Establishing the Fifteenth Hell (Two)

  Kunpeng left the six paths of reincarnation and went to Honghuang to find human hands. In later generations, there were messengers who received ghosts in the underworld, Niutou and Mamian. After a good search in Honghuang, he finally found the first cow and horse in Honghuang. Although their qualifications were good, they had poor comprehension and their cultivation was not very good, only the cultivation of Xuanxian, which was not noticeable among the many living spirits in Honghuang.

  They felt that being able to serve the demon master was an honorable thing, so they were all very happy. Moreover, they also gathered several hundred of their own kind from the Hongyuan, this cow and horse tribe in the Hongyuan is a lower-class race, with low strength, naturally diligent and hardworking, after following Kunpeng to the Six Paths Reincarnation, they quickly entered the role.

  Kunpeng also did not treat them unfairly, he gave each of the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced a soul-capturing rope according to later generations' memories. This soul-capturing rope can capture souls and spirits, with great power against ghostly spirits.

  Houtu saw that Kunpeng only brought the two tribes of cattle and horses, as the envoy of the soul hook, and also found the king who formally managed the six paths of reincarnation. So he asked: "Kunpeng fellow, among the many wise men in the Hongyuan group of demons, why don't you choose a few people to manage these six paths of reincarnation?"

  Kunpeng sighed, "Although the demon tribe has many wise men, most of them are ministers of the Demon Emperor Jun. Moreover, the two tribes of witches and demons are currently in an enemy relationship, so how can anyone come to this six-way reincarnation? On the way, I thought of a solution that might solve the problem of manpower, it just depends on whether fellow Taoists are willing or not. The Six Paths of Reincarnation governs the life and death reincarnation of all living beings in Honghuang, so we can select suitable personnel from those kind-hearted and wise ghosts to manage the Six Paths of Reincarnation. The most difficult role to find in the Six Paths of Reincarnation is the judge, this person must be equally good and evil, similar to what is called an absolute neutral camp, such people are very rare. Because no matter what, the good and evil of ordinary people will always have a high or low distinction. But once you meet such a person, that is the best candidate for a judge, because he can grasp the scale between good and evil just right. Only such people will not be affected by personal preferences and influence the outcome of the trial. If we encounter such a person, fellow Taoist Houtu must recruit him to the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

  Houtu said: "The idea of Kunpeng Daoyou is feasible in the opinion of Houtu, and it will be equal for all living beings in Hongyuan."

  Kunpeng said: "The Six Paths of Reincarnation are in charge of the cycle of life and death for all living beings in the vast wilderness, and many people are needed. To make it more convenient, why not call this space the 'Underworld', set up ten temples of Yanluo, to divide the affairs of the Underworld, so as to alleviate the pressure on Hou Tu Dao You."

  The First Palace is Qin Guang Wang. Qin Guang Wang's main duties include overseeing human life and death, as well as fortune and misfortune in the underworld.

  All good people, when their lifespan ends, are led by the yin messengers to either ascend to heaven or be reborn into a wealthy and noble family. If it is an ordinary person with half merits and half faults, after death they will be sent to the Ten Halls of Yama King, then thrown back into the human world, and become an ordinary mortal again.

  For those who have done more evil than good, they must go to the Naihe Bridge after death. In front of the Naihe Bridge, there are no good people, especially the ghosts who have committed many evils in the world. On this bridge, one can see all the sins committed in the world, and then according to the sins he has committed, he will be taken by the ghostly officials to the second hall of hell to receive punishment.

  The Second Palace is Chu Jiang Wang. In charge of the bottom of the great sea, directly south of Wo Shi Xia Huo Da Di Yu.

  The Third Palace of the Song Emperor Kings. In charge of the bottom of the great sea, the dark rope hell under the Wujiao Stone in the southeast.

  The Fourth Palace of the Five Officials' King. In charge of the bottom of the great sea. Directly east of Wo Stone, converging with the Great Earth Prison.

  The Fifth Throne, Yan Luo Tianzi said: I originally lived in the First Throne, but I pitied those who died unjustly. Repeatedly, I released them back to the world of the living to clear their names. Later, I was demoted and sent to govern the bottom of the Great Sea, under the Northeastern Wet Rock. This is called the Great Earth Prison.

  Sixth Palace: Wang of Biancheng. In charge of the bottom of the great sea. Directly north of Wostone. Greatly summoning the great earth prison.

  The Seventh King of Mount Tai governs the bottom of the great sea. In the northwest, under the fertile rock, is the Great Earth Prison.

  The eighth palace is the city of Wang. In charge of the bottom of the great sea, under the west Wuoshi stone, the great heat troubles the earth prison.

  The Ninth Palace of Equality King. In charge of the bottom of the great sea. Southwest Wostone down, Anbei Great Hell.

  The Tenth Hall of the Wheel King. The hall is located outside the dark and mysterious Wostone, directly east facing the five impurities of the world. There are six bridges made of gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, and other materials. It is in charge of sending ghosts to various halls for judgment. After careful examination, they are sent to different places in the four major continents to be reborn into families of different social classes, whether rich or poor, noble or humble. The details are recorded and reported to the First Hall every month, registered and presented to Fengdu, according to the laws of the underworld, including those who died as embryos, fetuses, or through drowning, as well as those with two legs, four legs, many legs, etc. Some die in a year, some in a season, some at dawn, and some at dusk. They are constantly changing and reincarnating, subject to unpredictable and inevitable killing. After examining their past offenses, they are sent to different places to receive retribution. At the end of the year, they report back to Fengdu.

  Houtu said: "In the vast wilderness, there are many with great divine powers. Even if they die, I'm afraid the Ten Halls of Yanluo would be unable to hold them back. How should these people be dealt with?"

  Kunpeng said, "In addition, there are eighteen layers of hell in the underworld, where extremely evil people reside. They must endure a long enough time inside to punish their sins to a certain extent before they can be reincarnated. I have already opened up space for these eighteen layers of hell, and as soon as Hou Tu Daoyou agrees, they can be formally established."

  Houtu asked: "Can fellow Daoist Kunpeng elaborate on these eighteen layers of hell?"

  Kunpeng said: "The first layer is the Tongue-Pulling Hell, the second layer is the Scissor Hell, the third layer is the Iron Tree Hell, the fourth layer is the Knife Mountain Hell, the fifth layer is the Oil Cauldron Hell, the sixth layer is the Steamer Basket Hell, the seventh layer is the Copper Pillar Hell, the eighth layer is the Ice Mountain Hell, the ninth layer is the Fire Mountain Hell, the tenth layer is the Cow Pit Hell, the eleventh layer is the Stone Mill Hell, the twelfth layer is the Stone Pressing Hell, the thirteenth layer is the Maggot Hell, the fourteenth layer is the Boiling Sand Hell, the fifteenth layer is the Boiling Filth Hell, the sixteenth layer is the Blood Pool Hell, the seventeenth layer is the Skin-Stripping Hell, and the eighteenth layer is the Knife-Sawing Hell. There are eighteen layers in total. According to the different crimes committed, one will suffer in different hells." These names of hell were remembered by Kunpeng's later generations.

  Houtu nodded in agreement with Kunpeng's explanation of his proposal.

  Kunpeng waved his hand, and eighteen small spaces appeared in the space he had originally opened up. Each space had a different environment, some were filled with torture instruments, some were covered with knife mountains, some were full of boiling oil, one was a sea of blood, and another was a volcanic mountain range. It was exactly arranged according to the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

  Then, above the Eighteen Spaces, a palace suddenly appeared. The palace was completely in accordance with the traditional Chinese style of later generations, with painted eaves and flying corners, solemn and sacred. Above the palace, five blood-red large characters were written in cursive script: Eighteen Levels of Hell.

  Houtu saw Kunpeng's talent and handed over the construction of the underworld to him. With Houtu's permission, Kunpeng began to arrange it according to the memory of later generations.

  First, in this space, the souls that enter are located, a large gate stands upright. On the horizontal plaque with blood rust, three big characters were engraved: Ghost Gate Pass!

  The Ghost Gate is an ancient-style pavilion with four corners and a flying eave. The black mountain gate is vast as the universe, with a profound and mysterious atmosphere. In front of the gate, eighteen statues of evil spirits are lined up on both sides, each with a green face, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws, giving people a sense of eerie horror. Next to the Ghost Gate stands a stone tablet, inscribed with the four large characters "Yin Cao Di Fu".

  A narrow path extended from the back of the gate. Except for this path, all other places were inaccessible and shrouded in thick fog. Faint sounds of wailing and howling could be heard from within the fog. This path was the Yellow Spring Road, the guiding path to enter the underworld. Only spirits who stepped on the Yellow Spring Road into the underworld had a chance to reincarnate; otherwise, they would become lonely ghosts and wild demons, eventually dispersing into nothingness.

  On the winding path, there are countless bright red flowers. The red is so dazzling, so eerie, this is the flower of the other shore. The flower of the other shore is a flower of the underworld nourished by fresh blood, the more blood, the more vibrant and beautiful it blooms!

  The winding path extended in this direction, and finally stopped at a certain point, where a river blocked the way. This was a turbulent and surging great river, with a stone monument standing on its bank, inscribed with the three large characters "Three Paths River". On the river, a flat boat floated on the water surface.

  The ghost must be extremely careful not to fall into the water when crossing the river. The water of the Three Paths River not only has no buoyancy, but also has a strong corrosive poison that can corrode the soul. Those souls who fall into the water will never have the opportunity to reach the shore and can only become water ghosts in the Three Paths River. The eternal pain of being unable to reincarnate and the icy cold river water make those water ghosts jealous of other souls who still have hope for rebirth. As soon as a soul falls into the water, they will rush up and pull it down to the bottom of the river, turning it into a water ghost like them.

  After crossing the river, the Yellow Spring Road continued to stretch out, and in front of him was another river blocking his path. The water of this river was a bloody yellow color, filled with lonely ghosts and wild demons who could not be reincarnated, with insects and snakes everywhere, and a foul wind blowing in his face. In the sky above, the young man clearly saw that this river flowed far away into the River of Three Paths. On the riverbank, there was also a stone monument with the two characters "Forgetfulness River" inscribed on it. On the back side were eight large characters: "The sea of suffering is boundless, turning back is the shore. Those who have crossed Forgetfulness River will forget everything from their past life, so this river is called Forgetfulness River."

  The waters of the River of Forgetfulness are bitter and boundless, so it is called the Sea of Suffering. On the other side of the River of Forgetfulness, the flowers on the opposite bank bloom ten times more luxuriantly than elsewhere! To cross the River of Forgetfulness, one cannot rely on a boat like the Three Ways River. If the soul rides on a boat, the River of Forgetfulness will become an endless and boundless Sea of Suffering that can never be crossed. The soul has only one path to take: the Naihe Bridge.

  Kunpeng waved his hand and the bridge that Hou Tu had transformed appeared, spanning the River of Forgetfulness. On the bridge were engraved three large characters: "Naihe Bridge".

  After crossing the Naihe Bridge, a earth platform rises from the bridgehead. On the stone tablet beside it, three large characters "Wangxiangtai" are engraved. The platform is built in a strange way, with its upper part wide and lower part narrow, its surface like a bow back, and its back like a flat bowstring. Except for a small stone road, all around are steep cliffs and precipitous trees, extremely dangerous.

  The Wishing Platform is where all souls gaze longingly at their hometowns. Standing on it, one can see every plane of existence in the Six Paths of Reincarnation. However, each soul can only see the plane where their own hometown lies and can only see their own hometown. This is the last place for departed spirits to bid farewell to their loved ones in the world of the living.

  On the edge of the hometown platform, there is a large stone with three big characters "Three Lives Stone" engraved on it. On the Three Lives Stone, the soul can see its appearance in the previous life. The cause of the previous life, the result of this life, the reincarnation of fate, the rise and fall of relationships, are all recorded on the Three Lives Stone. This is the cycle of cause and effect, the reincarnation of fate.

  In front of the Sān Shēng Stone, there is a small seat. This is where Hòu Tǔ's incarnation, Mèng Pó, should be. In front of the seat is a stove with one pot, and the water in the pot is boiling, cooking a pot of fragrant soup that fills the air. This soup is the famous "Mèng Pó Soup".