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Chapter 562 Incense Ashes Like the Sea
The six surnames originated from Changshui County, a place at the junction of Huangming Zhengzhou and Qin and Jin provinces.

They were originally a prominent clan in the area, and over hundreds of years, they had become a major family in the region.

A century ago, the "Heshun Prefecture," where Changshui County was located, was in turmoil caused by the Shenshui Religion.

They worship the "Water Goddess" and use "divine water" to cure diseases and exorcise evil spirits.

Gradually, it evolved into the idea that "one can go a day without hunger by drinking a bowl of divine water instead of three meals a day."

At that time, Heshun Prefecture had a total of seven counties. Apart from Changshui County, the Shenshui Sect had already swept through the other six counties.

Because of the existence of the six surnames, the people of Changshui County were at least able to have enough to eat, so no one believed in that damned "Divine Water Cult".

However, the Divine Water Sect suddenly killed officials and rebelled, and was suppressed and destroyed by the imperial court in just three months.

The imperial court beheaded 1,700 high-ranking members of the Divine Water Sect.

The remaining 300,000 captured believers were all exiled to Jiaozhi (Vietnam) to work on the construction of a canal.

Unfortunately, Changshui County was also dragged into it.

Two hundred thousand people from the county were conscripted for river works!

The magistrate of Changshui County wrote to the imperial court, stating that there were no bandits in Changshui County. Moreover, when the Shenshui Sect swept through Heshun Prefecture, the local militia of Changshui County, organized by the Six Clans, climbed the city walls and fought alongside the imperial troops to protect the county and prevent it from being breached by the rebel army.

He was a meritorious official.

However, this memorial was never received.

The Grand Secretary at the time, Xu Ge, was from Yuancheng in Shanxi Province, and the Minister of War, Xia Yanghuai, was from Fenyang in Shanxi Province.

The six families pleaded and appealed, but no one in the court dared to speak up for justice.

Left with no other choice, the six families had to lead their fellow villagers to Jiaozhi to open up the river.

Grandpa Shen led Xu Yuan onto that sea of ​​incense ash.

Footprints were left on the incense ash.

Xu Yuan suddenly sensed something and turned to look at the mountain peaks to the west.

A colossal figure suddenly appeared on the mountaintop.

It doesn't "stand" on the mountaintop, because it is even more magnificent and imposing than the mountain.

Connecting heaven and earth, suppressing the world.

It simply "exists" there—it exists throughout the entire Ghost Witch Mountain.

When it appears, everyone will understand in that instant that the entire Ghost Witch Mountain belongs to it.

Even the entire Kochi region should have belonged to it.

The sea of ​​incense ash in this valley and this ancestral hall are like a scar branded on its body.

It is something that comes from abroad.

Countless strange things were writhing around the edge of that figure, yet it was impossible to tell what they were.

"Hmph!" Old Master Shen snorted coldly and said, "Don't bother with it. It's been watching us like this for over a hundred years. We can't do anything about it, and it can't do anything about us either!"

Xu Yuan nodded, stepped over the incense ash, and arrived at the ancestral hall.

A unique fragrance lingered in my nostrils.

It seems to contain a blend of pine resin, cypress branches, cinnabar, and other scents, fresh yet not overpowering.

It makes one feel refreshed and clear-headed, and strengthens one's resolve.

Grandpa Shen walked to the gate and pushed it open—

His wrinkled, aged hands passed right through the two doors.

But the black lacquered door only hesitated for a moment before it was "pushed open" with a loud rumble.

Xu Yuan followed him inside, with Aunt Wang and Uncle Mao following behind him.

We passed through the ceremonial gate and the sacrificial hall, all the way to the sleeping quarters at the very back.

Xu Yuan was stunned.

On the altar in the sleeping quarters, the ancestral tablets are enshrined... layer upon layer, densely packed, piled up from bottom to top, forming a mountain!
Xu Yuan looked up—it was so high that he couldn't see the end of it!

Grandpa Shen said solemnly, "Ah Yuan, what is enshrined here are the ancestral tablets of all the river workers from that riot, as well as their ancestors."

More than a million!

Xu Yuan immediately became solemn.

Dozens of red papers, each two feet long and palm-width wide, were pasted on the vermilion pillars on both sides.

Each sheet contains the name and birth date of the newborn child in Hegong Lane.

The bottom one has Xu Yuan's name written on it.

Grandpa Shen lit incense, bowed respectfully, and then placed the three incense sticks in the incense burner under the altar.

The incense burner is both real and illusory.

The three incense sticks remained suspended in the void.

Grandpa Shen lit incense for Xu Yuan again and said, "A-Yuan, offer incense to our ancestors!"

"Yes."

Xu Yuan solemnly responded, held the incense sticks in front of his forehead with both hands, knelt down respectfully and bowed three times, then stood up and offered incense.

The moment the three incense sticks were inserted into the "incense burner," Xu Yuan felt a guiding force emanating from it.

It's like inhaling and drawing in.

As soon as Xu Yuan let go, the three incense sticks, just like those of Grandpa Shen, lingered in the void.

"Come on," Grandpa Shen patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder, "Take your own invitation."

Grandpa Shen came to a pillar and peeled off a red paper with his name and birth date written on it.

Xu Yuan also learned to peel off his own.

Then, Grandpa Shen led him around the mountain-like shrine to a small door at the back.

The small door is quite peculiar.

It's clearly a double door, but only one door panel was installed.

There is only one hinge, but it is installed in the middle.

The door panel was on the left side of the hinge, closing the left half of the door.

There was no door on the right side, but it was a deep and dark place, and it was impossible to see what was inside.

Grandpa Shen took off his shoes in front of the door and turned the right shoe upside down.

He then stuck the red paper on his forehead: "Our ancestors are old, and many of them are from a different generation than us. They won't recognize us without this."

Then he pushed the door open and went inside.

As soon as he pushed the door open, it spun around the hinge, and after he went inside, the door panel returned to its left position.

Xu Yuan then followed Grandpa Shen's example, took off his shoes at the door, turned his right shoe inside out, and stuck a red paper on his forehead.

Then he took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and went inside.

As if he had fallen in, Xu Yuan involuntarily stepped inside the door the moment his hand touched it.

In an instant, Xu Yuan felt as if he was no longer in the mortal world.

Before them lay a dark and deep path, with nothing visible on either side.

But Xu Yuan always had a feeling that if he took a wrong step, there would be bottomless abysses on both sides!
Grandpa Shen's figure was right in front of them, and his voice came: "Below is the Yanzhuo River. Originally, there was no river in the three realms of Yang, Zhuo, and Yin. It was only after evil spirits spread everywhere that this river suddenly appeared."

Some say this river was transformed from the celestial river after it fell into evil, but we don't know if that's true or not.

But you must never slip and fall, for if you do, even a first-rate person will never be able to climb back up—you will only transform into an evil spirit that may emerge from some unknown place in the mortal world!

Xu Yuan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked down:
But then I was so startled that my whole body tensed up!

The narrow path underfoot had transformed into an even narrower and more slippery log bridge!
"Grandpa!" Xu Yuan couldn't help but call out. As soon as he did, the log bridge beneath his feet changed again, and there was only one rope left!

He stood on the rope, feeling himself trembling up and down, and a cold, damp wind blowing up from the "Yanzhuo River" below!
I was so excited that I almost couldn't stand up!

It was as if one could vaguely see that deep below, turbid, blood-like waves were constantly churning!
Grandpa Shen shouted sternly, "Don't overthink it!"

"Here, one's appearance reflects one's heart!"

Xu Yuan immediately raised his head, forcibly suppressing the fear and unease in his heart, while imagining a broad and prosperous road beneath his feet.

And so, everything disappeared.

The Yanzhuo River is no longer visible, and the damp, cold winds no longer blow.

Xu Yuan took a few steps forward, as steady as the ground.

But Aunt Wang and Uncle Mao were nowhere to be seen.

Aren't my aunt and fourth uncle coming in?

……

Outside that door, Grandpa Shen and Xu Yuan stood there with their eyes closed, completely lifeless, like two stone statues.

Aunt Wang and Uncle Mao guarded the two bodies.

……

Xu Yuan walked for an unknown distance when he suddenly heard some voices.

Then the voices immediately became noisy and numerous.

It was clearly human voices, but Xu Yuan just couldn't understand what they were saying.

Xu Yuan felt an itch in his ear canal from listening to it.

The itch was getting stronger and stronger, and Xu Yuan knew he couldn't scratch it.

But the itch started spreading from the ear canal to the rest of the body.

Xu Yuan even felt something rapidly growing out of his ear canal!
Those were countless tentacles, like wild grass or cow horns, extending outward from the ear canals. They were part of one's own body, allowing one's "perception" to spread further outward!
This increased sensory distance allowed Xu Yuan to touch something, and for a moment he seemed to see that he was in an extremely crowded space.

A narrow path, crowded with all sorts of eerie sights on both sides, with countless eyes staring at him!
Xu Yuan was startled and hurriedly tried to withdraw his senses—but his senses were stuck by some kind of force.

Those eyeballs slid down following their own senses—

Then suddenly I noticed the red paper on Xu Yuan's forehead.

In an instant, countless voices began to speak at once, and this time Xu Yuan understood: "The Xu family, the Xu family..."

"One of our own."

“They are our younger generation…”

So those eyeballs released Xu Yuan's perception and returned the way they came.

And the voices that had made Xu Yuan itch from his ears to his whole body also disappeared.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Xu Yuan's itching stopped.

The tentacle-like things that had grown out of the ears also retracted.

Xu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A hazy green light gradually appeared ahead, and Grandpa Shen's voice came: "We've arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light that was previously some distance away suddenly appeared in front of him, and Xu Yuan's vision cleared up.

He found himself standing on a ship.

The boat was old and dilapidated, only about ten feet long, and no different from any other ferry boat on a small river.

A thick iron chain, rusted and worn, lay across the top of the ship.

The chain was extremely long, one end extending into the dark void, the other end fastened to a pitch-black cliff. Each link of the chain was bound with rags or hair.

Some had jet-black hair, some had dry, yellow hair, and some had gray hair.

The rags were clearly torn directly from clothes, and they were colorful, but most of them were dark brown.

The power of time seems unable to penetrate this place; these things still retain their original colors.

Although the original colors were not bright either.

The chains were already heavy, and with these things added, they sank heavily into the river.

The high cliff was surrounded by a misty haze, a mixture of black and gray, with an inexplicable, eerie glow flickering around it.

The massive mountain cleaved the river and reached the sky, stretching endlessly backward.

Xu Yuan and Grandpa Shen came out from the awning of the boat.

The sound of waves came from below the boat. Xu Yuan looked down and saw that the river water was incredibly clear, and he could see the bottom of the river at a glance.

But the bottom of the river turned out to be another world!
In that world, there is a long road that stretches as far as the eye can see, with countless palaces spread out above the mountains, one after another, endlessly. But because they are so far away, they are no longer clearly visible.

Many people on the street were walking in a hurry, but their faces were full of confusion.

Occasionally, one can see officials dressed in black and white uniforms escorting prisoners in shackles and chains.

Xu Yuan suddenly felt something and looked up.

The sky was also crystal clear, and above it lay another world.

That world was somewhat similar to the mortal world, but it was even more desolate and dilapidated, with all sorts of evil spirits crawling in and out.

In the distance lies a small county town, and further away, the peaks of Guiwu Mountain can be faintly seen.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Where is this...?"

Lin Wanmo scolded, "Grandpa, why did you bring A-Yuan here so early?"

Lin Wanmo stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the high cliff.

But when Xu Yuan looked at her, he felt that his stepmother seemed to be in a different state than he and Uncle Shen.

Grandpa Shen explained from the side, "Xiao Mo came in his real body, while we came in as spirits—it's not time yet. We'll all have to come in our real bodies on the Ghost Festival."

He then explained to Lin Wanmo, "It's about time we let A-Yuan come in and take a look."

Xu Yuan asked, "What exactly is this place?"

“This place…” said Grandpa Shen, “is the junction between the turbid world and the underworld.”

Below lies the Yellow Springs Road of the Underworld, ending at Mount Luofeng. However, after the great changes in the mortal world, with evil spirits everywhere, Mount Luofeng has somehow been altered.

Originally, the end of the Yellow Springs Road was the 'Zhou Jue Yin Tian Palace', but now it has been replaced by the 'Gan Si Lian Wan Lu Tian Palace'.

As for the one mentioned above, you'll definitely recognize him; he's Zhuojian from Shanhe County.

Xu Yuan frowned, his mind filled with questions, but he chose the one that seemed the strangest: "The border?"

Xu Yuan had never been to the underworld, but he had been to the turbid realm.

Although the world of the living and the world of the dead are separated from each other, there is no "intermediate layer".

Lin Wanmo glanced back at Xu Yuan, then pointed towards the high cliff: "This space exists because the divine corpse is trapped here..."

"A divine corpse?!" Xu Yuan immediately looked towards that high cliff again.

Lin Wanmo said, "Back then, during the River Workers' Uprising, although we were unstoppable and captured most of Jiaozhi, the imperial army was escorted by the navy and sailed down the canal. The rebels were powerless to resist us."

Xu Yuan remained silent.

The vast network of canals was like the lifeblood of the dynasty.

It can deliver the power of the empire to every corner of the dynasty in the shortest possible time.

Even if a section of the canal is blocked, it won't matter, because the imperial court can easily reopen it.

The canal network is already in place; blocking one or two sections cannot negate this overwhelming advantage.

Moreover, blocking the canal would cause flooding, killing innocent people in the vicinity.

"Therefore, our ancestors had no choice but to negotiate with the imperial court and try their best to obtain favorable terms."

"Our ancestors accepted the imperial court's order to enter Ghost Mountain and annihilate Lord Ruan Tian."

"Ruan Tianye's strength is well known; this is a gamble with his life on the line."

"The reason why our ancestors dared to gamble, feeling that there was still a sliver of a chance of winning, was because they accidentally discovered this place and that divine corpse."

Lin Wanmo reached out and grabbed the iron chain, pulling the small boat with all his might.

The old boat broke through the water and headed towards the high cliff.

However, when he got closer to three thousand feet, Xu Yuan felt the contamination on his body increase rapidly.

Lin Wanmo also stopped: "We can't get any closer. Take a closer look."

From a distance, Xu Yuan could only see a towering cliff stretching endlessly.

Moreover, some black mist lingered around the high cliff, making it difficult to see clearly.

Now that they were closer, Xu Yuan could see clearly that the eerie light flashing on the high cliff seemed to be some kind of so-called "supernatural power".

Even from thousands of feet away, Xu Yuan could still sense its power.

However, having fallen into this realm, it has likely been transformed into a powerful "devious technique."

Some parts of the cliff may appear to be just uneven surfaces, but upon closer inspection, they may resemble the divine armor, artifacts, or even... divine limbs of the gods of yesteryear.

But Xu Yuan still felt puzzled: "If a divine corpse fell into this place, the contamination should be far more than this, right?"

Lin Wanmo nodded and pointed to the river: "Because of the pollution here, most of it has been dissolved by this water."

After a pause, Lin Wanmo said in a nasal voice, "This river water is the tears of a million river workers across three lifetimes!"
Those river workers from back then, if they were reincarnated, would be born without tears.

She tapped the chain again: "Each of them left a piece of cloth from their clothes, a lock of hair from their head, and... a piece of skin from their palm on this chain!"

Xu Yuan was taken aback: "These rust marks..."

“That’s right, those aren’t rust marks, they’re the marks left by the dried skin of our ancestors’ palms on the iron chains!” Lin Wanmo said with deep respect, “The will of a million people is united here, which is why we, the sinners of the six surnames, have been able to retain this last glimmer of hope to eliminate Lord Ruan Tian!”

Xu Yuan fell silent.

Lin Wanmo continued, "The beginning of that battle was that a million river workers each held a stick of incense, wept blood, kowtowed, and prayed to their ancestors."

As long as they are still in the underworld and still receiving offerings from their descendants, they have all been invited out.

Their names are all on those divine tablets.

These ancestral spirits, along with the will of all the river workers, together formed the 'Changshui Six Surnames Ancestral Hall'!
It is supported by a sea of ​​incense ash, not within the three rooms, but floating outside the 'Lingxiao' (heavenly sky), connected only to this room!

Even Lord Ruan Tian can't do anything to our ancestral hall!
But these methods cannot kill Master Ruan.

The ancestors' plan was to imbue this divine corpse with a certain vitality using 'vengeful spirit energy,' and to bind Ruan Tianye with the remains of the kings and nobles of the Ruan dynasty. If the divine corpse could use this binding to pull Ruan Tianye down, the underworld would surely notice.

The essence of Nguyen Thien is a combination of the will of the Nguyen dynasty and the remnant soul of the local earth god who was wiped out.

This was naturally based on the collective will of the Nguyen Dynasty; otherwise, it wouldn't have been called "Nguyen" Heavenly Lord.

By exhuming the remains of the Nguyen dynasty's kings and nobles, they could use this to entangle themselves with it.

After a pause, Lin Wanmo pointed to the palace complex at the end of the Yellow Springs Road and said, "With the reversal of Mount Luofeng, the duties of the Six Heavenly Palaces have also changed for some reason."

Originally, the Jueyin Heavenly Palace of Zhou was responsible for judging good and evil and rewarding and punishing, but it was replaced by the Gansi Lianwan Lu Heavenly Palace.

The reincarnation ability of Gan Si Lian Wan Lu Tian Gong ended up in the hands of Zhou Jue Yin Tian Gong.

If the end of the Yellow Springs Road were still the Yintian Palace of King Zhou, our ancestors would not have used this method.

With just a slight delay, given Ruan Tianye's abilities, he would have already escaped.

Xu Yuan then asked, "So, where did the problem with this plan lie?"

"The divine corpse has not been revived." This time it was Grandpa Shen who spoke: "The amount of resentful energy is insufficient."

Our ancestors tried their best, but they were just a hair's breadth short of pulling Ruan Tianye down.

“However,” Grandpa Shen said, stroking the chains, “it still managed to entangle Master Ruan Tian and bind him to Ghost Witch Mountain.”

The iron chain was taut and straight, so it could only go as far as the edge of the mountain; it couldn't get out at all!

Unless it can drag this divine corpse.

“Every year on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, we come here to repair the chains that have become loose due to Ruan Tianye’s struggles.”

Our strongest profession in Hegong Lane is craftsmanship, and that's precisely why.

Xu Yuan looked along the iron chain to the other end, where in the dark void, what was "tied" was Ruan Tianye.

Of course, it's impossible that it's actually tied to its body, but rather to a "reason" or "root" within it.

"So this time..." Xu Yuan wanted to ask what new preparations were in place, but he hesitated because he wasn't sure if he could say it here.

Lin Wanmo's gaze fell upon the road to the underworld below.

Xu Yuan then followed suit and looked down.

Suddenly, all the spirits on the road to the underworld looked up and stared at him.

No, to be precise, I made eye contact with Lin Wanmo!
Then, very quickly, they lowered their heads again and continued to walk aimlessly on the road to the underworld.

"This……"

As soon as Xu Yuan opened his mouth, Lin Wanmo took his hand and began writing rapidly on his palm.

Try not to say it out loud.

……

Yu Dahua's troupe is still performing at that crossroads.

There are even more people today.

Yesterday, she secretly used magic to make those who saw it unable to forget it and constantly recommend it to those around them.

Today, these people have brought their families and friends along.

The stall at the crossroads was surrounded by layers of people.

But instead of cheering, the crowd frowned and grimaced, because they "felt the same way" about Yu Dahua's methods.

The troupe members were performing knife throwing, with two people working together to tie a rather attractive young girl to a wooden board.

Her own brother threw seven flying knives in a row—this kind of juggling was something people in the county had seen before; the knives would stick into the top of the head, the upper and lower arms, and the sides of the legs.

But the brother was blindfolded, and his first strike went awry, plunging into his sister's thigh. Blood gushed out, and the sister screamed in agony. The brother, however, ignored her and continued throwing knives, each one failing to avoid vital organs.

The final blow landed squarely on his face!

The audience felt pain watching it, as if the knife had stabbed them themselves.

Finally, the brother pulled off the blindfold, strode forward, and yanked open the rope binding his sister. When they turned around, they found that his sister was completely unharmed!

A roar of cheers erupted, and coins rained down.

Yu Dahua stood to the side with her arms crossed, a slight smile playing on her lips.

That kind of "pain" has quietly taken root in the hearts of these people.

Xu Yuan returned around noon and passed by the crossroads—if it weren't for the incident with Old Bu's circus troupe, Master Xu would have just passed by.

But this time, Lord Xu took a second look.

Under the influence of fate, nothing can be hidden.

Two fourth-rate, two fifth-rate, and three sixth-rate members—how could this possibly be an ordinary gang?

The phrase "to turn misfortune into good fortune" is flashing again, apparently landing here.

(End of this chapter)