Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 168 Yellow Spring Jade Marrow, Crossing the River of Helplessness

When Ox-Head and Horse-Face arrived at the main hall gate, they stopped and stood still, watching King Biancheng and Niu Yi walk towards the higher part of the hall.

Seeing this, Niu Yi didn't say much, for everything in excess is as bad as deficiency.

The status of Ox-Head and Horse-Face in the underworld is far inferior to that of King Biancheng. Without a summons, neither of them would be qualified to enter the Ten Courts. Moreover, King Biancheng had come to Niu Yi to discuss matters.

Niu Yi and King Biancheng arrived at the top of the main hall together. From the railing beside them, they could see the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead.

Looking at the bustling and prosperous City of the Dead, which was no different from any other city in the mortal world, Niu Yi felt a sense of emotion.

If a person from the mortal world came to this city, they would probably just think they had mistakenly entered an ordinary city. The methods of that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are truly remarkable.

"Hahaha~ I suppose this is your first time visiting the City of the Wrongfully Dead, Immortal Master. If you are interested, I can accompany you for a walk around the City of the Wrongfully Dead later."

Niu Yi looked at the King of Biancheng beside him, smiled and shook his head, saying:
"Your Highness, as the King of Hell in the Underworld, must be extremely busy, so I will not disturb you further."

"To be honest, His Highness invited me here this time."

King Biancheng looked at Niu Yi, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and warmly cupped his hands in greeting:
"I never expected the Immortal to be such a straightforward person! Immortal, please~"

As he spoke, King Biancheng gestured toward the wooden table beside him and walked over to sit down opposite Niu Yi at the table.

"Since you have asked, Immortal Master, I will speak frankly."

"The reason I invited you to the Underworld is to request that you refine a precious incense. I wonder if you have ever heard of the 'Tai Xu Transformation into Butterfly Incense'?"

Niu Yi looked at King Biancheng, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This so-called "Tai Xu Hua Die Xiang" (Fragrance of Transforming into Butterflies from the Void) sounds mystical, but it is actually a powerful yet singular fragrance.

This precious incense was specially developed for spirit beasts that are still in their eggshell stage and have congenital deficiencies, making it difficult for them to be born. It can enhance the spirit beast's foundation and make up for its congenital defects.

Niu Yi's mind flashed through various images of the Taixu Butterfly Fragrance, but in the end, he looked at King Biancheng and slowly nodded, saying:
"I have heard of it, and I know how to make this incense, but I have never made it myself."

Upon hearing this, the King of Biancheng showed a hint of nervousness on his face and said:
"If we were to give you five portions of the materials to refine this precious incense, would you be confident that you could refine even one stick of this 'Primordial Ethereal Butterfly Incense'?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi looked at King Biancheng in surprise.

The rare and precious materials required for each type of precious incense are not easy to gather. This person has actually collected five sets of materials; it seems they are determined to obtain that precious incense.
Under the expectant and nervous gaze of King Biancheng, Niu Yi hesitated for a moment before looking up and saying:

"If it were entrusted to me to refine, I would be 70% confident in its success."

In fact, for Niu Yi at this moment, even if the Taixu Butterfly Incense was a precious incense, with his senior brother's guidance in the art of incense over the years and his Hunyuan Furnace, he could still achieve great things.

With five sets of materials, he was 90% confident that he had the information, even considering all possible contingencies.

However, Niu Yi has always been reluctant to make definitive statements, since no one knows whether such an accident will happen, so it's always better to be cautious.

Seventy percent, just right.

Upon hearing this, King Biancheng was now in a state of contemplation and inner conflict.

Niu Yi did not urge the King of Biancheng. Instead, he calmly picked up the teacup in front of him, which was filled with a chilling aura, looked at the dark tea inside, and took a sip.

However, this tea, which was emitting a chill, was warm when it entered the mouth, and a refreshing sensation rose straight to the Niwan Palace (a point on the back of the head).

Niu Yi savored the experience and nodded in satisfaction.

Good tea has a unique flavor and a sense of turning adversity into fortune. This underworld looks desolate and dark, but it does have some unique and good things.

While King Biancheng was still pondering, Niu Yi sat beside him, sipping tea and leisurely observing the lives of the people in the City of the Unjustly Dead. With his keen eyesight, he could naturally see many things clearly in the City of the Unjustly Dead.

Just then, a look of surprise flashed in Niu Yi's eyes, and his gaze fixed on the three burly men.

I never expected to run into an acquaintance here.

These three burly men were none other than the three bandits who had tried to force him to save a dead body when he was treating patients outside the Zhu residence years ago.

Although the three looked no different from ordinary people, their souls retained the appearances they had at the time of their deaths. These three must have died from extreme torture, which is why they looked so miserable.

Niu Yi remained calm and took another sip of tea.

Seeing familiar faces in this City of the Wrongfully Dead was quite unexpected for him, but that was all. These three were burdened with sins and would stay in the City of the Wrongfully Dead until their lifespan ended. Then they would be escorted to the judge to be judged and then go to the eighteen levels of hell.

Just then, the King of Biancheng's expression calmed down, clearly indicating that he had found the answer.

But then this person beckoned into the main hall, and immediately ten ghost guards from the main hall carried five treasure chests toward them. After placing them beside the two of them, they bowed and withdrew.

Biancheng Dynasty's Niu Yi solemnly cupped his hands and said:
"To be honest, Immortal Master, I have consulted many skilled incense makers during this period, some of whom even gave me an 80% chance of success. But after meeting you today, Immortal Master, I still feel at ease entrusting this incense to you for refining."

“Immortal, this incense is of utmost importance to me. If you can refine it, I will certainly reward you with a generous gift.” King Biancheng said, taking out a treasure box and a scroll from his sleeve.

"I have heard that the Immortal Master is in need of a large amount of Yin Iron. This document concerns the ownership of two Yin Iron mines in the Underworld. These two Yin Iron mines were born in that Yin-gathering place and are both rich mines."

"This treasure box contains a piece of Yellow Spring Jade Marrow, which is extremely rare. If it is refined into a magic weapon, the power of the magic weapon will be greatly increased."

Looking at the two items on the table, Niu Yi thought to himself that although this person was straightforward, he was also quite thoughtful.
But Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Since that's the case, I will do my best and give it a try."

Seeing that Niu Yi had agreed, King Biancheng pushed the two treasures on the table toward Niu Yi and laughed loudly:
"Haha~ Alright, alright, then I'll leave this precious incense to you, Immortal Master."

Niu Yi smiled and stood up, but instead of taking the two treasures on the table, he simply flicked his sleeve and put the five large wooden boxes into the magic gourd at his waist. He then cupped his hands towards King Biancheng and said:

“In that case, I shall take my leave. Once the precious incense is refined and delivered to Your Highness, Your Highness may then send these two treasures over.”

Seeing this, King Biancheng felt reassured and rose to his feet, cupping his hands in greeting:

"I, Wang, will see you out of the city, Immortal. Please, Immortal!"

"Alright, Your Highness, please."

King Biancheng personally escorted Niu Yi to the outskirts of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, instructed Ox-Head and Horse-Face to serve the immortal well, and then returned to the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

Niu Yi turned to look at the ox-headed and horse-faced demons, who had clearly become somewhat reserved, and cupped his hands in a smile:

"Brothers, please don't be like this. You must know that Abang and Mamian are still the same Abang and Mamian brothers, and Niu Yi is still the same Niu Yi."

Upon hearing Niu Yi's words, Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged glances, then relaxed considerably. Ox-Head, however, still gave Niu Yi a wry smile:
"We never expected that Brother Niu Yi would actually be a true cultivator of the Xuanmen at the Taiyi realm."

Niu Yi comforted him, saying:
"My friendship with you two is solely based on our shared ideals and has nothing to do with anything else."

Upon seeing this, the ox-headed and horse-faced figures bowed and solemnly addressed Niu Yi:
"Brother Niu Yi is right! We were indeed caught up in appearances this time!"

"Please forgive me, brother!"

After a long and pleasant conversation, the barriers between the three disappeared, and bursts of laughter frequently broke out.

“Brother Niu Yi, let us escort you away from here first.”

“In this underworld, there is a way out but no way back. The path we took before is nowhere to be found. We two will open a new path to the mortal world and send you away.”

Niu Yi was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly felt something in his chest getting slightly warm.

Niu Yi looked slightly surprised. He took out the object from his chest and saw that it was the ancient black stone token that his senior brother had given him before he left.

A winding river appeared on the black stone token, and at the same time, an attractive force was constantly drawing the black stone token toward a location not far from the City of the Unjustly Dead.

Niu Yi sensed the direction from which the attraction was coming, looked at the ox-headed and horse-faced figures in front of him, pointed in that direction, and asked:

"Brothers, do you know which part of the underworld this way?"

Ox-Head and Horse-Face looked in that direction, but Ox-Head Abang said:
“Brother Niu Yi, that’s the Naihe River over there. Many people in the mortal world also call it the River of Oblivion. There is also a Naihe Bridge over the Naihe River. Meng Po is there serving Meng Po soup to travelers.”

“If Brother Niu Yi is curious, we can take you to the Naihe River for a look. However, it is best if you do not go too close, as that place is not a good place.”

Niu Yi simply smiled and nodded. Seeing this, Ox-Head and Horse-Face walked ahead, heading towards the Naihe River.

With their speed, it wasn't long before Niu Yi and his companions saw the seemingly endless river of blood-yellow flowing in the mist. Even from a great distance, they could feel a foul stench wafting towards them.

On the River Naihe, a wide stone bridge spans across the riverbank, leading to the other side, whose form is obscured by the thin mist. Souls are constantly walking towards the Naihe Bridge, heading towards the other side.

As Niu Yi got closer to the Naihe River, the token in his hand began to glow slightly and tremble.

As Niu Yi and Ox-Head and Horse-Face approached the River of Naihe, the token suddenly transformed into a streak of black light, detached from Niu Yi's hand, and flew towards the River of Naihe. This scene surprised both Niu Yi and Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Just then, from within the thin mist, a dark figure seemed to slowly appear on the Naihe River, heading this way.

"That's... the ferryman?!"

Ox-Head and Horse-Face looked at the dark figure, and their expressions changed. Clearly, they also knew this ferryman.

But then a dark figure slowly emerged from the thin mist; it was a small fishing boat.

Standing on the fishing boat was a ferryman, his entire body hidden under a black robe, who was using a bamboo pole.

(End of this chapter)