"I have been ordered by Lord Cui to escort Brother Ji to the Yellow Springs Road." In the sky, a woman in a purple robe held Ji Ning's hand as they flew through the air. Ji Ning looked around. A moment ago, he had been in Lord Cui's residence, and now, in the blink of an eye, he was high in the sky.
"May I ask, who exactly is Lord Cui?" Ji Ning asked, puzzled. "I've heard that before reincarnation, one must meet with a judge, who reviews the deeds of the previous life, decides the next, and only then do they reincarnate?" "Haven't you already met the judge?" The purple-clad woman smiled. "Lord Cui oversees the Book of Life and Death; he is the First Judge! Since he personally judged you, there's no need for a regular judge."
In the underworld, the highest authority is the Ten Kings of Hell, followed closely by the First Judge, Lord Cui Jue. His fame had long spread across the three realms. The mortal realm is vast and boundless, with 3,000 great worlds and countless small worlds. Every being's good and evil deeds must be judged, a task so immense that the underworld is filled with millions of judges, each responsible for the souls of the dead in different worlds. Lord Cui is the leader of all these judges, known as the First Judge. He controls the true Book of Life and Death and holds power nearly equal to that of the Ten Kings of Hell.
"Look, that is the Yellow Springs Road." The woman in purple pointed to a misty road in the distance. Countless lines of ghostly souls were slowly marching along it. "Follow the Yellow Springs Road, and you will soon reach the Bridge of Forgetfulness. Once you cross the bridge and drink Meng Po's soup, you can reincarnate." "Go on." With a wave of her hand, the purple-clad woman sent Ji Ning, wrapped in golden light, flying down into one of the queues, directly "cutting the line."
The Ox-headed and Horse-faced ghost soldiers standing by the queue, seeing the purple-robed woman high in the sky, dared not say a word. One of the Ox-headed soldiers even followed Ji Ning closely, treating him with great respect. The Yellow Springs Road was foggy, with countless lines of ghost souls marching alongside one another. Ji Ning walked among them. "Hmm?" Ji Ning looked ahead. The fog grew thicker, and as soon as the ghost souls entered, they vanished from sight. "Go ahead, the Bridge of Forgetfulness is just ahead," said the Ox-headed soldier beside him, speaking kindly. Ji Ning nodded, hesitating no longer, and stepped into the thick fog.
It felt as if time and space were shifting. "Where is this?" Ji Ning looked around, puzzled. Ahead was a narrow path with only a few dozen ghosts walking along it. In front of the path lay a murky river. "That must be the legendary River of Forgetfulness," Ji Ning mused as he continued walking. "Strange." "There were countless lines of souls earlier. Why are there so few after entering the fog?" Ji Ning was bewildered. Little did he know that time flowed differently at the Bridge of Forgetfulness.
As they say, a day in heaven is a year on earth. The time on the Bridge of Forgetfulness was even more extreme; one day in the underworld could pass in a matter of countless years on the bridge. "Ah! Ah!" "I regret it!" Ji Ning walked on the Bridge of Forgetfulness and saw a pool of blood at the bridge's end. Inside the pool were poisonous snakes, insects, and dog-headed beasts, all savagely biting. Most ghost souls walked over the pool, but some fell in, their sins too heavy to escape the torment of the blood pool.
"If you knew it would come to this, why commit those sins?" Ji Ning shook his head and looked toward the opposite bank. "It's beautiful." On the banks of the River of Forgetfulness, flowers bloomed beautifully. Not far from the bridge stood a crystalline stone, flashing images faintly—this was the legendary Three-Lives Stone. Not far from the stone was a dirt platform known as the Terrace of Remembrance. Ghosts passed over this platform and arrived at Meng Po's side.
Meng Po was an ordinary-looking old woman, holding a bowl of soup. She handed a bowl to each passing soul. After drinking, the ghosts would become dazed and automatically leap into one of the Six Realms of Reincarnation behind her. "Heaven, Asura, Human, Animal, Hungry Ghost, Hell," Ji Ning thought as he looked at the six deep abysses behind Meng Po. "I won't drink, I won't drink, I don't want to forget, I don't want to forget..." Many ghosts struggled.
But no matter how they struggled, invisible forces propelled them forward. Upon reaching Meng Po, they were bound by this force to take the bowl and drink. Even in agony, they still drank. Afterward, no matter how deep the feelings or how vivid the memories, all would be forgotten. At that point, you were no longer yourself. "In the Heaven Realm, I'll regain my past life memories at sixteen. But by then, will my sixteen years in the Heaven Realm dominate, or will my past life memories take precedence? By then, will I still be me?" A trace of sadness appeared in Ji Ning's eyes.
He understood. In this life, he had lived only 18 years. But after 16 years in the Heaven Realm, the version of himself there would undoubtedly be far stronger, and his past life memories would probably be just an accessory. "What choice do I have?" Ji Ning was bound, unable to control himself, as he was forced to move forward. One by one, the ghosts ahead drank Meng Po's soup. Only six ghosts were left before his turn. "Meng Po's soup!" Ji Ning looked ahead at Meng Po. Suddenly, Meng Po raised her head.
It was the first time Ji Ning had seen her do so. Meng Po looked up at the distant sky and let out an ancient, angry roar: "Impudence!" Boom! The sky shattered. Cracks appeared everywhere as the distant fog collapsed and dissipated, revealing the countless rows of ghosts outside. Around the cracks, numerous ghosts were disintegrating into ashes, screaming in agony as if bubbles were popping, disappearing one after another. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! In the sky, countless black dragons roamed. Each dragon was vast like a mountain range, and Ji Ning could see the scales that chilled him to the bone. The dragons playfully roamed the sky, spitting black lightning down below. Countless bolts of lightning wreaked havoc, tearing the sky apart and causing the earth to shatter.
"The Two Realms Calamity Dragon Life and Death Formation? How dare you attack the Six Paths of Reincarnation? This is a grave sin!" Meng Po roared in fury, transforming into a streak of light as she shot toward the countless black dragons in the sky. The dragons quickly surrounded her. Rumble~~~ The ground cracked, the murky waters of the River of Forgetfulness surged, and any ghost touched by the water screamed as they disintegrated into nothingness. The Bridge of Forgetfulness collapsed, and the ghosts on it plunged into the River of Forgetfulness. Meanwhile, the six bottomless abysses of the Six Paths of Reincarnation began to tremble, emitting beams of light.
"This isn't good." Ji Ning looked on in horror at this apocalyptic scene, feeling the invisible force binding him disappear. "I've got to try!" The moment the binding force disappeared, Ji Ning, both thrilled and terrified, dashed forward and leaped into the nearest reincarnation passage, the Human Realm. The six abysses of reincarnation were positioned differently, and since most reincarnations were into the Human Realm, it was the closest to where Meng Po had stood. Naturally, Ji Ning jumped toward the closest one. Several other ghosts also rushed toward the reincarnation passages.
One ghost even attempted to dash toward the furthest passage, the Heavenly Realm. Swoosh~~ A bolt of black lightning swept across, instantly reducing the ghosts who hadn't jumped, including the one heading for the Heavenly Realm, to ashes. What had happened in the underworld? The sight of countless black dragons roaming the sky and the terrifying black lightning tearing through the heavens shocked Ji Ning. But he knew that as a mere mortal soul, there was no use thinking too much. Besides, he had no time to worry about that now, for his head was aching!
Ji Ning felt as if something were pulling at his head, tugging fiercely. His neck hurt, and his body was crushed, leaving him feeling suffocated. "Whoosh!" Suddenly, he felt a sense of relief, followed by a piercing coldness. At the same time, air rushed into his mouth. Since his death in his previous life, Ji Ning was breathing for the first time. "Wah!" As the air rushed into his lungs, he let out a cry.
It was the cry of a newborn. "It's a boy! It's a boy!" A voice, slightly awkward but still understandable, sounded. "Ah, I've been reincarnated," Ji Ning realized immediately.