PDLP Chapter 95 First Entry into the Underworld
Chapter 95 First Entry into the Underworld
Chapter 95 First Entry into the Underworld
"Fox spirit, don't be hasty. The City God is an important position in this area, and the selection should be done carefully. There's no need to rush." Su Yinchai solemnly took out a spirit tablet from his sleeve and handed it to the fox.
"The fox spirit's merits in protecting the people, eliminating the incense master, and capturing the wandering gods are all recorded in the book. According to the rules of Mount Tai Prefecture, it can be exchanged for an opportunity to enter the Zhenyue Treasure Vault or the Secret Pavilion."
"Um?"
"The Secret Treasury is where books are stored," Su Yinchai explained carefully. "Inside, there are various cultivation methods, alchemy and artifact manuals, and secret scrolls of inheritance. The Zhenyue Treasure Vault is where treasures are stored, including protective magic weapons, cultivation pills, and rare and precious treasures—everything imaginable is there."
The fox's tail suddenly swished. It had been a while since he had known Su Yinchai, and this guy was actually willing to bring out something substantial.
"The fox is going to the Secret Treasury!"
The fox didn't hesitate. Given the stingy nature of these guys, they would only let the fox choose one or two spells at most. But with the sound playing, the fox might as well have seen all of them just by looking at the cover.
Su Yincha shook his head: "The fox spirit has made a great contribution. Logically speaking, she should be able to go to both places. However, the master of the manor has given an order. Considering that the fox spirit's skills are already quite remarkable, and that it would be a waste to try to do too much, the master has also gathered some merits for the fox spirit from other places, so that the fox spirit can go to the treasure vault to choose two magical treasures for protection."
"Summon that adult over here, and the fox will thank him in person!" The fox gritted its teeth.
"There is another matter I need to tell the fox spirit: the Zhenyue Treasure Vault is located in the Pengxuan Cave Heaven within the manor, and one can only enter with the personal approval of the manor lord. What we can go to is the branch pavilion and vault on Sheshou Mountain."
Seeing the fox's strange expression, he quickly continued, "Although it doesn't have those profound magical treasures, it's just what the fox spirit needs right now. And it's much more convenient than going deep into Mount Tai."
The fox pondered for a moment. This underworld messenger was trying to tempt it with benefits again, but considering the good stuff, the fox decided not to argue. It decided to eat the meat it had already got its hands on first, to avoid any trouble later and repeat the mistake of the black bird.
"Let's go."
Su Yincha nodded and got up to walk out of the courtyard.
Fog rose silently from the ground, enveloping the two of them. At first, they were walking on the streets of Tao County, able to see passersby. The passersby were busy with their own things, their gazes passing over the two of them and landing on empty spaces.
But as the fog thickened, the lights of Taoxian County were obscured by a hazy fog, and a road appeared out of thin air underfoot.
"Don't look down at the road," Su Yinchai's voice came from ahead. "If you look down at the road, you won't be able to walk."
The fox followed Su Yinchai forward. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the occasional sound of chains being heard, presumably other Yinchai escorting souls through.
After walking for a while, a river suddenly appeared before them. The water was murky and its beginning and end were nowhere to be seen, with specks of light floating on the surface. The fox's gaze sharpened, and he saw the true nature of the light.
Those were countless wailing ghosts, and being stared at by their desperate eyes, the fox felt as if its fur was about to stand on end.
"These are the souls burdened with unspeakable sins. They are denied judgment and are condemned to eternal damnation in the underworld, suffering the torment of soul-eating without hope of release."
"Worse than going to hell?"
"Even those who are punished in hell have a chance to be reincarnated after their punishment is over. But they don't even have the chance to be punished; they will sink here until their souls are completely worn away by the river."
The fox shuddered, its gaze shifting downwards. Suddenly, it spotted a grim reaper dressed similarly in black robes by the riverbank, holding a long pole. He would occasionally poke the water, guiding the points of light that had drifted too close to the shore back to the center of the river.
Su Yinchai followed the fox's gaze and explained, "Actually, there weren't those orbs of light originally. It's just that once, the Lord of the Mansion came here incognito and suddenly felt that those ghosts were too pitiful and might frighten the kind souls passing by. So, the mansion cast a spell to cover up these ghosts."
"But if we get too close, it's easy for them to notice something, so we sent someone to work here."
The fox was speechless. Putting aside the fact that everyone was a ghost, wasn't the effect of this spell too weak?
Faced with the fox's question, Su Yinchai replied in a matter-of-fact tone: "Oh, this spell is only effective on the souls of innocent mortals. Cultivators are not afraid of ghosts, and besides, this is also a deterrent to them."
"More importantly, there is no Yellow Springs Division in the palace, and there are too many divisions that manage the spirits. The lord of the palace can just leave on a whim, which will cause us a lot of trouble. This is already the easiest way."
"Of course, that's because this matter is insignificant. If something truly serious were to happen, we wouldn't dare to delay," Su Yinchai added, trying to salvage the situation.
The fox remained silent, turning its gaze to a high platform to the side. The platform had three tiers, with a faint light emanating from its top, as if something was swaying within it. Above the entrance between the tiers were three elegant and unrestrained characters, and below the platform stood two rows of ghostly soldiers holding spears.
The fox concentrated intently, trying hard to identify the sounds, as if it wanted to compete with the sound to see who could recognize them faster.
Unfortunately, the fox hasn't learned this far yet.
The voice didn't win either, because Su Yinchai had already spoken first: "Looking-home Terrace."
Neither of them won. Since the fox was the initiator, it's still considered a win for the fox.
"This is a place specially set up by the Lord of the Underworld. From here, even if they are separated by thousands of miles, the souls of the deceased can see their loved ones again. If they have accumulated much good karma, they can even appear in their loved ones' dreams."
Suddenly, the fox saw a man in blood-stained clothes come out of the station, and the man also saw the fox.
"A fox spirit?" he blurted out instinctively, then seemed to realize something, his eyes welling up with tears: "How could a fox spirit be—"
"The fox is still alive!" The fox stepped forward to slap him, but was stopped by Su Yinchai.
"I haven't thanked the fox spirit for saving Brother Wang yet—" The man knelt down, about to kowtow.
The fox knew he was referring to the man Chang Sheng had captured and released into the city to test him during the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, the fox couldn't stand this charade and quickly pulled Su Yinchai away.
After running for a while, the view suddenly opened up before me. A long staircase stretched out from my feet and disappeared into the layered mountains. The lights on both sides were dim and warm.
"This is Sheshou Mountain." The fox had run too fast earlier and hadn't had time to introduce several places. Now that Su Yinchai had finally seized the opportunity, he quickly spoke up.
Once he finished this matter, he would have to return to his office to report back. He could delay for as long as possible, but unfortunately, the fox was too lazy to listen and went straight uphill.
A grand hall was faintly visible through the mist atop the mountain. The hall was majestic, with flying eaves and bracket sets.
Two ghostly soldiers stood on either side of the courtyard gate, each with a burly build and holding a long halberd, their imposing gaze fixed on the fox.
The fox presented the spirit tablet, which the ghostly soldiers carefully examined before nodding: "You are permitted entry to the outer vault of the treasure trove, with a time limit of one hour. You may choose only two treasures. After making your selections, register at the palace entrance before you can take them away."
Su Yinchai looked at the fox: "Fox fairy, go in by yourself. I'll wait outside."
"Remember, once you leave the palace, there is no going back. I hope the fox spirit will consider this carefully and not be hasty."