Only I Walk Alone

Wu Ge has been wandering the Underworld for twenty years, and these two decades have not been fruitless. Although he hasn’t encountered any souls during this time, he has found many useful treasures.

For example, he found Ghost Jade in a pile of rubble. This jade contains a strong ghostly aura, making it a very useful treasure for souls. It could be taken back for Sister Mei to use.

In addition to Ghost Jade, Wu Ge also found Nether Steel, a material imbued with the power of extreme yin, very suitable for yin attribute cultivators to forge weapons.

During these twenty years, Wu Ge also found the dilapidated Yama Hall and the equally damaged Ksitigarbha Temple. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva must have attained Buddhahood, as he vowed not to become a Buddha until hell was empty. Now that hell is empty, he must have attained Buddhahood.

Not just Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but other ghosts who worked in the Underworld seem to have left as well, taking many useful things with them. This is why the Underworld has become so dilapidated.

Wu Ge explored everywhere, acting like an archaeologist of the Underworld, searching for useful items and information.

Wu Ge himself didn’t realize he had spent twenty years in the Underworld. After all, time always slips away unnoticed when one is engaged in interesting activities. In the real world, hunger and the setting sun would remind one of the passage of time.

But in this Underworld, where time seemed to stop, Wu Ge truly didn’t know how long he had been there. He thought, since a year here is just a day in the real world, why rush?

So, Wu Ge continued to stay in the Underworld, pursuing a white shadow he had seen on the surface. This white shadow could very well be the last soul in the Underworld, so Wu Ge followed it closely.

The white shadow appeared and disappeared, ignoring Wu Ge and wandering the empty Underworld. Every time Wu Ge spotted this shadow, he would follow closely, but the shadow was quick, and he always lost track of it.

This time, Wu Ge spotted the white shadow again and immediately followed it. The shadow did not hide and seemed to be contemplating something. After a moment, its figure gradually vanished, and at that moment, Wu Ge had caught up to it.

In that instant, Wu Ge felt a force of spatial distortion, and then, he and the white shadow disappeared together.

When Wu Ge regained his senses, he found himself in a lotus pond, surrounded by blooming lotuses and lush leaves, with the water shimmering under the breeze.

Looking up, Wu Ge saw the white shadow, which was also looking at him.

Upon closer inspection, Wu Ge realized it was a woman in white clothes, but she had a jade-like horn on her head. The woman looked at Wu Ge and after a moment, asked, “What are you?”

This was the first time Wu Ge had encountered a living being in the Underworld. He replied, “I’m a human, who came here through a Underworld Gate not long ago.”

The woman stared blankly at Wu Ge, seemingly dazed. After a long pause, as if recalling something, she plucked a lotus flower from the pond and said, “Eat this petal, then go back.”

Wu Ge took the lotus, using his spiritual power to inspect it. He found it was not an ordinary lotus; its petals contained strong and pure spiritual power. Just smelling it made him feel revitalized.

Wu Ge asked, “What happened to the Underworld?”

The woman’s figure began to waver, her expression vacant. After a moment, she disappeared.

Wu Ge, puzzled by the woman’s condition, ate the lotus petal. He then felt spiritual power swirling inside him, an endless stream of pure power cleansing his body, making it lighter.

Many distracting thoughts were cleared from his body, making him feel relaxed.

Wu Ge wandered around the lotus pond. About half an hour later, the woman in white reappeared. She looked at Wu Ge and suddenly said, “The Underworld is empty. The Bodhisattva has attained Buddhahood. All the souls have been taken away, and the small demons followed the King of Hell in leaving. I was left behind.”

The woman had a long response time, taking half an hour to answer Wu Ge’s question.

Wu Ge asked, “Why were you left behind?”

The woman became dazed again, having been in the empty Underworld for so long that her thoughts seemed to have decayed. She swayed and gradually disappeared again.

Wu Ge waited patiently for about thirty minutes, and then the woman reappeared, saying, “I have a mission to complete. I cannot leave until it is done.”

Wu Ge quickly asked, “What mission?”

The woman swayed and then disappeared again.

Wu Ge: “…”

He waited another hour, and the woman reappeared, answering Wu Ge’s question. She said, “My task is… the task is…”

Looking at the lotus pond, she suddenly said, “It is to care for the Rebirth Lotus.”

“Rebirth Lotus?” Wu Ge was perplexed. He asked, “What is the use of the Rebirth Lotus?”

The woman opened her mouth, but her body suddenly became ethereal, and she disappeared again, transported to an unknown place.

Wu Ge remained silent, patiently waiting. This pond of lotuses seemed to be an incredible spiritual material!

While pondering, he plucked another lotus and began to eat it.

Why not eat it if it’s free.

Three hours later, the woman returned and said, “The Rebirth Lotus can be used to temper the body, prepare Meng Po Soup, refine the Seven Turns Golden Pills and consuming it can strengthen the soul.”

Wu Ge was surprised. The Rebirth Lotus was actually an ingredient for Meng Po Soup and the Seven Turns Golden Pill. He asked, “Can this lotus be taken to the Yang realm for cultivation?”

This time, the woman did not disappear. She replied, “No, the Rebirth Lotus can only grow with the aid of the Underworld’s nether aura. However, the nether aura of the Underworld is quickly depleting. This pond of Rebirth Lotus is the last of its kind.”

Wu Ge asked, “Nether aura?”

The woman answered, “Nether aura, formed from the resentment of lost souls, originates from the eighteen levels of hell. But with the eighteen levels of hell empty, the nether aura is becoming increasingly scarce. When the nether aura is exhausted, it will be the day the Underworld collapses.”

Wu Ge asked, “Considering the current nether aura in the Underworld, how long can it last?”

The woman said, “Not long, about fifty thousand years.”

Wu Ge: “…”

Is fifty thousand years considered short?

But after some thought, Wu Ge realized that fifty thousand years in the Underworld is less than two hundred years in reality, which indeed isn’t long.

Wu Ge asked, “If the Underworld collapses, where will you go?”

The woman paused, then said, “I probably won’t last until the moment the Underworld collapses. I have reached the end of my lifespan.”