Ch. 106 – Six Paths Reincarnation Array

“How…..long have we been walking?” Fang Yang asked Cao Zirui beside him, rubbing his stomach.

“Hm…..” Cao Zirui thought for a moment, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

The leg-eating skeleton hadn’t been particularly difficult to handle. With the two of them working together, it only took a small amount of effort to shatter its skeletal frame.

Having disposed of the malevolent thing, the two had continued onward. They encountered another creature gnawing on a hand along the way, though neither of them could tell who it had belonged to. They didn’t look too closely, as the hand had been gnawed into a bloody, mangled mess that was truly repulsive sight.

Practice made perfect, and the two resolved the matter even faster than the previous time.

Afterward, there was only the long, endless darkness.

They had no idea just how large the Royal City of Western Qiang truly was, nor how long this passageway stretched. They also had no concept of how long they had been walking, and hadn’t encountered a single exit along the way.

That was bad enough, but the two of them gradually realized that this place seemed to suppress spiritual power, and they could no longer draw upon the slightest trace of it.

In the wake of this knowledge came the sensation of hunger. This was a sensation that they never should have felt again after reaching Foundation Establishment stage and commencing inedia.

Despite clutching his stomach, an uncontrollable rumble still escaped from deep within Fang Yang’s belly.

A faint trace of embarrassment crept onto his face. His Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage were still missing, their fates unknown. Yet here he was, pathetically hungry, even though he had only just eaten a rabbit leg at noon.

The sound rang out with exceptional clarity through the silent, pitch-black passageway. Cao Zirui naturally heard it, but before he could speak a word, a distinct rumble issued from his own stomach.

Fang Yang instinctively clutched his stomach tighter before realizing that this time, it wasn’t his stomach protesting.

There were only two of them here. So if it wasn’t him, it must be…..Fang Yang looked toward Cao Zirui.

Cao Zirui kept his head down, but Fang Yang could still see that a blush had spread all the way to his ears.

Fang Yang’s embarrassment instantly vanished. It turned out that just like him, Cao Zirui was hungry but didn’t have the nerve to admit it.

At the sight of Cao Zirui looking like he wished he could bury his head deep in the dirt, Fang Yang couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

His laughter echoed down the long, narrow passageway. Cao Zirui looked up, somewhat flustered. Having grown up as the young master of a prominent clan, he had never lacked for gold or silver, and fresh fruits and pastries had always been kept in ready supply at home. He had almost never known hunger, let alone the indignity of a growling stomach.

But ultimately, this was not something he could control. The rumbling of his stomach was a simply a bodily function.

He was embarrassed enough when his stomach rumbled, but then Fang Yang went ahead and laughed at him.

His embarrassment turned into indignation, but when he looked up, he found that Fang Yang wasn’t really mocking him. There was no ridicule in his eyes, just some simple amusement.

Cao Zirui’s anger faded. He gave the laughing Fang Yang a helpless look, and the other boy’s amusement had him letting out a laugh as well.

Then the fun was over, and it was time to set off again.

But movement did nothing for their rumbling stomachs.

Fang Yang began to lament: “If only we had brought more food before leaving.”

But there was no point in having regrets. None of them could have possibly imagined that of all things, hunger would be the first obstacle they encountered.

Although the circumstances of Fang Yang’s family didn’t match the affluence of Cao Zirui’s, the village they lived in was actually quite prosperous. While they may not have access to rare delicacies, they certainly never had to worry about not having enough food to eat.

No matter how wildly he might be playing outside, the instant his stomach rumbled, he would immediately head home to eat. This level of hunger was not something he was accustomed to.

Even during the brief time the two had spent joking around, he felt his hunger intensifying. It had been somewhat bearable before, but at this moment, a burning, acidic sensation arose in his stomach.

Cao Zirui felt much the same as Fang Yang. This accelerated onset of hunger was actually quite strange. Although it was unclear how long the two of them had been stuck here, they certainly shouldn’t have reached this level of hunger.

But despite knowing that something was amiss, they had no way to resolve it.

Cao Zirui gave it some thought, then rummaged around in his storage bag. He normally didn’t carry food with him. Having entered a state of inedia, he had no need to eat and naturally saw no reason to waste space carrying provisions.

But edibility didn’t pertain to food alone. Medicinal pills could serve the same purpose.

He took out a bottle of pills meant to nourish the vital essence and fortify the constitution. It was used for treating injuries, but even the uninjured could take it to replenish their vitality. He poured one out for Fang Yang, and another for himself: “This will boost your qi. Take one to pad your stomach.”

Although Cao Zirui didn’t mention the value of the pills, Fang Yang had learned from the previous incident in North Sea City and knew that the pills his friend had casually plucked out of his pocket must be extremely expensive.

But he took the pill and swallowed it regardless.

He was just so hungry. Scorched by acidic fluids, his stomach was in desperate need of something to fill it. Anything would do as long as it could alleviate this gnawing hunger.

No matter how expensive this pill may be, he would simply find a way to pay it back later. Without even bothering to chew, Fang Yang swallowed the plump, round pill whole.

A cool medicinal sensation spread through his stomach, and the pain tormenting him quickly subsided.

Yet before he could let out a sigh of relief, the hunger surged back with a vengeance.

It still wasn’t enough…..

A single medicinal pill wasn’t enough…..

Fang Yang clutched his stomach, lips pressed tightly together. He glanced toward Cao Zirui and found him wearing a pained expression that mirrored his own.

Cao Zirui once again took out the porcelain bottle and poured out one pill for each of them.

But after taking the pills this time, the sense of relief was not as pronounced. They still needed more…..

Moments later, the two of them had consumed the entire bottle of pills.

The short-lived sensation of refreshing coolness was addictive, standing in stark contrast to the terrible hunger pangs.

Humans instinctively sought benefits and avoided harm, so upon discovering a method to alleviate their pain, they couldn’t help themselves.

Cao Zirui produced two more bottles of medicinal pills and, heedless of how their properties might clash with what they had already taken, each of them grabbed a bottle and gulped down the contents.

Yet even after swallowing an entire bottle of pills in a single go, that eternal hunger immediately surged back.

The two of them ate more and more. Four or five porcelain bottles already lay at their feet.

In the end, the medicinal pills were no longer able to give them even a brief moment of relief.

The pills were no bigger than pellets, and even several bottles’ worth wasn’t enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Fang Yang had once heard that in areas struck by famine, people were forced to subsist on grass and tree bark when there was nothing else to eat.

He hadn’t understood how these things could be eaten, and felt that no matter how hungry he was, he could never do the same.

Only now that he was experiencing true starvation did he realize…..to say nothing of grass and tree bark, he would eat anything he could put in his mouth, even raw meat dripping with blood…..

Fang Yang was stunned by the thought that had just popped into his head.  He had actually found himself thinking about those two skeletons they had seen gnawing on a hand and a leg.

He had previously felt nothing but revulsion at the sight, but looking back on it now…..he actually found himself salivating at the thought of that fresh blood and flesh.

Fang Yang gave his head a violent shake. Absolutely not. His rationality warned him that if he were to feed on human flesh, what difference would there be between him and the monsters in this place?

He forced himself not to think about it, nor the burning sensation in his stomach. Finding a way out should be his sole focus.

Yet whenever his guard slipped for a brief moment, that scene of cannibalism immediately flashed through his mind.

And the more this happened, the more his craving grew. His mouth was watering profusely. Those skeletons didn’t have a stomach or intestines, and the shredded meat simply fell to the ground after they were done chewing it.

If he were to go back and look…..but the distance was a bit too far. They seemed to have been walking forever.

Fang Yang didn’t know exactly how long it had been, but going by how hungry he was, he likely wouldn’t be able to hold on long enough to make the return trip.

But…..even if he couldn’t go back to look for the meat, there was fresher meat right next to him.

His hearing had become exceptionally sharp in the silent passageway. Fang Yang could hear the sound of Cao Zirui breathing, as well as his pulse beating. He seemed to sense the branching blood vessels within the boy’s body, as well as the blood flowing through them.

So delicious, so tempting…..

As if possessed, Fang Yang stole a glance at Cao Zirui.

And the instant he turned his head, he met the other boy’s gaze head-on.

The hunger and greed in their eyes was identical, and both of them froze in shock.

In that instant, reason returned to both of them and they whipped their heads away, not daring to look again.

Fang Yang reached up and gave himself a hard slap across the face. What in the world was he thinking, ah!

Cao Zirui coughed uneasily, feeling a pang of dread at the thought that had just crossed his mind.

The lingering fear put both of them on high alert, and they mustered all of their rationality to keep this unbearable hunger in check.

Part of what made someone human was knowing how far was too far. Even if it was done for the sake of survival, cannibalism was an act that was irreconcilable with commonly accepted morality.

The two continued to walk in silence, their nerves stretched taut, terrified that such a dreadful thought might consume them once more.

But that which was too rigid was easily snapped. The extreme mental tension of their combined hunger and exhaustion left them barely clinging on to their rationality. Sheer force of will was all that was keeping them sane.

A sudden sound came from ahead of them.

It was a skeleton, just like the two they had encountered earlier. This skeleton had both an arm and a leg clutched in its hands, and was just about to feast when it caught sight of Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

The two stared into the hollow eye sockets of its skull, then gripped their swords and prepared to fight.

But unexpectedly, the skeleton didn’t attack.

It tilted its head and scrutinized them for a moment. Then, astonishingly, it lifted both the human arm and leg and extended them forward, as if treating them to a meal.

Treating them…..?

Ridiculous! As if they would eat human flesh!

Their taut nerves instantly snapped back. But the savory scent of fresh blood lingered, curling just beneath their noses…..

Their minds turned. Eating the living was wrong, but…..what if they were already dead…..?

Since they were already dead, did they even count as human anymore?

A tiny crack appeared in their sanity. Then, their reasoning crumbled completely.

Before they realized it, the two of them were already in front of the skeleton, each with a severed limb in their hands. Blood dripped from the jagged stumps, and the scent of gore spread through the air.

Delicious and enticing, it was exactly what their aching stomachs needed…..a cure to soothe their pain.

Just as Fang Yang was about to lower his head and bite down, a sharp pang shot through his chest.

Far more intense than his hunger, it felt like flames scorching his chest cavity.

At once, he regained a measure of clarity. He lowered his gaze toward his hands, and only then realized what he was just about to do.

A dense layer of cold sweat appeared on his back as he realized that this was a trap.

An extremely cunning trap.

Generally speaking, eating the flesh of the living was just as unacceptable as eating the flesh of the dead.

But in the grand scheme of things, the former was still more serious.

When confronted with two grave matters, people would normally go for what seemed to be the lesser evil, inadvertently overlooking the fundamental truth that both were equally terrible.

With their nerves already stretched to the breaking point by their cannibalistic thoughts, their bodies and minds had reached their absolute limit. Such a state was unsustainable, and they desperately needed relief.

And just like that, the opportunity presented itself.

After all, compared to eating the flesh of the living, eating the flesh of the dead seemed far more acceptable.

This lowered their guard, and their rationality left them completely.

But now that he was back in his right mind, Fang Yang came to realize that whether the human flesh they consumed was living or dead, they would be crossing a line that should never be crossed.

And once they crossed that line…..there was really no turning back…..

He suddenly flung aside the severed limb in his hand, then snatched the one from Cao Zirui and threw it directly at the skeleton. Caught completely off guard, the skeleton tumbled to the ground.

“Let’s go!” Fang Yang grabbed Cao Zirui, turned on his heel, and ran.

He didn’t know where they could go. All he knew was that they couldn’t stay here any longer.

He was in his right mind now, but there was no telling how long that would last.

If things continued like this, he would transform into a man-eating demon. Even if his appearance remained indistinguishable from other people, he could no longer be called human.

The passageway was long and lightless. They had dropped the luminous pearl just moments before approaching the skeleton, when their reasoning left them completely.

Now, he dragged Cao Zirui as he rushed headlong through the darkness, with no idea what may lie ahead.

Yet in that darkness, he once again saw a faint glimmer of light.

It was extremely faint, but impossible to ignore.

It came from his chest. From the exact spot where the sharp pain had just shot through him.

That was…..Fang Yang took out the bamboo slip hanging around his neck. This was the thing that allowed him to speak with the Mysterious Big Brother…..no, with Yinglong. A bamboo slip that allowed him to speak with Yinglong.

Although his feelings toward Yinglong were complex, and he was unsure whether this god was ultimately good or evil, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to throw the bamboo slip away. If Yinlong spoke to him again, he wanted to ask him to clarify the truth of that event one hundred years ago.

But after the battle at Lingxiao Sword Sect, Yinglong never contacted him again.

Fang Yang assumed that the other party had lost interest in him. After all, he was just mortal with mediocre cultivation. Perhaps Yinglong’s use of the bamboo slip to communicate with him had simply been to use his status as a disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect for his own ends.

It was natural for Fang Yang to think this way. Yinglong had always been notoriously brutal, and wasn’t the sort of person who would do good deeds without expecting something in return.

But now, just as Fang Yang was on the verge of descending onto the ghostly path, this bamboo slip had given him a warning. This made it clear that whatever Yinglong’s motive may have been in giving him the bamboo slip, this object was meant to protect him.

Fang Yang’s eyes suddenly grew a little misty, and he rubbed them with his free hand. In such hopeless darkness, knowing that there had always been someone protecting him, even from afar, was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

He opened his palm and saw that the glow was coming from an array carved into the bamboo slip. Fang Yang didn’t know exactly what sort of array it was, but he felt the bamboo slip exerting force in a certain direction, as if it was pointing the way.

Without any caution at all, Fang Yang ran headlong in the direction indicated by the bamboo slip. Light appeared before his eyes once again, yet unlike the faint glow emanating from the bamboo slip, this searing white light was so intense that it stung his eyes.

He couldn’t see in the dark, yet he also couldn’t see in such blinding light. Fang Yang tightened his grip on Cao Zirui’s hand and closed his eyes. Then he rushed into the light without delay, and both of their figures were swallowed up by it.

He seemed to step over something, and a moment later, the dull thud of a stone door closing echoed from behind him.

Fang Yang came to a halt.

He opened his eyes again, and what lay before him was a massive hexagonal platform with bright candles lit along every side, providing plenty of light.

And in addition to the candlelight, at all six of the corners stood a door three meters high with a massive plaque hung above each of them.

Fang Yang turned to look back in the direction he had come from. The stone door behind him was tightly shut, as if it had only opened for an instant when they rushed inside.

And inscribed on the plaque were two words – “Human Path.”

This is one of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Fang Yang thought to himself. The Six Paths…..must correspond to the six doors here.

He glanced to his left, and sure enough, the words “Heavenly Path” were inscribed above the nearest stone door.

Just as he was about to turn his attention to the next one, the “Heavenly Path” door suddenly opened and a figure came rushing through it.

It was Hao Chen, who had been separated from them before.

Hao Chen appeared somewhat disheveled. His clothes were rumpled, his hair was a tangled mess, and his face was flushed, though it was unclear if this was from running or some other reason.

He came to a halt just inside, and as the door closed behind him, he noticed Fang Yang staring blankly at him close by.

With a swish, he snapped his fan open. In an attempt to salvage his dignity, he struck a dashing pose and flashed Fang Yang his usual smile.

But Fang Yang had clearly seen the look of shame and anger on his face just as he dashed through the stone door. It was unclear exactly what Hao Chen had experienced within the Heavenly Path, but Fang Yang wisely refrained from commenting.

“What…..what’s going on?” Cao Zirui finally snapped out of his daze.

He gazed around in bewilderment.

His memory seemed to be a blank slate after encountering that final skeleton, and when he finally came to his senses, he was in a brand new location.

He belatedly reached down to touch his stomach. That unbearable hunger seemed to have vanished, but in its place was a swelling sensation of spiritual power, the result of having consumed too many pills at once without digesting them.

Fang Yang recounted his guess to Cao Zirui, that everything they had encountered was likely a trap to lure them onto the ghostly path.

They hadn’t actually lingered in that passageway called the “Human Path” for very long. A mere shichen or two had passed at most, but to their senses, it felt like they had been there for an eternity. And that hunger hadn’t been real either. It had all been an illusion.

Thus, once they left that place, their hunger vanished entirely. The craving for flesh and blood was gone, leaving no trace behind.

Upon hearing that he had nearly eaten the remains of some unknown person, Cao Zirui couldn’t stop retching.

Everything had returned to normal, including his reaction to severed limbs.

Meanwhile, Hao Chen appeared to be deep in thought as he listened to Fang Yang recount their experience. Everything Fang Yang and his companion had gone through was designed to lure them onto the ghostly path. And as for his own experience, those sixteen howling skeletons hadn’t been particularly difficult to deal with. They were nothing but minions. The tricky part was what occurred next…..ahem. Thinking back, Hao Chen felt his face start to flush again.

And then came a surge of furious indignation. That imposter had been toying with him. Knowing that Hao Chen was a true god of the Heavenly Realm and impervious to manipulation, he had never considered using the same tactics against him as he had against Fang Yang and his companion. Instead, he had conjured up a series of charming, beguiling illusions right before Hao Chen’s eyes.

How could he, the dignified Lord of the North Sea who stood guard over an entire realm, possibly be enthralled by such illusions?

Of course…..he had nearly been enthralled.

Hao Chen fanned himself a little faster to get rid of the lingering heat.

After taking a moment to catch their breath, the three of them finally gathered together to analyze the situation.

“What is this place? Where is Shixiong? What should we do?” Fang Yang summarized their situation into three key points.

But both Hao Chen and Cao Zirui remained silent, unable to come up with any answers.

“How are these six paths divided?” Fang Yang thought for a moment, attempting to sift through the various clues. “We entered the Human Path, but if that’s just because we’re human, then why did Hao-dage enter the Heavenly Path?”

He couldn’t figure out the division of the six paths, and his brow furrowed as he wracked his brains.

In the meantime, Hao Chen gave his fan a few nervous waves. Fang Yang had actually guessed correctly. These six paths were indeed likely determined by each person’s identity.

But Feng Ye was a god as well, so why hadn’t he walked the Heavenly Path beside Hao Chen?

With this thought in mind, Hao Chen swept his gaze across the four remaining doors. But before he could determine which door Feng Ye was likely behind, the sound of a stone door opening rang out once again.

The three of them simultaneously looked in that direction. This time, the door that opened was…..

One of the Three Evil Paths, the Hungry Ghost Path.

A human-like form emerged from the door.

And it was only human-like because this figure…..wasn’t quite like a normal human.

He had two heads, and his torso was broader than that of a normal human, yet he only possessed a single pair of arms and legs. With such bizarre proportions, it was almost as if…..two people had been severed in half, and then had one of their halves glued to the other.

Once the stone door fully closed, the figure stepped into the candlelight, and the three of them were finally able to see its true form.

The previous metaphor was no mere metaphor. They really were two people…..two people who had been cut in half and then pieced together.

It was the two mountain bandits, Wang Wu and Zhao Yi.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui simultaneously thought of the severed arms and legs they had encountered along the way. Sure enough, they must have belonged to these two mountain bandits.

It was unknown how they had ended up in such a state, but surprisingly, there was little sign of pain on their faces. On the contrary, when they caught sight of Fang Yang and his companions, they wore expressions of wild joy.

And accompanying that joy was a look of greed.

On the Path of Hungry Ghosts, “hunger” didn’t just refer to physical hunger, but to greed in all of its forms.

The two of them had been living humans not long ago, but even in life, their actions were no different than those of hungry ghosts.

Having ended up in such a ghostly state now…..perhaps this was simply a case of evil getting what was coming to it.

The three people remained silent, and it was the two-headed creature who spoke first, with Zhao Yi taking the lead in greeting their old acquaintances: “I never expected that you would be our opponents. Perfect, now we can settle our old scores while we’re at it!”

His words contained an undertone of grinding teeth.

And unlike the other three, who were still completely lost, they seemed to know exactly what this place was.

Hao Chen probed for information: “Opponents?”

“Haha, you still don’t know what this place is, do you?” Wang Wu spoke up with mocking pity. “This is the Eight Ghost Illusion Array, a method for refining ghosts!”

“A ghost-refining array?” Fang Yang exchanged a glance with Cao Zirui, still completely baffled.

“All who enter this array are evil spirits. This place…..” Wang Wu stomped the foot on his side of the body. “…..is the decisive battlefield where ghosts fight.”

“Only the ultimate victor may step forward to reclaim their freedom. The rest are destined to be devoured by the winner.” At this point, Wang Wu couldn’t help but lick his lips. His eyes fixed on Fang Yang and the others with insatiable hunger.

“Wait, everyone who enters the array is an evil spirit?” Instead of clearing things up for Fang Yang and the others, Wang Wu’s words only left them more confused.

They were clearly still human beings. How could they be evil spirits?

“Idiot!” Zhao Yi spat.

Wang Wu shook his head with a sigh. With apparent goodwill, he pointed behind the trio and signaled for them to look back.

The three of them turned their heads in unison, only to find that the plaques reading “Human Path” and “Heavenly Path” had changed.

They then looked toward the other plaques in turn. Whereas they had previously named each of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, each inscription had now transformed into a uniform pair of characters.

Ghostly Path.

“Heavenly ghosts, human ghosts, hungry ghosts….the moment you emerged from the Six Paths of Reincarnation Array, you were already ghosts!” Wang Wu roared with laughter, and revealed the truth with a savage expression: 

“The Six Paths…..are all the Ghostly Path!”

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The Author Has Something to Say: As for what Hao Chen saw in this chapter, well, it’s R-rated. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

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Chapter 105 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 107