Chapter 420: The Six Paths of Reincarnation

Chapter 420: The Six Realms of Rebirth

The scenery before him spun wildly, as if the heavens and earth had been turned upside down, and Old Wang felt as though he was entering the great vortex when he first stepped into the Dragon City's secret realm. After the dizziness finally subsided, he found himself standing on a shallow beach by a river.

There was no blood-red river flow, no endless field of bones, nor the wailing of lost souls; only a seemingly ordinary and tranquil river surface greeted him. The log boat that had betrayed him earlier was moored there, and the ferryman in the black cloak stood beside him, silently staring at him.

"Where are we?" Old Wang asked casually, making no mention of the 'boat wreck' just now.

"The Six Realms of Rebirth, the entrance to the Hell Realm."

Old Wang was taken aback, unable to help but laugh bitterly.

The Six Realms of Rebirth, this truly brought back many memories... But if Yu Jiutian was indeed a projection of the Nine Heavens world, then the 'Six Realms of Rebirth' should not exist as a real place within the Dark Demon Island.

"Enough, enough, stop pretending." As Old Wang spoke, he glanced towards a massive archway in the distance. The already dim sky grew even darker here, and blood-red light could be faintly seen rising from within the archway, exuding a terrifying aura.

Perhaps it was some kind of trial ground similar to the Thunder Path within the Dark Demon Island. Just as he thought this, the ferryman beside him said coldly, "I never pretend, and now is the time to pay the fare."

"But didn't you say it was free?"

"Hehehehe..." The ferryman suddenly cackled, his voice chilling to the bone: "Of course, I only want your life!"

Boom!

As he spoke, his two eyeballs suddenly emitted a brilliant blue light, like two beautiful planets floating in the vast universe, firmly capturing Wang Feng's gaze.

"Soul, come forth, soul, come forth..."

Not only were his eyes glowing blue, but the entire cloak around the ferryman began to swell as if intense soul power was surging through him. The straw hat on his head had fallen off, revealing a face that was already rotten and grotesque!

It was a face so hideous that it could instill fear, his entire left side looked as if it had been splashed with sulfuric acid, covered in swollen boils and blood, while the right side barely showed any flesh, only a loose, sagging layer of skin, with the eyeball hanging out.

But this terrifying face was actually ‘smiling’, though the smile was ten times uglier than crying. His mouth slowly opened, sucking in the surrounding air like a whale swallowing the sea, causing Old Wang’s body to tremble.

The Ferryman had consumed too many souls; he knew this was the sign of a soul about to depart. The smile on his face grew even wider, but in the next moment, that hideous grin suddenly froze.

“Sigh…” Old Wang sighed deeply: “These days, people just love to court disaster.”

He chuckled as he watched the Ferryman’s frozen smile, not just the smile, but the Ferryman’s entire body had become completely rigid, except for the eye in his left socket, which continued to wildly dart around.

“This time I’ll let you off, but don’t use this trick again, or it might backfire.” Old Wang stared at the blue eye, as if greeting someone through a video call, then lightly uttered three words: “Soul Devouring Curse…”

*Puff*

A crisp sound, like popping a louse with a finger or crushing a plastic bubble.

The Ferryman’s eyes, once like clear blue planets, suddenly lost their luster and color, becoming hollow and lifeless, and his body collapsed limply, devoid of any vitality.

There was no question of devouring the other’s soul; it was merely severing the soul connection between the Ferryman and his controller.

As for the one now lying on the ground, despite showing no signs of soul power, he could control the mid-grade soul artifact oar, with his hands burned down to bones and his face nearly melted away, yet feeling no pain—a clear sign of remote corpse manipulation.

However, to control a dead body as if it were alive, able to speak and even fool Old Wang until it fell, was a skill that even Old Wang himself admitted he couldn’t match, not in technique, but in power… This must be the same mysterious expert who crafted that ghost-level puppet, likely the island master of Dark Demon Island, rumored to be the seventh Dragon-level expert in the Nine Heavens Continent!

A powerful ally, truly a powerful ally, thicker than an Oscar statue!

With the Ferryman dealt with, Old Wang walked straight ahead.

On either side were sheer cliffs, so steep that even eagles would find it hard to cross, smooth without a foothold, rising high into the sky. The archway was twenty to thirty meters tall and ten meters wide, blocking the passage entirely. Two massive iron gates each had a protruding bronze head, with green faces, fangs, and glaring eyes, resembling fierce ghosts that lock souls.

The Hell Realm of the Six Paths of Reincarnation?

Approaching the massive archway, Old Wang couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

During the closed beta of *Dominating the Nine Heavens*, he had designed something similar. The so-called Six Paths—Deva Realm, Human Realm, Asura Realm, Animal Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Hell Realm—were originally meant to represent different factions in the game. Unlike the traditional concept of the Six Paths symbolizing six separate worlds, Old Wang’s initial design had them as real factions within the game world. The Human Realm represented humans, the Deva and Asura Realms stood for the Eight Tribes and the sea people, while the Animal Realm symbolized beast tribes—more of a symbolic representation than an actual cycle of reincarnation.

As for the Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms, Old Wang hadn’t finalized their representations during the beta. He had planned to expand on them in later updates, but after the beta ended, many players felt that such a Chinese-inspired setting clashed with *Dominating the Nine Heavens*’ original magic and witchcraft theme. By then, Old Wang had already left, and in an effort to salvage the company by catering to player feedback, Lin Yueran, who took over, ended up scrapping the idea entirely. This left Old Wang frustrated for years afterward.

Understanding the meaning of the Six Paths of Reincarnation would undoubtedly help in solving the current predicament. At the very least, standing before this grand and solemn gate, Old Wang felt no trace of reverence. This was likely just Darkmoon Island’s imitation of the legendary Six Paths, designed as a training ground for their disciples based on their own interpretation.

He pushed hard against the gate, but it felt like shoving a solid wall—the doors didn’t budge an inch.

"Anyone there?" Old Wang glanced around before suddenly shouting, "No one? Then I’m leaving!"

The threat was obviously meaningless. He waited for a minute or two, ears perked, but there was no response.

Goddamn it… Old Wang’s temper flared. The people of Darkmoon Island had no manners at all!

"Ice Bees, come out!" he bellowed, rubbing his hands together inside his coat.

*Buzzzzzzzz—*

The sharp hum of vibrating wings filled the air.

Old Wang had been steadily training his Ice Bees—gradual growth made them easier to control. Admittedly, their potential was limited. Even at ghost level, their combat power paled in comparison to high-tier ghost-level Spirit Beasts. Their strength lay in numbers. Still, Old Wang didn’t have many options at the moment, and this squad of Ice Bees had been reliable. While their individual strength as Spirit Beasts was mediocre, combined with his runes, equipment, and tactics, they could still punch above their weight.

The eighteen Ice Bees hadn’t grown much in size, but their bodies now had taken on a heavy, metallic silver sheen, completely different from ordinary Ice Bees. The entire squad exuded a military squadron-like presence, and they followed commands flawlessly.

Now, the eighteen Ice Bees hovered majestically in midair, their wings humming powerfully. Old Wang pointed straight at the gate. "Blast it!"

The Ice Bees simultaneously arched their abdomens, raising their shining silver stingers, before their abdomens convulsed violently.

Dense, spear-like ice spikes rained down on the gate in a ceaseless volley.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The gate remained completely unscathed.

Old Wang smirked. "Cuihua, bring out the gear!" (Cuihua is Old Wang's nickname for the Ice Bees.)

The Ice Bees stopped firing, and a dozen Skyburst Grenades appeared in their claws.

Ordinary Skyburst Grenades wouldn’t be much use here—their soul blast damage was devastating to living beings but only so-so against structures. But Old Wang had modified them. It wasn’t complicated—just adding small iron pellets or steel beads inside. When the grenades detonated, the soul-force shockwaves would propel these seemingly insignificant projectiles, unleashing devastating physical damage. Wang Feng had even given them a new name—Skyshaker Bombs.

This time, Old Wang wisely retreated to a safer distance, nearly reaching the riverside, before giving the signal.

The Ice Bees, now high in the air, let them drop—

Eighteen Skyburst Grenades, amplified by the added steel pellets…

*KABOOOOOM!*

The terrifying blast and the lethal hail of steel pellets rocked the ground and kicked up a dust cloud. Whatever nonsense about the Six Paths of Reincarnation, whatever "Hell Realm" or "Rashomon Gate"—it was all just bullshit mysticism.

The massive archway had been blown apart, a full half of it collapsing. The iron doors, half a meter thick and over twenty meters tall, were now caved in, their surfaces studded with embedded steel pellets the size of fingernails. The once-seamless gap had been warped into a "spacious" entrance wide enough for one or two people to pass through.

"Fucking impressive!" Old Wang couldn’t help but praise himself. That kind of firepower could rival a ghost-level expert at full power. Sure, using eighteen Skyburst Grenades just to break through a door was a bit overkill, but…

Before he could finish his glee, a terrifying roar erupted from the damaged gate.

"Awooo!"

No, not just one—three wolves howled in unison!

"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!"

The soul-piercing roars echoed through the broken door seams, like a reversed airflow or a terrifying sonic wave, shaking the steel bolts embedded in the iron door until they clattered to the ground.

The Ice Bees in the air immediately flew toward Wang Feng upon hearing the howls, not out of fear but to form a tight defensive circle around him, ready for battle.

*Tap, tap...*

The footsteps should have been faint, but the sound of claws scraping against the ground was unmistakable. A ghost-tier presence surged forth, clearly belonging to a formidable creature. It stopped right before the iron door.

What the hell was this?

Old Wang focused intently, judging from the pressure that it was only at the Ghost Initial level. At the very least, his Insect God species felt slightly weaker than the shallowest thunder pressure on the Path of Ascension.

Man and beast stood silently on either side of the door for a few seconds—until suddenly, a torrent of hellfire blasted against the damaged gate, blowing the already weakened iron door wide open. With a *boom*, it slammed into the mountain wall, shaking the earth.

Standing five or six meters from the center of the doorway was a massive, flaming three-headed hellhound!

Hellfire!

The flames on the three-headed hound burned with an eerie, spectral blue hue, somewhat similar to Winnie’s evolved fire but far "lighter" in color—yet far more pure and terrifying.

Fire potency wasn't just about heat levels. Ordinary red flames, no matter how hot, only burned the surface. But this blue hellfire could sear the soul itself. Back then, Winnie had effortlessly annihilated the Ice Serpent King of the Beast Holy Sanctuary, making it dissipate instantly without any chance of recovery—all thanks to this trait. What made this thing terrifying wasn’t just its ghost-level strength, but the *grade* of its damage. Even if all the Ice Bees reached ghost level, they’d never stand a chance against this monstrosity.

"Awooo!"

The three-headed hound had spotted its prey encircled by Ice Bees. Standing atop the shattered iron door, it howled at the sky. In an instant, dust and debris swirled violently in the air, and for miles around, ghostly wails and mournful cries seemed to answer its call.

The hellhound’s six eyes locked onto Wang Feng, blue flames igniting within them.

Yet Old Wang just grinned, showing no sign of panic. Monsters always had moments of low IQ—maybe it had been locked up too long and just wanted to pounce on the first human it saw. But it couldn’t break free. The Six Paths Reincarnation barrier had it completely sealed in. An ordinary person might’ve fled in terror, but too bad—it had run into someone who knew the tricks. Back in his monster-slaying days, Old Wang *loved* exploiting these kinds of bugs.

No matter how intimidating its pose, Wang Feng treated it like hot air. While the beast was busy howling dramatically, he hit it with a simple Insect God Eye to disorient it. Meanwhile, the eighteen Ice Bees sprang into action—one carried him high into the air, fifteen formed the Ice Extreme Formation, encircling the hellhound from above with their stingers aimed at its three heads. The last two each held a Skyburst Grenade and a Skyshaker Bomb, ready to unleash both spiritual and physical damage.

By the time the three-headed hound finished its dramatic pose and its eyes flared with intent—only to find its target missing—every combat unit in the sky was already in position.

"Attack!" Old Wang snapped his fingers with flair.

The fifteen Ice Bees’ battle armor lit up simultaneously, their soul force threads intertwining in midair to form a massive snowflake pattern.

In an instant, the darkened sky filled with frost shards as the temperature plummeted!

A single Ice Bee was among the bottom-tier among spirit beasts—but their first advantage was agility, and their second was numbers.

Quantity breeds quality—an eternal truth. With the Ice Extreme Formation, their power multiplied exponentially. Now, the sky rained down ice spears, each capable of piercing even the hardest stone platform outside the gate!

The hellhound’s blue flames surged violently, rising seven or eight meters high as the intense heat clashed against the freezing cold. The blue fire tried to melt the incoming ice spears outright.

Truthfully, the hellhound’s flames and the ice spears weren’t even in the same league. The first volley of spears vaporized upon contact with the hellfire, Ice Extreme Formation or not. But Old Wang’s Ice Bees didn’t let up—the barrage was endless. Soon, the hellfire was forced to retreat, shrinking under the pressure. The massive amount of melted ice created thick mist—*exactly* what Old Wang wanted.

*BOOM!*

Amid the mist, deafening explosions erupted—the Skyburst Grenade and Skyshaker Bomb, dropped by the two maneuvering Ice Bees!

The dual assault of soul damage and physical damage would drive even the three-headed hellhound mad! Its defense was astonishing—even soul blasts couldn’t pierce its rough hide, let alone the flying steel pellets. But just like the Ice Bees' frost spikes, this was all about quantity...

Old Wang hovered in the air, acting as a live ammo supply for the two patrolling Ice Bees. Skyburst Grenades and Skyshaker Bombs? He had as many as needed!

Of course, this alone was far from enough. Whenever the three-headed hellhound tried to attack the bomb-carrying Ice Bees, Old Wang's Insect God Eye locked onto it, and the soul-devouring curse of the Insect God Eye would slam its focus with interference, causing the three-headed hellhound's flames to veer wildly off course.

The Soul-Devouring Curse was a tier above the Insect God's HeartDevouring Curse he had used back in Dragon City. But unlike back then, Old Wang no longer had to worry about running out of soul force.

Did people really think Old Wang dared challenge the Eight Holy Sanctuaries relying solely on Ice Bees and Puppets? None of his recent battles had even pushed him to his limits. But now, facing a Ghost Initial three-headed hellhound right off the bat, Old Wang could finally go all out.

The power of two Heavenly Soul Pearls wasn't just a simple one-plus-one equation—it wasn't just about the increase in soul force, but the formation of a self-sustaining internal cycle, endless and inexhaustible! The only thing limiting Old Wang now was the ceiling—the absolute limit of Tiger Peak! Within this realm, his soul force was boundless. He could cast Soul-Devouring Curses while eating hotpot and singing, all the way until the three-headed hellhound died of old age!

The relentless attacks began to create gaps in the three-headed hellhound's hellfire defense. Dense frost spikes exploited these openings, while Skyburst Grenades and Skyshaker Bombs littered the ground, bombarding the beast into agony. The enraged Ghost-level demonic beast thrashed helplessly, infuriated by the fact that its tormentor was right outside—yet bound by the barrier, it could do nothing.

Feeling the three-headed hellhound's frustration below, Old Wang knew victory was assured. Now, it was just a matter of time.

Truth be told, his preparations were only part of the equation. The real MVP was the Heavenly Soul Pearls. Without them, he truly couldn't have pulled this off.

He hadn't been idle during this time either, constantly researching and digging into information about the Heavenly Soul Pearls. Their most basic function was soul replenishment, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg. Each Heavenly Soul Pearl corresponded to a Spirit Beast—that's how the bond formed. And Old Wang had confirmed that the Nine-Eyed Heavenly Pearl was likely linked to the Nineheaded Dragon Hykula.