"The next trial is dangerous; you may choose to withdraw."
"I want to continue participating in the trials!" Heng said firmly.
As the sound faded, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly.
...
"Dad, Mom, I'm home!"
Heng laughed and rushed towards his father.
"Good boy, have you been naughty at school?" He scooped Heng up in his arms.
Mr. Heng felt that he had forgotten something.
Years passed, and Heng grew into a teenager. In his dreams, there was always a voice telling him to wake up quickly.
He pinched his arm; it hurt! It felt so real, how could it be fake?
"Xiao Heng, come and eat!"
"They're here!"
On his seventeenth birthday, he met the girl he loved. He decided to pursue her and spend his life with her. They soon got married and vowed to stay together forever.
But the voice in his mind didn't give up, telling him again and again that the world was an illusion and that there were people waiting for him outside.
He thought this kind of life could last a lifetime.
But the good times didn't last long; war broke out.
His parents and wife fell one after another in front of him.
Even infants were not spared.
Suddenly, the surrounding space turned gray, and the world lost its color.
In his second life, Heng became a swordsman.
When his master knelt at his feet and begged him, Heng did not hesitate for a moment and plunged the sword in his hand straight into his heart.
Space came to a standstill once again.
In his third life, Heng became a slave to the devil.
Forced to do many heinous things, he gradually fell into depravity, and just as he was about to lose himself, he remembered everything.
The fourth generation.
...
In his ninth life, Heng felt that nothing could deceive him anymore.
A friendly voice called out from afar, " A-Heng, you've grown so much! You're so tall now."
Another person added, "Does a person eat well when they're out? Is their work going smoothly? Are they happy?"
The people who came were his parents, wife, and children from his first life.
Heng looked at them, speechless.
The people he had killed in his previous lives seemed to appear beside him, gripping his throat. A torrent of emotions overwhelmed him instantly.
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Heng tried to draw his sword, but couldn't. At that moment, his wife took his arm and said, "This time, please don't leave. Let's pretend nothing happened. Let's be a family and live a good life together."
Heng took a deep breath, suddenly drew his sword, and stabbed himself.
Everything around them suddenly changed, and the people who had been surrounding them turned into evil spirits with greed in their eyes.
Suddenly, a white light flashed.
Master's hand slowly landed on Heng's forehead.
" A-Heng, did you have a nightmare?"
"Get some rest; you've just recovered."
Heng looked at his master by the bedside in shock, "Master!"
Then I hugged her tightly; it was a real touch, and I could truly feel her body temperature.
"Oh dear, what's wrong now? Did you suffer some injustice outside? Tell your master, and I'll help you get revenge."
He raised his hand and patted Heng's head.
"It's nothing, Master. I just missed you."
Heng wiped away his tears and said.
"This is the last time your master will help you. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path!"
After a moment, his body slowly dissipated, and the surrounding environment suddenly brightened.
A pale blue stone floated in front of him, paused for a moment, then rushed into Heng's body and merged with him.
Elder Ying's calm voice came from the side, "The bond between you two, master and disciple, is truly enviable."
"Congratulations on passing the trial and becoming the new Shinigami. This crystal is your reward for passing the trial. Now that you are the new Shinigami, I am your subordinate. Just call me Shadow. Now, there is only one last thing left."
Heng observed the surrounding environment and found it to be a place resembling an ancestral hall.
"Now, join me in taking the oath," came Ying's solemn voice from the side.
Even in endless loneliness, I will remain steadfast in my duty and safeguard the balance of life and death!
Even if the souls cry out in anguish, I will uphold justice and judge their fate with impartiality!
Even when darkness descends, I will hold fast to the light, offering comfort and guidance to the soul!
Even facing unknown challenges, I will continue to hone my skills and bravely shoulder the mission of Shinigami!
...
Heng solemnly took the oath, reflecting on the hardships he had endured along the way. After the oath was completed, Ying patted Heng on the shoulder, "From today onwards, you are the new Shinigami. But you must know that this is only the beginning." Heng nodded, his eyes resolute.
"Next, I will call everyone to come and see you. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"Shadow, how long will it take for the entire Pure Land to return to its previous state?" Heng looked at Shadow with some anticipation.
"You have now broken through to the Nascent Soul stage and reached the Mahayana realm. Generally speaking, you have a lifespan of three thousand years, but without any unexpected circumstances, how should I put it, it is not enough."
"I remember when the Lord first came to this world, it took five thousand years just to transform the Pure Land and rebuild order. However, thanks to your master's 'efforts,' it was restored to its original state in just one thousand years."
"That kid fooled us all at first, tricking the Lord into giving him the key before he went to the upper realm, and then sealed us all underground. He then decided on his own to use love to redeem all the souls and transfer all the karma onto himself…"
Ying glanced at Heng, waved her hand, and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore. It's all in the past."
Ying took out a ring and handed it to Heng.
"These are the items inherited by each Shinigami, the ones you used in the second level, plus a casual outfit. Your mask has been taken for repair and won't be back for a few days; removing the abyssal power from it is quite troublesome."
"There's another question: Do we have ghost messengers?"
"Oh, not yet."
"And what about the judge?" Heng asked expectantly.
Ying pointed to herself, then to Heng.
"Just the two of us?" Heng's tone was full of disbelief.
"As you can see, the trials are very difficult, but if you can convince those old guys to do the work, we might consider hiring a few more ghost messengers to keep things running smoothly."
Ying led Heng to a huge cave, where everyone was talking around a table.
The old man at the entrance saw Heng and nodded at him.
"Quiet!" Ying slammed her hand heavily on the table.
"This is Heng, the newly appointed Shinigami who has just passed the trial."
...
Outside, Xiao Wu, led by Uncle Yuan, arrived at the damaged teleportation array.
The guard was a shy young boy. When he saw us approaching, he came up and asked, " Uncle Yuan, who is this?"
"This is Xiao Wu, who has made great achievements in ancient formations. He was asked by the Evergrande team to bring him here."
Uncle Yuan then looked at Xiao Wu, "This is Xiao Feng, the current guardian of the formation. He is also very interested in ancient formations. You two can exchange ideas more."
Xiao Feng's eyes lit up as he looked at Xiao Wu. "Brother Xiao Wu, come with me quickly."
With that, he grabbed Xiao Wu's hand and walked towards his own little house.
Uncle Yuan's voice came from behind, "Then I'll head back now. Remember to contact me if anything comes up."
After entering the hut, Xiao Feng picked up a tattered ancient book and pointed to the runes recorded on it. "Fifth Brother, do you recognize this?"
Xiao Wu explained each point to them one by one, and when they encountered two people who were unsure, they discussed it with each other.
This reminded Xiao Wu of his master's words: "The way of formations is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat. One's true nature is the key to the formation; lose it, and chaos ensues. Effort is like the formation patterns; break them, and everything is ruined. Only by upholding one's true nature can one avoid losing direction amidst complex changes; only through relentless effort can one continuously break through obstacles. Never waver because of temporary gains or losses."
Xiao Wu looked at Feng, as if he saw his senior brother's shadow in him, " Xiao Feng, let's work hard together!"
"Okay, but this formation is too incomplete, and it's uncertain whether the materials can be used to complete it," Feng said worriedly.
The next day, the two came to the formation and began to examine it again.
"The central runes are damaged and need repair; the energy circuit is broken; the power supply device is missing..."
One serious problem after another hit Xiao Wu, leaving him in a daze all day. He couldn't do anything about this interstellar teleportation array on his own.
He couldn't help but ask himself: Should it be repaired?
But when I turned around and saw the expectant look in my little fanboy's eyes, I couldn't bring myself to say anything discouraging.
Then he looked at Xiao Feng and took a book out of his pocket.
"Ahem, there's a problem now. Your array reserves and mental energy are completely insufficient. Take this book, 'Array Fundamentals—From Runes to Circuits,' and read it first."
"Yes, Fifth Brother, no, Master!"
Watching Feng run away, Xiao Wu suddenly felt that being a master might not be so bad?