Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 12 - An Overlord

The Ghost Realm

Yan Zhi didn't know what it was that woke her in the middle of the night, but looking around her chamber, which still had a few candles burning, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.  Unsure if it was the dream of a Twelve Tailed Dragon or a deep feeling of foreboding that had woken her, she lay quietly to still her racing heart.  Broken sleep seemed to be a regular occurrence for her now, sleep would no longer be a luxury to be enjoyed, in fact she dreaded going to bed, because sleep only brought nightmares. it was only sheer exhaustion that forced her to lie down.

 And the last few nights, sleep had been near impossible for her anyway.  The sight of her brothers head on a pike was still fresh in her mind, and though the entire Palace could hear her crying out for him in the dead of night, no one dared to offer comfort.  She was completely alone with her grief and despair.

Initially she had thrown the robe off her shoulders when General Mao had lowered it over her.  She thought she had screamed, she couldn't remember because the moment her brothers face came into view, her mind had shut down.  She had a vague recollection of being carried from her fathers study with her brothers head wrapped in the Royal Robe, but what happened after that became a blur.

Somewhere amid her fractured memories she remembered seeing the Medicine King and a Harem consort with no eyes.  Everything else had been lost to the sleeping pills she had been forced to take.  She couldn't even remember how long ago it had been, but she did remember the meeting with her brothers Generals, men he had trusted with his very life, and the same ones who took it from him.

And because of it, she had no trust for them, in fact she trusted no one.  But it was General Mao who insisted she share her dream of the man with two faces, something Li Jing had shared with him in confidence.  But not knowing any of the men by heart, she refused, she had also refused to take on the role of Overlord, a position she had never wanted.

"My Queen." General Mao said smiling gently at her, a smile she definitely did not trust, because she could feel the insincerity in it.  "Unfortunately, as the only living heir to the Royal Line, you have no choice but to accept the title of Queen and Overlord of the Ghost Realm." he had informed her.  

She knew in her mind he was correct, but her brother had just died at this mans hands, and now he was demanding she share her dreams and accept a role she did not want.  If it wasn't for her love of her people, she would have walked out the door and never returned.  Instead she took hold of the robe which was still stained in her brothers blood and put it on.  In fact she had flatly refused to allow the robe to be cleaned.  Everywhere she went, the reminder of his death would be seen by them for all time.

But because she had flatly refused to share her dream,  it was then she was given the reason for Li Jings death.  Forced to listen, a story so unbelievable emerged, she could barely breath by the time they had finished.

According the General Mao, her father had used the services of a prophetess on many occasions during his long lifetime, but it was when the rebellion among his own youth began to increase the fears of an actual war breaking out, that her father had once again returned for the womans services.  Though no one at the meeting seemed to know who she was or even if she was still alive.

But according to the story, this woman had informed her father of the upcoming war, and his death at the hands of weapon so destructive, he immediately understood what it meant.  And it was then that her father had used the services of a spirit healer to remove pieces of his soul.  This was dark magic and was forbidden under the laws of Heaven itself.  However he had every intention of cheating fate so he went ahead with it anyway.  

Then with the healers help, specific memories were then recreated using a slab of onyx which drew them from his mind.  Then forcing the memories into his soul pieces, Qing Cang then had them sealed in the Bell of East Emperor.  Knowing that Mo Yuan would no doubt sacrifice himself, he was counting on the Holy flame to seal both of their pieces together, because according to the Prophetess, it would be Mo Yuans return that would bring him back.