Chapter 184

Chapter 184: 0

It was as if a black lamp had been lit in a world of crimson.

The black radiance pierced the bloody sky. Rivers of blood were drained, and the massive ghostly corpse decayed at a rapid pace, turning to white bones. A silver moon rose gently from the world's horizon, casting a soft glow over the desolate lands of hell.

The blood-red aura rising from the Blood River began to recede, as if making way for this dark illumination.

Wen Qin started to panic, shouting towards the bed of the Blood River, "Wen Xingchen, you promised Dad that you'd restore order here. You said you'd ensure every spirit had a home!"

There was no response from the Blood River.

The ghostly aura mingled with the bloody hue completely vanished, while the accumulated corpses of the spirits along the riverbank began to disintegrate, turning into dust that slowly dissipated.

Time began to flow once more.

Tender green sprouts emerged from the scorched earth, quickly growing to blossom into pure white flowers.

Soon, the white flowers blanketed the bank, covering the blackened earth beneath, swaying gracefully under the moonlight.

The dark light faded, changing the landscape.

Only half of Chi Shen's body remained. He tenderly touched the skeletal side of his face, watching as fresh pink flesh tried to grow from the intact side, only to wither away soon after.

Having exhausted all his ghostly power, he couldn't restore the half torn apart by the spirits.

"Is this the price to pay?"

Chi Shen began to laugh, looking towards the source of the Blood River.

Beneath the enormous white skeleton, a figure stood amidst the sea of white flowers, gazing in his direction. It wasn't truly human, more a monstrous form.

Its pain-swollen body was covered in bleeding wounds. Its elongated arms seemed able to grasp everything, and its bulging eyes appeared capable of seeing all. But where its heart should be was a vast void, a gaping black hole. Mounted on its back was another figure, a human face, eyes closed yet shedding tears—it was the visage of Ji Xingchen.

The two figures Chi Shen saw at the river's source were both manifestations of Ji Xingchen. After merging with his clone, the overload of information caused a split and immense pain, resulting in this current monstrous form.

This was his appearance after an overwhelming surge of his ghostly power, his agony embodied in his spectral form.

Dragging his mutilated half, Chi Shen approached him.

Perhaps sensing the approach, the monstrous eyes shifted towards Chi Shen. The creature raised its long arm to shield its face and took a step back as if to flee.

"I don't hate this side of you," Chi Shen voiced.

The monstrous form remained still.

"Even if you stay like this, I will remain by your side," Chi Shen extended his intact hand towards Ji Xingchen. "Look, just like you, I'm only half whole."

On the back of the monstrous form, the face of Ji Xingchen showed slight movement in his dark eyelashes, hinting at imminent awakening.

Chi Shen smiled, a rare genuine warmth graced his face. Even with only half his face intact, when he smiled, it felt as if every flower in the world bloomed.

"From this moment on," the last wisp of spectral energy left Chi Shen's hand, drifting towards Ji Xingchen, "you are the Lord of Hell."

Centered around Ji Xingchen's spectral form, white flowers began to sway. A powerful gust emanated from Ji Xingchen, scattering white petals into the sky.

Wen Qin watched in astonishment, murmuring, "I can accept that one who passes the trials takes over Hell, but I can't accept that it's a tool I created."

Even the usually slow-witted Yuan Yiping sensed the impending danger, warning, "Based on the data observed minutes ago, the energy released during ascension is immense, even able to alter the cosmos. I'd advise against getting too close."

"I've spent my life just to get here. Whether I claim this throne matters little to me. I merely wanted to see this world. But why must it be a tool I've created?"

Without waiting for a response, Yuan Yiping felt a gust of wind tousling his hair. Wen Qin had already leapt from the Skull Throne.

The gust from Ji Xingchen met Wen Qin mid-air, disintegrating his body. Yet, in Hell, souls don't bleed; they become part of its essence, forever trapped.

On the Skull Throne, the remnants of the former Ghost King dispersed. The bone that had pierced the Ghost King rolled down into the white flowers below, and a white flower blossomed atop the throne, swaying gently in Hell's winds.

Yuan Yiping didn't intervene. In his life, from young exorcist to a diligent officer in the Special Safety Bureau, he had always served others. Only now, in the world Chi Shen created, could he reflect on himself.

Just as the name Chi Shen gave to this world implied - "The Place of Life's Retirement" - Yuan Yiping chose to mind his own affairs. Those seeking death were no longer his concern.

Glancing at his phone, Yuan Yiping motioned as if sliding a door open. A security door appeared out of thin air, which he opened.

"Work calls." Stepping through, he took one last look at the distant figures of Chi Shen and Ji Xingchen before closing the door.

Ji Xingchen was undergoing a transformation.

He seemed in pain, his already terrifying visage contorted even more grotesquely. A chill of foreboding ran down Chi Shen's spine.

In a blink, Ji Xingchen stood before Chi Shen, who couldn't react to such swift movement.

"Ahh—sssh—"

A garbled sound emanated from Ji Xingchen's mouth as his enormous hand gripped Chi Shen's shoulder and neck, pressing him to the ground.

Suddenly, a white door materialized on the ground. Pinned and immobile, Chi Shen was thrust through it.

The serene sea of white flowers vanished, replaced by a rainy night. Chi Shen plummeted from the sky, the bustling nightscape of Harbour City below. This was where his journey had begun.

Ji Xingchen followed, still gripping Chi Shen's shoulder. He then released his grip, opened his distorted mouth, revealing shark-like teeth, and violently bit down on the intact side of Chi Shen's neck.

Chi Shen didn't evade. In his rapid descent, he reached out, embracing Ji Xingchen, then closed his eyes with a smile.

"I've won the bet, haven't I?"

A gentle, continuous ghostly energy flowed from where Ji Xingchen bit into him. Veins began to appear on the skeletal half of Chi Shen, followed by blood-red muscles and, finally, pale skin.

Accepting another's ghostly energy to heal should be painful. However, Ji Xingchen painstakingly minimized this pain. Even his uncontrolled, ferocious ghostly energy turned exceedingly gentle upon touching Chi Shen, comforting him, making the process feel both agonizing and pleasurable.

The sound of the wind filled his ears as he plummeted with the pouring rain. The one restoring his body was his most cherished—

Chi Shen suddenly opened his eyes.

His body was almost fully restored, but he sensed something amiss in the ghostly energy Ji Xingchen provided.

The hideous ghostly form was shedding, revealing Ji Xingchen's true face underneath, even wearing glasses.

Ji Xingchen adjusted his glasses coldly and uttered the words Chi Shen feared most: "Handle your affairs yourself."

Chi Shen: ...

"I don't want 007!!"

*

Author's note:

Shall we start with some side stories now?

I initially planned for them to have a fight followed by some passionate reconciliation, but after much thought, I couldn’t find a reason for their conflict. Let’s just leave it at this.