Ch. 376 - Blissful Nation

And those people were chanting:

River of the Yellow Springs, flowers on the other shore.

These words came out like a children's rhyme.

The shimmering items they scattered covered the path, glowing brightly in the night.

Most importantly, the carriage seemed to be the center of everything. It was as if all the moonlight was focused on it. Wherever it moved, the moonlight followed.

Xu Zimo calmly watched the carriage roll forward.

"There is much suffering in the world. In the Blissful Nation, only peace awaits. Young master, would you like to enter our Blissful Nation?"

As the carriage stopped before him, the coachman suddenly raised his head and spoke to Xu Zimo.

His face was ghostly pale, without a hint of blood. He wore a sinister smile, but it looked more tragic than cheerful.

"What benefit is there to joining your Blissful Nation?" Xu Zimo asked calmly.

"Forget all your worldly troubles. From then on, you’ll be free and unburdened forever," the coachman replied with a smile.

"But I don’t see it that way. What makes us human are our emotions, joy, sorrow, anger, love. Without the bitterness of troubles, how can one appreciate the sweetness of happiness?" Xu Zimo asked, looking at him. "Are you happy?"

"Of course I’m happy," the coachman answered with a grin.

"And what makes you happy?" Xu Zimo continued.

The coachman froze, unable to answer. Happy because there are no troubles?

If you’ve never had troubles, how can you know what happiness is?

Like the saying goes, “If you’ve never seen light, how can you hate the darkness?”

The coachman lowered his head in thought, then gave a bitter laugh. He shook his head and said, "I don’t know what makes me happy. But I do know, if you don’t enter the Blissful Nation, you’ll die."

Xu Zimo laughed softly. He shook his head and said, “A lot of people have told me something like that. Now, the grass on their graves is taller than you.”

The coachman laughed wildly. The black-robed figures carrying baskets around the carriage also let out eerie laughs.

At that moment, boundless spiritforce surged.

The blood-red carriage turned into a sea of blood. Blood gushed from the carriage wildly, soaking the entire forest red.

Xu Zimo looked up to see that even the moon had turned crimson.

The surrounding blood formed a long, flowing river.

This blood river surged and encircled Xu Zimo.

Within it, laughter and music echoed.

He looked around and saw what seemed to be a gathering of many people in the river.

They were dancing, drinking, laughing.

Scantily dressed dancers swayed seductively.

“Welcome to the Blissful Nation,” the coachman said with a smile.

Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak.

“Go in and have a look. You might like it,” the coachman added. “If you don’t, you can leave at dawn.”

Xu Zimo was silent for a moment, then followed the coachman.

The entrance to the nation was a towering gate. Inside, Xu Zimo saw it was divided into several areas. Some were filled with immortal energy; others were lavish and indulgent.

There were all kinds of scenes.

A scantily dressed woman walked up to Xu Zimo, her alluring face lowered slightly.

She said, “Does the guest have any desires or wishes? We can make them all come true.”

“I want to visit the Outer Heavens. Can you do that?” Xu Zimo asked calmly. “To see the world beyond the Grand Emperors.”

…

Hearing this, the woman smiled and pulled out a black bracelet. Without hesitation, she said, “Wear this, guest. It will show you what the Outer Heavens are, maybe even make you its ruler.”

“An illusory world, huh?” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head.

“Why worry so much about what’s real and fake?” the woman replied with a smile. “Isn’t reality full of illusion anyway?”

Xu Zimo nodded slightly and put the bracelet on his wrist.

But the moment it touched his skin,

Crack!

The bracelet shattered, pieces falling to the ground.

Xu Zimo frowned in confusion and turned around.

The woman stood frozen, shock written all over her face.

“What’s going on?” Xu Zimo asked with a frown.

“You… you’ve come,” the woman stammered.

“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Please wait. I’ll report this to the master,” the woman bowed slightly and rushed off.

Xu Zimo couldn’t understand.

Why had the black bracelet suddenly broken?

After a while, the woman returned.

This time, she was accompanied by a man in blue robes.

The man also had a bloodless face, ghastly pale. His eyes were completely black, with no irises.

He looked Xu Zimo over.

“My lord, it’s him,” the woman said to the blue-robed man. “The magic bracelet shattered the moment it touched his aura.”

“What do you want?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Come with me,” the man said after a pause.

Xu Zimo shrugged, not refusing. He still didn’t know what this Blissful Nation truly was.

Following the man through several pavilions, the deeper they went, the fewer people they saw. It became desolate, and the demonic energy in the air grew stronger.

As they passed a corridor, its walls were covered in drawings of all kinds of demonic beasts. Some released overwhelming aura, others looked quiet but extremely sinister.

After passing the corridor and a series of restricted areas, Xu Zimo stopped in front of a teleportation array.

It was filled with blood and demonic energy, so thick it became a liquid dripping from the formation.

“Go in. Someone’s waiting for you,” the blue-robed man said, pointing at the array.

“Who are you people?” Xu Zimo asked with a frown.

“You’ll find out inside,” the man answered sincerely.

Xu Zimo thought for a moment, then stepped into the array.

Boom!

Demonic energy surged all around.

Dark flames ignited.

A terrifying pressure descended from above.

His vision shifted, he arrived in a new space.

“I’ve been waiting for someone. Someone who should never appear. I’ve waited a very, very long time, and now… he’s here!”

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