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[BL] THE VILLAIN'S NEXT LIFETIME
CHAPTER 2: UNDERWORLD, LOST IN THE DESERT (1)

CHAPTER 2: UNDERWORLD, LOST IN THE DESERT (1)

Before he closed his eyes, he heard something, a pitiful voice, mingled with the deafening chaos of the explosion, amidst all that, he could still make it out clearly, unmistakably, the voice was just calling out for his name.

In his previous life, his name was never called out like that by anyone, genuine, immensely suffering and tremendously agony, like a desperate cry for aid from a distant abyss, and like a tragic scream echoing from the mountains and heavens, that will never get a reply, it's so sad only to hear.

That sound he couldn't forget pulled him up from his slumber.

Was he dead? It appeared so. Because this place was clearly not on earth, this was the afterlife. And he was lying on a gentle dark gray ash slope, his body almost completely covered in scorching dry sand. There was nothing but sand at his feet and nothing else even beyond that.

The sand extended for thousands of miles with no end in sight, not a single tree or blade of grass to assist him to feel the presence of life, or at the very least guide him. He felt as if he were trapped in a void with no way out, but that was just the brutality of the underworld.

The primordial spirits, regardless of the person or what species, regardless of status and occupations, rich or poor, strong or weak, old or young, once dead, would be brought to this realm, Yin Ti, a second world that existed parallel to the world of living creatures, managed and governed by the Yin Ti Emperor.

In addition, Yin Ti Officials, who carried the book of life and death, would aid and accompanied the Emperor through all trials, together they formed a Yin Ti Council or an Underworld Council, who would make the final judgments for the reincarnation of one soul.

A regular soul could not view the location where they live with mortal sight, it was only available to the officials who were personally selected by the Yin Ti emperor himself. These chosen people, soon to be a Yin Ti officials, as soon as they descended into the underworld and open their eyes, they would be able to witness instantly a majestic grand palace standing tall and still, yet filled with a cold, murky air that is haunting and deathly, making people's neck and back shiver.

Binh An was not lucky enough to be chosen as an official, worse, he was not even picked up by an Underworld Guard, scheming his route to the Path of Life. When he first opened his eyes, he saw himself lost in a sea of desert with no way out, just like a man floating in the middle of a vast ocean, battling to die on his own. He can even fall to be a valuable prey for the monsters lurking at the bottom of the underworld, which haven't had a single meal for thousands of years.

Guess it was how it should be.

He threw himself into the yin and yang chasm, expecting that his soul would be completely dispersed, even a shattered piece of soul would also be crushed into a fine powder, yet, he still descended here as a whole spiritual soul with only small tears in some places. It was certainly a miracle that is practically impossible to happen.

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He looked at himself for a bit, even though he only existed as a soul, the feeling of flesh and blood was still very vivid, no wonder he had seen the image of human souls being tortured by the devils to the point where red blood was flooding around, others having their bones pulled out, hands and tongues cut off, heads were hanging on a sphere with their eyes socket emptied.

Yet back then, he didn’t think any of those images were real, only a little bit exaggerated to scare off children. Now he started to fear for this soul of his being too susceptible.

Binh An crossed his legs, propped his hands on the ground behind his back, and looks up at the sky. It is said that when being lost, you could look up at the sky to navigate home, it seemed that this skill was not useful in the underworld.

The sky here never changed, even in the morning, noon, afternoon, or evening, it's a gray color with a hint of blood red, with clouds of fierce forms rolling up from time to time, interspersed with scorching, deadly water droplets.

If it fell on a person, that person's soul would be riddled with holes like a honeycomb, but, there was no place to remain out here, once you were abandoned in this desert, whether or not you would be able to find a way out, depended entirely on luck, for most of the time, this was the end for a soul.

In this situation, one should have been apprehensive and panicked trying to find a way to the Path Of Life, however, for some reason, at this moment, presenting only a person and a vast lifeless land, the mood was somewhat serene and peaceful. At the very least, there was no sound of the chase, obscenities, yelling, mayhem, or that person's cold, uncaring eyes.

Now thinking back, himself and that person were initially two polar opposites, like yin and yang, like water and fire, unable to coexist, as a result, when they got close to each other, only one of them could survive. It was obvious that they couldn't have been together in their previous life, therefore, they shouldn't meet again in this next life.

So… what should he do next?

Should he keep on sitting here, waiting for the monsters of hell to sniff and track him, or should he get up and look for The Path Of Life?

In the end, Binh An decided that he would give up and breathe his last moment lying down here.

If he were fortunate enough to discover the Path Of Life, he would also have to stand trial before the Yin Ti council for all the crimes he had committed in previous lives, not knowing what they would reincarnate him into the next life, he might end up as a pig kept in captivity and ready for slaughter, or he might be ants and bugs that are unintentionally and ruthlessly tramped.

Whatever the options, the outcomes wouldn't be encouraging. Therefore, it was better to close your eyes, took a nap for a short while, and stopped thinking about those trivial thoughts that will exhaust one’s mind.

Binh An did as he reasoned, lying on the sand with one leg resting on the other knee, both hands supporting the back of his neck, and his eyes closed, allowing the scorching gusts to pierce his skin and body. Even though he made an effort to block everything out, the pungent smell wafted into his acrid nose, along with the screeching sound in his ears.