Chapter 929: Contact

Chapter 929: Contact

"Depart the Three Realms, sever the cycle of reincarnation. The Three Realms are but mind, all phenomena but consciousness."

As Bai Lingmiao’s slender fingers brushed across the crown of the severed head, its eyes closed forever, a faint smile curling at the corners of its mouth; it had finally found release from this Avici hell.

Bai Lingmiao cradled the dead head gently and asked the willow tree before her once more, "Can I trade this for information now?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" the heads on the willow tree cried out in unison, as if fearing that a moment’s hesitation would make Bai Lingmiao change her mind.

If there was anything in this place of karmic retribution that was truly precious, it was death.

Every existence here would willingly trade everything they possessed for eternal peace.

"The Xinsu are to the east!"

"There is a river to the east!"

"Not far, just thirty miles!"

"Once you cross the river, follow the mountain path deep into the range!"

"If you enter the mountains, you might find them!"

"There are quite a few of them, a dozen or so! They are not to be trifled with!"

The heads scrambled over one another to share news of the Xinsu.

Hearing there were over a dozen Xinsu, Bai Lingmiao felt a surge of joy; she knew she had come to the right place.

"We’ve told you! Let us die! Quickly!! We want to die!!"

"Don’t go back on your word! If you don’t let us die, we will haunt you forever!"

The heads tumbled from the tree like hailstones, rolling and clustering around Bai Lingmiao like a pack of starving puppies.

As Bai Lingmiao’s hand brushed over their crowns, the heads gradually grew quiet, their faces settling into expressions of serene contentment.

Watching this, Tuoba Danqing felt a desperate yearning; for years, he had thought of nothing but death. With no food to eat and unable to starve to death, he was perpetually tormented by hunger.

To die meant the end of all suffering; death was a colossal temptation to him.

But just as he neared Bai Lingmiao, he shook his head violently and turned away. "No! I can't! I must live to get out! I have to find Feng Erniu and take my revenge!!"

Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter. "Hahahaha!! Feng Erniu! You never thought I’d make it out, did you! You wait! I’m coming for you! I will kill you! I swear I will kill you!"

As the heads perished, the lush willow tree withered rapidly, eventually turning black and cracking apart.

Bai Lingmiao finally understood why they hadn't gone mad; it was the willow tree that truly lived, while the heads were merely tools for it to speak.

Having completed her bargain with the heads, Bai Lingmiao led the others toward the east.

With a clear goal, the group moved with renewed vigor, reaching the river mentioned by the heads in less than a day.

A lone pontoon bridge stood over the stagnant water, with a sign beside it reading: "Naihe."

"The Bridge of Helplessness?" Bai Lingmiao pursed her lips, leading the others across with the utmost caution.

To her surprise, nothing happened on the bridge. They reached the far bank safely, and before them rose the mountain range where the dozen Xinsu resided.

The mountains in the darkness loomed like a sleeping giant, heavy with oppression. A gravel path stretched from Bai Lingmiao’s feet into the depths of the hills.

"Be careful. A dozen Xinsu—if they truly go mad, we’re in for a show."

Bai Lingmiao nodded, reflecting on how other sects had managed Li Huowang as she walked into the mountains.

Once inside, she had the white donkey call out to the woods, telling them not to be nervous, as they came with no ill intent.

"Everyone! Come out. I can help you escape this endless torment, whether it be the torment of the Xinsu or the corruption of the heart!"

Such a gesture showed she meant no harm and sought contact in good faith.

She ultimately refused to treat the Xinsu as others had; perhaps because Li Huowang was a Xinsu, she felt they could be reasoned with. There was no need for deception when a win-win situation was possible; any rational person should know how to choose.

After walking two miles along the gravel path, Bai Lingmiao and her group were intercepted by a disheveled woman.

"Go back," she rasped at Bai Lingmiao.

The woman’s attitude made Bai Lingmiao tighten her grip on her sleeves.

"We are here to help you. Don't be afraid, I am here to save you." Bai Lingmiao stepped forward cautiously.

"Get out!" With a roar from the female Xinsu, the ground surged, and a stone sphere filling the entire path rolled toward them with a thunderous rumble.

The spirit-possessed white donkey lunged forward, thirty-six men crouching and thrusting in unison to deflect the stone sphere away.

They prepared to surround the woman, but stopped abruptly when ten others appeared at her side.

They were of varying heights, men and women, dressed in rags like beggars.

Yet the donkey-men dared not be careless. These were Xinsu, beings capable of creating something from nothing—a dozen of these rare, priceless treasures gathered together were worth a fortune.

"Miss Bai, perhaps we should retreat. These Xinsu might have long since gone mad. We can rethink this once we're out," Tuoba Danqing whispered, trying to persuade her.

"We are not mad."

Bai Lingmiao looked up to see a dark-skinned man; judging by the bone rings in his hair, he was a Qingqiu tribesman.

"If you're not mad, why are you acting like this! Can't you understand human speech? Come with us! We have a way out! Do you intend to stay here forever?" The Second Spirit’s words met with no agreement.

"Get out? And do what? Be hunted like rats for the rest of our lives?" the lead Qingqiu Xinsu asked.

"We have a way to remove the primordial energy within you, allowing you to live like ordinary mortals," Bai Lingmiao urged again.

"Hmph! Mortals? We have suffered so much just to become mere mortals?"

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao grew anxious. "If you don't leave, do you intend to stay here for eternity? There is no death here—what could you possibly hope to achieve?"

"What do we hope to achieve? We intend to become the Ten Kings of Hell!"

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao and her companions stood stunned, at a loss for words.

The Qingqiu Xinsu pointed to the ground. "Do you think this place is just some ghost realm? This hellish place is the Underworld itself! It has only become this way because there is no one left to govern it!"

"As soon as we become the new Kings of Hell, we will not only gain immortality, but we shall also ascend to the ranks of the immortals!!"