Chapter 286: Life Resides in the Netherworld
“Why are you still standing there? You’re too polite; getting up in the middle of the night to take my cousin for a stroll.”
Under Zhong Ningxue’s teasing expression, the two felt utterly embarrassed and furious.
“Put him back where he belongs, and then go wherever you need to go!”
“Alright, alright…”
The two displayed good self-management skills, tying each other up and sealing each other’s cultivation before stepping into the chariot step by step.
They even remembered to close the door behind them.
“Feels really comfortable.”
Zhou Tong woke up at just the right moment, his eyes deep with thought.
Although he hadn’t reached the Li Family last night, he had already marked the location. Whenever he had a moment, he could head there personally to refine that Pure Land.
The path to cultivation requires caution; one needs to be strong in multiple aspects and prepare multiple plans for safety.
“You’re just too lucky!”
Before Zhou Tong could stretch, he received a heavy slap on the back.
Li Xin Rou said loudly, “You slept way too soundly! If it weren’t for Sister Xue’s foresight, placing a restriction on you, you would have been stolen away by now!”
“Then I really have to thank my cousin,” Zhou Tong said with a grin.
“No need, no need…”
Zhong Ningxue waved her hand, clearly not fond of that expression.
When the Master smiles, it’s usually not a good sign.
“I said, even though you’re my cousin, in this situation, you really should bow to your cousin!”
Seeing Zhou Tong not get angry, Li Xin Rou began to tease him again.
Hearing this, Zhong Ningxue broke out in a cold sweat.
…
By noon, the convoy finally arrived at the destination.
From a distance, Zhou Tong saw a vast estate.
The estate was ancient, heavy, and dilapidated, as if it had endured the ravages of time, standing here for thousands of years.
This scene made him furrow his brows.
Li Xin Rou’s lineage had fallen here for less than twenty years, yet why did it feel like two thousand years had passed?
As the convoy entered, the sign that came into view startled both Zhou Tong and Zhong Ningxue.
“Mu Family… shouldn’t it be Li Family?”
Zhong Ningxue asked instinctively.
Upon hearing this, Li Xin Rou revealed a bitter smile.
“Back then, we were framed and forced to wear the hat of a sinner. Not only were we expelled from the family, but our surname was also taken away.”
“The character ‘Mu’ means that the ‘Li’ has one character removed, representing the end of descendants!”
“That’s too much!”
Zhong Ningxue said indignantly, clenching her fists.
“Unintended sowing can yield shade; even the sick tree can bloom in spring!”
Zhou Tong smiled, “I see this tree has not withered yet; life still persists within, and new sprouts will surely emerge in the future!”
“Haha… then I’ll borrow my cousin’s good fortune!”
Li Xin Rou forced a smile and signaled someone to open the large door.
“Welcome, Young Lady, home!”
The guards of the Li Family were extremely enthusiastic, parting the ranks and creating a grand display.
“You all have worked hard; with the protection of benefactors on this journey, we are safe!”
She calmed everyone down and then whispered to Zhou Tong and Zhong Ningxue, “Cousin and Cousin, I want to ask for forgiveness in advance. Once we enter the family, if you feel any discomfort, please let me know immediately!”
“Sister, you’re joking! How could it be a den of dragons and tigers inside!”
Zhong Ningxue said dismissively, but her expression changed the moment they entered the gate.
As soon as they passed through the grand entrance, everything around underwent a drastic transformation.
The originally bright sky grew dim and overcast, a chilling wind rose, turning fallen leaves to ashes, drifting away into the air like bone dust.
What was even more unsettling was that in the front yard of the Li Family, coffins were visible at any time. Zhou Tong used his spiritual power to probe and found that they were filled with unburied individuals, their bodies unchanged from how they appeared in life.
“Sister… do you really have to live here? And why not bury these people?”
Zhong Ningxue immediately displayed her discomfort, even though she was the Virgin Saint of the Heavenly Gu Clan, she couldn’t handle this kind of shock.
On the contrary, Zhou Tong maintained a calm expression, as if the scene meant nothing in his eyes.
“Cousin, you might not know, we settled here under the guidance of someone esteemed. They said that if we can endure, there will surely be a turning point.”
“The reason we haven’t buried these people is that we are waiting for their return!”
Zhong Ningxue’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had seen a ghost.
“Is this so-called esteemed person serious?”
“I don’t know.”
Li Xin Rou shook her head in pain, “In just over a decade, my elders, my siblings, have perished beyond number. Now my grandfather has also met with misfortune and is on the verge of death. I don’t know when that turning point will arrive!”
She seemed somewhat numb, her eyes filled with bitterness.
“It’s strange for the dead to remain; building a family above a yellow spring eye, and it’s still a living yellow spring eye. The fact that so many can still exist is a rare miracle!”
Zhou Tong paused, having heard the voice of the Imperial Weapon.
“What is a yellow spring eye?”
“Do I even need to ask? It’s a passage straight to the Netherworld, the hell you humans often talk about!”
“Are you saying that beneath our feet is the resting place of the dead?”
Zhou Tong’s eyes widened, genuinely shocked.
“That’s not wrong; only this hell is privately owned. It can accommodate the dead, but it’s not legitimate and cannot achieve reincarnation!”
“Can hell be privately owned?”
“Very few have seen it. The main Netherworld holds the authority over both the Nether and reincarnation; the deceased can normally reincarnate there, with all procedures in place.
“Most of these yellow spring eyes are naturally formed hells, but there are distinctions in quality!”
“Some high-grade ones even give rise to wild Kings of Hell, who hold partial authority and can govern the life and death cycles of certain regions!”
“You have quite the breadth of knowledge!”
Hearing these secrets, Zhou Tong couldn’t help but admire.
“Do you even need to say? Back then, I followed the Great Emperor into the main Netherworld and swept all the Kings of Hell, forcing them to kneel and submit. That was quite the display of might!”
At this point, even the mirror’s voice took on a more somber tone.
“Since you know this place is extremely dangerous, why does Li Xin Rou’s lineage still want to settle here?”
When Zhou Tong posed this question, it left the mirror silent for a moment.
“Perhaps… they’re waiting for your arrival?”
“Going from bad to worse, extremes must lead to a turn. When the turning point comes, it will be the day of transformation!”
“And you are that turning point; you mustn’t let them down!”
After finishing, the mirror fell silent!
“This guy!”
Zhou Tong shook his head, having already adjusted to the environment here.
“Ah… I thought it was someone returning!”
Suddenly, an exceedingly sharp voice came from ahead.
A fat, greasy woman in a yellow dress stood before the family head’s residence, looking down from her lofty position at everyone in the convoy.
Seeing this scene, Li Xin Rou’s expression immediately darkened.
“Household lapdog, who allowed you all to come here?!”
