Bu Tian Gang

As Long Shen jumped down, all the demonic qi seemed to be led by him and disappeared before everyone’s eyes.

In that instant, Dong Zhi’s mind went completely blank until he heard the shout of “Quickly seal the passage,” which made him react.

Li Han’er was quick-witted. When Dong Zhi rushed out, she also reached out to grab his clothes. However, Dong Zhi’s speed was too fast, and she couldn’t catch him. He had already entered the formation and headed straight for the abyss!

“Stop him!” Song Zhicun shouted.

But at the same time as these words were spoken, Dong Zhi hardly hesitated at all and had already jumped in.

Following him, Liu Si and Yu Buhui’s figures leaped in one after another.

Li Han’er gazed blankly at the crack leading to the abyss, feeling far more shaken than what her eyes could see. Her feelings for Long Shen had actually faded over time, but the more she couldn’t have him, the more she couldn’t forget him. Human nature always regrets and clings to the things it cannot obtain. She was no exception. However, just now, at that critical moment, she realized that she couldn’t be like Dong Zhi, who followed without hesitation. She recognized that she wasn’t on the same level as Dong Zhi, Liu Si, and Yu Buhui. That hidden regret in her heart was completely dispelled.

He Yu and Liu Qingbo also wanted to follow. Liu Qingbo’s subconscious thought wasn’t about considering the danger; he just found the idea of visiting the abyss quite thrilling, even if it meant risking his life. But He Yu couldn’t leave his position in the formation, and Liu Qingbo was held back by Yang Shouyi. By the time he broke free, Yu Buhui had already jumped in, leaving his spot unguarded. Song Zhicun ordered him to guard the vacated spot, forcing Liu Qingbo to abandon all thoughts of exploring the abyss.

However, when they heard that Song Zhicun was about to completely seal the passage, the group displayed strong reactions.

He Yu’s response was particularly intense. “No, they still have a chance to come out. What if we seal it now?”

Song Zhicun’s voice turned hoarse as he said, “Do you think I want to do this? Don’t forget why Long Shen sacrificed himself! The demonic qi is only temporarily suppressed; we must seal it immediately so as not to waste their efforts!”

He Yu couldn’t refute his words and could only suggest, “The formation can still hold for two more days. Let’s wait two more days, and if they haven’t come out by then, we can seal it, okay?”

Song Zhicun didn’t wish for Long Shen and the others to die, but now, maintaining the seven positions in the formation depended not only on him and He Yu but also on others. Whether they could hold on for two more days was also a question.

Amidst the silence and dilemma, Liu Qingbo spoke up first. “I can hold on for two more days!”

Sect Master Zhang and Sect Master Zheng also claimed they could do it.

Sect master Xing, who was resting nearby, said, “My injuries are not serious, and I can replace anyone at any time.”

Li Han’er and the others also spoke up one after another. Even the elderly Living Buddha declared that he could persist. Looking at everyone’s expressions, perhaps some of them didn’t have such a deep bond with Long Shen, but at this moment, after everyone had already endured several days and nights, they were all willing to hold on for two more days because it might save a few lives.

Song Zhicun sighed and finally made a decision. “Then let’s wait two more days!”

……

If it hadn’t been for experiencing it firsthand, Dong Zhi would have found it hard to believe that there could be such a deep tunnel beneath the ground.

It wasn’t pitch-black before his eyes; instead, a floating red light appeared at the end, piercing through layers of mist into his sight. He couldn’t see Long Shen, nor did he feel any pain from the invasion of the demonic qi. Perhaps the protective aura around his body was working, but he felt as if he hadn’t fallen underground but rather entered a different space.

Countless voices swept by his ears, with sharp complaints, hysterical roars, and all the hidden desires of people’s hearts in the world, completely revealed to him at this moment.

I’ve accompanied my husband through years of hardship, and now that we have money, he’s cheating and having an affair with another woman. I really want to poison him and his mistress!

Why is it that we entered the company at the same time, and I am more capable than her, yet she gets promoted and I don’t? It’s all because she is prettier than me!

This woman is already a fallen woman, and she dares to mention breaking up with me. I doubt any man would want her!

The child is mine, and I can beat him however I want. Even if he dies, it’s perfectly justified. Do I need someone else to teach me a lesson?

He deserves to be cuckolded because he keeps showing off his wealth. Isn’t it all because he got lucky and married a rich woman?

You were born poor, and you deserve to be treated as lower class!

……

Dong Zhi never thought he would be here, listening to the ugliest and most malicious thoughts hidden deep in people’s hearts.

As a human, especially one who grew up in an ordinary environment, Dong Zhi had interacted with many people like this and had seen many appalling and infuriating news reports, but that was all at a distance. Due to the constraints of peer pressure, social morality, and the law, many people didn’t reveal the darkness lurking within their hearts.

Dong Zhi himself was generally optimistic and positive. Even when his parents died in a car accident and he became dissatisfied with his job, he didn’t feel abandoned by society. This could be seen from the fact that, despite encountering strange and terrifying incidents on the train, he didn’t give up on his journey and continued forward.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have negative emotions; it was just that he didn’t let them linger in his heart for too long, nor did he let those dark and malicious thoughts dominate him. So when he suddenly received so much darkness, it was as if all the malice in the world poured over him in a matter of seconds, drowning him in boundless despair.

In this darkness, even if one retained their sanity, they would slowly be eroded and assimilated, eventually turning into a mindless monster, just like Otowa Yasuhiko.

This was the true abyss of hell!

The downward momentum continued. Dong Zhi forced himself not to care about it. Instead, he focused all his willpower on resisting these evil thoughts. The incessant voices still lingered around him, almost making Dong Zhi feel like he was a person full of resentment, wishing everyone dead. He struggled to summon a thought and let out a loud roar in his meditation.

Get away from me!

As the words left his mouth, he felt a buzzing in his ears. The evil thoughts seemed stunned by his outburst and fell silent for a moment.

But before he could relax, a torrent of evil thoughts surged once again, breaking through his protective aura. Dong Zhi was so angry that he almost wanted to curse these evil thoughts and their ancestors for eighteen generations like Liu Qingbo.

It was said that hell had eighteen layers, and while that might just be a legend, this abyss of hell was undoubtedly a multi-layered space. If Long Shen and he were scattered into different spaces, how would he find him?

Moreover, before leaping into the abyssal passage, Long Shen had already absorbed almost enough demonic qi to turn half of the human world into a hell. Would he even remember who he was?

The emotions of sadness and despair almost overwhelmed him, and the content from the notebook resurfaced in his mind. Dong Zhi could almost remember every symbol on it. The idea of reaching a dead end penetrated his body through his fingertips, quickly spreading through his limbs. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to plummet rapidly in the dark abyss. The demonic qi surged from all directions, breaking through his protective aura. The demonic qi was about to touch his body when suddenly his Changshou Sword vibrated slightly. The Changshou Sword unsheathed itself and flew out from behind him.

The sword light swept through, instantly shattering the surrounding demonic qi. But the Changshou Sword didn’t dim afterward; it continued to float above his head as if protecting him.

The glimmering sword light startled Dong Zhi, and his mind became clear. He realized that his emotions had almost been influenced by the demonic qi just now.

If demonic qi in the human world was relatively weak, needing an opportunity to strike its prey, then this abyss of hell was its territory. Humans here became the outsiders, easily trapped like flies in a spider’s web with no escape, just waiting to be devoured.

Even if he might never be able to leave again, since he had risked his life to jump down here, no matter what, he had to find Long Shen. He must bring Long Shen back to the human world.

Humans were fragile, with a lifespan of only a few decades. Faced with disease and death, they had no resistance. Humans were susceptible to various external influences, indulging in fame, wealth, and emotions, unable to extricate themselves. However, humans were also powerful; they could fear nothing, calmly face death, and endure endless hardships. All because—

A single thought could change everything, making them invincible.

……

Liu Si and Yu Buhui stood there, looking at the boundless sea in a daze. They didn’t quite understand how they ended up here.

Originally, Liu Si had been standing behind Dong Zhi. When he saw Dong Zhi rushing into the formation and jumping into the pit, he didn’t think too much and followed suit. However, after coming down, they didn’t find the scene they imagined—no piles of corpses and blood, but a serene blue sea and silver sand. Moreover, instead of Dong Zhi, who should have been in front of him, it was Yu Buhui who appeared next to Liu Si.

“Why did you come down?” Liu Si asked Yu Buhui.

Yu Buhui scratched his chin. “I saw Senior Brother jumping down, and I instinctively stood up to stop him. But I couldn’t grab him, and then some short-lived brat behind me pushed me, and I fell straight down.”

Liu Si: …

This bizarre explanation made him stare at Yu Buhui for several seconds, and the latter responded with an innocent expression.

Liu Si sighed and withdrew his gaze, asking, “What should we do now?”

However, Yu Buhui seemed interested in him. “You’re not human?”

The question sounded like an insult, and Liu Si looked at him for a while, as if trying to confirm if Yu Buhui was doing it on purpose, before nodding.

There weren’t many artifacts that had successfully cultivated into human form in the world. Most of them didn’t want to be bound by the Special Administration Bureau because once they entered it, their true form and origin would be recorded. However, Yu Buhui didn’t have the authority to access all the files, so he naturally didn’t know Liu Si’s true form.

“An artifact spirit?” he asked.

“Willow tree,” Liu Si replied without any concealment.

But Yu Buhui’s reaction was unexpected. After Liu Si revealed his true form, Yu Buhui’s eyes suddenly brightened, and that surprised look didn’t escape Liu Si’s notice.

“Do you have any questions?”

Yu Buhui: “I am a spirit weapon that took human form, the Fish Intestines Sword*.”

*As confirmed, this is the sword that Ou Yezi made that was used by Helü of Wu to assassinate his uncle, Liao of Wu. It was hidden in a cooked fish presented to King Liao at a banquet. As a result of the assassination, the blade gained a reputation for causing its user to be disloyal.

Liu Si nodded and didn’t inquire further.

He wasn’t a talkative person, nor was he curious by nature. He was more suitable for being a team member who followed orders rather than a leader who led the charge and gave commands. In a way, Liu Si’s personality was somewhat related to his true form—gentle, quiet, and capable but lacking a strong presence. However, with him around, there was an additional reliable force, which was enough to reassure others.

They were surrounded by the vast sea, and behind them was an endless forest. Under their feet was soft, clean beach sand. Liu Si looked around and hesitated, “Is this really the abyss of hell?”

Yu Buhui suddenly smiled ambiguously. “Maybe I know why.”

Liu Si looked puzzled.

Yu Buhui asked in return, “What do you think hell should be like?”

Liu Si naturally replied, “Of course, it should be a place of knives and seas of fire, with oil pots above and—”

He spoke quickly, but Yu Buhui acted even faster, covering his mouth with his hand. However, it was too late. As the first half of his words came out, the refreshing ocean aura before his eyes was instantly replaced by scorching waves and flames. The soft silver sand they stood on turned into iron chains that only accommodated one foot, with the chains violently shaking, and below was a blazing sea of fire with flashing sharp knives in the flames.

Screams echoed around them as many numb-looking people fell from the iron chains, pierced by the sharp knives, and blood splattered everywhere. However, they struggled to get up, reaching out to grab the iron chains.

Everything seemed like an illusion.

Liu Si stood steadily on the iron chains, maintaining his balance no matter how much they swayed, but he was completely confused by the scene before him.

“An illusion?” he asked.

Yu Buhui: “It’s real.”

Liu Si pointed to someone who had already had three to four blood holes pierced by a sharp knife but still hadn’t died, still struggling on the brink of death, and asked, “Is that real too?”

Yu Buhui said, “It’s all real. I finally understand where Otowa Yasuhiko’s ability to manipulate the mirror space comes from. The demonic qi he obtained from the stone box originally belonged to the power of the abyss of hell. But Otowa only got a glimpse of it, so reality and illusion were mixed together. However, this place is the source of all darkness, able to grant any desire. If you want a place with knives and seas of fire, it will give you that. If you want a serene blue sea and silver sand, it will give you that too. It’s all real. The people you see here are actually the various desires and resentments of countless beings in the world. The mortal world is an abyss of desires, and everyone is rolling in it. This place is a mirror world of the mortal world.”

Liu Si frowned, carefully considering his words, and after a while, he said, “So, the abyss of hell is actually related to the human world. Even if the Special Administration Bureau seals the passage, is there still a possibility for us to leave?”

Yu Buhui: “Perhaps. This is just my speculation, and it needs to be verified. But you must not think of knives and seas of fire again. Falling down there is no fun. If I’m not mistaken, the flames below are hellfire. It’s not the Red Lotus karmic fire used to cleanse sins in Buddhism but the endless hellfire* that can make souls scatter. Even if we have tough bodies, we won’t be able to withstand it.”

*Clarity: Hellfire refers to karmic fire that represents the fires of hell that burn sinners. The red lotus karmic fire is a specific fire in hell that burns with a red lotus flame and is used as punishment for sinners. The sinners burned by it are purified and their souls cleansed, allowing them to eventually be reborn and start their karma cycle again. 

Meanwhile, in the boundless darkness, the demonic qi, like the air in the mortal realm, gave birth to the purest dark life here.

This is the end of all realms, perpetually devoid of the light’s touch, where any living being other than the demonic qi itself would perish and cease to exist.

The demonic qi slowly condensed, gradually forming the outline of a man. If Dong Zhi were here, he would surely recognize him.

Unfortunately, Dong Zhi couldn’t possibly come here. He was still struggling for survival at the edge of hell, resisting the onslaught of malicious thoughts intending to take advantage of him.

The man finally took shape. He possessed a handsome face and a tall figure that, in the mortal realm, would attract the attention of any opposite sex. However, the surging demonic qi emanating from him was an unimaginably powerful force that could never exist in the mortal world. Due to the limitations imposed by the laws of the heavens, any power that exceeded the limits of space would automatically be rejected by the world unless it tore open a crack connecting the worlds.

The original Eight-Direction Demon-Sealing Array was precisely one such crack left behind from ancient times. It was sealed artificially, and with the destruction of the eye of the array, the dormant demonic qi in the abyss of hell was awakened, and the serene demonic qi began to boil again. Long Shen was an excellent sacrifice who had fallen into the abyss at this very moment.

He slowly opened his eyes. There were no whites in his eyes; the eyeballs were entirely occupied by black, like dense ink or an unceasingly burning black fire.

“I am… Mara…”

The man displayed a lazy smile and spoke a sentence in ancient Sanskrit. He lowered his head, looking at his own slender and fair palm, where the black demonic qi flowed, containing enough power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

“… No, I am Long Shen.”

After a moment, he continued, his mouth twitching, struggling to speak.

At this moment, his face seemed to split into two halves: one half was filled with anger, and the other half with wickedness.

Just like when Ming Xian was possessed by the demonic qi, losing control of his body and will, and had to be killed by Tang Jing, Long Shen was now facing a similar situation.

The difference was that back then, only a trace of demonic qi invaded Ming Xian, but now, Long Shen had absorbed nearly half of the abyss of hell’s demonic qi. The immense demonic qi tormented him and awakened the great demon sleeping within.

This time, it wasn’t a mere incarnation or a lingering spirit; he encountered the Lord of Demons, Mara.

The body that had already been taken over by Mara’s presence casually flicked a finger, igniting a black flame at will. The flame gradually expanded in the air, instantly bursting open like fireworks, forming a magnificent scene.

As a heavenly demon feared even by the Buddha, Mara’s expression, even if wearing Long Shen’s skin, possessed an indescribable strangeness. The strength and evilness displayed by the demon’s incarnation summoned in the Xianda Village had already shocked Dong Zhi to the core but compared to the real Lord of Demon in front of him, it was simply insignificant.

“Let me see what has enabled you to hold on until now.” A taunting laughter rang in Long Shen’s ears. Clearly, it was his own voice coming from his body, but it felt so unfamiliar to him. His mouth slowly overflowed with blood as the demonic qi surged and filled his body. His own will was visibly weakening.