Love & Redemption
Chapter 197: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, - 4 Descend to Huangquan Together (4)

Chapter 197: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, Chapter 4 Descend to Huangquan Together (4)

Just as every god in Heaven has their own duties, the duty of Shen Tu and Yu Lei was to guard Buzhou Mountain, not allowing any anomaly to occur. When the Bengyu in Xuanji’s hand emitted a ringing sound, they immediately realized it was that War God General who had come to cause trouble again.

This was a very troublesome person, one who was not within their power to restrain. Therefore, when they saw Xuanji charging over, Shen Tu and Yu Lei still held a bit of hope that she wouldn’t take rash action. Shen Tu even cleared his throat, intending to persuade her with reason. Who knew that Xuanji would just take a turn around them and head straight for the large gate to the Netherworld that had split open in the middle of Buzhou Mountain.

To intrude into the Netherworld was an even greater offense, so the two of them promptly cried out harshly, "General! You must not enter the realm of the dead without permission!"

Before their words fell, a laugh could be heard from below, "Shen Tu! Yu Lei! Do you two old kids want to have fun with this old man?"

Both were taken aback, but Yu Lei, being more astute, immediately noticed the high and mighty Tengshe and inwardly exclaimed trouble. One War God was enough of a headache. Now, with the addition of Tengshe, who loved nothing more than chaos — it was indeed a hard life to be a Gate God, to intervene or not to intervene.

Shen Tu frowned and said, "Even if it is Lord Tengshe... the lord should know the rules. Why make it difficult for us?"

Tengshe retorted, "Pah! You have no guts at all! Always harping about rules, rules, rules!"

Yu Lei sighed, "How can a man or a god have no rules? Lord Tengshe, being in a high position, should understand this principle even more... But why would the lord come here with the General?"

Tengshe could not be bothered to explain. Since they were too cowardly to fight, forcing them would be no fun. Seeing the gate to the Netherworld wide open and its abyssal darkness within, an idea suddenly struck him, and he grinned, "We’re here, naturally, we have business to take care of. That is... you know, that person has been detained in the Netherworld, right?"

Shen Tu and Yu Lei immediately changed their expressions, anxiously asking, "What about that person?! Has the Heavenly Emperor given any instructions?"

Tengshe chuckled, "We’re here to take a look and to pass on a couple of messages to him."

Yu Lei didn’t want any trouble and upon hearing it was a message from the Heavenly Emperor, he quickly turned to let them through. Shen Tu, however, was stubborn, insisting, "If it’s a decree from the Heavenly Emperor, there should be a token. Words alone are not proof."

Tengshe snorted, replying coldly, "Pighead! No wonder you can only be a Gate God! If it were a matter to be handled openly, why would we need to pass through here? I would have gone directly to Yidu!"

Shen Tu found his argument reasonable, but as for why it wasn’t done "openly," seeing Tengshe’s fierce and dreadful appearance, he didn’t dare to ask and simply stepped aside with a bow.

Heh heh, two fools! Tengshe swaggered triumphantly, flying through between the two Gate Gods, while Zi Hu followed him with an adoring look, whispering quietly, "Is Lord Tengshe really going to the Netherworld to see Wuzhiqi?"

Tengshe rolled his eyes at her and huffed, "Stupid! How could I possibly..." Midway through his sentence, his thoughts suddenly shifted. His original purpose for descending to the Lower Realm was to visit Wuzhiqi in the Netherworld. Since Shen Tu and Yu Lei had let him pass, why shouldn’t he take advantage of this opportunity to actually make a trip to the Netherworld? His previous claim about the Heavenly Emperor sending a message was pure fabrication, but it was enough to deceive them both. Such an opportunity was rare in a lifetime, and he would regret it forever if he didn’t seize it!

"I, er, how could I possibly not go!" He forcefully changed his topic and chuckled, "Go! I’ll go right now! Where’s that stinky girl?" He looked around and suddenly noticed a white figure shooting up from below; he immediately called out joyfully, "Hey! Are you done killing yet? Let’s go to the Netherworld!"

Xuanji, who was entirely focused on pursuing Wu Tong, didn’t hear his shouts. Although Wu Tong had been slashed with a sword and had a hole pierced in him, his movements were astonishingly fast. Clearly, he was much more familiar with the terrain around Buzhou Mountain than she was. He would go around here, turn a circle there, and Xuanji was growing impatient with the chase, shouting loudly, "Stop right there!"

As soon as her words fell, to her surprise, he indeed came to an abrupt halt. This man always seemed to do the unexpected. Xuanji didn’t care about whatever tricks he might have; she simply lunged forward, grabbing hold of his collar, convinced that she wouldn’t let go, whether it was conspiracy or trickery.

Caught by her, Wu Tong still smiled amiably. His face was covered in sweat and blood, creating an extremely horrifying sight. Yet his voice was incredibly gentle, "I’m going to die now, thank you so much for the news you’ve brought. It has made me very happy!"

Xuanji was taken aback, immediately realizing he was referring to the matter of Zhong Minyan and Linglong, and promptly responded coldly, "I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no one has died! You have calculated everything, but sadly, none of it was successful!"

Wu Tong’s whole body was in excruciating pain, and his consciousness was blurring. It seemed he had not heard Xuanji’s words. He continued to laugh with a titter, murmuring softly, "I understand now... There is nothing worth pursuing in life. The things I want can only be obtained after death..."

Seeing the disordered and mocking look in his eyes, Xuanji felt a shock of horror. Just as she was about to push him away, she heard the chanting of Shen Tu and Yu Lei from above, followed by several loud booms. They seemed to be closing Buzhou Mountain—the time for the Netherworld’s gates to close was upon them!

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Wu Tong suddenly grabbed her wrist with a deathly grip. His hands were ice-cold to the bone, like two iron hoops tightly clamped around her wrist, sending a painful shiver through her. Wu Tong whispered, "You... don’t think about escaping... come to Huangquan with me! Linglong..."

What? Xuanji gasped for air, not having time to tell him she was not Linglong, when she suddenly felt an irresistible force of suction from the other side. Both of their hair and clothes were being pulled taut by the strange force, rustling in the process. Behind them, countless Evil Ghosts were crying and shouting as the suction force from the Netherworld’s gates dragged them back— their time of freedom was over, it was time to return.

In an instant, the two of them were seized by that suction force and flung far inside. It was only when Xuanji managed to hook her foot onto a hole in the wall that they briefly stopped. The suction was increasing in strength, apparently intent on capturing all the previously released Evil Ghosts back. Xuanji was desperately pulled by Wu Tong, unable to budge the two of them, and she began to struggle immensely. All she could see ahead was the pitch-black, vast, and deep cavern, the mournful howling of the wind, and countless Evil Ghosts being sucked inside. The Netherworld was right in front of her! She yelled out, "Let go of me!" Following her shout, she kicked him fiercely, but this action made her lose her grip again, and they flew several feet forward before she managed to hook onto another protrusion.

The suction from the Netherworld was growing stronger, accompanied by faint cries and screams. To make matters worse, there was only vast darkness ahead, making it impossible to see anything—a situation that sent chills down the spine. Xuanji’s hair was completely dragged over her face, blurring her vision. She forced herself to speak sternly, "I’m not Linglong! Let go quickly!"

Wu Tong’s entire body was twisted sideways by the suction force, but his hands clung to her tenaciously, refusing to let go. Hearing Xuanji say this, he burst into raving laughter, his blood-stained face showing two rows of starkly white teeth. He wailed, "I won’t let go even if I die!"

After speaking, he gradually stopped laughing, revealing an expression as if he were in a dream, murmuring softly, "That’s right, I won’t let go. I will never let you slip away again... Linglong, Linglong... you silly child, don’t you understand?"

His face suddenly twisted hideously, as if filled with despair, ecstasy, and intense hatred. He shouted fiercely, "Die with me!"

Xuanji felt something forceful crash into her from behind; she could no longer maintain her grip. As he clung to her deathly grip, the two were instantly sucked into the deep cavern. Buzhou Mountain slammed shut with a boom, and then there was silence.

****

When she came to, Xuanji was still a bit dazed, not knowing where she was. There was nothing around her, just an enveloping blackness, a profound darkness. From that darkness emanated a subdued red, like the light of a distant fire. Beneath her was something hard, as though someone was being pressed against, and she suddenly remembered Wu Tong’s terrifying, blood-stained face. She hastily jumped up, stepping on the person below, and heard an "Ouch," immediately followed by the unapologetic swearing of the person: "Who’s stepping on me? Are you blind or what!"

Was it Tengshe? Xuanji quickly moved her feet, looking around. This place was a barren land: besides the dark sky and the scorched earth, there was nothing. The sky in the distance was tinged with a dark red hue, as if there was a fire burning, but indistinct. Everything here was blurred.

Tengshe sprang up from the ground, rubbing his head, and curiously exclaimed, "Is this the Netherworld? Why is it so shabby! Where’s Wuzhiqi?"

Xuanji shook her head; not only did she not know who Wuzhiqi was or where he was, but Wu Tong and Zi Hu were also missing. They should have all been sucked into that cave; Wu Tong was even clutching her hand tightly, but in the end, only she and Tengshe were left together. Xuanji walked around in a daze, unable to distinguish north from south for a moment—was this really the Netherworld? How could it... be so far from what she had imagined? Where were Yidu, the Yin Cha, and the little ghosts?

"Ah! There’s a fire over there! Could this be hell?! Why have we ended up in this damned place!" Tengshe shouted and screamed until he suddenly realized, "Right, this is where the Evil Ghosts are supposed to return, it is definitely hell. That old guy Wuzhiqi must still be down on the lower levels..."

Seeing that Xuanji was still in a daze, he simply went over and knocked her head firmly, saying, "Snap out of it! Let’s go! If the Judges discover us, that would spell big trouble."

"Go... where?" Xuanji asked in a daze, being dragged by him as they moved swiftly forward.

"To find Wuzhiqi! To see if he’s dead or not."

The three words ’Wuzhiqi’ struck her again, and Xuanji suddenly felt a pang of familiarity, yet she couldn’t recall the who, what, and why. Weird, some things came to her clearly, yet some memories were unreachable. Wuzhiqi... Wuzhiqi... who exactly was he?

Tengshe kept rambling, "He’s been locked up down there for nearly a thousand years, right? Back then, he really caused an earth-shattering commotion, nearly flooded the Heavenly Court with a great flood. Ying Long always said, ’It’s easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a secret arrow.’ If Emperor Bai hadn’t bribed the Great Demon close to him and found out his weakness, perhaps he really might have made it to the heavens and caused a huge ruckus. I’ve always wanted to fight him, to see who’s stronger, but Emperor Bai never allowed me to come down. Heh, now that I’ve found the Netherworld myself, I’ll fight him first and talk later! Emperor Bai can’t do anything about me now."

He was clearly overjoyed, the thought of a fight, especially with a Great Demon who shook heaven and earth, was more exciting for him than any delicacy in the world placed before him.

Xuanji was still trying to piece together the memories of Wuzhiqi, and when she heard about the great flood and the weakness, it felt very familiar. It seemed there truly was such a Great Demon, who defied heaven and earth and caused immense chaos. She murmured, "This so-called weakness... could it be a fondness for beauty?"

Tengshe jumped, his eyes wide with surprise: "Who told you that?"

Xuanji shook her head, saying, "I don’t know, but it seems familiar."

Tengshe sighed, "Actually, I am not very clear about the events of that year either. Although it was a complete mess down there, the Heavenly Emperor had ordered that the Upper Realm must not discuss this incident, and Emperor Bai wouldn’t allow me to go down and fight him, so I could only listen to what others said. Ying Long mentioned that he truly was lecherous, hopelessly so, and that he couldn’t move at the sight of any moderately attractive woman."

Although Tengshe found this hobby rather boring, believing that no woman, no matter how attractive, could compare to the thrill of fighting or eating, it was nonetheless Wuzhiqi’s weakness, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"Come to think of it, it’s strange. You were quite a figure in Heaven back then, and quite beautiful too—right up his alley. Why didn’t they have you go down and deal with him?"

Not only did Tengshe find it strange, but Xuanji herself found it strange too. Indeed, why had no one sent her to deal with Wuzhiqi? Or had she been sent after all, only to end up with no memory of it?

However, now was not the time to think about this. The two of them flew forward a while longer when suddenly they noticed that the light ahead was getting brighter, painting the dark sky a shade of orange-red, and the road beneath them had long been severed; it turned out they had landed on a cliff. Below the cliff was an endless expanse of Fire Sea Hell, no wonder they had felt it was brightly lit; it was not mere fire, but the ferocious Fire Sea Hell itself.

The rolling waves of flame turned the stones beneath into a reddish ochre, and the cliff they were on was not the only one; throughout the Fire Sea, gigantic stone mountains stood at intervals, and it seemed that there were many people crying and shouting atop them. Their cries, carried over by the scorching wind, tugged at the heartstrings.

Although Xuanji and Tengshe were divine beings from the Upper Realm, they had only heard of the terrible Hell but had never seen it with their own eyes. Now, seeing countless mountainous islands within the Fire Sea covered in people, with many Yin Cha little ghosts wielding whips driving them forward so that, ultimately with nowhere to retreat, they had no choice but to jump off one by one, plopping down like dumplings. Yet while living humans would die after one touch of fire and thus be spared any further sensation, which could be considered fortunate, the same could not be said about Hell, where these were people who had committed evil deeds in life and were being punished with Fire Sea Hell. Forced to jump, they could not die, but instead thrashed around in the Fire Sea, being burned beyond recognition, even their bones turned to slag, until little ghosts squatting on the shore scooped them up with shovels, placed them on the bank, and a gust of nether wind later, their flesh and appearance were restored, and they were again driven by whips to climb the mountains, only to continue jumping down.

"This is truly miserable..." Tengshe watched, aghast, and muttered, "Wuzhiqi that guy can’t be so useless as to let these little ghosts bully him, right?"

Xuanji spoke softly, "I know. It’s documented that there are eighteen levels of Hell. This is Fire Sea Hell. There should be other punishments like the frying pan, mountains of knives, the tongue plucking, and so on... "

"What, frying tongues... can you eat it?" Tengshe was obviously not listening attentively, "With so many levels, do we have to go through them one by one?" If they searched like this, Emperor Hou Tu must have long since noticed them.

Xuanji shook her head, "Let’s fly on... He’s probably still further down."

***************

It’s the weekend~~ I’m asking for monthly tickets~~

It seems to be at 115 tickets now? I’ll stockpile Chapters over the weekend, and if we reach 130, I’ll release two extra Chapters.

Cough cough, the method taught to me by a beautiful lady on asking for votes, not sure if it will work... Embarrassed, I run away... (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more Chapters, support the author, support legal reading!)