chsdbacks Chapter 334 Venturing into the Underworld
Chapter 334 Venturing into the Underworld
Behind the door was complete darkness.
It was so dark that you couldn't see anything.
Su Fan stepped inside, his feet landing on the hard ground. The ground was made of stone and was very cold; the coolness crept up from his feet to his knees.
Sun Wukong followed behind, the golden light from his golden cudgel cleaving a slit in the darkness. The light didn't illuminate very far, only enough to see three feet of the path beneath his feet.
The two walked forward.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a glimmer of light appeared ahead. The light was very weak, green, and resembled a will-o'-the-wisp.
The green light illuminated the surroundings, and Su Fan could see clearly.
This is a road. The road is wide, about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), with black stone walls on both sides.
The stone wall is covered with murals, all depicting dead people.
Some were beheaded, some were cut in half at the waist, some were burned, and some were drowned.
Each painting is different, but the people in each painting are screaming in agony.
Su Fan withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, a pass appeared ahead. The pass was very large, lying across the middle of the road, with stone walls on both sides, blocking the way.
The city walls of the pass were black, hundreds of feet high, and filled with people.
It's not a human, it's a ghost.
Their bodies were translucent, bluish-gray, and you could see the bones inside.
Their eyes were green, without pupils, and stared straight at Su Fan.
They held weapons in their hands: knives, guns, swords, and halberds. Each weapon was black and emitted a black aura.
The gate of the pass is inscribed with three characters: Ghost Gate Pass.
A ghost general stood at the city gate. He was a size larger than the other ghosts, and his body was dark gray and almost opaque.
His eyes were red, like two flames. He carried a large sword in his hand, the blade taller than him. His aura indicated he was at the fourth level of the Dao Realm.
Su Fan walked to the city gate, and the ghost general slammed his broadsword into the ground, causing the ground to tremble.
"A living person? Daring to walk through the gates of hell?"
Su Fan remained silent. He took out the Investiture of the Gods from his robes, unfurled it, and three hundred and sixty-five golden rays shot out.
The golden light shone on the ghost general, who staggered back three steps, and the gray on his body faded slightly.
The ghost general's expression changed.
"The Investiture of the Gods? You're the envoy who conferred the titles of gods?"
Su Fan nodded.
The ghost general paused for a moment, then pulled his broadsword from the ground and stepped aside.
"past."
Su Fan was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected it to be so easy. He put away the Investiture of the Gods and walked towards the city gate. Sun Wukong followed behind him.
The two entered the city gate. The road was still there, but the things on both sides had changed. It was no longer a stone wall, but a wilderness.
The wilderness was covered with burial mounds, so numerous and dense that they stretched as far as the eye could see. In front of each mound stood a stone tablet, on which was engraved a name.
Su Fan glanced at the nearest stone tablet—Zhang San. Next to it was Li Si. And next still—Wang Wu.
They are all ordinary people's names, not gods, not cultivators, just ordinary people.
He looked away and continued walking forward.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a river appeared on the road ahead. The river was not wide, about three zhang (approximately 10 meters), but the water was yellow, as yellow as muddy soup.
There is a bridge over the river. The bridge is made of stone and is very narrow, only wide enough for one person to walk across. At the head of the bridge stands a stone tablet with three characters engraved on it: "Bridge of Helplessness".
A person was standing at the bridgehead.
The person was an old woman, hunched over, with completely white hair and a face full of wrinkles.
She was wearing a gray cloth dress and carrying a bowl of soup. The soup was black and steaming.
Meng Po.
Her aura indicated she was at the fifth level of the Dao Realm.
Su Fan walked to the bridgehead, and Meng Po raised her head, looking at him with her cloudy eyes.
"Drink the soup."
Su Fan shook his head: "I won't drink."
Meng Po's eyes suddenly lit up, frighteningly bright. The turbidity disappeared, turning into two balls of green light.
"If you don't drink the soup, you can't cross the bridge."
She pushed the bowl forward, and the black soup inside spilled out, transforming into a black snake in the air that lunged at Su Fan.
The snake wasn't big, only about a foot long, but it was moving so fast that it was invisible.
Su Fan couldn't dodge and was bitten on the neck by the snake. Once it bit, the snake wouldn't let go, and venom was injected into Su Fan's bloodstream through its fangs.
Su Fan felt his memories fading. First, he forgot what happened at the Gates of Hell, then he forgot what happened in Beiming, and then he forgot what happened in Xikunlun.
He gritted his teeth and poured the Path of Protection into his neck. The Path of Protection transformed into a golden light, enveloping the snake.
The snake struggled and writhed in the golden light, finally turning into black smoke and dissipating.
Su Fan gasped for breath, two teeth marks were left on his neck, and blood seeped out from the marks.
Meng Po looked at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her green eyes.
"At the fifth level of the Dao Realm, can you withstand my Meng Po soup?"
Su Fan remained silent. He took out the Investiture of the Gods from his robes, unfurled it, and 365 golden rays shot towards Meng Po.
Meng Po raised her hand, and a gust of black wind rose from the cuff of her gray cloth robe. The black wind collided with the golden light, and with a loud bang, the golden light shattered and the black wind dispersed.
Su Fan staggered back three steps, his tiger's mouth splitting open.
Meng Po remained completely still.
Sun Wukong charged forward, his golden cudgel aimed at Meng Po's head. Meng Po neither dodged nor flinched, but reached out and grabbed the golden cudgel.
The golden cudgel in her hand was like a straw; with a gentle twist, it bent.
Sun Wukong's expression changed, and he released his grip and retreated.
Meng Po threw the golden cudgel on the ground and looked at Su Fan.
"You can't get through."
Su Fan took the gray fragment out of his pocket. The fragment had lost its luster; it was dull and gray, like an ordinary stone.
But he still held it in his hand and poured all the protective energy within him into it.
The fragment lit up briefly. The light was faint, like a candle about to go out. But the fragment lit up, and that was enough.
He pressed the fragment to his chest, and the fragment melted into his body, merging with the gray ball of light in his dantian.
The ball of light suddenly jumped, growing from the size of a peanut to the size of a walnut, and the light inside brightened as well.
Su Fan felt a new surge of power flowing through his body.
It is not the Way of the Corpse, but a new power generated by the fusion of the Way of Guardian and the Way of the Corpse.
He channeled that power into his fist and slammed it towards Meng Po.
Meng Po raised her hand to block.
Fist and palm collided, boom—!!!
A crack appeared in the ground, the stone tablet at the bridgehead shattered, and cracks appeared on the bridge surface.
Meng Po staggered back five steps, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Su Fan staggered back one step, the skin on his fist completely shattering, revealing the bone underneath.
Meng Po looked at him, her green eyes filled with shock.
"You...you've merged with the Dao of corpses?"
Su Fan didn't answer. He stepped forward and threw another punch. Meng Po blocked it again and staggered back five steps.
With the third punch, Meng Po was sent flying backward, crashing into the bridge and creating a large crater in the bridge surface.
Meng Po climbed out of the pit, her gray cloth robe half torn, revealing her body underneath.
Her body was translucent, bluish-gray, and you could see the bones inside. There were cracks in the bones, and the cracks were widening.
She looked at Su Fan, a complex emotion flashing in her green eyes.
"past."
Su Fan was stunned for a moment.
Meng Po stepped aside, leaning on her cane, and stood to one side.
Su Fan crossed the bridge, with Sun Wukong following behind. After they crossed the Bridge of Helplessness, the road ahead changed.
It is no longer a wilderness, but a city.
The city was very large, with walls thousands of feet high, and three characters were engraved on the city gate—Fengdu City.
Two ghost guards stood at the city gate. One had a black face, and the other a white face. The black-faced one wore black clothes, and the white-faced one wore white clothes.
Both men held black chains that emitted a black aura. Their aura indicated they were at the fourth level of the Dao Realm.
The black-faced ghost looked at Su Fan with red eyes.
"A living person? Daring to trespass into Fengdu City?"
The pale-faced ghost looked at Su Fan, his eyes blue.
"Take it down."
The two attacked simultaneously. The black-faced man's chain wrapped around Su Fan's neck, while the white-faced man's chain wrapped around Su Fan's ankles.
The two chains, one above the other, blocked all of Su Fan's escape routes.
Su Fan neither dodged nor flinched, but reached out and grabbed the black-faced man's chains. The chains were icy cold to the touch, so cold that his palm instantly went numb.
But he didn't let go; with a strong pull, the black-faced ghost was dragged over.
He punched the black-faced ghost messenger in the face. The ghost messenger flew backward and crashed into the city wall, leaving a large, human-shaped crater.
The white-faced ghost's chains wrapped around Su Fan's ankles. The chains tightened, digging into his flesh, and blood seeped from the wounds.
Su Fan lowered his head, grabbed the chain, and pulled hard, pulling the white-faced ghost messenger over as well.
He punched the white-faced ghost messenger in the face. The white-faced ghost messenger flew backward and landed next to the black-faced ghost messenger, the two of them squeezed into a human-shaped crater.
Su Fan walked through the city gate.
Inside the city was a street. The street was wide, with shops on both sides, selling steamed buns, cloth, medicine, and coffins.
There were people standing in the shop, but they weren't people; they were ghosts.
They wore all sorts of clothes—ancient, modern, and even primordial. They looked at Su Fan, their eyes expressionless.
Su Fan walked across the street to its end. At the end stood a grand hall. The hall was very tall, covering an area of a hundred acres, and three characters were inscribed on its gate—"Hall of Judges."
The palace gates were open.
Su Fan walked in; the hall was very large. In the center of the hall was a black table with a book and a pen on it.
The book was thick, with three words written on the cover: "Book of Life and Death." The pen was long, with a black shaft and a red nib.
There was a person sitting behind the table.
The man was wearing a red official robe and a black official hat; his face was ashen, and his eyes were golden.
His beard was long, reaching down to his chest. He held a pen in his hand, the nib writing something in the Book of Life and Death.
Judge.
His aura was at the peak of the fifth level of the Dao Realm.
Su Fan walked to the table, and the judge looked up, his golden eyes staring at him.
"Su Fan, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Fan looked at him: "You knew I was coming?"
The judge nodded: "Your name is written in the Book of Life and Death."
He turned the Book of Life and Death over and showed it to Su Fan.
Sure enough, Su Fan's name, along with his birth date and time, and his death date were written in the Book of Life and Death.
My death is today.
Su Fan looked at those two words, but his heart remained unmoved.
The judge picked up his pen and circled Su Fan's name.
"You are dead."
Su Fan felt his body suddenly become heavy, so heavy that he couldn't stand up. His legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground.
His heartbeat was slowing down, his breathing was weakening, and his consciousness was fading.
Sun Wukong charged forward, his golden cudgel aimed at the judge. The judge raised his hand, the tip of his pen touching the cudgel, sending it flying. Sun Wukong was also sent flying, crashing into the palace gate, shattering it.
Su Fan knelt on the ground, his consciousness growing increasingly blurred. He knew he was about to die, but he couldn't die.
He gritted his teeth and pulled the Investiture of the Gods from his robes. The Investiture of the Gods unfolded, and three hundred and sixty-five golden rays shot towards the Book of Life and Death.
Golden light shone on the Book of Life and Death, and the words on it began to move.
Su Fan's name flickered on the Book of Life and Death, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, like a light bulb about to go out.
The judge's expression changed, and he reached out to press the Book of Life and Death.
But the moment his fingers touched the Book of Life and Death, a golden light burst forth from it, repelling him.
Su Fan's name shone brighter and brighter on the Book of Life and Death until finally, the circle shattered.
The words "death date" disappeared from the Book of Life and Death, replaced by three words—"Envoy of the Gods."
The judge's face turned ashen as he looked at the three words.
"The Investiture of the Gods... the Book of Life and Death has no say in the names on the Investiture of the Gods..."
Su Fan stood up, his body back to normal. His heartbeat was faster, his breathing was stronger, and his consciousness was clear.
He walked to the table, picked up the Book of Life and Death, and flipped through a few pages. Countless names were written on it—some alive, some dead, some gods, some mortals.
He put down the Book of Life and Death and looked at the judge.
Where is the obsidian?
The judge paused for a moment, then pointed to the back of the main hall.
"The Hall of Yama, guarded by the Ten Kings of Hell."
Su Fan turned and walked towards the back of the main hall. Sun Wukong got up from the ground, picked up his golden cudgel, and followed behind him.
Behind the main hall is a long corridor with portraits hanging on the walls on both sides.
The portrait depicts ten people: the first is King Qin Guang, the second is King Chu Jiang, the third is King Song Di, the fourth is King Wu Guan, the fifth is King Yama, the sixth is King Bian Cheng, the seventh is King Tai Shan, the eighth is King Du Shi, the ninth is King Ping Deng, and the tenth is King Zhuan Lun.
The Ten Kings of Hell.
At the end of the corridor stood a grand hall. The hall doors were black, with two large characters inscribed on them—Yama.
Su Fan pushed open the door and went inside.
The hall was very large, so large that the edges could not be seen. In the center of the hall were ten chairs, and ten people were sitting on them.
They wore different official robes and hats, and their complexions varied—some were blue, some were white, some were black, and some were red.
Their eyes are all golden.
Their aura indicated they were at the fifth level of the Dao Realm.
Ten Dao Realm Level 5.
Su Fan stood in the center of the hall, looking at the Ten Kings of Hell. The Ten Kings of Hell also looked at him.
Yama, the King of Hell, spoke, his voice booming like thunder.
"Envoy of the Gods, what brings you to my Yama's Palace?"
Su Fan said, "Borrow the obsidian."
Yama, the King of Hell, laughed. His laugh was so cold that Su Fan shivered.
"Obsidian is my most prized possession; why should I lend it to you?"
Su Fan took out four stones from his pocket: a green jade stone, a red fire stone, a yellow essence stone, and a white frost stone. The four stones emitted four different kinds of light in his palm.
The light shone on the faces of the Ten Kings of Hell, and their expressions changed.
Yama, the King of Hell, stared at the four stones, a glint of greed flashing in his golden eyes.
"The materials for the Five-Colored Stone. You've collected four of them, but you're missing obsidian."
Su Fan put the four stones away.
"Yes. All that's missing is the obsidian. Give it to me, and I'll leave. If you don't, I'll take it."
King Yama stood up, and the other nine Yama Kings also stood up. The ten of them stood in a row, their breaths mingling together, like a mountain.
"You, a mere fifth-level Dao Realm cultivator, dare to steal from the Ten Kings of Hell?"
Su Fan didn't speak. He reached into his pocket and grasped the gray fragment.
The fragments have lost their light, but there is still a trace of power within them, the last bit.
He withdrew that little bit of power and held it in his hand. The golden light was very weak, like a candle about to go out.
But the golden light danced in his palm, pulsating like a heart.
King Yama frowned slightly as he looked at the golden light.
"Is that all the power you have?"
Su Fan gripped the golden light tightly, and the golden light exploded in his palm, transforming into ten golden blades.
The knife was small, about a foot long, and hung in front of him, its tip aimed at the Ten Kings of Hell.
"Give it a try."
With a wave of his hand, Yama, the King of Hell, sent ten men to attack simultaneously. Yama struck out with his palm, the imprint of which was as large as a mountain.
King Chujiang kicked out, his foot flashing like a pillar. Emperor Song opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of black gas, which resembled a dragon.
The Five Senses King raised his hand and shot out a beam of white light, as fast as lightning. Five people led the charge, and five others brought up the rear.
Su Fan neither dodged nor evaded, but instead unleashed ten golden swords simultaneously.
The golden blade struck the palm print, and the palm print shattered. It struck the shadow of the feet, and the shadow of the feet shattered.
The strike landed on the black mist, and the black mist dissipated. The strike landed on the white light, and the white light was extinguished.
Nine of the ten golden knives were broken, leaving only one hanging in front of Su Fan, its tip trembling.
Su Fan gripped the golden knife in his hand and slashed at Yama, the King of Hell.
Yama, the King of Hell, reached out to grab it, but the golden knife slashed his palm, leaving a gash from which golden blood gushed.
King Yama let out a miserable cry and staggered back three steps.
The other nine Yama Kings' expressions changed, and they rushed forward at the same time.
Su Fan didn't retreat, sweeping his golden blade horizontally. The blade flashed, and all nine men staggered backward. But the light on the golden blade dimmed slightly; if the attack continued, it would shatter quickly.
Sun Wukong charged forward, his golden cudgel aimed at Yama, the King of Hell. Yama dodged, but struck Sun Wukong in the chest with his palm.
Sun Wukong was sent flying backwards, crashing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Su Fan felt a surge of anger as he watched Sun Wukong fall to the ground.
He raised the golden sword and poured all the protective energy within him into it. The protective energy surged into the golden sword, causing it to explode and transform into a golden sphere of light.
The sphere of light was not large, about the size of a fist, but its density was frighteningly high.
He threw the ball of light at the Ten Kings of Hell.
The sphere of light exploded in the center of the hall, boom—!!!
The entire Yama Palace trembled. The ten Yama Kings were thrown out by the shockwave and crashed into the palace walls, creating ten large, human-shaped craters.
Their official robes were torn, their hats flew off, their hair was disheveled, and their faces were covered in blood.
Yama, the King of Hell, crawled out of the pit and looked at Su Fan, his golden eyes filled with shock.
"You...you've gone mad? This time, at least half of your cultivation is ruined!"
Su Fan stood there, panting heavily. His dantian was completely empty; only a sliver of his protective power remained, like a thread about to snap. Yet he still stood there.
"Obsidian, give it to me."
King Yama paused for a moment, then took out a stone from his robes. The stone was small, about a foot square, entirely black, with golden patterns on its surface.
The stone was emitting a black light, which darkened the entire hall.
obsidian.
King Yama threw the stone to Su Fan. Su Fan caught it; the stone was very heavy, so heavy that his arm slumped down.
He stuffed the stones into his bosom, which now contained five stones.
Jadeite, firestone, yellow cinnabar, white frost stone, and obsidian—five stones squeezed together, emitting five different kinds of light that shone through his clothes, illuminating his chest in a kaleidoscope of colors.
The materials for the five-colored stones have been collected.