Li Gao Xiong's eyes snapped open. He braced himself for the cold rush of air and the endless fall into darkness.
But it never came.
Instead, he found himself standing on solid ground, surrounded by a soft, brilliant light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"What... where am I?" he muttered, struggling to his feet.
The pain from his wounds was completely gone. His torn clothes looked new again, and the blood on his skin had disappeared. He moved his fingers slowly. There wasn't even a single scratch left.
In front of him was a breathtaking sight. Forest of giant stone pillars, each as wide as a house, rose high into the clouds and disappeared into the sky. The ground under his feet felt solid, just like normal earth, but something told him this place was anything but normal.
A strange, twisted sound made him quickly turn around, his hand reacting on its own. The Death Ripper Dagger appeared out of thin air and landed in his grip, as if it had been waiting for him all along.
"Stay back!" he shouted, spotting several robed figures walking toward him.
But as they came closer, Li Gao Xiong slowly lowered the dagger, though he kept his guard up.
These weren't the same people who had chased him to the cliff. Their faces showed the same confusion and shock he felt. They didn't look like enemies. They looked just as lost as he was.
He had thought those greedy dogs would have jumped into the abyss after him, desperate to get their hands on the dagger. But seeing these people now, he realized they were not the same. None of the familiar, power hungry faces were among them.
A middle aged man in marchant clothes stumbled forward, her eyes wide with bewilderment
"Where... where are we? I was just in my shop when suddenly..."
"I don't understand," stammered a young man wearing the robes of a minor sect.
"One moment I was cultivating, the next moment I'm here. What is this place?"
Li Gao Xiong loosened his grip on the weapon, and it vanished from his hand. He looked carefully at the growing crowd. None of the faces were familiar. Not a single one.
Then the air itself began to hum.
Whoosh!
Like ripples in water, the space in front of him began to twist. Li Gao Xiong stepped back without thinking as a figure slowly appeared out of thin air. It was an old farmer holding a hoe,his wrinkled face full of confusion.
"By the ancestors," Li Gao Xiong breathed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More waves of distortion moved through the large hall, bending the air like ripples on water. One by one, people began to appear, as if they were ghosts turning real. Men, women, and even children of all ages and walks of life showed up, all looking lost and confused.
A young mother held a doll tightly in her arms. A warrior stood nearby, his arms full of scars and loosely wrapped in long, thin veils of cloth, like those used in old wedding clothes. A scholar appeared, his fingers stained with ink and a writing brush tucked behind his ear. A poor man in torn clothes blinked slowly, as if even the light hurt his eyes.
They all had the same look on their faces, complete confusion.
"Is this…". The scholar began to speak, but his voice faded as a terrible realization struck him.
"Are we all dead?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and cold like a funeral bell. A few people gasped, their faces turning pale as they all started thinking the same thing.
"The Judgment Hall," whispered an old woman who had appeared nearby.
"I've heard tales... when mortals die, their souls are brought before the heavens to account for their deeds."
"But I wasn't dying!" protested the merchant, clutching a gold coin like it was his last lifeline.
"I was perfectly healthy! I was just counting my coins when everything went white!"
"I had just gotten married and stepped into the bridal chamber," said the scarred warrior, clutching the veil in one hand. As if on instinct, he pressed it to his chest like a tragic hero, his eyes clouded with the horror of memory.
The crowd leaned in, sensing juicy drama.
"The candles were flickering... the air was sweet with perfume... everything was perfect."
He paused for effect.
"Then I lifted her veil—"
He visibly shuddered.
"And what I saw… was a face not even a mother could love!"
Gasps and chuckles rippled through the crowd.
"My heart clenched. I couldn't breathe! It was as if the heavens themselves struck me down!"
He pointed to the skies in mock betrayal.
"Next thing I knew, I woke up here, in this damned place!"
Someone muttered, "Death by disappointment…"
Another added. "That's why you always check before signing the marriage contract."
"This doesn't make sense," Li Gao Xiong muttered.
"If this is the afterlife, why do I still have the Death Ripper Dagger?"
As he looked around, he realized nearly everyone had arrived with something from their former lives.
The farmer still held tightly to his old hoe. The merchant gripped a gold coin like it was the most important thing in the world. The scarred warrior had a piece of cloth over his shoulder, soft and thin like the veil a bride wears on her wedding day. A woman held a doll, and each time she hugged it, it made a soft crying sound.
More people kept appearing, their numbers quickly growing from hundreds to thousands. All around, voices rose as people started talking, trying to understand where they were and what had happened.
"I was just a farmer," one man said softly. "I lived a simple life. I never harmed anyone. Why am I here?"
A woman wearing thick glasses spoke up gently.
"Maybe this isn't about punishment at all. Maybe... we were chosen?"
"Chosen for what?" demanded the scarred warrior.
Li Gao Xiong kept his eyes on the towering pillars. They weren't just large, they were otherworldly. Rising straight from the ground, they stretched high into the clouds, each one as wide as a house. Wrapped around them were thick, twisting shapes that looked like sharp branches or bony spikes. Every time he looked away, he thought they shifted just slightly, like they were moving when no one was watching.
Nearby, a curious young man reached out toward one of the pillars, his fingers just inches away from the surface.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a calm voice behind him.
The man froze. A scholar stepped forward, adjusting the brush tucked behind his ear. His ink-stained fingers rested lightly on the young man's shoulder.
"Things that move when you're not looking don't tend to be friendly," the scholar added quietly.
The man swallowed hard. He stared at the pillar, then slowly pulled his hand back.
"Right... yeah. Just... looked interesting," he muttered, his curiosity fading quickly into fear.
"Whatever this place is," someone said ."I don't think we're in the mortal realm anymore."
A child's voice suddenly cut through the murmur of conversations: "Look there!"
Everyone tilted their heads in the direction of the voice. Far in the distance, just barely visible through the forest of towering pillars, something was moving toward them.
Moments later, new figures appeared. Riders on horseback. Their presence was powerful and almost unreal. The horses' hooves made no sound as they moved across the rough ground, and each rider gave off a strange aura that made the entire crowd go silent.
One of them, a man in a brown leather jacket and a metal breastplate, remained on his horse and strode slightly forward. His voice was calm and official.
"Commander, the final batch of this cycle has arrived from the mortal stream."
A second rider, far more imposing, stood at the center. Clad in silver armor, his face hidden beneath a helmet, only his cold, unreadable eyes showed through the narrow visor. He looked down at the gathered souls in silence for a moment, letting the weight of the truth settle.
Then he spoke.
"Most of you already have a guess about what has happened. Some of you may still feel confused. But the truth is this. You are dead.
Your souls have arrived at the Borderline. This place is the space between the life you once lived and whatever comes next.
I am Commander Kael, guardian of the Borderline Gate. It is our duty to guide the Departed to the paths they are meant to take. Now, follow us."
Murmurs broke out among the crowd. Some stood frozen, pale and disbelieving. Others shook their heads, muttering questions.
"This can't be real..."
"There must be a mistake."
"Is there no way to go back? I don't want to stay here even for a second. Please, just send me back!"
The man in the brown leather jacket, still mounted, turned his horse slightly toward the crowd and addressed them with a grim tone.
"There is no way back. You are all dead, every one of you. Whether you were cut down, fell, poisoned, or died in your sleep, your soul crossed the threshold. This is not a dream, nor an illusion."
He paused, then added darkly:
"If you linger here, the Spinegnasher will come."
That name sent a shiver through the gathered souls. The merchant clutched his coin tighter. The young mother pulled her doll closer. Even Li Gao Xiong narrowed his eyes.
"You don't want to know what happens if that thing finds you. Trust me, being shattered into a million pieces would be a mercy compared to being caught by it."
He looked over the gathering with grim finality.
"So unless you wish to be devoured by the horrors that roam the Borderline, I suggest you follow us. Whether your path leads to judgment, a new life, or nothing at all, it is still better than being left behind in this place."