That was the supposed destination for wicked souls after death. Wandering spirits would cross the Bridge of Helplessness, traverse the River of Forgetfulness, pass through the Ghost Gate, endure judgment from the Ten Kings of Hell, and finally be consigned to the Eighteenth Level to face their punishments.
Only once their sins and merits balanced out would these wicked ghosts gain the chance for liberation and reincarnation.
This was a place of terror, one that cultivators would ordinarily never contemplate visiting.
Yet, according to Sun Su’s account, this was precisely where they were now.
“Then… Brother Sun, why are you here?” Feng Zikang asked, a flicker of doubt in his heart.
“Alas…”
Sun Su let out a long sigh.
The reason for his presence was still his master, the Venerable Master Sanzang.
Master Sanzang had made a grand vow: to save all sentient beings with the entirety of the Buddhist canon. Unfortunately, the masses remained foolish and obstinate, always walking the path of no return toward the Yellow Springs.
Therefore, he resolutely entered Hell with his own body, offering his physical form as alms to dissolve the malevolent energies of the evil spirits.
Because of this, for hundreds of years, Master Sanzang’s cultivation had declined day by day, falling from the peak of the Nascent Soul Transformation realm down to only the current level of Core Condensation.
“Oh?”
Feng Zikang’s heart stirred. If Master Sanzang was at Core Condensation, then Sun Su, who claimed his cultivation could not surpass his master’s, must also be at the Core Condensation stage. This checked out.
Master Sanzang preached within Hell, and Sun Su, as his foremost disciple, attended him constantly. Finding his time there monotonous, Sun Su wandered about, incidentally helping to quell the sins accumulating in Hell.
“Hell…”
Feng Zikang sank into thought. If that was the case, then these various Mystic Realms within the Trial Tower—where everyone suffered—could indeed be called hells. What, then, was the true nature of this Trial Tower?
After a moment of consideration, he decided to lay everything bare before Sun Su. This man had already attained the fruit of longevity; his cultivation and insight were beyond comparison to Feng Zikang’s. Asking him might yield the most direct answers.
“The Tower of Trials?” Hearing the inquiry, Sun Su was visibly moved. “So that is how you entered! Remarkable! I had no idea that the Trial Tower was also an entrance to the Eighteenth Level of Hell!”
He and Master Sanzang had relied on the Master’s profound divine power to directly tear open space and descend into Hell. Although the Trial Tower was known in the Main Mystic Realm, Sun Su’s attainment was so high that he frequently roamed various realms across the heavens and earth like an immortal, rarely concerning himself with the affairs of the Main Mystic Realm.
Upon hearing that countless experts at the Nascent Soul stage were trapped within, Sun Su paused, seeming to recall something.
“Now that you mention it, about three hundred years ago, there really was such an incident…” He scratched his head, clearly trying to dredge up a memory.
Three centuries prior, nearly every Nascent Soul cultivator had entered the Trial Tower, seeking a breakthrough to a higher realm. Yet, the only one to emerge was General Lu.
He had remained utterly silent about his experiences inside the Tower.
Listening as Feng Zikang meticulously described the situation level by level, Sun Su nodded. “There is no mistake; this is not a mere confusion of Mystic Realms. It truly is Hell. These fragments are just the realms where the evil spirits of each level are utterly ensnared, unable to find release unless someone can deliver them from suffering—by this account, your so-called journey through the Trial Tower is nothing more than a pilgrimage of salvation…”
Hell was not merely mountains of knives and cauldrons of boiling oil; it was a place that locked souls within a Mystic Realm using their own obsessions. Generation after generation, they were trapped in an unbreakable, endless loop—this was the Avici Hell.
Feng Zikang broke out in a cold sweat as he considered this.
The terrifying essence of this kind of hell was that the person within was completely unaware of their predicament. It wasn't the outright agony of fire and blade, but the endless cycle from which there was no escape.
Eternal conflict, pain, contradiction—and even when resolved, the issue did not vanish but returned to the starting point, forcing them to re-experience those pains and worries, perpetually, until their sins were fully expiated.
The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.
Great terror breeds great courage. Surely, the high monks who achieved salvation through Buddhism possessed wisdom, bravery, and boundless compassion. Master Sanzang, having already secured his fruits of merit, still chose to step into Hell to save others; this was truly worthy of respect and admiration.
Hell was vast. Even if he traversed the Three Realms and Six Paths, visiting countless Mystic Realms, his efforts would amount to but a drop in the ocean.
But he refused to give up, willing to sacrifice his own cultivation to perform such monumental merit. Feng Zikang felt profound admiration for the man.
However, this knowledge offered little comfort regarding their current predicament.
Knowing they were trapped in the Eighteenth Level of Hell, Feng Zikang was not overly concerned. Since the Main Mystic Realm possessed this Trial Tower as an entrance to Hell, and General Lu managed to escape, it meant there must be a way out.
The only thing left to do now was to continue descending.
Until they reached the very bottom of the Eighteenth Level!
Sun Su was delighted to hear of Feng Zikang’s plan and readily agreed to assist. He had broken through space to arrive, originally not sharing their path, but now that he had encountered an old acquaintance in the boredom of his Hell wanderings, he was naturally willing to travel with them.
Huo Zhongguang, having reverted to his true self, had no desire to remain that infernal emperor any longer. He wished only to follow Feng Zikang in pursuit of longevity, resolving to abdicate his throne and venture to the next level with him.
The civil and military officials pleaded in vain, finally watching their former sovereign depart. The Crown Prince ascended the throne and proclaimed a general amnesty.
Thus, the duo suddenly became a party of four.
The four passed through the Mystic Realm passage and arrived at the next layer. With the powerful ally Sun Su joining them, Feng Zikang felt significantly more secure.
He had long suspected that Sun Su was the historical Sun Wukong—their demeanor, disposition, and experiences shared striking similarities. Though they inhabited different Mystic Realms and were not the same individual, their core personalities seemed close enough. Feng Zikang played to Sun Su’s interests, and their camaraderie deepened quickly.
“Come, come! Bring out your fine spirits so Old Sun can have a good drink or two!”
“Brother Sun, no need to be polite, drink your fill!”
Although Sun Su was often in a state of inebriation, Luo Lianxin and Huo Zhongguang understood his true power and recognized Feng Zikang’s strategy. They both catered to him solicitously.
Huo Zhongguang was particularly adept; having shed the imperial crown, his skill in flattery had only advanced, his tongue flowing like a lotus blossom. He pleased Sun Su to no end, instantly skyrocketing the latter’s goodwill toward him. Sun Su even imparted several secret techniques, much to Huo Zhongguang’s ecstatic delight, causing him to serve with even greater diligence.
Only Luo Lianxin, being a woman, did not approach Sun Su closely. This senior seemed inherently disinclined toward women, or perhaps simply awkward in their company. Luo Lianxin was sensible and quietly lagged behind, choosing not to involve herself in their boisterous interactions.
The fourth level was an endless ocean, boundless and without any clear direction. They sped across it for several days before finally sighting a continent, upon which some signs of activity could be detected.