Chapter 314

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Chapter 314: Underworld

Bai Wei gazed at the sky’s red moon, deep in thought, forming yet another speculation.

If Miko Kuya’s location represented the future, then the present moment should be considered the past.

The moon hung in the sky, shimmering in a deep crimson hue.

In nearly five hundred years, the moon had never been a crimson shade, but it had turned that color just twenty years ago.

In ancient times, before the empire’s fall, the moon always glowed crimson in December.

This could mean… they were in a timeline from five hundred years ago.

Time travel was a complex subject that Bai Wei had studied, and he realized that the final destination often ended up being a parallel dimension. In this regard, the Golden Power seemed almost useless.

Time and space were concepts beyond the reach of even the Supreme Will.

If the timeline here was older than five hundred years, there was a possibility that this place was either completely uninhabited or occupied by wild beings, perhaps even as far back as 1 AD.

Regardless of the specifics, staying here and awaiting death was not an option.

He reasoned that there had to be an exit, but the surrounding mountains were submerged in water. To move freely, one could only do so at night.

“Speaking of which…” Bai Wei recalled. “There are two shrines here—Kamitsumi Shrine and Sengoku Shrine. If we can’t find an exit from Kamitsumi Shrine, maybe Sengoku Shrine will provide one.”

He remembered the shrine’s location: just beyond five hills to the south of Kamitsumi Shrine.

Despite the flash floods in the area, Bai Wei was confident it wouldn’t be a challenge. He could simply step through the water if necessary.

Hokusinn Kichyō was in the process of packing their belongings, but Bai Wei suggested leaving them behind, as they would have to return anyway if they didn’t find an exit.

She wasn’t particularly attached to the climbing suits, but after spending over a month with them, they had become a sort of comfort. Still, she gathered everything up and left them in the ancient shrine.

They continued their journey. For a regular person, memorizing the terrain would likely take seventeen or eighteen attempts. But Bai Wei was no regular person. His knees were more like those of Super Mario, with magical powers concentrated in his steps. With ease, he reached the fifth peak in less than half an hour.

Hokusinn Kichyō sniffed the air, a rotten smell thick in the atmosphere. “So many undead,” she muttered, noticing that the mountaintop was covered in undead creatures.

“It seems that the undead you encountered before came from here,” Bai Wei remarked, gazing at the gray mist surrounding them. “The mist here is probably poisonous.”

“It’s alright,” Hokusinn Kichyō replied, as ethereal mist surrounded her. She had grown increasingly skilled in harnessing the divine power of Kamitsumiwoikirihime.

Bai Wei nodded, unfazed, and took Hokusinn Kichyō’s hand. Together, they pushed forward through the swarm of undead towards the source of the eerie presence.

Upon arrival, Bai Wei furrowed his brow. This was not the shrine he had expected, but rather a cave.

The cave had three holes in its shape, resembling the skull of a massive, long-dead creature.

“It doesn’t matter,” Bai Wei muttered. “What matters is whether or not there’s an exclamation mark!”

“How are you feeling?”

“Luck seems to be on our side,” Bai Wei said, letting go of her hand. “You stay steady, I’ll be right back.”

Just as he was about to jump down, Hokusinn Kichyō ignored all gender norms and jumped onto his back. “Don’t leave me behind!”

Bai Wei frowned. Just as he turned to scold her for dragging her feet, he saw her nervously biting her lip.

Hokusinn Kichyō had spent a month alone here, and the lingering panic hadn’t fully faded. She was afraid to be alone.

For over twenty days, she’d slept curled up in a bag, trying to keep warm, feeling like a completely insecure cat.

She never voiced her fears, not wanting to appear fragile or to be seen as a burden.

But the unease was clear in her eyes.

Bai Wei’s reproach softened into a sigh. “Stay close to me.”

She nodded and let go of his hand, drawing out the Nine-Syllable Blade. She was no longer the sheltered girl she once was; she was fully alert, her fear transformed into a readiness to fight.

Bai Wei stepped into the dark cave, snapping his fingers. A golden light appeared on his shoulder.

Hokusinn Kichyō looked around warily. “What’s that light?”

Bai Wei smiled. “It’s martial arts.”

“Liar,” Hokusinn Kichyō thought to herself. She had never seen martial arts that emitted light. Did that mean Bai Wei had trained himself to glow?

“This is a degraded version of Sun Fist, the Illumination Punch,” Bai Wei explained, his expression serious.

Hokusinn Kichyō remained skeptical. “Can I learn it?”

“No,” Bai Wei quickly denied.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not from the Ming Country. You wouldn’t understand the customs.”

Realizing she’d been tricked, Hokusinn Kichyō stopped asking questions. She knew Bai Wei had many secrets.

Bai Wei, ever the joker, seemed in good spirits, which reassured her that the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed.

There were no exclamation marks here, but there were special signs indicating the nature of this place.

[The Underworld: A Winding Path to the Land of the Dead]

[Its structure is like a maze, so remember to scatter rainbow stones, or you’ll be lost.]

“So this is the backdoor to the Underworld?” Bai Wei mused.

He casually picked up a stone, engraved golden runes on it, and began tossing them every few meters. The stones emitted a faint glow, lasting about three to four days.

After some time, Bai Wei came to a fork in the road. There were five caves, all exuding the same aura.

He sighed, thinking, Underworld labyrinth.

Hokusinn Kichyō muttered, “If only we had a long enough thread…”

Bai Wei chuckled. “No minotaurs in this maze. And where would we find a ball of thread right now?”

“Huh, I see a thread,” Hokusinn Kichyō suddenly exclaimed. “It’s floating in the air, white and noticeable.”

Bai Wei asked, “Which eye of yours can see that?”

“Both of them,” she pointed, her eyes fixed on the direction. “It’s over there. What could it be?”

Bai Wei couldn’t see it himself. Was this a personalized storyline for her alone?

On Hokusinn Kichyō’s status bar, the term “Half Human God” still shone, now glowing brighter than before.

“Lead the way,” Bai Wei said. “But hurry, the air here is toxic. We can’t stay for long.”

Following the white thread, Hokusinn Kichyō ventured deeper into the labyrinth.

The maze itself was a puzzle—twists, turns, hidden paths, spiral staircases, and walls that appeared and disappeared.

They traveled for half an hour, leaving behind countless glowing stones.

Eventually, Hokusinn Kichyō paused. “This is it…”

Bai Wei threw another glowing stone, watching as it rolled across the uneven ground and stopped—next to a foot.

Beside the foot sat a little girl, around eight or nine years old.

Hokusinn Kichyō rushed over to check her. “She’s still breathing… but why is there a child here?”

Bai Wei shook his head. Though he found the girl, he noticed a glowing red letter nearby:

[Escape from the Underworld!]

The walls trembled, swaying like trees in the wind. Branches and vines twisted as something below stirred.

Suddenly, a hand shot out from the ground, reaching for the girl in Hokusinn Kichyō’s arms.

With a swift slash of her blade, Hokusinn Kichyō severed the hand. But another zombie leapt down from the cave ceiling.

It wasn’t human—more like a wild beast. Its bones stretched grotesquely, and it had no tongue.

It lunged at them, but Bai Wei leaped into the air and kicked it back into the darkness. His strength split it in two.

The stench of foul blood rained down as more zombies emerged from the ground.

Bai Wei realized they were walking on a grave made of bones—now animated, these undead had come to life.

“Run with all your might,” he ordered Hokusinn Kichyō.

As they fled, Bai Wei couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them from the deepest abyss of the Underworld.

Unfortunately, if he were alone, he wouldn’t mind taking off his pants and embarrassing the thing watching him, just to make it look away.