Chapter 633: Eighteen Layers of Hell (Bonus Chapter — Requesting Moon Tickets)

Tick!

Tick!

The clouds cleared, the rain ceased; droplets of fresh blood fell to the ground, mixing with the rainwater and soaking into the parched earth, instantly absorbed.

Lu Zhong, once a fierce temple warrior, now knelt on the ground, his greatsword broken in half, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Around him, layer upon layer of paper dolls seemed endless…

"Demon!"

Lu Zhong stared at Fang Xing, eyes blazing with fury: "Even if I die today, justice shall prevail! One day, my comrades will take your head, under the gaze of the gods…"

"Oh? You won't live to see that day."

Fang Xing, now intrigued, stood before Lu Zhong: "Temple warrior… I haven't even asked your name, yet you attacked me without cause. I've decided—I'll claim your soul and bind it to a paper doll, condemning you to eternal torment."

Of course, this was a lie; such a lowly opponent wasn't worth such effort.

Fang Xing did this because he sensed Lu Zhong still carried one final secret weapon.

Moreover, he was genuinely curious—and wanted to try it out.

"No! Even if my soul falls into the underworld, I will hold fast to my faith… and my god will ultimately redeem me!"

On Lu Zhong's face shone devotion and unwavering belief.

Suddenly, as he gazed at Fang Xing's approaching true form, a glint of triumph flashed in his eyes: "And you… shall be banished with me!"

In an instant, Lu Zhong tore open a talisman around his neck.

It was a high-tier artifact granted by the God of Redemption—a Banishment Talisman, containing a one-time banishment spell, blessed by the deity itself, with extremely high priority!

In an instant, a halo of spiritual light enveloped both Fang Xing and Lu Zhong.

Almost immediately, the two vanished from the mortal realm.

……

The Underworld.

All around was crimson, searing with heat and scorching temperatures.

The earth was dry, cracked…

Occasionally, tormented souls could be seen lying on the ground, wailing, their forms growing increasingly insubstantial…

Some spirits, unable to endure this agony any longer, simply dissolved into nothingness, their souls scattered forever.

This was the First Layer of the Eighteen Hells—the Scorching Hell.

Since there was no need to consider reincarnation or other matters—only tormenting souls—there were virtually no underworld deities here, only endless tortures.

Hiss!

A flash of spiritual light.

Fang Xing and Lu Zhong appeared simultaneously in one corner of the Scorching Hell.

"So hot…"

Fang Xing fanned himself with his hand.

Even he felt the heat—imagine the torment endured by these souls.

Nearby, Lu Zhong was barely breathing, on the verge of death.

"My god… I'm coming!"

Though dying, Lu Zhong's eyes shone brightly, as if he glimpsed the divine realm he longed for.

But the next instant!

—Advanced Natural Healing!

A emerald spiritual light descended upon him, rapidly mending his wounds.

Lu Zhong staggered to his feet, stunned, staring at Fang Xing.

This was undoubtedly a demon of Yangshen rank—why would he heal him?

Clearly, the man was planning some horrific torture!

At this thought, Lu Zhong's face hardened with defiant resolve.

Had it not been for the God of Redemption's doctrine forbidding suicide, he would have ended his life the moment he fell into the underworld, sending his soul straight to the divine realm.

But it wasn't too late yet—given his rank in the church, a divine emissary would soon descend to rescue him from this torment.

Yet soon, a look of bewildered doubt crept over Lu Zhong's face.

He immediately knelt and cried out in prayer: "Lord of Redemption, you are the embodiment of salvation, the arbiter of justice in this world… I beg your grace, I beg your hearing, I beg you to cast but a single glance upon me…"

Hours passed—no response came.

Lu Zhong whirled around, eyes blazing with murderous rage at Fang Xing: "Demon! Is this your doing?!"

"Hah… You're merely passively affected by one of my talents."

Fang Xing laughed.

He hadn't expected "Beyond Divine Sight" to work so well—it was like casting battlefield fog.

Not only himself, but any divine servants closely tied to his fate—or too near—were similarly obscured.

But yes, he had deliberately engineered this situation.

After all, Fang Xing had long wished to visit the Eighteen Hells.

Earlier, through perception, he'd sensed Lu Zhong carried a "ticket"—so he'd gladly hitched a ride, or rather, Lu Zhong had forcibly dragged him along.

Now, Lu Zhong's expression was crumbling; he muttered to himself: "My Lord… why can't your power reach this place? No… I must not waver… my faith…"

Fang Xing ignored him, extending his perception.

"Hmm… The Eighteen Hells truly form a lower-plane structure. This is the First Layer, the Scorching Hell; the Second is the Frozen Hell… Only souls that survive the torment of fire and ice here descend further… The Third seems to be the Hanging Tendon Hell, followed by the Tongue-Plucking Hell, the Skin-Flaying Hell, the Mortar-and-Pestle Hell, the Cart- Crushing Hell… all the way to the final, the Hell of Eternal Torment!"

"In short, the souls of the faithless who survive the first seventeen layers must endure eternal torment in the Eighteenth Layer—the Hell of Eternal Torment—to deter the faithless."

"Hmm? Wait… the structure of these Eighteen Hells is strange… It resembles an inverted pyramid, yet spiritual energy flows through it… Is this a ritual designed to extract essence from souls through endless torment?"

Fang Xing couldn't help but marvel.

The gods truly had turned faith into an art—even the souls of the faithless, after death, were exploited to maximum effect.

Still, faithless souls were destined to be used as mortar anyway; now they're just being recycled—no great loss.

"Hungry… I'm so hungry…"

As Lu Zhong crumbled and Fang Xing pondered, a soul drifted over.

It appeared as a middle-aged man, weathered and worn, his hands wrapped in bandages—clearly a seasoned warrior in life.

Now, his lower half was translucent, indicating he'd been severely tormented, his mind growing hazy.

"There is no food in the Eighteen Hells."

No one ever said a single word!

"Thus, souls fallen here must endure constant hunger and thirst…"

Fang Xing sighed.

Beyond the Eighteen Hells lay another invisible hell—the Hell of the Starving Ghosts.

Fortunately, Druids never starve, no matter where they go.

With this thought, he pulled several seeds from his pocket and planted them in the earth.

Strange!

The ground here was scorching hot—seeds should have been instantly roasted.

Yet these seeds merely darkened slightly on the surface, then began to sprout and take root…

Soon, slender stalks of crimson bamboo shot upward, growing taller and taller.

These "Fire Jade Bamboos" were a byproduct of Fang Xing's cultivation of Green Spirit Bamboo—a mutated spiritual plant requiring intense fire energy.

And here, in the Scorching Hell, there was no shortage of heat.

The Fire Jade Bamboos grew rapidly, swelling… then suddenly cracked with a sharp sound.

Pop!

One segment split open, landing in Fang Xing's hand.

He broke it open—inside, countless grains of red jade-like spiritual rice, perfectly steamed.

Each grain glistened like polished jade, exuding a rich, fragrant aroma.

Even the crumbling Lu Zhong couldn't help but swallow involuntarily.

"Here, take it."

Fang Xing, not hungry, tossed the bamboo tube filled with rice to the spirit.

The spirit reached out—and actually grasped the tube, then began devouring it ravenously.

"Don't rush… there's plenty more."

Fang Xing smiled and planted another strange vine.

When the vine bore clusters of green gourds, a wave of coolness erupted.

Fang Xing plucked one, uncorked it—and instantly, a torrent of sweet spring water gushed forth.

As a legendary Druid, if he wished, given time, he could transform the entire Eighteen Hells into a paradise by planting every kind of flora—easily.

At this point, the spirit, once a starving warrior, had devoured over a dozen bamboo segments, his expression noticeably clearer.

"Alright, you ate my food—you owe me labor."

Fang Xing seized the spirit, his eyes flashing with mind-controlling magic.

After absorbing the doctrines of the Top Ten Sects and refining his Mind-Control technique, his soul-searching ability now surpassed its origins.

Soon, the middle-aged warrior's entire life unfolded before him.

This veteran of a hundred battles was named Wu Yong, a devout believer in the God of War; for the sake of the deity's cause, he had once abandoned everything and joined the God of War's elite legion, surviving death dozens of times before retiring to the countryside, marrying, and fathering children.

In truth, this should have been an ordinary story, but his wife was too beautiful—and not every cleric in the Church of War was a saint of pure detachment…

After the incident, Wu Yong lost his wife and children; in his madness, he sharpened the rusted battle blade he had brought back from the battlefield and took the priest's life.

Then, he was branded a "Heretic," killed outright, and condemned to hell after death, awaiting the dissolution of his soul…

"He still had faith, but the Church of War abandoned him."

Fang Xing shook his head and tossed the wraith aside.

Lu Zhong shuddered all over as the wraith possessed him, sensing the spirit's entire life: "No…"

Two trails of blood-tears streamed from his eyes; as a Temple Warrior, he was bound to uphold justice: "How could this happen?"

"It's simple—the system was broken. Even if Wu Yong's actions were just, he had to die!"

Fang Xing sneered: "In the Zhou Shenchao, even if you suffer injustice, you may beg your superior to right it—but you must never right it yourself! That's rebellion! And it must be crushed mercilessly!"

"But that's not the core issue—the core is that though he killed the God of War's priest, he still believed in the God of War… yet the deity abandoned him, leaving him to suffer here until his soul scattered…"

Fang Xing's eyes gleamed—he had grasped something: "This violates the covenant between man and god: man offers faith, and in return receives salvation after death. This must not be broken!"

(End of Chapter)