Chapter 7 - The Hell River Changing Course Incident
The deafening roar, like the earth crumbling apart, reached the mountain's foot. The waters of Hell River had already submerged the foot of the mountain. The surging waters rose higher and higher, creeping up the mountain and eroding everything in their path.
Xu Ying and Yuanqi returned to the abandoned temple. The weather had suddenly become bitterly cold, leaving Yuanqi groggy and on the verge of hibernation.
Xu Ying reminded loudly, “Yuanqi, quickly channel your vital energy, or you’ll freeze to death!”
They channeled their vital energy to protect and warm themselves, yet the cold still seemed to seep into their bone marrow. Even their vital energy struggled to purge the cold.
Trembling, Xu Ying circulated the Great-Sun Body Tempering, slightly warming himself.
He pressed his palms together before his chest, then abruptly crossed them. A streak of fiery light shot out from his palm, reigniting the extinguished fire from before.
The two of them came to the fire, only to see its color turn an eerie green. Elderly faces flickered within the green flames, their eyes white and their mouths twisted into screaming expressions, but no sound could be heard, sending chills down their spines!
Yuanqi trembled in fear. “No wonder this temple is abandoned. The feng shui here is bad!”
From the foot of the mountain, a yellow-robed man rushed upward, leading five strange figures with him.
“True Yang Vital Energy, no evil can invade!”
The yellow-robed man chanted as he ran. Intense true Yang qi erupted from him, pushing back the evil Yin qi from the Hell River.
His True Yang Vital Energy was extremely robust and domineering. It made his immediate surroundings feel like a massive furnace, emitting unbearable heat, yet it carried thick demonic qi.
Disturbed by his demonic qi, the five strange figures beside him couldn’t help but transform back into their original form: massive dragons.
The yellow-robed man was actually the mountain god of this rocky mountain: Huang Siping. He resided in his mountain-god temple, and the common folk worshipped him as the Rocky Mountain God. The five strange figures were demons under his command, acting as the protectors of his temple. They were all demonic creatures like musk deer, wild foxes, wild dogs, and lynx.
Stationed at the mountain, they had been searching for Xu Ying’s whereabouts at the city god’s order. At midnight, they were about to return to the temple, but they suddenly heard the elephant trumpet Yuanqi had produced during his breakthrough, so they came here to investigate.
The Hell River came surging toward them when they had just begun ascending, cutting off their path of retreat. Left without a choice, they could only keep fleeing up the mountain.
Leading the demons, Huang Siping quickened their pace, but the waters of Hell River rose too quickly and soon engulfed the fox demon.
The fox demon fell into the water; in the blink of an eye, its fur, flesh, and blood dissolved, leaving only its skeleton, which the waves swept away.
The other demons’ hair stood on end, and they ran for their lives. Not far away, they saw silhouettes moving under the moonlight. Huang Siping looked over carefully and was taken aback. “The grassroots gods of villages like Dengjiapu, Wujialing, and Laobutou! They’ve come too!”
The gods of villages were known as grassroots gods. They had been virtuous people in life; after their deaths, their souls were deified and enshrined in statues. Huang Siping, on the other hand, was a demon who had cultivated to the seventh level in martial arts. He had been ordained as a mountain god, becoming god in the flesh.
Although both types of gods took in incense and enjoyed offerings from the people, there was a fundamental difference between them.
The grassroots gods fled for their lives. One by one, the Hell River’s waters swept them away. Their statues crumbled, and the river swallowed their souls, disappearing without a trace.
The four remaining demons by Huang Siping’s side fared no better, and the river also swallowed them.
Huang Siping was about to reach the abandoned temple when he saw another person rushing toward him from the other side: a man clad in black and red government official robes.
They caught sight of each other and were startled, immediately getting into defensive stances.
The yellow hair on Huang Siping’s face twitched slightly. “So, it’s Lord Wei.”
This official was the one who had saved Ding Quan before. His name was Wei Chu, one of eight prison wardens of Lingling County. During the day, he led two other wardens in pursuit of Xu Ying and rescued Ding Quan. However, they failed to find their target.
The elephant trumpet had also brought him here. When he had just begun his ascent, the Hell River unexpectedly changed its course and swallowed his two colleagues!
Losing two Exorcists shook Wei Chu deeply.
The corner of Wei Chu’s eyes twitched as he gave a hollow smile. “So, it’s the Rocky Mountain God.”
The city god and Zhou Yang were not on good terms. Both wanted to seize control of Lingling County and had been fighting for years, both in the dark and in the open. Consequently, there was hostility between Lingling County officials and the gods under the city god’s command, too.
That was especially true in Xu Ying’s god-murdering case. It had brought both sides to the verge of war. They had each issued a kill-on-sight order on the other side’s forces!
While Wei Chu feared no grassroots god, Huang Siping was an ordained god. He possessed immense power, making him a tough opponent!
Huang Siping carried a hundred-refined zhanmadao [1] that was over a zhang long on his back. Gripping its handle, he steeled himself and said, “With the Hell River changing its course, we’re all facing destruction. If we fight each other, Lord Wei, we’ll only destroy ourselves. But if we join hands to deal with this crisis, we can still survive. What do you think?”
Wei Chu furrowed his brow and looked behind Huang Siping. Hell River was still rising and would soon engulf the area. The only high ground on the rocky mountain was the abandoned temple before them.
If they fought, they could fall into the river and lose their lives.
Wei Chu nodded. “In the face of disaster, we have to put ill feelings behind us and help each other indeed.”
The two walked into the abandoned temple and saw a young boy and a large snake warming themselves up by a fire. The fire was an eerie green, with ghosts emerging from it continuously.
“Felon Xu Ying, do you recognize me?” Wei Chu demanded, his tone carrying the unmistakable authority of an official.
Xu Ying quickly clutched the broken silvers in his sleeves and said warily, “Lord Wei, I have no money.”
He had seen government officials extorting money before. The commoners often had to force a smile and hand over their money with both hands. The officials, putting on lofty airs, would not even glance at it as they quietly pocketed it, then say something like, "Don't do this again."
In the past, Xu Ying never had any money; for the first time, he had a few taels of broken silver. He had planned to flee somewhere and save it as dowry to marry a wife. He didn’t want to hand it over.
“Unruly peasant! What’s that in your sleeves?” Wei Chu sneered coldly. “My eyes are incredibly sharp. I can tell whether you possess any silver on you at a glance! But I can’t accept your money and pardon you. Your crime is too grave. The County Magistrate has ordered your death.”
Xu Ying sighed in relief. With a hint of joy in his voice, he said, “It’s great that you want my life and not my money. If you want my life, I’ll fight you for it. But if you want my money, I truly can’t bear to hand it over.”
Wei Chu snorted, glancing at Huang Siping, and said, “Do you want his life or his money, Rocky Mountain God?”
Huang Siping answered indifferently, “I’ll take both! The city god has ordered his death, so naturally, I cannot take his money while acting in the city god’s name. After I kill him, I can search his corpse. I can’t work for free!”
Wei Chu narrowed his eyes. He stealthily reached inside his sleeve and smiled. “The lawless peasant Xu Ying killed Chief Jiang. This is a case for the mortal realm.”
The yellow hair on Huang Siping’s face twitched. Gripping his hundred-refined zhanmadao, he said, “The Underworld Court ordained the god of Jiangjiatian Village. Since Xu Ying slew a god, he had violated the laws of the underworld.”
Wei Chu gave a hollow smile and withdrew his hand from his sleeve. “The Hell River is passing through. United, we stand. Divided, we fall. Rocky Mountain God, let’s each take a step back and settle this dispute after the Hell River has passed.”
Huang Siping nodded silently.
Wei Chu sat down by the fire, glanced at Xu Ying, and said, “Being a snake catcher has taught you decent skills. Why become a criminal?”
Xu Ying stared intently at the ghosts screaming in pain from the blazing flames. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Neither the gods nor the lord officials are willing to give me a way out. So, I have no choice but to kill them and carve one out myself.”
Huang Siping sat opposite Wei Chu, revealing a rare hint of a smile. “Oh, Great Saint Xu, you were born with the talent to lose your head.”
Wei Chu smiled. “That is demonic nature, Xu Ying. Your demonic nature is untamable. Even if you hadn’t committed a crime today, you would have done so sooner or later. Look at Rocky Mountain God. He’s well-tamed.”
Huang Siping said indifferently, “Lord Wei, you serve the Zhou clan like a dog, while I serve the Underworld Court. We’re no different, so don’t act like you’re above me.”
Wei Chu smiled, unbothered by the retort.
Xu Ying rose to his feet and looked outside the temple. The river water was still surging violently, inching higher and higher. It had already reached the entrance of the abandoned temple. Though the rise had slowed, the entire temple would soon be swallowed.
He looked around. Other than the temple, there was no higher ground.
Xu Ying turned around and asked, “Do you know why the Hell River changed course?”
Huang Siping and Wei Chu sat by the fire, surrounded by ghosts and bathed in green firelight, warming themselves.
With an eerie smile, Wei Chu said, “Legend has it that there’s a river in the underworld known as the Hell River. It carries the souls of the dead. It follows its own laws and does not change course lightly. Only one thing can make it shift.”
Xu Ying asked, “What?”
Wei Chu smiled, his face glowing green from the fire. “Widespread death in the mortal realm.”
Xu Ying was puzzled. “Why would that make the Hell River change its course?”
Wei Chu didn’t answer.
Huang Siping explained, “The Hell River guides the souls of the dead. In the mortal realm, there are tributaries connected to it, enough to handle the usual number of deaths. However, if widespread deaths were to occur, far exceeding usual numbers, the tributaries would no longer be enough. Then the main river itself changes course.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “In other words, wherever the Hell River flows is where mass death has occurred.”
Xu Ying looked west, following the river’s direction.
“What happened west of Lingling County? Why has the Hell River appeared in the mortal realm?”
He continued, “Wasn’t there supposed to be order between the mortal realm and the underworld? Each has its own operating principles? Why did the river invade our realm?”
“Great question!” Wei Chu praised but offered no answer, as he didn’t know it either.
Huang Siping also fell silent.
Yuanqi couldn’t hold it in and said, “This is not the first time the underworld has invaded the mortal realm. The Hell River has changed course before. Once, eight hundred years ago. The Hell River changed its course, causing the underworld to invade the mortal realm. Then again, in the fourteenth year of Tianbao.”
Wei Chu and Huang Siping turned to look at him simultaneously, their gazes filled with confusion.
The Prince of Dongping rose in rebellion in the fourteenth year of Tianbao, leading to widespread deaths. It could indeed have caused the Hell River to change its course. However, not even an old demon like Huang Siping knew what happened eight hundred years ago.
So how did a young snake demon like Yuanqi know so much?”
Yuanqi said with a touch of elegance, “I have many books at home. I love reading. For three generations, my family has loved reading as well. Over the past three hundred years, we’ve collected countless books. We come from a long line of scholars and a family steeped in learning—”
Wei Chu interrupted him, “What’s the point of reading? Can you become an official?”
Yuanqi felt wronged and didn’t speak any further.
The waters continued rising and finally surged into the abandoned temple. Xu Ying and the others immediately got up and jumped onto the roof.
They all knew that if the Hell River continued to rise, it would swallow the temple whole. Its waters would melt away flesh and blood alike.
Wei Chu’s gaze flickered, and he glanced at Xu Ying, Huang Siping, and Yuanqi. The Hell River can devour flesh and blood, but perhaps not bones. If it rises any further, I will have no choice but to kill them and use their bones as footholds!
He noticed that Huang Siping was watching him from the corner of his eye. A chill ran through his heart. The Rocky Mountain God must be thinking the same thing!
The water rose higher, gradually flooding the temple's main hall. It also surged into the rear courtyard. The water was about to reach the well below the bell in the pavilion.
Wei Chu was about to strike and use their corpses as footholds when a pillar of light soared from the temple into the sky, so brilliant that none of them could keep their eyes open.
The resplendent divine light rose into the air and exploded!
Clang!
A loud and resonant chime rang. The exploding light transformed into a massive, bell-shaped halo, and shielded the temple’s perimeter. Between the echoes of its chime, the waters of Hell River were forced back!
On the temple roof, Xu Ying and the others were astonished. They looked around and saw that the entire temple was encased within a colossal wall of light, with form but no substance.
Strange patterns flashed across its surface, appearing and disappearing, forming different images.
Outside the massive bell-shaped light, the waters surged higher and higher. Terrifying ghosts hurled themselves against the wall of light, only to be shattered into wisps of green smoke by the bell’s vibrations.
The biting cold that had plagued the group vanished. Warmth slowly returned.
“It’s the bell in the rear pavilion!”
Xu Ying realized this and turned to look in the pavilion’s direction. Radiant light was pouring from the rusty bronze bell hanging in the pavilion, shining through its corroded surface.
The group descended from the roof and came to the pavilion. Confused, Wei Chu said, “I didn’t expect such a valuable treasure to be in an abandoned temple like this. Why is it hanging here, ignored by everyone?”
The mountain suddenly shook violently. The earth trembled, and the mountain swayed.
All three of them grabbed onto the pavilion pillars to steady themselves, alarm and confusion flashing across their faces.
The light radiating from the bronze bell hung in the pavilion became even brighter, shining into the well and illuminating its dark depths. Xu Ying caught sight of black iron scales slithering at the bottom of the well!
It was a massive creature!
He leaned over the well and looked carefully.
The black iron scales stopped moving and parted to the sides.
In the darkness below, a single blue eye opened, staring at him eerily. It filled the well.
Countless whispers filled Xu Ying’s mind, pouring into him in a violent rush of thoughts.
1. It means a horse-chopping blade. ☜
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