Nine Prisons and Nine Springs, Six Paths of Reincarnation

The Netherworld, Ghost City of Fengdu.

With the emergence of the Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Souls, the initial establishment of the reincarnation system.

The number of ghosts drawn to Ghost City of Fengdu by the Yin Deity is increasing, even forming a fixed Ghost Gate Pass on Mount Tai.

The 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the time when the yin Yin Qi in the mortal world is at its strongest.

Then the Ghost Gate Pass will open, and the ghosts of Ghost City of Fengdu will return to the mortal world to reunite with their living families.

This was a special benefit given to the ghosts by the Great Emperor of Fengdu, taking into account Shaohao's situation.

On that day, apart from the underworld officials on duty, other Yin Deity could also go on vacation to the mortal realm.

In this way, the resentment of the ghosts was greatly reduced.

Even most of the Ghost God that remained in the mortal world gradually began to accept going to the Yin World.

After all, under the powerful pressure of the Great Emperor of Fengdu, having only one chance to return to the mortal realm once a year was an acceptable reality for Ghost God with extremely long lifespans and a strong sense of time.

However, these treatments, or rather, benefits, are only given to ghosts and Ghost God who do not harbor much resentment or have committed any sins.

The emergence of Ghost City of Fengdu is a symbol of a complete system and order.

For a complete system and order, the existence of rewards and punishments is a perfectly normal phenomenon.

When the reward and punishment mechanism breaks down, that's when Ghost City of Fengdu will disappear.

Every ghost led into Fengdu Ghost City by the Yin Deity knows that after crossing the Ghost Gate Pass, they will be subjected to a Ghost Gods of the Six Heavens and Gods.

Only those ghosts who are neither good nor evil, but still have lingering attachments to the mortal world, will temporarily stay in this Ghost City of Fengdu.

Yes, the Great Emperor of Fengdu also had a complete procedure for determining whether ghosts stayed or left.

The so-called "theory of good and evil" is simply a summary of this process by ghosts.

In reality, the Yin Deity all knew that the selection mechanism established by the Great Emperor of Fengdu was not about good or evil, but about obsession and cause and effect.

Those with shallow attachments and no ties will directly enter the cycle of reincarnation after passing through the Ghost Gods of the Six Heavens and Gods.

Those with deep attachments will remain in this Ghost City of Fengdu until their lingering attachments to the Yang World dissipate, before entering the next stage of the process.

Besides, other ghosts need to consider their own karma and sins to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

The cause and effect and sin mentioned here are not some vague and ethereal things, but phenomena that will specifically appear in every ghost and Ghost God.

If obsession is merely a characteristic of the soul itself...

It is something that no sentient being with wisdom can avoid.

Therefore, cause and effect and sin are the perceptions and influences that other living beings have on the soul after it dies.

Especially when the actions of these ghosts and Ghost God disrupt the order and balance between the yin and yang realms.

Their souls will be corrupted by evil thoughts and Sha Qi, and they will generally become ferocious and ugly.

Thus, in response to this situation, the concept of "Nine Prisons and Nine Springs" came into being.

There is no concept of four seas in the underworld; there is only the River of Forgetfulness that runs through the entire Netherworld.

According to legend, the River of Forgetfulness was originally formed from the blood vessels and meridians of the Netherworld Lord, and is proof that He evolved the world by His own power.

The so-called "Nine Springs" are the nine most crucial nodes of the River of Forgetfulness.

To use a perhaps imperfect analogy, they are roughly equivalent to the nine major acupoints that run through the human body's central nervous system.

With the tacit approval of the Netherworld Lord, the Great Emperor of Fengdu created the "Nine Prisons" at these nine key points along the River of Forgetfulness.

The Prison of Commands, located in Feng Spring, is the place where the souls of the Heavenly Deity are held and the most wicked are punished. It is the Ghost Gods of the Six Heavens Palace of Fengdu.

The execution ground at Ya Spring was used to judge those Prison of Beheading their duties or wronged souls. The spring water originated from the tears of the dead.

Located in the Yellow Springs, the Prison of Ghost Pursuit shelters ordinary souls and suppresses mountain spirits and demons. It is also the only gate to the underworld that is always open.

The Prison of Poisoning, located in the Cold Spring, imprisons water monsters and Ghost God of the martial world; the environment is extremely cold.

Located in the Yin Spring, the Prison of Cold Night punishes evil gods and blood sacrificers, its eternal night shining brightly.

Located in Nether Spring, the Prison of Baleful Slaughter is where poisonous and evil Ghost God from the mountains and forests are imprisoned. The air is thick with Sha Qi and thorns.

Located in the Prison of Long Night of Lower Spring, it is a place where ancient corpses are suppressed, along with soulless and spiritless corpse demon puppets.

Located at the Bitter Spring, the Prison of Massacre tortures rebellious demons and sorcerers; all who die for defying Heaven are imprisoned here.

The Prison of Torture and Burning, located in Ming Spring, is for those who died violent deaths or whose resentment lingers.

Having passed through the Nine Prisons and Nine Springs, cleansing themselves of their evil thoughts and Sha Qi, ghosts who do not have strong attachments will usher in true reincarnation.

Inside Fengdu City, behind the Ghost Gods of the Six Heavens Palace, there is a flower forest that leads directly to the Wangchuan River.

The flowers there were planted by the Great Emperor of Fengdu himself, and they have the power to bewitch people. Ghosts with unresolved obsessions simply cannot pass through that flower forest.

From Fengdu to the Yellow Springs, then to the River of Forgetfulness, and finally to the River of Three Crossings.

Following this path through the land where the red spider lilies bloom, at the end of the riverbank lies a bridge that exists between reality and illusion.

A bridge spans the River of Forgetfulness, where a seemingly endless line of ghosts waits.

They might be indifferent, sad, joyful, or helpless...

Whether or not they still harbor any attachment to the Yang World, coming here means they have no way out.

To take one last look at the Divine Stone of Three Lives before the River of Three Crossings and sever one's remaining ties to the mortal world is already the final blessing bestowed upon these ghosts by the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Then, these ghosts will step onto the Bridge of Helplessness, cross the River of Three Crossings, and head to the other side.

There, a kind-faced, compassionate woman will give them a bowl of soup to wash away all memories and karma from their past and present lives.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Don't look back after you've left; there's nothing to regret in the past."

As the woman chanted her sorrowful song, one ghost after another drank the bitter soup and slowly walked toward the end of the other shore— the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

It does not distinguish between good and evil, nor does it possess merit or false sin...

Before the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the purest spiritual beings will be guided by the Heaven Soul and reincarnate into the mortal realm.

Viviparous, oviparous, moisture-born, metamorphic...

Birds, beasts, carapace, scaled, hairless...

All living beings and creatures, including all kinds of insects and monsters, belong to the Six Paths of existence.

Depending on the strength of their souls, these pure souls will be reborn into the most suitable body for them, merging with the physical body to form the Seven Corporeal Souls.

From this point onward, all living beings possess Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Souls.

Heaven Soul guides one into the world at birth, while Earth Soul leads one back to the Netherworld after death...

When all living beings are alive, the Seven Corporeal Souls reunite and manifest the Life Soul, which is also a shortcut to achieving the Primordial Spirit.

Or more precisely, after this reincarnation system is established, reuniting the Life Soul and manifesting the Primordial Spirit will become one of the most orthodox cultivation paths.

While this path increases the difficulty of Primordial Spirit Manifestation, it also lowers the threshold for cultivating the Primordial Spirit.

Monthly Pass/Recommendation Ticket

(End of this chapter)