Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

As they were talking, the Black and White Impermanence approached.

Only then did the ghost general see clearly that behind the two Yin generals, on the thick, black, and cold soul-hooking chains, were the souls of three demons.

A creature with a robust physique and a soul in the form of a black bear, yet atop its neck was a ferocious tiger's head with piercing eyes and a white forehead, its eyes wide open and uttering indistinct roars.

The other creature was agile and tiger-like, but it had a bear head with bristling fur on its neck, its eyes glaring angrily. It was extremely incongruous with the tiger body below, making it look strange and inexplicable.

The last one could be vaguely identified as a lion spirit from the remaining mane and body shape, but its neck was empty, meaning it had no head.

Even the most knowledgeable ghost general was taken aback by this sight.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wuchang's pale face showed a hint of helplessness. He shook his head and said in a faint voice:

"Don't even mention it. They are those three Golden Core demons from the Black Pine Forest near Xiniu Hezhou. They have been committing evil deeds for a long time and are burdened with karmic debts. It is only right that they are brought here today."

The judge issued a warrant to summon our souls, ordering the two of us to go on this journey.

Unexpectedly, some trivial matters caused a slight delay on the way, and by the time we arrived at the destination…

He glanced at the headless lion spirit, his tone somewhat helpless.

"This lion demon has had its head cut off by a true immortal, and most of its soul has also been cut off, leaving it in this mutilated state. It was almost impossible to even retrieve its soul."

Before Bai Wuchang could finish speaking...

The other two misplaced demonic souls beside them let out bursts of unwilling howls and mumbled curses.

A flash of malevolence appeared on Black Impermanence's already fierce face as he swung his mourning staff backhand, accompanied by a gust of cold wind.

With a loud crack, the tiger-headed, bear-bodied demon soul was struck, causing it to twist violently and its screams to abruptly cease.

Black Impermanence then coldly snorted and replied:

"The tiger demon and the bear spirit fared even worse; their souls were scattered in all directions, and they were almost completely destroyed."

My brother and I spent a lot of effort to barely piece together their remnants of souls. As for their current, incongruous state…”

He glanced at the two misaligned heads and sneered, "Anyway, once we get to the Mirror of Retribution, our true forms will be revealed. It doesn't matter."

The spirit with the bear's head seemed unwilling to accept its fate, letting out roars and curses.

"Jiang Xiao...may you die a horrible death..."

Annoyed by what he heard, Black Impermanence swung his mourning staff backhand, and the demon soul let out a miserable howl. Its soul light dimmed further, and it became docile.

The ghost general, unaware of the prior circumstances, assumed it was the work of a ruthless cultivator and echoed the sentiment:

"I wonder who this master is, to be so ruthless. They've just caused trouble for Seventh Master and Eighth Master for no reason."

White Impermanence shook his head and said:

"I can't say it, I can't say it."

That sage was a true cultivator of the Tao, and it was only right for him to eliminate demons and monsters and eradicate them completely.

If the judge hadn't specifically mentioned the names of these three demons, we two would have been happy to have some peace and quiet.

"If the soul is scattered, so be it. Just gather a few wisps of remaining resentment and go back to report. Why bother with all this effort?"

The implication was that he felt somewhat helpless about this extra task.

The Black Impermanence said in a deep voice, "The grudges of the mortal world are settled in the mortal world. Since we've run into a tough opponent, this is the punishment we deserve. Let's go."

With that, he tugged at the chains in his hand, dragging the three strangely shaped, wailing demonic souls along with Bai Wuchang, heading towards the Gates of Hell.

The ghost general watched the two underworld generals disappear into the thick fog, and for no reason, he felt that the underworld had been quite turbulent lately.

…………

…………

Chen Jiao carried the order to pass through the barrier of the Gate of Hell.

The desolate and lifeless land vanished, replaced by an endless, swirling, yellowish sandstorm.

The sand and gravel, carried by an invisible, yin wind, lashed out at the protective aura, yet failed to cause even a ripple.

The sky remained low and gloomy, with no sun or moon in sight, only thick, lead-gray clouds slowly rolling.

As far as the eye can see, there is a vast and boundless sea of ​​sand.

Between heaven and earth, besides the suffocating yellow and gray, there were also large swaths of intense, dazzling crimson.

Those were fields of blooming red spider lilies.

The petals, like blood, long and curled, spread in patches across this desolate wasteland where only the cold wind and deathly silence reigned.

Against the backdrop of the dim yellow sandstorm and the gray sky, the red was eerily beautiful and desolate.

Red, yellow, and gray intertwine to create a strange, absurd, and incredibly oppressive scene.

This is the Road to the Underworld, the only way for the souls of the dead to travel to the cycle of reincarnation.

The wind howled, carrying sand and the tiny petals of the red spider lily, and also bringing faint, dense sighs and lamentations.

Chen Jiao paused briefly, his divine sense stirring slightly as he probed into the storage space within his sleeve.

The talismans such as "Tongming Powang Lingming Talisman", "Yiqi Chengfeng Talisman", and "Xuanpin Yunshen Yanghun Talisman" were all spirit talismans that Songyan had previously offered to the ghost general.

In addition, there are the ghost general's private stash of many Yin-attribute spiritual materials, which are special products of the underworld.

He chuckled and shook his head slightly, too lazy to bother with such a petty official from the underworld, so he didn't make things difficult for him.

Chen Jiao's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked ahead.

Just as the ghost general had said, a long procession stretched as far as the eye could see on a road half-covered by yellow sand in the distance.

Countless souls, men, women, and children, mostly with blank and numb expressions, were linked together by thick black chains and slowly moved forward.

On both sides of the procession, many ghost messengers holding mourning sticks could be seen patrolling back and forth, maintaining order and driving away the fierce ghosts that tried to break away from the procession due to excessive resentment.

Further away, under the hazy sky, on the sand dunes on both sides of the procession, stood two enormous figures, each resembling a small mountain.

They were surrounded by dense Yin energy, and were over ten feet tall. One of them had a bull's head and a human body, with bulging muscles, and held a twelve-foot-long steel fork that gleamed coldly.

One was a horse-headed human, equally robust and powerful, wielding a long, menacing spear.

On the enormous bull and horse heads, crimson eyes gleamed, like will-o'-the-wisps floating in the air, coldly overlooking the long, winding line of spirits below.

They were none other than the underworld generals, Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Chen Jiao glanced at it once and then looked away.

It is his duty to apprehend and execute the guilty celestial beings and gods; guiding the souls of the dead and maintaining the order of reincarnation is the duty of the underworld.

Everyone should do their own thing; there's no need for him to worry.

With a slight thought, he sensed the guidance emanating from the forbidden token in his bosom.

The direction was not towards the depths of the underworld, but rather to the east of this road to the Yellow Springs.

Without further delay, Chen Jiao paused slightly, his aura suddenly receding and then transforming into a fiery and dynamic rhythm.

He didn't take a step, yet his figure seemed to resonate in some mysterious way with the essence of the fire contained in heaven and earth.

Heavenly Divine Power, Five Elements Great Escape.

This method is one of the highest escape methods in the Xuanmen school, and it is transformed according to the generation and restraint of the five elements and the pivot of heaven and earth.

As the incarnation of the Vermilion Bird, Jiang Xiao was born with a natural talent for the Dao of Fire, and his understanding of it was particularly profound. Once his heart fire ignited, it was not difficult for him to travel 72,000 miles in an instant.

Although it is far from reaching the perfect state of the five elements' cycle and endless life, the fire escape technique alone already possesses the profound mystery of snatching chestnuts from the fire and traveling thousands of miles in an instant.

Once a thought arises, supernatural powers will spontaneously manifest.

His crimson robes fluttered and rustled even without wind, and a fleeting, illusory crimson flame seemed to flash across the hem of his robes.

His entire being seemed to transform into an invisible and intangible yet intensely fiery intent, instantly merging with the omnipresent fire elemental energy.

Just then.

"roar!"

A deafening roar, filled with shock and rage, erupted from the middle of the long line of the dead like a thunderclap!

Accompanying this were several malevolent auras that were completely out of place with the surrounding ghostly and deathly energy!

boom!

The air currents surged, and yellow sand billowed into the sky!

Where those auras erupted, dozens of ghost guards escorting and guarding nearby were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, screaming and flying backward. The mourning sticks and soul-binding ropes in their hands broke and flew away, and their souls dimmed.

The previously numb procession of the dead was thrown into chaos, with the souls scattering and fleeing in all directions.

"You wretched creature! What kind of evil being dares to mingle among the living souls and disrupt the order of the underworld!"

The bull's thunderous roar followed, shaking the surrounding area.

Ghostly flames burned fiercely in the giant bull's eyes, and the massive steel fork in its hand emitted a dark light, pointing far away at the center of the riot.

Although the Horse-Faced Yin General did not utter a sound, he had already raised his black spear, the tip pointing outwards, and a heavy killing intent locked onto that area.