535 Guardian (1/2)
”Why have you infiltrated the headquarters of the Tantai family?”
The Tantai clan leader had loosened up slightly upon discovering that Fang Yuan was human. He signalled for the other Tantai elders to retreat.
'Hmm? Seems like this person isn't as ignorant as I thought...right, a leader would not be as reckless as to challenge a formidable stranger to a deathmatch, even if that stranger had offended him…'
Fang Yuan shook off the spell that gave him his ghostly appearance and was human again.
”Sss…!”
The Tantai elders sucked in a collective breath of cold air.
”This sort of magic...looks like it is based on sealing up spirits on the body and forcing them to do one's bidding... marvellous! Truly marvellous!”
An old man stared at Fang Yuan with his mouth agape and bowed deeply to him.
”My name is Tantai Feng. Thank you for your demonstration. If I am able to advance my skills in the future, it will be thanks to you!”
'Tantai Feng? Isn't he the creator of the 'Ghost Channelling' taboo spell?
Fang Yuan rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.
'So I was his inspiration? Wait, I still can't be sure if this place belongs to my timeline. Or is it part of the multiverse? Or even a world that was created by the curse?'
”Alright, you may take your leave, Elder Feng!”
The Tantai clan leader had spoken again.
”My friend, what is your purpose in coming here?”
”To be honest, it was a coincidence. I had not intended to come here at all. You may all call me Fang Yuan!”
Fang Yuan introduced himself in a booming voice.
”Now that I am here, I would like to find out more about two things! Firstly, about the origin of the curse regarding that unspeakable name. Secondly, about the man with the unspeakable name and what he did to sully the name of the Tantai family.”
”My friend...you seem to know quite a bit about the Tantai family!”
The Tantai clan leader was bemused.
”So...which branch of the Tantai family are you from? Why have I not seen you before?”
There was no way to fake the blood of the Tantai family and the special curse. There was also a sensory method to identify Tantai family members, and there was no way to hide.
”Can you tell?”
Fang Yuan scratched his head. He knew that they probably would not believe his story of having shuttled through different timelines.
”I'm from one of the minor branches. I just want to know the origin of the 20-year cycle.”
”The origin?”
The Tantai clan leader forced a laugh.
”To be honest, Ghost Sealing Village is the place where everything began!”
”So that means…”
Fang Yuan's eyes lit up.
”That 'Door'. Did it appear here too?”
”You...really know a lot!”
The Tantai elder sighed and spoke.
”Since we are family, I won't beat around the bush. You're right! That door used to be here, and the Tantai family has been it's 'Guardian' for generations. It's been more than a thousand years since we took up the responsibility!”
”Guardian?”
Fang Yuan was astonished.
”A cursed door needed protection for a thousand years...wait, this isn't right!”
”Who told you...that it was a cursed door?”
The Tantai clan leader said with a hint of amusement.
”Hmm?”
Fang Yuan shuddered.
”Is that Green Bronze Ghost Door the reason how this world got cursed?”
”Of course not…”
The Tantai clan leader had a strange look on his face and asked on.
”Do you know about the netherworld?”
”Yes. When people die, their souls go there. In my opinion, because it coexists with the human world, one on the outside and one on the inside, it can be known as the 'Inner World'!”
Fang Yuan replied and sensed that the clan leader was about to reveal a great secret.
”'Inner World'? Well said...between Heaven and Earth, everything goes through a cycle. The netherworld might be where darkness gathers, but it was never evil in nature, and was where souls achieved reincarnation...only by passing through the 'Door' that the Tantai family guards can souls be reborn…”
The Tantai clan leader continued.
”Protecting the netherworld and reincarnation is the duty of everyone with the Tantai bloodline! We guardians would never dream of passing through the 'Door' while we are alive, unless we are in a hurry to die!”
”I see!”
Fang Yuan lowered his head.
From this perspective, the original 'Door', with its responsibilities of receiving souls and facilitating the process of reincarnation, was a good thing to the worldly cycles.
Of course, everything changed when that person had went on to do something wrong.
”Then...something would have gone wrong over the course of a thousand-year duty, am I right?”
”Yes...everything changed after that one ancestor with the unspeakable name was born! His great talent was apparent from a young age and was said to be wise beyond his years. At the age of eighteen, his abilities had exceeded everyone else in the Tantai family, and the rest saw him as the future leader and hope of the clan!”
The Tantai clan leader's revelation of the tale then took on an ominous tone.
”Later, for unknown reasons, he committed a huge mistake... He had opened that 'Door' with his human hands! The netherworld was changed forever and the human world was ravaged by calamities. The spirits came... and the curses as well!”
The Tantai clan leader sighed.
”The 'Door' fell away completely into the netherworld and the Tantai family was cursed for betraying our duty!”