Chapter 2

Zhang Kedao turned and silently recited the Daoist classics: "The way of heaven, is it not like the stretching of a bow? It lowers what is high, and raises what is low; it takes from those who have too much, and gives to those who have too little... The way of heaven, takes from those who have too much and gives to those who have too little."

He had already discovered that the Netherworld was different from the human world, and even the ordinary "Qingxin Jue" had brought him immense benefits.

Shouldn't the famous sayings of the Daoist patriarch, who once displayed supernatural powers, be even more extraordinary?

He decided to give it a try, as there was nothing to lose.

Zhang Kedao hovered at the edge of the gray mist formation, watching the rooster that had lost many of its feathers, its tail bald, stagger drunkenly toward him. He was about to rise and pounce onto the rooster's back to secure a spot.

Suddenly, the yellow-feathered rooster stood still, spreading its legs as if it were uncomfortable with the sand and water on its body. It then suddenly spread its wings and shook its entire body.

The two dark figures, clearly not expecting this, were unable to withstand the violent shaking and were thrown out.

The whirlwind of dust stirred up by the rooster's wings made it impossible for the dark figures to stand. One rolled into the mist formation, while the other tumbled toward the river.

Seizing the moment when the rooster folded its wings, Zhang Kedao pounced onto its back, straddling it firmly and hugging the rooster's neck. Through observation, he realized that this enchanted rooster would not attack the wandering souls trying to hitch a ride.

Those two dark figures had probably been waiting for such an opportunity under the pavilion.

Unfortunately, their plans did not go as expected. They had climbed aboard for free but were mercilessly thrown off by the rooster's unexpected move.

The bald-tailed golden rooster took large strides, "clucking" as it charged forward at breakneck speed, looking incredibly majestic in Zhang Kedao's eyes!

A palm shadow from behind arrived too late, missing its target, accompanied by a long-drawn-out scolding: "Scram!"

Zhang Kedao tightly hugged the rooster's neck, continuously reciting: "...The way of man is different; it takes from those who have too little to serve those who have too much... Who can take from those who have too much to serve those who have too little? Only the one who follows the Dao."

"The weak overcome the strong, the soft overcome the hard. All under heaven know this, but none can put it into practice."

The howling wind seemed to suddenly recede, and the up-and-down jolts no longer made him uncomfortable.

Zhang Kedao secretly rejoiced. The famous sayings of the Daoist patriarch, passed down for thousands of years, had unexpected wonders in the Netherworld. Otherwise, he would not have been able to hold on for long and would have been thrown off the rooster or swept away by the bone-chilling wind.

After all, he was not the person the golden rooster was meant to carry back to life.

The rooster allowed him to hitch a ride, but it did not care about his comfort or his negative experience.

The two figures had chosen to hide in the rooster's feathers for a reason; it was all based on experience.

Faintly, Zhang Kedao heard a subtle soul-calling voice from within the rooster: "Disciple... come back!"

The middle name was unclear, perhaps due to the severed tail feathers or for some other reason.

Zhang Kedao dared not be distracted and continued to recite the Daoist classics.

The scenery in his field of vision changed, the long line of wandering souls disappeared, and eerie mountain mists appeared. The golden rooster ran up a rugged mountain path, climbing higher and higher, and a jagged, black cave entrance appeared ahead.

"That is... the Ghost Gate!"

Zhang Kedao's knowledge of the Netherworld far exceeded that of the general public. He immediately recognized it as the exit to the living world.

He was suddenly filled with excitement. Finally, he was about to escape this hellish place.

A black, two-headed monster suddenly appeared from the darkness, blocking the exit. The two large heads bared their fangs, their dark red eyes emitting a fierce and brutal aura, staring at the rooster that continued to charge forward undeterred.

Zhang Kedao clung tightly to the rooster's neck, determined not to let go.

Suddenly, he noticed that the soul-calling voice had disappeared, and the rooster's luster was rapidly fading.

This was a shocking realization, sending chills down his spine. Had the spellcaster given up?

His consciousness, in his soul state, raced. No, he could not leave it to fate. There must be a way to get through the Ghost Gate, and he had to do something.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao."

"The name that can be named is not the eternal name."

Zhang Kedao silently recited the opening lines of the famous Daoist text, the "Tao Te Ching."

Faced with a major crisis beyond his capabilities and in a perilous place not of this world, a flash of inspiration struck him.

To save himself, he had to recite the scriptures to the end, starting from the beginning.

His name, "Kedao," was given to him by a high-ranking Daoist whom his grandfather had invited with great gifts.

His generation was the "Ke" generation, and the Daoist had spent three days in meditation, burning incense and calculating, finally choosing the second "Dao" from the opening line of the "Tao Te Ching" and mysteriously saying that "Kedao" would have unexpected wonders in the future.

Zhang Kedao, at the age of thirty, had never discovered any wonders in his name "Kedao."

Instead, since junior high school, classmates who had read a few fantasy novels had called him "Dao Kedao" or "Zhang the Seer," which continued through college. Initially, he was embarrassed and angry, but later he accepted it calmly, and despite the ups and downs, he had never had a girlfriend to hold during the New Year, which was quite tragic.

At this moment, he could only hope that the Daoist patriarch would take pity on him for his name "Kedao" and help him through the Ghost Gate.

"Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth; named, the mother of all things. Therefore, always without desire, one observes its subtleties..."

Zhang Kedao had never recited the Daoist scriptures with such devotion, praying for a chance from the heavens.

The intonation was melodious, the words like a stream of pearls, flowing over his thin, shrinking figure, with a very unique and calming effect, immediately noticeable.

Faced with the fierce two-headed monster, he was no longer panicked.

The luster on the rooster's feathers dimmed and dispersed, revealing a jade-like yellow paper texture, and its running pace gradually slowed.

A faint golden light appeared around Zhang Kedao as he recited the fourth line, gradually merging into his figure, and the soul-black mist from his body seeped into the weakening golden rooster.

When he recited "to observe its subtleties," the rooster's body glowed with a golden light, and its speed suddenly increased to its fastest.

Zhang Kedao had entered a unique Daoist realm, taking control of the rooster beneath him without any joy or sorrow.

Even when he saw the unusual golden light, he remained calm and composed.

"Whoosh," the fearless rooster charged at the two-headed monster, its wings spread wide, and its neck feathers fluffed up. Seizing the moment when the monster was stunned by the rooster's momentum, it leaped up and viciously pecked the left eye of the monster's foremost head.

The attack was swift and accurate, and the peck was successful.

"Aaauuugh..."

The monster's eye was injured, and two clumps of black fur were torn off. In pain, it retreated to the side.

As Zhang Kedao recited "the mysterious and profound, the gateway to all wonders," the rooster flapped its wings and flew forward into the dark, abyss-like Ghost Gate, about to escape to the living world. Suddenly, the monster's other head lunged out and bit the rooster's wing.

The rooster's flight was halted mid-air.

Zhang Kedao had just finished reciting the first chapter of the "Tao Te Ching" and was about to start the second chapter, but he was interrupted and could not continue, perhaps due to a lack of breath or some other reason.

He came out of the unique realm and hurriedly called out: "Charge quickly!"

In his soul state, he could smell the foul breath of the monstrous creature close by, with an ugly, wrinkled dog face!

The crooked dog mouth was still dripping saliva, truly disgusting!

...