Huo Yuwei lowered his eyes and looked at Qiqi.
This little bundle of joy beside him has led him to experience so many firsts in his life.
So much so that Huo Yuwei was able to maintain a calm expression at this moment.
Time flows differently in the underworld than in the mortal realm. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fog ahead seemed to thin out, revealing a wide river with muddy, yellowish-brown water.
The river flows slowly, yet it gives the impression of being bottomless and impassable.
"Big brother, Little Ninth Brother, this is the River of Oblivion!" Qiqi pointed to the river and introduced it in a low voice.
Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen looked up.
This turbid and rushing river looks quite similar to the Yellow River in China.
There is an ancient stone bridge over the river. The bridge has three levels. The upper level is shrouded in a hazy golden light, the middle level is ordinary, and the lower level is dilapidated. Countless painful cries come from the lower level.
At the bridgehead stands a huge blue stone, with faint characters flowing across its surface; that is the Three Lives Stone.
The past is etched on the Stone of Three Lives, and merits are recorded in the Book of Life and Death.
Every ghost that comes to the underworld will have its past life revealed on the Three Lives Stone by the Naihe Bridge on the River of Oblivion.
The ghost messengers will also guide the ghosts along the corresponding paths to the Yama King's Palace to await their judgment, based on the information revealed on the Three Lives Stone.
Those who were good people in their previous lives will often be reborn in the palace.
Those who committed many evil deeds in their previous life will go directly to the animal realm.
Beside the bridge, there was a simple tea stall.
An old woman dressed in simple clothes, her back hunched, was offering bowls of murky soup to the departing souls.
"Big brother, Little Ninth Brother, that's the Bridge of Helplessness and Grandma Meng Po. Grandma Meng Po's soup is awful, and it makes you dizzy." Qi Qi tugged at her two brothers' hands. "So we won't cross the bridge, lest Grandma Meng Po catch us and make us drink her soup. We'll go directly to the Yama's Palace to find Uncle Judge, so we'll have to go around to the side."
However, just as they were preparing to bypass the Naihe Bridge area, a sudden change occurred!
"Waaaaah—!"
A violent, resentful gust of wind suddenly swept in from the lower reaches of the River of Oblivion, causing the spider lilies to sway violently. Even the souls waiting in line for soup were stirred, their faces showing fear.
A vengeful ghost, shrouded in thick black mist, with bloodshot eyes and a distorted face, broke through the ghost guards' blockade and charged madly toward the Bridge of Helplessness!
It seems to have completely lost its mind, wanting only to destroy and devour.
"Stop it!" Several ghost messengers wielding chains chased after it anxiously.
But the vengeful ghost was extremely fast and filled with resentment, so it was impossible to subdue it for a while.
In the chaos, the fiery red eyes of the evil spirit swept over the direction where Qiqi and the others were. Although it could not see them in their concealed state, the rich vitality and a pure aura that attracted it made it instinctively turn around and roar as it pounced over!
"Watch out!" Huo Yuwei reacted quickly, instinctively trying to shield Qiqi completely behind him.
The Xuanyuan Sword in his hand hummed, and an invisible, sharp sword aura was already brewing.
Huo Yusen tensed up instantly, his eyes fixed coldly on the approaching ghost. Even though he knew he was not strong enough, he would not retreat even a step.
"Hmph! You naughty brat, daring to scare Qiqi's brother!"
Surprisingly, Qiqi, who was being protected in the middle, reacted even faster than them.
The little dumpling wasn't scared at all; instead, it raised its little eyebrows and gave a fierce, cute snort.
She didn't even use any talismans; she simply raised her chubby little hand, put her index and middle fingers together, and pointed at the oncoming ghost from a distance!
"Certainly!"
A clear, childlike voice rang out, as if the words themselves were law.
A gentle yet incredibly powerful golden light burst forth from her fingertips, like an invisible cage, instantly enveloping the menacing ghost within.
The ghost's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, frozen in mid-air, its menacing posture frozen in place.
Only those crimson eyes still held traces of violence and a hint of disbelief and bewilderment.
The pursuing ghost messengers were stunned, looking at Qiqi with suspicion and uncertainty.
Although they couldn't see the specific form, they could sense the powerful energy fluctuations and the frozen ghost.
Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen were also stunned, watching their little dumpling simply point a finger and freeze that seemingly ferocious ghost...?
Qiqi patted her little chest, looking like it was no big deal, and with a wave of her little hand, she slammed the frozen evil spirit in front of the ghost messengers. Her little voice was both cute and fierce as she said, "This evil spirit is disobedient, so it's your turn to deal with it!"
The leading ghost messenger seemed to realize something and respectfully cupped his hands in the direction where Qiqi and the others were.
"Thank you for your help, little immortal... young Daoist." The aura was so familiar that the leading ghost messenger immediately realized who had made the move.
So that's who it was; no wonder he subdued the hungry ghost so easily with just one move.
Having resolved this minor incident, Qiqi, pulling her still somewhat dazed brothers along, continued to bypass the Bridge of Helplessness and headed deeper into the Netherworld.
“Qiqi, what you just did…” Huo Yuwei couldn’t help but speak up, realizing that his understanding of the little girl’s abilities still needed to be updated.
"That's a freezing spell," Qiqi explained with a grin. "It's the best for dealing with these disobedient little devils! But it consumes a lot of energy, so you can't use it all the time."
She touched her lower abdomen, the implication clear.
Huo Yusen immediately understood, took out a small pastry with a faint fragrance from a delicate little bag he carried with him, and put it to Qiqi's lips.
Qiqi ate it in one bite, her eyes squinting with satisfaction. "Thank you, Brother Xiao Jiu! But Brother Xiao Jiu, why do you have a small cake in your bag?"
"I was worried you'd be hungry, so I prepared some." When Qiqi gave her older brother the Qiankun Talisman, he asked for one as well.
Qiqi has a high energy expenditure and often gets hungry, so he wants to store some snacks, pastries, and fruits so that he can always have something to eat for her when she's hungry.
Qiqi smiled sweetly at Huo Yusen with gratitude, "Brother Xiao Jiu, you are so good to Qiqi."
Huo Yusen patted her head and asked softly, "Want more?"
"Yes!" The little cake was a bit small, and it was gone in two bites. I wasn't full.
Huo Yusen took out another, larger cake from the bag, this time it was Qiqi's favorite strawberry flavor.
The little girl was overjoyed, proudly showing off the cake with big bites.
While eating, we continued to lead them forward.
After passing through a desolate wasteland shrouded in gray mist, the outline of a majestic and solemn ancient palace complex gradually came into view in the distance.
The palace was shrouded in dim light, its flying eaves and brackets exuding a majestic and imposing presence, yet also radiating a chilling aura of majesty.
That is where the Ten Kings of Hell reside, the power center of the Netherworld.
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