175: The Netherworld, the Ferryman to the Underworld
The door to the quiet room silently slid open, and Liu Qingtian stepped out. The aura around him was completely contained, but the ebb and flow of stars and Karma within his Demonic Pupils were even more profound and unfathomable than ten years ago. The immense power of the Stellar Remnant Level flowed quietly within his demonic body, like an active volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
As soon as he appeared in the main hall, the Palace-Attired Woman's figure materialized from nothingness, as if she had been waiting for a long time. She remained transcendent, her beautiful face showing no emotion, only pausing her gaze on Liu Qingtian for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Breaking through in ten years, Stellar Remnant Level... your progress is faster than I anticipated," her voice was cold, making it impossible to tell if it was praise or merely a statement of fact.
Liu Qingtian responded indifferently, "Thanks to you, the Azure Marrow worked well." He didn't want to exchange pleasantries with her and went straight to the point, "Nether Ghost Realm, when do we depart?"
The woman was not surprised by his directness. With a flick of her sleeve, three items flew towards Liu Qingtian.
A token, neither gold nor wood, carved with strange ghost patterns; an ordinary-looking dark yellow leather pouch; and a palm-sized, pitch-black boat model shaped like a skull.
"This is the 'Ghost Manor Pass,' which can help you largely avoid harassment from low-level ghosts in the outer regions of the Ghost Realm and guide you in a general direction. However, do not rely on it completely; the Laws of the Ghost Realm are strange, and the pass can sometimes fail."
"This is the 'Soul Concealment Bag,' which can suppress ninety-nine percent of your vital energy and Demonic Essence fluctuations, allowing you to disguise yourself as a wandering ghost. As long as you don't actively expose yourself or encounter a Ghost King-level or higher entity, you should be able to deceive everyone."
"Finally, this 'Doom Ferry Yin Boat' is crucial for traversing the tributaries of the 'Forgetfulness River.' The Ghost Realm is vast, and many areas require crossing rivers to reach. Infuse Demonic Essence to activate it, but remember, there are great terrors in the river; do not disturb the river water unless absolutely necessary."
Liu Qingtian took the three items. A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed that none of them were ordinary, especially the Doom Ferry Yin Boat, which subtly emanated a trace of Reincarnation Qi, clearly an exotic treasure. He put them away and looked at the woman, "Where exactly is the target? What is it?"
The woman gently tapped her jade finger, and a spiritual light entered Liu Qingtian's glabella, revealing more detailed information.
"The target is in the outer reaches of 'City of the Wrongfully Dead,' deep within an Ancient Battlefield ruin called 'Demon Burial Mountain.' Countless Demon Race mighty figures perished there, resulting in soaring resentment and chaotic Laws, which perfectly conceal the item's aura. What you need to retrieve is a karma reversal blade fragment."
"Karma Reversal Blade?" Liu Qingtian frowned; the name alone sounded extraordinary.
"It's a fragment of an ancient ominous weapon involving the Law of Karma, and it's of great use to me." The woman didn't explain further, "The fragment is enveloped by a special Karma Restriction. Those with deep Karmic ties to me will trigger a backlash from the Restriction if they approach it. At best, they will be severely injured; at worst, they will be swept into a KarmicTurbulence and utterly annihilated, body and Soul. You bear Karma and cultivate the Dao of Nirvana and Plunder, which partially aligns with the Restriction's attributes, so you might avoid its primary targeting, but it is still extremely dangerous."
"Demon Burial Mountain is not a benevolent place. Besides its natural dangers, powerful ghostly entities born from Devilish Qi and resentment may reside there, and there might even be lingering wills of ancient Demon Souls. Although you have reached the Stellar Remnant Level, your strength will be diminished under the suppression of the Ghost Realm's Laws, so you must be careful."
Liu Qingtian processed this information, his heart solemn. City of the Wrongfully Dead, Demon Burial Mountain, karma reversal blade fragment... none of them were anything but extremely dangerous places. This transaction was indeed not so simple.
"How do I enter the Nether Ghost Realm?"
"Follow me."
The woman said no more, turning and walking towards the altar in the center of the main hall, which burned with multi-colored Power Of Will. She formed hand seals and chanted incantations, and the vast Power Of Will, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, poured into the altar.
Buzz—!
The altar trembled violently, and multi-colored Power Of Will flames shot into the sky. Under the reflection of the starry dome, they slowly rotated, eventually forming a profound and infinitely deep vortex channel emanating a rich Death Qi! On the other side of the channel, a hazy sky, a blood-colored earth, and countless shadowy, wailing phantoms were faintly visible!
The Nether Ghost Realm, the channel was open!
"The channel can only last for ten breaths, go quickly!" the woman shouted; maintaining the channel clearly took a toll on her.
Liu Qingtian no longer hesitated. He hung the Ghost Manor Pass on his waist, tucked the Soul Concealment Bag into his embrace, and with a flicker of his figure, transformed into a dark demonic shadow, shooting directly into the Yin Qi-laden vortex!
The moment his figure disappeared, the channel abruptly closed, and peace returned to the main hall, with only the Power Of Will flames on the altar appearing slightly dimmer.
The Palace-Attired Woman gazed at the spot where Liu Qingtian had vanished, an imperceptible ripple flashing deep within her eyes.
"Karma Reversal Blade... I hope you succeed. Otherwise, the Karma on No Return will always be a hidden danger..."
...The moment he passed through the channel, Liu Qingtian felt a bone-chilling cold sweep over his entire body, as if even his Demonic Soul was about to freeze. All around him was a hazy world, the light dim, the air filled with dense Death Qi, resentment, and a unique Law power that bound the Soul.
He immediately felt his Demonic Essence circulation become sluggish by at least thirty percent! His Divine Sense probing range was also greatly compressed! This was the Ghost Realm's Law suppression on living beings.
He instantly activated the Soul Concealment Bag. An invisible force enveloped his entire body, perfectly concealing his surging vital energy and Demonic Essence fluctuations. At this moment, to external perception, he was no different from the muddled, wandering residual Souls around him.
The Ghost Manor Pass on his waist emitted a faint ghostly glow, pointing in a specific direction—City of the Wrongfully Dead.
He identified the direction and was about to move when a gurgling sound came from ahead. A vast, turbid river, glowing yellow and of unknown width, lay across his path. In the river, countless struggling, wailing Soul shadows could vaguely be seen rising and falling, emanating heart-palpitating resentment and a pulling force.
Forgetfulness River!
Although it was only a tributary and not the main stream, its ill repute had long spread throughout the heavens.
Liu Qingtian took out the skull-like Doom Ferry Yin Boat and infused a trace of Demonic Essence. The Yin Boat instantly enlarged, transforming into a black bone boat capable of holding several people, floating on the turbid river surface, emitting a faint, cold light.
He leaped onto the bone boat, and with a thought, the bone boat silently glided towards the opposite bank.
The river water was viscous. As he navigated through it, he could clearly feel the pulling force of countless Soul shadows beneath the water trying to cling to him, as well as the malicious intent that eroded the mind. If not for the protection of the Doom Ferry Yin Boat, the trouble would have been considerable.
As they reached the center of the river, mist permeated ahead, and another dilapidated wooden boat was faintly visible also crossing the river. On board were several figures with strong auras, clearly living beings, appearing to be explorers from other worlds.
The two boats faced each other from a distance, both maintaining vigilance, without exchanging words.
However, just as the two boats were about to pass each other—
Boom!
An extremely terrifying, cold, and immensely malicious aura suddenly erupted from the depths of the Forgetfulness River! The turbid river water churned violently, forming a massive vortex!
A colossal, pale ghostly hand, formed from countless suffering Soul shadows and carrying monstrous resentment and Law power, suddenly reached out from the vortex! It did not grab at Liu Qingtian, but instead slammed directly towards the dilapidated wooden boat!
"Oh no! It's the River Patrol Ghost General!" A terrified scream came from the wooden boat.
The next moment, under Liu Qingtian's indifferent gaze, the wooden boat and all the living beings on it were instantly shattered like fragile toys under the pale ghostly hand's strike. They couldn't even let out a few screams before being dragged into the endless depths of the river, leaving only a few wisps of scattered essence Soul aura, which were quickly assimilated by the river water.
The gigantic ghostly hand slowly retracted into the river, and the vortex subsided, as if nothing had happened.
Liu Qingtian controlled the Doom Ferry Yin Boat, maintaining its speed, and calmly sailed past the area where the tragedy had just occurred.
The Law of the Ghost Realm, survival of the fittest, was demonstrated vividly.
His heart was unperturbed, only his desire for power burned more fiercely.
"Demon Burial Mountain... karma reversal blade fragment... I've arrived."