Chapter 161
The valley was already filled with corpses and rivers of blood. Thousands of Yin soldiers were weaving through the battlefield, rendering darkness and death boundlessly. Shouts of murder and screams pierced the clouds above and penetrated the underworld below. Blood, mutilated corpses, pain, sins, fear, what was the difference between earth and hell?
Looking at this tragic image, Zong Zi Heng's vision gradually turned bloody red. His breath almost stalled. Those cultivators who perished here, corpses that were still not cold, streaks of blood that have still not thickened, how innocent they were to die for the selfish desires of others!
All the evil causes and consequences, countless sins and debts, all the lives lost in vain, were all because of him, all because of the golden core in his belly! Looking back on his life, a mountain of guilt fell on his shoulders, and he could not bear the weight of it.
Zong Zi Heng's face looked as if he was crying and laughing as he stumbled forward.
Qi Meng Sheng chased after him from the cave, but now she was unable to lay a hand on him.
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Zong Zi Heng took in a deep breath and shouted, "Zong Zi Xiao------"
Zong Zi Xiao forced Xu Zhi Nan back with his sword and dodged Li Bu Yu's attack, leaping several times across the mountain and landing back on a boulder.
He was wounded. His face was stained with blood, not knowing who it belonged to, which dripped down from the tip of his sword all the way to the ground. His pitch-black eyes had taken up most of his pupils, like two deep, bottomless black holes, with red blood vessels spreading across the whites of his eyes. Killing is one of the emotions, and he gazed at his big brother with those inhuman eyes.
Zong Zi Heng said in a trembling voice, "Stop. How many more people do you want to kill? How many more sins do you want to create?"
"They are the ones who want to kill me." Zong Zi Xiao revealed a gut-wrenchingly fierce smile, his expression was of a madness that had never been seen before, "I will kill them all, kill, them all!" There was only one thought in his mind, and that was to kill, kill, kill! All those who dared to stand in his way, who dared to stand in the way of him and his big brother, deserved to die.
"Your power comes at a price, a price that will scatter your soul." Zong Zi Heng knew that Zong Zi Xiao had already Qi deviated. He had absorbed too much Yin energy in this battle, and who knew when that breakdown limit would come.
Zong Zi Xiao clutched the Heavenly Secret Talisman and laughed wildly, "It is they who will have their souls scattered!"
Two lines of tears flowed from Zong Zi Heng's eyes, and there was no turning back. He said with sorrow, "I brought you up with my own hands. Since you have not recognized the Lu family, then you are still a member of my Zong family. Today, on behalf of the ancestors of the Daming Zong Clan, I will get, rid, of, you.” With a sudden shout, he used his whole body's spiritual power to rush towards the spell seal on the chakra, forcing it through at the expense of seriously injuring himself.
He felt a strong contraction in his internal organs. His tendons and chakra felt like they were about to be torn apart, and the pain crushed through his whole body, and a large stream of blood spurted out of his mouth.
Zong Zi Xiao stared until his eyes were about to crack. The world was smeared with blood until it was beyond recognition, but in his eyes, it was no match for the little red on his big brother's body. He took a few steps forward, reached out his hand and was about to support him, "You ..."
Zong Zi Heng raised his hand suddenly, and the sword blade went straight towards Zong Zi Xiao's heart. His figure swayed several times before he managed to stabilize himself. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and clutched the sword in his hand. His peaceful gaze staring straight into Zong Zi Xiao's eyes.
Zong Zi Xiao looked at the sword, which was only inches away from his heart, and halted his footsteps, which wanted to come closer to big brother. That hand, which was already outstretched, dropped in disappointment and eventually formed a fist at his side.
Xu Zhi Nan, Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng all gathered around, ready to strike.
Zong Zi Xiao looked around, and finally, his sorrowful gaze fell on his big brother. He hadn't even frowned once when facing the entire immortal cultivation world's crusade, but this man had turned his blade against him, causing him pain and hatred, to the point of wanting to destroy everything.
"You want to betray me again." The hatred in Zong Zi Xiao's eyes was overwhelming, "Again and again, for yourself, and for others. Only I can be thrown away as you wish."
"Zong Zi Xiao, remember this, remember this in life and in death, I, Zong Zi Heng, have never betrayed you. But I do regret that I didn't stop you sooner." Zong Zi Heng coughed out another mouthful of blood as he endured the excruciating pain and said firmly in a broken breath, "From the beginning, till the end." He raised his sword and attacked Zong Zi Xiao.
Xu Zhi Nan and the other two also swarmed up to him.
Zong Zi Xiao let out a shrilling roar of a trapped beast and danced with his long sword. His fierce sword qi was so powerful that it can overwhelm the mountain and sea, forcing the four back for a moment.
But he was still outnumbered, and was soon blocked from the path, and began to lose ground.
Zong Zi Heng pursued him relentlessly with a fierce and desperate attack. That was a deadly way to attack. Zong Zi Xiao was so agitated by him that he almost went crazy, feeling the intertwining grief and indignation, hopelessly apathetic. One sharp and deadly sword energy attacked him ruthlessly.
Zong Zi Heng raised his sword to block it, but was still catapulted several feet away by the tremendous force. His back hitting the stone wall hard. He fell with one knee on the ground in pain, forcing his chakra to break through. He had been so badly injured that he was unable to stand up for a moment.
Zong Zi Xiao was in a frenzy. His eyes almost filled with black pupils, like a demon in fury. He looked up to the sky and roared, and the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman glowed brightly. An endless stream of spiritual energy flowed through it into him.
The number of Yin soldiers only increased, and the cultivators were nearing the end of their ropes.
Zong Zi Xiao released a majestic spiritual pressure and injected it into his sword, and began the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword: "Wan Jian Gui Zong-----"
A giant sword descended from the sky. Its sharp silver blade plunging fiercely into the ground beneath his feet, releasing thunderous sword energy.
Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng were severely injured by the blow. Even Xu Zhi Nan, who was dressed in the Golden Carved Jade Suit, was split open by this sword energy. He had no choice but to abandon his giant form and save his spiritual energy to heal his wounds.
Zong Zi Xiao stood proudly at the top of the mountain and looked around him. The sight of lying corpses on the mountain and the flowing of blood caused him to let out a twisted, delightful laugh: "This is what will happen if you dare to disobey His Holiness. I will kill you all, I will dig out your cores, I will smash your bones and scatter your ashes, I will slaughter the whole immortal cultivation world-----"
"Zong Zi Xiao."
A call was heard beside his ears. The voice was chilly and calm, like a clear spring flowing through the scorching battlefield, not affected by the vulgar world in turmoil.
Zong Zi Xiao turned his head to look at Zong Zi Heng, only to see his big brother standing up once again, even though his clothes were stained with blood, even though his face was as white as paper, yet he straightened his back.
"Zong Zi Xiao, in fact, you really should hate me." Zong Zi Heng gazed at him, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have come this far and become what you are today."
Zong Zi Xiao looked at his big brother grimly.
"Fate has played with me ..." Zong Zi Heng's eyes were misty with tears, "Big brother really did my best."
That "big brother" made Zong Zi Xiao's heart tremble, and a glimmer of clarity merged into his confused thoughts, accompanied by an unwarranted fear that invaded his mind.
"But I have to stop you, you can never get ... my core."
Zong Zi Xiao's pupils contracted fiercely as he watched Zong Zi Heng raise the sword in his hand.
The Zongxuan Sword, an heirloom of the Daming Zong Clan, which could only be inherited by the Human Emperor, had a blade like autumn frost and cut iron like mud. A sword that had helped the ancestor of the Zong Clan start a sect and kill in all directions, eventually unifying the immortal cultivation world, proclaiming itself emperor, and starting a three hundred year hegemony of the imperial family.
This sword, for the first time, was used to slice open the throat of Emperor Zong.
"No------"
Blood spurted out, staining Zong Zi Xiao's entire world red.
The black death aura in his eyes receded in an instant as he lunged in front of his big brother, covering the hideous bloody wound with his hands. His spiritual energy poured out furiously as he screamed "big brother" incoherently. That voice contained hatred, anger, helplessness and pleading. His heart had been torn to pieces. His body has been torn to pieces. His soul had been torn to pieces.
Zong Zi Heng's tears gurgled and slid down, mixed with the blood, thick and thin, yet making people feel grief-stricken. He did not feel pain. He felt relief and freedom in his body and mind that he had never felt before. He looked at Zong Zi Xiao's face, who was crying out in pain, and struggled to lift his hand to wipe away those tears.
All the blame he had towards Zong Zi Xiao's evil and wrongdoings, he put all of them down at the last moment. He saw his Xiao Jiu in this face again, and he wanted to wipe away Xiao Jiu's tears.
"I don't want your core, I don't want your core!" Zong Zi Xiao yelled, "I only want you, I don't want your core, big brother, don't leave me behind, don't leave me behind again!"
With all his strength, Zong Zi Heng gently swiped his thumb across Zong Zi Xiao's cheek, blood trickling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, blood bubbling uncontrollably from his throat, he said with difficulty, "Big brother ... let you down."
I'm sorry. Big brother failed to protect you.
I'm sorry. When we have agreed to be together forever, big brother left you behind again and again.
I'm sorry. Big brother couldn't watch you do evil and didn't want to see your soul be scattered away. There was no other way.
Feeling the life in his arms slipping away irreversibly, Zong Zi Xiao felt himself stepping towards death: "Don't leave me behind." He cried and pleaded, "Big brother, please, don't leave me behind again."
Zong Zi Heng revealed a gentle and nice smile. He smiled like how Zong Zi Heng did when he was a teenager. His brows relaxed. His eyes regained their clean and clear radiance, and he called out, "Xiao Jiu ... in the next life ... and afterlife, forever and ever, let's ... not ... meet again."
Xiao Jiu, let's not meet again.
SQC's note: Sigh, this plot is too hard to write. I wrote until I cried. But is one of the most important episodes of the whole book. The ability to set the tone bit by bit until here really made me feel very accomplished.
After this, we'll go back to the present life.
----
PS: I can't cry on the train while translating this....must control.... T____T
PS from Emzie: He called him Xiao Jiu, I'm crying QAQ
Chapter 162
It was like a long nightmare. After being chased by nightmares until the end of no return, he stepped into a void and fell into an abyss of ten thousand feet, losing speed, losing weight, and losing control. He kept falling, falling, falling into endless darkness----
He huffed hard and then snapped his eyes open.
A blurred figure appeared in his vision. That man's mouth was opening and closing while saying something, but he couldn't see or hear clearly, and his head swelled with pain.
Where was this place? What was he doing? Who was this person? He distinctly remembered that he had ... died.
Could it be that this was the Underworld?
"Senior brother, senior brother!" The call was anxious.
He struggled to blink his eyes, and the face before him gradually became clear in the swaying void, it was ...
Zong Zi Xiao!
The hand that reached out towards him sent chills down his spine, and he let out a low cry of terror, backing away with his hands and legs, shrinking all the way to the corner as if he had run into some flooded beast.
His heart sank as Fan Wu She watched the fear on Xie Bi An's face. Perhaps, the most feared thing has happened.
His eyes widened as he carefully identified this face, a face of great beauty, a pair of demonic, hanging fox eyes, only they’re cold but not gloomy and with a touch of youthfulness still intact.
Vague, fragmented memories were rattling around in his mind. He couldn't tell the difference between dream and reality, or even if he had woken up. He was cold, he was frightened, and it was as if he had glimpsed a mystery hidden in the fog, but a hurried glimpse had left only fragmentary fragments.
"Senior brother, are you ... senior brother?"
"’Senior brother?’ What? ’Senior brother?’"
Xie Bi An seemed to have just woken up. His muddled eyes became clear at this moment, and he stared blankly at Fan Wu She. His heart beating like a drum, which was heavy and loud, even faintly aching.
What had happened? He dreamt that he had died, but the him in that dream was him and wasn’t him. He saw the experiences that were ‘his’, which were confused, scattered, and disconnected. Those fragments of memories were clearly unfamiliar and did not belong to him, but all the pain and despair were cruelly etched on him like a branding iron. When "he" died, it was as if he had died along with him.
But he was Xie Bi An. He was not dead.
Fan Wu She's heart crumpled into a ball. When he saw Zong Zi Heng's expression appearing on Xie Bi An's face, answering Official Lord Cui's question in Zong Zi Heng's tone, he knew that his big brother had returned for an extremely short duration. It has been a hundred years. He had endured the endless cruel torture and the pain of longing, and he had crawled back to earth from the infernal hell of blood and tears at all costs, just to see his big brother again, just to rectify the mistakes he had made in his previous life. However, when the remnants of his big brother's spirit appeared, he was unable to do anything due to the presence of Cui Jue.
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She in bewilderment. This face, how could this be? Why did this face appear so often in those nightmares, bringing him endless fear and pain? He muttered, "... Wu She?"
"I am Wu She." Fan Wu She secretly clenched his fist, "Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?"
Xie Bi An shook his head in confusion.
"Bi An." A warm and calm voice rang out from above his head.
Xie Bi An looked up and saw the dignified and prudent Cui Jue, who made people develop a heart of respect at first sight. The Judge of the Underworld, Official Lord Cui, and gradually remembered what had happened.
"Do you feel that your memory is in a mess, that you cannot distinguish between dreams and reality?" Cui Jue squatted down. He touched Xie Bi An's head and used his index finger to draw a Pure Mind Technique charm on that bare forehead. The spiritual talisman flickered a few times and then disappeared, "This is normal. I summoned the remnant soul of your previous life into your body. You are under his influence, so you will remember some of the things that happened in your previous life and will also be confused with the memories of this life. We had talked about this before, do you remember now?"
The Pure Mind Technique soon took effect and Xie Bi An appeared to be getting more and more clear-headed as he looked around: "My, my past self possessed my body? I felt like I had a long dream, and a lot of things happened in my dream, but I don't remember many of them."
"Actually, only a very short time has passed." Cui Jue gestured to the incense holder on the table.
Xie Bi An glanced at it. The soul-calming incense that Cui Jue had lit during the soul summoning hadn't even finished burning halfway. This proved that only a few moments had really passed, but to him, it seemed like a lifetime had gone by. His heart suddenly raced and he said in a trembling voice, "So, I am ..."
Cui Jue nodded gravely, "You are the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua, Zong Zi Heng."
Xie Bi An gasped and his face turned white.
Fan Wu She turned his face away to hide the excruciating pain that dug into his heart and lungs.
"I am really the reincarnation of the Human Emperor ..." Xie Bi An said puzzled, "but, but why did the Golden Trunk Jade Policy point to a person from Yuzhou?"
"There are two possibilities: that Yang Yu of Yuzhou was indeed also a Human Emperor in one of his lives, or someone messed with the Golden Trunk Jade Policy." Cui Jue said, "I think it's most likely the latter, because Qi Meng Sheng doesn't just want anyone who has been an emperor before. She wants Emperor Kong Hua, who is the only one who is certain to have the imperial destiny, so she couldn’t get it wrong in the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, as she can directly find the reincarnation of Emperor Kong Hua."
"Who is capable of tampering with the Golden Trunk Jade Policy?"
Cui Jue shook his head, clearly confused as well.
"The one who first got hold of the Golden Trunk Jade Policy was Yun Zhong Jun." Fan Wu She said in a deep voice, "And the person who was with Yun Zhong Jun is, I guess, Huang Dao Zi's disciple, so if these two people intended to hoodwink Qi Meng Sheng, it may not be impossible."
"Why would Yun Zhong Jun deceive Qi Meng Sheng?"
This question caused all three to fall silent.
"No matter what, we have to go and save our master." Xie Bi An said, "If I have what Qi Meng Sheng wants, then we have more leverage." He got up and was about to get out of bed.
Cui Jue pressed him back down and said solemnly, "Bi An, your body is weak now, and most importantly, your soul is still unstable. When Zong Zi Heng's remnant soul possessed you, you reacted very strongly. In fact, in that half incense burning time*, you have experienced his whole life, but you won't fully remember it for a while. These memories will torment you even more frequently than before. You should be prepared for all this. What you need to do now is to get a good night's rest."
Xie Bi An frowned tightly, "I am worried about Master ..."
"How would Heaven Master be so easily defeated? Besides, he is not alone. The entire immortal cultivation world will join together to crush Qi Meng Sheng."
Xie Bi An tried his best to relax his emotions. He lowered his head, and after a moment of silence, he slowly raised his head and looked at Fan Wu She, whom he had always been avoiding to look at.
This face, his junior brother Fan Wu She, shared the same face as Zong Zi Xiao in his dream. Although he had known for a long time that it was because he had previously fallen under Yun Zhong Jun's illusionary spell that his memories were confused, but the fragment in his dream was too real, so real that it was horrifying.
Fan Wu She maintained his calm appearance and gently held Xie Bi An's hand, "Senior brother, do you have something to say to me?"
Xie Bi An opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Wu She, you go out first, I want to talk to Official Lord Cui alone."
Fan Wu She frowned, "Senior brother treats me like an outsider?" He knew that Xie Bi An had begun to suspect him, and his mind was in turmoil, not knowing what to do. Should he really use the Five Flavors Bewitching Soup?
"It's not related to this. You go out first." It was rare for Xie Bi An to act like an elder brother and order Fan Wu She, but at this moment his attitude was assertive.
Fan Wu She gave him a deep look, got up and left.
Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An calmly, "Bi An, what you want to say has something that has to do with Emperor Kong Hua?"
"Official Lord Cui, I ... Although I don’t have all of Emperor Kong Hua’s memories, I have seen many fragments." Xie Bi An held his head and pressed hard on his swollen and painful temples, "He seems, different from what we read in the history books."
In the history books, Emperor Kong Hua was resentful because he was not favored. He framed his brothers, killed his father the emperor, usurped the throne, and finally killed himself in a big duel with Zong Zi Xiao. But in his dream, although those memories were fragmented and incomplete, they were clearly different from what was written in the history books. He felt Zong Zi Heng's helplessness, powerlessness, guilt, pain, and Zong Zi Heng's full of tenderness and love for Xiao Jiu. He did not believe that Zong Zi Heng was a cold and heartless man with a lust for profit.
"History books are written by people, and people can be manipulated." Cui Jue sighed softly, "It's only been a hundred years and the truth has already been whitewashed."
"Official Lord Cui, I want to ask you something. I know it's not in accordance with the laws of the Underworld, but I hope you can tell me. This is very important." Xie Bi An grabbed Cui Jue's sleeve, like he had done when he was a child, begging Official Lord Cui to tell him a story.
"…What do you want to ask?"
"I want to know what happened to Zong Zi Xiao in the end."
Cui Jue furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"
"Did Zong Zi Xiao also reincarnate?"
"As an Underworld General yourself, why are you still asking the obvious? Based on the killings Zong Zi Xiao committed, the best ending he could have would be to finish his punishment in the Infernal Hell and be reincarnated in the Animal Path, never becoming a human being again. In reality, he had already been reincarnated in the hellish path and turned into a resentful soul who doesn't remember anything."
The lower three paths of the Six Paths of Reincarnation are divided according to the rank of sins committed in life and punished by karma after death. From top to bottom are the Animal Path, the Hungry Ghost Path and the Hell Path.
The Animal Path, as the name suggests, is the path of being reborn as an animal in the next life, suffering from slavery or slaughter.
In the Hungry Ghost Path, one is reborn as a ghost citizen in Jiuyou. Although one cannot be a human being, one has three immortal souls and seven mortal forms, but one is always hungry and has to feed on human beings, animals or other ghosts. But not every ghost can go to earth, so being reborn in the Hungry Ghost Path means from the moment you are born, you have to try to eat other ghosts by all means, like Jiang Qu Lian, who probably ate thousands of ghosts and crawled out of the pile of fierce ghosts to become a Ghost King in red. As an aboriginal of Jiuyou, even the Great Emperor Beiyin had fear to a certain extent towards the Ghost King.
And the Hell Path, is the cruelest of the six paths of reincarnation. One will no longer have a physical body after reincarnation, but only a wisp of a grieving soul with no memories, tumbling and sinking in unending agony forever, unable to even die.
Zong Zi Xiao is burdened with tens of millions of human lives. It’s a sin that cannot be repaid.
This was something Xie Bi An had known for a long time. The entire Underworld, even on earth, was aware of this unrivaled Supreme Demon’s ending. However, what lingered in his mind was Fan Wu She's face, and he had an extremely bad intuition.
Cui Jue saw him frowning: "Bi An, what's going on?"
"Could it be, could it be that there is no possibility at all that he will be reincarnated as a human?"
Cui Jue shook his head very firmly: "It's impossible. A hundred years ago, in order to revive Zong Zi Heng, he tore through the Fengdu boundary and attacked the Underworld, forcing the Emperor to come out of seclusion to suppress it. He absorbed thousands of ghosts’ spiritual power through Yin cultivation, and for a moment gained a power that even the Emperor and the five ghost emperors could not counter. But in the end, his flesh was unable to bear the weight. His chakra broke and he died. He was originally meant to have his soul scattered, but the Emperor preserved his soul only to have him be punished, and after he had served a hundred years in the Infernal Hell, it was the Qin Guang King who personally guided his human soul to reincarnate into the Hell Path, so that he could never be reincarnated as a human being."
Cui Jue's words were not to be disbelieved, and Xie Bi An finally sighed with relief. Indeed he had thought too much, and it was all because of Yun Zhong Jun's illusionary spell that his own subconsciousness had given Zong Zi Xiao a face he was familiar with, which happened to be Fan Wu She's. The illusion had been so abominable that he didn't know how to face his junior brother.
Cui Jue said, "Bi An, why are you asking this question?"
"I ... I am just worried. Zong Zi Xiao is so powerful that he can make the whole earth go up in smoke."
"Yeah, that’s why he became a nightmare on earth for a hundred years." Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An worriedly, "Bi An, you've just woken up now, you might not feel it very strongly yet, but as time goes by, you might remember more of what happened in your past life. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it. If it really comes to that one day, you'll probably have to turn to Meng Po for help, otherwise you'll lose your mind."
Xie Bi An forced a smile, "Official Lord Cui, you don't have to worry. I will recite the Pure Mind Technique every day. If it still doesn't work, then I will think of something else. Right now nothing is more important than Master."
Cui Jue patted Xie Bi An's shoulder, "Then you should rest properly."
When Cui Jue had just stepped outside, Fan Wu She came in hurriedly. He walked hesitantly to the side of Xie Bi An’s bed and his face was tense.
Xie Bi An also looked at Fan Wu She. He took a deep breath, gave a gentle smile, and held out his hand.
Fan Wu She hurriedly sat down on the edge of the bed, took Xie Bi An's hand and asked probingly, "Senior brother, do you recognize me?"
"What silly words are you saying? Of course I do. I was a bit confused when I woke up, but I'm better now." Xie Bi An said seriously, "You are Fan Wu She." These words were clear, as if effort has been put into engraving them into his perception.
"I am Fan Wu She." Fan Wu She stared at Xie Bi An and felt unsettled.
The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and Xie Bi An suddenly wrapped his arms around Fan Wu She's neck and kissed him clumsily yet with certainty on the lips.
Fan Wu She was stunned.
Xie Bi An smiled stiffly.
Fan Wu She fiercely hugged Xie Bi An into his embrace, as if he was holding a lost and found precious treasure. His body trembling slightly: "Senior Brother ..."
Big brother.
----
PS: ahhh XBA took the initiative to kiss him ♥
Chapter 163
"I saw a lot." Xie Bi An was holding calming flower tea, his fingertips rubbed the texture on the teacup carefully, and his agitated emotions gradually calmed down quite a bit, "Zong Zi Heng's teenage years, his youth, falling out with his parents and brothers, he became the Human Emperor, he was… imprisoned by Zong Zi Xiao until he died. These memories are confusing and incomplete, but I can tell that he was not the same as Emperor Kong Hua in other people’s eyes."
Fan Wu She lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "What exactly is different?"
Xie Bi An frowned and tried to recall, "For example, he had been to Kunlun. He had seen Shen Nong Ding with his own eyes, but for some reason, he fought with Emperor Ning Hua and the elders of the Zong Clan. He escaped with serious injuries, and almost froze to death in the snowy plains."
"What?" Fan Wu She knew they had been to Kunlun, but didn't know that Zong Zi Heng had already fought Zong Ming He in Kunlun, and even almost died?
"I could feel how cold it was, so cold that it was like a million needles were piercing my skin." Xie Bi An unconsciously shrank his shoulders and his body shuddered, "Is that why I grew up afraid of the cold?"
Fan Wu She was stunned. He used to play with his big brother in the snow when he was a child, but after his big brother became Emperor Zong, he was so afraid of the cold that he wouldn't even set foot outside for days when he was enjoying the snow in the cave, yet he stripped his big brother naked and carried him into the snow ...
"After that, maybe Qi Meng Sheng saved him. I met the young Qi Meng Sheng. She also knew the secret of the Absolute Human Emperor at that time."
"Why did Zong Zi Heng tell her the secret of the Absolute Human Emperor?"
This question stumped Xie Bi An. He shook his head hard, and the shadows of his memories wavered vaguely before his eyes. He felt like he was about to catch something immediately. He clearly remembered it, he could definitely recall it, back then ...
Fan Wu She saw his frowning look and comforted, "Senior brother, don't make it difficult for yourself."
"No, I remember. I remember ..." A white light flashed in Xie Bi An's mind. Abruptly, he blurted out, "He was seriously injured because of the Absolute Human Emperor."
Fan Wu She was surprised, "You mean, Zong Ming He ..." A thought that chilled him to the bone surged to his mind. Before he knew that Zong Ming He used to take human cores, he could never have had such a thought, but now?
Xie Bi An inexplicably felt his heart choke: "Yes, Zong Ming He wanted to dig out his biological son's core." Before his eyes, he saw Zong Zi Heng's painful blame on Zong Ming He, each word gouged his heart, and each sentence sobbing with blood. What kind of horror and despair was this? That his own father wanted to dig out his core. Zong Zi Heng had killed his father the emperor, and was a sinner for eternity, but Zong Ming He was clearly a beast who deserved to die.
Fan Wu She's gaze was extremely grim. Why hadn't he thought of it? Even if he hadn't thought of it in his previous life, when he knew that Zong Ming He had broken through to the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword by eating human cores, he should have thought of it. A demonic cultivator who stole cores could not possibly let go of the Absolute Human Emperor, especially that son who was never favored.
But his big brother had never told him, never made an excuse for killing his father the emperor. Was this done to preserve the honor of the Zong Clan?
"Wu She, I could feel his pain. When he was under attack, when he was going to die, even after coming back from the dead." Xie Bi An bit his lips lightly, his eyes gradually turned red, "Emperor Kong Hua, has always been in pain."
These words pierced into Fan Wu She's heart like a knife. He was in so much pain that his face turned as white as paper. His big brother had always been in pain ... Shouldn't he be happy, hoping that that person tasted the same pain as him, isn't that what he expected? But he only felt more pain. He could never forget the look in his big brother's eyes when he died in his arms. That gaze which looked like he had finally been relieved was far more painful to him than a hundred years of torture in hell.
He actually didn't want his big brother to get hurt. He hoped his big brother would smile again, and to sit by his side in good health. But it was all too late; he had stirred up both the human and ghost realms, and couldn’t take back his big brother.
"Also, there was Li Bu Yu and Xu Zhi Nan. I saw them in their younger days too. I saw Li Bu Yu kneeling beside Emperor Kong Hua's feet crying in pain and begging for mercy."
"... Why?" He remembered that Li Bu Yu had always been obsequious and flattering to Zong Zi Heng, what could he have done to anger his big brother? If Li Bu Yu hadn't been able to unite the immortal cultivation world to crush him at the end, he would have thought this man was just a dog that would only know how to bark.
Xie Bi An tried to recall for some time, "I can't recall at the moment, but I think that it is most likely related to Zong Ming He. Think about it, Zong Ming He's golden core was stolen and his corpse was suppressed at Diancang Peak. This matter was most likely done by Li Bu Yu. What if Emperor Kong Hua already knew about it a hundred years ago? Then he would definitely look for Li Bu Yu to punish him."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes. He became more and more aware that a hundred years ago, there were still many things that he was kept in the dark from. Back then, Zong Zi Heng had suddenly run to Mount Shu, saying he wanted to pay respect to Shen Shi Yao, but it was neither the Qingming Festival nor Shen Shi Yao's death anniversary, so why did he risk being discovered by him and leave the palace without permission? The real reason probably has to do with Zong Ming He's corpse.
"Oh, also, he had a child." The memory in Xie Bi An's mind was jumping, "Named ... Zhong Ming? A boy who looked six or seven years old."
This ancient name put Fan Wu She in a bit of a trance, but he also gradually remembered. Yes, big brother did have a child, only it was not biological.
Xie Bi An said bitterly, "For some reason, that child somehow looks like someone."
"Who?"
"A bit like big brother Lan." Xie Bi An said hesitantly.
Fan Wu She was stunned, "Like who?" Zong Zhong Ming, like Lan Chui Han?
"Big brother Lan." Xie Bi An sighed, "I don’t know if this could also be an after-effect of Yun Zhong Jun’s illusion, making me subconsciously put the faces of people I know onto strangers, like ..." He stole a glance at Fan Wu She, not willing to say any more.
"I suppose so." Of course Fan Wu She knew it wasn't, but this panic had to be disguised. He cannot dig his own grave. If Zong Zhong Ming looked like Lan Chui Han, then there must be a reason. Combined with the fact that the Lan family's sword technique was called the Junlan Sword Technique, the Lan family's family symbol is the multiple-petaled orchid, and thousands of varieties of orchids were raised in Huayueye, weren’t these enough to explain everything? The outside world only knows the Daoist name of the founder of the Lan family, Lan Chui Han's grandfather, Hua Yuan Zhen Ren, and few people knew his name. If that person is Zong Zhong Ming, it would explain where the strong financial resources came from when Xianyue Pavilion was founded.
"About this matter, perhaps I should ask Brother Lan." Xie Bi An rubbed his sore brows, "My mind is filled with so many things that I can't sort them out right away. Perhaps after a while, I will be able to remember more."
"Senior brother." Fan Wu She pressed on Xie Bi An's shoulder and gazed into his eyes, "Have you forgotten the reason why you agreed to Official Lord Cui’s soul summoning?"
"It was to confirm whether I was the reincarnation of the Human Emperor or not. Perhaps this could change the circumstances of my master's death, and also to solve the obsessions of my previous life."
"That’s right. You have now confirmed your past life, so do you know what Zong Zi Heng's obsession is?"
Xie Bi An was silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"We may be able to follow these clues to investigate what happened a hundred years ago. Go and ask Li Bu Yu or Lan Chui Han, but you can't continue anymore. Do you understand?" Fan Wu She looked straight into Xie Bi An's eyes, "The more you remember, the more dangerous it will be. Just like what Official Lord Cui said, you will lose your mind under the confusion of the memories of two lives." He could not destroy the inner self that longed to see his big brother again, but his rationality told him that Xie Bi An must never remember it. He neither knew how to face his big brother who had turned his back on him with his death, nor did he want to ruin Xie Bi An's trust and affection for him.
Xie Bi An said gloomily, "I know, but ..."
"There are no buts. Senior brother, you must chant the Pure Mind Technique every day. You don't want to drink Meng Po Soup, right?"
Xie Bi An shook his head definitively, "I don't want to forget you, forget my master, Official Lord Cui, or my current life."
"That's why you can't let yourself remember anymore." Fan Wu She gently caressed Xie Bi An's face and said in a soft voice, "The most important thing right now is Master. You must remain sober."
"You're right." Xie Bi An's eyes became firm and persistent, "I can't fall into the memories of my past life and become another person." The intrusion of the memories from his past life had already made him empathized with those things that had not happened to him. As he experienced Zong Zi Heng's hatred, he also naturally experienced Zong Zi Heng's love. When he learned from Official Lord Cui that Zong Zi Xiao had long since been reincarnated and consigned to eternal damnation into the Hell Path, with no possibility of reincarnation into a human, he was relieved, but at the same time, he felt an unspeakable pain. He knew the sorrow did not belong to him, and that was the scariest thing.
Fan Wu She pulled out a stiff smile, "Senior brother, you must be tired, get a good night's sleep."
"Okay."
"I'll stay here with you tonight, okay?"
"Uh, not okay." Xie Bi An's eyes were a bit dodgy, "Bo Zhu will be coming to fetch water for me to wash my face in the morning, he'll see you. You go back to your own room."
"So what if he sees?"
"What do you mean so what? The two of us, where’s the decency?" Xie Bi An pushed Fan Wu She away.
But Fan Wu She refused to leave, "But senior brother took the initiative to kiss me and hug me. Say, where’s the decency?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Xie Bi An urged, "Go back quickly."
Fan Wu She stared at Xie Bi An without blinking, "When will senior brother be together with me openly?"
"I ... I'm only thinking about Master right now."
"But I just want to hug senior brother. I'm afraid you're scared." Fan Wu She tucked Xie Bi An's hand into his embrace. His eyes had tenderness and deep affection, "I don't want to be separated from senior brother for a moment."
Xie Bi An dropped his shoulders helplessly, "Alright." He could not bear to refuse Fan Wu She's requests, especially when Fan Wu She showed him weakness or act coquettishly.
Fan Wu She hugged Xie Bi An and fell onto the bed, burying his face into the lightly scented, warm chest.
Xie Bi An sniggered, stroked his head and teased, "I think you're the one who's scared. What, scared of ghosts?"
Fan Wu She nodded and hugged him even tighter.
That’s right, the one who was afraid was him. Not a day had gone by in a hundred years that he had not been afraid, afraid that he would not be able to see his big brother again, and afraid of losing him again.
Chapter 164
In the middle of the night, Xie Bi An had another series of nightmares, only calming down after being hugged and coaxed by Fan Wu She for a long time.
There was no daylight in Jiuyou, but Xie Bi An still woke up at his usual time. Between half-asleep and half-awake, it is the time when one is most confused. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a familiar handsome face, and the fear that was engraved in his bones woke him up before his mind did. His body shook and he viciously pushed away the man in front of him.
Fan Wu She almost fell off the bed from being pushed. He woke up with a start and looked at Xie Bi An in surprise and confusion.
Xie Bi An also looked at him with wide eyes. As if facing a great enemy, his breathing was extremely hasty.
"... Senior brother." Fan Wu She called out cautiously, his tone full of uncertainty. His heart was beating like a drum. He felt that what was in front of him at this moment was not his senior brother, but ...
Xie Bi An's eyes gradually regained their clarity. He looked at Fan Wu She carefully and said with his heart in his throat, "Wu She?"
"What's wrong?" Fan Wu She pulled the person closer to him, "Having another nightmare?"
"No, I didn't." Xie Bi An couldn't help but tighten his grip on Fan Wu She's hand with such force that he didn't even notice it himself.
Fan Wu She whispered, "Or, did you mistake me for 'him' again?"
Xie Bi An lowered his head and said arduously, "I keep seeing your face in Emperor Kong Hua's memories. As a child, as a teenager, and later as the Supreme Demon. I don't want to identify you as him, but ..."
He could not forget the marks of humiliation that Zong Zi Xiao had inflicted on "him", and Fan Wu She’s face always reminded him of the loss of control when he was violated so viciously.
Fan Wu She gently lifted Xie Bi An's face: "Senior brother, are you afraid of me?"
Xie Bi An gazed into Fan Wu She's beautiful fox eyes and said helplessly, "I'm not afraid of you."
"Then you are afraid of Zong Zi Xiao?" Without waiting for his answer, Fan Wu She continued, "But I'm not Zong Zi Xiao."
"I know, it's all because of that illusion."
Fan Wu She said grimly, "If you hate me for that, I will feel very sad."
Xie Bi An said hurriedly, "How could I? How could I possibly hate you? I just got confused in my sleep and got it wrong. I wouldn’t get it wrong when I'm awake."
"I don't want you to look at me and think of another man in your mind either." Fan Wu She couldn't dissipate the twisted jealousy he was feeling; he was jealous of himself.
"What are you babbling about?"
"Isn't it true? Did he do something that even I couldn’t do to you in your dreams?" The possessiveness that had been deliberately suppressed rose again in his heart, and Fan Wu She felt a fire that was burning his heart and lungs.
Xie Bi An's face instantly became hot, "Zong Zi Heng is Zong Zi Heng, I am me. Don't say it anymore."
Fan Wu She cupped his face. His brow furrowed, and his pupils were deep and carried a tint of bewitching: "Is it only when I do something more overboard to you that you will only remember me?"
Xie Bi An's heart was beating wildly and his body couldn't help but shrink backward.
Fan Wu She lowered his eyes in disappointment, and his hand loosened, "Get up and eat." He rolled over and got out of bed.
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She's back, feeling extremely vexed.
---
In that sleep, the two of them not only felt more tired, but also more tired than if they didn’t sleep at all.
After breakfast, Xie Bi An asked Bo Zhu to invite Official Lord Cui. The boundary set by Zhong Kui was so powerful that it was easier to break it from the outside than from the inside.
Shortly afterward, Cui Jue arrived in a frenzy. He looked at Xie Bi An with concern, "How are you feeling? Did you recite the Pure Mind Technique?"
"I am fine and have just recited it. Please don't worry, Official Lord Cui." Xie Bi An said impatiently, "Can you help us unseal it?"
"Don’t rush." Cui Jue pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket, "I went to Meng Po’s to get you a pill that will ease your memory disorder, but it's not a permanent solution. We'll figure it out together when Heaven Master returns."
Xie Bi An was touched: "Thank you, Official Lord Cui." Although Cui Jue was stern and strict and followed the rules, he had always been kind to him, he was even considered doting compared to his treatment towards other beings and things. He opened the wooden box, broke the sealing wax and swallowed the pill.
"I stayed up all night, rummaging through the Underworld's stacks for a long time, and found some information about the Golden Trunk Jade Policy." Cui Jue solemnly admonished, "Remember, no matter what happens on this trip, you must not open the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, which is equivalent to your Three Life Stones, and will cause all your memories from your previous life to return to their place. At that time, you will no longer be you, and nothing can save you except Meng Po soup."
Xie Bi An felt his hair standing up, "I understand." Just as Cui Jue had said, if he had Zong Zi Heng's memories, thoughts and insights at the same time, then he would no longer be just him. He didn't want to have his consciousness invaded by another person. He didn't want to become someone else.
"Can you really see the life of Emperor Kong Hua with the Golden Trunk Jade Policy?" When Fan Wu She asked, no matter what kind of ripples were in his heart, there was no abnormality in his expression. He must get that heavenly book. He wants to go through his big brother's memories. He was still unwilling after death. He just wanted to know if his big brother even had a trace of love for him.
"Yes." Cui Jue's face was grave, "You must find a way to snatch back the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, because Bi An's destiny in this life is also on it. "
Xie Bi An was startled, "Could it still be changed?"
"Originally, only the Judge's Brush could change it, and with it in my hands, it is naturally safe, but ..." Cui Jue said worriedly, "The Judge's Brush was only a soul weapon. By taking the wood from the Hibiscus Tree as the handle, the three-headed dog as the hair, and injecting soul power, another Judge's Brush can be created."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes, "What does Official Lord Cui mean? Someone will make another Judges' Brush?"
Xie Bi An's expression also changed.
"I'm just hypothesizing." Cui Jue said in a deep voice, "Have you guys not thought about how Qi Meng Sheng learned of the Golden Trunk Jade Policy and how she found it? Even I had to search the historical information about the Golden Trunk Jade Policy for half a day, let alone people in the Yang world, and few people even know the legend of the Golden Trunk Jade Policy. My guess is that she has helpers in Jiuyou."
"Official Lord Cui is right." Xie Bi An said gruffly, "We and our master also had such a guess, but it was too late to investigate."
"Since this is a possibility, you must find a way to retrieve the Golden Trunk Jade Policy. Otherwise, Bi An's life will be in danger."
"We will definitely get the Golden Trunk Jade Policy." Fan Wu She's gaze was sharp and grim.
"There is one more thing." Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An, "After you asked me that question yesterday, I went back to see King Qin Guang and Red King."
Xie Bi An felt tense.
"King Qin Guang is not far from what I said, but the Red King is not in the Underworld, so I'll have to ask him another time."
Jiang Qu Lian is in charge of hellish punishments and also has to govern the Jiuyou ghost citizens, so he is not in the Underworld often.
Fan Wu She's gaze swept between the two, "Senior brother, what did you ask Official Lord Cui?"
"Oh, it's about the transfer of the Underworld servants." Xie Bi An said, avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial.
Fan Wu She had a vague guess of what was going on in his mind, but he didn't expose him. If he could be reincarnated as a human, he would not be easily found out by them.
Cui Jue patted Xie Bi An's shoulder and sighed tersely, "I will lift the seal for you guys, so you can go and save Heaven Master."
"Thank you, Official Lord Cui." Xie Bi An's eyes burned with an unwavering glint, "No matter what the Book of Life and Death has set in fate, karma can be reversed. We will definitely save Master."
Cui Jue opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something, but in the end, only grievance remained in his eyes.
The seal on Heaven Master's Palace was lifted, and the two of them were about to return to earth.
Before they left, Fan Wu She suddenly asked, "Official Lord Cui, in this battle, not only Master’s life should end, right?"
Cui Jue declined to comment and said indifferently, "Heavenly Secrets cannot be revealed. Do your best and follow fate."
The two men looked at each other, both seeing enough faith and trust to sustain themselves in each other's eyes.
Chapter 165
Bo Zhu anxiously sent them to the Yin Yang Monument, repeatedly instructing them to return safely.
Xie Bi An comforted him. After they were sent away, instead of crossing the Yin Yang Monument immediately, he dragged Fan Wu She back to the Underworld.
"Senior brother, where are we going?"
"Shhh." Xie Bi An kept his eyes sharp, carefully avoiding the underworld servants, and led Fan Wu She all the way through the Heaven Master Palace, the Judge's Mansion, and up to Mount Luofeng. They did not fly with their swords in order to avoid the eyes and ears of others.
Fan Wu She pulled Xie Bi An behind a large tree, dodging the passing underworld servants: "Senior brother, where exactly are you taking me?"
Xie Bi An stared into Fan Wu She's eyes and said carefully, "I'm taking you to the Three Lives Stone."
Fan Wu She's gaze sank, and hair stood up all over his body.
"Living people are not allowed to go to the Three Lives Stone, and as an Underworld General, one cannot even enforce and break the law, so this matter cannot be known to Official Lord Cui." Xie Bi An was visibly a little nervous and talked more, "I sneaked off to go there when I was a child, but nothing came out, then I realized that I was a reincarnation of a celestial being. However, when a living person goes to look at the Three Lives Stone, they can only see his past life, because this life is not finished yet, and naturally they do not know whether they will be rich or poor in the next life ..."
"Could it be that senior brother suspects that I am the reincarnation of Zong Zi Xiao?"
Xie Bi An had a difficult look on his face, "Wu She, this matter is sticking in my heart and it's making me feel very bad."
"Zong Zi Xiao has long since fallen into the Hell Path, so how could he be reincarnated as a man again?"
"I know. Official Lord Cui also said the same thing, but I just can't get over it. As soon as I close my eyes, I see Zong Zi Xiao." Xie Bi An gasped, a layer of fearful grey clouded his eyes, "I'm not doubting you. Even if you were Zong Zi Xiao in the previous life, you won't even know. I just want to eliminate all possibilities one by one, so that maybe I can pull out the demonic obstacles in my heart. I don't want to think about others when I look at you." He looked at Fan Wu She, his gaze clearly had a bit of pity, "Wu She, you can help senior brother, can't you?"
Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's deer-like, black eyes and his heart itched. Although this was not the right time, he could not control the erotic thoughts in his head. He was itching to press this person to the ground right now, and fuck him until this pair of eyes would be tainted with lust. He couldn't resist and kissed Xie Bi An, "How could I not help you? Let's go."
Xie Bi An secretly sighed in relief.
On the way, Xie Bi An avoided patrols with ease, followed a narrow and remote path, bypassed Yanluo Hall, followed Wangchuan downstream and arrived at Naihe Bridge.
From a distance, the bridge looked like a bridge and the water looked like water; there's nothing special, but when they got closer, they could see the blood-red water of Wangchuan gurgling underneath the bridge, with countless lonely and wild ghosts struggling and wailing in the water, trying to climb onto the bridge and onto the shore, but constantly being dragged by countless pairs of ghostly hands into the bloody water, unable to get out.
Fan Wu She looked at the bloody tragedy before him. His eyes gradually mixed with blood vessels. His teeth chattered slightly. He clenched his fists so that his nails were embedded in the flesh, and he used the pain to maintain a calm expression, not letting his great fear leak out. He recalled his struggle in Wangchuan; how he lost himself several times, how he nearly became a wild ghost in these waters, only to come back to his senses with the obsession that runs through his past and present lives - Zong Zi Heng
Seeing that Fan Wu She was staring at Wangchuan, Xie Bi An sighed, "You see, most souls have to cross the Naihe Bridge and drink Meng Po soup so they can reincarnate, and those in the water are the ones who don't want to drink Meng Po soup and jumped into Wangchuan."
On the Naihe Bridge, countless Yin servants were escorting human souls in a queue. When they passed a black stone monument at the bridge, they stopped for a moment. Those souls who were facing the stone monument, most of them were crying their hearts out, reluctant to part. Only when the Yin servants urged them several times were they willing to move on.
That is the Three Lives Stone, which can reveal a person's past life, present life and future life. Before reincarnation, everyone has the opportunity to review his or her life, and then drink the Five Flavors of Magic Potion to forget everything, turn into a blank and start all over again.
Fan Wu She murmured, "They must have someone they don't want to forget no matter what."
"Yeah, but they will all forget eventually." Every time Xie Bi An saw them, he felt sorry for them. "The water from Wangchuan can make people lose their minds and eventually they won't remember anything and miss the chance to reincarnate. Maybe they will never have the chance to go ashore, and will become lonely and wild ghosts in the water."
"Isn't there anyone who can climb out of Wangchuan?"
"There are, but very few. Very few people can resist the corruption of their memories by Wangchuan, unless there is one obsession in the heart that can support the whole soul. So, someone will be reborn with some, or even all of the memories of their previous life, but that person must have suffered a lot in Wangchuan."
"The obsession to support the whole soul ..." Fan Wu She said calmly, "Is not unworthy to suffer all the pain."
Xie Bi An shook his head: "People ah, it is better not to have too many obsessions, otherwise how can we start over?"
Resentment arose in Fan Wu She's heart, but he pursed his lips and did not retort in the end.
Xie Bi An took out two sets of clothes from his qiankun bag and changed himself into an ordinary Yin servant's uniform, "You disguise yourself as a ghost. We have the soul weapon in place. They won't be able to find out. Don't talk casually later, just following me will do."
"Okay." Fan Wu She swept a gloomy glance at the Naihe Bridge. He had not crossed the Three Lives Stone back then and jumped into Wangchuan, because he could not forget Zong Zi Heng and he wanted to avoid the Three Lives Stone displaying his life.
Xie Bi An took Fan Wu She with him and blended in with the group of Yin servants, moving forward at a leisurely pace.
The closer they got to Naihe Bridge, the closer they got to Wangchuan, where the howling of the wild ghosts was horrifying, and the thick, blackened blood gave off a foul smell. Xie Bi An looked at the ghosts struggling for their lives in the water, constantly reaching out for help and being dragged into the water by the ghosts, and his heart ached. What kind of obsession is it that gives people the courage to jump into it?
And Fan Wu She was already trembling. Those horrible memories were already originally blurred, yet they had been made vivid by being near Wangchuan once more.
"Wu She, are you afraid?" Xie Bi An silently held Fan Wu She's hand, feeling his slightly trembling body and moist palm. He was shocked and couldn't help but say guiltily, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so scared." In his perception, Fan Wu She had always been fearless, daring to offend anyone and not taking any danger into account, yet he had never expected him to be scared like this by Wangchuan. Also, ever since Fan Wu She had entered the Underworld, he had only moved around in Heaven Master Palace and had not really seen the horrors of Jiuyou at all. In this way, he looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old.
Fan Wu She gritted his teeth, "It's alright."
Xie Bi An glanced at Fan Wu She. He could not see his expression because his head was lowered, but he could imagine what kind of mental torture it was to face something that frightened him for a long time, and he did not give a word of complain in order to cooperate with him in going to the Three Lives Stone to check his identity.
When he thought of this, Xie Bi An was even more heartbroken and blamed himself. Obviously, everyone knew that Zong Zi Xiao had fallen into the Hell Path long ago, even Official Lord Cui had already asked King Qin Guang to reconfirm it for him, yet he was still suspicious. Not only was he delaying time to save his master, but he was also forcing his own junior brother to face these terrifying, grieving spirits. What the hell was he doing? He cursed himself a few times in his mind and said in a low voice, "Wu She, we're not looking. Let's go."
Fan Wu She however clutched his hand, "No, it will be our turn soon."
"But you ..."
"I'm not afraid." Fan Wu She raised his head. His face was pale and he looked very haggard, "As long as I can put senior brother at ease."
Xie Bi An felt even more like a jerk, "I, I mean it. We're not looking. Let's go."
Fan Wu She shook his head, "I hope senior brother only has me in your mind and no other man."
"There was no other man in my heart originally. Only you."
Their unusual movement finally drew the attention of the Yin servant in front of them. That Yin servant turned his head and gave them a glance. Xie Bi An was wearing a ghost mask, so naturally he would not be recognized.
The Yin servant shook his head and turned around again.
By this time, they were already very close to the bridge, and it'll soon be their turn to see the Three Lives Stone.
Fan Wu She pulled out a puppet talisman without a trace, and that tiny yellow talisman flew silently into the clothes of the ghost who was reading his life story in front of the Three Lives Stone.
The ghost was a young and strong man, most likely killed in an accident. He was standing in front of the Three Lives Stone, crying profusely and calling out for his mother over and over again. The Yin servant impatiently urged him to move on after finishing reading it.
The ghost cried, "I can't forget my wife. We will reincarnate together, and we will find each other in the next life, and be husband and wife again ah."
"Cut the crap." The Yin servant forced the ghost with his ghost fork, "Go now."
"I don’t want to forget my wife. I can't drink Meng Po soup. Where is my wife? She definitely would not drink it either!"
"She has already reincarnated. Hurry up and leave."
"I don't believe you. My wife and I promised each other a lifetime but we died young. We haven't even finished this life, and we must renew this destiny in the next life. I won't drink it, I won't drink it!" The ghost said and rushed towards the bridge railing.
If the ghost jumped into Wangchuan from Naihe Bridge, the ghosts on duty would be punished with their salary. That Yin servant was prepared for this and went after him with his ghost fork in hand, intending to give this disobedient ghost some suffering. A ghost who is stabbed with a ghost fork before reincarnation is bound to be sick and weak in the next life, and may even be disabled. The Yin servant raised his ghost fork and stabbed towards the ghost at a flying speed.
But that ghost, whose hands and feet were clearly chained up, actually dodged it! He looked like an ordinary farmer, who didn't look like he had any cultivation. How did he dodge it?
When that Yin servant missed the blow, he simply pounced at the ghost and made him fall to the ground. Yet that ghost turned over and pinned the Yin servant to the ground, smashing him with his shackled hand a few times, then picked up the Yin servant and jumped over the fence of Naihe Bridge and into Wangchuan.
All this happened so abruptly that all the other Yin servants looked dumbfounded. Even for those who had great powers when they were alive, as long as they wore soul locks, their cultivation could not be brought into play. Even if some of them could jump into Wangchuan when the Yin servants were not paying attention, they would never be able to drag one of the Yin servants in with them. When they came back to their senses, they ran to the bridge to save the Yin servant, and the scene was in chaos.
Xie Bi An was dumbfounded by this turn of events.
----
PS: Sigh, seems not easy to work in Jiuyou ahh...
Chapter 166
The current of Wangchuan was not rapid, but there are thousands of evil spirits underwater. If one falls in, one will be dragged by countless ghost hands, and the bloody water will gradually make you lose yourself, and you will not be able to get out without a strong willpower.
The Yin servants grabbed the hand of their colleague and dragged him to the shore. He was haunted by evil spirits. Immersed in Wangchuan, unable to get out, a harsh and piercing ghostly howl penetrated the ears, making people shudder.
On one side, the Yin servants were busy saving their colleague, but on the other side, the ghosts who were going to be reincarnated became disobedient. Some of them missed their loved ones and clung to the Three Lives Stone, others wanted to jump into Wangchuan, but more clever ones had already turned their heads and ran ahead, hoping to choose a better place to reincarnate without the escort of the Yin servants. Suddenly, the head of the Naihe Bridge was in a state of chaos.
Xie Bi An was anxious: "Wu She, you go after those who are reincarnating. I'll go and save that Yin servant."
"Okay." Fan Wu She ran towards the Naihe Bridge, and when he passed the Three Lives Stone, he did not dare to look closely. He could not face the Three Lives Stone. Apart from fearing that his identity would be revealed, he was also afraid of revisiting his past life again.
Xie Bi An jumped onto the fence of the Naihe Bridge, drew out his Pei Xue and struck out one sword Qi after another, cutting off the evil spirits that were wrapping around that Yin servant. As he jumped off the bridge, he grabbed the Yin servant by the collar and rose in mid-air with his sword.
Xie Bi An threw the Yin servant on the shore and saw that he was a little disoriented. Other than that, there was no serious problem. As long as he was out of the waters of Wangchuan and rests for a few days, he will get better. When he turned back and looked, that ghost who jumped into Wangchuan had already disappeared.
"White, White Master?" The Yin servants recognized the sword in his hand.
Xie Bi An looked at his sword and helplessly took off his mask.
"White Master, what are you doing here?"
Xie Bi An coughed lightly in a feigned seriousness, "I dressed up like this to come here for inspection, but as soon as I arrived, I saw you all making a mess!"
The Yin servants were so frightened that they knelt down: "White Master, please forgive us. Usually the Naihe Bridge is in good order, even if, even if someone occasionally jumps off Wangchuan, it will not hurt the Yin servants. I really don't know what happened today. This ghost is so powerful."
"You guys are still not cautious enough." Xie Bi An looked at the unconscious Yin servant on the ground and said, "Never mind. He is wounded, so I won't punish you guys, and you guys can pretend that we never came here before, or else if Official Lord Cui finds out, he will not forgive you guys."
"Thank you White Master! Thank you White Master!"
Xie Bi An was about to go to Fan Wu She when he saw white light flash at the highest point of the Naihe Bridge, and with a start, he darted towards the bridge.
The Naihe Bridge is a long arched bridge, where one cannot see one end of the bridge from the other. It’s not only because of the arched structure, but also because the end of the Naihe Bridge is the starting point for reincarnation. Only those who have drunk the Five Flavors Bewitching Soup can move on to a new life. And Meng Po, who serves the soup to every ghost who will be reincarnated, is at the center of the Naihe Bridge, the highest point of the arch.
Xie Bi An ran to the bridge and saw Fan Wu She confronting an old woman with a human upper body and a snake lower body, that was none other than one of the most special underworld generals in the Underworld - Meng Po, Meng Gong Cao*.
"Meng Cao Lao!" Xie Bi An ran over and blocked in front of Fan Wu She, "There's been a misunderstanding, this is my junior brother."
Seeing those ghosts who advanced prematurely lying all over the place, it was obvious that Meng Po had also taken Fan Wu She as a brat full of tricks as well.
Meng Po was dressed in a plain black hooded cloak, with a few strands of silver hair scattered across her face. Her complexion was deathly pale, and the wrinkles on her face were deep and dense, like candles that had been burned for a long time, with layers stacked down and about to melt, but those eyes were sharp and lively, and the lower half of her body was coiled up with a section of the snake tail having green and blue stripes. There were many speculations about her birth in the Underworld, but even the most knowledgeable Official Lord Cui could not say for sure.
"Impermanence ah." Meng Po slowly let out an old, hoarse voice, "What are you guys doing running into my old woman's territory to make a scene?" Her gaze penetrated through Xie Bi An to Fan Wu She who was behind him.
Fan Wu She felt tense. Could it be that Meng Po had recognized him?
Xie Bi An explained respectfully, "Meng Cao Lao, this person is my junior brother, Fan Wu She, who now has my master's permission to be an Impermanence with me. Today, we dressed up like this just to inspect the Yin servants, but we didn't expect a commotion. Wu She ran over to stop these ghosts from reincarnating disorderly."
Meng Po looked at the two gloomily, "Oh, the living person that the Heaven Master brought back. I heard from Official Lord Cui."
"Yes, that's him." Xie Bi An arched his hand, "Meng Cao Lao, this misunderstanding has disturbed you. Junior apologizes." He elbowed Fan Wu She.
Fan Wu She returned to his senses and followed suit with a bow.
Meng Po, however, did not say anything. That snake body slid over without a sound, and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of the two of them.
Xie Bi An stopped breathing. Meng Po was also one of his most feared Underworld generals when he was a child. Because of his minimal contact, he was more fearful towards Meng Po than Jiang Qu Lian. No one knew why Meng Po was here, why she had a human body and a snake tail, and what she was capable of.
"Yesterday, Official Lord Cui came to me to ask for a pill, saying that you occasionally recall your past life and need to purify your mind and clear your spirit."
"Yes, many thanks to Meng Cao Lao." Xie Bi An forced a smile, "Junior is feeling much better."
Meng Po approached Xie Bi An and looked at him for a long time with eyes that seemed to see through everything: "Why do you have memories of two lives entangling in you?"
"... It's a long story."
Meng Po stretched out a withered hand from under her black robe, and her shriveled index finger pointed to a jar behind her, "Drink it, and everything will vanish."
Xie Bi An took a step back: "No, no need, I don't want to forget this life."
"If you don't purge your memory, you will suffer."
"Thank you Meng Cao Lao for your kindness. Junior ... is well aware of the situation."
Meng Po let out a cold laugh as her gaze fell on Fan Wu She.
Fan Wu She subconsciously wanted to lower his head, but immediately strained his neck and did not move. At this time, he should not show guilty conscience.
Meng Po’s snake's tail slid gently and came a little closer, almost sticking to Fan Wu She’s face and observing him.
"Meng Cao Lao ..." Xie Bi An didn't know why Meng Po was so curious about Fan Wu She. She looked at countless ghosts every day, so she should have gotten tired of looking at this thing wrapped in mourning cloth a long time ago.
"You ..." Meng Po trailed off and said in an eerie voice, "look somewhat familiar."
Fan Wu She looked straight at Meng Po, and said unperturbed, "Meng Cao Lao has a good memory. I was reincarnated from here more than ten years ago, and you still remember."
Meng Cao shook her head, seemingly confused as well.
Xie Bi An also wondered, "You send hundreds and thousands of people across the bridge every day, and you can remember one person?" He glanced at Fan Wu She and suddenly said with some embarrassment, "Is it because junior brother is so good-looking?"
Fan Wu She's nerves were on edge and he began to think about how he should react if Meng Po really recognized him. Back then, when he was struggling in Wangchuan, Meng Po had watched with a great interest for a long time, and she obviously enjoyed standing on the bridge and admiring the cruel fate of the obsessed ghosts in Wangchuan, except that he was already almost devoid of human form at that time. If she could really recognize him by his appearance, she definitely has very sharp eyes. But even if Meng Po recognized him, at most she would have guessed that he did not drink Meng Po's soup and had reincarnated with the memories of his past life, not knowing that he was Zong Zi Xiao. That scapegoat who had reincarnated in his place in the Hell Path, was personally led by King Qin Guang.
Meng Po pondered for a moment and slowly backed away again.
Xie Bi An inexplicably sighed with relief, "Then, junior will take my leave."
The two of them turned to leave.
"Hold on." Meng Po's voice rang out behind them, "Impermanence, do you want to know what you said before you drank the Five Flavors Bewitching Soup?"
The two men stiffened and turned around suddenly almost at the same time.
Meng Po smiled faintly. Her eyes were shining brightly, but her smile was hidden by the droppings at the corners of her mouth, and neither of them noticed.
Xie Bi An said in a trembling voice, "What do you mean? Meng Cao Lao, what do you mean by that?"
"Do you know who he was in his previous life?" Fan Wu She gritted his teeth and said.
Meng Po made no comment and once again stretched out her withered hand to scoop up a spoonful of hot, sauce-colored thick liquid from the big jar and poured it into a shallow bowl as she said indistinctly, "Before the ghosts drink this Five Flavors Bewitching Soup, I will always ask them a question. I ask them, 'What is your greatest regret in this life?'"
Fan Wu She gasped, not bothering to hide himself for a moment: "What did he say?"
Meng Po laughed twice: "Many people say that they did not achieve fame and glory, that they did not fulfill their ambitions, and that they ended their lives by doing nothing, or that they did not respect their parents properly, did not find true love, did not raise their children well, or were not a good person and did not do more good deeds. Most of these sayings don't surprise me, and I've heard so much that my old woman’s ears are getting calloused."
"These are the regrets that everyone has, how can common people narrowly escape them?" Xie Bi An's breathing was a little rushed, "Then, then what did he, my previous self, say?"
Yet Meng Po was oblivious to their urgency and said neither too fast nor too slow, "It is because I am tired of hearing these, so if I hear something fresh and unique, I will reward him slightly and let him ..." Meng Po's hand trembled, and that soup was half-spilled. "Drink fewer sips, and keep some remnants of their past life’s memories."
"You!" Xie Bi An widened his eyes, "I remembered my past life is because you made me drink less soup?"
"If you weren't stimulated by someone or something related to your past life, you wouldn't have suddenly thought of it, so what stimulated you?"
The stimulus Xie Bi An had suffered was, of course, the Eight Trigrams Platform, but when he thought of how he had been repeatedly tormented by memories of his past life since he had fainted at the Eight Trigrams Platform was all because Meng Po had nothing better to do than to play around with people, simply he made furious.
Fan Wu She was about to burst into anger. He said in a cold voice: "Why do you know who he was in his past life? When did you know? What did his past self say to you?!"
----
Gong Cao*[功曹]---An official position during the ancient times. Can be roughly translated as Bureau of Merit/Merit Evaluator/Ect.
Chapter 167
The long snake's tail behind Meng Po, was flicking unhurriedly with its tail tip, "I can tell you, but you have to do one thing for me."
Fan Wu She said viciously, "You are playing with us."
"Hehe." Meng Po laughed coldly, "Not only do I know what he said in his previous life, I also know ..." She looked at Xie Bi An, "why Heaven Master took you as his disciple."
Xie Bi An's body shook.
"What, you've never thought about it before? There are plenty of orphans under the sky, and those who want to pay respect to Zhong Kui as their master are as numerous as carps in the river, so why would he bring you back even at the risk of breaking the laws of the Underworld?"
Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An. In fact, he also knew it long ago.
"You mean ..." Xie Bi An said in a trembling voice, "Master knew who I was in my previous life a long time ago?" How could that be? Master had always told him that he was just the son of an ordinary farmer, and had only passed through the area when he was traveling around the world. He saw that he had excellent roots and was lonely with no one to depend on, that’s why he had the idea of taking on a disciple. However, when recalling the strange behavior of his master in the past, for example, firmly opposing them from approaching Qi Meng Sheng twice, and this time even going so far as to seal them in Heaven Master Palace with a boundary, it would make sense if his master knew about it long ago.
"Meng Cao Lao, tell me, tell me everything you know!" Xie Bi An shouted.
Meng Po said coldly, "Do one thing for me."
"What thing?"
Fan Wu She blocked Xie Bi An's chest with his backhand, stopping him from being too impulsive: "How do we know that you are not swindling us? A matter that even you, Meng Po, can't do, is bound to not be so simple."
"As you wish."
"Tell us first, what exactly do you want us to do?" Xie Bi An said, "We still have to rush to save our master. If it's too much of a delay, then, so be it."
"Go to Jiang Qu Lian's Red Palace and get something for me. He has been away from the Underworld for the past two days."
"You’re asking us to steal something for you?"
"That thing originally belonged to my Nǚwa Clan." Meng Po's gaze was extremely grim, "This is called returning something to its rightful owner."
"We're not going, no matter what it is." Xie Bi An pulled Fan Wu She's hand, "Let’s go." The Red Palace is not a food market, how can they come and go as they please? And he doesn’t want to offend Jiang Qu Lian in case they were exposed. Besides, it was more important to save master, so why not ask him directly about his doubts?
The two men turned around and left.
"He mentioned his younger brother." Meng Po's old voice rang out slowly.
The two men braked once again.
"Most people talk about themselves, or their parents, husband or wife, or children. This Emperor Kong Hua is really different. He actually mentioned his younger brother who caused him to die." Meng Po chuckled, "His greatest regret in this life actually came from his greatest enemy in life?"
Fan Wu She slowly turned around. His eyes fiercely glaring at Meng Po. During big brother’s final moment, he actually thought of him?! What exactly did big brother say? He had to know, no matter what!
Xie Bi An couldn’t stop palpitating. He wanted to pull his junior brother and leave, but his feet could not move as if they had taken root. Why should he care what Zong Zi Heng had said before he drank Meng Po Soup? Rationality told him he didn't need to know, and that it was none of his business, but he actually hesitated.
Fan Wu She clutched Xie Bi An's hand and whispered, "Senior brother, perhaps we should listen."
"... Why?" Xie Bi An felt a little confused, "We shouldn't waste time here." He couldn't suppress the strange thought in his mind. Did he actually want Fan Wu She to find a suitable reason to convince him?
"Because this is a memory you don't have. Even though you saw Zong Zi Heng's life, what happened after he died is something you don't know. Didn't you say that you wanted to know about his obsession?"
Yes. Regarding Zong Zi Heng's obsession, he always had the feeling that he was repeatedly infested with memories of his past life because Zong Zi Heng wanted to tell him something, because Zong Zi Heng had unwillingness in his heart, had unfinished obsessions, and not because he had taken two less sips of Meng Po soup. He wanted to free himself from the turmoil of the memories of his previous life and also did not want to lose the memories of this life, so the only possible way was to know what Zong Zi Heng wanted, what Zong Zi Heng's obsession was, and whether he could solve it in this life. Especially after he had obtained more fragments of memories from his previous life and discovered that Xu Zhi Nan, Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng, the three people who had survived from Emperor Zong’s era, all had a more or less unknown side to them and were linked to Zong Zi Heng in countless ways. He became even more certain of this. No matter what, he has to try. After all, he didn't want to go insane and lose himself by the messy tangles of memories of his two lives, nor did he want to drink Meng Po’s soup and forget everything.
And Zong Zi Heng's obsession was likely to be related to Zong Zi Xiao.
Xie Bi An took a deep breath and turned around. His gaze was still hesitant as he looked at Meng Po.
Meng Po showed a satisfied smile, "Jiang Qu Lian is not in the Underworld, so you guys have to be quick and not take a lot of time."
"Say, what exactly do you want?"
"Jiang Qu Lian once killed a snake demon in Jiuyou. He took that snake demon's pearl and put it in his treasure trove. The snake pearl is the golden core of my Nǚwa Clan’s descendants. To him, this thing is nothing more than a base material for making pills, but to me, it is of much greater use." Meng Po said, "Go and get it, and I will tell you what you want to know, including the origin of Impermanence."
The two junior and senior brothers looked at each other. Fan Wu She said, "No, in case you go back on your word or are just swindling us, tell us at least one of the two things you promised to tell us first."
Meng Po's eyebrows wrinkled, her already piled-up wrinkles showing a bit more anger as she whispered, "Okay." Her deep, vicissitude eyes fixed on Xie Bi An, "Today, I will give you a big secret."
Xie Bi An's breathing became rushed.
"The turmoil that happened over a hundred years ago almost destroyed both the human and ghost realms, and it all started because of the Zong Clan’s brothers, so neither Zong Zi Heng nor Zong Zi Xiao could be reincarnated like ordinary people. You all know what happened to Zong Zi Xiao’s ending, but Zong Zi Heng, once he entered Jiuyou, he was coveted by all the ghosts. That's a Human Emperor with deep cultivation. Whoever eats him will be ahead for a few hundred years. The Underworld has gone to great lengths to protect him, and since it's not easy to take action here, some people had other ideas. Jiang Qu Lian even left a mark on him, wanting to wait for him to be reincarnated before taking action, but fortunately, King Qin Guang found out."
"Jiang Qu Lian?!"
"Hmph, that red-clad ghost king has always been evil, what's the surprise?"
Xie Bi An frowned, "So, he actually knows ..."
"Of course he knows."
Xie Bi An couldn't help but gasped a cold breath, "So, for all these years, he's been coveting my golden core as well."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes like a poisonous snake stalking its prey.
"He's just afraid of Heaven Master and doesn't dare to make a move." Meng Po said, "As soon as you were reborn, your imperial destiny caused all the lonely spirits in a hundred miles to stir up, and when Heaven Master found you, those evil spirits had already killed half the village, including your parents in this life."
Xie Bi An's lips trembled slightly as infinite sorrow surged into his heart. Perhaps because Zhong Kui had treated him like his biological child, so he did not feel like an orphan, and when he was young he would scream, wanting a mother. Once he grew up and became sensible, he stopped obsessing over his biological parents, but it still made him very sad to hear this.
"The living cannot detect these things, but the evil spirits that specially feed on this have a very good nose. They can tell you are a 'monk’s meat' as soon as they smell you. Heaven Master probably felt uneasy about entrusting you to anyone, and Jiang Qu Lian was also searching for you everywhere, so he simply took you back to the Underworld and taught you skills so that you could protect yourself when you grew up."
Xie Bi An said deeply, "Who else knows about this?"
"Most likely only Heaven Master and Jiang Qu Lian knew, but what they don't know is that I recognized you afterwards."
Fan Wu She glared at Meng Po, "Why didn't you say anything? Did you have some plans of your own?"
Meng Po looked at him harshly, "Whether I say or not, and when I say it, all depends on my mood. Isn't it interesting to see the imperial destiny stirring up the situation in two worlds?"
"Meng Cao Lao, if you know anything, can you help to put these disputes to rest for junior? Please be sure to..."
Meng Po shook her head, her eyes incomparably cold: "I just like to be here on Naihe Bridge, watching the remorse, pain, and regret that reveal from one person to another in their final moments. Without disputes, what is there to see then?"
Xie Bi An clenched his fist. Indeed, there’s nothing they can do to her. This Meng Po is an eccentric woman with an enigmatic background, and it is said that even the Great Emperor Beiyin has to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Meng Po waved her hand, "I have already told you your birth. Now, you guys have to go and work for me."
Chapter 168
The five ghost emperors who govern Jiuyou’s ghost citizens all had ghost kings under their command, and Jiang Qu Lian was once a powerful subordinate of the central ghost emperor, Ji Kang*. Jiang Qu Lian was a highly gifted man who, according to legend, ate his own ghost mother as soon as he was born. He devoured thousands of ghosts and his cultivation was so profound that he was elected by Ji Kang to be in charge of the punishment in hell. But after he gained power, he gradually paid lip service to Ji Kang. Although Ji Kang was unhappy, he already couldn’t do anything to him.
Jiang Qu Lian is known for his ruthlessness and cruelty as a prison warden. Anyone who enters hell will suffer a lot of pain and suffering. Whether it's Jiuyou’s ghost citizens or the ghosts serving sentences in hell, will tremble when they hear his name.
Xie Bi An looked at the Red Palace from afar and had mixed feelings in his heart. When he was a child, Jiang Qu Lian loved to tease and scare him, but had never really hurt him. When he grew up, although he was also an underworld general, he had always been afraid of Jiang Qu Lian. To think that this ghost king in red had known from the very beginning that he was the reincarnation of Song Zi Heng, and had actually been coveting his golden core for the past twenty years, it simply creeped him out.
Fan Wu She looked at the Yin servant patrolling the doorway, took out two talismans from his pocket, wrote down a string of talismans with his spiritual power and affixed them to each of the two men. These were blindfold talismans. After they were affixed, ordinary people or humans and ghosts with low cultivation would treat them as objects. So long as they walk slowly, they wouldn't notice them, but this talisman had a flaw; what it blocks is the eyes, not the ears, and they couldn't make any sound.
"Last time I came to the Red Palace to bring him wine. The Red Palace had no boundaries. This should be enough." Fan Wu She said.
Xie Bi An let out a "hmm", "Wu She, even though Jiang Qu Lian is not here now, but in case, in case we are found out, is there any excuse we could give?" This was the first time he had ever done such a thing, so he was inevitably feeling guilty.
Fan Wu She smiled and pinched Xie Bi An's face, his tone was very doting: "Why is senior brother so stupid? No excuse will work if we are found out, but we won't be caught by him."
Xie Bi An smiled back, "Let's go."
The two of them moved slowly and quietly towards the Red Palace, stopping momentarily if any of the Yin servants looked this way, and they swaggered into the Red Palace. They dodged the Yin servants and attendants along the way, eventually catching Jiang Qu Lian's chief housekeeper, and put a puppet charm on him and told him to take them to the treasure trove.
Meng Po had investigated that the treasure trove of the Red Palace was in the underground palace. When she bribed the guards in the Red Palace, she found that there was probably a passage in Jiang Qu Lian's bedchamber that’s connected to the underground palace. The door to the real underground palace probably looked like a signboard. A few years ago, a Yin servant with bad intentions tried to sneak into the treasure trove and was bound by the mechanism and met a terrible end.
The two of them arrived at the main entrance of the treasure trove. As soon as they reached out, they sensed a boundary. Xie Bi An tentatively injected a surge of spiritual energy, and the spell on the boundary immediately flashed out.
Fan Wu She pulled Xie Bi An away: "This boundary is not easy to break, and someone may come to the underground palace at any time to inspect it, so let's go to his bedchamber and take a look. Besides, people don't usually put good treasures in places where they are easily taken."
"Master keeps it in the cupboard in his bedchamber." Xie Bi An said helplessly, "Forget it, Master is not an ordinary person."
"Master also set up a boundary."
The housekeeper led them into Jiang Qu Lian's bedchamber again and chased away the few maids who were cleaning it.
After they had sent the housekeeper away as well, they put the entire bedchamber into a boundary so that whatever was happening inside could not be seen or heard from the outside.
Fan Wu She looked around the room, "This place is so clean it doesn't look like anyone has lived here." There was not even a trace of wear and tear on the large red sandalwood bed, and the bedding was as neat as if it had been carved.
Xie Bi An laughed, "Because ghosts don't need to sleep. This place, it's just for show, I guess."
The two of them searched for the entrance to the treasure trove inside the room, but accidentally found some mortal realm’s clothes in Jiang Qu Lian’s wardrobe. Unlike the red he usually wore in Jiuyou, these clothes, from the color to the style, were the casual clothes commonly worn by the disciples in the current cultivation world.
"He really does go to the earth often." Xie Bi An grabbed a sleeve, "This Wusuoluo is a material that just became trendy during last year’s winter. It's extremely expensive. It costs three silver taels for one lot. I wasn’t even willing to buy it for master. He always trashes good things ..." When he thought of Zhong Kui, his heart felt extremely bad. "Nevermind that, let's keep looking."
Fan Wu She took a deep look at Jiang Qu Lian's clothes: "There are old and new ones in these clothes. He probably started going to earth a long time ago."
"Yeah, he would often disappear for a while. Sometimes saying he was in seclusion, maybe he went to earth."
"Why would he go to earth so often and also repeatedly ask for master's puppet magical treasure? At his level of cultivation, there is no need to eat people anymore."
"Yes, it’s meaningless for him to eat ordinary people, but he wouldn't dare to touch the high-ranking cultivators so easily. The Great Emperor Beiyin and Master turned a blind eye to his unauthorized visits to earth because he hadn't done any evil and it isn't easy to deal with him, but if they found out he was eating people, they certainly wouldn't sit idly by." Xie Bi An got down on the floor and tried to look under the bed, "Maybe he just likes the earth. Who doesn't like a lively and colorful earth?"
Fan Wu She felt around the room once and finally, he stood in front of a potted plant stand, "This potted plant isn't quite right."
"Oh? What did you find?"
"The house is so clean, which means the maids clean it daily, but the water stains dripping from this potted plant had its surrounding area wiped clean, yet you can see that the bottom of the potted plant is still dirty."
"Yes, when Bo Zhu and I cleaned on a regular basis, we would always move the pot up and wipe it clean. "
Fan Wu She cupped the potted plant with both hands and tried to lift it up, but was surprised to find that it was incredibly heavy and had obviously been under a spell. He smiled coldly, "This is it." With a breath of air, he hugged the plant and pulled it upwards with strength. But the potted plant only trembled for a moment and did not leave the shelf. Xie Bi An also came up to lift it with him.
After injecting spiritual energy, they finally lifted the heavy flower pot, while at the same time, the bookcase slowly moved aside, revealing a hidden door.
The two of them cautiously walked over and used their scabbards to lift the door panel. A chaotic red mist appeared in the tunnel, floating in a coiled mass like a beast with its bloody mouth open. This is the boundary that belongs exclusively to Jiang Qu Lian.
Xie Bi An drew out Pei Xue and struck a sword Qi, which was swallowed up in an instant like a clay ox entering into the sea*. He frowned and said, "It'll not be easy to deal with."
"We can only forcefully break through."
"Leaving these traces, when Jiang Qu Lian comes back ..."
"No need to care that much." Fan Wu She formed a seal with both hands and struck a spiritual talisman at the red mist, with Xie Bi An following close behind.
The red fog received the attack and shrank violently. After that, the blood-red talisman kept appearing, and the two green-colored spirit talismans began to "fight" with the red fog. The two of them kept injecting their spiritual energy, and soon their foreheads were covered in veins and sweat.
They gritted their teeth and desperately inclined their spiritual energy for a full 5 minutes before the red mist was completely dispersed and the boundary was broken!
A long flight of steps appeared in front of them. When going downwards, dim oil lamps were hanging on either side of the stone wall, with the end hidden in darkness. The steps were narrow, and Xie Bi An tried to walk ahead, but Fan Wu She got in ahead of him. "Wu She." Xie Bi An made a disapproving sound. Fan Wu She extended his hand backwards, "Come."
Xie Bi An couldn’t help but feel a sweetness in his heart. There were times when he felt that Fan Wu She was arrogant and reckless, like a child who had not grown up, but there were also times when he felt that Fan Wu She had a maturity beyond his years. No matter what kind of danger he encountered, he could always put his mind at ease.
Xie Bi An put his hand in Fan Wu She’s hand. The two of them held each other with one hand, and a sword in the other. In this unknown and dangerous secret world, they gave each other a sense of total security.
They were on tenterhooks all the way, but nothing happened as they imagined the hidden arrows and mechanisms. When they reached the end of the steps, a stone room appeared in front of them, with all kinds of treasures covering three walls.
"Fire Dragon's Tongue, Golden Artemisia, Tianshan Snow Lingzhi ..." Xie Bi An looked at them once, "Although they are good things, they are not very rare."
"Go inside and take a look."
They walked through this stone room, only to find that this underground palace was really large. Just looking from here, they could see several stone rooms. It seemed that Jiang Qu Lian had really fattened up his pockets during his years as a hell prison warden.
When they reached the third stone room, there were only ten stone pillars, each with a magical treasure or weapon on it, and the only treasure chest that had its lid opened was empty inside.
The two of them skimmed the room with a glance and still didn't find the snake pearl, but when they passed the treasure chest, Xie Bi An suddenly let out a "huh". "What's wrong?"
Xie Bi An took down the torch on the wall and looked closely at a pale blue stain in the treasure chest, finally rubbing his hand over that stain and putting it to the tip of his nose. He enhanced his sense of smell and turned pale when he caught a faint, almost vanishing aroma.
"Senior brother, what's wrong?"
Xie Bi An's face was grave-looking: "Look at what the shape of the stain looks like."
Fan Wu She looked at it, "It looks like a ... silk brocade bag."
"Master is a carefree person. He doesn't tidy up when he gets good things, either throwing them in his qiankun bag or putting them in the cupboard. Sometimes, I help him tidy up." Xie Bi An stroked that stain, "The year before last, I dyed a piece of cloth with purple martin from the Orchid Garden, and used it to make cloth bags, incense pouches, etc. A few of them contained Master's magical treasures. That was the first time I dyed cloth. The fading was not done well, and the color would bleed when it was wet, which is exactly the same as this color and scent."
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes slightly, "Could this be the silk brocade bag you made?"
"I guess so. And at that time, there was only one magical treasure that could fit into this palm-sized silk brocade bag."
"What magical treasure?"
"The Southern Miao Jade Puppet." Xie Bi An gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, "The puppet that Jiang Qu Lian has always been trying to get from master."
"..."
People in the underworld do not have a physical body, only a soul body. And when they go to earth, if they want a body, they have to possess a human or animal body, while those with advanced cultivation will make their own puppet, which is called a spirit host. However, a spirit host made of plants will rot in a few days, and it will be difficult to bring out its full spiritual power. But this Southern Miao Jade Puppet was made hundreds of years ago by a great witch of the Nan Miao tribe, who was known for her expertise in witchcraft, and is probably the best puppet in the world.
But how did Jiang Qu Lian get it?!
"Master never said that this magical treasure was lost." Fan Wu She said. "I guess Master simply doesn't know when exactly Jiang Qu Lian
infiltrated the Heaven Master Palace and has stolen the puppet yet!"
Ji Kang* [嵇康]---kindly note that it’s not this Ji Kang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Kang
a clay ox entering into the sea*[泥⽜⼊海]---- to disappear with no hope
Chapter 169
The last time Xie Bi An remembered seeing the Southern Miao Jade Puppet was when Zhong Kui gave the soul-hooking lock and Ting Mo to Fan Wu She. A man with a big heart like Zhong Kui would not have checked his treasure trove very often, but the fact that Jiang Qu Lian had tried to get the jade puppet for so many years without success was proof that Heaven Master Palace was not so easy to enter.
After that, Jiang Qu Lian had indeed entered Heaven Master Palace once
--- on New Year's Eve, but that night he was highly on guard against Jiang Qu Lian, fearing that the jade puppet would be stolen, so it was highly unlikely that Jiang Qu Lian would have gotten it that night. He probably had taken advantage of their months of stay in the mortal realm and came ‘uninvited’.
Xie Bi An said angrily, "This bastard, he still got it. Master will definitely not forgive him if he knew.”
Fan Wu She muttered to himself irresolutely, "We have been away from the Underworld for several months, and only Bo Zhu has stayed behind, so he does have many opportunities to take advantage of."
"But if the Heaven Master Palace’s boundary was broken, Master would definitely be able to detect it when he returns. How did Jiang Qu Lian steal this puppet without anyone knowing it?"
"He must have used some tricks that we don't know about." Fan Wu She said in confusion, "Why is Jiang Qu Lian so obsessed with the puppet and why does he visit the earth so often? Isn't it harmful to those in the underworld to immerse themselves in Yang energy for a long time?"
"That's what Master and I have wondered. When Master asked him about it, he only said he liked the hustle and bustle of the mortal realm. Master fears that he has some conspiracy and is afraid that he will harm people, not even daring to give him the jade puppet. He is bound to be planning something."
"Official Lord Cui has sent Day Patrol and Night Patrol to trail him several times, but their difference in cultivation level are too big and he always escapes from them. This man was recommended by Great Emperor Ji Kang to become a prison warden of hell, but after he became a warden he revealed his true nature and gradually did not care about Great Emperor Ji Kang, but he has never let anyone catch him in the act. Official Lord Cui and master were both very wary of him, but there was nothing they could do about him.” Xie Bi An sighed, "This man is so evil and cunning that even master cannot detect his limits; he is a ghost after all, and earth is full of 'human cores’ for him. We’re afraid he's up to no good.”
"Senior brother, it's useless to fret about what he wants now. We'll find out sooner or later. For now, it's better to find the snake pearl as soon as possible."
"Yes, if he really dares to do evil, he will definitely pay the price."
The two of them searched two more stone rooms and finally found the snake pearl that Meng Po wanted. They took the pearl and returned the way they came without delay, but then an accident happened. The stone room they had returned to was not the one they had first come down from the secret passage, and naturally they could not find the flight of steps back to Jiang Qu Lian’s bedchamber. It was such a simple road that there was little chance for the both of them to go the wrong way at the same time, but they went back and forth again and again, and finally decided that there was something odd here. These stone rooms were somehow shifting positions and they were trapped in them without noticing. "So there was this trick waiting for us." Fan Wu She grunted coldly, "The boundary is only a hindrance in getting in. Seems like getting out is even harder."
Xie Bi An pondered, "What kind of mechanism is this? Formation? An illusion? We've fallen for it without realizing it." He walked around the stone room a few times and felt the stone wall carefully, but found nothing. "It must not be a mechanism, otherwise there wouldn't be no sound at all, and there is no sign of any formation. I've never heard of such a clever formation."
"... illusions?" Xie Bi An's heart sank. After all, he had never been troubled by a not very powerful illusion until today, and his head ached at hearing these words.
Fan Wu She recited the Pure Mind Technique once, feeling clear in his mind and nothing unusual: "It doesn't seem like an illusion spell either. That's strange, what exactly is going on?" Even though there's no illusion spell, Xie Bi An didn’t feel relaxed at all. If it had been an ordinary illusion, they would have been able to break it, but now they didn't even know what kind of trap they had fallen into, so how could they escape?
The two of them continued to search for clues in the stone room, deliberately leaving markings in the rooms they walked through, and then entering and leaving together, never moving separately. This time, however, the stone room did not change, except the passage which they had come from had disappeared into thin air and could not be found in any way. The whole underground palace, with a total of 24 stone rooms, was soon walked through before they realized that it had been turned into a secret room.
Although only 10 minutes had passed, Xie Bi An was already getting anxious. His temperament was originally very stable, but this time he was both worried about Zhong Kui and regretted that he had taken Fan Wu She to the Three Life Stones, so that they would not have encountered Meng Po. Even if they had encountered Meng Po and heard those words, he should not have trespassed into the Red Palace so impulsively. Now trapped in the underground of the Red Palace, there is no telling how many hours will be delayed. As soon as Fan Wu She took a look at Xie Bi An's frowning face, he knew what he was thinking: "Senior brother, don't worry, we'll find a way out soon."
"Mm, of course." Xie Bi An gathered himself up, "If we can't find the secret passage, we'll look for the main entrance. The entrance to the underground palace is such a big door, it must be hidden behind one of the walls of the stone room."
They began to use the most stupid method; trying wall by wall.
The silver light in Xie Bi An's hand flashed and his sword flew, spraying out in a flash like a blooming thunderbolt. The sword Qi struck the wall, leaving brand new crater marks.
Fan Wu She walked over and touched the sword marks with his hand, "Senior brother's Zongxuan sword technique has improved by leaps and bounds. The depth of each sword mark is exactly the same."
"Now we both know why I learned the Zongxuan Sword so quickly." Xie Bi An said with a bitter smile, "Emperor Kong Hua had reached the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword during his lifetime, so in that case, I also have the potential to do so, but unfortunately, your master on Mount Qingcheng only taught you up to the sixth Chongtian, and now he is nowhere to be found, and the Zongxuan Sword has long been lost, sigh."
"That master of mine was only at the seventh Chongtian, but I don't think the Zongxuan Sword has really been lost. Such a powerful sword technique, there must be someone who secretly inherited it. When everything is over, you will have the opportunity to continue to practice." Fan Wu She patted the dirt crumbs off his hands, "This wall is solid."
They tried one by one with this method and finally found something unusual. One wall was hollow and when the sword Qi was slashed at it, it was clearly different from the others.
With his spirit lifted, Xie Bi An drew out his Wuqiongbi, injected his spiritual energy and drew a circle the size of a pot on the wall, and then crisscrossed at the center of the circle: "Break!"
The center of the circle shattered in response to the sound, and the stones and dirt fell to the ground, and one after the other they tumbled through the center of the circle, expecting to see the main entrance of the underground palace, but instead they found themselves in another secret passage.
The two men looked at each other and could only explore further.
The further they went, the more they could feel the heat coming in. A red dot appeared in the distance, growing larger and clearer. When they finally emerged from the not-so-long passage, they were both stunned by the sight before them.
A mountain, a red volcano, the black walls which were cascading with red-hot lava were so hot it could have cooked a man alive, and they were in the interior of a volcano! A cone-shaped hill hung in front of them, dotted with tiny, honeycomb-like holes that were lit and dimmed. Beneath their feet, the lava was flowing, and above their heads, is the endless darkness.
Both of them knew what this place was.
The cruelest place in Jiuyou, the most intimidating division of the Underworld, where ghosts are punished for their sins. This is Hell.
Chapter 170
The two brothers were dazed for a long time, until the persistent heat brought pain to their flesh as if it was about to be roasted, and they came back to their senses.
Xie Bi An's eyes widened, "How did Jiang Qu Lian's Red Palace get an entrance that connects to hell?!"
Fan Wu She's face was expressionless as he stared at the burning hellfires. The warm orange light reflecting on his cold face, gradually taking on a blood-red gloom. He knew that one day he would definitely return here, but until that time, he must bring the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman with him and order all the ghosts to let this purgatory, which once crushed him into mud, be something he can control in his palm, and not barging in like this without warning. He suppressed his fears, but he couldn't hide his pale face.
"He's mad, what does he want to do!?" A great uneasiness surged through Xie Bi An's heart, "As a warden, he has left such a dark path for himself. Anyone who is sent to hell will pay for the sins they committed in life. Punishing the evil, promoting the good, and the cycle of karma is the common understanding of both the human and ghost realm. It is also the way of heaven. What on earth does he want to do!?"
"The way of heaven." Fan Wu She laughed coldly and said scornfully, "Who made the way of heaven?"
Xie Bi An froze. "The Way of Heaven is the path for celestial beings, so that celestial beings don't need to suffer from reincarnation nor be judged by Hell." Fan Wu She stared at the conical floating mountain and whispered, "What if the celestial beings have sinned? The way of the Great Dao will not be unjust; the other way for social ranking is not the way, but merely a means of self- interest."
"Wu She ..." Xie Bi An was momentarily stunned by these words and hesitated, "There is some truth in what you said. It's just that ever since the disconnection between heaven and earth, this is the rule that has allowed the three realms to be balanced."
Fan Wu She never accepted this Way of Heaven kind of bullshit. The celestial beings have cut off the connection between heaven and earth and have exclusive access to the vast spiritual energy, making it increasingly difficult for immortal cultivators on earth to become immortals. If it weren't for the lifelong pursuit of immortal cultivators to transcend the cycle of reincarnation, live forever, attain the Dao and ascend, how would Song Zi Heng's golden core have attracted so much attention? He said coldly, "I know, I just feel it's unfair, that's all."
Xie Bi An sighed, "Wu She, there is no absolute justice in this world. No matter what the Way of Heaven is, if you do evil, you will be punished. It's unnecessary to doubt it. What other reason could there be for Jiang Qu Lian to set up this secret passage within hell other than to smuggle in sinful ghosts? I must report this to Official Lord Cui and investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Senior brother, calm down a little first." Fan Wu She said, "Not to mention that we haven't found a way out yet, even if we leave safely and you want to report to Official Lord Cui, how will you explain to him how we found this place?"
Xie Bi An choked suddenly. With Official Lord Cui's handling skills of being fair in handing out rewards and punishments, the two of them won't be better off. He hesitated for a moment, "This is a matter of great importance. Even if Official Lord Cui wants to punish us, we will accept it." "That being said, now is not the right time. Have you forgotten that the most important thing we have to do now is to save our master?"
Xie Bi An frowned deeply. If they took the matter to Official Lord Cui now, they would certainly alert the Ten Yanluo Halls and the Five Ghost Emperors, and Jiang Qu Lian is not in the Underworld yet. They did not know when he would return, and they could not alert him. They would probably be trapped in the Underworld, and the thought of it made Xie Bi An feel disappointed: "That's right, now is not the time."
"Of course we can't leave this matter unattended, but it's best to discuss it with our master first and plan before we act. Right now, we must first find a way to leave." Fan Wu She looked up. The hovering mountain directly above them was just pitch black and nothing could be seen, "We are at the bottom of Mount Luofeng, can we just fly up directly?"
Xie Bi An shook his head, "It's impossible. Hell is the most heavily guarded place in the whole of Jiuyou with extremely strong boundaries. Without an authorization token from the Ten Yanluo Halls, no humans or ghosts can enter or leave. After the ghosts have been finished penalizing in Yanluo Hall, they will be brought to Hell by Yin servants to serve their sentence. Once they enter Hell, it is impossible to escape unless their sentence is completed, not to even mention living people like us. If we are found out for trespassing in Hell, even if Official Lord Cui has the intention of being bias, we will at least be punished with ten years of our life."
"Haven't you been here before?"
"That was when master brought me to patrol, but we were only on the upper levels. The lower we went the stricter the guarding became." Xie Bi An looked at the very bottom of the conical floating mountain. The infinitely narrowing pointed cone part of the mountain was like a stone mortar and pestle trying to plunge into the rolling lava. He pointed with his finger, "There are the eighteen levels of hell --- the Infernal Hell. Only those great evildoers who commit the crime of wreaking havoc on the world will be thrown in there."
Fan Wu She pursed his lips tightly, his gaze gloomy. "We can’t go through here, we still have to go back."
The two of them turned back through the mountain path, only to find that the wall that had been destroyed before was gone, turning into a dead-end in front of them.
Xie Bi An was puzzled, "Could it be that the layout of this underground palace changes by the hour?"
"It's possible, we've been down here for an hour, right? It's changed twice already."
"I wonder which room we will return to when we break through this wall." As Xie Bi An spoke, he had already done his old trick and made a hole in the wall.
After the rumble, the familiar stone wall of the underground palace reappeared in front of them, and this time, they actually happened to be back in the stone room that was suspected to be the one where Jiang Qu Lian had kept the Southern Miao Jade Puppet.
"It's actually here." Xie Bi An walked over to the empty treasure chest again, looked at the outline of the blue and purple pouch inside, and thought for a moment, "I should take this chest with me, lest Jiang Qu Lian denies during the confrontation." With that, he picked up the treasure chest, intending to put it into his qiankun bag.
"Doing something silly again." Fan Wu She scolded gently, "Put it back."
Xie Bi An was a little ashamed for a moment, "What's wrong, what's with that tone? Am I senior brother or are you senior brother?"
"As long as we're not caught red-handed by Jiang Qu Lian, we won't admit what happened today, but if you confront him with this, are you trying to tell him that it was us who snuck into his treasure trove?"
Xie Bi An also reacted: "I forgot about that for a moment." Fan Wu She's lips contained a smile as he stared straight at Xie Bi An, "Silly senior brother is so cute that I want to bite you." When he said "bite you", that aggressive look in his eyes was not a child's desire for a bite of candy, but a fierce beast's desire to taste its prey.
With a sudden pang of panic, Xie Bi An hurriedly put the treasure chest back on the stone platform, but due to his haste, he did not place it steadily, so the two of them watched as the treasure chest, which should have fallen to the ground due to an imbalance of weight, remained strangely on the stone platform.
Xie Bi An still remained in a position of wanting to hold it with one hand, which froze in mid-air.
Fan Wu She circled around the stone platform and suddenly pushed the treasure chest, pushing it far away from the platform. Something even more nerve-racking happened. The treasure chest levitated in mid-air for no apparent reason.
"What's going on?" Xie Bi An examined the chest carefully, but found nothing special --- except that it could "fly".
After pondering for a moment, Fan Wu She suddenly walked to the side and swept out a magical treasure from another stone platform.
Like the treasure chest, it was also suspended in mid-air. This was the case with all the treasures in this stone room.
Xie Bi An felt a headache: "Could it be that Jiang Qu Lian had cast a special spell on these things because he was afraid of dropping them on the floor and breaking them?" This explanation sounded too far-fetched; there was nothing fragile in here.
"No." Fan Wu She pulled Xie Bi An with him and walked towards another stone room, throwing a few more magical treasures, and all of them would not fall to the ground. Xie Bi An looked around again and again, feeling that he had caught some clues but couldn't put them together for a while: "Wait, let's sort this out. First of all, we're not hallucinating."
"Hmm."
"Nor was it a mechanism, at least not the kind we know of. All the changes were done in silence. There's no mechanism that can be done without sound or trace."
"Hm." Fan No She said, "Then it could only be some sort of formation." "How exactly was this formation cast? How often did it change, and why
did it leave these magical treasures suspended in mid-air?"
"Nothing is too bizarre in the vast state of Jiuzhou, but this formation has never even been seen in the Heavenly Secret Scripture. It is indeed very powerful."
Xie Bi An glanced at Fan Wu She, "Wu She, do you often study the Heavenly Secret Scripture? That master of yours from Mount Qingcheng taught you the proper way of swordplay, and still taught you such unorthodox ways?" Back then when they had found Song Ming He and the Big Dipper Zhengji Binding Demon Formation in the cave at Diancang Peak, he felt that Fan Wu She knew that forbidden book far beyond his years. Cultivators of their age are a time of rapid progress and rapid change, so how could they have time to study nonsensical things? Only when they were close to their upper limit and had difficulty breaking through no matter what would they think of some evil ways.
"Yeah, he's into everything." Fan Wu She said frankly.
Xie Bi An felt something odd, but he didn't continue to ask: "You must have read a lot of tricky formations in the Heavenly Secret Scripture. Do you have any thoughts regarding the one in front of you?"
"I do have a suspicion." Fan Wu She said, "But it's a bit risky." "We are already taking a risk."
Fan Wu She looked around, "It's not an illusion or a mechanism, then it must be a formation. There are non-living formations and living formations. Living formations are almost always done through living people. This formation we came across is probably a living formation made of non- living things."
"A living formation made of non-living things?" Xie Bi An contemplated on these words, "If it is true, it is indeed new and odd."
Non-living formations, as the name implies, are formations that do not change, such as the Protection Formation, the Soul Summoning Formation, and the Big Dipper Binding Demon Formation, while living formations are formations that change, usually controlled by one or many people, such as the Eight Trigrams Formation, the Rainfall Formation, and the Eighteen Luohan Formation. To be able to make a whole underground palace into a formation, arranging each of the twenty-four stone rooms in proper formation points, and even changing them at regular intervals, such wisdom and cultivation is rare in the world.
"I guess ..." Fan Wu She raised his head to look up for a moment, and then looked down at the bottom of his feet, "I guess, this is a formation that plays with space."