Mutated Tao

“Transcend the three realms. Break the cycle of reincarnation...”

Bai Lingmiao gently brushed her slender fingers over the top of the head, causing it to close its eyes forever. A slight smile curled on its lips, signaling its liberation from this infernal prison.

Bai Lingmiao gently cradled the dead head, then turned to the willow tree again and asked, “Can I exchange this for information?”

“Yes! Absolutely!” the voices from the tree chimed together, anxious that Bai Lingmiao might change her mind if they didn’t respond quickly enough.

Everything that existed here was willing to trade anything for the eternal peace of death. In this realm of karmic obstacles, death was deemed the most precious thing.

“The Strayed Ones are in the east!”

“There’s a river to the east!”

“Not far, just thirty miles!”

“After crossing the river, follow the mountain path into the large mountain!”

“There’s around a dozen of them! They’re not easy to deal with!”

The heads vied to share information about the Strayed Ones.

The heads competed to share information about the Strayed Ones, and Bai Lingmiao’s heart brimmed with joy upon learning that there were twelve of them. She realized coming here had been the right decision.

“We’ve told you! Now, kill us! Quickly! We want to die!”

“Don’t go back on your word! If you don’t let us die, we will haunt you forever!”

The heads began falling from the tree like hailstones, rolling around Bai Lingmiao’s feet like a pack of puppies begging for food.

As Bai Lingmiao’s hand brushed over their heads, they quieted down, and their faces showed serene smiles.

Tuoba Danqing stood and watched from nearby. There was a deep longing in his eyes. Over the years, he had always yearned for death. Day and night, he had endured starvation and the torment of hunger, yet he couldn’t die.

Death would free him from all suffering—it was an enormous temptation for him.

However, just as he was about to approach Bai Lingmiao, he shook his head violently and turned away. “No! I can’t! I must live! I must find Feng Erniu and get my revenge!”

Suddenly, he began to laugh hysterically. “Hahaha! Feng Erniu! You never thought I’d make it out, did you? Just wait! I’m going to kill you! I will definitely kill you!”

As the heads gradually died, the once lush willow tree quickly withered, eventually turning black and splitting apart.

Bai Lingmiao now understood that the heads hadn’t gone mad—the tree itself was alive. The heads were merely tools for it to speak.

After finishing the deal with the heads, Bai Lingmiao and her companions set off to the east.

They made swift progress with a clear goal and reached the river the heads had mentioned in less than one day.

The calm waters were marked by a lonely floating bridge, with a sign beside it that read Bridge of Oblivion[1].

“Bridge of Oblivion?” Bai Lingmiao pursed her lips, leading the others across the floating bridge with increased vigilance.

Much to her surprise, nothing happened as they safely crossed to the other side. Ahead of them loomed the massive mountain, home to the group of more than ten Strayed Ones.

The dark mountain loomed like a sleeping giant, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression. A gravel path extended from Bai Lingmiao’s feet and led deep into the mountain.

“Be careful, it’s over ten Strayed Ones... If they go mad, it’ll be quite a show.”

Bai Lingmiao nodded in agreement as they made their way into the mountains. She thought Li Huowang and how other sects had kept him under control.

As soon as they entered, Bai Lingmiao had the White Donkeys call out into the forest to assure the Strayed Ones that they had no ill intentions.

“Everyone! Come out, I can help you escape this endless torment, whether it’s the torment of the Strayed One or the Muddled One!”

She wanted to make it clear she had no hostility and sincerely wanted to make contact with them.

She didn’t plan to treat the Strayed Ones like others had, perhaps because Li Huowang was a Strayed One. She believed they were still capable of reason. A win-win situation didn’t require tricks. Any sensible person would know how to choose.

After walking about two miles on the gravel path, they were stopped by a disheveled woman.

She hoarsely rasped at Bai Lingmiao, saying, “Go back...”

Her attitude made Bai Lingmiao clench her fists tightly inside her sleeves.

“We’re here to help you. Don’t be afraid—I’m here to help you.” Bai Lingmiao took a step forward.

“Get lost!” the woman roared, and the ground suddenly swelled. A massive boulder rolled toward Bai Lingmiao and her group, causing the earth to shudder as it moved.

The White Donkeys quickly stepped forward. All thirty-six of them squatted simultaneously, sending the boulder flying away with a mighty heave.

They stopped in their tracks as they were about to surround the female Strayed One. It was not because of fear but because another ten people had appeared beside her.

These people varied in height and gender. They were dressed in ragged clothes like beggars.

The White Donkeys remained on high alert. These were Strayed Ones, capable of creating something from nothing. It was rare to see ten of them gathered together—every single one was priceless.

“Miss Bai, maybe we should retreat. These Strayed Ones might have already gone mad. Let’s go back and plan this carefully,” Tuoba Danqing said.

“We’re not mad.”

Bai Lingmiao looked up. There was a dark-skinned man with bone rings in his hair who was clearly from Qing Qiu. He was the leader of the Strayed Ones.

“If you’re not mad, then why are you acting crazy?! Can’t you understand? Come with us! We know how to get out! Or do you plan to stay here forever?” the Second Deity shouted.

The Strayed One from Qing Qiu retorted, “Go out? For what? To be hunted like rats by humans?”

“We can remove the primordial breath inside you—you can live like normal people,” Bai Lingmiao said.

“Hmph! Normal people? So we went through all this suffering just to become ordinary people?”

Bai Lingmiao grew anxious. “If you don’t leave, are you planning to stay here forever? There’s no death here. What do you intend to do here?”

“What do we intend to do? We want to become the Ten Kings of Hell!”

Bai Lingmiao and her companions were stunned into silence, unsure of how to respond.

The Strayed One from Qing Qiu pointed to the ground. “Do you think this is just some random place? This is the Underworld! It only looks like this because nobody cares!”

He continued, “As long as we become the new Kings of Hell, we will join the ranks of immortals!”

1. In Chinese mythology, Meng Po is the goddess of oblivion. She serves soup on this bridge to make people erase their past lives before they are reborn. ☜