Chapter 316: The Soul Returns
The treasure ship left those netherworld beings far behind, and its speed was increasing rapidly—something that had never happened before!
On the deck, Banguo Cuo and the others quickly grabbed the railings to avoid being thrown off. "Could it be that Qin Mu kid is piloting the ship with the silver helmet?"
Banguo Cuo looked at Qin Mu, only to see that Qin Mu was also holding onto the railing, not wearing the silver helmet. Clearly, it wasn't him steering the treasure ship.
Banguo Cuo was momentarily stunned. If it wasn't Qin Mu piloting the ship, then who was controlling it?
Could there be a terrifying existence hidden on board, or was the ship haunted?
Ever since they had boarded this strange vessel, bizarre events had occurred repeatedly. They had yet to fully explore the ship, and instead had encountered one eerie incident after another. Thinking about it sent chills down their spines.
The treasure ship raced through the netherworld realm, a world of utter darkness with no sky or ground. Traveling through this vast blackness was truly terrifying.
They sailed on for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a crashing sound rang out, nearly throwing everyone overboard. Several soldiers and great shamans, unable to steady themselves or hold on, were flung off the ship. The moment they fell into the darkness outside, their flesh and bones dissolved instantly, and they collapsed into piles of bones with a clatter.
"There's land below!" someone shouted.
Qin Mu looked down. The treasure ship had crashed into the peak of a mountain, smashing a large hole into it. It was this collision that had sent those soldiers and great shamans flying.
The mountain peak rapidly receded into the distance, and faintly visible beneath it were vast stretches of land. But strangely, the landmasses were not connected; they floated like islands in the darkness.
Boom!
Two massive landmasses collided with tremendous force. The tectonic plates ground against each other, and instantly thousands of great volcanoes erupted across these lands. Magma, accompanied by billowing black smoke, shot up into the sky, reaching heights of two to three hundred miles—a truly spectacular sight.
Countless bolts of lightning flashed between the thick clouds and magma, tearing through the sky. Cooled rocks fell like rain, a terrifying downpour of stone. The massive boulders struck with incredible force, like comets crashing down, trailing long tails of fire.
The earth shook and the mountains trembled. Magma rain, rock rain, and acid rain fell together—it was like the end of the world.
The treasure ship passed through this torrential downpour. Everyone on board immediately erupted with their primal energies, raising massive shields to block the bizarre rain and avoid being crushed to death.
Suddenly, a clattering sound rang out. This time, it wasn't magma rain falling, but diamonds—ancient texts called them "vajra stones"—each the size of a fist, raining down from the sky. They were the product of violent lightning strikes, scattering across the entire ship.
The treasure ship tilted, sweeping all the magma and diamonds off its deck. It skirted past a massive volcano and sailed off into the distance.
Magma flowed down the volcano like rivers of fire, streaming from the crater to the base. Qin Mu glanced over and was startled to see that amidst this earth-shattering, world-destroying scene, there were still millions of people walking, climbing the mountain.
These people walked with their heads lowered, moving silently through this apocalyptic landscape. They moved like walking corpses, each step seeming incredibly difficult, yet they pressed forward, as if something ahead held an irresistible attraction.
At the very front, many had already reached the volcano's summit crater. Without any awareness, they leaped into the volcano, instantly swallowed by the erupting torrent of magma!
Besides this great volcano, there were thousands of other volcanoes on this landmass. And beyond this landmass, there were thousands more.
Just how many people were trudging through this apocalypse, throwing themselves into the volcanoes? It was impossible to count!
"These aren't people—they're souls!"
Qin Mu's heart shook violently. He realized these were the spirits of the dead, without physical bodies. And they weren't just human souls—there were also souls of various beasts, demons, dragons, phoenixes, and even heavenly demons.
The treasure ship weaved between the volcanoes. Countless souls walked among them.
Volcanoes erupted one after another, crimson magma shooting skyward with deafening roars.
Banguo Cuo's face was pale. He trembled and murmured, "Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs..."
Qin Mu was puzzled, not understanding what this guy was talking about.
"What Yellow Springs?"
"They're descending into the Yellow Springs!"
Banguo Cuo suddenly screamed hoarsely, "This is the world after death! We're on Earth Lord Tu Bo's horns!"
Qin Mu suddenly shuddered, finally understanding Banguo Cuo's words. The ship they were on was sailing between Tu Bo's two horns. These landmasses weren't land at all—they were cross-sections of Tu Bo's horns!
Tu Bo's "Nine Bends" referred to his horns being like rivers with nine twists and turns.
And Tu Bo's horns were also called the Nine-Bend Yellow Springs, two rivers of the Yellow Springs.
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. Yellow Springs—it was quite fitting. The constantly erupting volcanoes, with magma filling the sky, illuminated layer after layer of land. From a distance, it must look like yellow or red rivers.
But how enormous were these two horns?
Was this still a god?
"Heh, heh, heh..."
Banguo Cuo had clearly suffered a deep trauma before. Now he showed signs of madness, muttering, "This is the truth I once saw... I can't die, I absolutely can't die. Whoever wants to die can die, but I have to live..."
The treasure ship finally passed through the landmass and sailed away. Qin Mu looked back and could finally see the full shape of the two horns. Magma erupted from the landmasses, connecting them together. The landmass above was the sky of the landmass below.
These countless connected landmasses formed nine twisted curves, looking from afar like the Nine-Bend Yellow Springs.
Countless dead souls from who knows how many worlds were drawn here, walking onto these landmasses and leaping into the Yellow Springs.
Yet this was only the unimaginably vast horns of Tu Bo!
He looked down. The horns stretched endlessly, plunging deep into the darkness with no end in sight. Below the horns should be Tu Bo's head—legend said he had an ox head, and these were his ox horns. But with Qin Mu's eyesight, he couldn't see where Tu Bo's head actually was.
Qin Mu shrank his head back, making up his mind: he absolutely could not casually sign a Tu Bo Contract. If he signed one and it took effect, he would never be able to overturn it!
His heart darkened, but his father had still signed a Tu Bo Contract.
Once signed, a Tu Bo Contract was hard to cancel.
The treasure ship sped up again, arriving above another landmass. This was a world in collapse and death, shrouded in darkness. Paper boats drifted in from the darkness, carrying the souls of the dead.
Many paper boats slid past the treasure ship, floating toward the Nine Bends. The souls on the boats were ragged and decayed. They were all heavenly demons, the heavenly demon race, but not as ferocious as the ones Qin Mu had seen in the Great Wasteland. Instead, they were sickly, aging, and dying.
Thousands of paper boats drifted by, showing that a massive number of heavenly demons had died. Qin Mu frowned. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for so many heavenly demons to die at once. Even in a large-scale war, so many couldn't die simultaneously.
"The soul returns—"
A faint tremor echoed through the dark void. It was a demon god, crying out mournfully from across a world, chanting in demonic language. Qin Mu looked toward the source of the sound. He vaguely saw an eight-armed, four-headed demon god standing in the pitch-black starry sky, weeping. But separated by a world, he couldn't see or hear clearly.
"It sounds like the Heavenly Demon King of All Heavens crying..."
He was momentarily stunned. The figure standing in another collapsing world seemed to be the Heavenly Demon King of All Heavens. His power was so great that even the collapsing All Heavens World couldn't confine his form or voice. Across the All Heavens World, he was calling out to the souls of his dead kin, trying to summon them back.
"Soul, return!
Do not descend into this netherworld.
Tu Bo's Nine Bends, his horns sharp and pointed.
With bloody hands and flesh, he chases men swiftly.
With three eyes and a tiger's head, his body like an ox.
These all delight in human flesh.
Return! Lest you bring disaster upon yourself.
Soul, return! Enter the great gate.
The shaman summons you, walking backward to lead the way..."
The treasure ship sailed on, and gradually the Heavenly Demon King of All Heavens' demonic words grew weaker, until they were no longer audible. The treasure ship had already left the collapsing All Heavens World far behind. It was precisely because the All Heavens World was in destruction that so many heavenly demons kept dying.
Qin Mu looked back at the countless paper boats drifting from the All Heavens World into the netherworld, his heart heavy with sorrow. Perhaps this would be the future of their own world.
After a long time, they arrived at another landmass in the darkness. Faint divine light illuminated the dark, hazy and indistinct. Some netherworld creatures were active in the darkness.
The treasure ship gradually slowed down. The people on board could finally see what the divine light was: it came from statues of gods in villages, and from ancient ruins emitting divine radiance.
They had arrived at the Great Wasteland in the darkness.
Qin Mu's heart stirred. When night fell in the Great Wasteland, after darkness descended, it actually connected with the netherworld!
Part of the Great Wasteland overlapped with the netherworld. For the creatures of the Great Wasteland, two worlds were superimposed. At night, netherworld creatures would emerge and become active. During this time, the netherworld dominated, suppressing the real world. But when day came, the real world would overpower the netherworld.
And in the darkness, wherever light shone was the real world. Every point of light was an entrance to reality.
In other words, if they entered a ruin or village protected by divine statues, they could leave the netherworld and return to reality!
The treasure ship had sailed here, likely with the purpose of sending them back to the real world.
The ship slowed further, and finally, its destination became clear. Ahead, an ancient ruin emitted astonishing light, pushing back the darkness. There were also majestic palaces there, though they were already dilapidated. Only towering divine statues still radiated light that pierced the darkness.
The treasure ship came to a gradual stop, hovering above the ruins. Below, many strange beasts lay quietly in the ruins. Some passing travelers coexisted peacefully with the beasts, sheltering together from the darkness's invasion.
They all looked up, curiously gazing at the ship that had suddenly appeared.
Qin Mu called over the two white bats and the dragon qilin, then jumped down from the ship. Banguo Cuo and his many followers also leaped off.
"Great Lord..." A shaman king looked at Qin Mu, his eyes flickering with inquiry.
Banguo Cuo shook his head. "We're in the Great Wasteland. Follow the rules of the Great Wasteland. Don't stir up trouble."
Qin Mu looked up at the ship, his expression complex. The treasure ship slowly turned, adjusted its direction, and finally sailed away from the ruins, entering the darkness.
That tree-man should be piloting the treasure ship back to the netherworld, searching for Qin Mu's family.
—The neighborhood hasn't turned on the heating yet. It's so cold!