Douluo Continent: The Ten Kings of Hell, I am the Emperor of the Underworld

Chapter 97 Nine-Hearted Begonia Enters the Underworld, the First Bowl of Meng Po Soup is Left for You

Tiandou City.

Ye Lingling has been having the same dream for the past few days. In her dream, she is walking along a long road.

The road seemed to have no end; all she remembered were the strange flowers with petals that looked like eyes blooming on both sides of the road.

But far from being afraid of these flowers, she felt a sense of closeness to them.

Moreover, the dream could continue. Every time Ye Lingling entered a dream again, she would appear at the place where she had woken up last time and continue moving forward.

That night, Ye Lingling dreamed of the familiar road again.

She knew she was dreaming, but she just couldn't wake up. Just when she thought today's dream was just another boring journey along this road, she suddenly saw the end of the road.

A magnificent gate appeared at the end of the road, ancient and solemn.

Perhaps it was because in her dream, Ye Lingling, who wasn't particularly brave in reality, boldly approached that awe-inspiring giant gate.

"gate of hell?"

Ye Lingling tilted her head back and read the three words on the gates of hell, one by one.

"That's right, this is the Gates of Hell. You've finally arrived."

"Who?"

Suddenly hearing other people's voices, Ye Lingling was startled.

This was the first time she had ever heard other people's voices in her dream. She even wondered if she had been affected by some strange soul skill, which was why she kept having this dream.

"Don't be afraid, I am not your enemy."

Ye Lingling looked at the person who spoke and found that he was a gentle and refined man with a deep and profound look in his eyes. Although he looked very young, it was clear at a glance that he had a long and complicated past.

"Who are you, and why are you appearing in my dream?"

The King of Ten Thousand Demons smiled.

"This is not just your dream, but also the location of the underworld."

"The underworld? What is this place? Did you bring me here?"

The King of Ten Thousand Demons said, "If you want to know the answer, come with me. The Underworld is the final destination of every living being, and it is also your 'final destination'."

Ye Lingling suddenly became nervous.

She understood what the Demon King meant. After following him into the Gates of Hell, she saw one after another souls walking unconsciously forward.

"Am I dead?"

Death was something extremely distant for Ye Lingling before.

She is still very young and possesses the strongest healing-type martial soul, Nine Heart Begonia. If nothing unexpected happens, she can live for a long time.

But now, death is right in front of her.

Ye Lingling looked into the distance and saw that the unconscious ghosts were being led to a more distant place by a large insect.

Does that mean the soul will be eaten by giant worms after death? Ye Lingling got goosebumps all over her body.

She was afraid of the big bugs, but even more afraid of being eaten even after she died.

"This is it."

The King of Ten Thousand Demons stopped in his tracks.

Before Ye Lingling was a long, flowing river, with a stone bridge spanning its two banks.

Upon seeing the stone bridge, Ye Lingling felt a profound sense of peace.

What kind of bridge is this?

"The Bridge of Helplessness".

The person who answered was not the Demon King. Ye Lingling looked towards the bridge and saw a figure in the middle of the bridge holding a fishing rod, seemingly fishing in the river.

Are there other people in my dreams?

No, this isn't my dream. Besides, there are ghosts and giant insects, so it's not strange that there are more people.

"The Bridge of Helplessness? What a strange name."

Ye Lingling boldly stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness and walked towards the fisherman.

As she got closer, she realized there was more than one person on the bridge. Next to the young man holding a fishing rod, there was a pretty girl watching her with great interest. This girl looked a few years younger than Ye Lingling herself.

"Are there any fish in this river?" Ye Lingling asked cautiously.

"Pfft."

Ye Lingling noticed that the girl suddenly laughed after she asked the question.

Is this question funny?

"Is it funny?"

Ning Qiuyang rolled his eyes at Ning Rongrong and suddenly jerked the fishing rod up.

There was no sound of water splashing, but there really was a fish on the hook.
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and said, "How is that possible? There really are fish in the River of Oblivion?"

The River of Oblivion is no ordinary river. Apart from Zi Ji, the guardian beast of the River of Oblivion, even other people with divine positions in the underworld dare not easily come into contact with its waters.

As for other creatures, if they fall into it, they will generally be forever submerged at the bottom of the river. What kind of fish can live in such river water?
Ning Qiuyang casually removed the fish from the hook and threw it back into the River of Oblivion.

This is no ordinary fish; it is a fish of memories, formed from condensed memories.

Ning Qiuyang did not answer Ning Rongrong's question, but instead said to Ye Lingling, who was standing to the side:

"Look back at the road you came from."

"what?"

Ye Lingling felt somewhat confused, but she still subconsciously looked back the way she had come.

In a daze, she found that the path she had come from was like a dream, and in the scattered light and shadow, there were all the past events, and a thousand feelings welled up in her heart.

Ye Lingling subconsciously turned around, wanting to ask Ning Qiuyang why.

But when she turned back, the road she had not yet traveled was shrouded in mist and clouds, echoing the dreamlike path she had come from.

Ye Lingling kept looking forward and backward, and all the dreams shattered, and all the clouds and mist dissipated.

Only two different kinds of flowers, one pure white and one dark, remained quietly blooming.

Her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul involuntarily emerged, echoing the two flowers in front of and behind her, forming a wondrous cycle as their auras flowed.

Ye Lingling suddenly realized something, and looked at Ning Qiuyang with some hesitation in her eyes.

When her nine-hearted begonia resonated with the flowers of her past and future lives, she knew why she was here, what she had to bear, and what she could gain.

But she still hesitated.

She couldn't make a decision about such a big matter concerning her future.

"You don't need to rush into a decision. You can chat with your old friends first."

"Old friend?"

Ye Lingling didn't know who Ning Qiuyang's old friend was. Following Ning Qiuyang's gaze, she saw a small, covered boat appear on the distant Wangchuan River.

At the bow of the ship, a green-haired woman waved to her:

"Lingling, it's been a long time."

"Are you Yanyan?"

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both studied at the Tiandou Royal Academy and had a good relationship. Several years ago, after Dugu Yan was taken away by Dugu Bo, Ye Lingling never saw Dugu Yan again. She never expected to meet her again in this place.

"Yanyan, what are you doing here?"

Dugu Yan rowed the boat in a somewhat flustered manner.

"Wait a moment, I'll talk to you after I've stopped the boat."

Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan have both successfully accessed their respective divine inheritances and have begun their respective divine trials.

"Dugu Yan seems to be progressing faster in the divine exam than you. Have you been slacking off?"

Ye Lingling walked down the Naihe Bridge to meet Dugu Yan, and Ning Qiuyang asked Ning Rongrong.

"No, it's not that. The assessment for becoming Meng Po is too troublesome, but my progress is not bad. When I become a real Meng Po, I will definitely save the first bowl of Meng Po soup for you."

"Thank you, but you should keep it for yourself."

Meng Po soup isn't exactly a good thing. Although it had no effect on Ning Qiuyang, he wasn't so desperate as to even taste Meng Po soup to see if it was salty or bland.

(End of this chapter)