Chapter 148: Fully Awakened Divine Consciousness

Tied up with the monster-binding rope by Master Xuanzhe, the two netherhounds, Boss Ma and Niu Dahua, were now locked inside a room.

Huang Xianlin had originally intended to lock them in an iron cage and place them in the military camp for the soldiers to gawk at. However, upon hearing Zhang Xiaoyan relay Master Xuanzhe’s words that they should not be subjected to public mockery, Huang Xianlin concluded that his martial uncle's arrangement must signify something profound. Such a directive suggested that the two monsters possessed qualities worthy of his martial uncle's respect. Consequently, Huang Xianlin had the two netherhounds locked away in a private room out of the sight of others.

"Didn't that old Daoist priest tell Huang Xianlin to lock us in a cage earlier? Why did he suddenly change his mind and shut us in a room instead?" Niu Dahua growled in a low bark.

"I have no idea either. According to that woman named Zhang Xiaoyan, it was the old Daoist's idea. He said not to cage us and not to let others mock us. Could this be his way of showing us some respect? Fortunately, we were locked up in this house; otherwise, if we were left outside, those soldiers would surely humiliate us!" Boss Ma barked softly in response.

"You're right! — Boss Ma, my stomach is rumbling! I feel rather uncomfortable, and weak all over. What is going on?"

"Me too. When we used to keep watch at the Netherworld All-Things Transit Consultation Office, I never felt this way. Why is our body acting like this now that we've come to the mortal realm?"

"I don't know either. Could it be because we haven't been to the mortal realm for a long time, and this sudden transition has made us unaccustomed to it?"

"My stomach is growling louder and louder, and there's a constant urge in my mind to bite into something and swallow it down into my belly! —"

"I suddenly remember. This feeling we have now is because we are hungry. That's why we feel this way! Because upon returning to the mortal realm, we have reverted to the natural instincts of mortal animals! We were originally canine living beings, living creatures with souls. All living creatures with souls will get hungry, and when they are hungry, they want to eat food to fill their bellies, otherwise they won't have the strength to support their bodies, let alone..."

"I seem to smell a familiar scent, and this familiar scent seems to be drifting toward us!"

"I smell it too! It's the scent of our master!" Boss Ma barked happily and lowly. " — It's very likely that our master has woken up and is coming to find us! That's wonderful, our master has finally regained consciousness..."

" — It really is master's scent — ! Boss Ma, master has finally woken up! The scent is getting stronger and stronger!" Niu Dahua blurted out, unable to contain itself, and began to bite at the monster-binding rope tying it up. "Boss Ma, what kind of rope did this old Daoist and his soldiers use to tie us? The more I bite it, the tighter it pulls —"

Boss Ma also opened its jaws, attempting to bite through the rope, but the rope binding it behaved just like Niu Dahua's—the more it struggled, the tighter the rope automatically constricted.

"It's the same here! Damn rope, we want to go out and welcome our master, but we can't even move! — Woof — woof — woof woof woof!" Realizing it could not bite through the rope, Boss Ma let out a loud bark, hoping to use the sound to tell its master, Wei Xiaoping, that they were locked up here.

"Woof — woof — woof! Woof woof woof..." Niu Dahua also began to bark loudly.

Before long, hurried and disorderly footsteps could be heard approaching the room where the netherhounds were confined.

The door swung open, and Master Xuanzhe walked in first, closely followed by Wei Xiaoping, Huang Xianlin, and Zhang Xiaoyan. Because the doorway was somewhat narrow, Big Yellow could not fit inside and waited outside.

Boss Ma and Niu Dahua stared fixedly at Wei Xiaoping as he walked in from behind Master Xuanzhe, utterly astounded by his current appearance.

The Master General Wei Xiaoping before their eyes was completely different from the image they had seen in the netherworld; it was a difference as vast as heaven and earth!

Although the facial structure of General Wei Xiaoping in the netherworld had been similarly handsome, his head back then had a slightly flattened shape, and his complexion and skin tone were grayish-white.

As for Wei Xiaoping now in the mortal realm, his head was oval-shaped, and his complexion was rosy—a healthy, glowing white suffused with a natural flush. He looked extremely handsome and robust!

The tails of Boss Ma and Niu Dahua wagged back and forth incessantly as if connected to clockwork springs. Their respective sets of three dog heads faced Wei Xiaoping, their eyes filled with vibrant light as they gazed at him, occasionally letting out loud whimpers, sticking out their tongues, and panting heavily, completely manifesting their profound joy.

Wei Xiaoping stared intently at the two netherhounds before him, as if he could hardly believe his own eyes. Could this be real? Were these two three-headed monstrous dogs in front of him real? Were they truly the very same netherhounds that guarded the All-Things Transit Consultation Office, which he had dreamt of during his period of unconsciousness?

At that moment, all of Wei Xiaoping's consciousness fully reverted to its former state. He rapidly recalled everything he had witnessed in his dream within the netherworld, starting from his initial observations at the All-Things Transit Consultation Office.

During the time Wei Xiaoping had been injured and unconscious, in order to treat him, Master Xuanzhe, Big Yellow, Zhang Xiaoyan, and Huang Xianlin's master, Master Xuanwu, had each infused their own primordial vital energy into Wei Xiaoping. This caused his inner vital breath to recover rapidly, his wounds to heal swiftly, and his physical stamina and martial prowess to increase manifold. His conscious and cognitive functions had also swiftly returned to their original state, even exceeding their previous operational speed by severalfold. Prior to his injury, Wei Xiaoping's speed of recalling past events was one hundred frames per second; ever since receiving the infusion of vital energy from Master Xuanzhe, Big Yellow, Zhang Xiaoyan, and Master Xuanwu, his capacity for recollection had expanded from one hundred frames per second to several hundred frames per second.

Wei Xiaoping's mind rapidly reviewed everything he had seen in the netherworld, including all the records of his past lives that he had looked up while at the All-Things Transit Consultation Office.

In less time than it takes to finish a bowl of water, Wei Xiaoping recalled everything he had dreamed of and experienced in the netherworld during his unconscious state.

When he remembered the King of Hell sending him and the two netherhounds back to the mortal realm, an expression of astonishment immediately appeared on his face: it was true indeed. In his dream, the King of Hell had genuinely sent him and the two netherhounds back, and those two netherhounds from the netherworld looked identical to the two netherhounds before him in the mortal realm.

"Boss Ma, Niu Dahua, is it really the two of you?" Wei Xiaoping asked.

"Awoo — awoo — awoo —" The two netherhounds whimpered and wailed, as if they had suffered grievances and were pouring out their hardships to their master. Then they barked, "Woof — woof woof — woof woof woof —", as if telling Wei Xiaoping: Yes, master, we are indeed the netherhounds Boss Ma and Niu Dahua!

Wei Xiaoping said, "I remember that when we were in the netherworld, you could speak human ghostly speech, because you yourselves were originally reincarnated humans. Why is it that upon returning to the mortal realm, you can no longer speak?"

Standing nearby, Master Xuanzhe listened to the conversation between Wei Xiaoping and the two monstrous hounds, realizing that these two creatures had indeed been brought back by Wei Xiaoping from the netherworld, and he was somewhat dumbfounded. So the netherworld was actually real!

The netherworld was originally a place specially used to confine unclean things. Since these two monsters came from the netherworld, weren't they what people called unclean entities?

Things from the netherworld were inherently prone to harming people. If he brought these two unclean entities back and word got out, wouldn't people gossip?

Furthermore, these two unclean entities had actually materialized into tangible forms, visible to the naked eye even in broad daylight!

Since they had physical forms and could be seen by mortal eyes, it would be inevitable in the future for people to spread gossip or rumors. If word reached the royal court and the king found out, who knew what he might think!

And above all, the primary concern was whether these two monsters would harm people without provocation!

Huang Xianlin and Zhang Xiaoyan were also thoroughly frightened upon hearing that these two monsters had actually been brought back by Wei Xiaoping from the netherworld in a dream!

Bringing ghosts back from a dream into the mortal realm was an unprecedented event through the ages, let alone the fact that the entity brought back was a monster visible to the naked eye!

Moreover, it was a monster transformed from canine souls! With such ugly and ferocious physiognomies, who knew if they would injure people?

However, seeing the immense affection they displayed toward Wei Xiaoping, surely they wouldn't?!

At that moment, the two netherhounds let out a few soft barks at Wei Xiaoping, then gently nipped the monster-binding rope on their bodies with their teeth, pulled their mouths away, and looked at Wei Xiaoping!

Understanding their intent, Wei Xiaoping turned to Master Xuanzhe and said, "Master, these two netherhounds were indeed brought back by your disciple from the netherworld. To escort your disciple back, they fought alongside your disciple against the prison ghosts in the netherworld and endured a great deal so that your disciple could safely return to the mortal realm! Master, could you please untie their ropes?"

Seeing Wei Xiaoping request that the two netherhounds be untied, Master Xuanzhe pulled Wei Xiaoping outside...