Returning to the entrance of the mourning hall, he recounted the recent events to Fang Bahua. Fang Bahua took the business card, his expression darkening, and said to Chen Jiuyang in a grave tone, "Young Master, you should have as little contact with this woman as possible!"
Chen Jiuyang asked, confused, "Why?"
"The Yao Group is not something to be trifled with. This woman is a harbinger of disaster."
"A beauty bringing misfortune leads to no good end. Young Master, it's possible this woman's birth chart is problematic; she either brings ruin to her husband or her family."
Chen Jiuyang's face turned pale. Such a stunning beauty was someone he couldn't interact with much.
Before Chen Jiuyang could ponder further, Fang Bahua returned the business card, his face solemn. "Young Master, dawn has broken. It's time for the coffin to be moved!"
His father had to be carried out of the mourning hall and to the grave!
The rooster crowed with the dawn, and as the hour of Chen arrived.
His father had to be buried!
As Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath and stood up, the seven paper effigies, which had been stabilized by the wind, spontaneously combusted.
Fang Bahua roared, "Young Master, the auspicious hour has arrived!"
As his voice faded, a fierce gale swept around Chen Jiuyang's body.
Chen Jiuyang walked to the front of the coffin. Fang Bahua stood at the entrance of the mourning hall, holding Chen Jianmin's black and white photograph.
"Young Master, once you leave the mourning hall, no matter what happens, you must not look back until the old patriarch is in the grave."
Chen Jiuyang's heart grew more uneasy. He said, "I understand!"
Chen Jiuyang shouldered the coffin and roared, "Move!"
In the unseen realm, Chen Jiuyang felt an inexplicable surge of strength, and the coffin was lifted onto his shoulders!
Then, Fang Bahua walked out of the mourning hall. The moment Chen Jiuyang stepped out with the coffin on his back,
"Wuwuwuwu!"
A gust of Yin wind assailed Chen Jiuyang, like the wail of ghosts, making him shiver and tense up.
As Chen Jiuyang carried the coffin out of the courtyard, he saw villagers lining both sides of the road. Huang Dahu, whom Chen Jiuyang had beaten earlier, was among them.
Huh? I beat him? Wasn't it Uncle Fang?
A trace of confusion surfaced in Chen Jiuyang's mind, but he quickly refocused on the task at hand.
As Chen Jiuyang passed by Huang Dahu, Huang Dahu spoke, "Little brat, if I let you be buried peacefully today, then my name isn't Huang Dahu."
Chen Jiuyang instinctively wanted to turn back, but he managed to stop himself just in time. Gritting his teeth, Chen Jiuyang followed Fang Bahua's steps forward, crossing the road and heading towards the mountain. Then, a terrifying thing happened.
From the ground, countless colorful venomous snakes emerged. Hundreds, even thousands, of snakes appeared before Chen Jiuyang, making his scalp tingle and filling him with dread.
A single bite from any one of these snakes would kill him.
If so many snakes attacked him simultaneously, it would be a disaster of ten thousand snakes devouring his heart. Throughout history, only King Zhou had ever done such a thing.
Huang Dahu stood by the roadside, laughing maniacally, "What I, Huang Dahu, say, I do! Little brat, just wait to die, hahahahaha!"
Chen Jiuyang gritted his teeth, his anger surging. He wished he could drop the coffin right then and kill Huang Dahu. How had his family offended him to warrant such malice?
Fang Bahua, still holding the photograph, said, "Young Master, as long as you don't step on these snakes, they won't attack you and the others. Rest assured."
"...I understand," Chen Jiuyang said bitterly. But with so many densely packed venomous snakes, the path was practically blocked. Chen Jiuyang didn't even have a place to step.
However, he couldn't just stand still, as it would delay his father's burial. Chen Jiuyang could only brace himself and move his feet forward, inching his way along.
Just as Chen Jiuyang was bracing himself to ascend the mountain, several venomous snakes climbed onto Fang Bahua's body, coiling around him and preventing him from moving forward.
At this moment, a triangular-headed viper coiled around Chen Jiuyang's leg. This made Chen Jiuyang tremble all over, a chill surging from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and cold sweat poured down.
And at this very moment, a venomous snake coiled around Chen Jiuyang's body.
Don't bite me, I'll pretend you don't exist, Chen Jiuyang muttered to himself.
But this venomous snake coiled around Chen Jiuyang's neck. Its terrifying, ferocious head hovered near Chen Jiuyang's ear, flicking its tongue.
This made Chen Jiuyang's scalp tingle, and he gasped, drawing in a breath of cold air.
Huang Dahu stood by the roadside, sneering, "Do you know how formidable I am now, little brat? If you can get the old man buried, I'll admit defeat. It's a pity, I just don't know if you can endure the feeling of being entwined by snakes."
Chen Jiuyang's skin crawled with goosebumps. He didn't even dare to open his mouth, fearing that a venomous snake would burrow into it, which would surely kill him, even if he survived the initial ordeal.
At this moment, another venomous snake coiled around Chen Jiuyang's body. Its three-finger-wide body coiled around Chen Jiuyang's head, blocking his eyes, and then it opened its gaping maw and lunged to bite him.
"Hiss—"
Bitten by the venomous snake, Chen Jiuyang's vitality weakened to the extreme. He felt his life force gradually draining away and slowly closed his eyes.
No, when had I, Chen Jiuyang, ever been such a coward?
On the brink of death, various doubts flooded Chen Jiuyang's mind. Then, a surge of unyielding defiance erupted—
"Rumble!"
All the scenes before his eyes dissipated.
Chen Jiuyang opened his eyes again, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his eyes still filled with lingering fear. "Feudal superstition, ghosts and spirits, the tragic death of parents, the departure of a beloved woman, revenge from enemies, and my own weakness."
"What a remarkable illusion array set up by a disciple of Confucius! It truly is extraordinary. It managed to draw out the fears hidden deep within my heart, which I myself was unaware of, then reversed my happy moments, weaving a false, terrifying world that almost perfectly fit the logic of my memories, and then overwrote my memories, trapping me within it without my knowledge."
"One fear after another accumulated and layered, and even I couldn't withstand it. Fortunately, my spirit and will were strong enough to endure this trial."
To be honest, Chen Jiuyang had not feared death when he faced it. But he feared these things.
People do not fear death, but there are things in this world more terrifying than death.
The things that appeared in this false memory were truly Chen Jiuyang's greatest fears.
Fortunately, he had persevered. Otherwise, he would have met the same fate as these people from the Heavenly King Alliance before him.
These members of the Heavenly King Alliance had died in this primeval forest, with no external injuries. Faced with their deepest fears, they had been scared to death.
This was more terrifying than the gates of hell.
To have set up such a terrifying gate of hell, how good must the inheritance left by this Martial Emperor realm expert be?
He hoped this inheritance was good enough, otherwise, Chen Jiuyang felt he had suffered a great loss.
The most terrifying experience of his life might have been what happened within this illusion.
After trekking through the primeval forest, the scene suddenly opened up, and a stone statue stood before him. With just one glance, Chen Jiuyang felt as if thousands of troops and horses were charging at him. The powerful, terrifying aura caused his expression to change drastically, and his bones creaked.