Chapter 68: Emperor Song, The Palace-Clad Maiden-Starting Out with a River of the Underworld(Baili Little Crow)

“First Hall, King Qinguang, Surname Jiang, birthday on the first day of the second lunar month, presides over mortal lifespan and fate, overseeing life and death among humans. He governs the fortunes and misfortunes of the underworld, receives and elevates the souls of the righteous at their natural end. For those whose merits and faults are evenly balanced, they are sent to the Tenth Hall for dispatch, to be reborn in the world again, men as women, women as men. For those whose evil outweighs their good, they are escorted to a high platform to the right of the hall, known as the Mirror of Retribution, where they are made to look and see the true nature of their hearts in life, then immediately sent to the Second Hall for punishment.

Second Hall, King Chujiang, Surname Li, birthday on the first day of the third lunar month, presides over the Living Great Hell, also known as the Pavilion of Flaying and the Frozen Hell, with an additional sixteen minor hells. All who in the world have harmed others, stolen, or killed are cast into this hell and further sent to the minor hells for suffering. After their term, they are transferred to the Third Hall for further punishment.

Third Hall, King Songdi, Surname Yu, birthday on the eighth day of the second lunar month, presides over the Black Rope Hell, with an additional sixteen minor hells. All who in life defied elders, or incited lawsuits, are sent here to suffer hanging, eye-gouging, and bone-scraping punishments. Upon completion, they are transferred to the Fourth Hall.

Fourth Hall, King Wuguan, Surname Lu, birthday on the eighteenth day of the second lunar month, presides over the Synthesis Hell, also known as the Flaying Blood Pool Hell, with sixteen minor hells. Those who evade taxes, default on rent, or cheat in trade are sent here, and further punished in the minor hells. When their sentences are fulfilled, they are sent to the Fifth Hall for investigation.

Fifth Hall, King Yanluo, Surname Bao, birthday on the eighth day of the first lunar month, who previously resided in the First Hall but was demoted here out of compassion for the wronged and often sent souls back to right injustices. He presides over the Wailing Hell and the sixteen Heart-punishing Hells. All souls sent here are escorted to the Terrace of Longing, made to see and hear their families suffering due to their sins, then sent to this hell, where their crimes are thoroughly investigated. They are then sent to the sixteen Heart-punishing Hells, their hearts hooked out and fed to snakes, their bodies guillotined (King Bao is known for his use of the guillotine). After suffering, they are sent to another hall.

Sixth Hall, King Biancheng, Surname Bi, birthday on the eighth day of the third lunar month, presides over the Great Wailing Hell and the City of Unjust Deaths, with sixteen minor hells. The unfilial are sawed in half by two demons. Those who curse heaven and earth, or weep while relieving themselves facing north, are sent here. Their crimes are checked, and they suffer punishment by iron awls and burning tongues, then sent to the minor hells. After serving time, they are transferred to the Seventh Hall for further review.

Seventh Hall, King Taishan, Surname Dong, birthday on the twenty-seventh day of the third lunar month, presides over the Fiery Anger Hell, also known as the Mincing Hell, with sixteen minor hells. Those who in life desecrate corpses for medicine or cause family separation are sent here, then again to the minor hells. After suffering, they move on to the Eighth Hall for further punishment. Additionally, all thieves, false accusers, extortionists, and murderers for profit are subjected to punishment by being boiled in oil.

Eighth Hall, King Dushi, Surname Huang, birthday on the first day of the fourth lunar month, presides over the Great Heat and Rage Hell, also called the Steaming Cauldron Hell, with sixteen minor hells. The unfilial who bring sorrow and distress to their parents and in-laws are thrown into this hell, then sent to the minor hells for additional punishment, suffering endlessly, and then to the Ninth Hall to be transformed, never to return as humans but as beasts.

Ninth Hall, King Pingdeng, birthday on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, presides over the Iron Web Avici Hell of Fengdu, with sixteen minor hells. All who in life committed murder, arson, or executions by sword or strangulation are sent here, where their hands and feet are bound together with hollow bronze stakes, burned by fire until their hearts and livers are scorched, then sent to the Avici Hell for punishment. Only when all their victims have been reborn are they released, then sent to the Tenth Hall to enter the Six Paths (Heaven, Humanity, Asura, Animal, Hungry Ghost, and Hell).

Tenth Hall, King Wheel of Rebirth, Surname Xue, birthday on the seventeenth day of the fourth lunar month, presides over all souls sent from the other halls, distinguishing the good from the wicked, determining their next lives, and sending them to be reborn in one of the four continents. The details of each soul's fate—longevity or early death, wealth or poverty—are meticulously recorded and reported monthly to the First Hall for registration. Those who have committed the most heinous crimes are made to experience birth through eggs, moisture, or transformation, dying by day and being reborn by night. After their sentence, they are returned to mortal life, reborn in barbarous lands. All sent to be reborn must first be handed over to Lady Meng at the Terrace of Forgetfulness, to drink the soup of oblivion and forget all past lives.”

“I am the True God beneath the Emperor’s throne, King Songdi!”

“By imperial decree, I shall eradicate all clans!”

“Kill!”

As the ancient voice resounded, Lin Hao’s eyes reflected an unprecedented sorrow. King Qinguang, King Chujiang, King Songdi... Their names sounded so unfamiliar, yet invoked in him an unspeakable sense of certainty.

Now, as the furious roar echoed from that unknown monument, Lin Hao felt utterly powerless. Considering also the world’s present transformation, an unprecedented chill crept into his heart, sorrow swelling within. It was as if, in that moment, a memory surfaced: a vision of an utterly dark, vast hall. A figure in black and gold-embroidered robes, radiating majesty without movement, stood at the head of the hall. Below, ten terrifying presences knelt in reverence.

Then, a calm, yet supremely dignified voice echoed:

“Henceforth, reincarnation is ordained. By my imperial command as the Underworld Emperor, I appoint the Ten Kings of Hell!”

“The First Hall...”

“The First Hall, King Qinguang, Surname Jiang, birthday on the first day of the second lunar month, presides over mortal lifespan and fate, overseeing the fortunes and misfortunes of the underworld, receiving and elevating the souls of the righteous at their natural end. For those whose merits and faults are evenly balanced, they are sent to the Tenth Hall for dispatch, to be reborn in the world again, men as women, women as men. For those whose evil outweighs their good, they are escorted to a high platform to the right of the hall, known as the Mirror of Retribution, to witness the true nature of their hearts, and then sent to the Second Hall for punishment.

The Second Hall, King Chujiang, Surname Li, birthday on the first day of the third lunar month, presides over the Living Great Hell, also called the Pavilion of Flaying and the Frozen Hell, with sixteen minor hells. All who in life have injured others, stolen, or killed are sent here, then further into the minor hells for punishment. After serving their time, they are transferred to the Third Hall for further sentencing.

The Third Hall, King Songdi, Surname Yu, birthday on the eighth day of the second lunar month, presides over the Black Rope Hell, with sixteen minor hells. All who disobeyed elders or incited lawsuits in life are sent here, punished with hanging, eye-gouging, and bone-scraping. After serving their sentence, they are sent to the Fourth Hall.

The Fourth Hall, King Wuguan, Surname Lu, birthday on the eighteenth day of the second lunar month, presides over the Synthesis Hell, also called the Flaying Blood Pool Hell, with sixteen minor hells. Those who defaulted on taxes, cheated in trade, or committed fraud are sent here, given further punishment in the minor hells, and upon completion, sent to the Fifth Hall for review.

The Fifth Hall, King Yanluo, Surname Bao, birthday on the eighth day of the first lunar month, previously presided in the First Hall but was demoted for his compassion toward the wronged, often returning souls to life to right injustices. He presides over the Wailing Hell and sixteen Heart-punishing Hells. All sent here are escorted to the Terrace of Longing, made to see and hear their families suffer due to their actions, then sent to this hell, where their crimes are carefully investigated. They are then sent to the sixteen Heart-punishing Hells, their hearts hooked out and fed to snakes, bodies guillotined. After suffering, they are sent elsewhere.

The Sixth Hall, King Biancheng, Surname Bi, birthday on the eighth day of the third lunar month, presides over the Great Wailing Hell and the City of Unjust Deaths, with sixteen minor hells. The unfilial are sawed in half by two demons. Those who curse heaven and earth, or weep in self-pity, are sent here. Their crimes are examined, and they are punished by iron awls and burning tongues, then sent to minor hells. After serving their time, they move to the Seventh Hall for further investigation.

The Seventh Hall, King Taishan, Surname Dong, birthday on the twenty-seventh day of the third lunar month, presides over the Fiery Anger Hell, also called the Mincing Hell, with sixteen minor hells. All who desecrated corpses for medicine or separated families in life are sent here, and then to minor hells. After suffering, they are transferred to the Eighth Hall for further punishment. Thieves, false accusers, extortionists, and murderers for profit are all subjected to punishment by boiling in oil.

The Eighth Hall, King Dushi, Surname Huang, birthday on the first day of the fourth lunar month, presides over the Great Heat and Rage Hell, also known as the Steaming Cauldron Hell, with sixteen minor hells. The unfilial who brought sorrow and distress to their parents and in-laws are cast into this hell, then sent to minor hells for additional punishment, suffering endlessly, and finally to the Ninth Hall to be transformed, never to return as humans but as beasts.

The Ninth Hall, King Pingdeng, birthday on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, presides over the Iron Web Avici Hell of Fengdu, with sixteen minor hells. All who committed murder, arson, or executions in life are sent here, chained with hollow bronze pillars, burned until their hearts and livers are scorched, then sent to the Avici Hell for punishment. Only when all their victims have been reborn are they released, then sent to the Tenth Hall to enter the Six Paths: Heaven, Humanity, Asura, Animal, Hungry Ghost, and Hell.

The Tenth Hall, King of Reincarnation, Surname Xue, birthday on the seventeenth day of the fourth lunar month, presides over all souls from the other halls, distinguishing good from evil, assigning their next lives, and sending them to be reborn among the four continents. The details of their fate—lifespan, wealth, or poverty—are meticulously recorded and reported monthly to the First Hall for registration. The most wicked souls are reincarnated through eggs, moisture, or transformation, dying by day and being reborn by night, and after their sentence, returned to mortal life in barbarous lands. Before reincarnation, all souls must first be handed over to Lady Meng at the Terrace of Forgetfulness, to drink the soup of oblivion and forget their past lives.”

When the words of the black-and-gold-robed figure faded, a terrifying, sinister aura appeared above the ten kneeling figures.

Then there came a sound, like water flowing from the dawn of time to the end of ages. The ten figures rose in unison, standing solemn and still, gazing reverently at the illusory river above them with awe in their eyes.

“You each have your orders. Now withdraw.” The figure in black and gold spoke again, a subtle gleam in his eyes. With a brief pause, he took from the vast river above ten drops of water, placing one on each person’s brow, then sent them away.

With that, the vision gradually faded away...

At the same instant, the purple radiance around Lin Hao vanished, and the world around him returned to its former state.

Yet Lin Hao did not notice what happened behind him: a young girl dressed in cyan palace attire slowly appeared. Her presence went unnoticed, as if no one could perceive her—even though she was now in the midst of everyone’s gaze, she remained unseen by all.

After her appearance, she cast a faint glance at the crowd, her eyes reflecting unprecedented depth. Looking at Bai Li, she shook her head, and her voice, tinged with melancholy, sounded softly:

“Regarding this matter, I’ll say a few words. As for my identity, it’s enough that you understand. In short, the situation is as it is now, and everyone can see what’s happening. Because of my identity, I have to say a few things. Perhaps you won’t fully understand, but that’s about the gist. As for who I am, don’t bother guessing if you don’t know. I’ve seen this kind of thing many times. Those who understand will understand, those who don’t, I won’t explain further—it’s enough for me to know. Think on it carefully. Don’t ask me what’s going on; the stakes are too high, and the less said the better. Just pretend you don’t know. There’s a lot more involved, and the matter is very deep, entangled with many things. Details are hard to find on your own; most information online has already been deleted. So I’ll say it again: those who understand will understand, and if you don’t, my words won’t help. Just keep it in your heart and understand that the situation is obvious to those with clear eyes. I hope you can figure it out as well.”

Bai Li, naturally, noticed the girl’s appearance. A weight of seriousness filled her gaze as she looked solemnly at the mysterious young woman, her voice heavy:

“Who are you, really?”

“What have you done to us?”

At this, the girl in palace attire revealed a trace of impatience in her eyes and replied indifferently:

With these words, the girl in palace attire did not linger, a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes as she stepped into the void and left.

Only Bai Li remained, gazing at everything before her in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do.

After a long time, Bai Li felt the pressure around her growing ever greater. Her vision went black, and she suddenly fainted.

Time flowed on. In a flash, ages seemed to pass, until Lin Hao’s voice echoed in her ears, calling her back. Bai Li finally opened her eyes, staring in a daze at the impossibly handsome Lin Hao, momentarily entranced.

She gazed at him, as if bewitched by something beyond words, as if she had fallen into a spell.

But when a sharp pain flared in her mind, she seemed, in a moment of confusion, to catch hold of something—yet at the same time, felt she had forgotten even more...

At this, Bai Li said nothing further, and Lin Hao did not pursue the matter. He simply stayed quietly by Bai Li’s side, just as he always had.

The world was wide and open; the two of them went about their affairs, each selecting a few cultivation techniques, and returned together to the pavilion.