Chapter 443: Entered in the Book of Life and Death
Although all roads lead to Rome, there are still some paths that must not be taken. If one doesn't know how to avoid the traps, then the road ahead is full of pitfalls. Di Jun understood this principle well.
And Ye Tian was his best mentor and companion. With Ye Tian around, he was confident that nothing major would go wrong.
After walking for a while, night fell. Ye Tian said to Di Jun, "Let's rest here for the night. In the morning, we'll continue onward."
"Alright… but it's freezing here. How are we supposed to stay the night?"
"No worries about that."
Ye Tian waved his hand, and a massive furnace appeared. He said to Di Jun, "We'll make do here for the night. There's no other choice, and besides, this counts as part of the trial."
It was unclear what kind of magical artifact the furnace was, but it could spontaneously generate fire and keep burning endlessly.
Only Ye Tian knew the truth—this fire could connect to the Underworld. In fact, it was burning straight from the Underworld itself. This flame was netherfire.
Although netherfire could warm the body, in reality, it inflicted harm. But Di Jun was different—he possessed a demon's body. Instead of being damaged by it, the netherfire actually benefited him.
"Who dares to use the flames of my Underworld?"
King Yama had just sensed something unusual. He was deeply shocked. Netherfire was a treasured flame of the Underworld, one that could only burn there. And yet, someone had used some extraordinary means to draw it out and use it outside.
And that person was none other than Ye Tian!
After investigating, he confirmed it: it was Ye Tian!
"What? Ye Tian?!"
Now that he realized Ye Tian and Di Jun were traveling together, King Yama was in a dilemma.
Their strength was tremendous. If he provoked them, what could he possibly do?
"What should I do now? Ye Tian's power is overwhelming, and Di Jun isn't weak either. I'm no match for the two of them together… so what now?"
As he paced around, troubled and indecisive, Black Wuchang spoke up: "Actually, there is a way. If we erase their names from the Book of Life and Death, then they'll die. Once that happens, we can seize their souls—what would we have to fear then?"
"Hmm, good idea. That's an excellent plan. Let's do it!"
…
That night, both Ye Tian and Di Jun sensed something off. Their souls were beginning to drift out of their bodies.
"What's this?"
Di Jun noticed something, but it was already too late—he hadn't expected his soul to leave his body like that. Black and White Wuchang now stood before them.
"Your time has come. Come with us."
"What nonsense is this? You say my time's up? I'm Di Jun! How could I possibly die so easily?"
"All mortals must die. Your name is already written in the Book of Life and Death. That means you're dead."
"I'm… dead?"
Di Jun was in disbelief. How could he have just died like this?
His health had always been excellent. There was no reason he should suddenly die!
Ye Tian stayed silent. He was curious to see what Black and White Wuchang were up to.
He had nothing to fear from them, but if he didn't play the pig to eat the tiger now, things wouldn't be much fun.
Seeing Ye Tian remain quiet, Black Wuchang found it odd. He stared at Ye Tian and asked, "Ye Tian, you're usually so arrogant. Why are you so quiet now?"
"Di Jun, this is the trial I prepared for you. Did you know? Black and White Wuchang are quite famous. So now, you get to spar with them."
"But I don't even have a body anymore! I'm just a soul. How am I supposed to fight them?"
"That's hardly a problem."
Black and White Wuchang laughed. Black Wuchang suddenly pulled out a whip and shouted, "Come, Di Jun! You don't even have a body now. Let's see how you plan to fight me!"
White Wuchang laughed too. "Exactly. A mere Di Jun? Even if a Grand Supreme Golden Immortal showed up, what could they do to us? Without a body, you're no match for us!"
The whip in his hand cracked with a snap, but it wasn't just any ordinary whip—it was a Soul-Striking Whip, designed to torment the soul.
Di Jun, now without a body, felt his soul falter just from the whip's sound alone.
"Ye Tian, tell me—what should I do now?"
"Endure it. Just focus on enduring it."
"Endure it?"
"Yes. This is a form of cultivation. It'll rapidly improve your spiritual power."
Di Jun was speechless. This was supposed to strengthen his spiritual power? But the whip terrified him with its sheer pain and dread.
"If you've got guts, then don't dodge!"
Black Wuchang's Soul-Striking Whip lashed toward Di Jun's soul.
Crack! The whip landed, and Di Jun's soul seemed to shatter—only to recondense moments later.
"Huh, not bad. The stronger the soul, the less it fears this whip. But let's see how strong yours really is—how long can you endure it?"
Again, the whip lashed out at Di Jun. Though his body was gone, the terror and pain in his soul ran deep.
As the Soul-Striking Whip hit again, Di Jun asked Ye Tian, "When will this end?"
"The longer you endure, the stronger your spirit becomes. So hang in there. Having Black and White Wuchang train with you—this is a good thing for you."
"What?! Ye Tian, what do you mean by that?"
Black Wuchang, of course, had no idea what Ye Tian was really getting at. Ye Tian said to him, "Never mind if you don't understand. Didn't you want to strike his soul into oblivion? Then go ahead—keep going."
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