Volume Twelve: Invitation to Hell, Chapter Thirty-One: The Volcanic Hell

Upon arriving at Li Family Village, Yaoguang and her companions went straight to the village committee, where they inquired about the great forest fire that had occurred years ago.

The fire had started in the center of the forest. Because it happened in the early morning, no one noticed it until it was already raging. The weather had been dry and it was autumn, so the blaze spread rapidly. By the time military assistance arrived, the fire had already reached the perimeter. Eventually, the military dug firebreaks to extinguish the flames. The family that looked after the forest had died in that fire—a family of five, whose bodies were never even recovered. Later, when the Forestry Bureau investigated, they declared it a natural disaster.

"Master, what do you think?" Huo Mingkun asked.

"Let's find someone who knows the area well and go take a look at where that family lived," Yaoguang replied.

The village committee sent a young man familiar with the mountain trails to accompany them into the forest. The young man, Li Shu, claimed he was born in the woods.

"The trees in this forest were replanted by my father and the others after the fire. I was just a child then, but I still remember the towering flames and thick, rolling smoke. Because it was a wild forest, there were many small animals here; after that fire, many of them burned to death. It was such a tragedy," Li Shu said as they walked deeper into the woods. He continued, "The investigation after the fire concluded it was a natural disaster, and eventually, the matter was dropped. That family of five had no descendants left, and the compensation money seems to still be sitting with the neighborhood committee. They said that even if there are no heirs, they have to keep it for them."

"Do natural forest fires occur often here?" Yaoguang asked.

"Not really. We get enough rainfall. Even if one starts, it doesn't burn for long. It rains frequently, and the trees here are damp, so they don't catch fire easily," Li Shu explained.

Once inside the dense forest, it was impossible to maintain any sense of direction without a guide. Li Shu led them along a faint, barely visible path.

After walking for about an hour, they finally stopped on a small hillside. At the bottom of the slope sat a cabin made of logs.

"This cabin was rebuilt after the fire. The original one burned to ash. Come on, let's go inside and rest," Li Shu said, leading them in.

The cabin was simple but clean, stocked with rice, flour, oil, and salt. It appeared to be used as a temporary shelter.

"Ever since the forest fire, no one has been stationed here to watch the woods. The Forestry Bureau doesn't allow villagers to live in the forest anymore, saying it's too dangerous," Li Shu noted.

Yaoguang nodded without saying anything, stepping back outside to look around. She realized that this forest was far from ordinary; it was brimming with rich, spiritual energy.

Yaoguang pondered silently. How powerful could a forest fire be to burn five people until not a single shard of bone remained? This defied logic. To reduce human bones to powder, one would need the high-temperature furnace of a crematorium, and even then, teeth or bone fragments would remain. A forest fire would at most char the remains; it could never completely incinerate the bones.

Yaoguang walked around, trying to sense anything, but too much time had passed; she could not detect any lingering spirits.

*Oh, I should have brought Guodong,* she thought, feeling depressed as she looked at the endless, sprawling forest.

"Meow, have you missed me?" While Yaoguang was lost in thought, a fluffy ball crawled onto her head.

"Guodong?! How did you get here?" Yaoguang grabbed the little black cat from her head and rubbed it against her face. What a timely arrival!

"Daddy said you were in trouble, so he brought me here. Meow," Guodong said, licking Yaoguang's face.

Yaoguang looked up and saw the male immortal standing not far away.

"What are you looking for?" the male immortal asked as he approached.

"The bones of five people who died over a dozen years ago," Yaoguang said. "They supposedly died in a massive forest fire, but their remains were never found. I suspect they weren't burned to nothing by the fire, but rather disposed of to hide the evidence. Only by finding them can we uncover the truth."

"Very well, I understand. Guodong, come here." The male immortal held out his hand. Guodong gave a reassuring gesture with its tiny paw before darting toward him. Moments later, the two figures vanished into the layered shadows of the woods.

Yaoguang smiled and returned to the cabin, helping the others boil water and prepare some food.

"Meow!" As they were cleaning up, the door swung open. Guodong rushed in like a gust of wind and landed on Yaoguang's head. Just as it was about to speak, it noticed Li Shu nearby and switched to telepathy: "Meow, I found traces ten meters behind the cabin. There are human bones underneath. Daddy is guarding the spot."

Yaoguang stood up. "Follow me."

The group immediately followed Yaoguang to the designated spot. She pointed to a small clearing and commanded, "Dig here."

Huo Mingkun did not hesitate. He took the shovel Li Shu handed him and began to dig. When they reached a depth of nearly seven or eight meters, a human bone was exposed. The other men joined in to dig further.

Eventually, the human remains, encased in soil, were unearthed. The bones were charred black, clear evidence of fire.

"Tianyou, call Lele and the others," Yaoguang said. She began to piece the bones together. There were five skeletons: three adults and two children. Based on the pelvic joints, the adults were two males and one female, and the children were a boy and a girl.

"This is why there were no remains left behind. What kind of forest fire burns seven or eight meters deep into the earth?" Xuanchen said, staring at the large pit. "These people were likely murdered."

"Murdered? By whom?" Li Shu asked, astonished.

"By the people who set the forest on fire," Xuanchen replied.

Over an hour later, Lele and Chenchen arrived and began a preliminary forensic examination. Sure enough, they discovered clues.

"These people didn't die in the fire. They were murdered. There are several marks left by a sharp weapon on the ribs of the three adults, including a stab wound to the heart. The two children have slashes from bottom to top on their collarbones, likely throat-slittings. I found no traces of soot in their cranial cavities, meaning they were killed first and then cremated," Lele said, standing up.

"Murdered, cremated, and then buried. Cremation requires a large amount of wood, likely gathered on-site, but because it was poorly handled, it started a forest fire. That explains everything. Now, the only question is: what was the motive? I sensed earlier that this forest is not simple; it's not just an ordinary patch of trees," Yaoguang said, looking around. She turned to Li Shu and asked, "Li Shu, are there any legends about this forest?"

"Legends? Well, yes. There's a rumor that a treasure is buried here. Many have come to search for it, but they all left empty-handed," Li Shu said.

"Do you know the location of this treasure?" Yaoguang asked.

"It's in the Mountain Gorge. It's very far, and wild beasts roam there. People from our village have tried to go, but no one ever came back," Li Shu replied.

"I see," Yaoguang said. She looked at Chen Haixu and said, "We need to ask the victims themselves; otherwise, no one will ever know what really happened."

Chen Haixu nodded. They returned to the cabin as night began to fall.

Yaoguang glanced at Chen Haixu, who flicked his gaze toward Li Shu. A beam of light struck the young man, and he slumped over instantly. "Let him sleep. There are some things he shouldn't know."

Yaoguang nodded, and the group followed her outside.

In the clearing, Yaoguang set up a simple ritual circle around the five skeletons and began a soul-summoning ceremony. These people had died unjustly and their spirits must still be lingering in the forest. Once found, they would reveal the truth.

The ceremony began, and the soul-summoning banner fluttered in the wind. Summoning spirits in the deep mountains was tricky, as it often attracted other entities. Soon enough, various mountain spirits and wild monsters appeared, but seeing the golden light radiating from Yaoguang, they dared not approach.

To Yaoguang's frustration, the ritual even drew the local Mountain God. Seeing the green-faced, fanged deity, she sighed. *Forget it, no need to summon them.* She decided to ask the Mountain God directly.

"Who goes there?" the Mountain God asked, glaring at them.

Yaoguang did not waste words; she revealed her true form. The Mountain God was stunned by her divine attire and moved to bow, but Yaoguang stopped him.

"Divine Venerable, what is it you wish to know?" the Mountain God asked.

"Where are the souls of these five people, and what caused the fire all those years ago?" Yaoguang asked.

"The souls have cultivated into spirits of this mountain. I shall fetch them for you." The Mountain God vanished, returning moments later followed by five shadows. Yaoguang saw that they had become Earth Spirits.

"Greetings, Divine Venerable," said the group, which consisted of an elderly man, a young man, a young woman, and two children. They appeared as typical villagers.

"Are you the Zhang family who guarded the forest?" Yaoguang asked.

"I am Old Zhang," the elderly man said, bowing.

"Old man, you have suffered a great injustice. Your family was murdered, and no one spoke for you," Yaoguang said.

"You are too kind, Divine Venerable. It was our fate," Old Zhang said with a weary shake of his head.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Yaoguang asked.

"There is a legend of a treasure here. It isn't gold or silver; this was originally a virgin forest rich in rare medicinal herbs. The 'treasure' refers to the ginseng spirits. They are thousands of years old. My ancestors didn't live here to guard the trees, but to protect the ginseng spirits. It began long ago when a Taoist used sorcery to capture a ginseng spirit doll, binding it with a red thread so it couldn't escape. My ancestor found it and secretly cut the thread, letting the doll go. Afterward, we would find a ginseng root every day, which we sold to get by. Over time, thugs from the village caught on and forced my ancestors to reveal the secret. But those spirits are not easily caught, so the rumors of treasure spread. To keep the spirits safe, we stayed here generation after generation, using the guise of forest guards. The mountain doesn't actually need us; it's full of spirits and monsters, and those with malicious intent never leave alive.

"A dozen years ago, four men—Yang Luo, Yang Cheng, Yang He, and Yang Ruo—arrived. They had heard rumors and, upon entering the mountains, tied us up and demanded the location of the ginseng spirits. We refused, so they killed us. We became wandering spirits, but because we were friends with the mountain's creatures, our souls were protected. Those men cut down trees to burn us and buried our bones in that pit. But they left without extinguishing the fire, which sparked the blaze you heard about. After the incident, their relative, the village chief Yang Jiu, found out and contacted Yang Hai and Yang Qin at the Forestry Bureau. Those two beasts used their connections to suppress the investigation, declaring it a natural disaster, and our family was said to have died in the fire," Old Zhang sighed. "The fire devastated the mountain, and it has only recovered in recent years. We decided to create disturbances to convince the villagers that monsters were here, so no one would enter the woods again. That was how we protected this place."

"So that is what happened. Uncle Zhang, you can rest easy now. Those seven men are dead; they were killed by the fire-poison worms," Yaoguang said with a sigh.

"I suppose it is the cycle of karma. So be it," Old Zhang murmured.

"Though you are Earth Spirits, you are still ghosts. Do you wish to be reincarnated, or do you want to stay in this forest?" Yaoguang asked.

"We do not wish to leave," Old Zhang sighed. "Our ancestors have been in this forest for generations; we cannot bear to depart."

Yaoguang nodded. With a surge of spiritual energy, she enveloped the five spirits in light. "By my divinity, I grant you legitimacy. Cultivate with a sincere heart, perform good deeds, and harbor no malice. On the day your merit is complete, may you ascend."

Under the golden light, the spirits of the Zhang family shed their ghostly aura, becoming clear and pure.

"Uncle Zhang, I leave the protection of this forest to your family," Yaoguang said, withdrawing her energy.

After offering their thanks, the Zhang family vanished into the depths of the forest.

Back at the cabin, Chen Haixu woke Li Shu. The young man blinked, confused. "Why did I fall asleep?"

"You were exhausted. Let's go. Li Shu, tell your committee to build a proper tomb for the Zhang family. It is a tragedy they were murdered," Yaoguang said.

Li Shu didn't understand at first, but when he walked outside and saw the bones on the ground, he turned pale. "Is this the Zhang family?"

Yaoguang nodded. "We came here for them. They were murdered by Yang Luo, Yang Cheng, Yang He, and Yang Ruo. Yang Jiu covered it up as village chief, and Yang Hai and Yang Qin were guilty of dereliction of duty. Retribution has finally caught up with them."

Back at Li Family Village, the chief used the compensation money to build a respectable tomb. He told the villagers that the family were heroes and to honor their memory when visiting the graves.

Returning to Tianjian, the group fell silent. To kill and burn for wealth that wasn't theirs—a hell of fire was indeed a fitting end for those seven.

The seven were truly detestable, while the fate of the Zhang family was heartbreaking.

Yaoguang looked gloomily at the fire-poison worms on her desk. The Ghost Market—this time, the game was going to be big.

The Sixteenth Level of Hell: The Volcano Hell.