The air in front of the hall suddenly froze.
The four large characters for “Avici Hell” hung overhead, and the eerie blue ghost-fire reflected on everyone's faces, illuminating the shock, confusion, and dread on their features with absolute clarity.
In the crowd, a middle-aged man in official robes tugged at the sleeve of an acquaintance nearby and whispered, “Look over there! Isn't that Second Young Master Shen of the Marquis of Ningyuan's estate? I saw him once before at the Marquis's birthday banquet.”
This statement was like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, stirring up a massive wave.
“It really is Second Young Master Shen!”
“I heard he was bewitched by that Divine Lady in the north to commit treason, and even claimed that Great Yong's Dragon Vein has been severed and the country will fall any day now. The Marquis of Ningyuan was so enraged by their utter disrespect for the Emperor that he threw him and the Eldest Young Master out of the house long ago, even removing their names from the genealogy. How could he be here?”
“Could this be that Divine Lady's territory?”
“I... I think it's highly likely.”
Countless gazes swept over in unison, landing on the tall, upright figure standing not far away.
“Should we go over and ask...?”
As the whispers continued, a young master dressed in a brocade robe was the first to squeeze out of the crowd. He rushed over to Shen Yu in a few quick strides, a stiff yet flattering smile plastered across his face.
“Second Young Master Shen, it really is you!” The man bowed with clasped hands toward Shen Yu, lowering his posture to the extreme, entirely devoid of his usual arrogant, nose-in-the-air attitude in the capital. “My father is the Minister of War, a close friend of your father, the Marquis of Ningyuan. We even studied together at the Imperial Academy once!”
“I wonder if you still remember me?”
Seeing that someone had taken the lead, the crowd swarmed forward like a hive of bees, desperately trying to cozy up to Shen Yu.
“Nephew Shen, I am on excellent terms with the Marquis of Ningyuan. I even attended your hundred-day banquet!”
“Second Young Master, I am acquainted with the Eldest Young Master...”
“And me...”
Everyone wanted to squeeze forward to strike up a conversation with Shen Yu.
They could hardly be blamed for this.
They had originally been asleep in their own homes.
Who would have thought that the moment they opened their eyes, they would mysteriously end up in such a gloomy, terrifying place? Who wouldn't be frightened?
If this truly was the Divine Lady's domain, then Shen Yu, as the Divine Lady's most valued believer, would surely be able to protect them.
The more they thought about it, the more eager they became. They wished they could cling to Shen Yu's very sleeves to find a sense of security.
“Stand back!”
The soldiers, weapons in hand, shielded Shen Yu behind them, blocking those who attempted to draw near.
However, the crowd completely ignored the warnings.
Seeing this, the leader of the Zhenbei Army decisively drew the long saber from his waist and pressed it against the neck of the person squeezing forward the hardest. In a chilling voice, he barked, “Take one more step, and you will be executed on the spot!”
The noisy crowd instantly fell dead silent.
Shen Yu watched the crowd obediently back away. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as a thoughtful look flashed deep in his eyes.
This palace was undoubtedly the work of the Divine Lady. Since these capital nobles had appeared here, it was likely related to Her as well. Observing the Divine Lady's past actions, She never did anything in vain. She probably had a use for these people.
With this in mind, he glanced back at the palace. The massive gates had swung fully open at some point, revealing a long staircase paved with white jade leading deep into the interior. On either side of the stairs stood ever-burning lamps, their faint candlelight flickering gently.
In an instant, he understood the Divine Lady's intent.
She wanted him to lead the people inside.
“Everyone, calm down.” Shen Yu gave the leader of the Zhenbei Army a look, gesturing for him to lower his blade.
The Zhenbei Army leader hesitated for a moment but ultimately lowered his long saber and ordered the soldiers to step back.
The crowd looked at the Zhenbei Army soldiers, then at Shen Yu. None dared to squeeze forward again. They all stood in place with long, miserable faces.
“Young Master Shen, we stumbled into this place by mistake. Please, send us back! I still have an elderly mother to care for at home...”
Shen Yu smiled.
“I do not have the ability to send you back.” He paused, then added, “Why don't you follow me into the main hall and ask the Divine Lady to cast a spell for us?”
Looking at the four characters of “Avici Hell” on the plaque, the crowd felt a chill run down their spines, and their expressions grew troubled.
“This...”
“If you are unwilling, I will not force you.”
Shen Yu's expression remained calm.
“For the sake of your good relations with my father and elder brother, I will offer a word of advice. There are evil spirits roaming this place. You must be careful not to get entangled with them.”
Some turned pale with fright, while others remained skeptical.
“Stop trying to scare us. What evil spirits...”
Just as Shen Yu was about to speak, the spider lilies that had vanished earlier reappeared around the palace.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the spider lilies spread at a visible rate, blooming across the entire mountaintop.
The flowers were as red as fire, carrying an indescribable, eerie beauty.
“There are! There really are evil spirits seeking vengeance!”
“The bandits of this Black Wind Stronghold commit every imaginable evil! They specifically lure people up the mountain to plant Soul-Enthralling Flowers. Once the people are too exhausted to work, they kill them and bury them in the soil to use as fertilizer!”
“Those who died have now turned into evil spirits! Seeing how unjustly they died, the Divine Lady has permitted them to take their revenge!”
An Yanping citizen who had witnessed the evil spirits' vengeance stared at the sea of swaying spider lilies. His legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed directly onto the ground. “Just now... just now, the evil spirits crawled right out from these spider lily patches! They tore those bandits to pieces and dragged them underground...”
The more he spoke, the more panicked his expression became.
“Now that the bandits are all dead, if more evil spirits crawl out later, will they eat us?”
The others who had witnessed the vengeance firsthand were also thoroughly terrified by his speculation.
“He... what he says seems to make sense...”
“Young Master Shen, what should we do next?” The leader of the Zhenbei Army also looked at Shen Yu with deep concern.
Shen Yu gazed at the palace surrounded by spider lilies. “This palace might be our only way out.”
The Zhenbei Army leader hesitated. “But this palace is called Avici Hell. If we go in, will we...”
Shen Yu cut him off.
“We are believers of the Divine Lady, and we have clear consciences. Even if we enter hell, what is there to fear?”
With that, he took the lead and stepped onto the long stairs of the palace.
Qiao Yue was the second to follow.
The soldiers of the Zhenbei Army exchanged glances, their eyes filled with determination as they marched toward the unknown palace.
Even the Yanping citizens who had been lured up the mountain supported one another, carefully making their way into the palace.
Outside the main hall, only the capital nobles remained.
“Should... should we go in?”
Someone weakly asked the others present.
No one spoke. They knew exactly what they had done in the past. Even if they hadn't committed heinous crimes, they had done plenty of bad things. How could they dare to enter this Avici Hell?
Just as dread of the palace began to take root in their hearts, evil spirits suddenly began crawling out of the spider lily patches one after another.
“There... there really are evil spirits...”
“He... help...”
“Aaaaah!”
With no time to think, everyone scrambled and crawled in a desperate rush to escape into the main hall, some even losing a shoe along the way.
Rate on N.U.
