Starting from the folklore forum, making up town objects

Chapter 337 Gathering of Underworld Messengers, Underworld Real Estate?

Of the twenty underworld officials present, very few had actually been to Sanshan Village before, so when they saw the banyan tree, they were filled with fear and suspicion.

It wasn't until the Raven Prophet's voice rang out that the many underworld officials realized that this wasn't a kidnapping after all!

After Li Gongyang, Ye Chang, Shen Zhihong, Ji Mo, and other senior underworld officials knelt down with a thud, all the other underworld officials followed suit.

Although people are said to kneel to heaven, earth, and their parents, among the many underworld officials, almost every one of them is someone the underworld pulls them or their family members out of the abyss when they are in their most desperate moments.

Therefore, no one felt humiliated by kneeling.

"Get up."

A voice different from the Raven Prophet rang out, and everyone trembled. Before they could even move, their bodies were involuntarily lifted up by the raven feather raincoats they wore.

Coupled with the methods used to pull them from their respective places into Sanshan Village, all the underworld officials had a new understanding of this previously laid-back underworld.

Some were excited, some were happy, and some were terrified.

"It seems that my absence has caused some misunderstandings among them."

The sound slowly began.

As everyone wondered what was going on, they heard a rustling sound. Looking up, they saw air roots hanging down from above, binding and pulling two of them into the air.

Immediately afterwards, the raven feather raincoats on the two people retracted into two raven feathers, flew to the Raven Prophet, and burrowed into the feathers on his body.

Two terrified underworld officials were left hanging in mid-air, at a loss for what to do.

"Why is that, sir?"

Tian Lang looked at the misty figure on the seat and asked, suppressing his fear.

Beside them, another female underworld official, Wu Yao, who had been bound up, looked down at the remaining eighteen people and called out anxiously.

"Brother Qiang, what's going on?!"

But all eighteen people were wearing raincoats with raven feathers, and she didn't know which one of them was Li Qiang.

However, after she called out, she saw someone come out.

"My lord, Wu Yao was the one I recommended to join the underworld as a messenger. I wonder why..."

Li Qiang looked at Wu Yao in the air, feeling anxious.

He turned to look at the remaining seventeen people, hoping that Shen Zhihong and Tian Lang's introducers would step forward like him.

Unfortunately, not a single person stepped forward.

Just then, everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and a gaunt old man appeared under the banyan tree. Then, they saw the familiar figure emerging from the old man's abdomen.

Huang Ying!

After Huang Ying appeared, he reached out and grabbed the mourning staff that had appeared in his hand.

The mourning staff was waved, and wailing rang out, but only Tian Lang and Wu Yao in the air could hear the sound.

In an instant, Tian Lang and Wu Yao's eyes went blank, and they began to explain who they were, where they came from, and what they wanted to do.

Below, the person who introduced Tian Lang and Wu Yao grew increasingly grim as he listened to their words.

These two people they brought into the underworld were actually members of a divine messenger and ghost slave organization who approached them with ulterior motives!

The purpose was to find the location of the underworld, to uncover the secrets between the underworld and the Bureau of Investigation, and to report to the higher-ups.

As for what these secrets will be used for, it certainly won't be anything good.

The other underworld officials who heard the two men's 'confessions' were also stunned.

The fact that a spy, the kind of person you only see in TV dramas, was actually right next to them made them feel unreal, and at the same time made them even more curious about the underworld.

What kind of existence is this underworld they joined?
Just as everyone was lost in thought, the dark figure sitting in the seat moved.

He walked step by step, through the air, to the two of them and placed his hands on their heads.

Black mist emanated from those hands, instantly enveloping the two of them completely.

When the fog dissipated, there was nothing left in the original spot except for the aerial roots hanging down from the banyan tree.

This scene filled the underworld officials below with fear.

They tried to look down at the dark figure, but they couldn't. The raven-feather raincoat wouldn't let them lower their heads!

……

Chen Xin, who had just thrown the two men into the underworld, looked down at the eighteen "free-range" underworld officials and sighed inwardly.

There aren't many underworld officials to begin with, and killing two more is really inexcusable.

But if we don't kill them, we'll leave them to exploit loopholes and lead the remaining underworld officials astray.
Rather than doing that, it's better to be decisive and at least give the remaining underworld officials a warning.

At this point, the results seem quite good.

Chen Xin walked down from the air to the large banyan tree below, his hands behind his back.

"The underworld was not something you could normally access, but its revival required people to walk the earth to spread its name, and that's how you came to be."

"Now, you underworld messengers walking in the mortal world, you should understand what you have joined."

After Chen Xin finished speaking, he reached out and took the mourning staff that Huang Ying handed him, and swung it!

As the wailing began, the gazes of the eighteen underworld messengers simultaneously fell into a daze.

……

A chilling wind howled, and a ghostly aura permeated the air.

A wall shrouded in black mist appeared before the eighteen underworld messengers.

Occasionally, amidst the surging black mist, the reliefs of evil spirits carved on the walls would be revealed.

Just as the eighteen people were staring at the wall, at a loss, a loud bang came from the wall in front of them.

crunch~
A crack appeared in the wall, and a ghostly green light shone through the black mist onto the faces of the eighteen people.

As the cracks widened, the black mist gradually faded in the eerie green light.

It was at this moment that the eighteen people were able to see the wall in front of them clearly.

This is not a wall at all; it is a huge gate that is over a hundred feet high!

By the dim green light, they saw three large characters carved above the lintel.

gate of hell!
The moment they saw those three words, the eighteen people couldn't take their eyes off them, as if they were the only ones in the world.

As soon as the door opened wide, an invisible suction force emanated from it, drawing countless evil spirits and ghosts from all directions, from the sky to the ground, towards that door.

The ghostly figures gathered inside the gate like rivers flowing into the sea, blocking the view of the eighteen people and bringing them back to their senses.

But then, they were stunned by the endless ghosts and spirits.

Just then, eighteen tokens shot out from the portal and landed on the waists of the eighteen men.

The token has the character '差' (cha) engraved on one side and '通幽' (tongyou) printed on the other.

Before the eighteen people could even wonder what it was, a suction force pulled them into the doorway along with the countless ghostly figures.

In a daze, they saw a road that seemed to have no end, laid out amidst a sky full of red flowers.

One mindless ghost after another walked along the road. Every now and then, the eighteen people would see a being with the same token hanging from their waists, holding a rope with countless barbs to drive the ghost forward.

Any mischievous spirits that dared to defy discipline would be hooked away by the rope and hung in the air.

The scene shifts, and the eighteen people see a river with a bridge over it. Countless ghosts on the bridge fall into the river from time to time, only to be torn apart by the countless hands in the water.

The scene moves quickly forward, and in the blink of an eye, they arrive at the bridgehead and see the old woman standing there.

The old woman scooped a bowl of soup from the pot beside her and, with a flick of her wrist, the soup transformed into hundreds of thousands of droplets that shot into the body of the ghost on the bridge.

Any ghost or spirit that gets splashed with the soup releases black energy from its body, which rises into the sky and merges into the boundless black clouds.

Suddenly, the eighteen people noticed that the old woman was looking at them.

The spoon fell into the pot, and another bowl of soup spilled out, this time with eighteen drops flying towards them.

Looking at that drop of soup, the eighteen people trembled involuntarily, as if there would be unbearable consequences if that drop of soup were to fall on them.

But before the soup even touched them, the scene in front of the eighteen people changed again.

This time, they saw grand palaces built on the summit of Mount Jitian, their roofs touching the dark clouds, with countless bolts of lightning flashing through the clouds above.

Every now and then, tiny arcs of electricity would strike, killing hundreds of ghosts that had climbed up from the foot of the mountain.

As their view zoomed in, the eighteen people entered the hall and saw the ghosts kneeling throughout the hall, as well as the figure sitting on the high platform in the center of the hall. The figure wore a nine-tassel crown, a black dragon-patterned robe with crimson flame patterns on the cuffs, a purple-gold jade belt around the waist, black satin cloud-patterned boots, and a dark red brocade cloak embroidered with scenes of the eighteen cruel tortures.

When it moves, a chilling wind arises beneath its feet, and countless ghosts wail in agony.

The eighteen people's curious and inquisitive gazes fell behind the black beaded curtain of the nine-tasseled crown, but all they saw was a pair of captivating eyes.

Snapped!
The gavel slammed onto the table with a deafening roar, sending invisible ripples that shattered the spirits of the dead within the hall.

The eighteen people were all jolted out of the hall by the sound of the gavel.

Before the shock in my heart could subside.

Outside the hall, the clouds parted, and ten faces that blotted out the sky emerged one after another from the dark clouds, looking towards the eighteen people.

"How dare you! You have the audacity to spy on the underworld!"

As the sound rang out, millions of ghosts and spirits on the ten high mountains turned into blue smoke and vanished.

Under the immense pressure, the eighteen people were unable to move an inch and could only watch as bloody cracks appeared on their bodies.

Just then, the token at his waist rose up and hovered in front of the eighteen people.

The oppressive aura vanished, and everything around them turned into smoke and dissipated.

……

The three mountains are located in the area.

The sound of thumping rang out one after another.

In the blink of an eye, the ground in front of the banyan tree was covered with a pile of ghostly figures.

Heavy, labored breathing could be heard continuously, but no one spoke.

After a long while, murmurs finally broke the silence.

"what is that?"

This question lingered in everyone's minds, and the shocking scenes filled them with endless fear.

But after the fear subsided, a glimmer of hope rose in their hearts.

"what is that?"

Bai Yongnian stood up from the ground, looked at Chen Xin in a trembling voice, and asked.

"That was the underworld in ancient times."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Looking around, apart from the giant banyan tree, they couldn't see a trace of the 'underworld'.

"Why……"

Bai Yongnian looked at Chen Xin, feeling disappointed.

"During the ancient calamity, the underworld ceased to exist. Now that the calamity has passed, the underworld is beginning to recover."

Bai Yongnian was stunned.

Suddenly, for some reason, a word popped into his head.

Startup?

Isn't the underworld today just like those startups in the real world?

However, unlike ordinary startups, 'Underworld' has a gold mine behind it and is bound to go public!
These eighteen underworld officials are the founding members of the "underworld" startup company.

So, when the underworld returns to the scene they saw before, what will become of these eighteen people?

Is it possible that I am sitting in one of those ten great halls?

Bai Yongnian was startled by his own audacious idea, but after the initial shock came boundless fervor.

If one could truly become that kind of being, what kind of scenery would one see?

Not only Bai Yongnian, but there are many clever people among the underworld messengers.

I think of the people who drive away evil spirits on the road, the old woman who splashes soup on the bridge, and the figures on the mountaintop.

The road to the future lies beneath our feet.

What kind of existence they will become in the future depends on what they do.

Thinking this way, more and more underworld messengers felt a burning desire.

Those who couldn't figure it out have already succumbed to the power of the underworld.

Seeing the underworld officials standing up respectfully one by one, Chen Xin smiled slightly and retreated into the netherworld.

He will tell everyone the rest as the Raven Prophet.

After all, the Lord of the Underworld is of a very high status, and a certain degree of mystery must be maintained.

Afterwards, all eighteen underworld messengers learned how to use the Raven Feather Raincoat, as well as three stickers and their effects.

Chen Xin updated the equipment of the underworld messengers, but did not issue any mandatory tasks.

Because Chen Xin understood that what is forced is never as good as what is voluntary.

He placed all the tasks in the Three Mountains Village task list, allowing the underworld messengers to claim them voluntarily.

For example, searching for people and strongholds of folk organizations such as divine messengers and ghost servants.

For example, exploring the underworld.

For example, cleaning up the ghosts in that area.

After these underworld messengers have seen the promises he made, those tasks will naturally become the beginning of their 'involution'.

What should be done if there are people who actually lie down and give up?
Hehe, the Ten Thousand Crows Formation only requires thirty-six people to form. Once the number of underworld officials increases, the thirty-seventh person will not receive the crow feather raincoat.

The accumulated merit points will be a good criterion for selecting the thirty-seventh person.

If all thirty-seven underworld messengers are incompetent, then Chen Xin could train another thirty-six.

Even the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, similar to those of the Bureau of Investigation, can be adopted here.

But once they reach the underworld, they won't be called the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends.

They should be called the Thirty-Six Underworld Generals and the Seventy-Two Underworld Messengers!

After giving his instructions, the Raven Prophet left, entrusting the remaining time to the eighteen underworld messengers.

During the subsequent exchange, none of the eighteen people removed their raven-feather raincoats and revealed their true faces.

But apart from that, their interactions with each other were very harmonious.

……

During his conversations with the underworld officials, Bai Yongnian learned something.

The Bureau of Polls is actually collaborating with the underworld!

Furthermore, the Bureau of Investigation has great respect for the underworld officials!

Bai Yongnian was stunned when he heard this news.

If he had known about the relationship between the Underworld and the Bureau of Investigation, why would he have put up with all that trouble?

After the exchange, Bai Yongnian had learned everything he needed to know. Just as he was about to leave, Ji Mo suddenly called him back.

"Old Bai, come with me!"

Bai Yongnian was pulled by Ji Mo to a more secluded house next to the exchange counter, and then excitedly pointed to a line of text on the display screen and said, "Look, what is this!"

Bai Yongnian looked over, and his pupils contracted!
[Right to use housing in Sanshan area: 10 Yin Virtue/month]

[Sanshan Residence Housing Renovation - Basic Renovation: 10 Yin Virtues]

[Sanshan Residence Housing Renovation - Fully Furnished: 50 Yin Virtue Points]

[Sanshan Residence Home Renovation - Luxury Renovation: 100 Good Deeds]

"This is... the Underworld Real Estate?"

……

P.S.: I've already written most of the extra chapter, but I feel like it's not quite right. I'll think about it first, and if I can figure it out, I'll post it; if not, I'll deal with it tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)