Mutated Tao

The Book of Life and Death? Could it actually call for someone’s soul?

Bai Lingmiao doubted Yuen Er’s words.

If that was the case, that meant the Underworld Palace was real.

Despite Yuen Er's apparent confidence, Bai Lingmiao remained skeptical. If Yuen Er was telling the truth, then where would the Heavenly Mater, who controls the Heavenly Dao of Death, be positioned?

Ultimately, the Second Deity voiced the questions that lingered in Bai Lingmiao’s heart. “Is it really the Underworld Palace?”

“Of course! If not, I wouldn’t have allowed you to help us. It’s not only the palace but also the eighteen layers of hell! Do you know what we’re stepping on right now? It’s the Yellow Spring Road[1].

Tuoba Danqing was taken aback, his gaze shifting downward to the stone path beneath his feet. He glanced around, questioning whether his presence here was a mistake.

Afterward, there was silence as they pressed on. The group remained vigilant, keeping their senses sharp as they advanced.

The road was long, but it still had an end. Soon, a pitch-dark cave appeared in front of them.

The Underworld Palace had never let anyone go. There was another couplet at the top: You are here.

The cold wind blowing out from the cave made everyone tremble.

Noticing Bai Lingmiao’s shocked gaze, Yuen Er chuckled. “This is the door to the underworld. What’s wrong? Do you dare to enter?”

Bai Lingmiao checked the couplets and shook her head lightly. “This isn’t the door to the underworld. If it was, the couplet is wrong. There’s no such thing as punishment in this world.”

She led her followers into the cave. It was filled with stalactites and stalagmites resembling little demons.

Green smoke rose out of nowhere and enveloped everyone’s legs. The dark road led everyone deep into the cave.

The cave was also very spacious, making Yuen Er’s voice echo. “Continue downwards, then. We’ve cleared almost everything around the entrance. Our true enemies are in the Feng Capital. The Underworld Palace is inside the Feng Capital too.”

They continued walking and saw several corpses and skeletons on the ground. Clearly, they were the people who had previously followed the Strayed Ones.

“It seems like they were telling the truth. Something really did grant them death.”

Bai Lingmiao frowned and put her guard up as she continued to walk forward.

They were unsure of how long they had walked, but they were certain they had arrived at Feng Capital when a colossal wall dotted with glowing green lights appeared from the depths of the darkness.

In contrast to the strange black holes that Li Huowang had described, the Feng Capital that Bai Lingmiao encountered seemed real. At the very least, it was a city.

At that moment, accompanied by the pounding of everyone's hearts, the massive metallic door emitted a deep groan as it swung open.

Green smoke spewed forth as beings walked out of the city.

“Sh! Lie down! Don’t let them see you!”

Upon hearing Yuen Er’s words, the Second Deity twisted and forced Bai Lingmiao onto the ground like a prowling beast.

Through her beast-like eyes, Bai Lingmiao saw strange, emaciated people walking out in rows. Each person held a broken yellow lantern and wore tattered robes. They were incredibly tall, with their shoulders disappearing into the darkness above.

It was clear that the Strayed Ones feared those beings. They didn’t even dare to breathe until the giants had left.

“What are those?” asked Bai Lingmiao.

A Strayed One with an unruly beard answered her question. “Those are the soldiers of the Underworld Palace! Haven’t you heard of them before?”

“Are they strong? Why are you afraid of them?”

“We aren’t afraid of them, but we cannot provoke them. The little demons on the city walls would sound the alarm if we did. By then, everyone in the city would know we’re here. If that were to happen, how could we possibly steal the book?”

Yuen Er pointed at the gates. “I thought you were here to help? Come, this is our problem. Go and deal with it for us.

“Those soldiers are swarming the Feng Capital! If you can help us, we will help you!”

“Still, you guys are Strayed Ones. Even if they all poured out from the city, I doubt they’d be able to defeat you,” Bai Lingmiao said. In her eyes, a group of eleven Strayed Ones were nigh unstoppable.

“So what if we can fight? There’s no death here, and we can’t kill them! They’d surround us and keep us here until we eventually lose all our strength. If it weren’t for the three comrades who helped us escape last time, none of us would still be alive today.”

Yuen Er recounted the events that had taken place, noting that while the soldiers had the power to kill them, they were unable to kill the soldiers. Given the unfair nature of the fight, it was no surprise that they found themselves trapped.

“No.” Bai Lingmiao shook her head firmly. “As long as I’m here, there will be death. Just fight.”

The Strayed Ones didn't trust Bai Lingmiao, so they refrained from acting. Bai Lingmiao commanded her thirty-six white donkeys to charge into the Feng Capital, using their techniques simultaneously.

Several demons emerged from the darkness, each about half the size of an average human. They were naked and had large pot bellies.

The demons struck their gongs with all their might, and the entire Feng Capital soon buzzed with life.

The city gates opened again, revealing a large minotaur wielding a heavy chain. It charged forward in the direction of the white donkeys.

“The disciples carry the thirty-three heavens. The masters surrounded them along with the eighteen Arhats and the twenty-four celestial beings! Turn our body into bronze and our bones into metal. Mold us into Mount Tai. We wear the twelve metal hats and the twelve armors. Wrap us in three layers of bronze and three layers of metal!”

The large chain crashed into the white donkeys, producing sparks and making the minotaur’s hands go numb.

It wasn’t over. With their reinforced bodies, the white donkeys turned their palms into knives and cut into the minotaur’s legs.

The minotaur cried in pain and crashed down. The white donkeys surrounded it and cut off its neck.

A wave of joy swept through the Strayed Ones as they realized the minotaur had truly died. The woman hadn’t lied—she was able to kill the soldiers!

1. The road that the dead walk on as they travel to the underworld. ☜

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