Chapter 934: Underworld

"Can the Book of Life and Death, as mentioned by the Heart Sutra practitioners, truly capture souls?" Upon hearing Yuan Er's words, Bai Lingmiao grew suspicious. From his tone, it seemed he was implying that the King of Hell's Palace truly existed. Despite his certainty, Bai Lingmiao found it hard to believe. If what they said was true, then what about the Unborn Mother, who governed death?

"Is there really a King of Hell's Palace?" Er Shen voiced the thought in Bai Lingmiao's mind.

"Of course there is!" Yuan Er declared. "Otherwise, why would I ask for your help? Not only is there the King of Hell's Palace, but all eighteen levels of hell exist! Do you know what road we're walking on right now? It's the Yellow Springs Road!"

Hearing this, Tuoba Danqing, who was accompanying them, felt a chill. He looked down at the gravel path beneath his feet and shivered, glancing around anxiously, feeling as though following them had been a mistake.

No one spoke after that. Everyone walked forward in silence, their vigilance heightened.

The mountain path was long, but even the longest road has an end. Soon, a dark, ominous cave appeared before them. A couplet adorned the cave entrance:

The upper scroll read: "In the mortal realm for three lifetimes, all harm caused was by you."The lower scroll read: "In the Underworld of Hell, who has ever been spared throughout history?"The horizontal inscription read: "So, you've arrived."

The chilling wind blowing from within seemed to carry a strange coldness, making everyone shiver.

Seeing Bai Lingmiao's expression, Yuan Er, who was leading them, smiled coldly. "This is the Gate of Hell. So? Do you dare to enter?"

Bai Lingmiao carefully observed the couplet, then gently shook her head. "This isn't the Gate of Hell. If it were, the couplet would be wrong. In this day and age, there's no retribution." As she spoke, she led the other White Donkeys into the cave. Once inside, they saw that the cave ceiling was full of grotesque rock formations, like clawing, snarling imps.

Faint wisps of green smoke began to drift across the ground, obscuring everyone's calves. The murky darkness stretched downwards, indicating the place was very deep. The area was vast and empty, so much so that Yuan Er's voice echoed. "Let's go down. We've mostly cleared this area. Only inside Fengdu City will we encounter things we can't handle. The King of Hell's Palace is also within Fengdu City."

The group continued forward. Along the way, they occasionally saw bodies and skeletons on the ground. These were clearly the people the Heart Sutra practitioners had brought here earlier, all of whom had died in this place.

"It seems what they said wasn't a lie. There really is something here that can truly bring about death."

Listening to Er Shen's words, Bai Lingmiao frowned, mentally steeling herself, and continued walking.

They walked for an unknown duration until, amidst the chaotic darkness, a gigantic, magnificent wall, faintly glowing with green light, appeared. Bai Lingmiao knew they had reached Fengdu City. Compared to the strange Fengdu full of black holes that Senior Brother Li had described, this Fengdu City was clearly more realistic; at least, it looked like a city.

Just then, with a heart-stopping creak, the enormous iron gate slowly opened. Emitting wisps of green smoke, several figures emerged from within the city walls, walking out in small groups.

"Shh! Get down! Don't let them see us!" Hearing Yuan Er's command, Er Shen swiftly turned, dropping to all fours like a beast, crouching in the green smoke on the ground. Through the smoke, his large beast-like eyes saw rows of strange, extremely tall and gaunt figures carrying yellowish, broken lanterns. Their tattered clothes hung loosely on them, and their height was such that everything above their shoulders was hidden in darkness.

It was clear that the Heart Sutra practitioners were extremely wary of these beings. They lay on the ground, not daring to breathe, only raising their heads after the figures had all departed.

"What are those?" Bai Lingmiao asked.

"Those are naturally the Yin Soldiers of the Underworld," a bearded man replied. "What? Haven't you heard of Yin Soldiers passing through?"

"Are they very powerful? Even you fear them?"

"We don't fear them, of course. But if we provoke these Yin Soldiers, little imps on the city walls will start beating gongs. Then the whole of Fengdu City will know we're here, and how could we steal the Book of Life and Death?"

As Yuan Er spoke, he pointed towards the great gate. "Don't you want to help? Come on, this is our problem. Solve them. Fengdu City is full of these mad, talented ghost soldiers. If you can help us pass this hurdle, then we'll help you!"

"But you are Heart Sutra practitioners! Even if all the ghost constables of Fengdu City came, you truly can't handle them?" Bai Lingmiao found it hard to understand. In her opinion, eleven Heart Sutra practitioners were almost omnipotent.

"What if we could handle them?" Yuan Er retorted. "In this wretched place, the ghost constables can't be killed! If we engage them, we'll only be relentlessly tied down until we've exhausted our last ounce of strength. Last time, if three Heart Sutra practitioners hadn't covered our retreat, all eleven of us would have been left behind."

Yuan Er explained why they were trapped here: the ghost constables could kill them, but they couldn't kill the constables. Given such an unfair fight, it was no wonder they were stuck without a solution.

"No," Bai Lingmiao said, shaking her head, her expression resolute. "As long as I am here, there will be death. You just need to act."

Seeing the Heart Sutra practitioners stand rooted, half-believing and half-doubting, the thirty-six White Donkeys immediately charged towards Fengdu City, employing their spiritual martial arts. As several half-human-sized, naked, pot-bellied imps emerged with broken gongs, frantically beating them, the entire Fengdu City seemed to come alive.

The city gates opened again, and a rumbling tremor sounded. A gigantic ox-headed figure, stooping, emerged from the city and charged towards the White Donkeys, swinging a flail in its hand with a trembling sound.

"Disciples stand beneath Thirty-Three Heavens! All Masters are by our side! Eighteen Arhats! Twenty-Four Celestial Devas! Our bodies transform into copper skin and iron bones, becoming Mount Tai! Heads wear twelve iron hats, bodies clad in twelve layers of iron armor! Copper skin wraps threefold, iron skin wraps threefold!"

The multi-meter-long, massive flail struck the White Donkeys heavily. The Ox-Head's arm immediately went numb, and sparks actually flew from the point of impact. However, that wasn't the end. The copper-headed, iron-armed White Donkeys charged forward, joining their fingers to form blade-like hands, and easily slashed into the Ox-Head's leg.

With a bellow, the enormous Ox-Head crashed to the ground. A group of White Donkeys swiftly surrounded it, engaging in a fierce struggle. Finally, they hacked at its neck with chaotic blows, completely severing its head.

When they saw that the fallen ghost constable's body did not, as usual, pick up its head and reattach it to its neck, the Heart Sutra practitioners, led by Yuan Er, instantly lit up with joy. What this woman said was actually true; she really could make these ghost constables die!