsibility? The sacred light had suddenly died after the sacred fire was rekindled, yet they could not recall a single detail of what had transpired.

“What happened here? Why did the sacred light go out?” Nyla did not scold them; she simply longed for answers.

“We… we do not know. We are unworthy,” Seasons replied after a moment, Time nodding beside her.

From the moment the undead began their assault, their only thought had been to defend the temple. Aurora waited outside for Nyla’s return, while inside, they guarded all within.

Yet nothing amiss had been detected—they had been vigilant, watching over the sacred light.

Suddenly, Time seemed to recall something. When the undead swarmed the temple, a beam of invisible light had shot up from beneath. After that, everything was a blank; when they next awoke, the sacred light was gone.

“Rise. You are not to blame for this,” Nyla said at last.

“Your Highness…” Seasons and Time remained kneeling, unable to shrug off their guilt.

Nyla turned away, her gaze resting on the extinguished sacred light. Perhaps this was fate’s arrangement. Ever since the sacred fire at the earth’s core went out, she had sensed some unseen force pulling the strings—one even she could not resist.

From the look in their eyes, Nyla knew neither Seasons nor Time had any inkling of what had happened. Chastising them would do no good.

With the sacred light extinguished, there was nothing she could do to alter Fengdu’s fate. Perhaps it truly was destined to belong to the underworld.

Shaoguang had already helped Seasons and Time to their feet, their eyes now fixed upon Nyla’s every move.

Nyla paused. Since nothing could be changed, and the King’s resolve was unyielding, she had no choice but to acquiesce.

She turned to the King of the Underworld. “As you wish, Your Majesty. However, every blade of grass and leaf here was planted by my own hand. Even if it now belongs to the underworld, there are matters we must discuss. What are your thoughts?”

Though she seemed to be consulting him, Nyla’s words made her stance clear: the founding of the City of Reincarnation was no simple affair; many details required negotiation.

The King nodded in agreement. After all, Fengdu had existed for countless years—there were bound to be secrets hidden within. All traces of the mortal realm would need to be purged. If it was to belong to the underworld, it must abide by its laws.

Seasons and Time listened in a daze to Nyla and the King’s exchange, only one phrase echoing in their minds: “Fengdu belongs to the underworld. Fengdu belongs to the underworld…”

“Your Highness, you mustn’t do this!” The two goddesses had never imagined their failure would bring such dire consequences. They believed that the sacred light’s extinction and the King’s intervention had forced Nyla’s hand.

Aurora, having previously heard Nyla speak of her agreement with the underworld, had her doubts about the City of Reincarnation. But since Nyla had decided, she would support her unconditionally.

“This matter is settled.” Nyla’s tone was final.

“If this is my fault, I will bear the consequences alone!” Seasons declared with unwavering resolve. If this was due to her, she would take full responsibility.

Time remained silent. Though she had not known as much as Shaoguang, she trusted that Nyla’s every decision was made with reason—surely, she and the King had reached some agreement unknown to her.

Time was filled with awe that Nyla had returned unscathed from the underworld—a world of death—and seemed even stronger than before, the power she had received surpassing all she had ever known.

So, if Nyla had made this choice, it must be for the benefit of the mortal realm.

Seasons wanted to protest further, but Time quietly took her hand, signaling her to remain silent. The King and the Judge were watching them.

Any questions could be brought to Shaoguang later—she had been with Nyla the longest. If she did not object, perhaps things were not so bad.

Reluctantly, Seasons bowed her head. “Please forgive us, Your Highness.”