Chapter 370: Red Spider Lilies and Yellow Springs Road
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing stepped into the Ghost Gate, their figures instantly vanishing. The stone statues on either side of the Ghost Gate remained unresponsive during this time, like lifeless objects.
As their figures disappeared, the Ghost Gate twisted for a moment before vanishing, and the fractured space restored itself. Other than the absence of two people, the conference room remained unchanged.
At that moment, Yang Haoran, after passing through the Ghost Gate, found himself in an unfamiliar world.
This world had no sun, no moon; the sky was a dim expanse, giving off a heavy, oppressive feeling.
Green ghost fires, the size of human heads, were scattered everywhere. They floated in the air, swaying with the breeze, as if they were living beings.
There were countless, densely packed ghost fires. Their presence brought a faint light to this world, but this light, far from offering warmth or a sense of security, only made the world seem even more eerie and terrifying.
Beneath the dim sky lay a massive ancient city, like a grotesque beast sprawled on the ground. Its rough outline was faintly visible under the glow of the ghost fires, but due to the fires' color, the city was covered in a chilling green hue.
At the city's edge, tall, sturdy walls encircled the entire ancient city without leaving a single gap.
Outside the city walls flowed a great river, its waters a blood-yellow color. Within the river were countless ghosts, their faces contorted in pain, struggling violently and howling in agony, seemingly undergoing an unbearable torment. They desperately tried to break free from the river's grasp, but no matter how they thrashed, their Spirit Bodies could never fully escape the water.
Above the great river stretched a stone bridge, spanning its entire width. And upon this stone bridge, there stood an odd stone pavilion.
On the other side of the great river was a sea of flowers, a vibrant and beautiful expanse of crimson. Yet, this flower sea had no green leaves to accompany it—not a single leaf was to be seen.
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing currently stood within this very sea of flowers.
Gazing at the densely packed red blossoms around them, seeing only flowers and no leaves, Yang Haoran couldn't help but ask, "Are these the legendary Red Spider Lilies?"
Xu Meijing, standing beside him, couldn't help but crack a smile at Yang Haoran's words.
"Yes, they're Red Spider Lilies, but there's nothing legendary about them. We have them in our world above too. What's there to be so surprised about?"
Yang Haoran gave an awkward laugh. With Xu Meijing's retort, he found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing Yang Haoran's embarrassed expression, Xu Meijing couldn't help but chuckle aloud.
"This path beneath our feet is what the outside world calls the Yellow Springs Road. Come on, today I'll accompany you on this walk down Yellow Springs Road."
As her voice faded, Xu Meijing released Yang Haoran's arm, then casually tucked her hand into her pocket and confidently walked towards the great river ahead, looking as if she were strolling through her own backyard.
Yang Haoran glanced at the spot where Xu Meijing had held his arm, smiled, and followed her.
This Yellow Springs Road was not empty; on the contrary, it was bustling with people.
Indeed, they were people, not ghosts. On these individuals, Yang Haoran sensed a familiar energy fluctuation—the Spirit Power unique to their Yin Division.
It was clear without thinking that these individuals must be Underworld Officials, like himself, Emissaries of Death from other cities. After all, the Iron Book Edict had summoned not just him and Xu Meijing, but all Underworld Officials in the mortal realm.
As the two of them departed, many more figures continuously appeared in the spot they had just left. From this, it seemed that when Underworld Officials opened the Ghost Gate, they would, without exception, appear at the entrance of Yellow Springs Road.
Legend has it that Yellow Springs Road is meant for the dead, but judging by the current situation, reality was quite different from the rumors.
Of course, if one were to insist that this Yellow Springs Road was for the dead, it wouldn't be entirely wrong. After all, every Underworld Official on this road carried a large number of souls with them. While these souls didn't personally traverse Yellow Springs Road, they had, in a way, indirectly walked it.
The end of Yellow Springs Road was a stone bridge. Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, having walked the entire length of Yellow Springs Road, stopped their steps with a tacit understanding.
"See this stone bridge? This is the Bridge of Helplessness, as rumored in the mortal realm. And the great river beneath this Bridge of Helplessness is the River of Oblivion."
Judging by Yang Haoran's exclamations when he saw the Red Spider Lilies earlier, Xu Meijing knew he hadn't done his homework on this subject. That's why she stopped now to explain to him.
Yang Haoran looked at the Bridge of Helplessness. Besides the stone pavilion on the bridge, there was nothing else that particularly caught his eye. The River of Oblivion, however, certainly broadened his horizons.
"The number of ghosts in this River of Oblivion is truly astonishing," Yang Haoran said with a smile, observing the ghosts struggling in the River of Oblivion.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Xu Meijing immediately guessed what he was thinking, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"If you want to die, don't drag me into it. My life has only just begun."
Yang Haoran chuckled, his smile unwavering as usual.
"What are you thinking? Even if I had the guts of a bear and a leopard, I wouldn't dare cause trouble here."
Xu Meijing didn't disbelieve Yang Haoran's words. As their time together grew longer and their understanding deepened, she knew that Yang Haoran was a very cautious person. Someone like him naturally wouldn't rashly attempt to steal souls from the River of Oblivion, at least not yet.
As for whether Yang Haoran would do so in the future, she couldn't say for sure. Even though this fellow Yang Haoran wore a perpetual smile and seemed harmless, she was well aware that this smiling tiger was also a ruthless individual in certain aspects.
"These ghosts in the River of Oblivion are all individuals who committed great evil in their lives. That's why, after death, they are thrown into the River of Oblivion to suffer torment and destruction. Many of their souls are even devoured by the serpents and insects raised by the Underworld," Xu Meijing explained further, fearing Yang Haoran was unaware of these details.
"According to outside rumors, shouldn't these wicked people go to hell to suffer after death? Why are they thrown into the River of Oblivion instead? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"Being thrown into the River of Oblivion is just an appetizer. After enduring all this torment here, they'll still have to go to hell to suffer. Of course, that's provided they can survive in this River of Oblivion. If they're accidentally swallowed by the serpents and insects within, then their souls will be utterly destroyed. Forget reincarnation, they won't even have the right to suffer further torment."
At this point, Xu Meijing looked at Yang Haoran with an amused expression and laughed, "I didn't expect an Underworld Official like you to believe outside rumors. There are all sorts of wild rumors about the Underworld; which one do you believe?"
"Heh heh, it's not that I believe them. I'm just making a comparison to see how much the true situation of the Underworld differs from the rumors in the mortal realm," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
Xu Meijing didn't argue with Yang Haoran on this point. She looked at the Bridge of Helplessness before them and said with a smile, "I've accompanied you on the Yellow Springs Road. Now, I'll accompany you across the Bridge of Helplessness too."
Comments