Time soon came to midnight.
Outside the apartment, it was pitch black. In the sky, there were only a few stars and a moon.
After I packed up, I said hello to Ma Qiang, who was sitting on the sofa with his eyelids almost unable to lift, and prepared to leave the apartment. He Man had already fallen asleep.
"Brother Yang, why don't you just not go? I always feel that the underworld is not a good place."
Ma Qiang resisted the urge to sleep and spoke with concern.
I smiled at him, patted his shoulder, and consoled him: "Don't worry about me, go to the bedroom and sleep. I'll be fine. Besides, the two ghost officials, Black and White Impermanence, are taking me to the underworld. They will ensure my safety!"
"this... ... "
Ma Qiang hesitated for a long time but couldn't make out anything.
I know Ma Qiang cares about me because he treats me as a true friend and a brother.
Without Ma Qiang sending me off, I just walked out of the apartment.
The time I agreed to meet with the Black and White Impermanence was midnight, which was a little after eleven o'clock in the evening.
As mentioned before, the apartment is very close to my Xiyuan community, so it didn't take me too long to get to the park.
Just as I imagined, the Black and White Impermanence have not appeared yet.
In fact, it is easy to think that the Black and White Impermanence are the ghost officials in the underworld, and I am just a small Taoist priest in the world of the living. For them, if I am not a pure yang constitution, they will not pay attention to me at all.
As ghost officials, it is understandable that they have their own airs.
In my opinion, whether it is the underworld or the world of the living, whether it is a human or a ghost official, as long as the identity is there, there will be a sense of arrogance in their bones.
The wind was not strong at night and I felt quite cool standing under a tree.
The leaves trembled slightly, making a rustling sound. That sound gave me the same feeling as the sound of sharpening a knife. I don't know whether my trip to the underworld this time is a blessing or a curse.
Just as I was staring at the night sky in a daze, a bright circle of light suddenly appeared in the center of the park. Then, the circle of light slowly expanded, and a passage that was even darker than the night appeared inside.
Two figures flew out of the passage and appeared in the open space.
It’s Black and White Impermanence.
The two ghost officials looked grim as if they had made an agreement. I couldn't tell what they were thinking. Their two long tongues drooped from their chins, making people feel disgusted, as if two long flat worms were drilling into their mouths.
I hurried forward, greeted them, and bowed, saying, "Two Lords of the Impermanence, you are here!"
Hei Wuchang looked at me coldly and said nothing.
Bai Wuchang looked at me, nodded, and said, "Brother Yang, you're here quite early!"
I smiled and said, "Not too early, not too early. After all, I am very happy to be able to travel with the two Lords of Impermanence this time."
Hei Wuchang stood there and said in a deep voice: "Okay, cunning boy, don't waste time, come with us!"
"good!"
I nodded.
Then the grayish-white dark energy surged out from the Black and White Impermanence, and their figures flashed and appeared on the left and right sides of my body.
Before I could react, they grabbed my arms.
The next moment, my eyes blurred and the Black and White Impermanence had already brought me into the light circle.
After entering the aperture, my eyes seemed to be blind, and everything I saw was pitch black. I couldn't see the surrounding scenery clearly. I thought about it, chanted the "eye spell" in my mouth, and then raised my arms forward.
Soon, the third eye on my left hand suddenly opened.
The bright eyeballs emitted green light, which was particularly conspicuous in the dark environment.
After the "third eye" was opened, I could see the surrounding scenery clearly through it.
It turned out that the Black and White Impermanence were carrying me and flying in an arched passage. Their bodies were light, but they were able to carry a living person like me and fly.
The walls on both sides of the passage are made of black rock.
That kind of rock is different from the rocks in the world of the living. It feels icy cold to the touch and has a chilly feeling.
With a slight exclamation, Bai Wuchang said, "Brother Yang, I didn't expect that you have opened your third eye in such a short time. It seems that you have a good talent and are very suitable for the Taoist profession!"
Bai Wuchang was speaking to my left.
I replied with a smile: "I still have to thank Lord Bai Wuchang for the Heavenly Eye Yin Stone. Without the Heavenly Eye Yin Stone, how could I open my Heavenly Eye..."
The Heavenly Eye can see the expressions of the Black and White Impermanence.
Bai Wuchang chuckled, a hint of pride appeared on his face, he said: "You are still good at talking. But don't forget the purpose of me giving you the 'Sky Eye' Yin Stone. I hope that when you get to Magu, you can say a few good words to Xie Bian for me, so that I can get the broken evil pill."
After hearing what Bai Wuchang said, Hei Wuchang became unwilling.
Hei Wuchang said unhappily: "Xie Bian, isn't the treasure I gave to Yang Tianyi much more valuable than your Heavenly Eye Yin Stone? You still want the Breaking Evil Pill, I still want that!"
Having said this, Hei Wuchang tilted his head and looked at me, and his solemn tone weakened a little.
He said to me, "Yang Tianyi, when we get to the Offering Pavilion, I think you should know what to say and what not to say. I don't need to remind you, right? As for the Broken Evil Pill, it is extremely precious to me, Hei Wuchang. I hope you can help me get it."
Hei Wuchang is a person who doesn't like to bow to others, but speaking to me like this is already quite polite.
I can't be so ignorant.
I quickly replied, "Yes, yes... I will keep Lord Hei Wuchang's words in mind. I will also do my best to speak for the two Lords Wuchang and help you obtain the broken Edan."
Although I said this, what I was thinking in my heart was that as long as I was safe and sound, as for the Evil-Breaking Pill, forget it.
"Okay, okay, I told you that you, Brother Yang, are different from other Taoists. You are eloquent and very much to my taste!" Bai Wuchang said with a smile, but there was a cunning look in his eyes.
On the Black Impermanence side, he turned to the White Impermanence and muttered coldly, "Flatterer!"
But Bai Wuchang seemed to be pretending not to hear anything and continued chatting with me in a random manner.
During this time, I asked Bai Wuchang if he could tell which of the "five disadvantages and three deficiencies" I had committed. However, Bai Wuchang did not give me a direct answer, but only said that the secret could not be revealed and asked me to cherish the remaining time.
After hearing that, I felt uneasy.
I thought to myself, it seems that what Liu Ruyi said is right, I may really have committed the "lack of fate" among the five disadvantages and three deficiencies. Life, life, it is an extremely precious thing for everyone.
I walked through the dark passage for more than ten minutes.
A little red light appeared in front of us.
At the same time, I heard miserable screams.
The cry was extremely creepy, like the howling of ghosts and wolves.
I tried my best to stay calm, but my palms were already sweating.
When I was almost approaching the red light, the Black and White Impermanence let me down.
My feet went weak and I almost fell to the ground. I looked down with my third eye and found that the place where I was standing was actually moving. It was as if I was standing on someone's belly.
Bai Wuchang lowered his voice and said, "Stand firm!"
Then he took out a black bottle from his arms.
There was a dead air lingering over the bottle, a cold feeling.
Feeling even worse.
"What is that?"
I opened my mouth and asked.
Bai Wuchang said softly: "This is prepared for you, it's called Black Death Qi!"
"Black death energy?"
I muttered something, wondering what the "black death energy" was.
Bai Wuchang explained simply: "Because you are a living person, the vitality on your body will easily attract the attention of ghosts or ghost messengers when you enter the underworld. So I prepared this thing for you. This bottle of black death energy is collected by me from the 'Evil Dog Ridge'. If you put this porcelain bottle on your body, your body will be contaminated with death energy."
"This way you won't be easily discovered!"
Black Wuchang might have been annoyed by White Wuchang's slowness, so he urged, "Xie Bian, hurry up, the ghost officials outside have noticed us!"
Bai Wuchang ignored Hei Wuchang, and handed me the porcelain bottle. He lowered his voice and said, "Just keep this bottle of black death energy with you."
I nodded and hurriedly took the porcelain bottle containing "black death energy" from Bai Wuchang's hand.
Sure enough, after the porcelain bottle fell into my hands, the aura of death emanated from the gap at the mouth of the bottle.
The black death aura stained my body and began to spread over me. In just half a minute, a layer of death aura covered my body, and I looked no different from a dead person or a ghost.
After putting away the porcelain bottle, I turned to Bai Wuchang and asked, "By the way, Lord Wuchang, where is this place? Why does it feel so cold and gloomy? And I seemed to hear screams?"
Before Bai Wuchang could speak, Hei Wuchang said, "This is the Eighteenth Level of Hell!"
Eighteen levels of hell
My heart suddenly tightened.
Seeing my expression become serious, Bai Wuchang glared at Hei Wuchang coldly and said dissatisfiedly: "Fan Wujiu, can't you just not scare him?"
Hei Wuchang raised his head and breathed out through his nose, "Why, Xie Bian, is what I said wrong? Isn't this the eighteenth level of hell? Stop standing there and showing off in front of me!"
The Eighteen Levels of Hell? Didn't they say they were going to take me to the "Offering Pavilion"? Why did they bring me here directly
I suddenly felt uneasy.
I subconsciously looked at the Black and White Impermanence.
But their faces showed more indifference, and they didn't care about my reaction at all.
I pointed my third eye at the spot where the red light was coming from. The red light was like a background. But maybe because the distance was too far, in addition to the red background, I could only see two orange-red lights.
There seemed to be flames flickering there, probably firelight.
Bai Wuchang explained to me: "Brother Yang, don't listen to Fan Wujiu's nonsense, he is deliberately trying to scare you. This is indeed the 'Eighteen Layers of Hell', but this is just an entrance space. The real Eighteen Layers of Hell is not here, but below."
Bai Wuchang's words made me feel a little more at ease.
But I still feel confused in my heart.
I asked the very talkative Bai Wuchang, "Master Bai Wuchang, aren't we going to the Offering Pavilion? Why are we here at the 'Eighteen Layers of Hell'?"
Bai Wuchang said softly, "That's because the 'Eighteen Layers of Hell' is the closest path to the 'Giving Pavilion'. You don't know the situation in the underworld. The underworld is very big. Even if we can travel a long distance, we can only get here!"
I thought about it, and according to what was written in the Yin-Yang Soul Crossing Notes, the Offering Pavilion is the tenth stop for ghosts in the underworld, and the Eighteen Levels of Hell is the ninth stop.
If you think about it this way, what Bai Wuchang said should be true.
Just as I was thinking about things, a cold voice suddenly came from the red light at the end of the passage.
"Who are you? How dare you come to the entrance of my 'Eighteen Layers of Hell'?"
(to be continued)
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)