Chapter 198
At the top of the Annihilation Platform’s stairs, what had just moments ago been a dignified, orderly underworld team had now descended into utter chaos.
Ghosts were shouting slogans, charging with weapons, brawling—ghastly cries filled the air!
Even though Lord Yama was immensely powerful, he was being swarmed by tens of thousands of vengeful spirits and could barely hold his ground. As he fought back, he still tried to argue:
“The Underworld is one big family! We’re all one big ghostly household! Why talk about salaries and benefits…”
“…” The ghosts were so enraged smoke practically rose from their heads.
“A ‘family’?! You treat us like disposable nobodies! These insincere ghostly platitudes are nothing but excuses for your exploitation!!!”
Their fighting spirit surged even higher!
The whole scene devolved into bedlam. Even Lord Yama couldn’t remember why he had come here in the first place, let alone Ma Mian and the rest of the ghost officials.
They were too busy fighting for their rights and getting ready to string up the capitalist overlord!
And so, while no one was paying attention, the ghost mist that blanketed the top steps of the Annihilation Platform quietly parted, revealing a narrow passageway.
Niu Tou discreetly signaled Jian Yunlan to go—now.
Jian Yunlan responded with a grateful look.
Niu Tou, please come back safely. Jian Yunlan whispered in his heart. If you make it back, I’ll give you another raise…
There was no time to hesitate. Jian Yunlan darted into the passageway, slipping through the ghost mist and sprinting up the steps toward the heights of the Annihilation Platform.
*
The staircase looked endless—so long it vanished into the clouds.
But as Jian Yunlan ascended, he realized the stairs grew shorter the farther he climbed. Before long, he reached the top.
On either side was a sea of clouds stretching as far as the eye could see. The world below flickered like a dream—faint, unrecognizable.
He had, quite literally, reached the edge of the world.
The Annihilation Platform above was encased in a shimmering membrane, like a barrier. Jian Yunlan reached out, trying to pass through—but it was like hitting an invisible wall. No matter what he did, he couldn’t break through.
Now this was a problem.
Through the hazy film, he could barely make out what was inside:
At the center of the Annihilation Platform, a massive creature lay encircled by countless beams of light…
It was the Taotie.
Jian Yunlan’s entire body jolted with recognition. Even though the figure was unclear and shrouded in shadow, he instantly knew—that was Taotie.
What were those light beams? Was Heaven’s punishment already underway?
A burning anxiety flared in his chest. He pounded on the invisible wall in panic, desperate to break through and reach the center.
Then, a gentle voice—like the murmur of heaven and earth—whispered to him:
“Child of man, do you wish to go through? To go to his side?”
Jian Yunlan didn’t hesitate:
“Of course I do.”
Wasn’t that obvious? If he didn’t want to see Taotie, what the hell was all this for? Cardio?
…Wait. Where was that voice coming from?
Only then did Jian Yunlan realize something was off. His heart skipped a beat. He turned toward the source.
—A pure white creature, horned and majestic, walked slowly toward him. Its body resembled a lion’s, but with the head of a dragon. Its eyes remained closed, yet wherever it stepped, sweet rain fell, and flowers bloomed—even this desolate, lifeless Annihilation Platform burst with vitality in its wake.
Its voice was gentle, like that of a kind young man—neither distinctly male nor female.
“I am the divine beast Bai Ze. I know all things of this world. The doubts and confusion in your heart—I can help answer them.”
Doubts? Confusion?
“I’m not really confused about anything,” Jian Yunlan calmed himself and smiled. “I’m very clear on my goal—I want to go inside, to Taotie’s side. Can you help me?”
Bai Ze paused, meeting Jian Yunlan’s gaze.
It had been a long time since it had seen such eyes in a human.
Eyes that spoke of unwavering resolve—life or death, no compromise.
But then…
Bai Ze suddenly burst into laughter—loud, unrestrained, to the point of tears.
“Hahaha! You say you’re not confused?! Child of man, you’re hilarious. Every being has confusion—even the mighty and omniscient Heavenly Dao doesn’t claim perfect clarity. What makes you, a mere mortal, think you’re the exception?!”
Jian Yunlan opened his mouth to respond, but Bai Ze cut him off again:
“Let me be blunt: the Heavenly Dao has ordered me to guard this place. No outsiders are allowed to interfere with the execution process.”
As it spoke, Bai Ze slowly opened its eyes for the first time—and looked straight at Jian Yunlan.
Those eyes… long and serene, yet filled with bottomless knowledge, as if they saw through the fabric of the world. Entire universes seemed to ripple within them.
Something’s wrong!
In that instant, just from locking eyes with Bai Ze, Jian Yunlan felt his consciousness being drawn in, manipulated, controlled.
This beast was no ordinary guardian.
But by the time he realized it—it was already too late.
His once-clear mind began to melt like water. Looking at the invisible wall in front of him, Jian Yunlan suddenly felt… exhausted.
That exhaustion surged from the very depths of his soul—it felt like spending a lifetime trying to climb a mountain, only to realize you’d never reach the top. That kind of helplessness made you want to give up before even trying.
Bai Ze still stared intently at Jian Yunlan with those penetrating eyes and spoke gently:
“You must have some doubts in your heart. Go ahead, speak them all. You feel tired, don’t you? That’s only natural. You’re just a mortal—never meant to bear such burdens. Why not set them down early and go rest…”
The words seemed laced with magic. Jian Yunlan didn’t want to listen, yet against his will, he slowly turned around at the sound of that voice, beginning to descend the stairs—retracing the path he came.
The Oblivion Terrace. Every living being could only ascend it once in their lifetime.
If Jian Yunlan took that step down, there would be no coming back.
He knew that perfectly well. Yet his legs moved against his will—stiffly, but undeniably. He was just about to step down—
“Divine Beast Bai Ze, when did you stoop to using such tricks to manipulate the heart? How despicable!” A crisp, bell-like girl’s voice rang out, indignant. “Master, Master, wake up! Wake up!”
Hu Danggui’s voice was like a gust of wind, sweeping clarity into the fog of Jian Yunlan’s mind.
He forced his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was Hu Danggui, her hair done in two round buns. She had changed back into her original green Daoist robe, a peachwood sword strapped to her back. Despite her childlike appearance, she stood fearlessly in front of Jian Yunlan, eyes wide as she glared straight at Bai Ze.
Jian Yunlan was only one step away from the stairs. If Hu Danggui had arrived a second later, he would’ve taken that step.
“Hu Danggui?” Jian Yunlan blinked, slowly recovering from that drunken daze. “You… what are you doing here?”
Hu Danggui winked at him. “I’m here to help you, Master. After eating so many of your meals, I’ve gotta be useful at least once, right? Besides…” Her round, black grape-like eyes darted back toward Bai Ze. “What divine beast? Just a bunch of filthy creatures colluding with the Heavenly Dao, using lowly tricks against a mere mortal!”
Bai Ze’s warm smile froze on his face.
Only for a moment. Then it smiled again. “A little demon from Qingqiu dares to speak about me? Very well. Very well indeed.”
The lion-bodied, dragon-headed beast tilted back its head and let out a high-pitched call.
The sound pierced the heavens—like a phoenix’s long cry, like the wind rustling through leaves. It was hauntingly beautiful, instantly energizing the listener.
And with that sound came the sudden appearance of countless figures.
A Qilin stepped through the clouds, leaving a trail of holy light in its wake. Thunder rolled as Yinglong emerged from the storm, its scales crackling with lightning and fire. Xuanwu, the giant turtle with a serpent coiled upon its back, rose with the tides on the distant horizon. The Vermilion Bird flapped its wings, igniting the fire of reincarnation…
Countless divine beasts, their eyes cold and fierce, turned their gaze toward Jian Yunlan and Hu Danggui!
Jian Yunlan instinctively moved to protect her. With so many divine beasts, and Hu Danggui still just a nine-thousand-year-old child—how could she stand against them?
But Hu Danggui simply smiled and motioned for him to step aside.
She formed a seal with her hands, chanted softly—
And in the next moment, the little girl in the green Daoist robe vanished.
In her place reclined a stunning beauty in full palace attire, elegantly lounging on a chaise that had appeared out of nowhere. Her bearing was so noble and regal that even this barren Oblivion Terrace seemed to glow in her presence.
Nine fluffy fox tails swayed lazily behind her. The woman exhaled a smoke ring and smiled dazzlingly. “Sorry to trouble you all for nothing—why don’t you go back now~”
Jian Yunlan: “?”
Hu Danggui’s charm technique didn’t work on him, so he noticed it right away…
There was a piece of vegetable stuck between the beauty’s teeth.
“Is this kind of charm spell… actually effective?”
But the moment that thought crossed his mind—
The divine beasts in the sky froze as if struck by lightning. They didn’t move. At all!!!
They just stared blankly at the palace-clad beauty.
The Qilin’s golden scales instantly flushed pink the moment their eyes met. The lightning surrounding Yinglong halted, replaced by a gush of nosebleed. Xuanwu’s two faces—the turtle and the snake—blushed deeply and shyly looked away. Even the usually brave and fierce Vermilion Bird lowered its head…
—The charm techniques cultivated by a Qingqiu fox demon over millennia were the best of the best in the entire Mountain and Sea realm—not to be underestimated.
After a few stunned seconds, the divine beasts all began coughing awkwardly, scrambling to make excuses:
“Bai Ze, sorry, I-I-I’ve got something at home—my father-in-law’s having a baby, I have to help deliver it!”
“How can I fight like this… I just can’t lay a hand on her—no, I mean—I’ve got to go grab the grocery sale!”
“Lord Bai Ze, terribly sorry, my resurrected ghost husband is calling me home for dinner.”
They fled in panic like a flock of birds.
Bai Ze watched them go, full of fury and disappointment. “…Useless fools!”
A mere charm spell, and they scattered like cowards!
What a bunch of freeloaders!!!
Fuming, Bai Ze looked at the palace-clad beauty, unable to see what exactly was so ‘charming’ about her. To its omniscient eyes, men and women, beautiful or ugly, were all the same—there was no difference.
Bai Ze sneered. “Heh, little fox demon from Qingqiu—is that all you’ve got? That doesn’t work on me.”
The palace beauty smiled faintly.
“Oh?” she said softly. “Then how about… this?”
—A flash of golden light, and the beauty vanished once more.
In her place was a tiny golden fox, fur sleek and shiny, nine little tails drooping pitifully behind her. The little fox tilted her head innocently at Bai Ze, raised her fluffy little paw, and stretched out her words:
“Lord Bai Ze… hug~?”
“…”
Bai Ze fell silent.
Its expression remained perfectly blank—as if nothing at all was stirring in its heart.
Jian Yunlan’s heart leapt into his throat. This had to be Hu Danggui’s trump card—if even this didn’t work on Bai Ze, then they were completely out of options!
Second by second, time ticked by.
No one knew how long it had been when the long-silent Bai Ze suddenly sniffled.
Jian Yunlan: “?” Wait… sniffled?
He turned to look—and saw Bai Ze still standing upright and dignified, exuding righteousness.
But from its nostrils… a steady trickle of nosebleed dripped down…
Jian Yunlan: “…So you’re into furries?!”
At that very moment, the invisible wall blocking Jian Yunlan suddenly softened!
From across the distance, he met Hu Danggui’s eyes. The little fox gave him an encouraging look. Jian Yunlan nodded.
He turned, no longer hesitating, and stepped into the Oblivion Terrace.
