Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 826: What I Saw in the Underworld
The Netherworld.

The walls of the Ghost Gate Pass expanded to both sides at an astonishing speed, and a large number of wandering ghosts were also guided by the formation to converge towards the center of the pass.

Two teams of ghostly soldiers stood before the pass, responsible for maintaining order among the procession entering the pass.

Among the dead were men, women, and children, most of whom were ordinary people. Of course, occasionally, there would be vicious criminals who had been executed and wanted to cause trouble in the procession. In such cases, the ghost soldiers would drag them out of the procession, beat them up in front of everyone, and then throw them back into the procession.

Don't think that just because you're dead you can't be taken care of!
The wandering ghosts were gathered at the Gates of Hell. After passing through the gates, they would no longer wander around but would follow the procession along the road.

Until the banks of the River of Oblivion.

Now that she no longer had time to play on her phone, Ghost Mother Yin Rou quickly brought out bowls of "Ghost Mother Soup" made from water from the River of Oblivion and distributed them to the ghosts lining up.

Behind her, a large number of ghosts were performing their respective duties, some carrying water, others cooking soup, all in an orderly manner.

A wooden bridge has been built across the River of Oblivion.

The wooden bridge did not stand on the river, but floated on its surface, because the river was so deep that its bottom was unknown.

Countless ghosts walked across it, moving very slowly, because the bridge was constantly swaying and showed signs of sinking.

Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen flew through the air on their swords, looking at the simple Naihe Bridge below, and exchanged bewildered glances.

"This bridge of yours, it's unreliable, isn't it?" Yan Yu finally couldn't help but say.

"How is it unreliable?" Zhao Yuanzhen shouted.

“Let me ask you first,” Yan Yu said. “I don’t care what material this bridge is made of, just look at the joints between its sections; they’re already wobbling. If the water volume of the River of Oblivion increases and the flow rate accelerates, can this bridge hold up?”

"So what?" Zhao Yuanzhen said dismissively. "We'll see when the water rises. How do we know if it will dry up if the water doesn't rise? Besides, maybe the River of Oblivion won't even rise."

"Let me ask you again," Yan Yu said, "If war or plague causes a surge in deaths in the short term, leading to an increase in passenger traffic across the bridge, will this bridge be able to withstand it?"

"So what?" Zhao Yuanzhen remained unconvinced. "If the bridge sinks, the ghosts on it will fall into the water, and the load will decrease soon enough. The bridge will float up on its own."

"So your bridge can automatically adjust its load-bearing capacity, huh?" Yan Yu laughed in exasperation. "What about the ghosts that fall in and get swept away? Before, nobody cared, but now that someone is in charge, they have to be responsible for their lives...and the safety of their souls! Understand?"

"Ahhhhh, what's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong?" Zhao Yuanzhen covered her ears with both hands and shook her head violently, adopting a domineering "I won't listen" attitude. "This is the most I can do. What's the point of making things difficult for me? If you're so capable, why don't you find someone else to build a bridge for you? Why don't you ask Chen Lingyun to provide me with more and better materials for crafting artifacts?"

"I can't be bothered to talk to you anymore." She turned her sword around and prepared to leave. "I hate it when laymen like you try to tell experts what to do. In my opinion, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this bridge."

"I'm planning to go to Tianjin again soon," Yan Yu muttered to himself. "Ye Yun said there are a few old-established restaurants there that are pretty good, but I can't order too many dishes by myself! Ugh, I'm torn, who should I take with me?"

“This bridge is indeed a bit crude, and its safety can be further improved.” Zhao Yuanzhen immediately turned back to his sword, his face showing a solemn expression, and said seriously, “I need to think carefully about how to improve it.”

"When will you be able to come up with an improvement plan?" Yan Yu asked.

“You know what, I really need to think about it for a while,” Zhao Yuanzhen said thoughtfully. “I guess I’ll have a pretty good idea by the time I’ve eaten at a few time-honored restaurants in Tianjin.”

"Oh." Yan Yu turned and left.

"Don't go!" Zhao Yuanzhen quickly stopped him with his sword, adding, "I might not have made myself clear, but when you go to Tianjin this time... it would be best if you took me with you! If you leave me at home, I'll be sad and upset, and then I won't be able to properly come up with a plan for you!"

"It's alright," Yan Yu waved his hand and said, "I'll ask Teacher Mei if there are any craftsmen who can help me build the bridge. It's not like I have to trouble you."

"You're not allowed to ask! You can only let me help you build the bridge!"

The two nearly came to blows in mid-air. Yan Yu teased her for a while before agreeing to take her along.

Zhao Yuanzhen refused to believe it, demanding that he record the conversation on his phone and also insist on a written agreement.

There was no other way but to find a random place and try to persuade her properly.

In this Netherworld, the Yin energy is dense and heavy. Even with the protection of the Nine Heavens Yin Demon Divine Seal, one often feels intermittent, chilling coldness.

That's why the enthusiastic atmosphere during the persuasion process is all the more memorable.

Last time at the Ghost Gate ruins, Chen Lingyun went to great lengths to persuade Yan Yu to help her rebuild the underworld, her cheeks almost puffed out from talking so much.

Now, Yan Yu will have to use all his skills to persuade Zhao Yuanzhen as well.

After a long while, he finally managed to persuade Zhao Yuanzhen to change his mind and tentatively believe that he would take her on the trip.

After parting ways with Zhao Yuanzhen, Yan Yu flew across the River of Oblivion on his sword and arrived at Wild Dog Mountain and Golden Rooster Ridge on the other side.

Fengdu City is built on a mountaintop, so after ghosts cross the River of Oblivion, they have to walk a long way up the mountain.

In places with heavy yin energy, some extremely yin evil spirits will emerge to devour the ghosts who are rushing to be reincarnated.

These evil spirits cannot be completely eradicated; as long as the yin energy remains, they will continue to emerge.

Yan Yu surveyed the area for a moment and found no evil spirits along the main road the main group was traveling on, indicating that Lin Ning and Li Minghu had done a good job.

As for some wandering ghosts who got separated from the main group and ended up in remote places where they were eaten, there's nothing that can be done about it.

After traversing mountains and valleys, the highest point is Fengdu City.

Last time, when we looked at it from a distance, it was nothing but ruins. Now, thanks to Chen Lingyun's tireless labor, the shell of the city has finally been erected.

To defend against attacks from external evil spirits, the city walls are about 15 meters high. Inside, there are many houses, but they are not the ancient layout of the original Fengdu City. Instead, they are a modern residential area with high-rise buildings and row houses, interspersed with many commercial streets. It seems to be the product of Chen Lingyun's "Epoch Series".

At the very center of the city stands the Judge's Hall, the most central location.

According to folklore, the many blessings and sins of a ghost in his lifetime are determined by Yama, the King of Hell.

But Chen Lingyun clearly had no intention of staying here as the highest judge. She had arranged for many underworld judges to work here, some to review identity documents, and others to interrogate ghosts to confirm the facts. If the ghost was the kind of person who was extremely vicious and needed to be sent to hell for execution, there would be an additional soul-searching step.

After drinking the soup made from the water of the River of Oblivion, his mind was already in a daze. When his soul was searched, he confessed everything.

"That's truly commendable," Yan Yu commented.

"Thank you for the compliment," Chen Lingyun replied with a smile upon hearing the news. "I'm also very confident in this system." "The best part is that you weren't involved," Yan Yu said. "If you had joined in, you would definitely have messed things up."

“No,” Chen Lingyun hummed. “I will definitely be fair, impartial, and incorruptible. After all, it’s too easy to frame someone, but it’s much more challenging to find out whether someone is guilty or innocent.”

“You will definitely be impartial and selfless at the beginning.” Yan Yu said contemptuously, “Don’t I know you well enough?” “Then you will quickly get bored and start to deliberately cause trouble, such as framing the innocent as innocent and letting the guilty go unpunished, and then enjoying their expressions of resentment or getting away with it.”

"Then suddenly they uphold justice and reverse the verdict based on the facts, allowing us to once again witness their expressions of relief and re-entering hell." Chen Lingyun said thoughtfully, "It is indeed quite interesting to talk about it this way."

"I could tell just by looking at you, you're the kind of wicked person who's capable of doing those kinds of perverse things," Yan Yu said disdainfully. "What's hell like? Take me to see it."

The two flew over Fengdu City on their swords and saw a cliff behind the city.

Six reincarnation platforms were built on the cliff. The underworld officials would escort the ghosts to different platforms based on the different judgments, and then push them off the cliff.

Depending on the sins and merits of the ghosts in their previous lives, some are reincarnated into wealthy families, some into ordinary families, some are reborn as birds and beasts, and some fall directly into hell, where they must wait until they finish their sentence before they can begin their next life.

Now they are all under Chen Lingyun's control.

The two flew down from the high platform and soon entered the first level of hell.

Yun Jin was in charge of the flooded hell.

Below, all that could be seen was a vast, surging sea, with no islands in sight.

Many tormented souls struggled in the sea, trying to keep their heads above water, but many demons flew around in the low sky. As soon as they saw a ghost surface, they would immediately stab it into the water with their steel forks.

“Ghosts don’t need to breathe,” Chen Lingyun said slowly, “but when their heads are submerged in water, they still feel the pain of drowning.”

“You won’t die, but you’ll suffer,” Yan Yu concluded. “It’s purely torture for the sake of torture.”

"This is hell," Chen Lingyun said lightly. "They're here to serve their sentences, not for a vacation. We can't turn it into a sunny beach and romantic seaside resort."

She led Yan Yu to a whirlpool, plunged in, and in a dizzying spin, they descended to the second level.

Red Feather is in charge of the Burning Hell.

The place was filled with mountains of earth and rocks, and flames raged everywhere. The tortured people ran around on the ground, their souls' feet covered in countless blisters, which were quickly scorched by the intense heat.

Many obese, large ghosts trudged around. Their enormous feet shielded them from the pain of the intense heat, and if they saw any ghosts being tortured, they would pick them up and throw them onto the nearby, raging volcano.

“Burning is more painful and prolonged than drowning,” Chen Lingyun said. “Therefore, the ghosts here are more… sinful than those in the upper levels.”

"How heinous are your sins?" Yan Yu asked.

“You can’t use the same punishment for killing one person and killing several people,” Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

The two passed through a tunnel made of flames and sulfur and soon arrived at the third level.

Xiao Lian's Insect-Eating Hell.

This level has a distinctly Cthulhu-esque feel. The tortured victims run around in panic, only to be surrounded by a swarm of insects whose sharp mandibles tear them to pieces until they can no longer scream.

Then, giant maggots burst out of the ground, swallowed the fragments, and then pulled out the complete tortured soul.

Yan Yu felt nauseous at the sight. Tang Xiaolian's other insects were still within his aesthetic range, but this fat, soft thing, covered in downy hairs and countless antennae, exuding a foul stench, was something that just looking at it made him feel like he was suffering a massive mental attack.

"So those imprisoned here are the most heinous criminals," he said, turning away from the insects and asking Chen Lingyun.

“Each time it is cut into pieces, even if it is eventually stitched back together, it will cause irreparable damage to the soul,” Chen Lingyun replied. “After being cut multiple times, the soul will lose the ability to reincarnate.”

"Therefore, from this level onwards, the prisoners will no longer be pardoned. They will suffer endless torment until their souls are utterly destroyed."

"Can you guarantee that the souls imprisoned here have indeed committed heinous crimes?" Yan Yu asked, frowning.

“Of course not,” Chen Lingyun said slowly. “Wrongful convictions are inevitable, but I can guarantee that the number of wrongful convictions here will be kept to a very, very small number.”

"Because of the soul-searching spell?"

"That's right, because of the soul-searching spell."

Yan Yu pondered for a moment and thought that the soul-searching spell was indeed more reliable. By checking the criminal's memories, a crime was a crime, and an innocence was an innocence. It was definitely more reliable than the physical law of memory restoration.

"What about the deeper layers of hell?"

"We haven't even started building it yet, and we haven't decided on a specific theme." Chen Lingyun suddenly laughed. "Why don't you find a few more wives to give me some creative inspiration?"

"roll!"

Yan Yu returned to his villa in Jinling and began making preparations for his trip to Tianjin.

The Pear Blossom Courtyard was on the verge of collapse and decided to agree to Lu Guo's request to extend the Purple Cloud Array nodes to the peninsula, but demanded that Yan Yu personally participate in the negotiations, just as the Witch King Hu Minghua had done before.

It sounds a bit strange, and even has the suspicion of sowing discord between Yan Yu and Lu Guo, but behind it is actually the judgment made by the Goryeo conglomerate - that it is more appropriate to negotiate with Yan Yu.

Thinking about it carefully, if I had to choose between Yan Yu and Chen Tianming to befriend... it definitely wouldn't be the latter, because Old Taishan really would devour people until there's nothing left but bones.

"Who wants to come with me on this business trip to Tianjin?" Yan Yu asked. "I can only bring three people this time, no more."

"Me! Me! Me! Me!" Zhao Yuanzhen immediately raised her hand high, as if she wanted to poke the ceiling.

"I need to go back too," Ye Yun said.

"Are there any others?" Yan Yu asked, looking around at everyone. "This is the last spot."

The girls hesitated for a long time, discussing it amongst themselves before finally choosing one person:
Su Yunjin.

(End of this chapter)