This was the Nether Bureau. No sun or moon hung overhead, and fog obscured the distance. Everything around them was a murky gray.
Xuan Yan stood still, while Jiang Yang gazed at the strange, apocalyptic scene before him with his mouth slightly open.
Deep within the Nether Bureau, where myriad ghosts passed, stood a Heavenly Gate that towered between heaven and earth. Nearly a thousand zhang tall, it was neither metal nor jade, with gnarled gateposts rising high on either side.
Dark red markings wound across it like flowing rivers of blood, a stark contrast to the gray gloom around it.
Its bark was cracked, its grain twisted. The chill wind howled like human faces wailing, like wronged souls weeping.
Even Xuan Yan unconsciously lowered his voice before this sight and said softly:
"This is the Locust Gate Heavenly Pass, a strategic point within the Nether Bureau. They say it was erected by Immortal Lord [Chihua] in ancient times."
"Immortal Lord Chihua?"
Jiang Yang froze at those words. Was this the Chihua he was thinking of?
"Indeed. 'Chihua' is what we call 'Weakwood,' though few use that name nowadays."
Xuan Yan nodded slightly, then continued:
"Weakwood has been close to Taiyang since ancient times. Back then, the Immortal Lord lamented the excessive torment suffered by souls in the Nether Bureau and left a prophecy: [Heavy are the wandering souls of this world; even rotting wood shall become a pass]. The moment those words were spoken, a giant tree broke through the earth. That immortal tree was Supreme Yang Xu Wood, meant to cleanse wandering souls and send them onward to reincarnation."
"From then on, the wronged souls of those who died unjustly no longer had to endure all manner of cruel torture. They needed only pass through this Heavenly Gate