Xu Yi and the other two, though convinced that the Feng Qingyang before them was real, still tested him cautiously multiple times.
Finally, Xu Yi produced the Spirit Demon Pearl, and only after confirming the other party had no demonic energy did the three explain Feng Qingyang's situation and clear Xiao Qi's name.
Feng Qingyang listened, dumbfounded.
"I knew it! That's why Xiao Qi suddenly attacked me; it was a fake!"
"Indeed. Fortunately, you reacted quickly and dodged. One can only wonder if others were as lucky as you."
"Hey, Xu Yi, that's not right," Feng Qingyang retorted indignantly. "It wasn't luck; it was skill!"
"Yes, yes, of course," Xu Yi agreed perfunctorily, then urged him to move forward quickly, as she could hardly bear it any longer.
Feng Qingyang also began to feel unwell. This accursed place was too cold.
He exhaled two streams of cold air and quickly moved to Xiong Zhuangzhuang's side, huddling close to him.
The four walked forward rapidly. The chill gradually receded, and their frozen bodies slowly regained sensation.
The four breathed a sigh of relief, but as they walked further, they sensed something was amiss.
The cold was gone, but why did they feel progressively hotter?
The four, who had been huddled together tightly, now separated, maintaining at least an arm's length between them. Yet, even so, they were all sweating profusely.
All four of them were Nascent Soul cultivators; normal temperature fluctuations would not affect them. Their reactions, therefore, precisely indicated the strangeness of this place.
A sense of foreboding settled upon Xu Yi and the other three.
As expected, before long, a dazzling red light appeared before their eyes.
This was followed by an even more scorching airflow.
"Let's not go further."
Feng Qingyang took out a folding fan from his storage bag and fanned himself incessantly.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang glared at him. "Choose between dying of heat or cold."
"Then I'd rather freeze to death!"
Feng Qingyang declared stubbornly, but seeing the angry glares from the other three, he immediately backed down. "I was just saying. Let's pick up the pace and get out of this place quickly; it's too strange."
Xu Yi remained silent, her gaze fixed on the flickering red light ahead, a premonition dawning in her heart.
Indeed, as they approached, a blazing volcano appeared in their sight.
The volcano emitted billows of black smoke, and crimson lava flowed windingly upon it. The scorching heat caused the air to distort.
The sweat beads on Xu Yi and the others' faces evaporated the moment they detached, turning into wisps of white vapor.
"Three mountains, three ultimate perils. Why would Ancestor Yi Cheng's personal space contain such peculiar existences?" Xu Yi pondered internally, confused.
She suddenly recalled that the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect had told her that Ancestor Yi Cheng practiced the Hellish Buddha Path.
Could these scenes be related to the Buddha Path practiced by Ancestor Yi Cheng?
After thinking for a long while, Xu Yi decided to ask Hong Jing about it when she saw him, believing he would surely provide an answer.
"Xu Yi, hurry up! Why are you still standing there like an idiot?"
Seeing Xu Yi lingering, Feng Qingyang urged her anxiously.
He couldn't stand being in this infernal place for another moment.
"Coming."
Xu Yi replied, abandoning her thoughts, and quickly caught up with the other three.
After passing the volcano, Xu Yi expected to see more peculiar mountains.
However, she was mistaken. They then encountered all sorts of bizarre scenes.
Steaming baskets the size of palaces, exuding hot vapor; blood-stained stone mortars; red-hot bronze pillars...
The steps of Xu Yi and the other three grew heavier.
They finally realized that these were all cruel tortures, each capable of making one wish for death but unable to achieve it.
Although they had not experienced them personally, the sight filled them with dread and made their hearts pound.
Their confusion was finally resolved upon meeting Hong Jing.
"This is the Avici Hell, also known as the eighteen levels of hell, where the Ancestor converts demons."
Hong Jing's prayer beads spun in his hand, and his face bore a look of compassion. In this place filled with the stench of blood, it seemed somewhat eerie.
"Wait, eighteen levels of hell? But there's only one level here," Feng Qingyang asked, bewildered.
"The 'levels' in the eighteen levels of hell are not literal layers but divisions based on the duration of punishment. The more evil one has committed, the longer the punishment will last."
Hong Jing's tone remained calm, but the others felt a chill creep down their spines.
"Don't Buddhist cultivators advocate for compassion? Why would they use such severe punishments?"
This time, the question came from Yu Xiaoyu.
She was delicate and sensitive, prone to empathy. Seeing those scenes, she sometimes had a momentary illusion of being the one being punished, nearly collapsing from weak knees.
This place was too terrifying.
She couldn't understand why Buddhist cultivators, who championed peace, would also possess such a cruel side.
"Human nature is inherently good, while demonic nature is inherently evil. The Dharma saves humans, while hell punishes demons."
These few words from Hong Jing were the teachings of countless ancestors, bought with their blood and flesh.
The onlookers' eyes showed understanding.
Yu Xiaoyu also lowered her head in shame.
She had been too naive.
When dealing with demons, extraordinary measures were naturally required.
By this time, Xu Yi's group had grown to eight people.
Except for Lu Zaiye and Bei Xinghan, everyone had arrived.
Furthermore, after probing by Xu Yi and Xiong Zhuangzhuang, it was confirmed that those present were their true selves, with no impostors.
This led them to wonder if the fake ones were unable to enter this place.
On the seventeenth level of hell, Xu Yi and the others finally encountered Lu Zaiye and Bei Xinghan, and unexpectedly, another person – Wan Yanxue.
The three stood in a triangular formation, their faces etched with identical cold expressions.
The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere between them dissolved abruptly upon the arrival of Xu Yi and the others.
"So you were here."
Xu Yi said with a smile to the two, completely ignoring Wan Yanxue.
Upon seeing them, Bei Xinghan and Lu Zaiye naturally walked over and stood with Xu Yi.
Wan Yanxue was naturally isolated.
Feeling neglected, she cast a faint glance, her eyes finally resting on Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
"Senior Sister Wan Yan."
Although Xiong Zhuangzhuang didn't have much affection for Wan Yanxue, he still paid his respects out of consideration for their sect.
Wan Yanxue nodded with dignified composure, her cold, beautiful face displaying disapproval.
"I told you not to come. Why didn't you listen?"
Her voice, like her person, was cold and indifferent, carrying an arrogance she herself didn't notice.
Before entering Kunlun Academy, she had been the absolute authority, Senior Sister Wan Yan of the Beast Taming Sect, and no one dared to defy her decisions.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's failure to heed her advice displeased her.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Sister Wan Yan. This secret realm expedition was decided by all ten of us, and I don't believe we would truly be in danger."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang had also lost his patience.
Wan Yanxue might be overbearing, but he, Xiong Zhuangzhuang, would not yield.
He was, after all, the young sect master of the Beast Taming Sect.