Chapter 682: Heavenly Nether Realm, Land of Bliss
Qin Mu looked ahead and saw mountains and rivers in only shades of gray, with the land also gray. Not far off, there were elusive black shadows, likely demonic creatures, moving like dark smoke, appearing and disappearing in an instant, hard to pin down.
One demonic creature circled behind a black-gray tree and peeked at him. Qin Mu heard a rustling sound; when those demonic creatures approached, the darkness flowed, producing that noise.
He walked forward. Although there were beings like these demonic creatures here, the place was utterly desolate. Perhaps it was because of the gray tones that it seemed so barren. Yet there were still trees, flowers, and plants, along with unknown demonic creatures. If more colors were added, it might become a different scene altogether.
Those demonic creatures, though sneaking closer, kept a distance and watched without advancing. Qin Mu found it difficult to get a clear look at their true forms—the place was simply too dim.
Suddenly, his heart stirred. He took a piece of beef from his gluttony pouch.
*Whoosh!*
The beef in his hand vanished instantly, as if something had directly gnawed it away. Qin Mu was startled; he could barely make out a shadow darting toward the beef in his hand, not even seeing what it was!
“These strange creatures are everywhere, and their speed is unbelievable. What kind of beings are these demonic creatures in the Heavenly Nether Realm?”
This also explained why one couldn’t easily step into the darkness of the Great Ruins—because stepping into that darkness would bring these ubiquitous demonic creatures swarming in to devour flesh and blood.
From a distance came the sound of chewing. Qin Mu followed the noise and vaguely saw a demonic creature hiding behind a rock, eating. He walked over, and the creature scurried away in panic, still impossible to see clearly.
The sky was murky and indistinct. Qin Mu looked back to confirm his direction of arrival, ensuring he wouldn’t lose his way, before continuing forward.
In the gray gloom, many whispering voices came. Some demonic creatures gathered together, as if discussing something. When they saw him approach, they scattered like black sand blown by a fierce wind.
“Is the entire Heavenly Nether Realm this gray? Isn’t there anything else? Does the darkness really come from here?”
After searching and finding no useful information, Qin Mu finally couldn’t hold back. He took out the Book of Life and Death and shone it at a demonic creature.
The creature let out a piercing scream. Black smoke gushed from its body, and it suddenly shriveled up, falling to the ground.
“This is…”
Qin Mu’s face changed drastically. He hurried over and saw that the shriveled demonic creature had turned into a human skin!
It was just like the divine being he had seen before the Heavenly Nether Realm stele—nothing but a husk!
Qin Mu was shocked and uncertain, muttering, “Could it be that these demonic creatures are all just skins? Could it be that there are no real demonic creatures?”
His mind was in turmoil, unable to understand why such an unbelievable situation had occurred. After thinking for a moment, he walked some distance away to observe from afar.
After a while, he saw darkness like flowing sand, rustling as it burrowed into that skin. Soon, the demonic creature stood up again, flickering in and out of sight like a ghost, coming and going without a trace.
Qin Mu steadied himself. Suddenly, he turned and retraced his steps back to the stele. He bowed to the divine being’s skin and said, “Senior, forgive the disturbance.”
He picked up the skin with both hands and walked back into the Heavenly Nether Realm.
Once inside, the human skin he held suddenly sprouted legs and ran off, vanishing in an instant!
“Just as I thought!”
Qin Mu’s heart shook violently. These demonic creatures were indeed not real beings but merely skins!
These skins had no flesh or blood inside; they were occupied by dark matter, moving at incredible speed. Yet when shone upon by the Book of Life and Death, the dark matter drained away, leaving only an empty skin.
“Why do they eat flesh and blood?”
Qin Mu felt he was a little closer to the truth, but still far from uncovering it. “To reveal the truth of the darkness, I’m afraid I’ll have to explore the secrets behind the Heavenly Nether Realm.”
He walked forward. Suddenly, a rustling sound came, and a demonic creature approached him. Qin Mu was slightly startled—it gave him a familiar feeling.
“It’s that divine being from the Kaihuang era who carried the lantern!”
The demonic creature that had been that divine being stopped not far ahead. Qin Mu moved closer, and the creature immediately fled forward, but after a short distance, it stopped again and looked back.
“Its speed is like light and lightning, far surpassing mine. The reason it stops and goes is to make me follow it!”
Qin Mu’s heart stirred. He quickened his pace and chased after the demonic creature.
One man and one creature raced across this gray continent. Qin Mu ran for who knows how long, panting heavily. The demonic creature was considerate; when he couldn’t keep up, it slowed down, and occasionally stopped, letting them be a hundred zhang apart while Qin Mu rested.
After traveling like this for an unknown distance, Qin Mu suddenly saw other colors, and his eyes lit up.
There, the mountains were green, the waters clear, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. The lake was azure, and the air seemed fresh.
There was also a town with buildings, pavilions, long bridges spanning the waves, and elevated walkways crossing the sky. From afar, he could see figures bustling about, full of life and color. He never expected such a place to exist in the Heavenly Nether Realm.
The demonic creature walked into that valley, and the grayness seemed to fade from it, turning it into a radiant divine being.
Qin Mu hurried over but didn’t step inside immediately. He first observed the surroundings, and sensing no danger, he entered the valley.
On the streets, divine beings came and went, laughing, cursing, and singing boldly—a lively market scene.
“Young friend, you’ve come from afar, and we failed to welcome you. Please forgive us!”
An elderly divine being with a broad sash and tall hat walked over from a distance, laughing heartily as he greeted Qin Mu. “We rarely have outsiders in this small place; I hope we haven’t been remiss. Please, come inside.”
Though he appeared old, he was spirited, with a ruddy complexion and no sign of frailty.
Qin Mu remained calm, smiling faintly. “Elder, you’re too kind. What place is this? I saw the Heavenly Nether Realm as a gray expanse, but here it’s full of life and color. There must be something special about it.”
“This is the Land of Bliss in the Heavenly Nether Realm, a place where immortals find joy.”
The elderly divine being’s voice boomed like a bell. “We have countless divine maidens here, many charming beauties. They can soothe your worries or ease your physical fatigue. People linger here, reluctant to leave, lost in pleasure. Calling it the Land of Bliss is no exaggeration.”
As he spoke, many divine maidens appeared from nowhere, singing and dancing, a riot of colors—delicate, seductive, sweet, sour, hot, cold—all surging forward, laughing. “A guest from afar, in this Land of Bliss, you must be happy!”
Qin Mu laughed heartily, embracing them left and right. “With such a leisurely and elegant place in the Heavenly Nether Realm, of course I must enjoy myself. But I only have two hands—how can I hold you all? Hahaha!”
The other divine maidens also laughed. The elderly divine being chuckled. “For the honored guest to hold them all, it’s simple. Stay here and become like us, won’t that do? Over time, you’ll naturally hold them all, and even sleep with them.”
Qin Mu smiled. “Become like you? Then I’d have to become a starving ghost too, wouldn’t I?”
“Starving ghost?”
The elderly divine being’s face changed drastically. The divine maidens surrounding Qin Mu also paled, their expressions turning fierce. “What starving ghost? What do you know?”
“A starving ghost is just a corpse that starved to death, isn’t it?” Qin Mu said with a smile.
In an instant, the divine maidens beside him seized his arms, immobilizing him. The elderly divine being sneered. “You know? Too late! We’re so hungry—”
The other divine maidens let out shrill laughter. “We’ve eaten all our own flesh, so hungry—”
“So, young guest, we’ll have to eat you!”
“Take him away!”
The divine maidens lifted Qin Mu and carried him toward the town center. Many divine beings from the town surged forward, overjoyed, waiting for the meal.
When they reached the town center, Qin Mu was set down. The elderly divine being sat on a throne before a great hall. Two beautiful divine maidens held Qin Mu’s arms, while tens of thousands of divine beings below looked ravenous.
The elderly divine being chuckled. “We’ve been trapped here for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, so hungry we had to eat ourselves, even our bones, leaving only our skins. Now, finally, a live one comes, so we can have a proper meal.”
Below, tens of thousands of divine beings cheered, clamoring for dinner.
The elderly divine being said to Qin Mu with a smile, “Honored guest, don’t worry. After we eat you, you’ll become one of us, but then you’ll only know hunger.”
Qin Mu smiled. “So this is your Land of Bliss? Is this how you treat guests? No wonder you can’t get ahead.”
“Oh? The honored guest shows no panic and even jokes. Do you have some trick up your sleeve?”
The elderly divine being laughed. “But in the Heavenly Nether Realm, even if the Heavenly Lord protects you, it’s useless. The Heavenly Nether Realm is different from the outside world. The Heavenly Lord can’t reach here, and neither can the Earth Lord! Here, you can only accept your death!”
Qin Mu said, “Then what about the darkness of the Heavenly Nether Realm? Why does it leak out? A dying man is very curious. Senior, would you care to satisfy this dying man’s curiosity?”
The elderly divine being chuckled. “Only the Heavenly Nether Lady can answer that. But you’ll see her soon enough. The Heavenly Nether Lady, hehehe…”
“Since you starving ghosts won’t answer…”
Suddenly, four more arms sprouted from Qin Mu’s armpits, holding the Book of Life and Death. With a *shua*, it unfurled, shining in all directions. He said calmly, “Then I’ll have to go see the Heavenly Nether Lady myself.”
“Aaaah!”
Piercing screams tore through the sky. Countless divine beings covered their faces with their hands, black smoke gushing from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. One by one, these seemingly powerful divine beings shriveled up rapidly, falling to the ground as human skins!
The two divine maidens holding Qin Mu’s arms also shriveled into skins.
Qin Mu turned and looked at the elderly divine being on the throne. He walked toward him. The old divine being trembled, hurriedly rising from his throne, staring at the Book of Life and Death in Qin Mu’s hand, his body shaking.
“The Book of Life and Death of the Nether Capital… This is the Book of Life and Death of the Nether Capital!”
He kept retreating, muttering, “You’re using techniques from the Red Ming era… You have six hands…”
Qin Mu stepped forward and sat on the throne, smiling faintly. “Correct. You have good eyesight. It seems that even though you’ve become a starving ghost, you’ve retained some memories from your life. Now, can you tell me why the Heavenly Nether Realm has become like this? And what about the Heavenly Nether Lady? Is there any connection between the Heavenly Nether Realm and the Nether Capital?”
—Today, I have three things to celebrate. First, happy birthday to Alliance Leader Floating Cloud Night—may you have joy every year and every day! Second, *The Legend of the Shepherd God* has reached 940,000 collections on Qidian, entering the top twenty overall. Third, my *Rebirth: Journey to the West* is one subscription away from becoming a premium work. Except for *Water Margin: The Immortal Path*, all my books are premium works now.