I changed the world.

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On one occasion, she even seemed to see some enormous, eerie figure approaching in the mist, then slowly retreating...

She pondered to herself, this road to the underworld is not as beautiful as it seems on the surface. If she weren't standing above these dark clouds, she might have encountered something terrible...

Just then, she heard some faint sounds behind her. An Huiling subconsciously wanted to turn around, but then she remembered the warning from Hei Wuchang not long ago. She became vigilant and suppressed the urge to turn around.

The sounds behind her grew louder, as if someone was laughing and calling out, and as time passed, it seemed as if someone was calling her name...

An Huiling even began to feel that the voice calling from behind sounded somewhat familiar...

“Fairy An, on the road to the Yellow Springs, no matter what you hear, do not turn around…” Wang Kang suddenly lowered his head and reminded her.

Startled, An Huiling felt a chill run down her spine and broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for reminding me."

Continuing along the Road to the Underworld, An Huiling occasionally encountered underworld officials leading seemingly dazed "people" forward. These people weren't traveling on clouds, but on foot. An Huiling didn't ask many questions; she could guess that these people were being guided by underworld officials after their deaths, heading in the same direction as herself…

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Finally, after a period of flight, the dark clouds slowly moved towards the Sanzu River, and An Huiling was finally able to see the enormous river clearly...

This is a vast river that stretches as far as the eye can see, its waves surging like the ocean... The water here is yellowish-brown. Looking into the water, An Huiling felt a strange sense of unease, as if the river was heavy and deep, giving her the illusion that it would pull her down... She immediately dared not look anymore...

A mist shrouded the Sanzu River, and faint cries could be heard from the distant waters, cries of anguish and despair, as if someone who had fallen into the water was calling for help.

An Huiling didn't know what was in the water, but her intuition told her not to pay attention to it, otherwise there would be very serious consequences.

She sensed that this river water was not ordinary "water." She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but with her cultivator's perception, she instinctively knew she should stay away from it...

"We're about to cross the river, fairy, please be careful. It is said that the waters of the River of Three Crossings are so deep that even a goose feather cannot float. If you fall in, you will never be able to be reborn..." Wang Kang reminded her intentionally or unintentionally from the side.

An Huiling nodded her thanks for the reminder, and subconsciously became vigilant.

Sure enough, after a short while, a huge stone bridge appeared in the river. An Huiling subconsciously asked, "Could this be the Bridge of Helplessness?"

“The Bridge of Helplessness is not here, but after crossing the Underworld. That bridge is built on the River of Oblivion, which is a tributary of the River of Three Crossings, located in a deeper part of the Underworld. The fairy probably won’t be able to see it this time…” Wang Kang explained.

"I see, I was quite ignorant." An Huiling thanked Wang Kang for the explanation, feeling a slight pang of regret. The Bridge of Helplessness, the Stone of Three Lives, the Terrace of Longing for Home... these have been depicted in countless literary and artistic works throughout history, representing a romantic existence in the hearts of many young girls...

Even though An Huiling was a cultivator, if given the chance, she would like to see what kind of place it was, not for any other reason than pure curiosity.

Of course, this was just a thought; she certainly wouldn't ask for a favor out of curiosity.

The dark clouds quickly approached the stone bridge, and only when they got close did An Huiling marvel at its sheer size. It wasn't that bridges of this scale didn't exist on Earth; in fact, with the bridge-building technology available to humankind at that time, enormous cross-sea bridges could also be built, in no way inferior to the colossal bridge before her in terms of length and scale.

However, what amazed her was that the bridge in front of her looked like a traditional stone arch bridge, but all the constructions seemed to be prepared for giants. For example, the railings on both sides of the stone bridge were each as thick as several people could hug, and on the railings stood a stone beast several people tall, looking ferociously at everyone who crossed the bridge.

Its lifelike posture was as if it might come to life at any moment...

The ancient stone bridge is weathered and worn, bearing the marks of countless years. Looking at the ancient bridge, An Huiling wondered when it had stood there and how much time it had endured... A sense of awe filled her heart.

This is reverence for life and death...

This is reverence for time...

This is reverence for eternity...

Yes! I must cultivate diligently! An Huiling made this resolution to herself once again!

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 794 Entering the Underworld

As the mist gradually dissipated, a massive, traditional Eastern-style palace, with its carved beams and painted rafters, appeared on the other side of the Wangchuan River, resembling a fortified city. An Huiling could see a huge archway standing in front of the palace from afar, with a yellow plaque hanging on it bearing three ancient characters: "City God's Office".

“Fairy, please look up.” Just as An Huiling’s attention was completely focused on the huge palace in front of her, the underworld messenger Wang Kang leaned down to remind her.

An Huiling was stunned when she heard this. She looked up and saw a magnificent scene that she would never forget. It was a huge city suspended in the air, like a mirage covering the entire sky, appearing and disappearing in the rolling dark clouds.

An Huiling's eyes widened. The scene of the city suspended in the sky was so shocking that she subconsciously had the illusion that the entire city in the sky could collapse at any moment.

As she looked around, she suddenly felt that the huge city in front of her looked somewhat familiar.

“That’s… Jin’an?” she suddenly asked.

“Yes, that is Jin’an City,” Wang Kang nodded from the side.

So, the underworld is located beneath the cities of the mortal realm... In the folk legends of the Great Zhao Dynasty, there is a concept of the underworld as the destination after death. In An Huiling's current view, this concept is indeed true!

However, she quickly realized that "below" here was not the same as the traditional concept of "below" in terms of direction. In other words, if one were to dig three feet into the ground in Jin'an City, even hundreds of kilometers down, one would not find any trace of the underworld; all one would find would be soil.

The "below" here is more of a concept at the level of rules. The existence of this underworld is not really from the same world as the mortal world, but it is cleverly related to it.

As she finally shifted her gaze from the enormous city in the sky, the clouds gradually slowed down and eventually stopped. Then, the clouds dispersed, and the group stopped in front of the tall archway.

Upon arriving at this place, An Huiling noticed that the archway and the palace behind it were unusually tall, just like the bridge she had crossed earlier, as if it had been built for giants. However, she immediately thought of the enormous Yin Messenger beside her, who was at least three meters tall, and the enormous form of Hei Wuchang when they met, and then she understood...

An Huiling then focused her gaze on a huge stone tablet not far away. The tablet stood in front of the archway and was carried by a stone beast that resembled both a tortoise and a dragon. It bore two ancient seal characters: "Jin An".

After looking at it, she then looked at the golden characters on the giant pillars on both sides of the archway. Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were a couplet:

"Good deeds and bad deeds, whether they are rewarded quickly or slowly, will ultimately be punished."

Heaven knows, earth knows, people know, ghosts know—how can you say they know nothing?

"Please follow me, fairy." Earlier, the Black Impermanence in front turned around and said politely to An Huiling. An Huiling thanked him and hurriedly followed.

A group of underworld officials walked behind, while the last three were dragged by chains: Yu Huai, Wei Yuan, and Xu Hanzhang.

The three of them also noticed the couplet on the giant pillar, their faces turning either ashen or pale.

"What are you looking at!" one of the underworld officials sneered, and with a flick of his chain, Yu Huai, who was still hesitating in front of the archway, was pulled and dragged forward in a stumbling manner. The other two, seeing this, looked even more unpleasant, but dared not hesitate any longer.

Xu Hanzhang looked at his cousin in front of him again, hoping that she would turn around and look at him so that he could plead with her again. However, he only saw her back.

An Huiling showed no sympathy for the people behind her, even her "cousin," whom she simply ignored.

Behind the archway was a wide sacred path leading to the main gate not far away. On both sides of the sacred path stood four enormous ghosts and gods, with blue faces and fangs, wearing heavy armor and holding heavy cold weapons. They looked down at the people walking on the sacred path, as motionless as giant statues in a temple, exuding a strong sense of oppression. Only when they saw Black Impermanence did these ghosts and gods nod in greeting.

Upon arriving here, even An Huiling felt uneasy. After all, she was just a young girl with limited experience, and it was impossible not to be nervous in this sacred underworld surrounded by ghosts and spirits.

She tried her best to suppress her emotions, constantly reminding herself not to show any weakness, not to bring shame to her sect... She followed the Black Impermanence forward to the main gate, where couplets were displayed on either side:

"Having come here, I have no regrets."

Those who commit evil deeds will terrify us.

Looking at the couplet, An Huiling felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen a similar scene somewhere before.

With a thud, Wei Yuan's legs gave way and he collapsed in front of the gate, while Xu Hanzhang beside him trembled all over. However, no one paid them any attention, and the underworld officials dragged them through the gate like dead dogs.

After entering the main gate, there was an extremely spacious and deep hall. The temperature seemed to drop immediately. The hall was dark and gloomy, giving An Huiling the illusion of entering an ancient tomb.

However, the space here is much larger than that in ordinary ancient tombs. Looking up, you can't see the top at all, only a deep, impenetrable darkness.

This darkness seemed to possess some kind of special power. Although it wasn't pitch black, visibility dropped drastically just ten meters upwards or forwards, making it difficult to see clearly. Not only was her vision suppressed, but even her entire body's power was inhibited. An Huiling could clearly feel that there was some kind of powerful restrictive force here, making it difficult for her to even circulate her own power. This made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, but she quickly felt relieved. After all, this was a sacred place of the underworld, and it would be strange if there were no defenses at all.

Fortunately, the walls on both sides were still clearly visible; otherwise, An Huiling suspected she would have really lost her way.

On the walls dozens of meters away on both sides, there are ancient and huge murals. The murals depict evil people being punished in the underworld.

Some lamps, like eternal flames, floated beside the murals, their light flickering, and it was this light that pierced through the darkness.

Under the illumination of the ever-burning lamp, the scenes on the mural appear extremely realistic. At first glance, they are just murals, but upon closer inspection, the cries, pain, groans, and despair of the tortured people in the paintings seem to be transmitted through the canvas. The ghosts and monsters in the paintings also appear to be real, giving people an eerie feeling that is both illusory and real...

To An Huiling, the scene evoked only curiosity, tinged with a hint of adventurous tension. But for Wei Yuan, Yu Huai, and Xu Hanzhang behind her, it was a different story. An intense sense of fear inevitably enveloped them; every step forward felt like a step closer to the final judgment, and they were practically being dragged along.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 795 Judge Wu

After walking a while longer, two enormous vermilion pillars appeared ahead, with two couplets inscribed on them:

"His fame was illustrious, his spirit was pure and bright; all right and wrong, they will all be clearly understood here."

It is clearly there, yet mysteriously absent; though it is indistinct and indistinct, who wouldn't tremble with fear?

Upon seeing this, An Huiling felt a strong sense of déjà vu again. She suddenly remembered that this seemed to be a couplet she had seen in the Jin'an City God Temple, except that it was in the temple then, and now the same couplet appeared in this hall.

Upon closer inspection, this enormous hall does bear a striking resemblance to the City God Temple!

So... that should be what's ahead... An Huiling suddenly realized.

"Ahead lies the place where the civil and military judges conduct their business. Today's matter involves a demon who has broken the law and performed sacrifices to demons. This is a serious crime and should be judged by the military judge, Lord Wang." Black Impermanence suddenly spoke up to introduce them. An Huiling had already roughly discerned that this Black Lord was actually rather taciturn and rarely spoke.

However, his words at that moment confirmed An Huiling's suspicions; it was indeed true...

An Huiling then slipped out and asked, “I see that (the arrangement of the Yin Five Offices) seems to be similar to the Yang Private Temple of the City God. I wonder if there is any connection between them?”

"Yes and no." A subtle smile appeared on Black Impermanence's face, but it looked particularly eerie against his pale, mask-like face.

Hearing this, An Huiling became even more curious and was about to ask for further details when she saw Black Impermanence suddenly point forward: "We've arrived just ahead."

An Huiling turned her head and saw that they had reached the end of the main hall. She immediately stopped asking any further questions.

At the end of the main hall were three enormous arched gates. These three gates were extremely majestic, and when An Huiling got close to them, she suddenly had the illusion that she was incredibly small.

The door frames of these three gates are all carved in the shape of ferocious beasts with their mouths open, making them look like three enormous creatures with their mouths agape.

At this moment, three people dressed in different styles were waiting before the gate on the left, seemingly awaiting entry. A ghostly messenger led the way for them. One of the three was an elderly man with a scholarly air, dressed simply, but his face showed little fear, mostly just composure. Behind him stood a well-dressed, portly middle-aged man, whose face was filled with apprehension, his hands and feet seemingly trembling. The last person was a beggar in tattered clothes; his expression, while showing fear, also seemed to hold a hint of anticipation…

Walking beside them was a ghost messenger. Unlike the ghost messengers in black robes beside An Huiling, this ghost messenger was dressed in white and also carried an iron chain. He seemed to be scolding them to come in.

The portly middle-aged man seemed to shake his head, unwilling to enter, but was instead chained up by the underworld officials and dragged inside...

Seeing the three people enter the door one after another, An Huiling withdrew her gaze. Hei Wuchang walked in front, ignoring everything, obviously used to this scene. He did not walk towards the left door, but towards the right door. This door had no door, and thick black fog surged inside. This fog was like a living thing, just rolling inside the door, but not spilling out at all.

An Huiling took a deep breath and followed behind Hei Wuchang into the black mist...