[No mercy when identities are exposed · Sharp-tongued Meng Po vs. sweet-faced, dark-hearted, unhinged Emperor of the Underworld]
[Seven deadly trials, seven chains of karma]
[I overturn my own chessboard, I kill my own true self]
The goddess who brews soup at the far end of the Yellow Springs is the sharpest blade on the chessboard of the Three Realms.
Meng Ling always says she is the most useless ruler in the Underworld. A dignified Meng Po, used as a pawn by the Emperor of the Underworld, mocked by ghost guards for “brewing poison instead of soup,” and even cursed by the merfolk as “a little deity ladling soup in the Nine Hells.”
Until the day she turns the waters of the River of Forgetfulness into ice blades and pins a heavenly executioner to the Book of Life and Death. Divine markings shimmer in her eyes, reflected in the frost, and the Emperor of the Underworld’s crown silently cracks.
“You think I lost the Seven Fiends? No. What I lost were the shackles that held my true self captive.”
A game of chess spanning ten thousand years now unfolds in a storm of bloodshed:
Grievous souls hide in merfolk bone masks, puppet strings coil around the Wheel of Reincarnation, and when the Sanzu flowers bloom, the Seven Fiends reunite, only to suppress her own “true form.”
And the Emperor of the Underworld, who always lets her wreak havoc in the flower fields, smiles more deeply. “If a chess piece wants to bite the hand that moves it, it must first learn how to kill a god.”
“Lady Houtu, I cleared out your shopping cart. The price is that the Three Realms will all bear the surname Meng.”
The fantastical underworld depicted in "Echoes of the Lost World" is refreshing. The author, through the perspective of Meng Po (the goddess of forgetfulness), weaves together the grudges and affections between the two races of merfolk. The plot is intricate and captivating, like threads interwoven together. As the core of the story, Meng Ling possesses both wisdom and compassion.
This collection of episodic stories, set within a fantastical mythology system, incorporates modern elements, including a reformed underworld. I, a humble writer, was deeply moved and enjoyed it during a half-day break for my child. The narrative logic is coherent, the writing flows smoothly, the scene descriptions are vivid, and the atmosphere is well-crafted. It's a must-read, and I eagerly await its release. Please keep writing!