Chapter 329: Xinyi is safe but will never be safe
In the dead of night, the moon was at its zenith, clouds were scattered, and a chill wind howled through the mountains. Atop the mountain stood a dilapidated temple, its doors and windows broken, haunted and filled with ghostly figures, creating an eerie and strange atmosphere.
The plaque at the temple gate was in tatters, with the three characters "Ganzhu Temple" inscribed on it. The green paint was mottled and covered with cobwebs. One end of it drooped and swayed in the wind, creaking and swaying as it was about to fall.
The night was terrifying. Halfway up the mountain, two figures could be seen stumbling up the mountain. I didn't know where they came from. They supported each other for a long time before reaching the temple gate. One was tall and thin, the other was slightly shorter.
The short man seemed a little scared, hiding behind the tall and thin man tremblingly, poking his head out from time to time, alert to the movements around him; and the tall and thin man looked a little uncoordinated, as if his sleeves were empty, and one arm moved unnaturally in the wind.
The temple enshrines the King of Hell, with the Ten Kings of Hell below him and various underworld gods and immortals on both sides. There are too many seats to count.
The two entered the hall side by side. Seeing the towering statue of the Great Emperor, the smaller man couldn't help but swallow. The rustling of clothing made him shudder. He couldn't help but mutter, "Even the Nine Netherworld Immortal Venerable wouldn't have to hide in such a creepy place. Going back and forth is really a hassle."
Perhaps because the man's complaint was heard, a cold wind suddenly blew into the hall, dust swirled, and the doors and windows creaked continuously.
The little man shrank his neck, no longer daring to speak. He only stared intently as he followed the tall and thin man, looking around tremblingly. It was pitch dark in the hall, but his eyes were very bright, especially conspicuous in the dimness.
The wind died down, and the sudden silence seemed even more eerie. Flames lit up, illuminating the hall, but the light was a dim blue, dancing on the dust-covered, oil-free lampholders, illuminating the various statues of the underworld gods, making them appear even more bizarre.
The smaller man jumped in surprise and quickly looked towards the niche behind him. The firelight illuminated his face, revealing it to be Zhao Wuyang. Zhao Wuyang looked more angular than before, but his height didn't seem to have changed much, still looking like a young man with red lips and white teeth.
Zhao Wuyang tugged at the sleeve of the tall man, who turned around. It was Xinyi. Xinyi's chin was now ashen, and his face wasn't as handsome as before. His face had a more weathered look, but his eyes were still sharp.
Xinyi touched Zhao Wuyang's head and her eyes softened.
"It's not the first time I've come here, why do you have to be so scared every time?"
Zhao Wuyang curled his lips, but did not answer, still guarding his left and right.
It’s not that he is timid or afraid, but this temple enshrines the nine underworld gods, which is creepy just thinking about it. What’s more, he gets teased every time he comes here, so how can he not be cautious?
Perhaps as Zhao Wuyang had thought, dust began to fall from the beams, confusing him so much that he rubbed his eyes quickly.
At this moment, a white figure dropped from the beam, its eyes rolled back, and it appeared in front of Zhao Wuyang, hanging upside down with its blood-red tongue extended. The tongue was like a red snake, only an inch off the ground, swinging back and forth as if trying to wrap around Zhao Wuyang.
Zhao Wuyang didn't care to feel uncomfortable. With red eyes, he stared at the face close to him for a long time without any reaction. Only when he heard the strange sawing sound from the figure did he hurriedly back away. He stumbled for a while and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Xinyi behind him supported him.
Seeing Zhao Wuyang so frightened, the upside-down white figure laughed loudly and turned over. The surrounding flames also changed their appearance, becoming no different from ordinary lights, and the entire hall was illuminated.
"This little doll is really interesting."
Wearing an official hat with the words "A single sight brings wealth" inscribed on it, the white figure was actually the soul-collecting messenger Bai Wuchang. Meanwhile, Hei Wuchang also emerged from the statue, also wearing a tall hat with the words "Peace Under Heaven" inscribed on it. He was dressed entirely in black and looked at Bai Wuchang with a cold face.
Bai Wuchang spread his hands, retracted his long tongue, and said vaguely, "Yes, yes, I know. It was just a joke. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Upon seeing the black and white envoys, Xinyi quickly called them "Seventh Master and Eighth Master" and raised her hand to salute. However, Zhao Wuyang complained with a look of grievance, "Can't the envoys just let me go? They always come up with new tricks to scare me. I'm almost scared to death."
When I first met Bai Wuchang, he looked serious and elegant, but after seeing him two or three times, he became less serious and would play tricks on me from time to time, just like Elder Fu Cang of the underworld.
When Zhao Wuyang thought of Lingxiang, his eyes dimmed and he no longer blamed Bai Wuchang. He just bowed and stood behind Xinyi without saying anything.
Hei Wuchang glanced at Zhao Wuyang and said, "As the Zen Buddhism says, 'Do not attach to appearances, and remain unmoved.'" He said only this and nothing else.
Zhao Wuyang pondered for a while, not knowing whether he understood or not. He bowed and lowered his head to the side.
Xinyi knew what Zhao Wuyang was worried about, but no one had mentioned it, especially not in front of Long Qi. To ease the current atmosphere of worry, Xinyi quickly offered three things from behind.
These three objects resembled lanterns, each no larger than a fist. Black wood framed colored glass, within which a cloud of mist shone, emitting different luminescences: two were pale, and one was dark red.
Hei Wuchang took the three "lanterns" and handed the Danyu one to Bai Wuchang. Then he conjured up three identical objects out of thin air and handed them to Xinyi, but the glass inside these three lanterns was empty.
This object is called the Soul-Locking Lamp. It is red for yang souls and blue for yin souls. It is specially used to capture the souls of mortals.
The Yin and Yang realms meet at a gate. Entering this gate leads to the Yellow Springs Road, the first of the Thirteen Underworlds. Those who practice Taoism call it the Tiger's Gate. But on the day Lingxiang left, the Tiger's Gate shattered to dust, all at the hands of the Demon Lord Boyan.
Yin and Yang were separated, the cycle of reincarnation was broken, chaos began, and the world has been plunged into chaos since then.
From that day forward, no one was born into the world, and the deceased had no place to return their souls to, so they could only possess the remains of their bodies and become walking corpses. However, once reduced to a walking corpse, if one's mind is not strong enough, it is very easy to fall into the path of evil.
Lingxiang had initially demanded a promise from the Demon Lord not to allow demons to enter the mortal realm, but she hadn't anticipated the Demon Lord's tactical plan. Fortunately, Black and White Impermanence were on official business in the mortal realm at the time, and the Humen Gate had been destroyed. Unable to return to Fengdu, they were forced to take up residence within the Dharmakaya of Ganzhu Palace. Zhao Wuyang and Xinyi left Ganzhu Palace and, gazing at the pale sky, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Times are tough these days. When will this ever end?"
Listening to Zhao Wuyang's pretentiously mature sigh, Xinyi smiled and rubbed his head, also looking towards the east where dawn was breaking.
"The sun and the moon come and go, the cycle repeats itself, the mountains and rivers remain the same, withering and flourishing. All this will eventually end one day."
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