Chapter 1059: Eighteen Levels

"Hehe, I wonder whether our coming here by accident this time is a blessing or a curse!" Jin Liu chuckled, somewhat self-deprecatingly.

"Leaving aside whether it's a blessing or a curse, in this damned place, the higher the level, the stronger the suppression on divine sense, which is rather uncomfortable," Valley Master Fu said with a frown.

"Let's go. An arrow shot cannot be recalled. Since we're already here, let's explore this tower together and not waste this trip." Su Qianxi said calmly.

With that, she took the lead and walked forward. Jin Liu's gaze darkened slightly, and he quickly followed.

Valley Master Fu and the others, their expressions complex, looked back at the huge stone door, still seeming hesitant.

"The restrictions on this stone door are no less than the protective grand formation of a large sect. Breaking them would be no easy task. Better to find another way out," Han Li said as he passed by Valley Master Fu, offering a reminder.

As he spoke, he also hurried toward the black buildings.

Seeing this, Valley Master Fu and the others' expressions changed repeatedly. After much hesitation, they had no choice but to follow.

The group advanced, and the closer they got to the black buildings, the denser the yin-sha qi became. When they neared the structures, they even felt the surrounding air turn cold. Several Golden Immortal rogue cultivators had wisps of white mist streaming from their nostrils and mouths with each breath.

Upon reaching the black buildings, they discovered it was an ancient temple overgrown with weeds.

The temple's mountain gate was in severe disrepair. Not only were the brick walls choked with weeds, but even the two wooden door leaves were covered in moss. The two beast-head door rings, encrusted with verdigris, hung askew on the doors.

Standing outside the mountain gate, Han Li's gaze fell on the plaque hanging above the lintel, and he murmured, "Eighteen Levels..."

Seeing the three characters on the plaque, everyone's expressions turned strange.

"How can it be Eighteen Levels? Didn't we just enter the third level? How did we get to the eighteenth?" Valley Master Fu exclaimed in astonishment.

"Don't make a fuss. Maybe the temple is simply named 'Eighteen Levels,'" Jin Liu said contemptuously.

"This place is thick with ghostly aura; it's probably not a good place. I think we'd better not go in," one Golden Immortal rogue cultivator said, his voice trembling with fear.

As soon as he finished speaking, a creaking sound rang out, and the two door leaves of the ancient temple swung open on their own.

The group waited for a moment, but seeing no movement from inside, they exchanged glances, at a loss.

Jin Liu and Su Qianxi exchanged a look, nodded to each other, and took the lead in walking through the door.

Han Li raised an eyebrow, finding it strange, but followed them in.

Valley Master Fu and the others, burdened with worries, had no choice but to steel themselves and follow.

Once everyone had entered the ancient temple, another long, grating creak sounded behind them, and the door closed.

Han Li turned to look and saw two balls of ghostly green fire drift out from behind the door, float past the crowd, and slowly move forward, like two guiding lanterns suspended ahead of them.

Everyone was startled by this strange sight. After a long hesitation, they followed the two ghost fires deeper into the temple.

Beyond the door was a white square of no small size. As Han Li walked on it, he felt the ground uneven, with occasional faint creaking sounds.

Looking down, he saw that the white square's ground was not paved with white stone but with segments of white bones. The surface was uneven, and from time to time, faint green phosphorescent flames drifted out.

The group walked cautiously across it. Fortunately, nothing unusual happened, and they soon reached the Heavenly King Hall.

Inside the Heavenly King Hall stood two statues of Heavenly Kings, each dozens of zhang tall, nearly as high as the hall itself.

Both were clad in tattered golden armor, one hand holding a vajra club, the other clutching a bloody human head. Unlike the Heavenly Kings in real temples, these two had ferocious faces, clearly demonic in appearance.

Passing through the Heavenly King Hall, they arrived at an even larger square.

On either side of this square stood nine high platforms, on which figures flickered, and constant miserable screams could be heard.

Han Li frowned and looked toward the first platform on the left. There, a ghost with purple-black skin, holding a pair of black iron pliers, was reaching into the mouth of a white-haired old woman, clamping her tongue and slowly pulling it out.

The old woman's face was twisted in agony, but she could barely make a sound, only whimpering lowly.

On the first platform on the other side, a beautiful woman, barely clothed, was bound to a stone bed. Two green-haired ghosts were wielding a large pair of scissors, snipping at her body again and again.

The woman's cries were piercing, enough to make one's heart tremble.

Han Li looked further back and saw that on each of these stone platforms there were horrific scenes.

On one platform, there was a huge stone mill pushed by a powerful ghost king, grinding human limbs and broken bodies, yet the person's head remained intact, still wailing one after another.

On another platform, there was a giant iron cauldron with flames swirling beneath it, filled with boiling oil. Several evil ghosts were carrying a terrified person, about to throw him into the cauldron, causing black smoke to rise and a scorched stench.

…

Han Li frowned deeply and finally understood why this place was called the "Eighteen Levels."

In the mortal world of the human realm and the spirit realm, there were rumors that the underworld had eighteen levels of purgatory. Han Li had heard many such tales since childhood, so seeing this scene before him, he did not find it particularly strange, only more puzzled.

"What kind of ghostly place is this?" Valley Master Fu asked loudly, his face grim.

As soon as he spoke, a red light lit up in the high sky ahead of the square, and ten figures slowly descended from the air.

Han Li looked closely and saw that they were ten ghostly beings wearing scarlet official robes and gold-and-jade belts.

Those ghostly beings had either ox heads with sharp horns, horse faces with long whiskers, or pointed mouths and monkey cheeks... each one hideous and bizarre, without human form. Only the one in the center had a fair face without a beard, wearing a red rosette on his chest, looking somewhat like a scholar who had just passed the imperial examinations.

"What kind of demons are you, daring to play tricks and create illusions here?" Jin Liu's eyes turned cold as he shouted angrily.

"How dare you, wicked prisoners, not kneel and confess your crimes before the Ten Kings of Hell?" said the fair-faced man, who looked somewhat human, with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at the group.

His voice was shrill, and combined with his somewhat effeminate movements, it shattered his scholarly image, making him seem more like a eunuch, neither male nor female.

"Just ten mere ghost generals dare to call themselves Yama? Ridiculous!" Su Qianxi sneered.

"Today you have entered the Eighteen Levels of Purgatory of your own accord, so we sentence you to endless torture, never to re-enter reincarnation," the fair-faced ghost general roared, leaping into the air.

The other nine rose with him, their scarlet official robes billowing without wind, making a rustling sound.

As they made their move, a chilling wind howled from both sides, and large swaths of black mist surged from the ground. Countless ferocious evil ghosts, holding bone weapons, rushed toward the center of the square.

Because the number of evil ghosts was so great, they crowded together as they surged into the square, colliding with each other, trampling and jostling, their wails and howls shaking the heavens and earth.

"This... how can there be so many ghosts?" Valley Master Fu frowned.

"They are just ordinary yin beings, easily crushed to ashes. Don't panic and lose your composure. Those who have formations, set them up; those who don't, defend yourselves. First, clear out these minor soldiers. The ten ghost generals above will be handled by our Tianshui Sect," Jin Liu said calmly, his voice clear.

With that, he waved his hand, and an eight-treasure exquisite pagoda appeared in the air, its surface emitting a silvery treasure light.

Han Li looked closely and saw ripples of spatial fluctuations spreading from the pagoda. He murmured to himself:

"A spatial immortal artifact... rare indeed, but its grade is not high."

Then, light flashed from the pagoda's doorways, and over ten figures shot out, spinning as they landed and returning to normal size. They turned out to be over ten elders wearing Tianshui Sect attire.

The leader among them was at the early Taiyi stage, while the rest were mostly at the late Golden Immortal or peak Golden Immortal stages.

"Elder Luqiu, there are many ghost generals here. We need your help," Jin Liu said, cupping his hands toward the group.

"No problem. We voluntarily entered the Relinquishment Tower to assist you at critical moments, so there's no need for courtesy," said the leading elder, who had white hair and a gaunt frame, waving his hand.

Seeing this, Valley Master Fu and the others calmed down a bit, each holding their magic treasures, ready to fight.

Then, Jin Liu and Su Qianxi exchanged a glance, leading the over ten Tianshui Sect elders as they flew up to attack the red-robed ghost generals claiming to be the Ten Kings of Hell.

"Fellow Daoists, although these yin-sha ghost creatures are not high in cultivation, there are too many of them. If we scatter our strength, we will eventually tire. Why not join me in setting up the Azure Dragon Mixed Origin Formation? Perhaps we can hold out until the Tianshui Sect returns victorious," Valley Master Fu said solemnly after the Tianshui Sect left.

"The Azure Dragon Mixed Origin Formation is a secret formation of your Green Bamboo Valley. We are not familiar with it. How can we jointly set it up?" asked a Golden Immortal rogue cultivator, looking troubled.

"The key to forming this formation lies in a treasure. You only need to follow my instructions, and the formation will be easy to set up," Valley Master Fu said, then quickly transmitted the method for forming the Azure Dragon Mixed Origin Formation to everyone.

Immediately after, he turned his wrist and tossed a dragon-shaped jade pendant into the air, shouting:

"Form the formation!"

As soon as he spoke, the group acted immediately, forming a circle according to his instructions, stepping in the Big Dipper pattern, making hand seals, and chanting incantations.

Although Han Li stood among them, he made no move.

Seeing the sinister ghosts surging like a tide, the others had no time to bother with him, though they harbored some resentment in their hearts.