Chapter 76
Black Forest
Yuwen Yue silently walked beside his horse while Tracker executed his escape. He jumped and leaped from the nearby forest tree, but Yuwen Yue knew exactly how he was going to land.
He flew like an angry but cold lion, and suddenly he was looking into Tracker's eyes. Without any warning, he sprinkled a drop of the potion from his hand.
Tracker was momentarily blinded and couldn't see clearly. He walked like a drunken man, while Yuwen Yue stood behind him.
"What did you do to my eyes?!" Tracker asked angrily.
Yuwen Yue said, "Don't worry, death won't come yet."
"I cannot see!" Tracker was now scratching his eyes.
"I know," Yuwen Yue replied in a cold voice. He grabbed Tracker's head and put green silk over his eyes, blindfolding him. "On your knees!"
"Are you going to execute me in this manner with that sword?" Tracker asked, without fear, still managing to question the manner of his executioner.
"Is there a problem with it?" Yuwen Yue sneered, clearly annoyed.
"Fine! Give me death!" Tracker shouted defiantly, his voice sounding horrible. He took a knee and became ten times more aware of his surroundings.
Yuwen Yue drew a circle around where Tracker was kneeling. Using his Poe Yue Jian sword, the circle began to emit a bluish-white light. He said coldly, "You will pay for your rudeness with this hard lesson. You will learn how to be loyal to your master."
Tracker coldly responded, "And anyone who tries shall earn it as well!"
The circle began to bore a hole in the ground. Suddenly, it cracked open to reveal a fiery pit with molten lava boiling beneath. A foul stench emanated from the pit, and Tracker's only foothold began to spin rapidly until he could no longer maintain his balance.
As Yuwen Yue had said, the cone-shaped ground where Tracker knelt was slowly losing the tip of its base. As it did, the temperature rose higher and higher. Tracker's skin began to bruise and burn, but he still didn't call for help.
Yuwen Yue, waiting for the outcome, didn't bother to ask him, "How long can you hold on to your vow?"
Tracker's body had almost reached its limit. "I prefer to die than to abandon my vow!" he declared.
Yuwen Yue looked down at him and responded, "Then why can't I believe a word you're saying?"
Tracker couldn't hold on any longer, and he cried out in pain.
"Ahhhhh!"
Yuwen Yue knew Tracker couldn't endure anymore when the fiery monster dragon swept toward Tracker's body.
Swoosh! Bang!The sound of a slashing sword and something closing was heard.
Yuwen Yue took Tracker's head. His body, like a bamboo leaf, was weak but had not abandoned its vow despite the near-death experience.
Yuwen Yue calmly said, "Fool."
Tracker didn't respond. He was barely alive, his breath faint. Yuwen Yue grasped his nape and made a small cut. Blood began to drip from his pale skin. "Since you can't speak your vow, I'll take it from you!" he declared.
"Noooo!" Tracker cried, but it was too late. Blood was already dripping from his neck, and he became pale, nearly dying.
Yuwen Yue closed his eyes and asked coldly, "Abandon or die?"
Tracker, almost dead from blood loss, firmly replied with a smile, "Both."
Suddenly, Yuwen Yue sat in a Zen position and began to chant healing words. For every word that came from his mouth, the wounds began to close until they were completely healed.
Everything returned to normal, and though Tracker had lost his internal Chi flow, his pulse was restored in time, bringing him back from the brink of death.
Yuwen Yue set up a bonfire beside him and waited for Tracker to wake up.
After many hours, Tracker awoke. He found himself lying on the ground, and the tattoos on his arms and the swirling snake embedded on his nape were gone.
Yuwen Yue, staring at him, said in a short, bland voice, "You said both. Remember?"
Tracker, in his usual rude manner, responded, "You don't have to remind me!"
Irritated, Yuwen Yue replied, "Seems I should've let you bleed to death!"
Tracker didn't respond, only touching his nape, now free of any underworld shackles, with the ancient snake tattoo gone.
Tracker couldn't believe what had happened, but it did. To experience this kind of power was like a second life.
In the underworld realms, such power was possessed only by the leader of the Wind and Cloud Decree, but in this case, Tracker had to acknowledge this godly figure. While sleeping, he asked in an unheard, soft voice, "Who are you?"
Tracker had lost his underworld chains and the shackles of dark powers, but gained a new insight. Thanks to the potion Yuwen Yue used to clear his eyes, he had seen true light once again.
This reminded him of a time when Yuwen Yue poured a similar potion into Chu Qiao's eyes to make her one of his spies of sacrifice. He had done it to steer clear of Chu Qiao's blind spots and train her to become one of the best spies.
Tracker couldn't come out during the day, for all his work had to be done at night.
But now, he could open his eyes and see the sunlight. What was amazing was that he hadn't lost his golden eyes, like a wolf's, usually visible only at night.
Yuwen Yue woke up and found the Yuwen parrot and his horse still in order. But Tracker was nowhere to be seen, he had gone somewhere.
Not bothered, Yuwen Yue walked a few steps and noticed some sunflower seeds scattered on the ground.
The Yuwen parrot flew to the ground and started pecking at the seeds with its beak. Yuwen Yue closed his eyes, thinking, and then suddenly opened them.
He knew Tracker had left him a trail to follow, just in case he would be out of sight for a long time.
With his newfound life, Tracker was thirsty for the first time.
With his hands and feet now functioning normally, he walked a few steps and heard the sound of water gushing nearby. To confirm it, he walked a bit further and hid, extending his neck to peek at the picturesque view.
Breathing in and out, he saw a clear stream of water. Suddenly, the sun's rays were covered by clouds, and a thick fog hovered densely over the stream.
Yuwen Yue pulled the reins of his horse, while the Yuwen parrot, flying ahead of him, ate all the sunflower seeds, leaving no trace behind. The handsome god and his animals followed the trail.
The cold forest was dense, with thick fog hovering around it.
Tracker, ten times sharper at night but not as keen during the day, failed to sense the dark presence surrounding him, leaving everything unnoticed.
Returning to his human senses for the first time since drinking from the stream,Bang!It was too late to turn back. The clear stream suddenly turned to blood, and Tracker was poisoned. His eyes dilated, and he passed out.
Yuwen Yue dismounted from his horse, sending the Cangwu bird to a high fir tree. He bent down to listen to the ground.
By counting the sounds in his mind, Yuwen Yue already knew someone was coming.
He recognized the small footsteps approaching, knowing a dark entity was about to harass their path. He whistled, calling the Yuwen parrot. The Cangwu bird flew back to his hand.
Yuwen Yue whispered to the Cangwu bird, then pulled out a plum blossom flower, letting the bird smell it. The Cangwu bird fell asleep, and Yuwen Yue tucked it into his Kam sleeves. As the bird slept, Yuwen Yue drew his Poe Yue Jian sword.
A few seconds later, the thick fog began to strangle his horse.Blag!The horse fell.
Yuwen Yue, still looking for clues, saw what had happened, but it was too late, the thick fog violently wrapped around his neck.
Moments ago, Yuwen Yue had stood with his Poe Yue Jian sword, but now…
He heard horrific screams and the loud beats of dreadful drums. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't. Suddenly, a strong wind blew in his direction, shaking his body.
His Poe Yue Jian sword hung upside down, poised to tear his chest.
The dark clouds and thick fog vanished, and the sun shone brightly. Tracker, now awake, found himself lying in the center of a fiery arena surrounded by black smoke. In the middle was a large yin and yang symbol, a bloody pool filled with floating skulls and bones.
The Gnome King said, "Do you want to save your master, underworld assassin?"
Tracker, angry but calm, responded in a deep voice, "Who is my master?"
"I think he is your master," the Gnome King smirked, signaling another gnome guard to blow a horn. The horn sounded, and the audience was stunned.
The arena, filled with fire and smoke, was located underground, with its walls ablaze. The gnome audience sat in layers, watching from above. Their faces were blackened from the smoke below.
Large, black mythical birds flew around the arena, and swarming bats blocked the sunlight from above.
An ancient tale of the underworld was unfolding as bones and skulls scattered across the fiery circle.
Tracker, smirking in dismay, said to himself, "Not again!"
Instead of fighting, Tracker ran for his life, while the Gnome King laughed loudly, and the audience looked on in horror.
Tracker knew his powers were limited, and he couldn't risk being cut open. It was better to flee than to fight, lest he end up like a foolish monk.
The difference now was that his eyes were crystal clear. Faster than laser technology, he could see anything in sharp detail, even in his limited human body.
Tracker's eyes, like the latest telescope, could zoom in and out, allowing him to observe everything in precise detail.
Yuwen Yue opened his eyes and saw that his Poe Yue Jian sword had been taken by a dark figure.
The dark lady, her back covered by a dark hood, placed Yuwen Yue's sword on her back.
He stood up suddenly, his curious eyes fixed on her, and asked, "Who are you?"
"Welcome to the underworld, Fourth Young Master! Your underworld palm is being dragged by the ancient undertale force!" the dark lady replied.
Yuwen Yue, focusing on the sword on her back, said, "I asked you a question, yet you rudely show me only your back."
"Am I rude, Fourth Young Master? Have you forgotten what I just did?" the dark lady, still with her back turned, didn't reveal her face.
Suddenly, Yuwen Yue leaped into the air, flying like a bird in slow motion. He grabbed a bow and arrow from a sleeping horse nearby.
The dark lady, unsurprised, met him with her martial arts.
Their bodies danced beneath the passing fog and dark clouds. They spun, tumbled, kicked, rolled, flew, and crawled. Time no longer mattered.
Yuwen Yue suddenly grabbed the Poe Yue Jian sword from the dark lady's back, but she resisted. She pulled out her whip and struck Yuwen Yue's hand.
However, instead of Yuwen Yue feeling pain, the force of the whip bounced back to the dark lady.
Stunned, she attempted to whip him again, this time aiming for his neck. But Yuwen Yue quickly caught the whip and yanked it from her hands.
Unable to control the situation, the dark lady was dragged by her own whip and shocked by the energy flowing from Yuwen Yue's hands.
Yuwen Yue's face remained emotionless. He took control of the whip, using it to retrieve the Poe Yue Jian sword from her back.
In a swift move, Yuwen Yue seized the sword and flew into the air. The dark lady tried to regain control of the whip, but her hands were electrified, and she fell to the ground.
Time seemed to stop. Yuwen Yue, empowered by the energy in his hands, took the sword from the whip. It was as if the whip obeyed Yuwen Yue more than its original owner.
Now, Yuwen Yue held the sword in his right hand and the whip in his left. In his palm, the whip transformed to a golden color, blinding the dark lady.
The Gnome King and his audience shouted as the chants grew louder. Tracker was running around the arena when the undertale force swept his feet from under him.
The force pinned Tracker down like a thin sheet of paper, planting him to the ground.
Bruised and wounded, he tried to stand but found himself unable to move.
The undertale force, made of black smoke on land but resembling a gigantic water dragon in water, did not show its face.
The black smoke returned to the yin and yang pool, only to emerge moments later, transforming into a human-like figure. Its feet formed first, then its body, but its head remained that of a fierce dragon.
Tracker had never seen the undertale force in this form before. The arena trembled in its presence, and everyone, including Tracker, feared for their lives.
The undertale force approached Tracker, sniffing his neck. In a horrible voice, it said, "You abandoned your vow! I shall eat you now!"
Yuwen Yue had heard the legends of the underworld, but now he was seeing them unfold before his eyes.
Like an intruder breaking in, he leaped into the arena and dipped his Poe Yue Jian sword into the yin and yang pool. He took a potion from his long, flowing sleeves and poured a single drop into the pool.
The undertale force reacted with displeasure. The parched ground cracked, and water began to flood the area, threatening to drown everything.
Tracker, realizing too late what was happening, said, "I'm inside a gigantic water well," just before being swallowed by the rising waters.
Quick to act, Yuwen Yue threw his sword as if targeting an insect on the far side of the well. Then, using the whip in his left hand, he swung himself to safety while the water swallowed the undertale force. He hadn't forgotten about Tracker.
"It's not your time yet!" Yuwen Yue declared.
Balancing himself on the handle of his sword, which was now embedded in the well's wall, Yuwen Yue used the whip to pull Tracker from the water, which had turned into a sea.
The whip stretched magically, gently lifting Tracker and placing him on the grassy ground. Tracker lay still, unmoving. Yuwen Yue returned the whip to his waist, still standing on the sword's handle. Carefully, he drew his bow and arrow.
He stretched the bowstring, looked up at a 45-degree angle, and gently whispered, "Trade winds."
As birds swirled around, the echo of his words reverberated, affecting the wind. A crisp whizzing sound was heard. The arrow spiraled toward its target, aiming for the perfect spot on solid ground above.
This arrow would determine Yuwen Yue's fate, and there was no room for error. He reminded himself,"There are no second chances!"
The arrow found its mark and reached the desired spot.
Yuwen Yue looked up, preparing to climb using the arrow's rope. Confident in its security, he finally let go of his footing on the sword's handle.
Suspended vertically against the gigantic well's wall, he held onto the sword's grip and unsheathed it from the wall.
Yuwen Yue reached the top, but the dark lady awaited his return. She had tied Tracker's neck with a rope.
Her face was completely hidden by her dark hood.
Yuwen Yue couldn't see her face, but he raised the whip in his hand and said, "I believe this belongs to you."
The dark lady replied, "It does, but you used it to save this poor underworld assassin!"
Tracker had not yet awakened and appeared to be dead.
Yuwen Yue said, "Dark lady, or should I call you by your name, Viper!"
"My name is Viper?" the dark lady said, surprised.
"You knew me when you called me the fourth young master!" Yuwen Yue continued.
"Your memories were traded in a place of oblivion. Whenever you use your powers, fragments of your memories return to you in the present, but you lose them again when you stop using them," Yuwen Yue explained.
"You are deceiving me!" Viper accused, tightening her grip on Tracker's neck.
"In mere seconds, Tracker's soul will cross the forgotten river, and you don't want to send him there," Yuwen Yue said in a cold but calm tone, ready to snatch Tracker away.
"In the blink of an eye, I will make you remember!" Yuwen Yue said.
He took a golden celadon bottle hanging from his chest and sprinkled the golden ash of memories into her eyes.
Suddenly, Viper froze, seeing flashes of her childhood and past memories. Yuwen Yue took this opportunity to snatch Tracker away. Viper, like a blind woman, fell to her knees.
Yuwen Yue laid the whip in front of her and said, "You won't see for many days and nights, but here, take your weapon of defense. I hope we meet again someday."
Yuwen Yue took Tracker and, with his horse fully awake and alert nearby, grabbed the reins and rode as fast as he could.
"Hold on!" Yuwen Yue urged.
Tracker, pale with a weak pulse, half-opened his eyes and saw Yuwen Yue drawing his sword through the bloody mess around them.
They had finally escaped the Gnome army and evaded its attacks.
The Gnome King was furious, firing a flaming arrow, but Yuwen Yue and Tracker were already out of range.
They had freed themselves from the black forest at last.
The sun was bright, the passing clouds were gone, and the sky was blue.
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