Ch. 179 - Door of Life And Death

At the edge of this space stood two doors. One was as white as snow, and the other as dark as ink.

On each door was a word. The white door bore the word "Life," and the black door "Death."

The white door was intricately carved with auspicious plants and flowers. A sense of pure harmony seemed to flow from it, as if paradise lay beyond.

In contrast, the black door was engraved with terrifying specters and beasts, radiating a sinister, ominous aura that felt like a gateway to hell.

Just then, Yang Ming and the others stumbled in, battered and disheveled.

"Damn it! Finally got rid of those specters. Hell, where does that door lead to, and why are there so many specters?" Yang Ming cursed, brushing off the remnants of specters stuck to his body.

The others, except for Fang Xiu, were just as messy, their clothes tattered like a beggar's.

"Huh! Two more doors here, one for life and one for death? Damn, Zhou Qingfeng must be toying with us."

Seeing the two doors, their gut reaction was that one would surely lead to salvation and the other to doom. If they chose right, they'd live. If not, they'd die.

This was a psychological gamble. Naturally, the white door, glowing with ethereal beauty and sweet birdsong, seemed like the path to life, while the black door resembled a gate to hell.

But when life and death were at stake, nobody could be certain.

What if the designer intended it to be the opposite—where the door to life actually led to death, and the door to death led to life?

Anything was possible.

Despite the gravity of the choice, the group wasn't fazed at all. They knew they could ask Fang Xiu.

All eyes turned to him, waiting for him to decide.

Yang Ming was now very relaxed. He said, "Xiu, this should be an easy choice. It's up to you. Have you foreseen which door leads to salvation?"

Fang Xiu nodded calmly and replied, "I've seen the future."

Then, he walked directly toward the black door, that infernal portal resembling the gates of hell.

He guessed that behind the door marked "Death" lay the path to life. Zhou Qingfeng probably meant to convey a message: through death comes life.

This mirrored Zhou Qingfeng's philosophy; after all, Specterization for humanity was like going through death only to be reborn.

And then Fang Xiu died.

As soon as he entered the black door, he was swallowed by an endless darkness and crushed by an invisible force.

…

"Xiu, this should be an easy choice. It's up to you. Have you foreseen which door leads to salvation?"

"I've seen the future."

Then, Fang Xiu walked directly toward the white door, the one that looked like paradise.

The white door did lead to life. It seemed Zhou Qingfeng wanted to express sincerity over trickery, that honesty mattered most.

And then Fang Xiu died again.

After entering the white door, Fang Xiu found himself engulfed in blinding white light. Everything around him was hazy, impossible to discern. Soon after, he was swallowed by the light.

…

"Xiu, this should be an easy choice. It's up to you. Have you foreseen which door leads to salvation?"

Fang Xiu simply replied, "You choose."

Yang Ming fell in silence.

It couldn't be possible for both paths to lead to death, so Fang Xiu suspected that the key had to lie with Yang Ming.

"Wait, Xiu, I have to choose? Are you kidding me? If I pick wrong, I'll be dead!"

Yang Ming clearly didn't want to make the decision.

But Fang Xiu insisted, "You're the luckiest among us. You won't choose wrong. Besides, since Zhou Qingfeng left you a gift, he's not going to let you die so easily."

Convinced by the reasoning, Yang Ming's confidence grew.

"You're right, I can definitely pick the right door."

With that, he strode confidently toward the white door. With a flash of white light, Yang Ming's silhouette disappeared into it.

The room fell silent.

A few seconds later, a head popped out of the white door. It was Yang Ming.

Beaming with excitement, he said, "The white door leads to safety. Come on in!"

Ma Xingbang was the first to dash inside, worried that others might get ahead of him. Bai Qi didn't hesitate either, heading straight for the white door.

Now, only Fang Xiu remained.

Yang Ming urged him, "Xiu, what are you waiting for? Come on!"

Fang Xiu furrowed his brow slightly.'So the key to passing through safely is that Yang Ming had to enter first?'

With this thought in mind, he stepped into the white door cautiously.

And then he died.

…

"Yang Ming, take the black door. I've seen the future," Fang Xiu said calmly.

Yang Ming nodded without a hint of doubt and walked directly into the black door.

Moments later, Yang Ming popped his head back out and called to the others, "Come on in, what are you waiting for? Xiu's predictions can't be wrong."

Fang Xiu's frown deepened.

"Yang Ming, step out first."

Though confused, Yang Ming obediently exited the black door.

"What's up, Xiu?"

Without explanation, Fang Xiu turned to Bai Qi.

"Bai Qi, you go in."

Bai Qi nodded and entered the black door. He too emerged moments later.

He said to the group, "No problem with the black door."

At this point, Fang Xiu felt like he understood something. He then told Yang Ming, "Yang Ming, you go to the white door. Bai Qi, you head to the black door."

Yang Ming's face went pale with shock. "No way, Xiu! I have nothing against you. Why are you trying to mess with me?"

"I'm not trying to hurt you. I've already seen the future. Both doors lead to safety, and anyone can pass through."

"So Zhou Qingfeng set this up just to freak us out, huh?"

With that, Yang Ming walked toward the white door while Bai Qi took the black door.

Moments later, both Yang Ming and Bai Qi emerged completely unharmed.

At that point, Fang Xiu’s eyes glimmered as he finally saw through the trick.

He first stepped into the white door. This time, as the white light flashed around him, he didn't die but instead found himself standing before the entrance to an underground palace.

Afterward, he exited the white door and, with everyone's gaze fixed on him, stepped into the black door. In a shimmer of black light, he appeared before the same underground palace.

A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he finally understood the true nature of the doors. The secret was never about choosing one door over the other—it was about having unwavering faith in your choice.

If you believed without a shadow of a doubt that your choice was right, both doors would lead to safety. But if even a hint of doubt crept in, the path to life would turn into a path to death.

This explained why everyone could pass through except Fang Xiu. He remained plagued with doubts because he had already died behind both doors.

The others, having seen Yang Ming emerge unharmed, were fully convinced of their choice. However, Fang Xiu, having died on both paths before, carried lingering uncertainty.

Soon, the entire group had crossed over.

When they saw the magnificent underground palace before them, they were awestruck.

The palace was grand and vast, and each enormous stone block used in its construction was far beyond what humans could achieve. This kind of structure, especially underground, was likely the work of Specters.

"Look! There's a floating paper at the entrance!" Yang Ming exclaimed.

They all hurried over and saw a note that read:

"My friends, reaching this point means you are worthy of knowing the truth of this world.

Surely, by now, you have already had a guess.

Don't doubt your eyes—what lies beyond these doors is real.

It's the world of Specters. I call it the Other Side!"

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Notes

Translator's note: So who Zhou Qingfeng really is? Why was he so capable that he had come to the Other Side and come back alive?

Ch. 179 - Door of Life And Death

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