Chapter 464: Fengdu Ancient City

If the world ever learned the truth, they’d probably blow up Kamikawa Mitsu’s ancestral graves.

Why did you have to invent an unsolvable entity?

Even if you had to invent one, why not just make one? Why two?

Kamikawa Mitsu didn’t dwell on it; his and the other player’s true existence was still only speculation, and even if true, it could no longer be changed.

All he could do now was press forward into darkness, and face it head-on.

He needed to uncover the truth behind this final battle—if it truly was as he’d invented, then he must uncover the identities of Him and the other player.

Of course, if it truly was as he’d invented, he also needed to uncover one more thing.

That was: why he himself knew these things.

More precisely, why he was able to invent them—surely it wasn’t just divine luck.

Kamikawa Mitsu leaned toward past lives and reincarnation.

The Yin Earth world was suspected to be the underworld described in Chinese mythology, the place where the dead went, where souls could be reborn into a new life.

He suspected he wasn’t just a transmigrant—he might be a reincarnator.

Having undergone reincarnation yet retained fragments of past-life memories, his memories had grown hazy, causing him to unconsciously weave those blurred recollections into his scripts.

This was a hypothesis.

There was another hypothesis as well.

That hypothesis was too absurd—a sudden, wild thought, one that sent chills down his spine upon reflection, yet couldn’t be entirely ruled out.

He suspected he might have long been a pawn.

In other words…

Everything he now did—the script system, his power, even his transmigration to Japan and becoming Kamikawa Mitsu—all of it had been preordained, arranged by Him or the other player.

The purpose was the game; he was merely a pawn in this ancient and worldly chessboard.

And even…

If that were true, the thought alone was despairing—his future stretched before him in dead gray.

His life, everything he thought he’d chosen by his own will—was that truly his own will? Or had He or the other player guided him step by step toward these thoughts?

He thought he controlled his own fate, defying heaven.

In truth, your thoughts, your mindset, your choices—all were arranged by them, carefully guided until you arrived at them.

For a moment, Kamikawa Mitsu hesitated whether to continue his exploration.

If everything was arranged by Him or the other player…

Then wouldn’t this place also be their arrangement?

If not, perhaps the other player had intervened—suppose he was His pawn, and now the other player had drawn him into this mysterious mist realm to uncover the truth and sabotage His plans.

Of course, it was also possible nothing was arranged at all—he had accidentally broken free from their control by entering this mist realm.

No matter what, he would uncover the truth.

When he finally learned he was merely a pawn, what would his feelings be?

Sometimes, ignorance is better than knowledge.

Better to remain unaware of such despairing truths, so he could still believe his actions stemmed from his own will, and not live in paranoia or despair.

But!

Kamikawa Mitsu abandoned the thought of stopping after only a second’s hesitation.

He refused to live in ignorance, refused to become a pawn manipulated by others.

If all of this—including his current decision to continue exploring—was arranged by them, then he would seek the truth.

No one wants to be controlled; Kamikawa Mitsu was no exception. He refused to be anyone’s pawn.

If so, he must know the truth—only then could he understand everything and resist.

He refused to be a pawn.

His freedom, his own choice.

If he couldn’t escape being a pawn, then he would become the player—his own player!

Gazing at the distant ancient city, Kamikawa Mitsu stepped forward.

As he neared the half-ruined city, he truly understood its scale.

It was immense!

Even the city gate alone was over a hundred meters tall, and that was just the gate—not including the walls, which towered even higher.

The ancient city was severely ruined—whether from the passage of time or from some great battle, he could not tell.

Most of the walls had collapsed, leaving only a partially intact gate, missing a section.

Kamikawa Mitsu paid no attention to the walls or the gate; his gaze locked onto the plaque hanging above the gate.

Like ancient Chinese cities, each ancient city gate bore the city’s name carved upon it.

This magnificent ancient city had a plaque too, inscribed with archaic script.

The script was an embodiment of the Dao—written with Dao itself—so even if one didn’t understand the characters, one could still comprehend their meaning.

Then…

Kamikawa Mitsu was stunned.

Fengdu Ancient City!!

Seeing the characters on the plaque, reading their meaning, he realized it was the ancient city of the underworld from Chinese mythology.

Legend held that the underworld contained a city named Fengdu Ancient City, its gate known as the Ghost Gate. When a person died and became a ghost, to be reborn they must pass through Fengdu City, where their past sins were judged, determining whether they would be reborn or remain in the underworld to suffer and atone.

At this moment!

Kamikawa Mitsu was certain: the mist realm was the underworld.

There was the Bridge of the Other Shore, and now Fengdu Ancient City—could these not only be underworld relics?

“The Bridge of the Other Shore, the Yellow Spring River, even Fengdu City… then what of the Six Paths of Reincarnation?”

Gazing into the ruined city, Kamikawa Mitsu pondered.

The underworld’s purpose was reincarnation; Naihe Bridge, the Yellow Spring River, Fengdu City—all were preparations for reincarnation.

Ultimately, a soul must enter reincarnation to be reborn.

So what was reincarnation? It must be some entity—something one entered to be reborn again. But where was it?

“This battle occurred here—perhaps it’s connected to reincarnation.”

The underworld’s function was to enable reincarnation.

Without hesitation, Kamikawa Mitsu entered Fengdu Ancient City.

“Are those halls the Ten Yama Halls?”

Fengdu Ancient City was vast; it wasn’t merely a place for judgment—it contained countless houses, courtyards, grand mansions, even palaces, just like a normal ancient city.

The city had commoners, the wealthy, and rulers.

The ten solemn, majestic ancient halls stirred his thoughts of the Ten Yama Kings of the underworld.

If an ordinary person wandered this city, they might spend a lifetime and never finish exploring—it was at least as large as China. Kamikawa Mitsu, being immortal, could see far distances at a glance and take in the entire city effortlessly; ordinary people could not.

Kamikawa Mitsu did not search house by house, nor did he immediately enter the ten Yama Halls, even though Fengdu’s core lay within them.

A golden road caught his attention.

……