A Thought Becomes a Bowl of Water; Ten Thousand Years Gather into a River

The river was surging, and the water splashed violently.

Every now and then, streams of water would rush out, meandering and twisting, as if trying to escape their restraints, but in the end they were still drawn back into the river.

The entire river exudes a gravitational pull at all times, making it difficult for any splash or current to escape.

However, in Qiu Yan's perception, these streams, splashes, and drops of water were not "water," but rather thoughts, memories, and emotions.

Within those flowing streams, various illusory images vaguely emerge: human figures, houses, high mountains, deep valleys, even rolling lava and deep abysses, reflecting the vicissitudes of life and the unpredictability of fortune and misfortune...

However, these scenes were all trapped in the river, drifting with the current, unable to break free, and even their very breath was sealed off.

"The River of Forgetfulness, the River of Forgetfulness... So that's how it is."

In a flash, the deity bypassed the water flow and headed towards the edge of the river. He was currently in the air below the riverbed, trying to reach the other side of the river.

This River of Forgetfulness, viewed from the Netherworld, already appears wide and long, but standing before it and listening to its surging waters, one feels an even greater sense of insignificance, even for the gods.

As you fly here, the Nether Qi grows stronger. Once you round the edge and reach the river, you can see stone platforms floating on the river, which look like city walls and checkpoints from a distance.

Each stone platform is connected to a long staircase that extends into the sky, where ghosts stand, each with a different appearance, expression, physique, and clothing, one after another.

At the very front of the procession, the ghosts who step onto the stone platform are comforted, soothed, scolded, or even directly taken down by a long-haired woman.

At first glance, rows of stone platforms and checkpoints lined up on the river, each platform occupied by a woman with long hair covering her face. Their appearances and demeanors were exactly the same, as if they were one person.

Each of them had a table with an empty bowl on it. After some persuasion or even forcibly taking the bowl from each ghost that came to the stone platform, the woman would pick up the bowl and place it near the ghost's mouth.

The next moment, thoughts and memories flowed from the ghost's seven orifices and into the bowl. Some were filled with so much that they almost overflowed, while others were filled with so little that they only covered the bottom of the bowl.

Then, the long-haired woman raised her hand and flicked it, splashing the water out of the bowl regardless of how much or how little water was in it.

The water formed from memories and thoughts will fall into the River of Forgetfulness.

"Meng Po and Granny Meng's Soup? They're a bit different from the legends."

As he pondered, the deity shifted his gaze, sweeping over the ghosts whose memories had just been released.

As memories, emotions, and thoughts fade away, the ghost is like a faded ink painting. Its appearance, shape, expression, and clothing all disappear, turning into a blank phantom that floats up, drifting upwards until it reaches the depths of the Netherworld sky, a place even the gods cannot see.

"This river has existed for an unknown amount of time, perhaps a thousand years, perhaps ten thousand years, and has swallowed countless memories. Complex and vast, it records the evolution of life and the history of the world!"

Witnessing the scene of thoughts and memories turning into water and flowing into the river, Qiu Yan sensed a historical atmosphere from the river water—magnificent and ancient, yet also possessing a sinister aura like an abyss, instilling in him an instinctive fear.

"The memories within the river are too complex and the thoughts are chaotic, but the total amount is astonishing. If one could absorb the entire river, it is unknown what realm one could reach. However, a deity is almost a collection of thoughts. If one were to absorb it, before one could even integrate the thoughts within the river, one would likely be shattered by the impact, turning into a stream of water, merging into it, and sinking into eternal damnation."

Shaking his head, the deity realized that there must be a secret hidden in the River of Forgetfulness, but his strength was not enough to explore it.

"There's no point in thinking about it anymore, let's head to the Underworld first."

Upon realizing this, Qiu Yan immediately withdrew his gaze. At this moment, he had already arrived on the other side of the River of Forgetfulness, above which lay a dark gray sky.

With a slight discernment, sensing the surrounding fluctuations of intent and divine power, the deity's true form suddenly moved, heading towards the center line of the river.

The location of the Underworld was recorded in the King of Hell's Edict that day, so the deity himself knew its location. He flew quickly and arrived at the river. With a sweep of his Divine Eye, he noticed a crevice in the river that meandered with the river's course.

It's called a gap, but that's relative to the vast River of Forgetfulness. In terms of width alone, this gap is at least wider than a three-courtyard house.

Then, the Divine Body transformed into light and fell into the crevice.

Immediately afterwards, a viscous, Nether Qi rushed towards him, making Qiu Yan feel as if he had fallen into water, with pressure coming from Eight Directions, making it difficult to move forward.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his entire Divine Body was enveloped by an external force, vibrating and transforming into a single thought, which then fell into a strange and bizarre place.

"Um?"

Just as Qiu Yan was about to ponder, a bright light suddenly shone in his mind, and a magnificent palace appeared before him.

The palace was indistinct, yet it exuded a magnificent and awe-inspiring presence, causing the divine spirit's true form to show signs of disintegration.

In a flash of Spiritual Light, he suppressed the aura of the Kitchen God and released the auras of the Mountain God and the River Earl, instantly halting the collapse.

In a daze, the true self vaguely saw a huge figure on the palace, blurry and majestic, as if it had merged with the surrounding rules, and the aura it released was so oppressive that even gods felt it.

A name suddenly popped into my mind--

Equality King!

"This is the palace of Yama King Pingdeng, one of the Ten Equality King!"

The records of myths in books and allusions flowed through his mind, surprising Qiu Yan. Then, nearly a thousand familiar auras drifted over.

"These are the lonely souls I summoned from the Water Palace to the Netherworld!"

The deity himself, in the Water Palace of the Great Snow River, used the Domain of Law of the Mountain God and the River Earl to draw the lonely souls who had perished on Nine Spirits Mountain and in the Great Snow River to the Yin-Yang Road. However, because it was the Divine Office of the Mountain God and the River Earl, the souls did not directly enter the Netherworld Domain, but instead came to this Underworld and came under the command of Equality King.

At that moment, a majestic voice boomed like thunder—

"As a newly ascended deity, one can leave behind a wisp of thought, entrust it to a memorial tablet, and open a passage in this Equality King Hall, so that in the future one can transmit thoughts to guide people and send their souls to Samsara."

Along with the majestic voice came a series of messages, which were absorbed by the divine being's own consciousness. Qiu Yan's mind was instantly filled with much more knowledge, and he understood the meaning behind the words.

"I see. Each deity leaves behind a Domain of Law here, which transforms into a token and hangs by the temple door. Whenever Yama King or the judges examine the souls entering the underworld, those who cannot immediately enter Samsara and whose sins do not warrant the Eighteen Levels of Hell will connect with the spirit and gather under the token of the corresponding deity, waiting for the Divine Sense to penetrate the token and guide them away, thus saving the deity from having to come in person each time."

After figuring this out, Qiu Yan pondered for a moment.

"The Kitchen God is the foundation, but the Mountain God and the River Earl are only temporarily borrowed; we might as well give it a try."

Thinking of this, a wisp of the Domain of Law belonging to Nine Spirits Mountain separated from the talisman of the deity's true form, combined with divine power, broke out of the body, condensed into a token in the air, flew to the side of the palace gate, and hung there.

Then, Qiu Yan's consciousness jolted, and the divine spirit transformed from a thought back into Divine Body and descended.

With that landing, the surrounding scenery suddenly became clear—

Ahead stood a magnificent and imposing hall, but the doors were tightly shut. On either side of the doors hung rows of tokens, all identical in appearance and style, yet exuding different auras. Some were powerful, while others were weak. The token belonging to the deity himself was located to the side.

All around was a huge square, open and vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. The square's ground was also decorated with carvings, as if telling a story.

Just as the deity himself was surveying his surroundings, a refined-looking man dressed as a minor official approached.

The minor official first bowed to the deity himself, then pointed to a group of souls beside him and said, "Your Excellency, now that you are here, please take the Believers' Souls back with you."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a surge of Yin Qi in his hand transformed into a booklet as large as half a person.

"I must also explain to you that there are a total of 2,973 souls in this batch. Two of them were already registered and were supposed to be reborn in the Beast Realm for three lifetimes, but they were two lifetimes short and have already been cast down. There are also 18 others, each with their Karmic Sin, who have all been captured and sent to hell to atone for their sins. There are now 2,953 souls here."

The minor official licked his fingers, flipping through the pages of the book while reciting numbers. As soon as he finished speaking, a group of words flew out of the book and formed a list before the deity, detailing the life stories of 2,973 souls and the judge's criticisms.

This content was included in the knowledge he had just received, so Qiu Yan was not surprised. The deity returned the greeting, swept the list in his mind with his Divine Sense, then flicked his sleeve to collect the group of souls into his sleeve. Then, his Divine Body turned into light and rushed forward, merging into a token by the door.

The next moment, the light and shadow shifted, and when Qiu Yan came to his senses, he was back on the River of Forgetfulness. Looking at the rolling river, everything that had just happened felt like a dream.

"A dream... a dream... The moment I entered the rift, my Divine Body transformed into a thought, as if I had become someone else's fleeting thought..."

The more Qiu Yan thought about it and recalled it, the more chills ran down his spine. His gaze swept over the surging river again, and the deity himself shook his head.

"This idea is too bizarre. The thought of a deity arriving at a certain place, being imprisoned, and becoming some unknown being is simply too far-fetched."

Suppressing his thoughts, the deity himself no longer lingered, and with a sway of his body, he fell downwards.

The descent was slightly faster than the journey there, but it still took most of the day to return to the Nether Realm's Domain of Law.

Upon returning to the Domain of Law, the deity himself went directly to the center of the courtyard. With a thought, he released his aura, and the Domain of Law of the Mountain God and the River Earl spread out from his divine Divine Body, merging with the Netherworld Domain.

His pavilion, originally situated amidst the mountains, was now covered by the Mountain God and River Earl's Domain of Law, causing drastic changes to the mountainside. Water appeared along the mountain's edge, gradually transforming into a river. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for Qidian. com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m. qidian. com to read.)

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