Chapter 335: Xin Yi Meets Wuchang Without Harm

In the dead of night, the moon traveled across the center of the sky, scattered clouds drifted, and cold winds howled throughout the entire mountain. On the mountain stood a dilapidated temple; its doors and windows were broken, shadows of ghosts were heavy, and it was extremely eerie.

The plaque on the temple gate was in tatters, inscribed with the three characters "Ganzhu Hall." The blue paint was mottled and spiderwebs were everywhere; one corner hung loose and swayed with the wind, creaking and teetering on the verge of collapse.

The night was terrifying to such a degree that two figures could be vaguely seen stumbling and climbing halfway up the mountain, though it was unknown from where they had come. The two supported each other, and it was a long time before they arrived before the temple gate; one was tall and thin, the other slightly shorter.

The shorter one seemed somewhat afraid, trembling as he hid behind the tall, thin person, poking his head out from time to time to watch the surroundings vigilantly; meanwhile, the tall, thin person looked somewhat uncoordinated, as if his sleeve were empty, one arm swaying unnaturally with the wind.

The temple was dedicated to Fengdu Dadi, with the Ten Halls of Yama below, and on both sides were various underworld deities and immortals; the seats were numerous and too many to count.

The two entered the hall huddled together. Upon seeing the towering statue of the Great Emperor in the room, the short one could not help but swallow his saliva, and the rustling sound of his clothes made him shudder with fear. He could not help but mutter in a low voice, "Even if it were the Nine Serenities Immortal Venerable, there is no need to hide in such a ghastly place; the back-and-forth is truly exhausting enough."

Perhaps having heard the person's complaint, a cold wind blew into the hall for no reason, and as dust swirled, the doors and windows creaked incessantly.

The short one shrank his neck and dared not speak again, only staring with wide eyes as he followed closely behind the tall, thin person, trembling as he looked around. The hall was pitch black, but his pair of eyes were very bright, appearing especially conspicuous in this dimness.

The wind stopped, and the sudden silence added a touch of strangeness. Streaks of firelight ignited, illuminating the situation in the hall, but this firelight was ghostly blue and dim, dancing on lamp stands thick with dust and devoid of oil, reflecting the statues of various underworld deities and making them appear even more bizarre.

The short one was startled and hurriedly looked at the niche behind him. Under the reflection of the firelight, his face was finally revealed; it was actually Zhao Wuyang. Zhao Wuyang looked even more angular than before, though his height did not seem to have changed much, still appearing as a youth with red lips and white teeth.

Zhao Wuyang tugged at the sleeve of the tall person, and that person also turned his head; it was Xin Yi. At this moment, Xin Yi's chin was iron-blue, his appearance was not as handsome as before, and his face had gained a few more traces of vicissitudes, yet that pair of eyes remained sharp.

Xin Yi patted Zhao Wuyang's head, his eyes becoming gentle.

"It is not your first time here, why must you be so afraid every time?"

Zhao Wuyang curled his lips but did not answer, still remaining guarded to the left and right.

It was not that he was cowardly or afraid, but this temple was dedicated to the gods of the Nine Serenities; just thinking about it made his hair stand on end, not to mention that he was teased every time he came, so how could he not be cautious?

Perhaps in response to what Zhao Wuyang was thinking, dust began to fall from the rafters, blinding him so that he hurriedly rubbed his eyes.

Just at this moment, a white figure dropped from the rafters, eyes rolled back, sticking out a long, blood-red tongue as it hung upside down before Zhao Wuyang. That tongue was like a red snake, hanging less than an inch from the ground, swinging back and forth as if to entangle Zhao Wuyang.

Zhao Wuyang could not care about the discomfort; he stared straight at the face pressed against his own with red eyes, and for a long while, there was no reaction. It was not until he heard the saw-like strange sound emitted by that figure that he hurriedly retreated, stumbling for a good while and nearly sitting on the ground, saved only by Xin Yi behind him who caught him.

Seeing Zhao Wuyang so frightened, the white figure hanging upside down laughed aloud and flipped over. The surrounding flames also changed their appearance, no different from ordinary lamp fire, and the entire hall lit up.

"This little doll is truly interesting."

Wearing an official hat inscribed with "One Sight Brings Wealth," the white figure was actually the soul-snatching Envoy Bai Wuchang. At this time, Hei Wuchang also manifested from the statue, also wearing a tall hat inscribed with the four characters "Peace Under Heaven," dressed entirely in black, looking at Bai Wuchang with a cold face.

Bai Wuchang spread his hands, and while retracting his long tongue, he said vaguely, "Yes, yes, I know, it was just a joke, why look at me like that?"

Upon seeing the black and white Envoys, Xin Yi hurriedly addressed them as "Seventh Master, Eighth Master" and raised his hand in a Daoist salute, while Zhao Wuyang complained with a grievance-filled face, "Can the Envoys not spare this little Daoist? Every time you change your tricks to scare people, my soul is almost frightened away."

When he first met Bai Wuchang, he was still a serious and elegant figure, but after seeing him two or three times, he became less serious, and from time to time he would tease him; he was exactly like the Fucang Elder of the Underworld.

At the thought of Lingxiang, Zhao Wuyang's eyes dimmed, and he no longer complained to Bai Wuchang, only performing a Daoist salute before standing behind Xin Yi and remaining silent.

Hei Wuchang glanced at Zhao Wuyang: "The Zen Sect has a saying: 'Do not grasp at appearances, remain as still as such.'" With just this one sentence, he said nothing more.

Zhao Wuyang pondered for a while, not knowing if he understood or not, then performed a salute and lowered his head to the side.

Xin Yi knew what Zhao Wuyang was agonizing over, but everyone had kept their mouths shut and never mentioned it, especially in front of Long Qi. To alleviate the sorrowful atmosphere at hand, Xin Yi hurriedly produced three objects from behind his waist.

These three objects were shaped like lanterns, but each was only the size of a fist. Black wood framed the glass, and within the glass was a mass of mist, emitting lights of different colors: two light cyan, one cinnabar red.

Hei Wuchang took the three "lanterns," handed the cinnabar red one to Bai Wuchang, and then conjured three identical objects out of thin air and handed them to Xin Yi, though these three pieces of glass were completely empty.

These objects were called Soul-Locking Lamps; the red ones were for Yang souls, the blue ones for Yin souls, specifically used for capturing the souls of mortals.

The Yin and Yang realms were separated by a gate; entering this gate was the Huangquan Lu, the first of the thirteen stations of the Underworld, which cultivators all called Humoukou. But on the day Lingxiang left, Humoukou was crushed into powder. Yin and Yang were severed, Reincarnation was broken, and the succession of eras began to fall into chaos, plunging the mortal world into turmoil.

From that day on, no one was born into the world, and the deceased had no place for their souls to return, so they could only possess their remains and become walking corpses; but once one became a walking corpse, if their heart and nature were not strong enough, they would very easily fall into the Demon path.

Lingxiang had originally made the Demon Lord promise not to let the Demon Race set foot in the human world, but she had not expected the Demon Lord to leave behind such a move. Fortunately, at that time, the black and white Envoys were on official business in the mortal world; when Humoukou was destroyed, the two of them could not return to Fengdu for a time, so they had no choice but to reside in the dharma bodies in Ganzhu Hall.

Zhao Wuyang and Xin Yi walked out of Ganzhu Hall, and looking at the whitening horizon, Zhao Wuyang could not help but sigh.

"The world is difficult; when will these days ever come to an end!"

Listening to Zhao Wuyang's feigned mature sigh, Xin Yi smiled and patted his head, also looking toward the dawning east.

"The sun and moon alternate, the cycle repeats, mountains and rivers remain, and the cycle of withering and flourishing never ceases. All of this will eventually come to an end one day..."