Chapter 2, Fish Not Fish

Yi Yun and Xi Er watched in horror as the blood-red chains wove into a net, seeing the long chains wrap around their bodies

"Heh... look, who is faster." Xi'er laughed and also began to cultivate, restoring her internal energy

On the few crosses, living beings are locked. Although they are few, there are still eight or nine thousand people locked upon them at this moment. The crosses are called the Demon Locking Frames, specifically designed to imprison those who have committed heinous acts, belonging to the most sinful category among the evil spirits in the eighteen layers of hell.

I never thought that we had a choice. The response, delivered in a monotonous tone, still bore an expressionless demeanor. In the end, a faint smile appeared on his face as he gazed at Xi'er, saying, "Do not be afraid..."

With a sidelong glance, Yi Yun did not respond. Xi Er's gaze fell upon the composed face of that person, still smiling: "Hehehe... Compassion, is it?"

The deep purple giant sword swung in Yiyun's hand, striking towards the blood-red long chain before him. The Beiluo Zixiao Sword, in his hand, had never encountered anything it could not cut through.

This moment of clarity made both her and Yiyun involuntarily recall their first encounter, a chase and a pursuit, where they were 'forced' to embrace in the desert maze, each secretly competing to restore their internal energy as quickly as possible... It feels as if it were many years ago, yet it is as clear as if it happened yesterday

Looking at those bizarre monsters, Yi Yun couldn't help but feel that his luck was quite good. The magic-sealing rack behind him was empty, and to his left was a very handsome man, whose attire was exceptionally clean and tidy. The only somewhat strange feature was a peacock-like eye on his forehead, a very beautiful eye, despite being located on his forehead.

The net of heaven is vast and wide, yet nothing escapes it

In hell, a foul wind blows gently. Within the demon-locking arena, there is a profound silence.

With long chains wrapped around them, Yi Yun and Xi Er smiled, merely waiting for the outcome akin to those desire-driven demons being crushed to pieces and meeting their demise.

In accordance with the rhyme, if you had a choice, would you still tread the path of murder... Heh..." Xi'er gently inquired, her face devoid of the enchanting smile it once bore, and in her eyes, there was instead a hint of watery fragility.

In a sudden, piercing scream, a man was seized by a monstrous owl and taken into the magic-restraining field. The owl's talons were as large as a human's, and the strong wind generated by its flapping wings caused Yi Yun's garments to flutter violently.

Hehehe... according to the rhyme, we are still alive

After the connection of the three realms in the human world, the martial arts of various sects and schools in the human realm have also revealed various attributes. Some attributes are singular, while others encompass all five elements.

The handsome man sighed, his gaze resting on the face of the enchantress: "Daji, do you still harbor resentment towards Nuwa? If it were not for Nuwa's mercy, you would have long since perished"

The most fortunate aspect of the rhyme is still the one opposite him, where Xi'er is locked away. On the lock magic rack to the right of Xi'er, there is a female demon with her head bowed, her snow-white long hair obscuring her face. Behind the female demon, there are nine enormous fox tails stained with dried blood. The demon's collarbone is pierced by a long blood-red chain.

Originally reluctant to speak, Yi Yun淡然 replied at this moment: "For us, it may be compassion; for you, it is a moment of soul-shattering terror, a state worse than death that seems endless"

The profound teachings of Buddhism and Daoism cannot be learned casually. Buddhist teachings are found in the West, and Daoist practices are not transmitted to those without affinity. Therefore, the three realms still primarily focus on the Five Elements techniques, with immortal arts being the most comprehensive. However, those who lack merit recognized by the heavenly court fundamentally cannot enter the realm of immortals, while the techniques of the demon realm and the underworld have become mainstream.

Isn't it? The handsome man slightly furrowed his brow and retorted

Beyond the Three Realms lies the eighteen layers of hell. In hell, there is no light from the sun, moon, or stars; only a dim and gloomy darkness prevails. One cannot cultivate the Five Elements spells, nor is it easy to practice the great teachings of Buddhism. Therefore, the various tribes and demons in hell, led by the Chiyou tribe, can only focus on self-cultivation.

Yiyun and Xier are enduring the relentless and omnidirectional strikes of lightning in the Sky Net. Yiyun's hand, gripping the sword, can no longer swing forward despite her utmost effort; her entire being, from her nerves to her flesh, is losing control amidst the lightning, leaving only a sensation of numbness.

Kong Xuan, you are still so naive—Nuwa is not compassionate; she merely fears being accused of burning bridges after crossing them, of chilling the hearts of others. That is why she did not kill me. If she truly showed mercy, how could she send me to this hell of endless suffering, where I am tormented forever, with no hope of escape?

In hell, there is no light from the sun or moon, and thus it is devoid of the essence of the sun and moon. Consequently, all things find it difficult to thrive, and the laws of the five elements cannot be cultivated; the spells of the five elements cannot be cast in hell at all. The Three Realms consist of the Celestial Realm, the Nether Realm, and the Demon Realm. The Three Realms are further divided into the Desire Realm, which generally refers to the human world and hell; the Form Realm, which generally refers to the eighteen layers of heaven above the human world; and the Formless Realm, which generally refers to the four layers of heaven inhabited by the Buddhist and Taoist deities.

With a glance, she quickly withdrew her gaze expressionlessly, focusing solely on continuing to cultivate and restore her internal energy

Not yet. In the endless hell, one cannot enjoy the light of the sun and moon, nor can one bask in their essence. How tragic, how sorrowful..." Kong Xuan said, and to his surprise, tears flowed from his eyes. Even the peacock eyes on his forehead shed a stream of tears shimmering with five-colored brilliance

"The mercy of the heavenly court, the punishment of having one's soul scattered, is not used lightly; you will naturally not die." A melodious male voice suddenly interjected. It belonged to the handsome man on the left of Yiyun, who had a peacock eye on his forehead.

He spoke "hetushucomcom" and began to cultivate his internal energy.

The living beings on the demon-locking rack include snake demons, tiger demons, fox demons, and others of bizarre shapes, such as those with rabbit heads and human bodies, as well as strange spirits with tree bodies and pig heads. They are all bound by blood-red chains wrapped around their bodies. Those with limbs have their feet bound at the lower end and their arms tied to the ends of the cross. Some have their bodies pierced and bound by the blood-red chains as well.

Ah—

The handsome man furrowed his brow slightly, remaining silent. At that moment, the female demon beside Xi'er, who had her head lowered, suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Hmph... Compassion! My fate is nothing but the compassion of the immortals—" Her tone revealed a deep, unresolved hatred and fury.

Daji gazed at him in silence for a moment, then lowered her head once more, falling back into a silent stillness.

Among the four categories of spells, both celestial magic and demon magic are associated with the five elements. Although Buddhist and Taoist practices originate from the same source and predominantly include five-element spells, they also possess a shared, transcendent power that goes beyond the five elements. This great power symbolizes the two systems of Buddhist and Taoist practices.

"I hope... have you found hope after all these years?" Daji's tone sounded despondent, for in her heart, there was only endless despair for the future

"It was indeed my impulsiveness; I should not have swallowed the Buddha. It is only because I am the child of the phoenix that I have been spared from the fate of my soul scattering. I believe that as long as I am alive, there will always be hope," Kong Xuan said, gazing into the distant sky, that expanse of blood-red hellish void.

When he awoke on the magic lock rack, he found that his internal energy was completely depleted, and he had no strength left in his body. However, he had not been crushed by the Sky Net; instead, he had been stunned and locked here. Not being dead was a good thing. As long as he was alive, he would not give up, even if it might only be a meaningless struggle. Nevertheless, he would continue to fight on.

And the sword of the Northern Falling Purple Sky had not yet severed the blood-red long chain, when it suddenly froze in place

The enormous blood-red sky net suddenly illuminated with blue, flickering lights, accompanied by the crackling sounds of explosions

In the beginning, the universe was in chaos. It was Pangu who opened up this chaos, and subsequently, Pangu transformed himself into the mountains, rivers, and the earth, as well as the sun, moon, and stars. The so-called Five Elements also originated from Pangu. The fundamental power of Buddhist and Taoist teachings is the spiritual force left by Pangu in the world. Therefore, although the changes in Buddhist and Taoist teachings are not as profound as the spells of the Five Elements, they do not exhibit the mutual generation and restriction characteristic of the Five Elements, and there is no nemesis.

Hehe, if only the bottom of Blackwood Cliff had not been a pool of water... how wonderful that would be? When Yiyun finally heard Xier say this, his consciousness suddenly went dark under a violent impact...

Yiyun and Xier listened quietly, neither of them interrupting. They gazed at each other, silently, as a gentle breeze carrying the scent of blood from hell blew by.

However, it still does not quite resemble two people locked in a magic frame. Because Xi'er’s smile remains so enchanting, she gazes at Yiyun with quiet focus and attention

In the center of a blood-red hellish space, on a desolate expanse of black land, there stands a dense and orderly array of blood-red metal crosses. Most of these crosses are empty, as there are too many of them, and the majority have not had the opportunity to fulfill their original purpose

Daji slowly raised her head, and amidst her disheveled hair, a faintly glowing, mist-like left eye emerged, devoid of the flames of hatred one might expect. It was unclear whether her beautiful eyes had always been like this or if there was another reason. She looked at Kong Xuan and asked in return, "Do you truly not hate?"

This nine-tailed fox demon is none other than Daji. In the past, when King Zhou of Shang was debauched and humiliated Nuwa, she, along with the nine-headed pheasant spirit and the jade pipa spirit, descended to the mortal realm under Nuwa's command to seduce King Zhou and the tyrant. However, after their mission was accomplished, Nuwa was enraged by their cruel methods and the countless innocent lives they took, and she intended to execute them. In the end, they were not executed but were instead sentenced to the eighteen layers of hell to suffer endless torment.

When he woke up from his slumber, the girl in the red dress opposite him, Xi'er, also regained consciousness. They appeared somewhat disheveled, their bodies stained with the blood of many demons of desire, exuding a strong scent of blood, and their hair was somewhat tousled

After the owl demon threw the person onto the magic-sealing rack to the right of Yiyun, it took flight and left. As the person collided heavily with the magic-sealing rack, a cry of pain escaped their lips, and at the same time, their feet, hands, and neck were ensnared and bound by blood-red chains.

The spells within the Three Realms are divided into Immortal Arts, Buddhist Teachings, Daoist Methods, and Demon Techniques

The internal energy suddenly returned to the meridians amidst this paralyzing sensation of losing self-control, and the purple giant sword vanished in an instant

"Woman, I want a woman, I want a woman—" The man shouted wildly, as if he were raving mad, and in an instant, his voice was abruptly silenced. The blood-red long chain, seemingly disgusted by his clamor, suddenly discharged electricity, instantly rendering the man unconscious.

Murder is a crime; if this is the sin we must bear, then we have long since decided to carry it together

The long years have long since drained the condemned on the magic restraint rack of their initial cries and struggles. Time has proven that all efforts are in vain; what remains is only a desperate silence, silence...

The man with peacock eyes on his forehead was indeed Kong Xuan. Daji's words of resentment elicited only a gentle sigh from him. Over the years, similar dialogues had been repeated countless times; he always believed that one day Daji's hatred would fade away. Although that has not yet happened, he still holds on to that belief. ... Perhaps only time can diminish hatred ... . Therefore, he no longer pursued persuasion or debate.