Page 331

"Kid, stick close to me when we get there, and don’t run off!"

Chen Ye had given this warning for the third time, although the boy had been well-behaved all night, he still felt that there was something off about the lad.

No matter how he questioned him, he couldn’t extract any background information.

Without a background, it was impossible to assign him to a faction, and he could only be dealt with as a lonely and wandering ghost. Even determining the ghost’s lifespan was problematic, but clearly, there was a massive force of karma on the boy, which was why Chen Ye hadn’t brought him back to Hell immediately.

This must count as a noteworthy achievement, right?

Meanwhile, Murong Bingyun was curiously surveying his surroundings. The Hell from the legends... it was actually real!!

Having been in Jiangnan for several days, they had naturally heard of this place, but they had been largely skeptical, control over life and death and all things yin and yang sounded practically godlike.

Within Chen Qing’s forces, there were titles like Mountain God, Heavenly Artisan, but nobody took those literally.

In their eyes, it was merely a strategy to boost Chen Qing’s authority.

He had never imagined there really was such a thing in Jiangnan, but the price to experience it was far too high...

Following behind, Murong Bingyun was cautiously examining the surroundings.

The sky of Hell was like a lake, reflecting a hazy Lyuzhou City, which appeared quite magnificent.

Yet, Hell itself seemed much more rudimentary, with complete streets laid out very much like Lyuzhou, but compared to the expansive streets, bluestone pavements, and the impressive Observing Stars Tower of present-day Lyuzhou, Hell currently resembled a small town that was just starting to develop in the image of Lyuzhou.

Everything in Hell resembled a grey and white ink painting, and the people living here were like characters in a painting.

At first glance, one might feel quite unaccustomed to the artistic style.

"What’s the matter, feeling dizzy?" Chen Ye sighed and asked with concern as he saw Murong Bingyun standing still, rubbing his head without taking a single step. "Don’t be afraid, it’s like this here. You’ll get used to it."

Every time a new spirit arrived in Hell, they would feel unfamiliar and afraid. Actually, he himself had felt quite unaccustomed when he first came to Hell, but after spending a long time here and seeing a lot, it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.

"Why does this place... look like this?" Murong Bingyun finally voiced his confusion.

"That, well..." Chen Ye scratched his head and explained, "I don’t really understand it fully either, but I heard it’s because it’s more suitable for the activity of spirits like this, something like that... "

More suitable for spirits?

Murong Bingyun nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this. So that was it, huh?

As a magician, he quickly understood the meaning behind those words.

After death, a person was nothing but a bundle of Art Energy with spiritual will, without the protection of a physical body, very fragile in the ordinary world.

Here, this flat presentation seemed to condense the Art Energy into another dimension, making it more stable.

Such a world, created especially for spirits, was indeed a stroke of genius. That Chen Qing... truly an exceptional talent!

"Kid, I don’t know why you don’t want to reveal your family," Chen Ye sighed. "This place is different from the outside. If you have family, no matter if they’re ancestors or descendants, as long as they remember you, they can bless you, enhancing your Virtue Power. And in Hell, Virtue Power and Karma Fruit are solid currencies. You have a thick force of karma, you must come from a notable background. If you abandon your family, it’s a significant loss. "

Family worship? And one can gain Virtue Power from it?

"Uncle..." Murong Bingyun looked at him, "What’s the use of gaining the Virtue Power and Karma Force you mentioned?"

"They’re very useful..." Chen Ye quickly said. "You see those houses? They’re built using the force of karma. And here in Hell, souls can only exchange for things with Virtue Power. With enough Virtue Power, one can live as well as in the living world. Look at those two old men, they are playing chess and drinking tea: prosperous in descendants, their Virtue Power ever-flowing, with continuous worship and merit-gathering by their offspring. They live nearly like immortals here, with everything they want, and their ghostly lifespan is long too. It’s said that the two old men’s Virtue Power can grant them a ghostly lifespan of seventy years in Hell! "

"Ghostly lifespan?" Murong Bingyun was startled. "There’s a lifespan in Hell, too?"

"Of course..." Chen Ye rolled his eyes. "Where in the world can anyone live forever?

"That’s true..." Murong Bingyun nodded, his belief in this place’s existence growing. If there was a place in the world that could truly make so many people immortal, he’d really be the fool to believe it.

"So what happens when the ghostly lifespan runs out?" he asked.

"That... I heard they go through reincarnation," Chen Ye whispered.

"Reincarnation?" Murong Bingyun chuckled. "Isn’t that just a plot from storytellers? Can that really be done?"

"Naturally, it’s not quite like how the storytellers describe it," Chen Ye shook his head. "The so-called reincarnation is just about when you’re about to dissipate, the Hell’s authorities imprint your essence into the world using the Six Paths of Reincarnation so you can return.

Part of you might become a tree, some might become soil, part might become the winds and clouds; a very small part might become flora or fauna, or perhaps be reborn as a human.

But reincarnated as a human only carries some of your past marks.

It’s you, but also not you. After the heavens and earth reforge, the you from before and the you after reincarnation will most likely not be the same person. "

"Oh?" Murong Bingyun found this increasingly intriguing; the big guy was actually quite honest, admitting to others that reincarnation doesn’t mean it’s the same self from before.

This Chen Qing did have a Hell, and with such ingeniously crafted deception, even if he lied, no one could refute it, but he chose to be honest. Should he be called foolish or too self-assured?

Didn’t he fear that ambitious individuals might try to exploit the Hell System to achieve true immortality?

But all that would be Jiangnan’s future concerns. Now that he had come to Hell, he had to face a choice. He couldn’t hide for long; should he trust Chen Qing or take the opportunity to infiltrate Hell seeking his chance?

Just as he was pondering, several imposing figures emanating a fearsome aura approached.

They wore decorations identical to those of Chen Ye, the big fellow, but they had an obvious military bearing, and their presence was even stronger than Chen Ye’s.

"Where are you guys heading?" Chen Ye asked as he looked at the approaching handful of Day Traveling Gods, suddenly taken aback.

These Day Traveling Gods were all warriors who had died reclaiming lost territory, and their style was much tougher compared to Chen Qing.

"Oh, has Brother Chen arrived?" The leader, a burly man, paused for a moment and greeted him. After all, many people knew that Chen Ye was not merely a Day Traveling God.

"It’s good that Brother Chen is here. The City God urgently summoned us, and since Hell is short on guards at the moment, I’ll have to trouble Brother Chen to stay behind," said the big man.

Chen Ye was startled, "What happened?"

"The City God said there’s a demon causing trouble. The world of the living is now full of hostile energy, and I fear something serious has occurred."

"This..." Chen Ye quickly said, "Then... should I come to help?"

"It’s better for Brother Chen to stay behind. After all, someone must remain here, right?" The big man refused with a smile.

Chen Ye glanced at him but didn’t say more, aware in his heart that this was yet another instruction from his dear brother.

Ever since more gods joined the ranks of the Day and Night Wandering Gods, Chen Ye had become an idle soul-detainer within the city.

He had never been involved in capturing Evil Spirits, and whenever such incidents occurred, he would mysteriously be assigned some tasks that were, in fact, not that important.

Take, for instance, the current assignment of guarding Hell. It sounds like an important duty to hold the fort, but with Hell in such peace and outside Evil Spirits unable to enter, what was the need for a guard?

However, he also knew that no one, including Chen Qing, would allow him to undertake dangerous tasks.

"Then take care. Make sure to tell me everything once you’re back!" he said.

"Sure!" The big man immediately laughed, "I’ll tell Brother Chen every single exciting detail without missing a word..."

With that, the group of Day and Night Wandering Gods turned into beams of light and shot straight up towards the blurry surface of the sky.

Hostile energy breeding?

Murong Bingyun looked up, her heart tensing, as memories of the moments before her death reemerged, making her instantly certain—it was that monster!

But did that monster dare to cause trouble openly, ignoring the authority of Chen Qing’s forces, or was it just a purely terrorizing demon?

----------------------------------

"It really did start earlier!"

Zi Yue looked at the signal in the sky, her eyes narrowed, sparkling with a purple glow.

Ali saw it too, "That woman is not simple either, to be able to so accurately predict the early opening of the Dragon Palace. It seems Chen Qing might not be able to return."

Zi Yue nodded. According to the timeline, Chen Qing wouldn’t make it back in time for the round trip. As soon as the signal was sent, Chen Qing’s forces would notify the other three powers right away, and the exploration of the Ancient Secret Realm would commence in ten days.

"Considering the date, I should set out too," Zi Yue said, coughing softly.

"Can your body... endure it?" Ali looked at Zi Yue, concerned for once.

"I’ll manage..." Zi Yue smiled, "I should be able to get through this."

"Hmph..." Ali snorted coldly, "That’s good, I was afraid you’d cause trouble."

"I won’t..." Zi Yue’s eyes twinkled with mirth, then she added, "You stay in Daqing Mountain, I’m heading to Lyuzhou City."

"What are you going there for?" Ali frowned.

"Look there..." Zi Yue pointed towards Lyuzhou City.

Ali looked and her complexion grew even grimmer. Above Lyuzhou City, pale red hostile energy rose like smoke from a fire, starting from one point and spreading to many more.

"That fellow, in the end, doesn’t listen to advice..." Zi Yue coughed softly, "I need to see for myself...."

"Why bother with it?" Ali spoke coldly, "I really don’t understand why you insist on picking that one."

"It’s important..." Zi Yue said with a wry smile, looking at Ali, "As important as you are."

Ali: "...."

-------------------------------

In Lyuzhou City, Chen Ying looked over the chaotically turned-over academy, her heart filled with a cold desolation....

Too strange. Could anything in this world truly cause such an event?