Wude was a monk at a small temple, a professional with a graduate degree and an official monastic certificate.
Privately, though, he wasn't particularly devout. So one day after work, he changed into casual clothes, put on a hat, and went browsing through an antiques market alone. A Daoist talisman caught his eye, and he bought it.
That talisman changed his life. One night, while studying it, Wude fell into a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself on a staircase that seemed to lead to the Kingdom of Heaven.
He looked back. The staircase was formed from pure light—sacred, translucent, and pristine enough to shake anyone to their core.
It stretched upward into the void. Wude couldn't see how many steps it had, but each one was enormously tall, as though made for creatures even larger than Giants.
At the very top hung a layer of gray-white fog. It gathered in midair as if supporting something, and the Ladder of Light was still far from it.
"Wh-where am I?" Wude had always been fascinated by supernatural powers. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a professional monk after graduate school, much less bought a talisman at an antiques market.
Yet now, standing before this mythical staircase, he was stunned. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Did that talisman bring me here? Has fortune finally smiled on me? Wude's thoughts ran wild until something tugged at his trouser leg. Startled back to his senses, he looked down.
A monster shaped like a hound lay at his feet.
Short black fur covered its body. One eye was an empty black hole, while the other socket held a dark red flame!
Its mouth stretched all the way to the back of its head. Though it had a solid