PD -Chapter 131 Black and White Impermanence

A crimson glow flickered ahead. Shentu’s body hovered in midair, and with a casual wave of her hand, red light blasted through ranks of Yin soldiers, knocking down large swaths of them.

Liu Xiaopeng and I immediately unleashed our Demon-Breaking Talismans as well. Wherever the talismans passed, bursts of golden light exploded outward, instantly vaporizing the Yin soldiers without a trace.

The dark gate tunnel became the perfect cover for our operation. We eliminated all the lantern-bearing Yin soldiers as quickly as possible and were just about to quietly slip into the pavilion atop the pass when we discovered two enormous figures standing at the end of the tunnel, blocking our way.

One was black, the other white.

The figure in white was tall and gaunt, with a deathly pale face and a long tongue hanging from his mouth. Upon his tall hat were the words:

“Fortune Upon Meeting.”

The black-clad one looked fierce and intimidating, broad and stout, with the words:

“Peace Under Heaven.”

The moment I saw them, I froze.

I already knew exactly who they were.

These were the famed Black and White Impermanence.

They looked nothing like the popular legends of the mortal world, where Black and White Impermanence carried shackles and handcuffs specifically to capture wandering souls.

Now that I saw them in person, it was clear that wasn’t the case. They were most likely two of the Eighteen Punishing Ghosts that Shentu had mentioned—the guardians of Ghost Gate Pass.

The instant these two figures appeared, Shentu transformed into a blur and vanished.

I cursed inwardly.

Don’t tell me this woman saw powerful opponents and ran off by herself, leaving us to be fed to the wolves?

But almost immediately, I realized something was wrong with that assumption.

The horde of souls under her control had not disappeared. Instead, they charged fearlessly toward Black and White Impermanence as if possessed.

Liu Xiaopeng and I exchanged a glance.

This was no time to back down.

Using the souls as cover, we rushed forward as well.

“How dare vermin like you trespass into the forbidden lands of Youdu?” Black Impermanence roared.

His voice was deep and thunderous.

As he spoke, he raised the soul-banner in his hand. Instantly, an invisible force dragged the charging souls toward him.

At the same moment, White Impermanence lifted his massive scythe and began harvesting souls.

The coordination between the two was flawless.

I cursed under my breath.

That army of souls was still useful to us. There were sixteen more evil ghosts ahead. If all these souls died here, we’d have no cannon fodder left when the time came.

I immediately activated the Golden Light Mantra, extending its radiance to protect every soul. A golden barrier formed before their advancing formation, cutting off the tremendous suction force from Black Impermanence’s soul-banner.

At the same time, Liu Xiaopeng summoned the Immortal-Slaying Sword.

For the sake of keeping a low profile, the sword wasn’t nearly as dazzling as before. Only a faint glow shimmered across its blade.

Even so, its speed was astonishing.

The sword shot directly toward Black Impermanence’s soul-banner.

Black Impermanence’s expression changed.

Apparently sensing the terrifying power contained within the Immortal-Slaying Sword, he immediately raised the banner to block.

Bang!

The Immortal-Slaying Sword collided with the soul-banner.

The resulting shockwave blasted White Impermanence backward several meters.

Then came a sharp crack.

The soul-banner in Black Impermanence’s hand snapped cleanly in half and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, White Impermanence immediately moved to support his partner, swinging his scythe toward Liu Xiaopeng.

I cursed and threw out a rapid succession of Demon-Breaking Talismans.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The talismans exploded one after another against the scythe, barely managing to halt its momentum before it could strike Liu Xiaopeng.

Taking advantage of the opening, Liu Xiaopeng redirected the Immortal-Slaying Sword and aimed straight for White Impermanence’s neck.

Bang!

But this time, the sword failed to sever his head.

The Black Impermanence whose banner had just been destroyed had somehow appeared beside White Impermanence.

A pair of iron shackles now hung in his hands.

Using those shackles, he blocked the Immortal-Slaying Sword and saved White Impermanence from certain death.

“You insolent brats!”

The two vicious ghost wardens roared in unison at Liu Xiaopeng and me.

Their voices merged into one.

The surrounding souls were immediately blown away by the shockwave.

Some of the nearby souls were shattered outright, their spirits completely annihilated.

“Let all souls submit to the law! Peace under Heaven!”

Black Impermanence bellowed.

His thick black arms came together in a prayer-like gesture.

A mass of black qi instantly materialized above his head.

Then I saw two enormous objects descending toward Liu Xiaopeng and me.

“Watch out!” I shouted.

We both looked up.

The falling objects were actually two giant wooden cangues—the ancient neck restraints commonly seen in historical dramas.

They plunged straight toward our heads with overwhelming force.

Even without knowing what would happen if we were trapped inside them, merely being struck by one looked enough to kill a person outright.

At the same time, White Impermanence’s scythe flew toward us.

And as it spun through the air, it split into countless smaller scythes.

Dense as a swarm of insects.

Each approached from a vicious angle, almost completely sealing off every possible escape route.

“Excellent work.”

Just as disaster loomed, a woman’s voice sounded beside my ear.

I froze.

It was Shentu.

“Keep those two idiots distracted.”

Her figure was nowhere in sight, and I had no idea where her voice was coming from.

But I immediately understood her intentions.

Looking at Liu Xiaopeng, I shouted, “Then we’ll have to face them head-on!”

“Within the Three Realms and beyond, the Dao alone is supreme! Golden light covers and protects my body!”

Liu Xiaopeng and I recited the Golden Light Mantra simultaneously.

In an instant, dazzling golden radiance illuminated the entire tunnel.

Before us rose a massive wall forged from pure golden light.

Bang! Bang!

Countless scythes crashed into the wall and were stopped.

Even the cangues, each weighing as though they carried a thousand pounds, ground to a halt against its surface.

“Impudence!”

Black and White Impermanence seemed genuinely enraged.

Their overlapping voices sounded disturbingly unnatural.

Then something even more bizarre happened.

The black figure and the white figure suddenly became two blurs that shot toward the base of our golden wall.

In the next instant, they merged into one.

The new being was half black and half white.

It possessed two pairs of arms and legs.

Each pair of hands wielded strange shackles and instruments of punishment.

Its body swelled dramatically in size until its head nearly touched the ceiling of the gate tunnel.

Boom! Boom!

The fused Black and White Impermanence lifted its massive legs and delivered two crushing kicks.

Our Golden Light Barrier trembled violently.

I felt as if a giant hammer had slammed into my chest twice.

Then our defense broke.

The golden wall shattered into countless fragments before its light vanished completely.

The gigantic Impermanence charged straight toward us.

One pair of arms swung its punishment weapons at me.

The other pair struck toward Liu Xiaopeng.

“Shentu!”

I felt blood rising in my throat.

At this critical moment, I silently cursed that woman.

This should have been the perfect opportunity for an ambush.

If she still refused to act, then Liu Xiaopeng and I—the bait—were finished.