Chapter 1: The Haunted Forest of Demons (Part 1)

  The city at the foot of the mountain is as beautiful as brocade.

  In the distance, the underworld was brightly lit, with buildings, towns, mountains, and rivers all present, as if it had been transformed into a cold-colored human world.

  Ding Lingxiu stood at the railing, gazing out in surprise, and found that even helicopters and cars had appeared here. No wonder people nowadays would burn paper-made cars for their deceased loved ones during sacrifices, it seemed that as time progressed, the underworld was also changing with each passing day, undergoing earth-shattering transformations.

  But Ding Ling Shu suddenly thought that his own speculation was not reliable, because he had only come to the underworld for the first time, and he didn't know what it was like before, maybe the underworld had already been so developed hundreds of years ago.

  "Raksha elder brother, it turns out that Di Fu is actually the name of a city and not the name of Yan Wang Ye's mansion?"

  Rakshasa's smile was gloomy and ominous:

  "Yes or no, the city you see before your eyes is actually originally called Fengdu, and the underworld is another name given to it by people. But the true mansion of King Yan is also called the underworld."

  "Is that... Could it be that the Great Emperor of Yunzhong is also here?"

  Rakshasa shook his head and said:

  "No, the Great Emperor of Fengdu and the other five ghost emperors are all legendary ancient emperors of the underworld, but I have lived in the underworld for so long and have never seen them. On the other hand, I often get to see King Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

  "Oh?" Ding Lingxiu was somewhat perplexed.

  Although I had heard that the Ghost Emperor was the most supreme among ghosts and did not appear in the world. But if even Luo Cha, who has been living in the underworld all along, has never seen the Ghost Emperor, it is indeed a bit inconceivable. Could it be that the Ghost Emperor never existed?

  Ding Lingxu pulled out a cigarette and lit it hastily as he had been unable to hold back his craving for a smoke during the long and arduous journey.

  As the lighter crackled, Ding Lingxu was shocked to find that the flame of the lighter had turned a dark blue color here, somewhat like the demonic fire of the lantern, and after lighting the cigarette, the tip of the cigarette also became an icy blue glow.

  "What's going on?" Ding Lingxiu asked in surprise.

  Before Luo Sha could respond, Zhang Shanyi smiled and said:

  "Haha, Brother Ding, don't you know that the fire in the mortal world is different from the fire in the underworld? The fire in the mortal world is red, while the fire in the underworld is blue. Because the Three Pure Ones' Qi that governs all things in the three realms of heaven, earth, and man are different, the fires they give birth to are also different. The heavenly realm has sacred fire, the human realm has yang fire, and the earthly realm has yin fire. That's why there's a saying that immortals don't eat the smoke and fire of the mortal world. Now we're in the underworld, so your smoke is blue."

  Rakshasa nodded and said:

  "It seems that you, this big-eared Taoist priest, are quite knowledgeable and interesting. It's been a while since I've met someone like you. If we have the chance, let's grab a drink and chat. Tell me more about the stories between the three realms."

  Zhang Shanyi smiled and said:

  "Alright, although I'm just a humble and shallow scholar, being able to share a drink with you, a Rakshasa demon, is indeed a rare encounter."

  Ding Lingxiu ignored them and gazed out at the bustling city in the distance, taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

  The smoke was as gentle as a lung, plucking the strings of Ding Lingxiu's heart. Suddenly, he felt that the flavor of the smoke had become very fantastical, and after just one puff, it was like being in a state of intoxication from smoking, his whole body feeling somewhat dizzy and floating.

  He stood there for a while, holding onto the railing, before turning around and saying to Luo Xie:

  "Luocha big brother, this time I came to the underworld also has something important on my body. This time I came is according to Guage's instructions to prepare to come to the underworld to receive the Silver Spirit Badge, so later still trouble Luocha big brother to lead the way for me."

  Rakshasa nodded and flapped her two large black wings, floating in mid-air.

  "What's the point of beating around the bush? I'm a guide from the underworld, just tell me where you want to go and we'll be on our way." Luo Sha paused, pointing at the large iron door embedded in the red rock wall in front of Ding Ling Xiu. "The mountain behind you is called Two Realms Mountain, and we're currently standing at the summit, Bomingtai. The iron door in front of you leads to the elevator that goes down to Fengdu, where Guage's underworld bounty office is located. If you two want to see Guage, follow me."

  Rakshasa slowly flew towards the large iron gate, with two people following behind Rakshasa. In a daze, it felt as if they were not in the terrifying underworld, but rather following a long and ugly tour guide on a tour.

  The large iron gate can identify the demon's aura, and as soon as Luo Sha walked in, it automatically opened. The two followed him inside and found that this was no different from an elevator in the mortal world, although such a mountain-built elevator was indeed rare.

  "Rakshasa brother, since you can fly, why don't you just take us flying directly? Wouldn't that be faster?" Zhang Shanyi asked in puzzlement.

  Rakshasa's round eyes rolled around and said:

  "Is your local government as backward as yours in the mortal world? Above the imperial capital, there are air traffic lanes, how can you fly at will? If it weren't for your kind of demon-hunting masters from the mortal world, we Raksha would have a special pick-up service. Any other person cannot even fly over the Two Realms Mountain, and must go through the Ghost Gate to enter the underworld."

  "So it was."

  This elevator doesn't have floor buttons, it seems to be just a simple up and down passage. As it slowly descends, it makes a humming noise that makes one feel somewhat anxious.

  The elevator descended very slowly and it took nearly five minutes before it finally stopped.

  They walked out of the elevator, and Ding Lingxu immediately felt a wave of heat rushing towards him. This high temperature made his whole body feel swollen and extremely uncomfortable. However, he was surprised to find that several "people" in the distance were still wearing thick coats.

  What made him even more astonished was that with such a high temperature, the oxygen should have become thin and he should have had difficulty breathing. But at this moment, he didn't feel anything. Suddenly, he thought of his guess about death in the Roc's wing just now, and he couldn't help but shudder and ask tremulously:

  "Rakshasa brother, why is the oxygen here a bit strange?"

  "Oxygen?" Luo's ferocious face twisted, his expression eerily staring at Ding Lingxiu, "There isn't any oxygen here at all?"

  Ding Lingxiu took a deep drag on his cigarette, and the blue flame at the tip burned even more fiercely.

  This was roughly what he had expected, as he had already tried it before. Even if he covered his mouth and nose to hold his breath, it would have no effect on him at all. Although he had been breathing since he came to the underworld, this was just a habitual action that had completely lost its actual function.

  Ding Lingxiu wanted to know if his guess was true or not, but he was still a little afraid, so he asked Luo Chen tentatively:

  "Raksha elder brother, this underworld is really a great place, one can live without even breathing."

  Rakshasa burst out laughing with a wide open mouth full of sharp teeth:

  "Haha, you little brat are really good at joking! I've never heard the word 'alive' a few times in the underworld! Don't even mention that you think you're alive when you came to the underworld? You're actually long dead."

  Upon hearing the word "death", Ding Ling's heart skipped a beat as she looked towards Zhang Shanyi.

  Zhang Shanyi was also shocked and speechless, the two of them stared at each other, unable to say a word.

  Rakshasa looked at the two surprised expressions and continued:

  "Hey, I scared you two. In your line of work, it's a matter of life and death. Although you're dead now, this is only temporary. As long as you can return to your bodies seven days later, you'll be able to come back to the world of the living."

  Ding Lingxiu suddenly remembered that he had a similar feeling of his soul leaving his body before, and only then did he realize that it wasn't an illusion, but his own soul really separating from his body. He looked at Luo Xie who was smiling evilly, and his heart began to feel a little uneasy, asking in a low voice:

  "Raksha elder brother, then may I ask where our physical bodies are now?"

  Rakshasa shook his head and patted his belly, saying:

  "I've already eaten it."

  "Eaten?"

  Zhang Shanyi and Ding Lingshu spoke in unison, almost jumping up in surprise.

  Rakshasa used her sharp claws to tap on her teeth, muttering to herself:

  "Yeah, but you two's stinky leather armor really doesn't smell very good, the lingering spiritual energy on it is making me a bit nauseous."

  Ding Lingxiu extinguished the cigarette, and suddenly became flustered.

  At this moment, he suddenly thought of Tieguai Li in the Eight Immortals story he had read before. Tieguai Li had borrowed a corpse to return his soul because his own soul had gone out, and he had left his physical body with his apprentice for safekeeping. However, his apprentice did not follow his master's instructions and, in order to visit his critically ill mother, had arbitrarily cremated Tieguai Li's physical body without following his master's wishes, leaving his soul with nowhere to go. In the end, he could only find a starving corpse to inhabit, transforming from a handsome young man into a crippled old man, filled with regret.

  Ding Lingxiu and Zhang Shanyi's experiences were surprisingly similar to his.

  Thinking of this, Ding Ling's cold sweat dripped down, thinking that it wouldn't be possible, his physical body was actually swallowed by the Raksha. Not to mention that there is no way to ask for it now, even if the Raksha spits it out voluntarily, will his physical body still be intact?