Chapter 117: The Roofless Crypt 09
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
At the entrance of the basement, the stairs descended into a long corridor, with thick walls on both sides. The buildings in this haunted house had a distinct characteristic: they were narrow and cramped. Even the ceiling was lower by several centimeters than that of a regular house, making it feel suffocating. Chen Yang took down the lantern from the wall at the entrance of the corridor, where a matchbox was also placed beside it.
Zhang Qiudao also took down a lantern from the opposite wall and lit it, illuminating the corridor. As they walked forward, Chen Yang asked Mao Zhen, “Which way do we go next?”
Mao Zhen patted the wall and, hearing the question, turned around to say, “There are several intersections ahead. Each one leads to a burial ground underground.”
Zhang Qiudao raised the lantern, looking at the wall. “Look,” he said.
Chen Yang and Mao Xiaoying leaned in to look at the wall, where they saw carvings of terrifying evil spirits and depictions of hell. The earlier part of the images showed a shipwreck, with the raging sea stirring up huge waves that swept away small fishing boats, villages, and humans into the water. Next were scenes of the dead who were unwilling to leaveâeither they resented dying too soon or were worried about their wives and children. Their ghosts roamed the mortal realm, full of resentment. Ghost officials captured them and brought them back to the City of Death in the Underworld, where the Bodhisattva of Earth Store performed a Soul Releasing Ceremony for them.
Some were freed by the ceremony, letting go of their grudges and moving on, while others continued to harbor resentment, which grew over time. They were imprisoned in the City of Death, year after year. Below, there were also souls who perished due to war, floods, droughts, and other calamities, all gathered in the City of Death, where they constantly wailed, never seeing the light of day.
Chen Yang and the others continued down, the lanterns lighting their way as the mural’s story went on. The next scene depicted the souls of the wrongfully dead gathering in the City of Death, their accumulated resentment growing so strong that even the Bodhisattva of Earth Store could no longer perform the Soul Releasing Ceremony. The more terrifying part was that this accumulated resentment gave birth to a monster that consumed the very souls it was made from. This creature, formed from resentment, was impossible to subdue easily. In desperation, the Bodhisattva of Earth Store created a small avatar of the City of Death, sealed the monster inside it, and cast it into the mortal realm, where it was to be monitored by Taoist priests.
The murals were lifelike and the content dark and sinister. Some of the images almost made them hear the constant wailing of the ghosts. When Chen Yang saw the final part, he exclaimed in surprise, “The Roofless Crypt wasnât created from the accumulation of resentment in the City of Death. It was the Bodhisattva of Earth Store, unable to control the resentment, who created an avatar of the City of Death, sealed the monster formed from the resentment inside, and cast it into the mortal realm.”
Zhang Qiudao furrowed his brows. “Could these murals be fake? The Taoists wouldnât deceive us.”
Chen Yang thought of Du Shuo, who had also not shared the truth about the avatar of the City of Death. “Brother Du didnât tell me any of this.”
“The entire haunted house is formed from resentment. It does whatever it wants. Itâs possible it intentionally created these murals in the underground walls to mislead us,” Mao Xiaoying said.
Mao Zhen, who was ahead, turned his back to them and said, “Itâs true.” He turned around, looking at the source of the resentment carved into the murals. In all the terrifying and tragic scenes, the resentment was depicted as black smoke rising up, gradually gathering into a black ring in the air, where the source of resentment was born.
He continued, “This is the true face of the haunted house. The Taoist priests told you that the haunted house was one of the avatars of the City of Death, created when resentment couldn’t be released and gained self-awareness. Actually, thatâs not wrong. The avatar of the City of Death was created by the Bodhisattva of Earth Store, who cast it into the mortal realm without caring about the lives of the people there. Itâs absurd that heâs called the Bodhisattva of Earth Store, claiming ‘I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty.’ It was all for the sake of fame. In reality, he simply emptied hell.”
Chen Yang replied, “I trust the Taoist priests, I trust the Bodhisattva of Earth Store, and I trust my old brother Du.”
“So you don’t believe the truth that’s right in front of you?” Mao Zhen sneered in response.
Chen Yang and the others fell silent. Mao Zhen sneered repeatedly, pacing around the two-meter-wide corridor for a few circles before finally calming down. “Fine, if youâd been locked inside for twenty years like I was, you’d probably react even more strongly than I did when you learned the truth.”
Chen Yang replied, “It’s not that I don’t believe, it’s that I don’t believe the Bodhisattva of Earth Store’s purpose in sending the avatar of the City of Death into the mortal realm was selfish.”
Mao Zhen answered for him, “It was for a greater cause. The monster formed from accumulated resentment, if left in the City of Death for too long, would continue to absorb more resentment. If allowed to grow unchecked, it would turn into a monster that couldn’t be destroyed. I knowâsuch monsters, feeding on negative emotions, are far more terrifying than evil spirits or yakshas. They’re not as easy to slay. Even if you can’t kill them, they’ll keep coming back like wild grass in the spring. And because of its existence, the souls in the City of Death couldnât undergo the Soul Releasing Ceremony.”
He walked ahead, then turned to Chen Yang and the others. “Come over here.”
Chen Yang and the others walked over, lifting their lanterns to illuminate a section of the wall they’d missed before. On it, there was a mural depicting how the Bodhisattva of Earth Store, under the influence of the monster formed from resentment, was only able to release less than ten thousand souls from the City of Death over ten years. It’s worth noting that every year, more than ten thousand souls remained in the City of Death, and with the years of accumulated souls, the City became overcrowded.
There was a riot in the City of Death, and evil ghosts escaped, causing turmoil in the mortal realm. What’s worse, the resentment spread in various ways and even affected the mortal realm. Despite times of peace, many people still died in attacks or riots.
“The attacks and riots in the mortal realm, from the chaos of war to the network violence and verbal abuse during times of peace, are all products of resentment. Resentment breeds more resentment, which then feeds back into the monster. Because this monster was born in the City of Death, it is tied to the City, and thus an avatar had to be forcibly created and sent into the mortal realm. In the mortal realm, far from the City of Death, it’s easier to perform a Soul Releasing Ceremony, though it might cost a Taoist priest or a few who wander in accidentally.”
Chen Yang said, “Death is unavoidable.”
“For the mortal realm, it’s an undeserved disaster.”
“Resentment has the greatest impact and causes the deepest harm in the mortal realm. The Bodhisattva of Earth Store guards the City of Death, always sensing where its avatar is. He notifies the Taoist priests when the haunted house is about to manifest. In recent years, innocent lives have not been lost due to accidental intrusions.” The mural in front of Chen Yang depicted the Bodhisattva of Earth Store sacrificing himself to guard the hell and the City of Death.
Deities are not omnipotent; while they can slay evil spirits and perform Soul Releasing Ceremonies for the dead, they must follow the laws of fate. Faced with resentment that can’t be released, the Bodhisattva of Earth Store must have hesitated, but for the greater good, the only thing left to do was control the damage as much as possible.
Helplessness was the only choice.
For the Taoist priests, the real reason for the appearance of the haunted house in the mortal realm no longer mattered. What mattered was how to seal it completely.
Chen Yang said to Mao Zhen, “You carry quite a bit of resentment yourself.”
Mao Zhen looked at the three of them, who silently returned his gaze. He sighed, muttered a calming chant, and said, “I know. Every time I see this wall, I canât help but feel resentment. You guys arenât affected now, but stay here long enough, and you’ll end up like meâslowly being assimilated into those evil ghosts who are bent on killing.” He walked ahead, “That’s why I don’t like coming here, and I especially don’t like staying here. I almost lost my sanity just now. Let’s go, I’ll show you the Bodhisattva of Earth Storeâs Soul Releasing Ceremony in the mural of the ‘Breaking of the City.'”
They walked forward, turned a couple of corners, and in the light of the lanterns, they saw a figure ahead. As they got closer, they realized it was Kou Xuanling. The group fell silent. Kou Xuanling turned around and saw them, clearly surprised. “You guys are here too?” Then, noticing their tense expressions, his excitement diminished somewhat.
Zhang Qiudao whispered to Chen Yang, “How do we test him?”
Chen Yang raised his hand. “I’ll do it.” He stepped forward, his expression serious as he addressed Kou Xuanling. “Old Kou, just now I contacted my old brother Du through the direct line to the Underworld. He told me that your relationship with Old Lu has been exposed, your father beat your uncle to near death, and he even burned your ancestor’s altar and statues.”
Kou Xuanling froze for a moment, his expression turning suspicious and wary. He quietly revealed his Taoist instrument. “Impossible. Even if my uncle personally gave me to a man, my father wouldnât beat him. Besides, my ancestorâs portrait has always been with me, carried on me at all times. Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao know thisâwho are you? Mirage ghost?!”
Chen Yang nodded and turned to the others. “Relax, he’s the real deal.”
Upon hearing this, the others finally relaxed. Kou Xuanling, confused, asked, “Chen Yang, you were testing me?”
Chen Yang replied, “We just ran into a Mirage Ghost pretending to be you.”
“You ran into one too?”
Kou Xuanling shared with them the events he had encountered, which were similar to what they had just heard from the Mirage Ghost. The difference was that when Kou Xuanling opened the basement door, he immediately stepped into the entrance of the basement corridor of the sixth building. As he walked through the corridor, he had been studying the murals along the way, specifically focusing on the contents of the mural depicting the Bodhisattva of Earth Storeâs Soul Releasing Ceremony for the City of Deathâs “Breaking of the City” ritual.
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Is MZ the source of resentment?? He seemed a little off while talking about the origin of the Roofless Crypt. đ€
Thank you for the chapter!