Da Zaojun

Chapter 199 The Corpse of the Underworld. The Fish-Scale Yin General
As soon as the rod hit the water, there was a slight movement. After all, Song Wuji was the Kitchen God, and the food tasted very sweet and tempting.

Although the Yellow Springs River is a river of the underworld, its waters are known as the Yellow Springs True Water, one of the nine true waters, capable of extinguishing the soul and washing away memories, and are therefore called a forbidden river.

But there are still creatures that can survive in the underworld, such as earthworms, which feed on the soil above and drink from the underworld below.

However, Song Wuji did not dig up earthworms, otherwise the effect would have been better.

With a pull of the rod, a relic of the Yellow Springs was caught. Song Wuji exclaimed in surprise, "I actually caught this! Does the Yellow Springs River have its own rules, like a game, where you can catch not only fish but also other things?"

Song Wuji thought for a moment and decided to refine the Yellow Spring Pearl and the Netherworld Origin Divinity together to create a new bait, hoping to attract a giant creature.

Although this bait doesn't have the strong smell of the soul-sucking leeches, it is a divine substance that has a great attraction for creatures of the underworld.

A moment later, Song Wuji felt the fishing rod sink.

Fortunately, this fishing rod was no ordinary object, and Song Wuji was also very strong. He possessed the Kitchen God's supernatural power to carry water with great force, and when he operated it at full power, he could carry mountains.

After a period of intense pulling, the surface of the Yellow Springs River began to surge and churn.

Song Wuji struggled for almost half an hour, pulling and tugging, waiting until he felt the underwater creature's strength weaken slightly before finally casting his line and throwing the catch onto the shore.

[The Corpse of the Underworld. The Fish-Scale Yin General]

Song Wuji was greatly alarmed!
They actually caught a huge fish.

If I remember correctly, Fish Scale Yin General is one of the Ten Ghost Generals of the Underworld, in charge of the souls of fish.

Song Wuji activated the Samadhi Fire Talisman Golden Elixir and carefully examined it.

It turns out that this was just a corpse, without any divine essence. However, the Yellow Spring water nurtured a kind of spirituality in the corpse, which is why it is called the Yellow Spring Corpse.

The fish-scale demon general had a fish head with scales, but most of the scales were broken and covered with yellowish-green pustules. Underneath the pustules, one could vaguely see soul-sucking leeches, which gnawed at and sucked the pus like maggots.

At this moment, after eating Song Wuji's bait imbued with the divine power of the netherworld, a strange light shone in his eyes.

Song Wuji was also a little afraid that this thing would turn into a zombie, so he immediately used the stove fire, Bingding fire, and Samadhi True Fire to burn the corpse. Not only did he use fire, but he also summoned wind. In addition to summoning wind, he took out a banana leaf fan and used the fanning supernatural power among the Seven Methods of the Stove King to clearly use the wind to help the fire.

The Yellow Spring Corpse was powerful in the water, but it was difficult to move on the shore. Now, it was being burned by various flames, and the Yin energy and death energy on its body seemed to turn into kerosene to fuel the fire.

However, it was, after all, the former physical body of one of the Ten Great Underworld Marshals, and it was very resistant to burning.

And flames soared into the sky.

Song Wuji didn't know if it would work or not, but while burning the paper offerings, he recited the Kitchen God's Proclamation, which could deliver hungry ghosts from suffering.

After the Yellow Spring Corpse of the Fish Scale Yin General was refined, only a few things remained on the ground.

[Yin Shuai Token]
[Original Divinity, Medium Grade] *10
[Fish-Dragon Scale Armor. Magic Item] *1
[Water Dragon Scale] *1
[Yellow Spring True Water Divine Power Talisman Seed] *1
Song Wuji looked at these items. The Yin Shuai Token was a symbol of his identity and a key to passage. With this Yin Shuai Token, one could travel by any waterway to the Yellow Springs River, and then go ashore from the Yellow Springs River to the Netherworld.

The Fish-Dragon Scale Armor is the Fish-Scale Yin General's natal magic weapon. It just so happens that Song Wuji is missing a defensive magic weapon. Although the Fish-Scale Armor also likes water, it may not be impossible to reforge it into the Fire Dragon Armor.

Another Water Scale Dragon Scale. It seems that the Fish Scale Yin General's true form is also a dragon, cultivating the Water Element.

The most precious thing is this Yellow Spring True Water Talisman Seed, which can be used to cultivate magic power into Yellow Spring True Water, possessing the power to melt souls and corrode primordial spirits.

Although Song Wuji is of the Fire element, he can still refine this supernatural seed to enhance the foundation of his talisman-based golden elixir. Moreover, the golden elixir has all five elements in its foundation; it's just that its appearance leans towards fire.

Song Wuji immediately refined the talisman seed and decided not to cast his line again. He knew he might not be able to catch such a helpless creature next time he went fishing; he might catch something extremely ominous and bizarre. He decided to quit while he was ahead.

Song Wuji, however, did not see that at the bottom of the Yellow Springs River, a huge shadow like a dragon was moving, and a gaze was looking through the Yellow Springs River toward Song Wuji, who was far away.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Song Wuji came across a gate tower with the inscription "[Netherworld. Gate of Hell]" on it.
Before this gate, there is another River of the Underworld. However, this time, there is no ferry crossing on the River of the Underworld. There is only a wet and slippery log lying across the River of the Underworld. The opposite bank cannot be seen at a glance, only mist.

Below the river, there are many ghosts. These ghosts all fell from the log bridge. However, the characteristic of this branch of the Yellow Springs River is not to dissolve the soul, but to "drown," representing the evil nature of water. All those who drowned in the mortal world, that is, water ghosts, struggle here.

"help me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"If I find a scapegoat, I can get ashore, and once I'm in the gates of hell, I can be reincarnated!"

"Someone's coming! Quick, grab his foot!"

Song Wuji looked at the densely packed hands extending out of the water. These water ghosts, some of them swollen and bloated like giants, looked disgusting.

"This should be the entrance to the second level of the Netherworld, the Gate of Hell, which is also the first of the five trials I've passed."

Song Wuji recalled what Tian Chenghuang had said: "Do not have a compassionate heart. Without great supernatural powers and magic, you cannot save these fallen evil spirits. Even if you save one, how can you save a thousand or ten thousand?" "Keep going forward and don't be scared. They can't reach the single-plank bridge. As long as you don't lose your mind, you won't fall into the river."

You can't use any supernatural powers on this bridge. Stepping on it feels like a thousand pounds are weighing down your neck. Supernatural powers and magic are useless.

Besides the Yellow Springs Water, this water also contains some Weak Water, which is the water of drowning. A goose feather cannot float on it. One can only cross the river by walking on this single log bridge or by swimming. It is impossible to fly across.

As Song Wuji walked step by step, he felt many sensations on the surface of his feet, as if he was about to be pulled down by a ghostly hand.

Song Wuji did not look down, but kept his eyes fixed ahead.

Step into the mist.

Aside from the wails and thrashing of the ghosts, Song Wuji could also hear footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer, accompanied by panting sounds, as if something was chasing him.

Song Wuji activated the Kitchen God's Heart Technique, which prevented him from falling into illusions or succumbing to terror, allowing him to continue forward.

As I was walking, I suddenly felt a chill on my shoulder; a pair of icy hands were resting on my shoulder.

Remembering Tian Chenghuang's instructions, Song Wuji knew he must not look back under any circumstances. Even though his body was getting heavier and heavier, and even though he felt his yang energy being drained and his three treasures being constantly lost, he still did not make any rash moves.

Soon they reached the end of the log bridge. The mist dissipated, and Song Wuji strode into the Gate of Hell. Only then did the ghostly hand on his shoulder disappear, and the feeling of having his yang energy and three treasures drained away vanish.

Song Wuji thought to himself, "What is this thing? I have already cultivated my Golden Core. According to Lin Fajing, it is a flawless Golden Core, with the Three Treasures not leaking. Moreover, my Golden Core was made by refining two into one, tempered by the Samadhi Fire Talisman..."

"This underworld is indeed strange and dangerous in every way."

Thinking of this, Song Wuji said, "Since there are five passes, each pass must have a general guarding it. Was that ghost hungry just now, which is why it ate some food from me? I wonder if this counts as a ritual for entertaining ghosts and gods."

Immediately, Song Wuji neither left nor looked back. Instead, he hastily set up a stove in front of the Gates of Hell, gathered some ingredients, and first made a dish of tofu. Ghosts eating tofu is an ancient legend.

Then, a chicken was boiled, a fish was steamed, and a piece of fatty pork was prepared. These are the traditional "three small sacrificial animals" for worshipping ghosts and gods in folk customs.

After all that, Song Wuji grabbed a handful of soul-absorbing leeches, first deep-fried them, then stir-fried them, adding chili peppers. These chili peppers were very fiery, and he hoped they could replace the yang energy for the ghosts and gods to absorb. When seasoning, Song Wuji thought for a moment and added the original divinity he had obtained from the Fish Scale Yin General to the salt, thus harmonizing the dish.

Divine things are of great benefit to the gods.

Although Song Wuji could also absorb it, it was more important to complete the ritual of inviting the ghosts and gods.

After finishing this dish, Song Wuji took out the Yellow Springs Pearl and made a dish of poached pearls in clear water. It's never a bad thing to be a gift, and this Yellow Springs Pearl should be quite valuable.

After doing all this, Song Wuji lit another handful of peace incense, some of which he had obtained himself and some he had bought from the Iron Pillar Palace.

Light it by the handful, not by the three sticks at a time, otherwise it seems too stingy.

After lighting the incense sticks, Song Wuji clearly saw them burning wildly as if being sucked in by a range hood.

At the same time, a rustling sound came from the newly prepared feast area for ghosts and gods.

It felt like I was starving.

Song Wuji thought to himself, "As expected, there is a guardian deity at the pass."

However, as a rule, one must never look back, so Song Wuji simply listened to the sounds.

After a while, two voices came: "The taste is good. It's been a long time since I've had food from the Heavenly Kitchen Academy! But why do I smell that fishy smell from the Fish Scale Yin General? Sigh... Has he fallen too?"

The voice faded away, but then a golden light flew in.

[Ghostly and Divine Luge]
When the spirit's blessing entered his body, Song Wuji immediately understood that this blessing meant salary. In the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, all civil servants had salaries: Heavenly Salary, Earthly Salary, Underworld Salary, Divine Salary, and Immortal Salary. Human salaries were food and money, and the Heavenly Court and the Underworld were the same...

The salary of ghosts and gods in the netherworld is nothing other than the fate of all living beings. Only by feeding on the fate of beings can their divine status be enhanced.

Song Wuji's ritual for entertaining ghosts and gods has progressed slightly, indicating that the banquet is now in effect.

"It seems that passing the five trials and feasting the spirits are not separate events. My experience is similar to being gilded at the Heavenly Kitchen Academy and then visiting the spirits of the underworld... Only after returning can I be promoted. This is the core of the ritual..."

"We can't just feast the high-ranking ghosts and gods; they're probably used to the good food. Shouldn't we also extend some greetings to the lower-ranking ghosts and gods in the underworld?"

Although Song Wuji understood this, he shook his head: "The Fish Scale Yin General is gone, how many of these low-level ghosts and gods are left?"

So they continued forward to attempt the second challenge.

(End of this chapter)