Chapter 1, Nine Myriad Years in the Abyss of Hell
A wave of unbearable agony eroded Jiang Han's consciousness, nearly driving him to madness. His arms were bulging with veins, his face flushed red, yet he could not utter even a single roar.
It is precisely because of the Bodhisattva that this hell will surely be empty, it will be.
"The order has arrived, please proceed as you wish, General." The ghostly soldier did not hesitate; with a wave of his hand, the prison garb that had bound Jiang Han dissipated, revealing his original flowing white attire.
The Ten Kings of the Underworld demanded his submission to punishment, yet he vowed not to yield, ultimately shaking the Nine Capitals of the Underworld and being sent to hell
There is only a very simple line of text on this golden scroll
In such days, Jiang Han himself does not know how much longer he can endure, perhaps ten thousand years, or perhaps he will die tomorrow
Hmm. Jiang Han nodded gently
Jiang Han! The man in black armor looked at the young man in white prison clothes, whose eyes were dark circles and complexion pale.
"Let us go, there is still one more level!" said the ghost soldier behind.
This is a legend about 'immortality'
The physical body was obliterated, reduced to flesh, bones, and blood, yet Jiang Han's spirit and will once again coalesced to form a spiritual body, albeit with a significantly paler complexion, and even the spiritual body had begun to show numerous cracks.
Mingdu, in a pavilion of a manor
For ninety thousand years, I did not come to save you. Do you blame me?" The black-armored general calmed his emotions and slowly spoke.
"Kid, how much longer can you hold on? A thousand years? Ten thousand years?" The expressionless horse-faced figure spoke. He rarely talked, but he was quite 'familiar' with this ghost and felt a bit curious.
Jiang Han felt a pain that penetrated deep into his soul sweeping over his heart and mind, wanting to howl, but an invisible and terrifying force pressed him firmly against the enormous blood-red grinding stone
... ...
The surrounding mist is gray and hazy, the ground beneath is a deep red, faintly emanating a blood-like hue, creating an eerie and sinister atmosphere
Reincarnation follows one's own merits and sins, leading to the crossing of six bridges: the Golden Bridge, the Silver Bridge, the Jade Bridge, the Stone Bridge, the Wooden Bridge, and the Black Bridge
Jiang Han gazed indifferently at the enormous blood-red grinding wheel before him, upon which countless gears were turning, with even traces of flesh and bone remaining. Beside the grinding wheel stood a horse-faced figure clad in blood-red armor, watching him.
The ripple stirred, having crossed the bounds of the Three Lives Stone, stepping onto the Bridge of Helplessness
"He is not dead yet." Two figures clad in blood-red battle armor, wearing red helmets and wielding blood-red spears, whispered to each other.
Starting from the feet, followed by the calves, thighs, abdomen, and finally the head.
"Jiang Han, follow me!" The ghost army general said to Jiang Han, and with a wave of his hand, Jiang Han disappeared from his original spot. The ghost army leader then left once again through the time-space vortex.
In the distance, there stands a gray stone bridge, upon which countless ghosts are slowly advancing in the intertwining of time and space, flanked by a large number of underworld blood-armored soldiers standing guard
However, he has not yet experienced this sensation; the gears beneath his feet gently turned, directly wearing away a layer of skin from his recently recovered foot.
In the eighteen layers of hell, every day, Jiang Han must start from the first layer and fight through all eighteen layers without dying in order to live one more day; if he cannot endure it, he will die
A handsome young man walks through the forest, holding the hand of a woman who resembles a fairy
Because beneath that mountain range lies the eighteen layers of hell, and the 'he' spoken of by the two has been inside for ninety thousand years
"Jiang Han, your sins are too grave; even entering the Eighteen Layers of Hell would not suffice to cleanse them. Only through several cycles of reincarnation might there be a chance for renewal. If in the future you can step onto the path of sanctity, you will naturally regain your past memories," the black-armored general said softly. "At that time, you will still have a chance."
Jiang Han gently shook his head, resentful
As he gazed, the past drifted away like smoke in the wind, with only the Three Lives Stone before him to witness his previous life. Suddenly, Jiang Han felt a faint glimmer of tears before his eyes
Thank you. "Jiang Han said in a low voice
Jiang Han glanced around slightly and directly walked into the ghostly ranks, while the blood-armored soldiers on guard did not obstruct him
"For ninety thousand years in the depths of hell, with a single command, I descend into the mortal realm." - Song Emperor
Wooden bridge? Eight-level talent? Jiang Han felt a slight sense of oppression in his heart
The talent level determines the innate qualities after birth, with the first level being the best and the ninth level being the lowest
In the distance, the two individuals beheld the endless undulating crimson mountains, which seemed to stretch infinitely. Even though they had lived here for countless years, a thread of fear lingered in their hearts
Alright. Jiang Han did not ask further, took it over, and when he looked up again, the black-armored general had already vanished quietly
You were originally innocent, but the King of the Underworld imposed endless sins upon you. After ninety thousand years in hell, most of the sins on your body have been erased, barely meeting the standards for reincarnation. The black-armored general said softly: I have done my utmost to secure for you the qualification for reincarnation with the wooden bridge and eighth-tier talent.
Hiss hiss hiss
After enduring such prolonged torment in hell, he no longer harbored any resentment in his heart; all that remained was hatred
Before the stone of judgment, he interrogated himself about various matters from his life, and in one word: a life without regrets
"No matter what, as long as one is still alive, one must live well." Jiang Han slightly raised her head, seemingly trying to penetrate this overlapping hell of time and space to see the 'beautiful' blood moon on the ground.
The ghostly military commander nodded slightly, and a golden scroll appeared in his hand, emanating a peculiar wave. He directly opened the scroll.
"To be cast into the eighteen layers of hell, never to be reborn" is merely a jest, for aside from the legendary immortals, no one has been able to endure within it for one hundred thousand years
But Jiang Han understood that if he did not reincarnate, he would likely remain in the eighteenth layer of hell forever, until his soul was completely dissipated in death
"May I ask what brings the general to the Seventeenth Layer of Hell?" The ghost soldier spoke softly. Although his rank was ordinary, he belonged to a different royal palace than the war general and was not under the latter's jurisdiction, thus he felt no fear.
After ninety thousand years of solitude, he thought he would never shed another tear; after the torment of eighteen layers of hell, he believed that only hatred remained in his heart
How? The ghost army general rolled up the scroll
A simple phrase of just a few words seems to possess boundless magical significance, causing one's heart to tremble at the sight, and one's spirit to quiver in observation, subtly resonating through this space-time, compelling one to submit involuntarily
Step by step, following the ghost ahead, Jiang Han arrived at the edge of the bridge, suddenly feeling the shift of time and space, as the ghosts walking beside him and the soldiers on guard seemed to transform into beings from different realms of time.
Wangchuan River, Naihe Bridge! Jiang Han gently swept his gaze and already knew where he had arrived
On this day, in this place, before him, there was only himself and that peculiar stone.
"Ghost Army General?" Jiang Han was slightly taken aback as he recognized the visitor
"Bring Jiang Han here!" The ghostly military general fixed his gaze upon him
"I pay my respects to the general. I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace, General," Jiang Han said, bowing.
As of today, he has existed for ninety thousand years. Although he once embarked on the path of cultivation, which sets him apart from ordinary mortals, he ultimately remains a miracle.
I will return alive. " Jiang Han's eyes flickered, his voice low and suppressed
A flash of blood light passed by, and in the blink of an eye, Jiang Han felt a weight on his body. The originally dispersed spiritual essence merged into flesh and blood, as if he had been reborn from death.
The whetstone sharpens the flesh, but it wounds the heart
Now, he realizes that the softness and persistence in his heart still belong solely to him, along with that untainted promise.
If it were me, I would rather die, another shook his head and said
Click!
Jiang Han's body trembled slightly as he slowly rose, gazing at the black-armored general, a burly man clad in black armor, exuding a terrifying aura, looking at him with a face full of sorrow
"Hell recidivist, please present the imperial decree of His Majesty the King." The ghostly soldier remained neither servile nor arrogant
I have used the Transformation of Grievances Sutra to eliminate the latent hatred in your heart accumulated over the past 90,000 years. The Black-armored General looked at Jiang Han and sighed inwardly: Let us go, I will escort you to your reincarnation
If it is said that there is only one round of blood moon hanging high, then in the eighteen layers of hell, only blood remains
Buzz
Layer by layer, the freshly reborn flesh and blood were ground away by the millstone, starting from the soles of the feet, as if barefoot rubbing vigorously against sand and stones, again and again, without end
Jiang Han felt a sense of disorientation before him, as time and space shifted. Upon regaining consciousness, he found himself beside a river, where the water flowed tumultuously towards an unpredictable distance
Greetings, General!" The ghostly soldiers, Ma Mian and others, all said respectfully.
Gently wave your hand
Having cultivated for several decades on Earth and served as a ghost soldier in the underworld for a century, Jiang Han was naturally well aware of all this
"A common visualization method has enabled you to cultivate an invincible belief in this world, and I hope you can make your fantasies come true." The horse-faced figure was indifferent to his attitude: "The Bodhisattva of Yin Mountain said, 'I vow not to attain Buddhahood until hell is empty.' With you here, I see that hell cannot be emptied."
In the dark void shrouded in mist, ripples of fluctuations suddenly emerged, and soon after, a vortex of time and space formed. A tall man clad in black armor stepped out from the vortex and appeared before the scene.
Those who walk the golden bridge enter the heavenly realm; those who walk the silver bridge enter the realm of noble families; those who walk the jade bridge enter the realm of wealthy families; those who walk the stone bridge enter the realm of ordinary families; those who walk the wooden bridge enter the realm of impoverished families; those who walk the black bridge descend into hell to cleanse their sins
Jiang Han is acutely aware that the black-armored warrior may be encouraging himself, but after reincarnation, having lost all memories and cultivation, burdened with sins, and possessing only an eighth-grade talent, how difficult is it to embark on the path to sanctity
There is a kind of pain that does not penetrate the bones and marrow, but delves deep into the essence of the spirit
Upon seeing the black-armored general, these ghost soldiers naturally recognized that the identity of the young man in white was extraordinary, and they were unwilling to provoke him, as they would not be able to manage any trouble that might arise anyway
However, Jiang Han was also aware that reaching this point likely meant that the Black Armored General had exerted all his efforts, after all, he was a notorious criminal known throughout the Underworld
The stone seemed to possess a kind of magic that irresistibly drew his gaze towards it, and soon, scenes began to emerge from the stone, featuring mountains, flowers, and people...
"The petty person does not dare to draw from books." Jiang Han's voice was subdued
Rise up, the Black Armored General said softly
The wooden bridge symbolizes a low birth status and an eighth-tier bloodline, representing a lack of talent. Jiang Han understands that if he were to reincarnate under such innate conditions, it would almost completely sever his chances of cultivating and recovering his memories in the next life
... ...
Stone Mill Hell, as the name suggests, grinds people into meat paste, reshaping the human body to be ground again, in a cycle that continues endlessly or until death
With wide-open eyes, Jiang Han stared as the two gears brushed past his eyeball, and then he pressed down hard. A faint sound of an explosion echoed, as if something had splattered open
"Jiang Han, I command you to rise." The black-armored warrior roared fiercely.
A child is stumbling along, ahead of them is a couple with beaming smiles
The flesh was ground away, as the bones were gently kneaded by the gears, the bottom layer turned to powder, and the blood and bones were ground down like small pebbles
On the seventeenth level, in the stone grinding hell
A young boy lies in the grass with a group of friends, gazing at the starry sky and freely discussing the future
Jiang Han felt that his thoughts were on the verge of complete stagnation, and he struggled to keep his mind clear, for only in this way could he continue to survive
I can only take you this far. The Black Armored General pointed ahead: "Cross the Three Lives Stone, walk the Bridge of Helplessness, and follow the normal order; you will naturally be reincarnated."
Take this. The general spoke, revealing the original golden scroll in his hand.
You are already familiar with it, come up!
With ease and familiarity, Jiang Han did not require the ghost soldiers behind him to push him forward; he stepped lightly onto the gear of the millstone.
The ghostly military general is considered a high-ranking figure in the underworld. Jiang Han has 'mingled' in the underworld for a long time, so how could he possibly be unaware? Moreover, the person before him is someone he is very familiar with
Sitting by the Three Lives Stone, resolving past entanglements, forgetting this life? Jiang Han murmured to himself, his gaze returning to its icy coldness, gently stepping forward: "Unfortunately, I will not forget the past, this life, or the next; how could I forget, how dare I forget!"