Chapter 116 The Descent into Hell

Mount Tai, Bixia Yuanjun's (Goddess of Azure Dawn) palace.

Ji Xiang traveled south, making a special detour through Mount Tai. The towering mountain stood between heaven and earth, with the Eighteen Hells located beneath. Now that the underworld had changed hands and the netherworld was counterattacking the mortal realm, it was hard to predict what changes had occurred under Mount Tai.

To this day, Ji Xiang had never forgotten the scene he saw with his future vision: the shadow of the Dongyue Dadi (Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak) appearing at the Fengshan (sacrificial) site on Mount Tai, followed by countless small black shadows surging from all directions, throwing themselves under Mount Tai. Then, Mount Tai collapsed, and a "netherworld Mount Tai" truly composed of the Eighteen Hells rose from the ground. After that, the Taishan Fujun (Lord of Mount Tai) crossed the East Sea, joining the Dongyue Dadi in battle.

And from beginning to end, Bixia Yuanjun had not appeared since the shadow of the Dongyue Dadi appeared.

That could perhaps be understood as her being "devoured" by the Dongyue Dadi.

As the weakest and latest-born deity among the three main gods of Mount Tai, Bixia Yuanjun's power was inherently inferior to the former two. The Dongyue Dadi suppressed the Eighteen Hells, residing in the Netherworld, and the Taishan Fujun crossed over to Japan for eight hundred years as a pillar of Onmyodo (way of yin and yang). Compared to these two, Bixia Yuanjun had no great skills to speak of.

Ji Xiang still ascended Mount Tai, arriving at the Fengshan site. From the summit of Mount Tai, he overlooked the surroundings, all the mountains appearing small. Then, a large door opened in the sky ahead, and a beautiful female immortal dressed in green celestial robes manifested before the light gate.

Judging from her aura, she was indeed a grand cultivator in the Chunyang realm.

"Beiji Zhenren (Perfected One of the Northern Pole) ascends Mount Tai. I wonder for what purpose?"

"Has he come to check whether the hells are stable?"

Bixia Yuanjun was very polite to Ji Xiang. Although she had never met him and did not recognize his appearance, she knew that among all the people in the world who wore black Daoist robes, only the Daomen (Daoist Sect) leader appointed by the imperial court, that is, the Celestial Master and Beiji, were qualified to wear them.

The Celestial Master preferred to wear dark blue clothes and a small hat, and did not like overly exaggerated attire. Therefore, the only person wearing black clothing was Beiji.

She sized up Ji Xiang, and before Ji Xiang appeared, apart from the Three Mountains' leaders, the Wudang oddity, and the southern Method sects, the northern Daomen leader, Quanzhen Dao (Complete Perfection Sect), had no strong figures left. Only an old Chunyang (Pure Yang) cultivator was stationed in the mortal realm. Zhongnan Mountain had been attacked by Zhou Sheng, suffering countless casualties, so the strongest now was just a Lianshen (Spirit Refinement) cultivator.

And she, having cultivated since the Jiajing Emperor's reign until now, was already at the peak of Chunyang, only a step away from transcending the Heavenly Demon Tribulation and ascending to immortality.

However, there were many paths to immortality. She did not want to ascend as a Liexian (Ranked Immortal) by accumulating yang qi, but wanted to sever the three corpses before attaining an immortal position. Among the immortals, the Zhan Shi Xian (Corpse Severing Immortal) had an indestructible body. At the same time, she had cultivated on Mount Tai for seventy years, and her yang qi was pure. If she attained Dao as a Zhan Shi Xian, the power of the yang qi in her body would not be inferior to a Liexian.

At the same time, she had to have someone take over the suppression of Mount Tai before she could ascend to immortality, so she could only keep suppressing her cultivation until she received an imperial order.

Therefore, Ji Xiang's appearance made her slightly displeased.

Her original position as the second strongest in the north had fallen to third. She observed Ji Xiang, secretly somewhat startled. After all, the aura of solar refinement on Ji Xiang's body was unconcealed, like a walking blazing sun.

But she did not think that she was much worse than Ji Xiang.

As long as she was willing, she could directly enter the stage of solar refinement in the next moment.

"Indeed. I will not exchange pleasantries and will get straight to the point."

Ji Xiang nodded: "Yuanjun, are you aware that the netherworld has repeatedly harassed the mortal realm? I previously learned some things from various channels. The Eighteen Hells under Mount Tai may have changed. I wonder if Yuanjun has inspected them recently?"

Bixia Yuanjun smiled: "I tour the Eighteen Hells every seven days and have never found anything amiss. The order of the Dharma Realm is intact within the Eighteen Hells. The many soldiers and ghost generals are all in their positions, the same as in the past. None have left their posts or perished."

"I am, of course, aware that the netherworld has repeatedly harassed the mortal realm, but Mount Tai has been conferred by successive dynasties, and many emperors have performed Fengshan sacrifices here. It is by no means something that a mere netherworld dynasty can shake. Beiji Zhenren is perhaps overthinking things."

Ji Xiang frowned slightly: "The same as in the past...?"

"Are you saying that from the time you took over the Eighteen Hells of Mount Tai, they have been exactly the same as they are now?"

"Indeed. If Zhenren does not believe me, you can come with me to tour the Eighteen Hells."

Bixia Yuanjun satisfied all of Ji Xiang's questions, and Ji Xiang agreed directly.

"Then let's go to hell for a look."

Before setting off, Ji Xiang waved his hand, and a piece of essence qi from Mount Tai was captured. Bixia Yuanjun looked slightly puzzled at this scene, and Ji Xiang explained:

"I just want to take the essence of Mount Tai to forge a divine sword."

"I see."

The essence of Mount Tai was not rare. There was plenty on the summit. Over the millennia, how much worship had the Five Peaks enjoyed? Each of them carried the dragon vein of one side of the mountains and rivers. The essence qi of the mountains was just a small part of the power that they themselves exuded.

Passing through the heavenly gate, they arrived at Bixia Yuanjun's palace. This palace was located within Mount Tai, and a piece of land had been opened up as its foundation. From this land, below was a vast Dharma Realm portal.

The first level of the Eighteen Hells, the Pulling Tongues Hell.

This was Ji Xiang's first time coming to a hell-like Dharma Realm. The wilderness in all directions was full of weeds, and wildfires spread between the weeds. Everywhere, one could see imps pushing carts, with many iron pliers placed on the carts. Whenever they encountered wandering sinful souls, the imps immediately pushed the carts to ram into them, then grabbed the sinful souls and pulled out their tongues.

The Pulling Tongues Hell, the uppermost level of the Eighteen Hells, and also the weakest. Most people who were fond of using their tongues would come here to be punished after death.

"Unexpectedly, there is green grass in this hell Dharma Realm?"

At this moment, Ji Xiang suddenly felt some movement in his heart.

In the wilderness, among the weeds and wildfires, the images of those imps seemed to have changed slightly in Ji Xiang's eyes. Their hunched backs gradually straightened, and their naked bodies were also dressed in clothes.

"It's fire illusion."

Bixia Yuanjun spoke, explaining to Ji Xiang:

"It is said that the origins of the Eighteen Hells Dharma Realm are all different, and the first level, the Pulling Tongues Hell, has existed since ancient times. In ancient times, it was not called this name, nor did it have the effect of pulling tongues, but was the place where countless ancient souls rested. It was in Mount Tai in ancient times and was an ancient Dharma Realm self-generated by the dragon vein of Mount Tai."

"When the wildfires in the wilderness burn those grasslands, illusions of fire will appear, in which ancient ghosts will manifest. Legend has it that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once wrote a secret letter to the Heavenly Emperor, which he buried in a secret place east of Mount Tai during the eight Fengshan sacrifices. Some people also say that the secret place eventually turned into this Dharma Realm."

"Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first went to Liangfu Mountain to sacrifice to the Earth God with courtesy. On the day of Yimao, he ordered attendants and Confucians to wear grand formal attire, that is, a leather cap and jade tablet, and perform the ritual of shooting cattle. Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sealed earth and paid respects at the foot of the mountain east of Mount Tai. The sealed earth was one zhang (3.3 meters) and two chi (0.33 meters) wide and nine chi high. Buried below was a jade slip, which was a letter to the Heavenly Emperor, the content of which no one knows."

"Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also built a 'Kunlun Road' on Mount Tai leading to the residence of the Heavenly Emperor, but that ancient road, at least for now, does not exist. I have never seen it."

"As for which Heavenly Emperor this Heavenly Emperor is, I think the Heavenly Emperor of the Han Dynasty should be the Haotian Shangdi (August Personage of Jade)?"

After Bixia Yuanjun finished speaking, she looked at Ji Xiang again: "Are there any abnormalities besides the fire illusion?"

Ji Xiang observed for a long time and shook his head.

Just before leaving, the throbbing feeling in his heart echoed again.

It was his Divine Form responding.

It was Guang Du Chen Lun Tian Zun (Heavenly Lord of Universal Salvation).

And...the supernatural power that flew out of the Crow Cry Country.

Ji Xiang felt a little strange in his heart.

"Mount Tai is indeed not simple. The first level has such legends. However, if something left by the Han Dynasty is calling out, how can my Divine Form and supernatural power voluntarily respond?"

Ji Xiang knew very well that although he claimed to be an ancient cultivator from the end of the Han Dynasty, he was actually an extra-territorial demon. The classics and Divine Forms in his hands, at most, could only be traced back to the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

As for the Four Saints of the North Pole, deities that only fully took shape and reached their peak after the Five Dynasties and in the Song Dynasty, there was no need to say more. And even Guang Du Chen Lun Tian Zun, its lower limit was the Tang Dynasty, and its upper limit at most reached the Wei and Jin Dynasties. After all, the ancient Heavenly Lords of Taoism could not be traced back to the early and mid-Han Dynasty, when Confucianism dominated.

"How strange..."

Ji Xiang thought that when he came back later, he would search more to see if he could find anything.

Bixia Yuanjun showed Ji Xiang the scenery of hell, and then the two continued downwards, passing through several hells in succession.

Scissors, Iron Trees, Mirror of Retribution, Steam Cage, Copper Pillars.

Knife Mountain, Ice Mountain, Oil Cauldron.

"We have already reached the Oil Cauldron Hell. Are there any abnormalities?"

Bixia Yuanjun looked at Ji Xiang, her pretty face with a bit of mockery. She thought that although there were rumors that this young Zhenren was a corpse-dissolved immortal reborn and re-cultivating, the Dharma Realm of the Eighteen Hells probably did not exist during the Han Dynasty, right?

Regarding the Eighteen Hells, didn't she, the controller of hell, know more than you, the young "old thing"?

"It seems that there are no abnormalities."

Ji Xiang observed the surroundings. Everywhere in the Oil Cauldron Hell was the smell of meat, but these were all illusions. What was boiling in those oil cauldrons were souls, not living people.

Just when Ji Xiang felt that there were no abnormalities here, his body suddenly shook.

Among all the objects that the Inner Vision Divine Tablet had ever swallowed, there had been "black qi."

That was at the Song Dynasty palace ruins on Phoenix Mountain, in those Demon Mountain lands. He had wrapped a wisp of black qi with Tongtian Mingyan (Clear Sky Bright Smoke), and then it was swallowed and sealed by the Inner Vision Divine Tablet. From that time until now, there had been no changes.

But now, in this ninth level Oil Cauldron Hell.

That black qi was suddenly uncontrollable within the Inner Vision Divine Tablet, and even overflowed out of the Inner Vision Divine Tablet!

Under the influence of this black qi, Ji Xiang looked at those Yin soldiers and ghost generals and suddenly discovered that the shells beneath their forms and spirits were gradually twisting and changing!

These guys were not Yin soldiers and ghost generals in hell.

They were rotting corpses, resentful spirits wrapped in talismans, Yin spirits and ghost immortals overflowing with rosy light but with a mass of black mist inside!

This was not an illusion.

This was an extremely high-level transformation technique!

Moreover, even the scenery of the entire Oil Cauldron Hell was no longer the same as before.

This Dharma Realm was no longer the Oil Cauldron Hell.

Instead, a certain Dharma Realm had been transformed into the appearance of the Oil Cauldron Hell!

Even an entire world could be transformed. Ji Xiang was deeply shocked by this transformation technique and had never heard of it before.

"Boom!"

Thunder suddenly rumbled in hell, and Bixia Yuanjun was startled, but it was too late for her to take action. Ji Xiang had already activated the Thunder Dharma, raising his hand and pointing it at the nearest ghost general!

Thunderbolts tore through the sky, resounding through hell!