Chapter 116: Born in Hell

Wan's expression changed instantly. Looking as though the sky had fallen, his face flushed red with panic. "N-No, Lord Envoy! Please, give me another chance! I haven't finished speaking!"

"Speak."

"Hell lies beneath the surface. It is the dwelling place of humanity and the nightmares. Extremely wicked evil gods are also hidden within it. Those Snakefolk just now were the offspring of the Snake God, which likes to lay its eggs on rock walls."

The Snake God? Laying eggs? Was that massive eye just now merely the Snake God's egg?

"Heaven lies above the surface. It is the most beautiful place in the world, with a sun that never extinguishes and an eternal starry sky. There, no one suffers from worry or sorrow. You can enjoy ultimate bliss, listen to God's teachings, and never experience sickness, aging, or death."

Su Mu believed Wan was telling the truth, but a fanatic's truth always carried too much artistic embellishment. Such a perfect place simply did not exist. Only one part of that statement was reliable: Heaven lay above the surface, and Hell lay below.

This confirmed his earlier deduction that the Nightmare World was located underground. But why did Nightmares exist beneath the earth? And how were the Nightmare Apostles born? More and more questions surged in his mind.

"Then why are you in Hell?"

Wan froze, seemingly surprised by the question, but he still answered honestly, "People are born in Hell."

"Your ancestors have been in Hell for generations?"

Wan nodded, a touch of bitterness rising in his chest. The envoy's question reminded him of the time a Primal Cultist had asked a beggar: "If you have no food, why not eat meat?"

The envoy gave him the exact same feeling right now. This was probably why those who lived in Heaven would never understand the suffering of Hell. Why were they in Hell? If they could go to Heaven, who would choose to stay here? It was simply because they couldn't reach it.

"Yes, Lord Envoy. And it is not just my ancestors—everyone in Hell is the same. This is the birthplace of humanity, while Heaven is God's paradise. People are born with sin, and only by devoutly believing in the Primal Angel and washing away our sins can we ascend to Heaven."

Filtering out Wan's religious embellishments, Su Mu grasped the general picture. Humanity had lived in Hell for so long that the surface above had become the legendary Heaven, used by the church as propaganda for its faith.

Does the Real World truly hide gods? he wondered. Are gods actually products of nightmares?

Or is what they say the actual truth? Could the first humans really have originated underground?

Su Mu made this assumption because they had no trouble communicating. They were speaking the common Federation language used by humans in the Real World. This suggested that both realms belonged to the same world—the Real World was on the surface, and the Nightmare World was underground. He just didn't know whether humanity's true origin lay above or below.

Fascinating!

"The environment in Hell is so harsh. What do you normally eat? Where do you live?"

Wan grew even more certain that this envoy came from Heaven. Only someone from a pure land of ultimate bliss, completely free from hunger and want, could ask a question so ignorant of mortal suffering.

"To answer you, Lord Envoy, we live within dreams. Countless Nightmares are hidden within this endless Black Fog. Their outer layer acts as a dream barrier that shields against the Black Fog and the prying eyes of evil gods. They look like translucent bubbles and serve as the habitats of nightmares. Some of these bubbles are suitable for human survival, possessing false sunlight and land, while others are absolute death traps. The humans of Hell survive by exploring and occupying these dreams.

"The headquarters of the Primal Divine Cult is located inside one such dream. It is the largest known dream explored by humanity, capable of housing tens of millions of people!"

But the more Wan answered, the more questions Su Mu had.

"Have you seen anyone from Heaven before?" Su Mu asked. He figured that since these people lived within the Nightmares, it was entirely possible they had encountered Nightmare Apostles—who they would consider to be people from Heaven.

To his surprise, Wan shook his head. "Never. Humanity designated the area we occupy as the center of Hell, dividing Hell into five major prisons: North, South, East, West, and Middle. We only occupy the Middle Prison, and we haven't even fully explored it yet. There are legends of people from Heaven appearing in the other prisons, but no one has ever seen them with their own eyes."

"And where are we now?"

"Eastern Hell. The Pope believes the Middle Prison does not contain an entrance to Heaven, so he sends exploration teams into the other four domains every year to search for one. Very few ever make it back alive. But this time is different!" Wan's expression suddenly turned feverishly fanatical.

"This time, we found you, Lord Envoy! You will guide devout believers to Heaven! Lord Envoy, please return to the Primal Divine Cult with us. The Pope will be absolutely overjoyed to see you."

Su Mu smiled faintly. Overjoyed enough to kill me, probably.

Just as he was about to decline, the expression of one of the white-robed cultists drastically changed. With a faint glow radiating from his eyes, the man stared fixedly at the Black Fog behind the group. "Lord Envoy," he urged frantically, "the evil god's offspring are catching up! We must hurry back to the Primal Divine Cult!"

"We can't go back right now. It is at least a half-year journey from here to the cult," Wan said, his face etched with anxiety as he hurriedly shielded Su Mu behind himself. "The Snake God's offspring are notoriously relentless. Once they lock onto their prey, they almost never give up. We would never reach the cult in time."

"Our only option is to find the nearest dream to hide in and wait for the offspring to disperse before resuming our journey! Everyone, the time to test whether you can ascend to Heaven has arrived! If you die protecting the Lord Envoy, the great Primal Angel will surely guide your souls to Heaven!"

At these words, the dozen or so white-robed cultists instantly turned rabid with zeal, practically scrambling over one another to volunteer.

"I'll cover the rear!"

"Me too! I will gladly lay down my life for the Lord Envoy!"

"Piss off! What gives you the right? I've been in the cult the longest. If anyone is sacrificing their life, it's me first!" an elderly white-robed man shouted, roughly shoving the others aside.

Seeing that they were about to start infighting, Wan immediately picked three people to stay behind, putting an end to the argument.

The three chosen men acted as if they had just been handed tickets to Heaven. There was no trace of fear on their faces, only boundless ecstasy.

The rest of the cultists stared at them with intense envy, their faces filled with jealousy.

Soon, guided by the group, Su Mu was seated back on the Stone Seat and carried away.

"Hiss..."

The hissing roars of the Snakefolk echoed from afar. Visibly, more and more Snakefolk were pouring out of the Black Fog, stampeding madly toward the group.

The three white-robed men left behind screamed at the top of their lungs, "Praise the Primal Angel! Sacrifice!!"

The next moment—slash!

The three white-robed men drew their daggers and viciously slashed their own wrists. Blood instantly gushed out. Using their blood, the three of them drew ghostly, talisman-like arrays at their feet. Then, letting their blood flow freely, they began chanting in an inhuman, babbling tongue.

Boom! Three pillars of scorchingly bright flame erupted from the arrays beneath their feet. Enveloped in the holy fire, their bodies steadily giving off the stench of charred flesh, the three white-robed men charged fearlessly into the Snakefolk army!