Translator: CKtalon
Zhou Wen had heard many ghost stories from his grandfather since he was young. Many of them were about the Netherworld.
He had heard plenty of stories about Yama’s Hall, Lord Yama, the judges, and small ghosts, etc. In Zhou Wen’s impression, he would be at Fengdu City after crossing the Bridge of Helplessness.
Fengdu City was also the legendary Ghost City. Legend had it that the ten Yama Kings lived in Fengdu City.
There was an earlier Ghost Thearch, Lord of the Earth, who also lived in Fengdu City. However, in myths and legends, his residence was called Ghostly Capital.
Regardless of which legend it was, one should be able to see some legendary eminences and a ghost city after crossing the Bridge of Helplessness. However, the scene Zhou Wen saw when he stood on the Bridge of Helplessness was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
There was no Fengdu City or Yama Palace—not even a small temple.
On the other side of the Bridge of Helplessness, there were only six huge doors. On them were the words “Devas Realm,” “Asura Realm,” “Hell Realm,” “Hungry Ghost Realm,” “Animal Realm,” and “Human Realm.”
An Sheng and An Tianzuo were standing in front of the six doors, as though they were hesitating about which door to enter.
Zhou Wen walked over with Ya’er in his arms. An Sheng and An Tianzuo weren’t too surprised when they saw Chick and the antelope coming over. In the past five years, Chick and the antelope had exhibited many strange phenomena when they followed An Jing, who was impersonating Zhou Wen.
Furthermore, when Zhou Wen hadn’t been around, An Sheng had been in charge of taking care of them. With An Sheng’s meticulousness, how could he not discover the strangeness of the antelope?
Seeing Zhou Wen walk over, An Sheng said, “These six gates should be the legendary Six Realms of Rebirth. Legend has it that ghosts will reincarnate when they enter, but it doesn’t say what will happen when living people enter.”
Zhou Wen thought for a moment and said, “If this is really the land of the six realms of rebirth and existence, with so many creatures dying every day on Earth, this place would have long been filled with ghosts. How can it be so quiet? It’s probably just a dimensional zone.”
An Sheng nodded slightly. “Although that’s the case, since there are six paths, it’s very likely that there’s a taboo power that corresponds to the six realms of rebirth and existence. We have to be wary of that. Furthermore, we don’t know which door Madam and the others entered. If we try them one by one, it will waste too much time.”
Zhou Wen sized up the six doors and said, “In theory, entering the Mortal Realm door is naturally the most normal choice.”
“She would not choose the Human Realm,” An Tianzuo, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said.
“Why?” Zhou Wen was puzzled.
An Tianzuo didn’t answer. An Sheng hurriedly explained, “Madam’s personality is somewhat different from ordinary people. If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely choose the most reliable Human Realm. However, if it were Madam, she would definitely think of something else. Perhaps she would think an obvious hint like the Human Realm is a trap, and choose another door.”
“Of course, this is only an example. In fact, Madam might go one step deeper. With her personality, the possibility of her choosing to enter the Human Realm is indeed very low,” An Sheng added.
Zhou Wen thought for a moment and felt that what An Sheng said made sense. From the looks of it, Ouyang Lan was indeed an unpredictable person.
The first time Zhou Wen went to her place to eat, she had hoodwinked her daughter. Zhou Wen was truly alarmed back then.
“Then which door would Sis Lan choose?” Zhou Wen sized up the other five doors.
His understanding of Ouyang Lan was limited. He really couldn’t guess which path she would choose.
“This… Didn’t I just say that Madam has a unique personality? It’s really difficult to guess which path she took,” An Sheng said helplessly as he spread out his hands.
An Tianzuo suddenly said, “Although her personality is strange and unique, she’s definitely not the type to act rashly without any reason. She will definitely choose a path that we can guess.”
An Sheng looked at An Tianzuo and asked, “Overseer, in your opinion, which path would Madam choose?”
“I’m thinking about it,” An Tianzuo answered.
An Sheng looked at the doors and said, “I doubt it would be the Beast Realm. Madam is someone who loves beauty, so it’s impossible for her to have any desire of becoming another creature. The Hungry Ghost Realm and the Hell Realm are collectively known as the Three Evils with the Beast Realm. They aren’t great candidates either. I believe the chances of Madam choosing them aren’t high. The remaining Devas Realm and Asura Realm seem to be possible. Typically, ordinary people would choose the Heaven Realm that legends foretell good fortune, but with Madam’s personality, she might also choose the Asura Realm.”
“What kind of place is the Asura Realm in legends?” Zhou Wen only knew the name of six realms, so he didn’t understand it in detail.
“The Asura Realm is a fiendish path. Typically, when one sinks into the fiendish path, it refers to the Asura Realm. However, the Asura Realm is also listed as one of the Three Goods. The reason is very complicated. I don’t understand it in detail either,” An Sheng explained.
An Tianzuo looked at the door of the Asura Realm and said, “Asuras spread across the six realms. There’s Deva Asuras in the Devas Realm, Human Asuras in the Human Realm, Hell Asuras in the Hell Realm, and Hungry Ghost Asuras in the Hungry Ghost Realm. Asuras are different across the different realms. The only similarity is that Asuras are warlike. It’s the same no matter which realm they are in.”
“Ah Sheng, you’re right. With her personality, she most likely chose the Asura Realm. Furthermore, she can only choose the Asura Realm,” An Tianzuo said as he walked towards the door of the Asura Realm.
“Why?” An Sheng asked in puzzlement.
Although the possibility of Devas Realm was smaller, it wasn’t impossible.
An Tianzuo said without turning his head, “That’s because she doesn’t have a good impression of things with the character ‘tian’ after watching a particular battle1 in the past. She even wanted to change the ‘tian’ in my name, so she definitely wouldn’t choose the Devas Realm.”
“Which battle? Why don’t I know?” An Sheng asked.
However, An Tianzuo didn’t answer him as he walked through the door of the Asura Realm.
Zhou Wen was also somewhat curious as to which battle made Ouyang Lan dislike the character “tian.”
“Young Master Wen, let’s go in as well.” When An Sheng saw that An Tianzuo had vanished, he called out to Zhou Wen and immediately rushed through the Asura Realm’s door.
Just as Zhou Wen was about to follow him in, he suddenly felt a force pulling at his clothes, pulling him to the other side.
Looking down, he saw the antelope biting the corner of his shirt and pulling him to the other side.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Wen asked the antelope.
The antelope wrote a few words on the ground with its hooves. “Ouyang Lan didn’t enter the Asura Realm. Follow me.”
“How do you know that she didn’t enter the Asura Realm?” Zhou Wen didn’t believe the antelope as he stared at him and asked.
“Why do you think Ouyang Lan entered this place?” the antelope asked in return.
“She was forced to enter after encountering danger,” Zhou Wen answered.
“Since she knows that there’s danger and knows that you will definitely come to save her, she will guess that An Tianzuo will think that she entered the Asura Realm. If she enters the Asura Realm, it’s very likely that you will face the same danger. What do you think she would choose?” the antelope said.
“You mean that in order to prevent us from being in danger, she would do the opposite and take a path that An Tianzuo would never think of?” Zhou Wen immediately understood the antelope’s intentions and couldn’t help but look at the Devas Realm.
An Tianzuo had said that Ouyang Lan hated the character “tian.” It was impossible for her to choose the Devas Realm. If the antelope’s deduction was right, Ouyang Lan had most likely entered the Devas Realm.