Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 593: Mission of the land of the living

Lucas instinctively realized the enormity of what he had just heard.

“You mean…”

He hesitated.

“A Keeper now walks among the living?”

“Yes.”

The Lord’s answer was immediate.

“And that should never have been possible.”

The Keeper standing quietly beside the throne lowered her head further.

Even she appeared troubled by the memory.

The Lord continued.

“The Underworld is the realm of the dead.”

“The world above belongs to the living.”

“Neither realm is permitted to interfere with the other.”

“That law is older than kingdoms.”

“Older than civilizations.”

“Older than the gods worshipped by mortals.”

“When that boundary is broken…”

“The balance begins to collapse.”

Lucas slowly nodded.

The Lord raised one hand.

A vast image of the mortal world appeared before them.

Kingdoms.

Cities.

Mountains.

Oceans.

Lucas immediately recognized Valerion.

Lechia.

Blackmare.

Rus.

The image slowly darkened.

Shadows spread across the continents like a sickness.

Wars erupted.

Kingdoms burned.

Countless people perished.

Families were torn apart.

Brother fought brother.

Kings betrayed kings.

Entire nations descended into chaos.

Lucas stared silently.

The Lord spoke.

“These events are not random.”

“The unrest.”

“The betrayals.”

“The endless conflicts.”

“The rise of those who seek to plunge the world into ruin.”

“They all trace back to a single hand.”

The image shifted again.

Dark figures gathered within hidden chambers.

Kings were manipulated.

Nobles were corrupted.

Powerful cultivators disappeared.

Secret organizations expanded throughout the world.

Every thread…

Eventually converged upon one shadow.

The figure’s face remained hidden.

Yet an overwhelming aura of darkness radiated from him.

Lucas immediately understood.

“The usurpers…”

The Lord nodded once.

“They believe themselves architects of a new age.”

“They imagine they pursue their own ambitions.”

“They do not realize…”

“They are merely pieces.”

“Moved by another.”

Lucas watched the shadow carefully.

“The escaped Keeper.”

“Yes.”

Silence returned.

The Lord slowly rose from his throne.

The pressure filling the chamber became even greater.

“His place…”

“…is here.”

The Lord’s voice reverberated through every stone of the palace.

“Not among the living.”

“He abandoned his sacred office.”

“He corrupted mortal hearts.”

“He whispered promises into the ears of the ambitious.”

“He nurtured greed.”

“He cultivated hatred.”

“He transformed kingdoms into weapons.”

“And now…”

“He seeks to reshape the world according to his own will.”

Lucas felt a chill run through his soul.

“So…”

“The wars…”

“The betrayals…”

“Khan…”

“The usurpers…”

“They all exist because of him?”

“They exist because he gave darkness direction.”

The answer settled heavily upon Lucas.

Everything he had fought.

Everything he had suffered.

Every tragedy.

Every death.

Had been connected by an unseen hand.

The Lord looked directly toward him.

“Justice has not yet reached him.”

“Because none among the living know what he truly is.”

Lucas slowly lowered his head.

“And you cannot simply…”

He hesitated.

“…bring him back yourself?”

The Lord answered without hesitation.

“I cannot.”

“I govern the dead.”

“I do not rule the living.”

“My authority ends where mortal life begins.”

“If I were to cross that boundary…”

“The balance I protect would shatter completely.”

Lucas finally understood.

The Lord possessed limitless authority within the Underworld.

Yet even he was bound by laws older than himself.

That was why…

A mortal was needed.

The Lord continued.

“You shall return.”

“You shall seek the one who abandoned his duty.”

“You shall uncover the truth hidden behind the usurpers.”

“You shall bring an end to the corruption he has spread.”

Lucas remained silent.

The enormity of the task weighed upon him.

He would not simply be fighting another cultivator.

Nor another king.

Nor another empire.

He would be hunting a being that had once served as a Keeper of the Underworld itself.

The Lord’s voice echoed one final time through the endless hall.

“This is not vengeance.”

“It is not revenge.”

“It is justice.”

“The rebel abandoned his sacred purpose.”

“He has trespassed where no Keeper was ever meant to tread.”

“He has stained both the realm of the living and the realm of the dead.”

“He must answer for those crimes.”

The crimson glow beneath the dark shroud fixed itself upon Lucas.

“And you…”

The immense pressure filled the throne room once more.

“…shall be the instrument through which that justice is delivered.”

The throne room fell silent once more.

Lucas remained standing before the Lord of the Underworld, his mind still processing the enormity of the mission that had just been entrusted to him.

He was no longer merely a cultivator.

No longer simply a champion of Lechia.

He had become the chosen instrument of the Underworld itself.

The Lord slowly rose from the obsidian throne.

As he did, the entire palace seemed to respond.

The colossal pillars trembled.

The blue soul flames brightened.

Ancient runes carved into the floor awakened one after another, illuminating the vast hall with an ethereal glow.

The Keeper quietly stepped backward.

Even she lowered her head further.

“My Lord…”

she whispered.

“The Rite…”

The Lord gave a slight nod.

“It has been countless ages.”

Lucas frowned.

“What rite?”

The answer came as the Lord descended the steps of his throne.

“The Investiture.”

“A power granted only when the balance between the realms itself is threatened.”

He stopped before Lucas.

The dark shroud concealing his face shifted gently, revealing nothing beneath it but endless darkness.

“You are still mortal.”

“Your enemies are not.”

“The rebel was once a Keeper.”

“He understands powers and laws unknown to those born in the world above.”

“If I return you unchanged…”

“You will fail.”

Lucas did not argue.

He already knew it to be true.

The corruption Khan had used had nearly rendered him helpless.

If a mere servant of the rebel could accomplish that…

Facing the rebel himself would be impossible.

The Lord slowly raised one hand.

Darkness gathered above his palm.

It did not feel evil.

Nor sinister.

It felt ancient.

Orderly.

Like the night sky before the first dawn.

Within that darkness flickered countless silver lights, resembling stars scattered throughout an endless void.

“This…”

the Lord said,

“…is the authority entrusted to the Underworld.”

“It is not a gift.”

“It is not a blessing.”

“It is a responsibility.”

Lucas instinctively straightened.

The Lord extended his hand toward Lucas’s chest.

“Do not resist.”

The instant the Lord’s hand made contact…

The world disappeared.

Lucas’s eyes widened.

His soul erupted with unbearable pain.

It felt as though every part of his existence was being dismantled and rebuilt simultaneously.

He cried out.

The sound echoed endlessly through the palace.

Darkness poured into him.

Not to consume him…

But to merge with him.

His soul shone brilliantly.

Golden light burst from within him.

The darkness met it.

Instead of clashing…

The two intertwined.

Light and shadow circled one another like twin rivers flowing toward the same destination.

The Keeper watched in silent amazement.

“It has accepted him…”

she whispered.

The Lord remained unmoving.

“It recognizes its bearer.”

Lucas’s entire body became surrounded by countless ancient symbols.

Each symbol drifted into him before disappearing beneath his skin.

His meridians transformed.

His soul expanded.

Every fragment of corruption that had remained within his spiritual essence dissolved instantly, erased as though it had never existed.

Lucas gasped.

The pain suddenly vanished.

Warmth replaced it.

A profound stillness settled over his soul.

For the first time since entering the Underworld…

He felt whole.

The Lord slowly withdrew his hand.

The brilliant light surrounding Lucas gradually faded.

Lucas looked down at himself.

Faint silver markings briefly shimmered beneath his skin before disappearing entirely.

He felt…

Different.

Not stronger in the ordinary sense.

Deeper.

As though his very existence had been refined.

The Lord spoke.

“The authority I have granted you shall not make you invincible.”

“It shall not guarantee victory.”

“It shall not fight your battles.”

Lucas nodded.

“I understand.”

The Lord continued.

“It will, however…”

“…allow your soul to stand where ordinary mortals cannot.”

He raised one finger.

“The Abyss.”

The very name caused the throne room to grow colder.

Lucas looked up.

“The rebel has already begun spreading fragments of it throughout the mortal world.”

“It corrupts.”

“It devours.”

“It suppresses cultivation.”

“It twists the hearts of the living.”

Lucas immediately remembered the black veins spreading across his body.

“The corruption…”

“The power Khan used…”

“Was born from the Abyss.”

The Lord inclined his head.

“Yes.”

“It was but a fragment.”

“A single drop from an endless sea.”

Lucas’s expression became grave.

“If that was only a fragment…”

He did not finish the sentence.

He no longer needed to.

The Lord understood.

“The authority now residing within your soul places you outside the Abyss’s dominion.”

Lucas listened carefully.

“When you return to the land of the living…”

“The Abyss shall no longer corrupt your soul.”

“It shall no longer suppress your cultivation.”

“It may surround you.”

“It may seek to overwhelm you.”

“But it shall find no home within you.”

Lucas slowly clenched his fists.

He could feel it.

A quiet certainty resting deep within his soul.

The darkness that had once nearly claimed his life would never again hold power over him.

The Lord regarded him in silence before speaking once more.

“Remember this.”

“The power I have bestowed exists to preserve balance.”

“If ever you wield it for selfish ambition…”

“If ever you abandon justice for domination…”

“The authority shall leave you.”

“And your soul shall answer before this throne.”

Lucas met the hidden gaze beneath the dark shroud.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

“I accept those terms.”

For the first time since Lucas had entered the throne room…

The Lord gave the slightest nod.

“So be it.”

The ancient runes throughout the palace flared with blinding radiance.

The Keeper smiled gently.

“The path has been opened.”

The Lord raised his hand toward the heavens of the Underworld.

“It is time.”

“You shall return to the realm of the living.”

“And there…”

His voice echoed throughout the palace of the dead.

“…the hunt for the rebel shall begin.”

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