Chapter 9

Ghosts are ghosts, immortals are immortals; the existence of ghost immortals is indeed a peculiar phenomenon, and Yuan Liunian is a peculiar one.

Xingkui thought, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corners of his mouth. He wandered outside the group, free and easy. The lesser yaksas had no reaction to him; their authority was limited to managing the ghosts in the group or those who had escaped.

The bright red and splendid flowers of the other shore covered the ground, and the ghosts wept and wailed, their sorrow overwhelming.

*Crack*

The bone whip split the air, transforming into a bolt of lightning that lashed the ghosts, causing a cacophony of wails and howls.

Xingkui, who was wandering nearby, resisted the urge to listen or look. He was not a bad ghost, but he was not a good one either. He lacked the power to save them. Even if he saved one, he could not save a thousand; even if he saved a thousand, he could not save ten thousand; even if he saved ten thousand, they would still be a mere drop in the ocean compared to the countless ghosts in the underworld.

"The Three Lives Stone is here, do you want to see it?" The lesser yaksa pointed to a huge, oval stone standing three zhang, three chi, and three cun tall, and let out a series of sinister laughs.

*Gulp*

The ghosts' Adam's apples bobbed up and down as they gazed at the standing stone, their eyes filled with longing.

"Hehe!" The lesser yaksa suddenly swung the whip, lashing the ghosts fiercely and shouting, "Unfortunately, you have no right to see it!"

*Howl!*

Immediately, a fierce ghost in the group erupted, ghostly energy spreading, causing the surrounding ghosts to become restless, fearful, and retreating far away.

*Crack! Crack!*

The ferocious lesser yaksa wielded the bone whip like a blooming flower, striking the fierce ghost, dispersing the dense ghostly energy, and causing it to howl in pain.

"Calling you to erupt, calling you to erupt, I'll beat you to death!" The lesser yaksa roared, the fierce ghost trembling under the bone whip.

There were also some great evil ghosts who had completed their sentences in the Eighteenth Level of Hell, personally escorted by ghost officials. The lesser yaksas could not control these great evil ghosts, and most of them would be devoured!

"Is human nature inherently evil or inherently good..." Xingkui suddenly thought of the debate between Mencius and Xunzi. Being in hell and witnessing such a scene, he could not provide any answer.

The roar of the lesser yaksas and the wails of the ghosts gradually faded away. Xingkui walked toward the Three Lives Stone, where there were few ghostly spirits, and no ghosts blocked his way.

There was a legend about the Three Lives Stone that came to Xingkui's mind.

It was said that after Nüwa mended the sky, she began to create humans from clay. For each person she created, she took a grain of sand to count. Eventually, the sand formed a huge stone, which she placed by the Ling River in the Western Heaven. This stone, having existed since the beginning of the world and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, gradually became imbued with spiritual energy.

After countless years, a loud noise echoed from the sky, and a stone shot up into the clouds, piercing the sky hole, as if it intended to break through the heavens. Nüwa looked up in shock and saw that the stone, after absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, had become top-heavy and stood upright, capable of supporting the sky. It had a fantastical appearance and had grown two divine patterns, dividing it into three sections, each with the intention of swallowing the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Nüwa quickly cast a soul-sealing spell to seal the stone. Thinking that after creating humans, the only thing missing was a deity of marriage and reincarnation, she designated the stone as the Three Lives Stone, granting it the Three Lives Spell and naming its three sections as the past life, present life, and future life. She also added a line of marriage, extending from the present life to the future life.

To better control its demonic nature, Nüwa, after much deliberation, placed the Three Lives Stone at the Ghost Gate by the River of Forgetfulness, where it would oversee the three lifetimes of marriage and reincarnation. When the stone stood upright, its divine power shone brightly, and those seeking marriage and reincarnation came in an endless stream.

It was unknown what great changes had occurred in the underworld, but now, there were no ghosts worshiping before the Three Lives Stone.

Xingkui approached and saw that the Three Lives Stone was a crystal wall three zhang, three chi, and three cun tall, with two divine patterns dividing it into three sections, each with a different color: yellow, red, and blue.

The three colors intertwined, creating a beautiful and dazzling rainbow light.

In the light, Xingkui's past, present, and future should have been visible, but a layer of darkness obscured everything, making it impossible to see. Xingkui only felt a familiar sensation washing over him like a wave.

"How can this be? There's nothing!" Xingkui looked at the shimmering, colorful crystal in surprise.

"Damn it!" Xingkui, filled with anger, punched the Three Lives Stone hard.

*Boom*

The crystal wall of the Three Lives Stone suddenly trembled, and the rainbow light enveloped Xingkui, throwing him a hundred meters away.

Xingkui got up, disheveled and disbelieving, staring at the Three Lives Stone.

"No way, has the Three Lives Stone become a demon? Could the legend be true? It's too monstrous!"

Xingkui cautiously approached, afraid that the Three Lives Stone would suddenly envelop him and throw him out again. He slowly circled around to the back of the stone.

The back of the Three Lives Stone presented a different scene. Unlike the front, it was chaotic and undifferentiated, as if to illustrate the principles of yin and yang. What shocked the ghosts was that there were inscriptions on the back, surrounded by a mysterious aura and a profound power.

"An old friend has died, a single obsession remains. Searching high and low, through heaven and hell. Disrupting yin and yang, moving the cycle of reincarnation, all to reverse death and return to life! Who is so powerful, daring to deface the Three Lives Stone?"

Xingkui read, unable to understand the profundity of the inscriptions. His eyes darted around, and when he saw that no ghosts were paying attention, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"Hehe."

"Xingkui was here!"

Xingkui dipped his finger in his saliva and then wrote six large, prominent characters on the back of the Three Lives Stone.

"Throwing me around, huh?"

A gentleman avenges a wrong after ten years; a petty person does it the same night. After leaving his mark, Xingkui walked confidently toward the Platform of Longing.

After Xingkui had walked far away, the Three Lives Stone suddenly trembled, and a rainbow light burst forth. The six large characters written in Xingkui's saliva were etched three inches deep into the stone, emitting a mysterious aura, like a six-character mantra!

Suddenly, strange runes appeared on the undifferentiated back of the stone. The runes were elegant, recording the secrets of the universe, suppressing the Three Lives Stone. However, now, the six-character mantra "Xingkui was here" surrounded by a mysterious aura, collided with the elegant runes.

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom* The dark sky rumbled, and many powerful ghosts in the underworld looked up.

"Strange..."

A handsome young man in a green robe walked out of his study, looked up at the sky, and frowned, occasionally flipping through a book and muttering to himself.

*Snap*

The book closed, with the cover bearing three black characters: "The Book of Life and Death"!

In the Hall of Impermanence, the dimly lit hall was lit by a few flickering candles, revealing a tall, slender figure in a white robe, with a face as pale as powder, lips as red as blood, and a long, red tongue hanging to his chest. He held a white mourning stick and wore a tall hat with "Prosperity at First Sight" on the front and "You're Here Too" on the back.

He was one of the Ten Great Generals of the Underworld, the Impermanence Ghost, White Impermanence!

"Is what you say true?" White Impermanence asked, his sharp voice echoing in the hall.

"Absolutely true!" A ghost holding a jade tablet stood respectfully at the bottom of the steps, answering firmly. It was Song Jing, who had just escorted Xingkui.

"Hmm... I will investigate this matter personally. You focus on your duties and don't worry about other things," White Impermanence said calmly.

"Yes." Song Jing bowed and glanced at the contemplative White Impermanence, sensing the terrifying power concealed in his tall, slender figure.

Should I report the matter of the virtuous soul to Lord White Imperman? Song Jing thought of Xingkui.

At that moment, a beautiful female ghost walked out from the side hall. Song Jing recognized her as Lady Impermanence, the wife of his superior, White Impermanence. It was said that she was originally a headless ghost, but the origin of her beautiful head was unknown.

"White, there's thunder in the sky outside the hall," Lady Impermanence whispered in White Impermanence's ear.

"Oh?" White Impermanence's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Could it be that the soul collector has brought back another ghost?"

"No." Lady Impermanence shook her head and spoke softly, but Song Jing could no longer hear her.

"You may leave now." White Impermanence waved his hand.

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Song Jing's eyes flickered, and he slowly retreated. However, after leaving the Hall of Impermanence, he heard the thunder in the sky and looked up, his expression serious.

"Is the underworld really about to change? It's unlikely... With the Ten Kings of Hell in charge, who could cause a storm?"

Xingkui, the instigator, was completely unaware of the situation. He looked up at the sky, puzzled, and muttered to himself, "Is it going to rain? No, that's not right. The underworld has no sun, so how can there be rain? Indeed, in a place like the underworld, the laws of the mortal world cannot explain everything."

The collision between the six-character mantra and the elegant runes was nearing its end. The two forces intertwined, and invisible lightning traveled through the crystal stone into the ground, then from the ground, it was transmitted to the sky in a strange way, producing the rolling thunder.

In the end, the six-character mantra triumphed. The elegant runes were too ancient, and the power of the Three Lives Stone had been eroded over time, leaving it with little strength. Now, it was finally worn down by the six-character mantra.

The moment the elegant runes were worn down and disappeared, the Three Lives Stone seemed to tremble with pleasure. *Dong* It was as if the heavens were being split open, and the chaotic back of the stone suddenly showed two divine patterns, dividing it into red, yellow, and blue sections.

The six-character mantra "Xingkui was here" disappeared, leaving only "Xingkui" floating below the poem: "An old friend has died, a single obsession remains. Searching high and low, through heaven and hell. Disrupting yin and yang, moving the cycle of reincarnation, all to reverse death and return to life!"

It seemed like a signature, indicating that the poem was originally written by Xingkui...

Xingkui was completely unaware of the changes in the Three Lives Stone. He had already reached the base of the Platform of Longing, his expression complex. Xingkui had few friends in the mortal world and had little to be attached to. He just wanted to see who had buried his body.

This favor must be repaid!

Repaying kindness was Xingkui's principle!

The Platform of Longing, built by King Yama out of compassion for the souls being reborn, had a unique structure, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a bow-like shape. There was only a narrow stone path, surrounded by treacherous cliffs and sword trees, making it extremely dangerous. The Platform of Longing possessed a mysterious power, allowing one to see the seven continents and four oceans from its top.

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