Chapter 523: Daily Report

The Yellow Springs Road stretched endlessly, with an unbroken stream of people.

Bright, vibrant flowers lined both sides of the path. Zhang Xiao stared blankly at the scene. "Is this the world after death?"

He hadn't expected the Celestial Being to be truthful; it truly existed.

Zhang Xiao clenched his fists, a mix of confusion and bitterness churning within him.

Sounds filled the air around him.

"Didn't I die?"

"I died too."

"Is this the world of the dead?"

A commotion arose nearby. Clearly, in the blink of an eye, they had all suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar land. They felt bewildered and panicked, and the endless flow of people murmured and whispered amongst themselves.

"Oh! It's the Lord of Xiao Kingdom! The Blade God, Zhang Xiao!"

Someone exclaimed, apparently recognizing Zhang Xiao, and quickly made way. Indeed, a large portion of those on the Yellow Springs Road were citizens of Xiao Kingdom who had died in the war against the Celestial Beings, now crowding the Underworld.

"Please go ahead, Your Majesty."

Zhang Xiao felt a pang of silence and deep shame. If the Celestial Being hadn't lied, then he truly had been a spy, inadvertently helping them expand their influence. He felt utterly without face.

He quickly waved his hand. "In the world of the dead, one's former status doesn't matter."

Those around him quickly affirmed his words.

After some difficulty, Zhang Xiao curiously observed his surroundings, scrutinizing everything. Was this truly the world of the dead? What mysterious entity governed it?

At that moment, news kept coming from the front of the line:

"We've been queuing for half a month, and I heard they've stopped processing again!"

"Suspended operations! They say too many people died this time, the Underworld is overflowing, and it's hard to manage!"

"I heard that Madam Meng Po has resumed her duties, but she's sent the Black and White Impermanence to recruit more staff."

Zhang Xiao's expression turned strange, utterly baffled. Stopped processing? Recruiting staff?

"What... what does that mean!?"

Zhang Xiao looked at the surging crowd in the distance, suddenly feeling as if his entire life had been lived in vain. He couldn't help but show a look of awe. The world of the dead truly was unfathomable.

After resting for a few days while queuing, people continuously poured in, and the front of the line became dimly visible.

Zhang Xiao gradually saw the Bridge of Helplessness, the Platform of Watching Home, and the Three Lives Stone—these mysterious structures. After inquiring about their specific functions, Zhang Xiao was incredibly astonished and felt an even greater respect.

However, a deep bitterness filled his heart. He was already dead. This Yellow Springs Road was his final path, after which he would forget everything. He was filled with regret and confusion, immense remorse.

He wanted to change everything, yet he had no way to do so.

He chuckled, his face etched with weariness. "In the face of death, all beings are equal."

Gradually, as they moved along the path, someone in the crowd ahead pointed at the inscribed verses on the Bridge of Helplessness and exclaimed, "The Higanbana blooms on the other shore, sighs on the Bridge of Helplessness. This life has forgotten past lives' deeds, why speak of the next life guarding old friends?… What beautiful poetry!"

"I heard the Black and White Impermanence said that this was left by a reincarnated person a long time ago."

"Oh? That's strange. If he doesn't remember his past or present life, with no attachments, and a completely new life, how could he have written this poem?"

"Could it be that in his next life, he still wanted to do something for someone from his past life?"

"That's too ridiculous. How could anyone remember past and present lives?"

Listening to the discussions around him, Zhang Xiao was slightly startled. A peculiar idea seemed to form in his mind, and he secretly clenched his fists.

"Perhaps, I have hope..."

Gradually, Zhang Xiao arrived at the head of the Bridge of Helplessness. He saw the Three Lives Stone and the legendary Meng Po, who was indeed exceptionally ugly, hideous and grotesque, with a smile that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Number 124529, your next life will be in the Celestial Path." An old, hoarse voice spoke, and envy immediately rippled through the surroundings. Becoming a Celestial Being, the most esteemed existence, was something countless people could only dream of.

"Could I wait a moment..." Zhang Xiao couldn't help but interject.

Meng Po was surprised, looking him up and down. "Everyone queues for ages just to get their turn, eager for reincarnation, yet you want to wait?"

Zhang Xiao nodded nervously.

"If you want to wait, then wait..." Meng Po paid him no further mind. Zhang Xiao quietly returned to the very beginning of the Yellow Springs Road, standing silently in the distance, curled up in a corner, watching new deaths arrive one by one.

He observed the expressions of each person intently.

They had all just appeared in this world of the dead, fearful and nervous.

"Perhaps it exists, perhaps it doesn't... The person I'm looking for, the moment he arrives in the Underworld... he will definitely be calm. Others encountering such mysterious unknowns, their first reaction is to nervously look around... But this man, he shouldn't be nervous. Instead, his expression should be one of remembrance or familiarity."

He didn't know if such a person existed, but he would wait; he would try!

If there was someone who remembered reincarnation, then he would surely appear, because as long as one lives, one will eventually die.

How clever was he?

This was his last chance.

He was, after all, a true hero; an ordinary person would not have thought of this, nor would they have been decisive enough to try.

Days passed, the Yellow Springs Road surged with people, countless souls passing through, while Zhang Xiao continued to wait, as if he had become a permanent fixture. He also witnessed the continuous improvement of the Underworld.

During this time, news continued to spread from the front:

"The Black and White Impermanence have brought back a strange tree that's screaming, so odd... They say it's going to be a temporary public official in the Underworld... It looks very timid and peculiar."

Zhang Xiao's expression subtly changed. Had the Black and White Impermanence, mentioned earlier, returned?

Several more days passed.

"My goodness, I heard that tree-man is full of wild ideas and plans to build a city over there! He's drawing up architectural plans and preparing to have the deceased spirits move bricks. I have no idea what it all means..."

And then, several more days went by.

"I heard Madam Meng Po instructed that tree-man to solve our lonely wait on the long Yellow Springs Road. And that tree-man came up with the idea of a daily newspaper! To keep us from being so bored!"

"A daily newspaper, what's that?"

A daily newspaper?

Even the Blade God Zhang Xiao felt a touch of curiosity.

Sure enough, within a few days, "newsstands" appeared along the Yellow Springs Road, stocked with newspapers, said to be taken and returned as desired.

Some of the people waiting in line on the Yellow Springs Road, who were truly lonely and bored, couldn't help but pick up a daily newspaper to pass the time. Within a few days, they were completely engrossed.

Virtually every being along the entire Yellow Springs Road sat cross-legged on the ground, intently reading a newspaper.

They were even too absorbed to focus on queuing.

Although Zhang Xiao was a formidable figure, he couldn't help but feel a little curious. This world after death was truly mysterious and unpredictable.

Even he, the Blade God and Heavenly Emperor, tried picking up one of the so-called newspapers and began to read. He saw large characters spelling out "Cycle Daily." One of the small headlines on the first page read:

"Shocking! Fengdu Ghost City Established, Plans to Recruit Workers, Generous Pay?"

The title was strange, yet Zhang Xiao, for some unknown reason, felt an instant urge to read it. He continued to scroll down: "To realize the construction of the Underworld's cities, enrich the spirits of the wronged souls in the Cycle Underworld, and achieve the three modernizations..."

The lengthy article captivated him, and he found himself engrossed without realizing it. It was a very strange feeling. After finishing it, he even felt a desire to actively help build Fengdu.

He then looked at other sections of the newspaper. It seemed to be newly launched, and the "news" content wasn't rich. It was mainly filled with a "novel section," which featured a novel titled "Records of the Alchemist Emperor."

Chapter One: The Alchemist Emperor Enters the Forest for the First Time and Tries out Romantic Love.

The writing was surprisingly good.

He became lost in thought without realizing it.

"Wizarding world? Wizardry? Spiritual power?" Zhang Xiao pondered silently. He felt a peculiar intuition about this novel, as if it contained some profound universal truth, not to be underestimated, a world-shaking secret.

"This first chapter is not simple. Some of the concepts within it are worth trying." Zhang Xiao, known as the Blade God, demonstrated his terrifying cultivation talent. Could the events in this book have actually happened?