Chapter 2177: Grandmother Meng
Chapter 2177: Grandmother Meng
Just what was going on with that doomsday scene?
In my previous world, I was just a shut-in keyboard warrior. I’ve only seen things like that in movies before.
No, movies would never be that realistic. It was as if I saw it with my own eyes.
He also thought about that mysterious giant statue calling him an old friend, and how Mi Li always refused to go into detail.
Was I really just a shut-in keyboard warrior in my previous world?
Just then, the Black Guard of Impermanence said, “You are now a Naihe Oblivion Ferryman acknowledged by Hell, so these Red Spider Lilies will naturally have little effect on you. So you have no need to worry too much.”
Zu An forced a smile and set aside his confusion for now. They continued to walk along the path with Red Spider Lilies when he suddenly felt a sense of recognition.
That’s right, Big Manman has a diagram of this flower right on her lower back!
She hadn't had it before, but after they came out of that great tomb and she received the power of the Paramita Butterfly, whenever she was stirred emotionally, like when she kissed Zu An, the image of the Red Spider Lily appeared on her lower back. Whenever Big Manman was lying down on her stomach, Zu An had seen it clearly. It was identical to these flowers, but the image on Big Manman’s waist was even more gorgeous.
Could it be that the Paramita Butterfly has some kind of connection with Hell?
Zu An felt a sense of foreboding. After all, this wasn’t a place that the living could visit.
He inquired, “Brothers Black and White, do you two know about any connection between a black butterfly and the Red Spider Lilies?”
“Black butterfly?” The Black Guard of Impermanence shook his head. “There is a legend related to a black butterfly, but I have never heard of anyone truly seeing it before. It is probably just a rumor that got more and more out of hand.”
“What kind of legend is it?” Zu An hurriedly asked.
“It just mentions…” The Black Guard of Impermanence was about to reply when the White Guard of Impermanence interrupted him. “Brother Zu, you will learn about these things in the future. Knowing about too many of these things too early will not be good for you.”
The Black Guard of Impermanence seemed to have realized that as well and reflexively nodded. “That is right. There is no need to explain this type of thing now. It will only increase karmic hindrance.”
Zu An was now getting more and more curious, but even after trying to make indirect inquiries several times, he saw that they still remained silent on the matter, so he could only give up on the thought for now. He looked at the seemingly-endless large mountain ahead of him and couldn't help but ask, “Sirs, what is going on with the mountain up ahead? Why do I feel as if, even though we’ve already walked for so long, we still can’t see the end of it at all?”
When they saw that he didn’t continue to ask about the black butterfly, the Black and White Guards of Impermanence released a breath of relief. The Black Guard of Impermanence replied, “That is Yin Mountain, and Hell only has this single mountain. Yin Mountain and the Naihe Oblivion River are incarnations of the world’s various laws. They are extremely mysterious and sacred.”
“Right, didn’t you ask about the Skin-Flaying Hell before? Actually, the eighteen layers of Hell are all behind Yin Mountain,” replied the White Guard of Impermanence.
“Behind Yin Mountain?” Zu An repeated in surprise.
The eighteen layers of hell are real!
Still, since even the Black and White Guards of Impermanence and Ox Head Horse Face were real, it wasn’t all that strange for Hell to really have them.
Then, after the Black and White Guards of Impermanence’s explanations, he gained a rough understanding. The so-called eighteen layers of hell weren’t one floor under another, but rather different locations to punish evil ghosts differently for different crimes. Many of the hells had more than ten smaller hells beneath them. For example, the Skin-Flaying Hell was one of the sixteen smaller hells within the Screaming Hell. The most unendurable place was the Continuous Hell, which was also called the Hell of Ceaseless Pain. The ones locked up inside were all those who had lived the most reprehensible lives. Normal hells were insufficient to push them for their wrongdoings, so they needed to be in the Continuous Hell. They endured all sorts of punishments from the other hells without a moment of rest, so that was why it was called the Continuous Hell.
When he looked at the majestic Yin Mountain, Zu An felt more and more curious. He even wanted to take a look around himself.
Just then, the strange red color gradually faded. Their group had already unknowingly arrived at the Yellow Springs Path.
A palace appeared before them. Zu An had seen his fair share of palaces, from the human side to the fiend side; later, he had even seen the Dragon Palace. They all had their unique specialties. However, the trait they all shared was that they were all splendorous and majestic. But simple adjectives didn’t match the palace before him at all. The entire palace was shrouded in a layer of dark and dim tones. Just a look from a distance would make one tremble, likely due to the natural fear souls of the deceased felt toward the kings of Hell.
Zu An noticed an elevated platform that held a slab of rock similar to a mirror. It was most likely the Mirror of Evil stage that was used to reveal one’s past good and evil deeds from when they were alive, which the guards of impermanence had mentioned.
I wonder if I’ve done more good or evil in this life of mine…
He thought of himself as still being a rather good person, but the number of creatures who had died under his hands was vast. Additionally, he had heard the guards of impermanence frequently mention that especially lustful individuals had a hell specifically for punishing them. That was definitely not something he had ever been especially careful about, and strictly speaking, he was actually quite the repeat offender.
Even so, he quickly became focused again. He saved the people who needed to be saved, loved the people he loved, and had a clear conscience, so why did he have to be so overcautious and fear the Mirror of Evil’s trial? With that thought, he immediately felt more relaxed. There was even a bit of natural grace that surrounded him, becoming more and more concentrated over time.
The White and Black Guards of Impermanence immediately sighed with emotion. “Brother Zu really is quite extraordinary. Normal souls tend to be so scared they break down in fear in front of the Hall of King Qin Guang and can barely stand straight. To be honest with you, when we brothers first came here, even though we weren’t that unsightly, we were still quite scared and anxious. We were nowhere near as calm as brother Zu, who has even managed to resonate with the natural laws of the underworld.”
They were starting to feel more and more confident that their investment of friendship here was going to be worth it. Their future prospects in the underworld would definitely be limitless.
Zu An spoke some humble words in return. When he saw the Guards of Impermanence were leading him off to the side, however, he was stunned. “Are we not going inside the Hall of King Qin Guang?”
The White Guard of Impermanence chuckled and said, “You aren’t a rogue soul and are a proper member of underworld society. Why would you need to be questioned in the Hall of Qin Guang? We’ll first bring you to the Naihe Oblivion River for your appointment. Once you’ve settled and adapted to your work, you can find some time to pay your respects to the respective kings’ palaces.”
Zu An was surprised and used the chance to ask, “Are the ten kings of Hell the highest-ranked ones in this underworld?”
“That is not quite the case.” The Black Guard of Impermanence shook his head. “Above the ten kings of hell are the five ghost emperors. But the five emperors normally do not involve themselves with the concrete affairs of the underworld.”
“Could I ask what these five ghost emperors are called?” Zu An asked, nodding inwardly. The leaders of the highest level only needed to think about the overall plan. He just hadn’t expected there to be more individuals above the kings of Hell.
The White Guard of Impermanence’s expression changed. “Brother Zu may not know, but in the future, whether it is inside the underworld or other places, you cannot willfully ask about the taboo names of some beings. Once those names are spoken, if you are not strong enough, you will only incur tremendous harm.”
“Thank you for your reminder, brother White.” Zu An had already experienced these kinds of things several times. He hadn’t expected the five ghost emperors to also be among such powerful beings.
When he saw that Zu An heeded his advice, the White Guard of Impermanence’s expression eased a bit. “Above the five ghost emperors are two transcendent beings. They are individuals who cannot be mentioned directly.”
Zu An shivered. The five ghost emperors at least had a way to refer to them collectively, and yet those two above them couldn't even be mentioned like that. It seemed they were quite a bit more powerful than the five ghost emperors.
The Black Guard of Impermanence said, “Brother Zu, we can be considered kindred spirits during this journey, so there is no harm in telling you about some individuals that you might come into contact with. If we do not mention them now, you should not ask about them to avoid bringing harm onto yourself.”
Zu An cupped his hands. “Thank you, brother Black! I will listen with respectful attention!”
The Black Guard of Impermanence then said, “Apart from the ten kings’ halls, there are also the Ministry of Reincarnation, Ministry of Judgment, Ministry of Inferno, and the Ten Great Ghostly Officials.”
“The Ministry of Reincarnation is managed by Grandmother Meng. She manages the Bridge of Helplessness. All departed spirits who wish to enter the cycle of reincarnation must pass through the Bridge of Helplessness and drink Grandmother Meng’s soup to wash away memories from their previous life.
“You and Grandmother Meng actually share an origin. You are in charge of ferrying souls into Hell, while she is in charge of sending souls back out.”
Zu An was inwardly nodding along when he heard Grandmother Meng’s introduction. It was similar to the mythology of his previous world. But when he heard what they said after, his expression immediately froze.
Wait, that mysterious giant statue said that there was someone in the Naihe Oblivion River who shared great karma with me. Don’t tell me it’s this Grandmother Meng?