Years ago, in the Underworld Dream, Ming Kunzi had stood in front of Wang Baole. His eyes were warm, but his face was stern as he asked Wang Baole about cultivation.
"Baole, what happens to the disciples of the Underworld Sect after they enter the Soul Realm?"
"Master, after the Soul Realm is completed, we must draw on the Corpse Face Painting based on the Dao Heart's perception of the Heavenly Dao's reincarnation cycle. We must set the Corpse Face Painting for the soul, determine its fate, and establish the Karmic Lines. Once everything is done, we can send the soul into the cycle of reincarnation and allow the Heavenly Dao to examine it. If we pass, we will begin a new life.
"Excellent."
Wang Baole opened his eyes and watched as he stepped through the door of light and appeared in the world of the third level. He looked around at the endless white clouds, the only thing that caught his eye.
It was a cliff.
In front of the cliff was a table.
On the table was a brush.
It was the Corpse Face Brush.
As he looked around, he thought of the Underworld Dream, and everything he had learned. At the same time, he finally understood why the Underworld Emperor's Tomb was so bizarre.
"That's because … this place is a tomb, a trial by fire, and also … a legacy.
"Therefore, everything here is to verify, to test, to select the disciple who will receive the legacy of the Underworld Emperor."
Wang Baole murmured softly. He turned his head to look at the Underworld River next to him, and the innumerable souls inside. He walked silently to the edge of the cliff and sat down in front of the table.
He closed his eyes again, as if he were reminiscing, but also immersing himself in the memories. After a long moment, Wang Baole opened his eyes. They were calm, and he waved his left hand. Instantly, the white clouds in the area surged toward him and merged into the Underworld River, sinking into the souls inside. Next … a series of sensations appeared in Wang Baole's mind, and he seemed to see faces.
A moment later, Wang Baole lifted his right hand and picked up the brush from the table. A beam of soul light flew out from the Underworld River and floated in front of him. Wang Baole's expression was calm and serious. It was as if he were back in the Underworld Sect all those years ago. He began to draw on the soul light.
Drawing Corpse Faces.
A corpse face was difficult to draw because there was no room for mistakes. A single mistake could affect the soul's next life. A single accident could affect one's own dao heart.
Furthermore, he could not be selfish. For example, back then, Senior Brother had chosen the wrong path in the future because of that bit of selfishness.
Wang Baole didn't know if he could do it well. After all … it had been a very long time since he had painted a Corpse Face. Even his own path was at odds with that of the Dark Sect.
"But this is also a form of karma." Wang Baole shook his head. After calming himself down, he began to draw the outline of the soul. Gradually, a body appeared, a face appeared, and a gender was determined.
During the entire process, his hands didn't tremble. Although he was a bit out of practice, his mental state was that of a divine being. This sort of transcendence caused Wang Baole's entire body to emanate a unique charm.
This Dao was the Heavenly Dao, the Dao of the Dark Sect.
A sigh echoed softly beyond this world, beyond the vast Underworld River. However, it couldn't reach anyone's heart or soul. Only Chen Qing's heart lingered in the void beyond the Underworld River for a long time.
Chen Qing's eyes seemed to be able to see through everything. He saw everything that happened in the Underworld Emperor's Tomb.
He saw what had happened in the temple. Wang Baole's experience made him fall silent. He also saw that after Wang Baole left, the people in the temple gradually awakened and entered the next level.
He also saw that on the first level of the inverted pagoda, there were originally countless murderous intents around Wang Baole. These intents were enough to erase Wang Baole's spirit.
After Wang Baole bowed and gave up all resistance, revealing his spirit and showing his goodwill, the Yin spirits slowly disappeared.
At the same time, he also saw that after Wang Baole left, more than half of the Underworld Sect cultivators who entered the first level died because of their ill intentions.
There was also Wang Baole's Soul Guidance on the second level, as well as the Corpse Face on the third level. Everything made Chen Qing sigh again.
Wang Baole was indeed the hope of the Underworld Sect's resurgence.
Whether it was before or after him, no one had been able to guide the Seven Nations' Souls. He was the one who had done the most of them. No one had been able to maintain their transcendence like he had and remain unaffected while silently drawing the Corpse Faces.
However … their Daos were different.
Therefore, all he could do was sigh. Then, his gaze deepened and he saw two figures moving forward with great difficulty on the lower levels.
One was a man, the other a woman.
The woman was the prospective Underworld Child who had been hiding her true strength. The man was the other prospective Underworld Child, who was unremarkable in appearance and didn't have much of a presence. The two of them were together, and in Chen Qing's eyes, they seemed to be slowly merging together.
"The Underworld Hexing Yin Yang Magic combines one to form a great Dao. I don't want to be a backup, so I work harder. But in the end, I still lack … a bit of luck." Chen Qing stared at them for a moment, then looked away … toward the deepest part of the Underworld Emperor's Tomb.
There was a coffin there, next to which sat a figure meditating cross-legged.
The figure was blurry, but it emanated an ancient aura that seemed to have existed for countless years. It filled the final level of the tomb, as if it could sense Chen Qing's gaze. It lifted its head and opened its eyes, looking at Chen Qing across the Underworld River and the necropolis.
Chen Qing lowered his head and murmured, "Master … I want the corpse of the Underworld Emperor, but you won't give it to me. So if Junior Brother goes, will you … give it to him?"
This figure was the tomb keeper, and also … his Master, Wang Baole's Master in the Underworld Sect.
His Daoist name was … Ming Kunzi!
Time passed. Wang Baole didn't pay attention to how much time had passed, nor did he consider whether or not anyone was observing him. In fact, he didn't even pay attention to the people who had entered the third level after him.
He also didn't consider why the people who had entered the third level after him still had souls drawn in. After all, he had drawn in all of the souls from the seven nations of the Soul World on the first level.
None of that mattered.
It didn't matter if the second level had no beginning and no end, or if the Soul World continued to exist. Everyone who had entered the third level looked at him with vigilance. It didn't matter if more people appeared, or if more cliffs appeared in the clouds around him. None of that attracted his attention.
As of this moment, Wang Baole was looking at nothing but the corpse faces.
One stroke at a time, he drew out all of the souls according to the enlightenment he had gained in his mind. The Underworld River around him disappeared, and the souls he had drawn on the corpse faces transformed into motes of light that swirled around him, causing him to shine with boundless light.
A holy will appeared around him, causing complicated looks to appear on the faces of all of the onlookers.
It was at this point that Wang Baole's mind slowly returned to normal.
"Now," he murmured, "it's time to determine fate." As he murmured to himself, a glowing door appeared in front of Wang Baole. He rose to his feet and took a step forward, leading all of the new souls who no longer had an aura of death, but were now filled with life force.
From beginning to end, he didn't even look at the people around him.
He could sense two gazes, one from above, one from below. Both gazes were fixed on him. He could tell who the one above was, but as for the one below … he couldn't tell.
However, he could sense that as he proceeded down level after level, the beckoning, the pull, grew clearer and clearer. Gradually, he began to feel a sense of closeness and familiarity in his heart.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
