He collided with the wall, and it no longer accepted him. The resurrection opportunity had been used. Zhang Yong began striking the wall with his sword multiple times in anger
but it was useless, the strikes were to no avail. The grey gate remained steadfast, indifferent to his anger and despair.
Even his dark sword began to tremble, as if suffering from the shock of the underworld's rejection.
"Arghhhh!" He screamed in despair, still striking the wall, but it was useless.
Garm, who had regained his balance, growled again. This time, his anger seemed more focused. The ground beneath Zhang Yong's feet trembled, but he stopped attacking Zhang Yong for a moment.
Garm's duty consisted of two things: the first was to prevent the living from entering, and the second was to prevent the dead from returning to life through the century-old opportunity. At the moment the resurrection opportunity ended, and with Zhang Yong unable to cross to the other side, his mission was over.
With Zhang Yong's will to fight gone, he no longer posed any threat to Garm, so he lost interest in him.
Zhang Yong stopped, leaning against the gate's wall, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I can't believe he manipulated me."
"I was deceived..." Zhang Yong whispered to himself, his blue eyes widening in a moment of bitter realization. "He was using me from the very beginning."
'Why didn't I suspect him? Why did I feel trust towards him?' Yet even at this moment, strangely, Zhang Yong still felt as if he trusted him.
Then, in the next moment, particles of blue light began to emerge from Zhang Yong's soul and leave his spirit. That feeling of trust began to diminish until all that was left was the betrayal.
'It was his magic! He injected me with some kind of enchantment that made me feel trust towards him!' Zhang Yong couldn't help but feel anger at his own stupidity.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He rubbed his head harshly, then stood up and roared, "Curse you, Loki!!"
Zhang Yong screamed into the void, his voice disappearing into Helheim's dense fog without an echo.
The giant hound that had been growling moments ago now sat quietly, its red eyes staring at him with strange curiosity
Zhang Yong stared at Garm, his blue eyes widening in surprise. "What? I'm no longer a threat, and you have no desire to get rid of me?" Zhang Yong gritted his teeth and cursed internally before beginning to compose himself.
"Calm down, Zhang Yong. Whatever happens, do not lose your composure, or it will be no different from death." He looked at the gate before starting to walk away.
"Alright, first and foremost, let's analyze the situation. Loki, one of the Gods, was sealed in Helheim. I can say that was done by either the Aesir Gods in Asgard, or by Hel herself. But the latter option negates itself. If it were her, she would have appeared as soon as he was freed. Somehow, he incited the souls against me. No wonder I felt they seemed as if they had deliberately made that path. His goal was to accompany me with the lie 'I will help you,' and I, like a fool, didn't suspect. Then he probably tried to use me as a means to cross the bridge and as a distraction against Garm so he could return to the world of the living."
Zhang Yong finished his analysis of the events, but with a more obscure thought. What would happen now that Loki had been released? It would cause a catastrophe between the worlds.
But instead of thinking about such a long-term matter, he decided to turn his thoughts to his current situation.
'If his words were true, the next resurrection opportunity will be 99 years from now. According to what Uni said, thousands of years here are merely seconds in the world of the living. This makes this place a kind of training paradise as long as I don't turn into a lost soul. The protection from that end is the reason the Cycle of Life and Death was created.'
Zhang Yong held his chin and began to think. The place was full of Death Qi, and very little spiritual energy.
With such a large amount of time, he could become stronger. During this period, he had to raise the mastery of as many Paths as possible to 100%. Perhaps then, when he returns to life, he will have a greater chance against Arthur.
"And of course, because this underworld is different from Belial's, the soul protection part is void. Damn, I've been manipulated by two entities as old as time itself." Zhang Yong couldn't help but pity his situation.
But he had something new and important. There was a special final advantage to this place, an advantage only he realized, which makes this situation the best.
In truth, this was for two reasons. The first was that this place is a focal point of death itself, meaning the Law of Death is high here!
However, reaching the next stage of the Life and Death Structure would still be impossible. But that wasn't his primary goal. Rather, it was mastering his own Death Qi.
Zhang Yong was proficient in his own Death Qi, but not to the point of describing it as perfect. When Zhang Yong used it, he didn't use it on a wide scale, so he was content with things like swords, daggers, and other various techniques of medium or small range.
Because if he tried to amplify it more than that, he would lose control. In the past, he found it difficult to master even if he wanted to. But now, he had a refining technique for Death Qi: the Heavenly Demon Recall
Through it, he could adjust Death Qi to be more reasonable and effective.
As for the second reason... it was better to leave it for later.
Initially, Zhang Yong began wandering around. If he wanted to train, he would have to survey his area to ensure he wouldn't be interrupted. He certainly wouldn't return to the other bank with Móðguð as the bridge's guardian. She might have allowed them to pass before, but there was no guarantee she would allow him next time.
The bank he was on was very spacious, circular, with the gate in the center. Walking around it took a week to complete. Zhang Yong discovered the presence of some giant souls in the area, but they were far from where he wished to train.
After checking, there was a group of caves in the area. Zhang Yong chose one of the caves, which was not spacious. The place was 25 square meters with a ceiling height of 6 meters. It was a medium-sized cave or below average, compared to the size of the caves near the gate
The location was good because it wasn't too close to the gate, so Garm wouldn't disturb him. And because it was sufficiently close, it was somewhat rich in spiritual energy as it was near what lay beyond the gate – the world of the living where Life Qi (spiritual energy, in short) flows. It was also far from the bridge, thus avoiding any incident from Móðguð's side. And because of Garm, many souls did not dare to come.
After entering the cave, Zhang Yong used the spiritual energy he had gathered over a week from being somewhat close to the gate.
He used some simple and quick hand signs and established a gathering formation for spiritual energy inside. But because the amount he possessed himself was low, this formation was merely a first-rank formation, which in the current situation would increase the spiritual energy in the place by a meager 2%.
Yes, that was the extent of the place's poverty in spiritual energy. While in the world of the living, a week's worth of spiritual energy might allow you to create even a ninth-rank formation. A week in this place was like a feeble grain, barely sufficient.
But spiritual energy here was only a side factor; cultivation was not currently his main concern.
He sat on the ground in the lotus position and began using the Reincarnation Paths.
Ten years later
Woosh!
Zhang Yong began performing the Dragon Spear technique this time, trying to coordinate his movements with it
According to original knowledge, all types of weapons had the same levels. They were not like the Sword Path. Rather, all Paths – the Sword Path, Spear Path, Dagger Path, Bow Path, Whip Path – all of them fall under the same levels of power because they all follow a general Path: the Weapon Path
Just as there were six stages in the Sword Path, the same applied to the other weapon Paths. There was also the Fist Path.
So far, the Spear Path had reached 50% completion, and he was on the verge of creating a Spear Intent. The same applied to the Bow Path.
While only four of the simple Paths had reached 100%.
All of this within ten years.
After finishing training, Zhang Yong sat on the ground and looked at his hand before his Death Qi spear dispersed into the air.
After ten years of parallel training on Death Qi, it seemed Zhang Yong had developed some ability.
He slowly raised his hand, and a sword of Death Qi appeared before him, beginning to float away from him. By manipulating it well, the sword seemed to swing itself in the air.
"Not bad. This level of control is acceptable. I will gradually start increasing the size and distance. For now..." Zhang Yong stood up and used the structural side ability to create a sword from his dark probes.
Zhang Yong thought of the sword as an enemy, and the one he chose was Su Ming.
Zhang Yong began commanding the sword to swing itself in the style of the Golden Twilight Sword technique, as it was the technique he knew in most detail.
For a month, Zhang Yong lost himself in sword training. There was no physical fatigue, only mental exhaustion from controlling the sword.
His swordsmanship skills became sharper, and the integration of his skills became more precise.
His control over the flying sword became stronger, to the point where, for a moment, it seemed as if the sword was controlling itself and swinging rapidly. It seemed to have become a real opponent.
"Haha! How do you like that, you bastard!" Zhang Yong raised his sword. Using the Twilight Shine, he advanced on Su Ming.
Or rather, it seemed as if an invisible Su Ming was the one holding the sword.
"Tch, perhaps if you used the Thunder Queen's Core Flame, you would have a better chance!" Zhang Yong smiled happily as his sword clashed with Su Ming's sword.
Su Ming smiled and began to mock about how even without him, he could still match him.
Zhang Yong began to smile more, and their movements became faster, and they seemed to dance around the place. At one point, with no space left, they leaped outside.
"Yes, this feels more airy."
Su Ming began throwing his taunts and started adding some advice for Zhang Yong to improve.
"As if you're in a position to advise me."
But despite Zhang Yong's sarcasm, he still listened carefully to Su Ming's words.
Su Ming smiled at Zhang Yong and shrugged his shoulders while still fighting, indicating that chatting during a fight was useless.
"Haha, you understand me well." Zhang Yong smiled and began fighting more.
They started fighting again, even leaving the cave that Zhang Yong used as a dwelling. The wandering souls looked at them expressionlessly.
After three months of this, Zhang Yong finally sat down.
"Seems comfortable, doesn't it?" Zhang Yong smiled as he looked at Su Ming beside him.
Su Ming shrugged his shoulders and said that a place like this, Sister Liu Yan would throw Qing Feng into it if she had the chance.
"Hahaha, I won't disagree with you on that. We've explored the area. How about watching from above?"
Su Ming replied that it sounded fun. So Zhang Yong stood up, pressed his feet on the ground, jumped high, and using the method Loki had taught him, headed upward while Su Ming followed him.
When they reached a high enough point, they arrived at the grey sky. Zhang Yong looked at the long river, the Shore of Shadows, and the bridge, and smiled upon seeing that.
"We've come a long way, haven't we?"
Zhang Yong looked at Su Ming as the other nodded and raised his fist toward Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong raised his fist and bumped it with his fist.
However, at the moment he did so, he returned to his senses, as his fist had passed through Su Ming's fist.
In an instant, the happy expression on his face froze and disappeared. Then he looked toward the land of Helheim.
"I miss you all...."
Zhang Yong descended like a dead stone, the grey fog wrapping around him like invisible arms.
The earth trembled under the impact of his fall, forming a small crater where he landed. But he felt no pain – in this world, physical pain was a secondary thing compared to the spiritual agony now gnawing at him.
He lay on his back, his eyes staring at the 'sky' which was nothing but endless fog. After ten years of training, after all this progress... he was not prepared for this moment of weakness.
"I forgot myself for a moment..." he whispered in a hoarse voice.
Su Ming was not there. No one was there. It was all just imagination, illusions woven by his mind to fool himself into thinking he wasn't alone in this hell
This was the pain of loneliness.
Was there anyone capable of staying away from people for ten years without going mad? Without anyone to talk to?
He raised his hand before his face, examining the Death Qi flowing through his fingers. Even after all this time, he was still unable to create a tangible illusion. 'How much time has actually passed in the outside world? Seconds? Minutes? Is Mine still alive? Has Arthur already won?'
Thoughts cascaded in his head like floods, but he closed his eyes tightly, trying to suppress them. 'This is useless... I must focus on what I can change.'
He rose slowly, Helheim's black dust falling from his illusory clothes. He had to return to training. He had to become stronger. Because the only other option was...
Madness.
Another ten years passed in this hell, and Zhang Yong had reached the maximum percentage in ten of his fifty Paths.
Currently, he was practicing his sword and still saw Su Ming through the Golden Twilight skills.
Clak!
At that moment, finally, Zhang Yong cut Su Ming's body into two halves horizontally.
He looked at himself, then upward. "Twenty years... you damned world."
Zhang Yong was exhausted, not physically, but psychologically and mentally. He was achieving accomplishments, but all of it seemed useless to him.
Suddenly, something strange happened. The two halves of Su Ming's body began to grow again. The upper half sprouted legs, but the other half... created a copy of Wang Fei.
They stood again and targeted Zhang Yong once more.
Zhang Yong laughed warmly, then stood trembling, holding his dark sword.
"Hehehehe."
Zhang Yong roared, then ran toward them. So what if he was imagining? So what if he was mad? So what if they didn't exist? They were here now, with him.
Zhang Yong spent three months before defeating the two. He wandered and fought battles with them non-stop. His abilities in using the Heaven-smashing Sword reached perfection. The technique was ready at any moment to form his Sword Intent.
But he had to pass the Sword and Soul stage. He still hadn't broken through it.
After eliminating the two and cutting them into pieces, Zhang Yong stared at their bodies lying on the ground before him. Wang Fei was praising him for his achievement, while Su Ming said that this was expected from the person he calls his brother.
"Don't you two feel resentful that I cut you?"
However, the two looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously. Then, the leg parts began to grow the upper half, but a change appeared. Tang San and Dai Mubai now appeared.
Zhang Yong looked at them and smiled. "Nice to see you again, guys."
Tang San and Dai Mubai both shook their heads. Tang San expressed his happiness. Dai Mubai crossed his arms and said that if they didn't help him train, then what kind of brothers were they?
"Alright! Then let's do this!"
Zhang Yong continued like this for another ten years. Whenever he got tired of training on the Paths, he decided to do physical training. Gradually, everyone began to appear one by one. Liu Yan, Liu Yin, Wu Rushian, Gu Zixian, Flender, Liu Erlong, the Great Master, Yuan Ling, Bing Di, Ling Xi, Murasama, Yami, Long Yuliang, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Old Dugu Bo. Some engaged in his training and fought him, while others cheered for him from the side.
The many relationships Zhang Yong had established throughout his life.
As time passed, Zhang Yong could no longer endure. He fell to his knees and began to cry.
"I can't take it anymore! I can't take it anymore! I want to go back!... I want..... I want to see you all."
At that moment, someone stood before him. He looked only at the feet before raising his head. It was Su Ming.
"I'm starting to lose my mind, aren't I?"
Zhang Yong grabbed his hair and began pulling it hard, to the point that if this were his real body, his hair would have been torn out.
The long duration, the environment of this place, the extreme isolation, and the loneliness of being unable to speak to anyone. After thinking about his feelings, his mind began to create these illusions.
"I am... I am hopeless."
However, Su Ming smiled calmly and told him not to worry; everyone was with him.
Yet when he looked at them, he couldn't control himself. He wanted to return, to see them. He wanted to see the people he loved and cherished, everyone who mattered to him.
Everyone looked at him with a refreshing smile, a smile that gently washed over his heart. Yes, they were waiting for him to stand.
Su Ming looked at him, and in his hand, there was a large, yellow, spherical object with bodies moving inside. Zhang Yong extended his hand and felt his consciousness being pulled inside.
In an instant, Zhang Yong found himself standing in a strange world. The sky was a pale yellow, and the ground beneath him was a transparent glass surface.
The group advanced and stood before him, with that smile. They seemed to hold Zhang Yong's arms and tell him to take another step forward.
The moment he took a step, he took another and continued walking. At first, they were pulling him, but now he was walking. Once he walked, he ran. Once he ran, he flew!
And at the moment he seemed about to break through the clouds, he returned to reality.
He looked ahead. His foot was raised, one step away from falling into the Gjoll River. If that happened, he would forget who he was and become a wandering soul.
Zhang Yong immediately retreated and caught his breath. "I will not stop. Not here." Zhang Yong smiled and gained determination. He turned and looked at the others. He seemed more accepting.
"I want to become stronger."
Now that he stared honestly, he noticed it. The number of spheres, or rather the 'people' he had formed using Death Qi, looked at him.
His control over Death Qi had already developed to this point. Then Zhang Yong blinked, and the forms of the individuals in his mind returned.
"Why were these individuals in my mind?"
"I miss them so much."
Zhang Yong began asking and answering his own questions.
"But they are all just things in my mind. Just illusions."
"If they are just illusions, does that mean that those people doesn't exist?"
"No, they exist, it's just that those are fakes"
"Fakes who helped you develop your control over Death Qi."
"But illusions will not affect reality, and they will not save me."
"Yes, they do not affect reality. They affect me."
"All of these are my relationships, my loved ones, my dearest ones, and everything to me."
"Why are they this important to me?"
"Because they are... people i cherish....who didn't give up on me , and without them , i would've given up on life long time ago"
"That's right. A person is not composed only of himself, and I am not composed only of myself. There are others. The person who is born is an empty shell, and the relationships with others are the fragments that stack upon each other to form who I am today."
"From parents to siblings to wife to children to friends, they are all factors in a person that shape who he is."
In the Law of Strength Path, that was the only Path Zhang Yong had not trained on, because it was a Path special to him
An expert in the Law of Strength Path conducted research: if a Strength path cultivator could manifest a beast's spirit, would it be possible to manifest a human spirit?
This theory had many opinions. What was necessary was subjugating the will of the beasts within their essence. If it could be applied to humans, it would become a demonic art.
But the solution was found. It was by unlocking the secret of the beasts' essence. Beasts are characterized by their instincts. The beast's essence is full of the will and instinct of the beast itself. The will was a type of desire. And what was the most powerful desire in humans? It was the desire to live.
And this was why this place was so beneficial for Zhang Yong, because he literally had the desire to continue living.
As for the instinct, the greatest example and support for the theory was the maternal instinct in beasts.
It supported the bond and relationship between mother and son. Therefore, it was deduced that the second bond for achieving a human spirit was relationships, and they had to be mutual.