Chapter 287. Welcome To Purgatory (III)

---

---

---

Those who cultivate the Tao always believe that everything in the world has a spirit. The heavens and earth have spirits, the souls of the dead have spirits, the years have spirits, the sun and moon have spirits, and even a stone has a spirit.

They may disregard the opinions of the world, but they cannot ignore the judgment of their ancestral spirits. For it was these spirits who nurtured them, left them their legacy, and paved the way for their spiritual cultivation. They are the successors on this path, receiving the tradition and legacy from their ancestors, adding their own achievements and weight, and then properly passing it on to the next generation.

Some people stumble and fall on this road, shattering into pieces, others keep running, forging ahead without hesitation, until they finally reach the pinnacle of success.

Before reuniting with Fan Jialuo, Xuan Chengzi always thought he would be the one to reach the pinnacle of the Tao, but now he realized that he had already fallen from the highest clouds into the abyss.

Even more tragically, he didn’t realize he had fallen, so he continued running in the abyss, drifting further and further away from the true path.

That majestic sect towering high above the clouds, he could never return to it again. Yet he had still blindly fantasized about rebuilding the Tianshui Sect’s lineage in the secular world, restoring every single Holy Maiden statue, ensuring Song Enci would continue to enjoy the offerings of mankind, and even recruiting more believers for her……

If the ancestors of the Tianshui Sect, who stand in the heavens, could hear his thoughts and learn of his will, they would probably be so angry that they would send down several bolts of lightning.

Having lived for hundreds of years, Xuan Chengzi suddenly looked back and realized that he had become a joke. He pounded on the statue, tears welling in his eyes, but a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

When the statue’s gorgeous outer shell shattered, all that spilled out from within was a heap of pitch-black mud clumps and gravel mixed with literal garbage. To maximize their profit margins, there was no telling where the merchant had sourced such filthy filling.

But Xuan Chengzi felt that Song Enci’s statue should be like this. Wasn’t she herself just like that?

Xuan Chengzi’s actions attracted the attention of the group next door. The middle-aged woman, seeing the shattered statue of the Holy Maiden on the ground, roared angrily, “Twist off his head and offer it as a sacrifice to the Holy Maiden!”

Several burly men immediately rushed forward with iron bars. But Xuan Chengzi, having recovered his cultivation, easily defeated them in the blink of an eye.

The group of Hunchbacks standing behind the woman also charged forward with howls. Although they were disabled and ugly, they were more powerful than several strong men.

Xuan Chengzi opened his Heavenly Eye and immediately frowned. These strange beings seemed to have grown up in purgatory, their bodies covered in thick, black mist of bad karma, spewing out  poisonous miasma that was probably more potent than that of a cobra. Fortunately, Xuan Chengzi was a cultivator and had a way to deal with these evil spirits. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably die from just one bite.

While Xuan Chengzi was dealing with these half-human, half-ghost creatures, Fan Jialuo and Song Rui had already walked to the wooden bed and looked down at Lin Nianci, who was still trapped in the illusion.

“Shifu, why do you think Lin Nianci hasn’t come out yet? It’s just the memories of a few thousand girls who were tortured to death. Is that really so hard to break out of?” Fan Jialuo said with a half-smile.

“Seeing as your Shifu was entirely helpless against that illusion and relied on you to wake him up, I imagine the difficulty level must be astronomical.” Song Rui threw in a parting shot.

Xuan Chengzi, who had been moving with ease, froze for a moment, then was bitten on the thigh, and was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Fan Jialuo bent down, gazing intently at Lin Nianci’s face, which was filled with pain and despair, and slowly said, “Is it really that difficult to just get rid of the illusion?”

“Do any of you have even the slightest clue what I endured inside that Tree of Reincarnation? Time after time, I was forced to relive the exact split-second I plunged dagger into Shishu’s heart. Termlessly, I endured the hour of my own demise at Song Enci’s hands. The inferno of ice and frost conjured by the twin forces of Yin and Yang qi, the crucible of magma forged by the Ninefold Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Formation, trapped me firmly and extended the time indefinitely.”

“But I eventually came out of it. Compared to what I went through, what is this illusion? Why can’t you break free?” Fan Jialuo asked earnestly.

“Yes, why?” Xuan Chengzi was stunned by the question.

Lin Nianci, who was struggling desperately in the illusion, tilted her head as if she could hear these words.

Fan Jialuo slowly gave his answer, “Because none of you possess any true faith. Doesn’t that sound absolutely ridiculous? As cultivators, you lack the slightest shred of faith. Yet that is the absolute truth. The path to godhood you so fiercely believe in isn’t a faith at all, it is merely the manifestation of your own desires.”

“Your Dao heart is not a Dao heart at all, but a demonic heart.”

Upon hearing this, Xuan Chengzi, still in a daze, nearly had his leg bone shattered by a burly man. He dodged awkwardly, his already broken Dao heart becoming even more irreparable. Knowing full well that being distracted in battle was dangerous, he couldn’t help but glance at Fan Jialuo, and then deeply realized just how outstanding this child he had always overlooked had become.

As the saying goes, the fruit never falls far from the tree. Shidi nurtured Fan Jialuo into this state, but I? I raised Song Enci into a demon twice. I was the ultimate failure all along! As this realization crashed down on him, Xuan Chengzi completely lost the will to fight on.

Song Rui lacked the courage to even ponder the sheer horror Fan Jialuo had endured within the Tree of Reincarnation. What manner of being could emerge lucid from such depths? Only those who have eternally dwelt in the abyss, beings who can withstand any suffering, outlast any torment, and even feast upon despair as their nourishment.

Song Rui lowered his head, hiding his reddened eyes.

Fan Jialuo took his hand and chuckled softly.

What he didn’t say was that although he repeatedly relived the scene of plunging the knife into Shishu’s heart, he also clearly saw the gentle smile in his Shishu’s eyes through this memory that he had never dared to look back on before. Not only did he not hate him, but he was also proud of his decisiveness and courage.

Immediately afterwards, Shishu’s eyes became Dr. Song’s eyes, long and deep, yet also encompassing longing.

At that moment, Fan Jialuo had an epiphany, and then grasped the jade pendant hidden in the tree trunk, returning from purgatory to the human world once again.

This is the source of his faith and strength.

Seeing that Xuan Chengzi was outnumbered and retreating steadily, Fan Jialuo had no choice but to whisper in Lin Nianci’s ear, who remained unconscious, and coax her, “Remember? You are the Holy Maiden of Zezhou, and their power comes from you. You can make them omnipotent, and you can also make them lose everything. Just take back that power, and you can escape.”

As if hearing these words, Lin Nianci, lying on the wooden bed, raised her head and let out a series of shrill screams.

Immediately afterward, the men who had been frantically attacking Xuan Chengzi all knelt down, covering their ears and groaning in pain. One by one, points of light emerged from their bodies and returned to Lin Nianci’s body. These points of light contained small jade pendants, which were originally pure white but had now turned into a dark gray that was almost black.

The jade pendant that emerged from the middle-aged woman’s body was the largest and darkest in color. As it passed before Fan Jialuo’s eyes, it exuded pure malice.

“Aren’t you going to absorb them?” Song Rui asked in a low voice.

“No, my goal has never been to collect them, but to destroy them.” Fan Jialuo shook his head.

Having retrieved the jade pendants, Lin Nianci finally broke free from the hellish illusion. She ripped off the chains, touched her stomach, and found it perfectly flat, letting out a long sigh of relief. Completely exhausted, her face a mixture of fear and horror, yet she couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She was relieved that it had all been an illusion.

However, she had no idea that those things actually happened, only that the victims were already dead.

In the past, Xuan Chengzi would have rushed over immediately to check if his beloved disciple was alright, but now, he merely glanced at her coldly before walking out of the dimly lit room carrying an iron rod.

Fan Jialuo and Song Rui followed in his footsteps.

Lin Nianci dared not be alone, so she quickly jumped off the wooden bed and staggered after them. She wasn’t surprised that Fan Jialuo and Song Rui were here. She knew from the moment she was trapped in the illusion that this was another of Fan Jialuo’s tricks. He always enjoyed putting her in all sorts of unbearable situations.

The village’s adult men were assembled in full at the sacred altar, gasping for their final breaths after Song Enci absorbed the essence of their jade pieces. Strangely, far across the dark settlement, the windows of their homes still glowed with light.

Xuan Chengzi kicked open the doors of each house, followed the scent of burning incense and candles to the altar, and smashed the statues of the Holy Maiden to pieces.

He walked through the area, only to find to his utter horror that every family here was rearing at least one or more boys aged five to ten. Barely a handful had a normal appearance. The absolute majority were deformed, physically handicapped monstrosities. As for daughters? There wasn’t a single one.

No, perhaps there were, because in the pigsty of one of the families, Xuan Chengzi discovered the skeletons of many female infants. It turned out that they not only used female infants as food or sacrifices, but also as pig feed.

This scene caused Xuan Chengzi’s eyes to turn crimson again.

His main purpose in coming to Beijing this time was to rebuild Tianshui Temples, restore the statue of the Holy Maiden, and restore the incense offerings to Song Enci. But now, he wished he could set fire to everything, burning down Song Enci’s followers, offerings, and even the statues.

Lin Nianci stood pressed against the wall, staring in terror at her crazed master. She touched her face, which was suddenly covered in wrinkles, and let out a pitiful scream. The power she had just gained was rapidly draining away, her smooth skin was aging once more, and the color of the Dragon’s Curse seemed to have deepened.

A torrent of karmic backlash, infinitely more savage than anything she had faced before her rebirth, was tearing into her at this very moment. But why was this happening?

Fan Jialuo took out a walkie-talkie and said, “Chief Yan, Director Meng, you can now enter Xianghuo Village. The danger is not completely over, but it is under control. You must take proper protective measures.”

As he reported the situation, the children with shark-like teeth surrounded Xuan Chengzi, gnawing at his thigh. Their eyes, which should have been filled with childlike innocence, were instead filled with ferocious murderous intent. Growing up in such an environment, they had long since come to believe that everyone and everything, except their parents and the villagers, was their food.

Xuan Chengzi kicked them away without any mercy and continued to smash the statues of the Holy Maiden.

At the same time, Meng Zhong was organizing his troops to prepare for an attack.

“Are you all wearing protective suits? The people in this village are very difficult to deal with. When I was still in the Special Security Department, I launched two raids, but both ended in failure. The people inside are monsters. They are very strong and are not afraid of bullets. No matter how you shoot them, they are impossible to kill. What’s even more terrifying is that their teeth and nails are poisonous. If you are scratched or bitten, the mortality rate is 100%.”

The soldiers and police officers, who were getting ready, couldn’t help but show expressions of being on high alert.

“But Teacher Fan has already scouted ahead for us, so there shouldn’t be any problems this time. Come on, let’s check our watches.” Meng Zhong raised his wrist.

The group checked their watches, then charged in with their guns, expecting a fierce and arduous battle, only to find a bunch of little kids lying on the ground and a group of strange people on the verge of death.

A police officer bent down to help the little boy at his feet, but heard Teacher Fan’s stern voice coming from the walkie-talkie, “Stay away from those children, their teeth are poisonous.”

The police officer was startled and quickly withdrew his hand.

The child, who had been lying on the ground seemingly unconscious, suddenly got up and lunged at him, only to be kicked away by Meng Zhong, who arrived just in time.

The child tumbled a great distance before finally stabilizing his footing. When he lifted his head, he revealed a pair of completely emotionless, blood-red eyes. His thick, unclosable lips hung open, exposing two rows of razor-sharp teeth dripping with saliva. This was absolutely not a normal five-year-old child, he resembled a carnivorous beast instead.

Seeing this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat, still shaken by the experience.

Meng Zhong shouted sternly, “Didn’t you hear what I said before? No one in this village deserves any sympathy! Smash them on the head with the butts of your rifles, knock them unconscious, and tie them up with ropes, whether they’re adults or children!”

The crowd chorused their agreement, then proceeded to knock out anyone who was still conscious, one by one——

While the police and special forces were busy, Fan Jialuo took the nearly numb Xuan Chengzi and the constantly backlashing Lin Nianci to the innermost part of this small mountain village.

“This entire lake is severely contaminated.” Song Rui said, pointing to a small lake hidden in the valley.

Xuan Chengzi and Lin Nianci frowned and looked ahead, only to see a lake lying there. The black water in the lake was thick and viscous like mud, emitting a pungent stench.

Fan Jialuo walked to the lakeside and gazed into the distance. Without turning his head, he asked, “Lin Nianci, have you been affected by the backlash again?”

Lin Nianci stroked her wrinkled face, her expression panicked.

Xuan Chengzi glanced at her, but remained unmoved by her miserable state.

“If you knew what this place was, you would understand why, even after transforming into a second body, you still cannot escape the backlash of bad karma.” Fan Jialuo said with a half-smile.

Lin Nianci turned her head and looked around, asking in a trembling voice, “What is this place?”

“Don’t you remember?” Fan Jialuo pointed to the small valley and said slowly, “After leaving Young Master Zhang, you planned to become a god walking among humans. Gods must perform miracles, so you chose a small village infected with the plague to begin your path to godhood.”

Lin Nianci’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

Fan Jialuo raised an eyebrow and said, “How is it, do you remember now? Yes, this is the place where you first performed a miracle. You walked into this village that no one dared to approach, and touched the heads of the dying people one by one, giving them new life. They knelt at your feet to thank you for your great kindness, called you Holy Maiden, cast a golden statue in your image and offered incense. They were your first group of believers, and also your most devout group of believers.”

“Therefore, you can sever all ties with Song Enci, but you can’t sever this initial thread of cause and effect. Once you touch this thread again, all the sins will fall back on your head.”

Lin Nianci was stunned. After examining the surrounding terrain again, she finally managed to dig out some familiar shadows from her jumbled memories. Realizing this, she began to age rapidly, her once black hair turning completely white in an instant.

The devastation Fan Jialuo brought upon her was never meant to be quick. It was a slow execution, one hammer blow at a time, one knife cut at a time, leaving her trapped in a living hell.

But he was far from finished. Fan Jialuo gestured toward the black lake at their feet and asked, “Do you know why this water is stained black?”Do you know what made those villagers grow into such grotesque shapes? Do you know why there is only one female in this village, yet the rest are all men?”

“No, stop…… I don’t want to hear it!” Lin Nianci spun around to flee, but her legs were violently broken by a sudden swing of Xuan Chengzi’s iron bar, sending her kneeling straight to the ground.

“Listen carefully to the sins you committed back then!” Xuan Chengzi said in an icy tone.

Fan Jialuo scooped up a handful of the foul, stench-ridden black water and sighed, “I told you before, the World-Destroying Tree was not your greatest sin. It was far from enough to trip you up at the very threshold of godhood. Everything carried within this lake is the true, indelible bad karma that you can never wash clean, nor ever hope to settle.”

---

---

---

---