Bai Hu walked alongside Ma Fe.
This place was truly peculiar. He couldn't tell if it was because he was merely a soul at the moment or if it was the nature of this place, but everything seemed very hazy.
As if in a dream, just the thought of "going" and a few steps guided him to where he needed to be. The surroundings appeared and disappeared intermittently. When he wasn't thinking about them, it was as if they didn't exist. But as soon as he wanted to see them, the scenery materialized.
It certainly felt unlike being alive now.
Sometimes, Bai Hu would see a field of bright red flowers. Other times, he saw a river with water flowing in an unusual manner. It neither followed the current nor went against it—each glance showed a different flow direction.
It was as if Bai Hu walked on a glass barrier separating him from the surrounding landscapes. Hazy and with a few steps, they reached a new location.
『New Location: Tu Xiang Ling』
Bai Hu used the system to gather more information about this place.
『Note: A place where the dead reunite with loved ones once more. A chance to look back upon the mortal world.』
So, this was the Wang Xiang Tai - Home-Viewing Pavilion.
Ma Fe walked lightly ahead, transforming the ground beneath their feet into clouds that lifted both of them upward.Drifting truly like a fairy.
"The road here is very difficult to traverse. There's still a ways to go before meeting Meng Po. I wonder if you're interested in visiting the Wang Xiang Tai to glance back at the mortal world one more time?"
"..."
Bai Hu remained silent for a moment. He no longer had any fellow cultivators left in the world. Those he knew either passed away long ago and had probably reincarnated without recognition or weren't close enough for him to want to see how they were faring.
Ma Fe observed Bai Hu's silence, as if understanding something, and continued.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be someone alive. Wang Xiang Tai can also show the state of kin you wish to meet in this life."
Bai Hu nodded.
"If that's the case, then let me have a look."
- Wang Xiang Tai -
"Absolutely do not mention the names of the living at the Wang Xiang Tai. This is the law of this place," Ma Fe reminded him.
Bai Hu stepped up. Almost as soon as he set foot on the Wang Xiang Tai, the surroundings transformed.
Millions, billions of ghosts appeared, enveloping him. He felt like a mere grain of sand in the desert of souls standing on the Nostalgia Platform.
Similar to being in the Hall of the Kings of Hell, the concepts of distance and space once again distorted.
Looking both ways, all he could see were people extending to the horizon, stretching infinitely with no end in sight.
The wailing cries were so loud they deafened his ears.Even covering his ears couldn't block out the sound.
It was noisy. Relentless. There was no way to make it stop. Could he possibly shout at billions of souls to be silent? Any sound he tried to make was immediately drowned out by the cacophony.
The lament of countless billions.
Ma Fe's voice transmitted to Bai Hu, instantly soothing all the noise as it spoke.
"Calm down. Just recite in your mind that you can't hear, and you won't have to hear anything at all."
Bai Hu closed his eyes. Amidst the deafening noise, he seemed to seal off his senses.
He stopped breathing, stopped looking, stopped listening, stopped tasting, stopped feeling everything around him.
In an instant, his ears no longer heard those noises.
Everything became eerily silent.
The countless souls that had filled the Wang Xiang Tai were no longer visible.
"The Underworld is constructed from perception. You can hear only what you wish to hear, feel only what you wish to feel."Like the scenery around you, you see what you wish to see."
"Reciting these things, the Underworld isn't that scary at all," Ma Fe giggled.
The demeanor of Bai Hu's beloved giggled beside him. Even though it wasn't the real person, it offered him some solace.
"Now from the Wang Xiang Tai, you can look in any direction you wish. Think of the person you want to meet, and you will see them in this life. Just remember, no matter what happens, you must not leave the Wang Xiang Tai."
Bai Hu silently gazed into the distance.
The white space began to form a scene again.
The person he wanted to see first. It was still the first figure Bai Hu had seen upon entering the Underworld.
She appeared somewhat younger, but not much different. She was working at an ancient clinic, bandaging an injured soldier.
Ma Fe stood beside him, secretly watching what Bai Hu was seeing.
"Indeed, a beauty. No wonder you've transformed me into this appearance since entering the Underworld. Well, I can't complain; it's not often one gets to transform into such a beauty!" Ma Fe covered their mouth, giggling.
Bai Hu paid no attention, as he was still engrossed in watching that figure.
"Can I be reincarnated into her world?"
Ma Fe stared intently into the world Bai Hu was seeing.
"It's possible. It's just a bit troublesome."
Bai Hu turned to look."What kind of trouble?"
Ma Fe sighed. With a wave of their flowing silk, the scene Bai Hu was witnessing expanded.
The clinic of that young woman was filled with numerous gravely injured soldiers. Some of them might be standing on the Nostalgia Platform in a few hours.
"According to fate, she too will soon enter the cultivation world. But her world is experiencing the Anomaly of Forbidden Birth."
Anomaly of Forbidden Birth?
Without waiting for Bai Hu to ask, Ma Fe continued.
"That's one of the signs of the end of the world. The entry rate of souls into the world gradually approaches zero. No new life is being created in that world. Lives can only move towards Reincarnation.
So even if you wish to reincarnate into that world, you cannot. Newborns die immediately after birth. And, as you can see, war is ongoing. The return of lives to Reincarnation is increasing by the day."
Ma Fe appeared sorrowful, and Bai Hu also fell into deep thought. So she would have to endure yet another life of suffering.
"This world will end sooner or later. It's best to wait for her to return to Reincarnation; perhaps the two of you can meet in the next life."
After a long period of silence.Bai Hu seemed to be tormenting himself.
He looked at Male Female.
"Is there a way for her to reincarnate into the same world with me?"
Ma Fe was silent for a moment.
"There is."
Reincarnating in the End Times
『...』
"But it's not easy to achieve. Not everyone can choose the world they reincarnate into. She would have to be a distinguished guest."
Distinguished guest.
That's how Bai Hu had been referred to during his time in the Underworld, thanks to having a Divine System.
"A distinguished guest, besides having a divine ability like you, can also earn this status through boundless merits, such as being a living Buddha or someone who has saved countless beings."
Ma Fe patted Bai Hu on the shoulder.
"Even if she was a healer in this life, unfortunately, if becoming a distinguished guest were that easy, the Underworld would already be full of them."
Bai Hu remained silent for a while.
"Is there any way to help her become a distinguished guest?"
Ma Fe looked at Bai Hu and smiled faintly.
"Sigh... Even though you're a distinguished guest, you're making it hard for me."
"There is, but the cost is not cheap."
"Tell me."
...
After a detailed explanation, Bai Hu maintained his composed demeanor.
In summary, the Underworld doesn't want the End Times to occur, but usually, there isn't a way to prevent it.Wheel King truly loathes these kinds of apocalyptic times. They significantly increase his workload. Ideally, someone from the Underworld would enter this world to thoroughly investigate the origins of the Anomaly of Forbidden Birth. However, this responsibility can temporarily be entrusted to Bai Hu. Under the guise of an Underworld official, he can enter there.
If he manages to resolve the apocalyptic situation, perhaps Wheel King might grant permission for her to reincarnate in the same place as Bai Hu.
"That's the idea. But if you wish for this, I will report to The Zhuan Lun Wang first. Knowing his temperament, he will likely agree. However, it's necessary to report it."
Ma Fe looked towards the direction they were supposed to head, the place of Meng Po.
"However, you might lose your status as a distinguished guest."
Bai Hu vaguely understood what Ma Fe meant.
He had become a distinguished guest here thanks to his System. Once he entered her world, it would count as a new life. After that life ends, the system would become ineffective. In the subsequent life, Bai Hu would no longer be a distinguished guest.
He would start from the Yellow Springs Path, walking through the road lined with manjusaka flowers, moving alongside countless souls into the Yin Jail Underworld. And he would drink Meng Po's soup.forget past life memories to reincarnate.
The ancestral records mention that most people with a system retain their memories for just one lifetime. Therefore, it's uncommon for someone to reincarnate multiple times. Even Bai Hu's ancestors only reincarnated once while retaining their memories.
Ma Fe looked at Bai Hu, who was still lost in thought. "The decision is entirely yours. The next time we meet, it might not be as comfortable as now. We might not even meet. Honestly, in your next reincarnation, you won't retain any memories. Meeting her might be impossible."
Bai Hu smiled. "No matter what, I get to meet her in another life. If I'm lucky, it could be two. There's no reason not to do it."
Ma Fe sighed. "Alright. I will go report to The King. You should meet Meng Po first."
Bai Hu bowed his head in gratitude. The Nostalgia Platform seemed to disappear as Ma Fe left.