Aiden Starr opened his eyes and looked around. His body was still covered in all sorts of extra limbs, and on his back sprawled a massive demon beast, its form resembling an octopus. The creature's tentacles were strong and powerful, slowly tightening around him, relentlessly constricting.
He had been knocked out by this demon beast's grip.
"Who's talking?" he asked weakly, out of breath.
"A child from the world above, such an interesting life... Aiden Starr, you’ve fallen to this forsaken place—do you still wish to return to the sunlit world?"
A voice circled him, swirling left and right, up and down, gliding through the darkness like a fish: "Once every five centuries, a sage appears, yet you’ve ended up in such a wretched state. Truly a pitiful sight. With your current appearance, how could you ever face the world again?"
Aiden’s body, bristling with strange limbs, was bound fast by the demon beast—unable to move, barely able to gasp for breath. This half-day of torment felt like endless torture; he’d never suffered so much pain or humiliation in his life, never been so helpless.
Yet even now, he couldn’t let go of hope—because this was Youdu.
Only when he’d leapt into the river did he realize this was Youdu, the land where the dead sink and vanish.
He had already lost all hope. Youdu—the domain ruled by Lord Hades. He’d never heard of anyone entering Youdu and surviving.
Now he’d broken into Nether City, and now into Youdu itself—why did Heaven treat him with such cruel malice?
"Who are you, anyway? Why mock me like this?"
Aiden spat out a breath, struggling to break free from the demon beast’s grip, but he couldn’t muster any strength. Worse, even if he escaped, the other bodies grafted onto him would rebel—beating and cursing him.
Right now, he simply lacked the power to shake off the demon beast, or rid himself of these extra limbs. His lifespan was running out; if his vitality was spent, he’d die here in Youdu.
"I am Lady Lurien."
The voice stopped circling and chuckled: "Left Xuanming, right Hanji, forward Lurien, behind Liuqing."
Aiden panted, aggrieved: "Lady Lurien? You just asked me if I wanted to return to the living world—I do!"
"You don’t know the meaning of that poem?"
The voice sounded disappointed, sighing: "Even the strongest in the living world are so ignorant now. You don’t know Xuanming, Hanji, Lurien, or Liuqing? How far you’ve all fallen. No matter, I won’t hold your ignorance against you. I can send you back to the living world, cure your flesh, erase your death-record, and spare you the misery of aging and dying."
Aiden’s expression changed slightly. "What do I have to do?"
"It’s always a pleasure to speak with clever people."