Chapter 368: Chapter 372: Yellow Spring Secret Realm_1
An hour later, midnight arrived.
However, much to Qin Wudao’s surprise, the Gate of Ghosts did not appear. All was silent.
Did I predict it wrong?
Qin Wudao contemplated, then reopened the Book of Life and Death and read its second page. It clearly stated that the Gate of Ghosts would open at midnight. After arriving at the Cold River, the Book of Life and Death had started to change. First, the flower of the other shore appeared on the first page, and then the Gate of Ghosts appeared on the second. Moreover, the Gate of Ghosts on the second page had appeared only after he had seen the flower of the other shore.
If the hint from the Book of Life and Death was real, then the Gate of Ghosts certainly existed and was somewhere nearby.
Of course, there was another possibility: the hint from the Book of Life and Death was false. But Qin Wudao trusted the system, and he trusted the book.
Where could it be?
Qin Wudao surveyed his surroundings. Besides the withered flowers of the other shore, there was nothing but the Cold River, its flow abruptly stopped, and a gleaming mountain.
Soon, Qin Wudao ruled out the Cold River. The river, flowing for thousands of miles and possessing strong corrosivity, did not meet the qualifications to be the Gate of Ghosts.
Only the mountain remained. Standing tall on the earth and blocking the flowing Cold River, could it be a gateway to another world?
Fortune favors the bold!
Qin Wudao took a deep breath, pushed off from his toes, and rose into the air. Under Guo Jia’s horrified gaze, he flew towards the smooth mountain wall.
Upon touching the mountain wall, instead of the expected hardness, he felt a strong suction force. Within a breath, Qin Wudao was sucked into the mountain wall and disappeared.
Guo Jia frowned slightly, worry evident in his eyes. He theorized that Qin Wudao might have entered some secret territory, but whether he would encounter danger remained a mystery.
Following a spell of dizziness, Qin Wudao found himself on hard ground. It was a long path with no end in sight. Every thousand feet, green torches were lit on both sides of the stone road, flickering eerily like ghosts. Mist covered both sides of the road, obscuring his vision.
When Qin Wudao tried to probe with his spiritual power, he found a powerful force in the Void suppressing it, making exploration impossible.
The Book of Life and Death trembled slightly and automatically turned to its third page. There was a drawing of a stone path that extended into the unknown.
The Yellow Spring Road!
Lost souls, having passed through the Gate of Ghosts, traverse the Yellow Spring Road to enter the true Netherworld.
Warning: Do not look back on the Yellow Spring Road!!!
A flicker of determination flashed in Qin Wudao’s eyes. He steeled his nerves and embarked on the Yellow Spring Road, not worrying about encountering any danger.
His journey lasted for over four hours. The fog on both sides of the Yellow Spring Road gradually thinned, and the sound of a babbling brook could be heard, clear and pleasant, bringing a sense of soulful bliss.
As the mist completely dispersed, a river came into view. Its water was blood-red. At the riverbed, numerous tormented souls wailed, and it was infested with insects and snakes, their stench overwhelming.
At the sight, even Qin Wudao jumped in shock. Countless tormented souls struggled, their resentment so potent it materialized into a faint mist. The white mist from earlier was not natural but formed from the resentment of these tormented souls.
The Book of Life and Death turned to the fourth page, where a river was depicted threading through a dark world, entwined with insects and snakes, and tormented souls sinking to the bottom. The scene was identical to what he now saw.
The River of Forgetfulness, the boundary between the world of the living and the afterworld. Within it, wandering spirits incapable of Reincarnation and souls refusing rebirth suffered endless torment, a fate worse than death.
Qin Wudao continued onward. His heavy footfalls echoed in the ears of the tormented souls in the River of Forgetfulness, driving them into a frenzy as they bared their teeth at him.
Then, within a moment, something happened that made Qin Wudao’s scalp tingle. Countless black and white spirits floated past him, their hands holding soul-locking chains, which restrained the tormented souls.
Ghost messengers? Qin Wudao swallowed nervously.
At that moment, one of the ghost messengers turned around and gave him a meaningful smile. The restrained souls, curious, also turned their heads, only to be flung into the River of Forgetfulness by an overwhelming force, thereby losing their qualification for Reincarnation.
To look back on the Yellow Spring Road signified lingering attachments to the mortal world and necessitated a cleansing in the River of Forgetfulness.
The black and white ghost messengers shook their heads slightly, retracted their chains, turned, and walked towards Qin Wudao, passing straight through his body.
This scene, if witnessed by an outsider, would undoubtedly scare them senseless.
Qin Wudao was also taken aback and stood still for quite a while before he could adjust. He then continued walking forward, not daring to look back, for once one steps onto the Yellow Spring Road, there is no turning back.
To walk alongside ghost messengers—he was likely the first to do so in several epochs of the Primitive Continent!
Four hours later, Qin Wudao saw large expanses of flowers of the other shore growing on both banks of the River of Forgetfulness. Some had flowers but no leaves, others had leaves but no flowers, exuding a faint air of desolation.
The Yellow Spring Road should be nearing its end! Qin Wudao surmised upon seeing the blooming flowers of the other shore.
His guess was correct. After walking a dozen more miles, a cliff appeared ahead. The River of Forgetfulness, flanking both sides of the Yellow Spring Road, plunged downwards, forming a waterfall of unknown depth. Many tormented souls were washed away by the current, emitting sorrowful screams as their souls shattered and scattered.
An arched, greenstone bridge spanned the chasm, connecting to the other side.
Qin Wudao instinctively opened the Book of Life and Death. On the fifth page, information about this bridge appeared. It was called the Naihe Bridge!
The bridge marked the boundary, the beginning of a new cycle of Reincarnation.
The greenstone bridge face had five steps. The west side of the bridge was for women, the east for men; the left represented Yin, the right Yang. The vows of the living world, all emotions, began here, and here, all karmic ties were severed.
Beneath the Naihe Bridge, thousands of meters down, clouds and mist swirled. What path awaited in the next life, no one knew.
Naihe Bridge... alas for the fated encounters of this life, and the uncertain reunions of the next! Qin Wudao sighed softly. A hundred years of looking back, a thousand years of waiting—no matter how profound the affections in the living world, crossing this bridge meant everything would begin anew.
"What are you, a living person, doing here?"
Suddenly, an old woman stood on the Naihe Bridge, leaning on a walking stick. Her face was fierce, presenting the very image of a harsh crone.
"Senior, I accidentally trespassed here. Might I ask what place this is?" Qin Wudao saluted respectfully. He played coy, not admitting he was seeking the inheritance of the Yellow Spring Emperor.
"Hehe, you’re not being honest, little guy," the old woman said with a sly smile, her grotesque features bunched together like a ghoul, enough to make children too scared to cry at night. "This here is Yellow Spring. You’re here to find the inheritance of the Yellow Spring Emperor, aren’t you?"
Hearing that this was indeed the place of the Yellow Spring Emperor’s inheritance, Qin Wudao felt no great joy. Instead, he became even more solemn, for he did not know if the old woman before him was friend or foe.
"You should go back!" the old woman said with a smile. "The inheritor of the Yellow Spring Emperor must possess Yin energy. You cultivate the Emperor’s Path, which is Yang energy. You cannot succeed!"
For some reason, Qin Wudao felt her words contained a strong seductive power, tempting him to turn and leave.
No! The warning on the Yellow Spring Road was clear: do not look back. If I turn back now, I’m bound to die!
Remembering the warning from the Book of Life and Death, Qin Wudao activated his Spiritual Energy, his vigilanceheightened.