“The urgent netherworld proclamation stated the following: Witnessing the hells grow overwhelmingly overcrowded, with new hellish realms constantly under construction and an extreme shortage of the nether officials and staff, the Nether Sovereign Yama King can no longer bear to watch countless sentient beings from the human realm sink down into the hells. He therefore submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Emperor, petitioning that a living mortal who purely observes the precepts be dispatched to witness hellish torments. After returning to the mortal world, this mortal would author a book titled The Inexorable Nether Laws, the purpose of which is to purify people’s minds, restore the mind-nature of deluded sentient beings, and guide them to practice good deeds and accumulate virtues so as to live out their natural lifespans peacefully and transcend to higher realms after death, avoiding a fall into hell. The one selected for this mission is none other than you, Shangguan Yuhua. You have been granted a token issued by the netherworld, permitting you free passage to and from the netherworld throughout the writing process. The netherworld has specially assigned a Magistrate to escort you, Shangguan Yuhua (known as Ayù), on your tours of the hells and answer all your questions. Whenever this Magistrate is tied up with duties and unavailable, all officials of the underworld shall render assistance to Shangguan Yuhua. The hell realms are very vast, so a full tour will require an immense amount of time, yet The Inexorable Nether Laws must be widely distributed among people as soon as possible. For this reason, they will select representative condemned souls and related cases for you to interview.”
“The urgent netherworld proclamation mentions that you, Ayù, visit the hells in full waking consciousness, manifesting a separate body through meditative practice. The netherworld hopes that after the publication of The Inexorable Nether Laws, the number of mortals falling into hell each day can be greatly reduced, which will ease our overwhelming daily workload. All officials and attendants of the netherworld are extremely busy at present, yet we will set aside time to receive you and furnish all information you require when you come. The compilation of The Inexorable Nether Laws was ordered by Great Emperor Fengdu, the Nether Sovereign Yama King. If you wish to learn more details, I will take you to have an audience with the Nether Sovereign Yama King, and he will answer all your questions.”
“Very well! I am profoundly grateful to you, Magistrate.”
We proceeded onward. The hells are truly vast, and our route differs with every visit. May all sentient beings never fall into these realms of torment. If one must set foot here, let it be out of a sacred vow to deliver sentient beings.
Along our current path, there were no cries of agony nor oppressive dread. Up ahead lay a brook spanned by a small bridge and a grove of trees, lending a serene atmosphere. The Magistrate explained that this was where the netherworld’s Yama King lived, and we were heading for the meeting room where he received officials to discuss affairs. The living quarters for nether officials are quite agreeable, with amenities comparable to those enjoyed by mortal administrators. Further ahead stood a stately hall adorned in the understated elegance of antiquity. Centered above the main hall hung a horizontal plaque bearing four prominent Chinese characters meaning “Upright and Impartial”. Beneath the plaque sat Great Emperor Fengdu, the Nether Sovereign Yama King. Pictures of figures in ancient dress performing good deeds hung on the walls on both sides, while several nether‑world officials were seated on either side. Great Emperor Fengdu was deeply occupied, conferring with his ministers on the expansion of hell realms — he really was very busy.
At once, I knelt down and said: “This mortal woman Shangguan Yuhua is paying homage to Great Emperor Fengdu! I am thankful that you initiated the compilation of The Inexorable Nether Laws, allowing me to broaden my understanding, eradicate karmic obstacles and cultivate blessings. I humbly ask Your Majesty: what karmic conditions prompted the creation of this classic text?”
Great Emperor Fengdu, the Nether Sovereign Yama King replied: “In primeval ancient times, all people possessed an innate goodness and upheld the Five Precepts and Ten Virtuous Deeds. Back then, yin and yang between heaven and earth were balanced. Rainbows shone brightly, grains grew abundantly, and peace pervaded the human world. There were no natural disasters or calamities wrought by humans. Everyone lived out their natural lifespan peacefully and returned to the heavenly realms upon passing. Yet people’s root nature became increasingly tainted, and they sank lower and lower. Human habitual tendencies have arisen from lust since beginningless kalpas, as people cycle through rebirth in the six paths. As human conduct continuously degenerated, people broke the precepts and committed the ten evils. By the middle ancient era, Heaven began constructing hells to punish and reform transgressing mortals, compelling them to reflect in hell.
“The hells back then were small, and few mortals descended there. As ages passed, human minds became more corrupted, and the good innate nature held by mankind in primeval times has nearly vanished entirely. Nowadays, human minds are no longer as they once were; changes are drastic. The vapors of malicious thoughts among mortals surge straight toward the heavenly court. Most notably, the rampant energy of sexual misconduct severely disrupts the natural balancing laws of the universe, muddying the vital qi of heaven and earth to such an extent that the boundary between heaven and earth grows indistinct; yin and yang have long lost their equilibrium. Mortals dwelling in the human world rely on the balanced harmony of Earth’s natural environment to live and work in peace. At the beginning of this kalpa, all people were kindhearted, observing the five precepts and ten virtuous deeds. Hence auspicious harmony filled heaven and earth. This auspicious harmony appeared when human minds resonated with nature; nature in turn responded with clear skies, abundant harvests and radiant rainbows. Today, grain yields decline on Earth; various regions face all kinds of natural and human-made disasters. Skies turn dark, and temperatures can swing drastically within mere days—all brought about by violent fluctuations of evil thoughts in human minds. Heartless and unrighteous thoughts draw cold air into the mortal world. When people uphold brightness within their hearts, rainbows grace the human world instead.
“Frequent natural disasters in the mortal realm are already a warning sign. More catastrophes will follow in succession. No mortal technology can halt their arrival. What can save sentient beings is not advanced technology, but sincere observance of the five precepts, practicing the ten virtuous deeds, genuine repentance for past misdeeds, and cultivating the pure Way. If people continue in their present evil ways, the universe and nature possess their own ways to restore balance. Great natural and man-made catastrophes will befall the mortal world, and all mortals who persist in evil will without exception fall into the hells.
“Hell is now completely overcrowded, and our workload here has become severely overwhelming. I cannot bear to witness the mortal world sliding toward ruin amid collapsing ethics. Therefore, I have ventured to reveal profound heavenly secrets. I submitted a petition to the Heavenly Emperor to appoint a precept-abiding pure mortal, who may visit and witness all manner of torments in hell while fully conscious, then return to the mortal realm to write a book to exhort and transform humanity, urging them to abandon evil and embrace goodness, so that they can recover the radiance of their innate spiritual nature without delay.