Chapter 1727: Fourth Calamity Commences!
Chapter 1727: Fourth Calamity Commences!
"He's back!"
"Who's back?"
"HE'S RETURNED!!"
"WHO?!"
"THE SINFUL PRIDE MORTAL!!!"
The depths of Hell clamored with activity, each of its four corners rumbling as figures shuttled through dimensional hellscapes of unimaginable horrors to reach a very specific location. Recently, the unfathomable levels of Hell were stirred by unusual activity.
A while ago, a mortal soul with his physical body, an Inheritor of Sin, had descended to face Hell's eighteen cleansing dimensions as many others had done before him, and beyond the expectations of beings that were as grand as divinities and unique as devils, he not only survived but repeatedly conquered them. How could such a hell-defying existence not attract attention from its denizens?
The Mortal Abandonment Dimension, Regretful Heart Dimension, and the Agonized Road Dimension!
Three of eighteen great cleansing Calamities of Hell had been conquered under his feet, and each time was more and more extraordinary, especially the Sinful Pride Mortal's third calamity—Calamity of Blade and Fire. This was the one Calamity that a mortal should absolutely never succeed. The denizens of Hell had unanimously determined that his travels here as a mere mortal were going to end here beyond the shadow of a devil's doubt!
Their interest waned; when they learned that he had arrived significantly earlier than expected, they didn't even bother making their way over. Why? Only those who were invested from the very beginning, since his hellish path started, decided to observe despite the inconvenience.
Yet their pessimistic expectations were surpassed! Again! And again!
This Sinful Pride Mortal hadn't just survived this brutal road of 108,000,000 steps, he claimed the Agonized Road Dimension!
However, looking back, how he claimed it was unprecedented and unique for a mere mortal! A display of supreme will! Why exactly? Despite traveling the full road, not a single ounce of Soul Deterge Mist had been burned the entire 108,000,000 steps! Not a single wisp!
Soul Deterge Mist was the cleansing power of Hell, and the rules of the agonized road produced this cleansing force if soul-deep pain were felt from either its hot flames or sharp blade, and that was if the ever-strengthening blade didn't slice the sin and consciousness out of a soul or the fires didn't incinerate them beforehand, immediately ending the calamity as they were shuttled to the cycle of samsara.
Ultimately, the shocking development of his success caused a frenzy that was as unexpected as hell freezing over and all its unimaginable horrors within were changed to heavenly fortune and blissful comforts overnight! That wasn't all either; to the two existences that oversaw the higher floors of Hell, they discovered that this Sinful Pride Mortal had returned to challenge the three calamities back-to-back as a Sinful Lust Mortal!
They had originally thought that Wei Wuyin was undergoing an unprecedented descent into Hell's Calamity, rushing to the Red Dust Dimension, the fourth Calamity of Hell, but disregarding their feelings of rising excitement, the Dual Sinful Mortal had left and didn't challenge the fourth calamity…
Prior to arriving at the Red Dust Dimension's region, they had alerted denizens far and busy, causing Hell to suffer a brief stagnation as numerous existences rushed over with the desire to witness the expected downfall or shocking conquest of this highly abnormal mortal.
Since then, they had tasked some denizens to observe the fourth Calamity, to send an alert when, not if, that mortal challenged the Red Dust Dimension! Numerous denizens of Hell were mobilizing!
Hell.
Fourth Floor of Hell.
The Calamity of Mortal Despair.
Here, two winged figures stood a fair distance from each other. They were not silver-winged or crimson-winged, nor exuded an irredeemable malevolence or an all-forgiving holy aura. They were emerald-winged and azure-winged figures, the former of the duo exuded an unfathomable depth resembling deathly despair while the latter emitted an endless vibrance of exuberant, inextinguishable life.
"Hm? They've sent out the alert," the emerald-winged figure spoke lightly, yet their voice was incredibly deep and sonorous with heavy bass. Its wings, which were full in shape and life, flapped slightly as if to catch the attention of its partner.
A shrill voice resounded that could grate one's ears, "I know!" Its azure wings resembled shriveled skin, as if each surface of flesh was dipped into water for a natural period of time, a little discomforting to observe, yet the gentle glow of life that could calm the most restless heart and bring hope to a soul on the verge of death was boundlessly remarkable.
The two of them had watched the Sinful Pride Mortal's last struggle against Hell with raging hearts and shocked minds. Watching that mortal fight to survive was wondrous to an indescribable extreme, unable to be put accurately in words. Already, there were skeptics and believers of his future. They either believed that his luck would eventually run out or that his brilliance was unable to be smothered by any of Hell's challenges. Of course, there was a third group that was watching simply to be involved, and they amounted to the majority of spectators, not too invested in his success or failure.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
From an indeterminate direction after traveling an unknowable distance, two orbs arrived. When the light enveloping their bodies dispersed, it exposed their silver-winged and the other crimson-winged figures for all to see. They seemed to be anxious as they scoured for a particular spherical orb containing the next hellscape.
The azure-winged figure indifferently glanced their way, "Your favorite mortal is right there." There was a tinge of amused mockery within its voice. Only those like him knew how ridiculous it was for mortals to receive such attention from existences like them.
"The Calamity of Mortal Despair hasn't started yet," the emerald-winged figure stated excitedly. It pointed at a specific spherical orb within the uncountable sea of others. Then, the emerald-winged figure 'looked up' at the looming shadow with infinite arms, infinite eyes, and infinite vastness that stretched across Hell as if overseeing all of it all at once.
Before the emerald-winged figure could speak, dozens of orbs of varying colors arrived from all over, each from an indeterminate direction from an unknowable distance. They all transformed into winged figures of varying colors and auras, each more stranger than the next. Including a fiery red-winged figure that burned intensely, yet emitted not an ounce of heat, only an extreme frigid chill that could freeze the soul, life, and time.
Beside that fiery red-winged figure was a winged figure that resembled sentient ice, but exuded the fiercest of heat that distorted the air and sought to burn all of creation. There were all sorts, and their numbers kept increasing.
They were all spectators!
Seeking front-row seats to the upcoming event! The show in question?
The Sinful Pride Mortal's Life OR Death!
If Wei Wuyin knew of this, he would try to exploit this situation, seeking payment for the right to see him challenge every calamity. That would leave him with an inestimable amount of wealth! Unfortunately…
"Wait—" A white-winged figure that resembled smooth, pure, untainted jade yet exuding an aura of turbidity amidst the stench of filth said with the voice of a heavy smoker, whose lungs were as dark as scorched coal. They pointed at the spherical orb containing the Red Dust Dimension. "That isn't the Sinful Pride Mortal."
Their words caused several winged figures who had rushed over in a wild frenzy to stare at the Red Dust Dimension's orb, sensing the sinful aura of the individual within.
"Huh?" Quite a few were startled. The aura of an Inheritor of Sin, each of them, was unmistakable. But this aura wasn't exactly pride. In fact, it didn't fit either of the seven sins they knew of. Moreover, this soul had ascended on an existential level. While it wasn't at the typical and familiar Realm of Sages, the soul was still in a higher state of existence than a mere mortal. Was a mistake made?
They couldn't help but recall earlier when the silver-winged and crimson-winged figure had rushed to the Fourth Floor of Hell with an alert of an upcoming challenge but were met with waiting and finding nothing. Fury boiled within quite a few of their hearts.
However, the silver-winged figure coldly snorted.
"Ignorant!" The voice that was as sinister as a devil's greatest advocate resounded, and all eyes turned toward them, hostility brimmed to its limits. "Heh! What?! The truth hurts!"
The crimson-winged figure sighed, "That is indeed our Sinful Pride Mortal, but did you all think that we were so bored that we would follow an ordinary mortal? Not too long ago, he descended not as a Sinful Pride Mortal, but a Sinful Lust Mortal!"
"A Dual Sinful Mortal?" A sky blue-winged figure that seemed to be formed of sky-blue clouds exclaimed. With every movement of their floaty, seemingly weightless body, an immensely weighty force that could crush souls with a twitch of their fingertips was repeatedly unleashed. The winged figures gave them a wild berth, unwilling to be dragged into the gravitational pull of its undefined mass.
"Impossible!" The white-winged form of pure jade shouted in denial. While it was reasonable to believe that a mortal had succeeded in the Inheritor of Sin's trials once, but twice, and of two different sins such as Lust and Pride? Who did this person think they were, a descendant of the First Sinner?!
However, everyone ignored their protest. The silver-winged figure spoke with each syllable carrying greater joy than the last:
"Not only did he become a Dual Sinful Mortal by the most natural means, but this mortal had conquered the other three dimensions by their lonesome yet again! I speculate that what should have been an impossible dimension for them to overcome will be far too easy! In fact, he has the chance of conquering all eighteen Hells!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
After a short while, all except the crimson-winged and silver-winged figures laughed in their heavy disconcerting cacophony of unique voices. Their laughter was loud and true, unable to hide their truest thoughts. Even those who were hopeful of Wei Wuyin's success were unable to delude themselves. While the feats of this Dual Sinful Pride were astonishing, the fourth Calamity, the Calamity of Mortal Despair, isn't something that an existence could hope to survive! Especially not a mortal! And while Wei Wuyin's soul had ascended, in their eyes, he was still a mortal!
There were only two distinctions in their eyes—Mortal and Immortal!
What segue between them? What Ascended being? Just a bridge that countless failed to overcome.
Conquer the eighteen Hells?
Laughable.
"Then…how about…" the crimson-winged figure slowly said, "we be—"
A booming, omnipotent voice thundered out, causing every winged figure to tremble violently.
"Karmic ties MUST NOT be formed!"
The looming shadow spoke with unquestionable authority, and the winged figures all went silent, some glaring at the crimson-winged figure who was smiling, having achieved his goal of shutting them up with a few words.
But the way they looked at the spherical orb had all changed. The looming shadow refusing to permit a karmic tie wasn't unexpected as it involved not just Wei Wuyin as a few of them had done before, but the eighteen calamities of Hell. For them to form a karmic tie, obviously through linking fortune and misfortune in the way of a bet or wager against this Dual Sinful Mortal then…was it possible that he could be a genuine contender where even considering the mere possibility was forbidden…?
No. No. No.
That was impossible.
Completely impossible!
"Let's just watch this mortal die," a dark red-winged figure that resembled earthy rock with jagged points that defined its limbs and facial features. They gave off an aura of true weightlessness, almost non-existent in presence, resembling a fleeting thought or floaty, temporary clouds.
Watch this mortal die!
Let's!
"The Calamity of Mortal Despair is initiating." A voice of indifference and remarkably leveled cadence, deeply mechanical, resounded throughout the fourth floor of Hell!