Chapter 115 "Drunken Together" "I know, you love me."...

Bitao and the others returned to the Underworld, but instead of going to the Nine Nether Palace, they returned to Bai Duo's Yama Palace.

Bai Duo succeeded to the position of the Seventh King of Hell, while Zhuo Xian succeeded to the position of the Ninth King of Hell.

Aside from sentencing vengeful spirits who refuse to confess to Yama's exclusive Hall of Enforcement, most of the time after finishing their official duties at the Nine Nether Palace, they would return directly to their sleeping quarters.

The two palaces were far apart, and Zhuoxian spent most of his time in Baidu. Therefore, the three young attendants were usually kept in Baidu's palace.

They've stopped fighting now. As soon as Bitao and the others entered, they saw three little boys chasing and playing around, laughing and frolicking.

He was kicking a ball around.

"Ouch...that was a great kick! Ouch, that was a powerful kick!"

The peach blossoms are a rare sight; even when a little boy is playing with a ball, people are cheering him on.

When Bitao got closer, she realized that the three children weren't kicking a ball at all. No one cheered; the cheers were for the "ball" itself.

It was an old ghost with a head that emitted a glowing green light.

However, this head is not quite the same shape as a human skull; it is particularly round.

"Hey, eldest, second, and third brothers, stop messing around. Did you go to the Underworld Envoy to borrow his head again?"

Bai Duo stepped on the "ball," stood on his tiptoes, grabbed it, and said to the old ghost, "Leopard Tail, you're just spoiling them. If you take their heads off and let little kids kick them around like balls, how can you even see the souls of the dead?"

There are four types of demon messengers in the underworld: leopard tail, bird beak, fish gill, and wasp.

The Leopard Tail is responsible for the reincarnation of the souls of beasts in all realms, and this round head is the leader of the Leopard Tail Ghost Officials.

“It’s no problem, it’s no problem,” Leopard Tail’s voice was old, but sounded very strong. “There are so many people in the Leopard Tail clan, what problem would it be if I were to be missing one of them?”

"This is dereliction of duty." Bai Duo tossed the leopard tail's head away.

He then flew away in the air, flashing with a ghostly light.

Bitao seemed to see "Dongwanggong" again.

“This old man has spoiled the children.” Zhuoxian pulled over the three children and said to them seriously, “Leopard Tail is the master of the cycle of beasts. You can’t keep kicking his head around like a ball.”

Of the three children, only the one Bitao later instructed in the underworld could speak, and obediently replied, "I know."

The other two were chattering away, and I couldn't tell what they were saying, but judging from their tone, they seemed to be dissatisfied.

Bai Duo picked up the two little creatures and revealed his evil eyes. The two little creatures shrank their necks and became much more obedient.

Bitao couldn't help but chuckle.

Bai Duo turned to Bi Tao and said, "Leopard Tail is naturally affectionate and has some connection with the fox spirits of the mortal world. It loves children the most. In this underworld, it's just a group of ghost officials coming and going, and there aren't many children. These three little things have become a rare sight..."

Even if the ghost officials have wives and children, they all live in the upper levels of Fengdu. But those children don't come down to this law enforcement street.

In the entire Underworld, only Bai Duo has raised three young children.

They don't usually wander off. Bai Duo and Zhuo Xian take them with them when they're handling official duties, but they don't spend much time playing in the Underworld.

But whenever they don't have to deal with official duties, these three little guys borrow Leopard Tail's head and use it as a ball to kick around.

Leopard Tail was like a spoiled, delusional grandfather who indulged his grandson. Not only did he let the little boy kick his head, but he also shouted "Good shot!" every time, making the three little kids laugh out loud.

As everyone entered the inner hall, Bitao quickly smelled the aroma of roasted pig's trotters.

Bai Duo and Zhuo Xian led Bi Tao to a waterside pavilion.

However, what they were facing was not real water, but the River of Oblivion, a river piled up with remnants of souls.

The stone table there was already full of food, and next to the stone table was a small oven with sizzling, oily roasted pig's trotters on it.

There was also a large basin filled with warm liquor.

There are two ways to drink spirits.

Drinking it chilled is refreshingly cold on the palate and leaves a spicy aftertaste.

Drinking it hot is even more stimulating; it feels like fire as soon as it enters your mouth, and the aftertaste is even more intense, like a burning sensation in your internal organs.

However, the alcohol will evaporate if it's cooked for too long. It needs to be consumed as soon as possible.

Bitao and the others sat down, and Zhuoxian poured a large bowl for Bitao.

"Drink with confidence. It was brought back from the mortal realm and is not a product of the underworld. It will not pollute the pure air."

Bitao took it and tilted her head back to gulp down a large mouthful.

Her internal organs felt like they were on fire, her face flushed red, yet her eyes shone with joy.

"Good wine!"

Bai Duo forked a crispy roasted pig's trotter for her: "This is even better."

Bitao lowered her head and began to eat.

The soft and chewy texture made her so happy that she could hardly open her mouth.

He devoured four in one go, finally satisfying his cravings that he had been yearning for in the Heavenly Realm, and then began to talk to his two fathers.

She inquired about Zhang Yuluan's affairs, listening to every detail.

Seeing that she cared, Bai Duo hesitated for a moment and asked, "Should I go with your father, Zhuo Xian, to check on her from time to time? In case she goes astray."

The crooked path Bai Duo spoke of refers to the mental demons that arise within cultivators in the cultivation world.

The reincarnation bridge in Zhang Yuluan's realm has been reconnected, and its vitality is gradually recovering. In a few decades or centuries, it will be able to return to the normal appearance of the Xuanxing Realm.

At that time, the cultivators will be full of spiritual energy. If someone often looks after and guides them, there may be hope that they will reunite in the celestial realm after thousands of years.

But Bitao smiled and shook her head. Her little face was flushed with peach blossom pink from drinking, but there was no trace of lingering attachment to her old friends in the mortal world in her eyes.

"No, our celestial positions descending to the mortal realm already have a great impact on her."

"Everyone has their own destiny. As for her, let's see how she chooses to live her life."

Bitao cherishes all emotions, yet she is not stubborn or obstinate.

She felt that things in this world are like the cycle of the four seasons, the sun setting and the moon rising; if one is truly destined to meet, one will naturally encounter each other amidst mountains and rivers.

Both Bai Duo and Zhuo Xian admired her greatly for this.

There are many people in this world who are sentimental, but they are also extremely prone to getting stuck in intractable dead ends.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many mad ghosts in Fengdu, who are omnipresent, constantly reborn, and endlessly reincarnated.

“You’re doing very well.” Bai Duo tapped Bi Tao’s forehead. “However, you also have a deep and abiding love for the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm.”

"If he really does marry someone else in order to secure his position in the future, you should be as open-minded as you are today."

Bitao: "That's impossible!"

Holding the wine bowl, she saw a hint of mockery in Bai Duo's eyes, but still said earnestly, "Mingguang is my man... he will only ever be my man."

Zhuo Xian and Bai Duo laughed together.

Bai Duo, however, seemed determined to tease her: "How can you be so sure?"

"Look at the foolish ghost in the River of Oblivion."

"When he voluntarily entered the River of Oblivion, he was certain that he would not regret it. He was determined to wash away his destiny as the Purple Star of the past and go to the Heavenly Realm to find the fairy with whom he was destined to be married in this lifetime."

"But look at him now, do you think he regrets it?"

Following Bai Duo's gaze, Bi Tao saw a "person" standing in the River of Oblivion not far away.

Bitao had seen this "person" before. If Bai Duo hadn't pointed it out to her, Bitao's vision, blurred by the smell of alcohol, would have mistaken it for a pillar.

It was a skeleton whose flesh and veins had been completely corroded away.

His flesh and blood were devoured by the remnant souls of the River of Oblivion around him, but because he was the Ziwei Star God with great fortune, his flesh and blood would grow back after being torn off.

It's just that the rate of growth can't keep up with the rate at which it's being torn apart.

Bai Duo seemed to find that person ridiculous; the entire Netherworld regarded the insane Ziwei Star God as a joke.

He leaned back in his chair, his expression grim, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips: "Look, he's gone, he can't move, he can't call for help."

Even if he regrets it, he can't control his limbs to climb up. Being able to stand like this might allow him to maintain a sliver of rationality.

"If one day he collapses and can no longer hold on... and is devoured and torn apart by the billions of remnant souls of the River of Oblivion, even if the fortune of the Ziwei Star God is washed away, he will have no chance of reincarnation."

"How can one possibly fly up to the heavens to find a fairy?"

Therefore, do not be attached to the things in this world.

Bai Duo lowered his eyes, but his gaze toward Bi Tao was gentle: "My dear daughter, you must maintain your natural way of thinking, only then can you be invincible."

Bitao did not answer.

She gazed at the skeleton standing in the River of Oblivion and felt a tremendous shock in her heart.

She had always believed herself to be incredibly carefree, that everything in the world was within her prediction and control.

But now, looking at that... Emperor Eun-yong, who was no longer recognizable as human.

Bitao then realized that she, too, could not "follow the way of nature."

If she can't get what she wants, she'll scheme and plot, going to great lengths to achieve her goals.

Even if my soul is destroyed, I will still have no regrets even if I die nine times.

She gazed at that figure for a long time, drinking and eating meat with him.

It was as if it wanted to fiercely devour and chew up her undeniable stubbornness.

Only now did she realize that she was a celestial being of the Nine Heavens, born in the Heavenly Realm, and possessed abundant fortune, favored by the Heavenly Dao.

At least everything she sought and loved in her life was within sight and within reach.

If she is a lovesick ghost wandering day and night in Fengdu, yearning for something she cannot obtain, would she dissipate more slowly than others?

At that moment, she humbled herself infinitely and estimated herself to be infinitely small.

She was no longer the celestial being who could control the clouds and rain from the heavens.

She's nothing more than a wandering, infatuated ghost in this world.

In this world, among countless beings—humans, ghosts, demons, birds, and beasts—who isn't a mere fool who "always has something he refuses to give up"?

It turns out that Fengdu does not contain remnant souls, but rather the lingering obsessions of heaven and earth that have persisted through countless lifetimes and generations, no matter how many times they have changed.

What do people seek?

It's nothing more than a pot of wine, a bite of meat, a table of relatives sharing delicacies, and a guiding light waiting for one's return home.

In the celestial realm and the netherworld, among immortals and demons, among all living beings in the myriad worlds, who is an exception?

Bitao suddenly felt an urgent need to go back.

She couldn't wait to see Mingguang, to see her friends, and to return to the place she knew so well.

Yesterday is dead, and there is nothing to offer as a sacrifice. We should look to the present and cherish what we see, hear, love, and everything we have today.

Only then can one live up to the life one has taken to be born into this world.

She held the wine bowl in a daze, unaware that due to her sudden enlightenment, she had ascended to the celestial realm.

Although it was only a small step up, it marked the beginning of the peak from the upper level of the Xuanxian realm.

But the idea of ​​a celestial being achieving enlightenment and advancing in rank in the netherworld is simply astonishing.

Bitao's compassionate heart emanated layers of pure energy. At this moment, high above the heavens, her body, connected to her soul, began to frantically draw upon the surrounding celestial spirits.

However, this Netherworld has been unable to contain pure energy since the beginning of time. Everything built upon turbid energy will vibrate when pure energy enters it.

At the top of the Nine Nether Palace, the Zhenxiao Bell, which hadn't rung for ten thousand years, began to ring incessantly.

Since the Great Emperor of Fengdu requested that the Heavenly and Underworld realms be divided and ruled separately, he has never rung the Zhenxiao Bell again, nor has he sought help from the Heavenly Realm.

But now, the sound of the bells and the bridge surface vibrate together because of the surge of pure air.

Bitao, however, was lost in the chaos of advancement. The hearts of all living beings not only dispersed the pure energy, but also absorbed the turbid energy of Fengdu and sent it into the heavenly realm.

Because of the favor bestowed upon her by the Emperor of Wangchuan, Bitao's spirit wavered, and her mind and consciousness were passively led by the countless infatuated ghosts and remnants of their souls.

Just as arrogantly she was when she returned to heaven after her first competition in the celestial realm, brazenly following the Five Thunders to trace the origin of heaven and earth.

She saw the myriad worlds and felt the eight sufferings and five poisons of humanity. Holding her wine bowl, with oil still glistening on her lips, she was moved to tears by the plight of all living beings.

When she cries, the pure and impure energies of all beings surge even more violently with her emotional state.

The Zhenxiao Bell practically emitted a tearing sound.

In the realm of law enforcement in the netherworld, all the bridges began to shake violently, and the ghost officials passing through them hurriedly mobilized yin energy to stabilize them.

In the River of Oblivion, countless wronged souls and vengeful ghosts let out shrieks.

In an instant, all the ghosts wept.

Inside the Heavenly Palace of All Living Beings, all the pure energy had been drained away.

Even the immortals residing in the Palace of All Living Beings were awakened by Bi Tao's powerful and domineering spirit, which had advanced to the Xuanxian realm and swept away everything.

Zhan Kui and Xuan Jia sat up groggily.

Zhan Kui's dragon horns were all pulled out. Xuan Jia was in a better position because he was a star god, but his immortal spirit was also being rapidly depleted.

She sniffed and said slowly, "Bitao... seems... to... have... advanced..."

Zhan Kui rubbed her eyes. It was almost dawn outside. She muttered, "But she just reached the Xuanxian realm. Her cultivation level hasn't been stabilized yet. How could she advance again?"

"And why do I smell a foul odor..."

Bitao even began to draw immortal energy from the large peach tree outside the Cang Sheng Palace, Dushuo Mountain, and the entire Wuji Sea.

She drew out pure energy and poured it into the Netherworld, but then drew out impure energy from the Netherworld and sent it into the Heavenly Realm.

Because she was carrying out the wishes of all living beings, she attempted to turn all the celestial beings in the heavens and all the ghosts in the underworld back into mortals.

Mortals possess two energies: the consciousness of Bitao, or rather, the consciousness of all living beings at this moment, crudely mixes the pure and the impure, as if only in this way can all living beings truly be equal.

Inside Bitao's room, Mingguang was almost completely engulfed by the foul air emanating from Bitao.

Mingguang disregarded everything and hurriedly set up a blocking array, exclaiming, "Has he gone mad? How could he advance in the Netherworld!"

"Is she insane?! How could she advance in the Underworld?!"

The Emperor of Fengdu had already fallen asleep when he was awakened by the deafening sound of the Heavenly Bell.

Following the source of the tremors, they found Bai Du's palace.

Before he came in, he even considered that Bai Duo and Zhuo Xian, who had just ascended to the position of Yama, were ignorant of their own limitations and might try to collude with the immortals to usurp his throne.

The only thing I didn't expect was that the little fairy Bitao was still there, and for some unknown reason, she actually advanced in the underworld!

"What did you two feed her?!"

Bai Duo and Zhuo Xian stood up in a panic and quickly tucked the little boy into their sleeves.

"It's just pig's trotters..." Although it weighs 500 jin, I wonder if it's become sentient...

"What ancient divine pig? Can eating it advance one's immortality?"

"Send her back right now! She poured all her pure energy into the Netherworld, and those lingering ghosts in the River of Oblivion are howling like wolves that have smelled blood, didn't you hear them?!"

The Emperor of Fengdu and Bai Duo, carrying Bi Tao who was trapped in chaos and whose consciousness was still scattered throughout the myriad worlds of Fengdu, flew towards the barrier exit in the upper level of Fengdu that had guided her there.

Zhuoxian and his fellow ghost officials went to reinforce the formation that sealed the remnant souls of the River of Oblivion.

Amidst the turbulent souls of the River of Oblivion, the standing skeletal ghost, Emperor Enrong, had already lost all consciousness of being human.

Just as Bai Duo said, he had no chance of saving himself and would eventually die unconscious in the River of Oblivion.

To become one of the millions of obsessed ghosts in this world who cannot achieve their obsessions.

But he smelled a familiar scent.

This energy surged into his remaining five senses, carving out a pure land in the chaos and pulling him back!

This is the pure energy that only celestial beings in the heavens possess.

"Sister..." The skeleton ghost couldn't make a sound, but his skull moved for a moment, silently reciting those two words.

Then he began frantically collecting this pure energy and incorporating it into his body.

Flesh and blood grew wildly in an instant, covering his blood-soaked bones.

Bitao was quickly delivered to the exit, and the Emperor of Fengdu waved his hand to activate the barrier.

He shoved the peach tree into the large peachwood tree and said to Bai Duo, "Quickly send her back!"

Bai Duo accepted the order and led Bi Tao through the large peach tree.

As soon as Bitao's soul left Fengdu, her consciousness, which had scattered throughout the myriad realms, was forcibly pulled back into part of her soul.

However, because she traveled too far in an instant, passing through the cycles of life and death of too many people, she was still not fully conscious.

Moreover, there seemed to be an indescribable force pulling at Bitao's soul, trying to drag her back to the underworld.

Bai Duo had just been promoted to Yama and was very powerful, but he was struggling to move forward in the large peach wood while pulling Bi Tao along.

I don't know how long we struggled to move before we finally saw the entrance to the Heavenly Realm in sight.

At this moment, Bitao woke up.

Or rather, her "consciousness" awakened.

She turned her head and asked Bai Duo, her voice soft yet eerily unsettling: "Father, did you hear their voices?"

"Father, they want me to go back."

Bai Duo slapped Bi Tao on the back of the neck and anxiously opened the entrance to the Heavenly Realm.

Bitao, however, did not faint at all; instead, she began to struggle.

She wants to return to the underworld.

Pulled by the consciousness of all living beings, she broke free from Bai Duo's embrace.

But just as she was about to disappear back into the darkness, the entrance to the heavens opened.

Before dawn broke in the celestial realm, Mingguang formed a barrier array. Sensing that Bitao's soul was lost, he hurriedly came to the large peach tree to open a barrier and went to the Netherworld to retrieve her!

Seeing Bitao struggling and running back at the boundary, Mingguang spoke, using his Xuanxian power to activate the Judgment and Debunking Sound, shouting, "Bitao! Wake up!"

Bitao froze.

Bai Duo quickly lifted her up and pushed her out.

Mingguang opened his arms and hugged Bitao tightly, lowered his head and cupped her cheeks in his hands, calling to her, "Little Peach Branch, come back quickly!"

Bitao gazed into Mingguang's eyes.

She gazed into those golden eyes that always shone brightly, like the sun, making her feel incredibly warm and as bright as a lamp.

Countless sorrows and despairs, countless unfulfilled desires and separations from loved ones, flowed through her eyes.

"Little Peach Branch." Mingguang's voice was deep as he held her tightly and called her softly.

The moment his righteous and upright aura enveloped Bitao, it dispelled the gloom in her soul.

His body was as immovable as a mountain, and his form resembled the blazing sun, shining brightly yet dimly.

He shone brightly in the darkness before dawn.

Bai Duo was worried about Bi Tao, so he didn't leave immediately. He looked at Ming Guang through the unclosed barrier.

At this moment, he finally understood why his daughter liked this celestial prince so much.

When he gazes intently at someone, he is like a sun rising solely for that one person.

Like the brightest lamp among thousands of lights, which never goes out no matter how dark the wind and rain.

Amidst the surging, overwhelming will of all living beings, the peach blossoms were repeatedly submerged and lost.

But when she looked into Mingguang's eyes, it was as if she were seeing a lighthouse standing in the sea in the darkness.

She finally found her direction.

She grabbed Mingguang's collar tightly, very firmly.

She finally rose from the "sea," clung to her golden crow, and was carried away from the abyss by its enormous wings.

Mingguang held Bitao in both arms, nodded politely to Bai Duo in the closed barrier, and then flew into the Cang Sheng Palace with Bitao's soul.

Return her body and soul to her body.

It took quite a bit of effort.

Because the peach tree clung tightly to his shoulders and back.

She kept whispering in Mingguang's ear, "I love you..."

Mingguang had finally managed to return her body to its original form and was about to continue cleansing her of her impurities when she grabbed his head and showered him with kisses.

Then he asked, "Do you know?"

When Mingguang met her moist eyes, his ears felt like they were on fire.

Tears welled in Bitao's eyes, but she persisted in asking, "Do you know?"

Mingguang bit his lip, forcing himself to calm down, and said, "You need to clear away the turbid energy as soon as possible..."

"If you don't know, then I'll tell you again."

“Mingguang, I love you, I really…” Bitao was still a little dazed, but said firmly, “I love you so much…”

She was actually still delirious, as if she had become one of those obsessed ghosts who couldn't get what they wanted.

Mingguang stood there frozen, his face as red as a piece of burnt charcoal.

The two had not yet gotten married, but they had already acted like husband and wife countless times.

But Bitao had never expressed her feelings to him so openly and urgently, and had even forced him to respond.

Mingguang is a very old-fashioned and restrained person.

Even though he was led astray by Bitao and did all sorts of outrageous things, he was always ashamed to express his feelings about love between men and women directly.

After being asked these questions by Bitao, the fingertips supporting her trembled slightly.

Bitao herself didn't know what she was saying; she was just going with the flow of her turbulent emotions, rambling on and on to vent her feelings.

As a result, Mingguang was so impressed by her that he forgot how to form a formation to purify and dispel turbid energy.

She sat helplessly on the edge of the bed.

When Bitao asked him "Do you know?" for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

He leaned close to Bitao's ear and replied in a low but clear voice, "I know. You love me."

She was bewitched by a ghost, all because of him.

How could he not know?

Bitao is like a drunkard, drunk not on strong liquor, but on a "consciousness of the common people" that is tens of thousands of times stronger than strong liquor.

She received a response from Mingguang, as if she had finally entered her own bright and lively world, and then she fainted contentedly.

Mingguang watched her until the daylight came in.

For Mingguang, the peach blossoms were also "a jar of strong liquor".

For someone who doesn't like drinking, it was too strong, yet too mellow.

It's so enticing that once you take your breath away, you're completely captivated and can never truly wake up.

He stroked Bitao's sleeping face, completed the array of clearing and purifying energy, and then cast hundreds of cleansing spells before climbing into bed and holding Bitao in his arms.

They pulled the blanket over themselves and wrapped it around the two of them.

He cradled Bitao's sleeping face and lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

Jin Ling swung away from the bedside, wandering around the room, creating a barrier and shattering all obstacles between the two.

He still has many official duties to attend to today, including compiling the list for the third Lower Realm Competition. Many people on Silver River are looking for him...

But Mingguang, holding Bitao, with whom he was intimately connected, didn't want to do anything and closed his eyes in blissful intimacy.

It was already bright outside.

Two people, so drunk they were practically unconscious, stole half a day of leisure from their busy lives.