Netherworld Chapter 129: The Underworld (2)
The ground was charred and in the form of waves.
I don't know what this thing that looks like water but has nothing to do with "water" is called. It can make a whistling sound like the waves, and people can walk on it without sinking. I tried to step on it hard and felt a little soft, a bit like rubber.
The sky was divided into two layers, one of which was burning flames.
I could clearly see that the flame kept changing its shape, as if there was wind blowing. It didn't fall, nor did it rise, it just stayed on that level.
Further up, in the gaps between the flames, something black could be vaguely seen.
Because the distance was too far, I couldn't see clearly what it was.
This place is huge and extremely empty. There is nothing else except the "waves" under your feet.
Underworld... a murmur sounded in my ears.
I was so scared that the hairs on my body stood up. I jumped away and turned around. It turned out to be Dong Balang who was talking.
His face was a little confused, with a hint of longing, a hint of enthusiasm, and a little curiosity. In short, it was a very complex emotional expression.
Next to him, in addition to the dozens of people who had been following him, there was also an old Taoist priest.
A look of surprise also appeared on the Taoist's face. He did not hide his curiosity, and after looking at the things under his feet, he bent down and reached out his hand.
He scooped up a little bit of the "sea water", but it soon dissipated in his palm. The old Taoist looked at his empty palm and remained silent.
With him around, I feel more at ease.
Is this the underworld? I walked up to him and asked quietly, glancing at Dong Barang out of the corner of my eye.
The old Taoist did not answer immediately. Instead, he frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head and said: Maybe, maybe not.
What kind of answer is this? I was a little surprised. Could it be that even with my erudition, I couldn't be sure? The Five Elements Pulse classics should have detailed records of the underworld.
But if this is really the underworld, then where are we now... The old Taoist paused, and then said in an even more uncertain tone: We should be in the Nai River.
Naihe River? Naihe Bridge? I was completely confused, because the only names I knew about the underworld were Yama Luo, the Sea of Bitterness, and Naihe Bridge, which were well-known names.
The Naihe River connects heaven and earth, flows down from the sky, and pours into the underworld. The old Taoist looked at the boundless "black sea" in front of him and continued: The two sides of this river are one yin and one yang. Therefore, reincarnation requires walking on the Naihe Bridge.
At this time, Dong Balang came over and heard what the old Taoist said. He frowned and looked around, and asked in confusion: According to ancient books, the Naihe River is only a few feet wide and has filthy blood. There are also monsters and ghosts rolling and entangled in it. If you fall into the Naihe River, there is no possibility of reincarnation. But here...
Dong Barang's doubts are actually my confusion. This black ocean is vast and boundless, with no end in sight. Compared to the legendary Naihe River, I prefer to believe that this is what Buddhists call the Sea of Bitterness. Because the Sea of Bitterness is boundless and is mainly black, it is very close to the current terrain.
But the question arises again. According to the legend, the sea of suffering is so vast that not even a feather can float on it. That is why it is said that the sea of suffering is difficult to cross and it is better to turn back before you can escape.
We are Taoism. For the first time, the old Taoist priest said with great certainty: Even if this is not the Naihe River, it will never be the Sea of Bitterness.
I rolled my eyes. This old man was obviously an angry young man in the cultivation world.
No matter where this is, we need to find the Emperor of Heaven, Dong Barang said.
I looked around, and there was no one else here except us. Are we the only ones coming in?
Of course not. Dong Balang said: It is extremely rare for a large number of people to enter the underworld at the same time. Perhaps they are somewhere else.
His tone was very certain. The Emperor Vein had already made full preparations before entering the underworld. They spent so much money to get only a few people in, unless they were all crazy.
Is this really the underworld? Why don’t I see any ghosts or gods? Where are the Black and White Impermanence?
No one could answer this question clearly. A group of us had a lot of questions and after a long discussion, we decided to first use the detection function of the Jade Pendant to find a direction and then decide which to go.
After making the decision, I held the Jade Pendant against my forehead and extended my vision.
When the vision changed, everything in front of me changed completely. The surroundings that were originally empty suddenly became filled with a lot of black air. It was very dim, floating everywhere, and some of it passed through us, but we couldn't detect it.
This is the underworld, not the Mountain Resort, nor the Great Wall. Only ghosts know what this black air is!
I quickly took the jade pendant off my forehead and told him what I had seen.
Hearing that there is a black gas that cannot be seen or heard and can only be seen with the Jade Pendant, Dong Balang's face is no longer as enthusiastic, but instead a little more surprised and worried.
From his expression, we knew that this guy was a complete novice when it came to the underworld and he definitely knew nothing.
I looked at the old Taoist priest, who thought for a while and said: Maybe it's the yin energy from the underworld.
Yin Qi? With our eyes, how can we not detect the power of Taoism? Dong Barang asked.
I don’t know. The old Taoist shook his head, but then he looked down at the black waves under his feet: But this is the underworld.
Dong Barang was slightly startled, then nodded and said to me: "Brother, please find the direction to go as soon as possible. No matter what the black air is, we must leave here as soon as possible."
Of course I knew this truth, so even though I was full of worries and dissatisfaction, I still put the jade pendant on my forehead and began to expand my vision.
The black sea is too vast. If I only look for one point, I don't know how long it will take to find a way out. I tried to extend my vision in all directions at the same time. As I extended my vision, I saw many people walking on the black waves. They were in groups, some of which were large, and some were small groups of several people.
It seems that Dong Balang was right, a lot of people did come in at the same time.
Ignorance is fearless... In the past, a ghost messenger killed the Wei family in a panic, and even the top bronze-armored corpses could not resist. And this is the underworld. Legend has it that there are countless ghost messengers, such as the five officials of the underworld, the ten ghost generals, and the ten Yama Kings...
If it were to come to the world, the Earth would basically be destroyed.
At this moment, I have forgotten that I am on the same level as those young calves.
My all-around vision extended at full speed, and this time I lasted much longer than I expected . For a full hour, I felt nothing unusual. Finally, I found a bridge.
It is extremely wide, terrifyingly tall, and more like a bridge-shaped mountain.
Blurry human faces were carved on the bridge, with all kinds of terrifying expressions on them. And around the bridge, the black air had obviously increased, at least twice as thick as here.
I saw a large stele erected beside the bridge with ancient characters engraved on it.
Forgive me for not being able to recognize the words right away. But according to what the old Taoist said, if this is really the Naihe River, then this bridge is obviously the legendary Naihe Bridge. There is no need to guess what the words engraved on the monument are.
Naihe Bridge connects the Yin and Yang worlds. To be precise, stepping on the bridge means you have truly entered the underworld. The Naihe River where we are is neither Yin nor Yang, just like the no-man's land of the Golden Triangle. No wonder ancient records say that there are many monsters and demons in the Naihe River.
When my vision was completely withdrawn, the jade pendant just began to heat up, and I still had the energy to explore deeper places.
This huge change made me extremely excited. However, the terrifying scene of the surroundings returning to emptiness told me that this was the underworld. My good mood was immediately ruined.
After taking the jade pendant off my forehead, I told the Taoist priest about my discovery. Since Dong Barang was right beside me, I didn't need to tell him again.
Let's go there. The Taoist priest made a decision.
In fact, we can only go there. At least Naihe Bridge connects Yin and Yang, maybe we can go directly back to the world of the living from there.
Of course, the old Taoist would definitely not agree to this even if he was beaten to death. This stubborn old man was determined to stop the Emperor of Heaven. He had too many concerns before and couldn't take action. Now he must have been holding back for a long time.
Judging from the speed at which my vision extends, the distance from here to the "Naihe Bridge" is at least two thousand kilometers.
This distance has already spanned the entire motherland.
Although the distance is far, at least there is a clear direction.
The practitioners were amazingly accurate in identifying directions, so after I pointed out the destination, they immediately started moving forward.
The old Taoist's method of shrinking the earth was the fastest among all the people present. Dong Barang and his people's methods were mainly based on domineering power, and they were not good at speed.
I don’t know what the old Taoist was thinking, but he actually suggested that Dong Balang and the others use their Taoist power to take everyone away.
This proposal was immediately agreed by Dong Balang.
Who would want to run on foot when there are planes to take?
But I couldn't understand that if the Taoist priest took me with him, we could get there before everyone else. As the first to arrive, we would have enough time to either go into the underworld to destroy the Emperor's plan to revive him or to return to the world of the living.
But on second thought, without Dong Barang leading the way, it might be difficult for us to find the Emperor of Heaven. This shows that the old Taoist is ready to play with himself and me to death.
What does it mean when dozens of people use each other's strength at the same time? In just a moment, we crossed two hundred kilometers.
The old Taoist took five steps in a row and covered a thousand kilometers.
After stopping, Dong Balang and his companions were almost exhausted. They were sweating, panting, and pale. I looked at the old Taoist priest, who had a calm expression. Although his forehead was also sweating and he was also panting, I was sure that the old man did it on purpose.
After resting for a while, we set off again.
He still took five steps in a row, and this time, he almost stepped out the hearts of Dongbalang and his group of people. After stopping, we had already arrived at the huge stone bridge.
The old Taoist ignored Dong Balang and the others who were sitting on the ground, and looked at the big monument beside the bridge. He only glanced at it and whispered to himself: Naihe Bridge...
