Netherworld Chapter 130: The Underworld (3)

Is this really the Naihe Bridge? I stood next to the old Taoist priest, a little incredulous.
The inscription on the stele indeed contains these three words, the old Taoist priest replied.
This bridge is too big... I walked to the bridge head and touched it curiously. I don't know what material it is made of, but it looks like stone. The most strange thing is that the human face patterns carved on the bridge deck are softer than the bridge body, and have a slight warmth.
I was immediately startled because it looked a bit like a real person's face.
Dong Balang, who finally caught his breath, came over. He also had a look of curiosity and doubt on his face, but he didn't touch it like me. Instead, he asked: "It is said that the Naihe Bridge is only a few feet wide and has three floors. But why does this one look so strange?"
What's more... Dong Balang looked back with a puzzled look: this bridge is not built on land, but in the Naihe River.
No one could answer this question, and the old Taoist shook his head in confusion.
Dong Balang didn't care much about these doubts. After the group of people who followed him had caught their breath, he shouted to us that we should cross the bridge.
The underworld is completely different from what we imagined, and it is even less similar to what is recorded in ancient books. I really don't want to run around in a place that is extremely unfamiliar and potentially extremely dangerous.
Do you know where to go? I asked.
Dong Balang shook his head and said: The Emperor of Heaven did not leave a map to the underworld, but this is not a big problem. Someone will come here to pick us up.
Hmm? Someone answered? I find it incredible because the meaning of this sentence is too broad.
Is there anyone you know here? Did they come in first, or are they with us? Or... I didn't dare to say the last guess because I remembered a saying: God is watching over us. This guess is too scary.
They came in first. Dong Barang gave me the answer, which made me feel a little relieved.
Why don't you go into the underworld with them? the old Taoist priest suddenly asked.
Dong Barang said: Their method cannot bring in too many people. In order to deal with it comprehensively, we must rely on the method of the Emperor's veins. There is strength in numbers. The Emperor of Heaven has returned to the world, and no mistakes can be made!
Dong Balang's tone was very strong and firm in the last sentence, which even made me think that he had already seen through Lao Dao's thoughts. However, I would rather it was my own illusion.
The old Taoist didn't think for too long. After Dong Balang finished speaking, he stood in front of the big monument for less than ten seconds and then stepped onto the bridge: Let's go.
I was standing behind the old Taoist priest, and when I saw him walking forward, I always felt that he was determined, and this determination included the willingness to face death.
I have said this many times before, and this is what I cannot understand the most. Why is he so persistent in something that has nothing to do with him?
This Naihe Bridge is so huge that it gives people the illusion of walking on a mountain. Most of the bridge is soft and has human face patterns carved on it. Walking on it is like walking on someone's face. This feeling is so weird that it makes people shudder and feel creepy.
There are no guardrails on both sides of the bridge, and you can see the dark "waves" below from the bridge. Knowing that it is not real sea water, but the legendary Naihe River, I was very worried, fearing that something strange would suddenly jump out from below.
Dong Balang and the others walked very fast, while the old Taoist followed behind at a leisurely pace. As for me, I had to jog all the way to keep up.
An hour later, we reached the highest point of the bridge, and another hour later, we reached the "other side".
According to our speed, the length of this bridge is at least over 25 kilometers.
If I had run such a long distance in two hours a few months ago, I would have died of exhaustion halfway through. But now, although my head is dizzy and my legs are shaking, I still survived and persevered.
On the other hand, Dong Barang and his men, though slightly out of breath, did not even break a sweat. As for the old Taoist, he walked along the way as if he were strolling in a garden, strolling along the way.
Dong Balang was puzzled by my weakness, but he did not ask any further questions.
After crossing the Naihe Bridge, the river water was still dark, no different from before. Fortunately, no demons or monsters appeared, but at the same time, I was a little disappointed. Tired like a dog, or was it the same as before?
At this moment, someone suddenly ran out from under the bridge. His figure was erratic, and he flew over like a martial arts master without touching the ground.
Dong Balang unexpectedly did not take action, but stood there and bowed: Sorry for waiting.
The man came to our side, first glanced at me and the old Taoist, then nodded: Let's go, I've been waiting for you for a long time.
The man was dressed in a black robe, his hair was loose but not messy, his face was very ordinary, and his expression was a little cold. Even when talking to Dong Barang, it was very formal.
Is this the person who will meet me? I looked at him curiously, wondering who he was and how he could enter the underworld in advance.
Dong Balang naturally didn't explain to me and followed that person. The Taoist wanted to follow him, so I pulled him back and waited until Dong Balang and his men were a little away before I asked in a low voice: "Have you figured out what they are from?"
The old Taoist shook his head: I don’t know.
This disappointed me a little, but the Taoist priest didn't stay any longer and followed him. Since he had already left, I naturally had nothing to think about. But after following him, I asked in a low voice: Are you really going to do that?
The old Taoist nodded without hesitation , and before I could speak, he unexpectedly took the initiative to explain: Maybe I can find my junior brother here.
What is the relationship between your junior brother and the underworld? I am very confused.
The old Taoist said as he walked: After the stone beast was split open, the lonely grave of Huangquan appeared. The man with the only vein walked on the mysterious road after Huangquan and disappeared. Junior brother, it should be the same as him.
Huangquan Tomb is not necessarily the underworld. It might be just a homonym.
The Emperor of Heaven is in the underworld, and the secret code he left behind can only be deciphered by a stone beast. That lonely grave must be related to the underworld. The old Taoist priest said with certainty: Perhaps, that mysterious road is the legendary Yellow Spring Road, which leads directly to the underworld.
When the old Taoist said this, I remembered the palace and human figures that I vaguely saw at the end of the road when the Yellow Springs Tomb appeared.
Could that be the underworld, or even the legendary Yama Palace?
This is too incredible. It is bizarre enough that a small stone beast turned from flesh and blood into stone, but there is actually a road leading to the underworld hidden in its body. This cannot be explained by the word "bizarre".
Even if your junior brother is really in the underworld, it has been more than 20 years, there may be many... uh... I'm stuck at this point, because with the old Taoist's personality, he can search for decades without any purpose. Now he has a clear destination, and it is so close at hand, how could he give up?
But the strength of the Emperor's veins and the unfamiliarity with the underworld make me very worried. If the old Taoist really gets upset, it will be difficult for him to leave here alive. What should I do then?
The Eight-Cord Protection Spell is not omnipotent, and reciting the spell takes time. Moreover, even if I wanted to help him, I don't have the ability to do so.
Should I abandon him and run away alone? I glanced at the old Taoist priest, and I felt that this idea was very unfair to him. Besides, even if I ran away, where would I go? I had no idea how to get back to the world of the living.
There are so many questions that my mind is in a mess.
He followed the contact person for a long time, and his legs were about to break. Then he stopped.
I was
There stood a huge rock in front of me, its lower part hidden in the black river water, and the part that was above the water was a hundred meters high. The length and width of the rock were also nearly a hundred meters, so it was really amazingly large.
There were ancient characters carved in the middle of the stone. I couldn't figure out what they were, so I had to ask the Taoist priest.
The old Taoist looked up, his expression changed slightly, and then he uttered a few words: Destiny in this life.
What does it mean? In the gloomy underworld, a broken stone has such an artistic name engraved on it...
This is the Three Life Stone of the underworld. The stone is divided into three pieces. One piece is for the next life, hidden in the sky. One piece is for this life, standing on the ground. One piece is for the previous life, buried in the soil. The man who led us here glanced at the stone casually and explained.
The Taoist looked a little strange, which was rare for him. But soon, he regained his composure and stopped looking at the stone.
The Three-Life Stone, according to legend, can predict a person's marriage in three lives. It is a magical object that often appears in love legends. Unexpectedly, it is real. However, it is divided into three pieces and placed in different places. This is the first time I have heard of it.
I touched the stone curiously and moved closer to see if there was anything written about my destiny in this life. But the old Taoist priest said: Divine objects require divine power and cannot be seen by mortal eyes.
This surprised me greatly, because the Taoist's reaction to the marriage stone was so strange.
Before I could ask how I could see my destiny in this life, I heard the person who brought us here say: The Hall of Yama is ahead, and when you get there, don't touch anything.
After saying this, he walked forward first, followed by Dong Balang, and then the Taoist priest and me.
Although I regretted not seeing my destiny, when I left the Three-Life Stone, I was surprised to see a stone sculpture behind the stone. It was a young woman, half leaning on the stone, as if she had merged with the Three-Life Stone. Surprisingly, she was holding a stone knife in her hand.
I only had time to see the general appearance because the people in front of me were walking too fast. If I looked too carefully, I would not be able to keep up with their pace.
As I walked along the road, I was still wondering why there was a stone sculpture there. Considering that the stone beast was once a flesh-and-blood body, perhaps the woman was once alive.
Naihe Bridge, Sansheng Stone...my mind was startled. Could that stone woman be the Meng Po in the myth?
But why did Meng Po have a knife in her hand but no bowl?
This is a new question, and it has no answer. With great curiosity, I followed them all the way. Soon, I saw a towering palace.
The shape of the main hall is very simple, similar to the royal palaces seen on TV. There is no big stele or plaque in front of the hall, as if it is an unknown building.
There was a man standing in front of the hall. When the old Taoist saw him, he stopped and I almost cried out in surprise.
That was an acquaintance... He was the son of the first generation of the Wei family, but he was expelled from the Wei family in the power struggle and changed his name to: Gamu. He and the old Taoist priest were inseparable, and it was rumored that the Zhou family elder killed him to seize the immortal fruit. But now, he was standing in front of the hall of the underworld and looking at us.
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