Cataclysm Chapter 94: Tomino’s Hell 12

Chapter 94: Tomino’s Hell 12

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Chen Yang held Wei Zhizhi’s hand to accompany her for a while. Wei Zhizhi’s mother followed behind them, seemingly regaining a bit of her sanity. At least she now recognized Wei Zhizhi and was no longer in the completely dazed state she had been in before.

Before them stretched an endless darkness. Without the Fengdu Command Token, Chen Yang would have wandered aimlessly in this endless darkness like the other malevolent spirits. While Chen Yang couldn’t see his own light, Wei Zhizhi could. It was the only beacon in the darkness, cutting through the dense shadows. Malevolent spirits hidden in the dark craved and yet feared this light, so they followed from a distance.

Chen Yang glanced at the surrounding malevolent spirits but didn’t drive them away. Earlier, Wei Zhizhi had asked him to accompany her for part of the journey, and he had agreed.

Wei Zhizhi stopped and looked up at Chen Yang. “You should go now.”

Chen Yang crouched down and said, “I’ll find your remains, erect a grave for you, and offer prayers. I hope you can reincarnate soon.”

Wei Zhizhi shook her head, swinging her arms and kicking her legs, unable to stand still even while walking. “I don’t know what’s so good about reincarnation. If I end up with another father like Wei Guangming, I’d rather stay in hell.”

“That won’t happen. People like Wei Guangming are rare. Don’t be afraid or lose hope. The human world is actually quite good.”

Wei Zhizhi remained noncommittal. “We’ll see.”

As the two were about to part ways, they suddenly noticed the malevolent spirits in the darkness fleeing in terror, as if something horrifying was approaching. Wei Zhizhi’s expression turned grim. “I sense something dangerous coming—something with an unbearable presence.” The moment she felt the presence, her demeanor shifted from that of an adorable little girl to the terrifying figure she had been at her death. Clenching her teeth, she hissed, “Wei Guangming!”

Chen Yang also felt the danger approaching. The darkness in their vicinity gradually receded, revealing walls of dark gold adorned with extravagant and strange collections. They were now in the fifth-floor storage room. The human-skin thangka and other items that had originally been there had disappeared, along with the eerie, chaotic aura. Only a shapeless terror remained, enveloping the entire room.

Wei Zhizhi said, “The fifth-floor storage room used to be filled with malevolent spirits. My remains were originally kept here. Even after I consumed Tomino and escaped, I rarely dared to enter. Wei Guangming sometimes left the storage room unlocked because he knew how cursed this place was. That security guard, the one with glass marbles in his stomach, was tormented and eventually killed by the malevolent spirits here.”

Chen Yang mused, “It’s oddly clean now—nearly devoid of spirits—but it feels more terrifying. Unless the spirits fought and devoured each other until only the strongest one remained and consumed all the others…”

“The spirits in the storage room had maintained a balance for fifteen years.”

“Then something must have disrupted that balance,” Chen Yang said, stepping into the storage room. “Let’s go in and take a look.”

They were still in the Wei family’s museum, which remained a passageway between the human world and the Avici Hell. However, the sudden appearance of the fifth-floor storage room suggested that the spirits within had been completely devoured. The storage room door served as a boundary: outside was endless darkness, while inside was now the storage room.

In the glass case directly in front of the door, there had once been a soap-covered female corpse, but it was now empty. Wei Zhizhi pointed at the case. “Her soul could still attach to her body, allowing her to wander around the room freely. Few spirits dared to confront her directly. Over there, the human-skin thangka is like Tomino, with a soul attached to it. But it’s not particularly vicious—most of the time, it’s reasonable.”

As Wei Zhizhi pointed out where various malevolent spirits had once resided, Chen Yang noticed that all of them were gone. They turned a corner and saw the edge of a skirt. Approaching cautiously, they heard the dripping of water—drip, drip. Following the trail, they found a pool of blood gathering on the floor. Tracing it upward, they discovered Wei Mianmian’s severed arm. She was slumped in a corner, her expression pale and terrified, mumbling incoherently as if she had lost her mind.

Wei Zhizhi frowned and stood in front of Wei Mianmian, her eyes filled with disdain. When Wei Mianmian realized it was Wei Zhizhi—who had long been dead—her terror left her speechless. Trembling violently, she curled into herself, retreating further.

“She probably knows what happened in the storage room,” Wei Zhizhi said coldly. “But unfortunately, we won’t be able to get it out of her.”

“Not necessarily,” Chen Yang squatted down, staring at Wei Mianmian.

Wei Mianmian recognized him and used her uninjured arm to grab the corner of his shirt, opening her mouth to let out a muffled sound. It seemed like she was pleading for Chen Yang to save her.

Chen Yang spoke calmly, “You’re already dead.”

Wei Mianmian’s face froze in an expression that combined extreme terror with sudden hope. The next moment, her head tilted to the left, her neck completely shattered. Her eyes spun wildly, as though she had briefly descended into madness upon realizing the truth. After a moment, she returned to normal, but her movements became numb and mechanical. “I’m dead? Yes, I’m dead,” she murmured.

When the malevolent spirit in the wall lunged at her, Wei Mianmian abandoned Feng Ping, opened the door, and ran out, only to find the outside world gradually darkening. She ran up the stairs in a panic but tripped and fell, breaking her neck. Darkness enveloped her entirely, and in that moment, she forgot she had already died. She got up and continued running. In her confusion, she stumbled into the collection room on the fifth floor, where she encountered a monster. It tore off her arm and ate it. Consumed by terror, she mistakenly believed she was going to die.

“What else is in the collection room?”

Wei Mianmian sneered maliciously. “Why should I tell you? The Wei family hired you, and yet you did nothing while we were killed by the malevolent spirits. You all should stay and join us in death.”

Wei Zhizhi, enraged, exuded an aura that made Wei Mianmian shrink back in fear. Still, Wei Mianmian clung to her desire to drag Chen Yang and the others into hell with her. Chen Yang stopped Wei Zhizhi from punishing Wei Mianmian and said, “Do you want to die again?”

As he spoke, he removed a string of copper coins wrapped around his wrist, straightened it into the shape of a copper coin sword, and said gently, “Think carefully before you speak again.”

Wei Mianmian’s defiant demeanor immediately crumbled. She curled up again, trembling. “What do you want to know?”

“The thing in the collection room that devours malevolent spirits,” Chen Yang replied.

At the mention of the collection room, Wei Mianmian appeared even more terrified. “It-it’s my father, Wei Guangming.”

Wei Guangming had been dragged into the wall by a malevolent spirit and torn apart right in front of Chen Yang. None of them had expected him to transform into a vengeful ghost, let alone ascend to the fifth floor and devour other spirits. Wei Zhizhi’s expression darkened. “I’ll go kill him again.”

Chen Yang pulled her back. “Don’t hand yourself over as food.”

Wei Zhizhi frowned in confusion. Chen Yang explained, “Judging by how Wei Guangming is devouring the spirits, he might turn into a Rakshasa Shi.”

The Rakshasa Shi refers to a male Rakshasa, grotesque in appearance, who feeds on human flesh and blood as well as countless ghosts. Back at Longdao Ridge, the chaos caused by a female Rakshasa had been contained only because Du Shuo was present. Now, Wei Guangming was unlikely to spare them. If he truly became a Rakshasa Shi, dealing with him would be incredibly troublesome.

Chen Yang stood up. “We need to eliminate him before he transforms into a Rakshasa Shi.”

Wei Zhizhi didn’t agree. “Go find your friends and leave here. If you stay any longer, even with the Fengdu pardon token, you won’t be able to leave.”

Chen Yang raised his right hand and placed it on Wei Zhizhi’s head, rubbing it vigorously. Wei Zhizhi completely lost her temper and screamed, “I hate you! I hate you! You can’t mess up my hair!” She angrily shoved his hand away and ran to one side to fix her hair.

Chen Yang, who had intended to say that even without the pardon token, they could still leave, since he had the biggest backing in Fengdu, suddenly stopped. He didn’t know what to say because he remembered that, no matter what, Wei Zhizhi’s hair had indeed never been messed up. Facing her resentful and accusatory look, Chen Yang felt a bit guilty. “How about I help you comb it?”

Wei Zhizhi snorted twice. “No way. You guys’ hairstyles are ugly.”

If Wei Zhizhi hadn’t encountered those troublesome things, she would have definitely grown into a very vain girl. Right now, she was still squatting on the ground, humming while carefully combing her hair in front of the shiny floor. Chen Yang smiled and said to Wei Mianmian, “Isn’t she cute?”

Wei Mianmian replied, “I hate her screaming. It gives me a headache.” After a pause, she added, “But… I guess she’s pretty lively, not that annoying.” She changed the subject, “Do you think I’m selfish and disgusting?”

Chen Yang directly nodded in acknowledgment. Wei Mianmian froze and glared at him. “You’re really blunt.” After a moment of silence, she shrugged. “I am selfish and disgusting, no denying it. Even if I had the chance to do it over, I would still stand by and watch. I would still be selfish. It’s just that I wouldn’t come back again.” She suddenly sneered. “If you don’t have the guts to be ruthless, you’ll end up like Wei Xiaoxiao and Wei Zhizhi. Do you think Wei Guangming never had designs on me? If I hadn’t been good at business, able to support him in buying those expensive collectibles and help sell the unwanted ones, I would have gone mad by now.”

“Oh.” Chen Yang didn’t sympathize with Wei Mianmian. She was selfish to survive, but that wasn’t a reason to harm Wei Zhizhi.

Wei Mianmian pouted and slowly crawled up from the corner. “I’m telling you, if you’re not leaving, I’m going. The soap lady corpse ran away, and Wei Guangming is chasing her. He’s probably close to finishing her off. That old bastard has no humanity. He ripped my arm off. If the soap lady hadn’t made a noise, I probably would’ve been eaten whole—”

She crawled out from the corner and headed toward the door, but at the next moment, a monster suddenly lunged at her, biting her in half at the neck. The sound of chewing followed, “crunch, crunch.”

Before her was an extremely ugly demon. Its skin was black, its facial features blurred, and its skin was sticky. On its head were countless twisting little heads, the evil spirits it had consumed trying to escape. The demon stood over two meters tall, its body thin and shriveled, yet still covered in skin.

This was Wei Guangming, who had been torn apart by hundreds of demons. His flesh and bones had been consumed by evil spirits, but after eating other evil spirits, he had regrown his flesh. However, the flesh on his chest had not fully grown back, and his black, sticky insides were visible.

Wei Zhizhi’s entire body went tense, filled with both fear and hatred toward Wei Guangming. She quickly leapt in front of Chen Yang, adopting an aggressive stance and glaring at Wei Guangming vigilantly.

Wei Guangming leisurely devoured Wei Mianmian, his eyes hungrily fixed on Chen Yang. Originally, he had planned to eat Wei Zhizhi directly, but when he saw Chen Yang glowing with golden light, he began fantasizing that if he ate him, he might transform into a Rakshasa, and with further opportunities, could become a Rakshasa King.

Chen Yang grabbed Wei Zhizhi’s long ponytail, but she impatiently shoved his hand away. “Don’t touch my hair.” Chen Yang had no choice but to let go, clearing his throat. “Go stand to the side, kid. It’s not time for you to protect me yet.”

Wei Zhizhi doubted, “Can you do it?” Since coming to the Wei family collection hall, she hadn’t seen Chen Yang make a move. Moreover, he seemed too gentle and not decisive enough, so she was skeptical of his abilities. “Don’t force it. It’s not shameful for a kid to protect you—”

Chen Yang pushed the little brat behind him. “Stop talking.” He dismantled the copper coin sword in front of Wei Guangming, turning it into a long whip. “Actually, I’m more used to using red strings. They’re soft and flexible, capable of whipping and binding, much more useful than Daoist whips.” With a swish, every coin on the red string slid down, spaced two centimeters apart, turning the coin whip into something that could both whip and bind, making it even better to use. “This string of coins is versatile, thanks to the Ghost Arts ancestor.”

Chen Yang had held the ends of the copper coin whip in each hand. When Wei Guangming had jumped up and opened his mouth to pounce, Chen Yang had struck forcefully with the whip. The copper coins had immediately burned Wei Guangming, leaving terrifying scars, even sparking. Wei Guangming had been thrown into the wall and dropped to the ground, warily watching the copper coins whip in Chen Yang’s hands. Meanwhile, the head of the evil spirit on his skull had begun to scream in celebration, wishing for Wei Guangming’s immediate death.

Chen Yang had stepped forward quickly, and Wei Guangming had taken long strides, his fist smashing into the wall. After dodging one strike, Chen Yang had flipped behind Wei Guangming, using the table to jump to a higher position and had wrapped the copper coin whip around Wei Guangming’s neck, tightening it rapidly.

Wei Guangming had stumbled, almost falling. Sparks had appeared on his neck, and the skin had started to burn away from the copper coins, nearly exposing his trachea. The evil spirit’s head on his skull had emitted a maddening, joyous sound, sharp and grating. After stumbling, he had steadied himself, grabbing the copper coin whip around his neck, and with a roar, had yanked it hard, pulling the whip loose while Chen Yang had pressed against his back.

Wei Guangming’s head had twisted 180 degrees, his chin facing downward, directly meeting Chen Yang’s face. He had opened his mouth wide, intending to bite off half of Chen Yang’s skull. Seeing this, Chen Yang had tried to release the whip but had found that it had somehow wrapped around his palm several times, and he couldn’t free it right away. He had crouched down and pulled Wei Guangming down with him, causing Wei Guangming to miss his bite. The larger man had twisted his arms behind him and grabbed Chen Yang.

Wei Zhizhi had rushed over to grab Wei Guangming’s head, opening her mouth to bite. Wei Guangming had howled in fury, releasing one hand to grab Wei Zhizhi and had thrown her hard, giving Chen Yang a moment to loosen his grip. He had bitten his middle finger, the one with the most yang energy, and blood had flowed out in a frantic surge of yin energy.

Sensing the presence of this yin energy, Wei Guangming had ripped the copper coin whip from his neck, becoming even more frenzied. Taking advantage of his madness, Chen Yang had drawn a talisman to exorcise the evil spirits, chanting, “First kill the evil spirit, then slay the Rakshasa. All ghosts shall bow, thunder and lightning aid me, shatter and destroy the evil. Urgently, as the law commands!”

The talisman, written with human blood, was powerful enough to kill evil spirits and even slay Rakshasas if one’s spiritual power was strong enough. Once the talisman had settled on Wei Guangming, a flash of golden light had erupted, and it had seemed as though thunder had struck Wei Guangming, shattering him into pieces. The dozens of evil spirit tumors on his head had screamed in terror and had been destroyed along with him in the lightning strike.

Wei Guangming had disintegrated, his soul scattering, and the collection room had been immediately engulfed in darkness, vanishing quickly. The evil spirits in the passage had been drawn to the scent of blood. Wei Zhizhi had torn through the evil spirits to protect Chen Yang, and when she had looked back, she had noticed the faint glow of the Fengdu Pardon Token in his arms. She had immediately warned, “The time to use the token is running out. You need to leave quickly.”

Chen Yang had picked up the copper coin whip and had removed a coin, holding it in his palm. The coin had remained still for three seconds before it had tilted thirty degrees toward the north. He had immediately headed in that direction, saying, “I’m going to find Lao Kou and the others.”

Wei Zhizhi had followed closely behind, helping to drive away the evil spirits. Though the Fengdu Pardon Token could deter the spirits, it also made them covetous. Only those who held the token could return to the mortal world, making it their only chance to escape from the endless hell.

Chen Yang had taken Wei Zhizhi’s hand, following the coin’s direction to find Kou Xuanling and the others. They had also been holding copper coins, searching for Chen Yang. When they had met up, there had been no time for extra words. They had simply exchanged information before using the Fengdu Pardon Token to guide them.

Mao Xiaoli had grabbed Chen Yang’s arm. “Brother Chen, Zhang Qiudao isn’t here. We need to find him first.”

Chen Yang had only then realized that Zhang Qiudao was missing from the group. He had turned to Lu Xiuzhi, asking, “Did he get separated from you?”

“No,” Mao Xiaoli had interrupted, “He had separated from us to save me, luring the evil spirits away.”

“You’re hurt?” Chen Yang had smelled the blood on Mao Xiaoli.

Mao Xiaoli had shaken her head. “I’m fine. We need to find Zhang Qiudao.”

Wei Zhizhi had spoken up, “There’s no time.”

“You all go ahead,” Chen Yang said, throwing the Fengdu Pardon Token to Kou Xuanling. “Old Kou, take everyone out safely.”

Kou Xuanling took the token, frowned, and was about to refuse when Lu Xiuzhi, who was carrying Qi Yin on his back, freed one hand to grab his wrist and said, “We’ll go first.”

“I’ll go with you to find Zhang Qiudao,” Mao Xiaoli said.

Without looking back, Chen Yang said, “Don’t be ridiculous. Go back.”

Kou Xuanling, holding Wei Ning, looked at Mao Xiaoli and said, “Xiaoli, you’ll only drag us down. Chen Yang still has the plan in mind. He can bring Zhang Qiudao back in one piece.”

Mao Xiaoli fell silent. After a while, she said, “I understand.”

Wei Zhizhi hovered behind Chen Yang. “You’re crazy! Who are you trying to find now? The passage is about to close! You’ll be trapped in Avici Hell forever and never be able to get out! You still have time to leave now. Turn around, don’t hesitate!”

Chen Yang wasn’t in a hurry, but Wei Zhizhi was panicking. She rushed to grab Chen Yang’s leg, trying to drag him away. “I can’t let you do something stupid. You need to leave quickly.”

Chen Yang stumbled as she pulled. “Zhizhi, stop it. I have to find my colleague and bring him back.”

“The passage is so vast. How are you going to find him? What if your colleague was already dragged into Wujian Hell by the evil spirits? Do you know what Avici Hell is? Once you go in, you can never come back! Don’t be foolish. Leave now!” No matter how hard Wei Zhizhi pulled, she couldn’t move Chen Yang, and he only got farther from the door. Eventually, the Fengdu Avici Token’s power wore off, and Chen Yang found himself trapped in the passage, unable to escape.

Wei Zhizhi cried in frustration. “You idiot! Now what are we going to do?”

Chen Yang rubbed his nose, feeling a little guilty. “Alright, alright, stop crying. I never said I couldn’t get out.”

“The passage is closed now, and the token has lost its power. How are you going to get out?”

“It’s still possible to get out. I’ll figure something out. I have connections in Fengdu, after all.”

“Connections? What kind of connections?” Wei Zhizhi sniffled, asking, “Avici Hell holds the most dangerous criminals. Ordinary Yin spirits have no authority to control it.”

“Don’t worry. My connections are pretty solid. Let’s go, we’ll find Qiudao first,” Chen Yang said as he walked. Wei Zhizhi, though skeptical, had no way to stop him. Since the passage was already closed, there was nothing left to lose.

In the end, Chen Yang found Zhang Qiudao at the edge of Avici Hell. By then, Zhang Qiudao was on the verge of unconsciousness, badly injured from the evil spirits’ attacks. If Chen Yang had arrived any later, Zhang Qiudao would’ve been dragged into Avici Hell for good, and it would’ve been impossible to save him.

Chen Yang carried Zhang Qiudao on his back and started heading back. He reached out to grab Wei Zhizhi’s hand, but found nothing. Turning around, he saw Wei Zhizhi standing quietly at the edge of Avici Hell. He instantly understood. He felt regretful and helpless, knowing he couldn’t alter the law of the underworld.

Wei Zhizhi looked at him and asked, “Chen Yang, do you really have connections?”

Chen Yang nodded. “I do.”

“Oh, I’ll believe you then. Well, goodbye.” Wei Zhizhi stopped crying and instead flashed a smile as she said her farewell. Her mother walked out from the side, and now that she had regained her composure, she took Wei Zhizhi’s hand and expressed her gratitude to Chen Yang.

The mother and daughter walked toward Wujian Hell, gradually becoming more distant. Chen Yang felt a pang of sadness, but there was nothing more he could do now except help Wei Zhizhi accumulate merits. He carried Zhang Qiudao on his back and made his way toward the passage entrance, dialing a special line as he walked. After a few beeps, the call connected, and Du Shuo’s deep voice came through on the other end.

When Chen Yang heard Du Shuo’s voice, he realized just how much he had missed him. As soon as he spoke, all his pent-up frustrations poured out. “Old Du, hurry up and come pick me up. I miss you so much. Without you here, they’ve been showing off like crazy. I’m all alone, so weak…”

Author’s note: Chen Yang, the tattletale: Showing off, huh? I’ll show you how to show off!

1. The things that happened between Mao Xiaoli and Zhang Qiudao will be mentioned in the extras. It won’t be talked about in the main story. Anyway, this is the opportunity for Mao Xiaoli to have her breakthrough.
2. I didn’t say it’s the ending. I only said this chapter is done. There are still about two more chapters left, plus some extras.
3. Sigh, the kitten I’m raising is too naughty. I have to feed it four or five times in one morning, and each time it only takes a tiny sip. Afterward, it runs off like it doesn’t know me anymore. It meows nonstop when it’s hungry, and I haven’t had breakfast or lunch yet, but I still have to mix milk powder and feed it. Otherwise, it follows me around meowing, even though it’s got short little legs, it runs so fast. But once it’s full, it just lies there, not moving, acting like a little emperor.

 

 

 

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