Chapter 709: The River Boundary Between Yin and Yang
No one would have thought that Qi Hong, the sword bearer, was killed by a Fish-Dragon realm cultivator. Everyone assumed he was slain by the severely injured Shengshu Cainü.
"Since Shengshu Cainü is heavily wounded, this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate her," Qi Yun said coldly.
Qi Dao raised his head and glanced at the group of fierce fiends in the cemetery forest. A strange look appeared in his aged eyes. "Strange, how come so many of the undead in the Fallen God Cemetery have awakened all at once?"
Qi Qiankun coughed twice. "Nothing strange about it. They were definitely awakened by the earlier battle between Qi Hong and Shengshu Cainü."
"Qi Dao, go deal with them."
"Qi Yun, you and I will pursue Shengshu Cainü. She must not be allowed to escape this Middle Ages ruin alive, or our Qi family will be in big trouble."
Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun seemed somewhat wary of the Fallen God Cemetery, not daring to fly recklessly. So, they landed on the ground and split into two directions, quickly chasing deeper into the cemetery forest.
Qi Dao stayed behind. He flew onto a tombstone, swept his gaze over the fierce fiends below, and let out a cold laugh.
"Scatter!"
He extended a palm and pressed downward. Instantly, surging Saint Qi surged out like a tidal wave. Wherever his Saint Qi touched, the ghostly bodies of the fierce fiends exploded on the spot.
In moments, hundreds of fierce fiends had their souls scattered, turning into wisps of black ghost mist that rose up, darkening the entire sky like flowing ink.
Qi Dao opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing all the ghost mist into his stomach.
Then, he sat cross-legged atop the tombstone, activated his technique, and began refining the ghost mist.
...
Zhang Ruochen pressed forward in pursuit. The deeper he went into the cemetery forest, the more his heart pounded with unease.
For hundreds of miles, the ground was covered entirely with tombstones and graves. How many people were buried here?
The ghost mist in the air grew denser. At any moment, yin-sha energy could surge out from the mist, constantly assaulting Zhang Ruochen's body.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen carried several treasures capable of resisting yin-sha energy, so he encountered no danger along the way.
Finally, by a great river, Zhang Ruochen caught up with Xiao Hei and Shengshu Cainü. "Why have you only made it this far?"
"See for yourself!"
Xiao Hei extended a claw, pointing at the river.
Drawing closer, Zhang Ruochen saw that the river before him was a corpse river. Both banks were piled high with bones and corpses, emitting a pungent stench.
The water in the river was filthy, pitch-black, and icy cold.
Upstream, corpses continuously floated down. Some lodged against the banks, becoming part of the riverbanks; others were corroded by the water, dissolving into corpse fluid and merging with the river.
"How can there be a corpse river? Where are all these corpses coming from?" Zhang Ruochen looked upstream, feeling a chill down his spine.
Shengshu Cainü said, "According to the 'Records of Eastern Domain Anomalies,' there is indeed such a corpse river in the Fallen God Cemetery Forest. It is said to be the river boundary between the realms of Yin and Yang. Once you cross the corpse river, you enter the underworld."
Zhang Ruochen looked across the river. Through the ghost mist, he could faintly see tombstones standing on the opposite bank.
But those tombstones were much taller, each like a towering cliff.
"The underworld?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at Shengshu Cainü. "Do you actually believe that?"
"I don't really believe in an underworld either."
Shengshu Cainü added, "However, according to the records, no one who has crossed this river has ever returned."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Right now, we may have no choice but to cross. I have a feeling that the Qi family's experts have caught up."
"Let me test it first, to see if this river is really as dangerous as the legends say."
Zhang Ruochen activated his Saint Qi. Saint Qi surged out, forming a faint dragon shadow around his body. He leaped forward, executing his movement technique, transforming into a flood dragon flying toward the opposite bank.
But after only three zhang, he felt a powerful gravitational force descending from above, pulling his body downward.
Zhang Ruochen reacted quickly. He channeled Saint Qi to the soles of his feet, stomped on the river's surface, and used the rebound force to return to the bank.
"There's a strange force above the river. Not even a person, let alone a savage bird, could fly across," Zhang Ruochen said.
A sharp pain shot through his left foot. Looking down, he saw that just by stepping in the water, most of his foot had been corroded, the skin peeling away.
He immediately channeled true qi into the Yangqiao Saint Meridian to refine the yin energy that had invaded his foot.
Shengshu Cainü extended a crystal-clear, fair arm. In her palm, a small, exquisite boat materialized.
"Interesting. Little girl, just how much stuff do you have hidden in that palm of yours?" Xiao Hei stared intently at Shengshu Cainü's hand.
"Within the heart lies a city; within the palm lies the universe."
Shengshu Cainü said, "If I wanted, I could use this hand to paint a hundred boats, a thousand boats."
"What use are painted boats?" Xiao Hei said disdainfully.
"If I will it, painted things can become real."
Shengshu Cainü stopped bickering with Xiao Hei. She handed the small boat to Zhang Ruochen. "This is a spiritual power sacred artifact called the Ascension Boat. Inject your spiritual power into it, and you can use it."
Now, all her spiritual power was being used to suppress the deathly qi, so she had to entrust the Ascension Boat to Zhang Ruochen to activate.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power and tossed the small boat out.
The boat landed on the corpse river and immediately expanded to three zhang in length, becoming a green skiff.
By the time Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun caught up, the Ascension Boat, carrying Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü, had already departed.
Qi Yun stood by the corpse river, his expression grave. "This is the boundary between Yin and Yang. We can't go any further, or we'll break into the underworld."
"We dare not go to the underworld, and Shengshu Cainü surely dares not either."
Qi Qiankun pondered for a moment, then added, "Let's split up. I'll go upstream, you go downstream. Remember, if you find traces of Shengshu Cainü, don't act rashly. You're no match for her. Send a message to me immediately, and I'll catch up as fast as I can to deal with her."
Then, Qi Qiankun and Qi Yun split up, heading upstream and downstream respectively.
Qi Qiankun's guess was correct. Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü had not crossed to the opposite bank. Instead, they had hidden the Ascension Boat in the center of the corpse river, using the corpse qi in the water to mask their aura, drifting downstream with the current.
Zhang Ruochen took off the Meteor Invisibility Cloak and infused it with Saint Qi. The cloak gradually expanded, covering the outside of the Ascension Boat, wrapping it completely.
"With the Invisibility Cloak's camouflage and the corpse qi masking our aura, even if the Qi family's saints catch up, they definitely won't find us."
Zhang Ruochen finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned inside the skiff.
"It's not really something to be happy about."
Shengshu Cainü sat inside as well, her demeanor refined and elegant. She lifted her clear, beautiful face and said, "Although the Qi family's saints can't find us, the people sent by the Liangyi Sect and the imperial court to rescue us can't find us either. We can't just drift on this corpse river forever, can we?"
"Besides, who knows what even more terrifying dangers we might encounter on this river?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "In this Middle Ages ruin, communication light talismans can't be used, so we can't send out messages. The sect and the imperial court may not even know we're in danger."
Shengshu Cainü shook her head. "You underestimate your own worth. I'm sure that once they confirm you're missing, the Liangyi Sect will definitely ask a spiritual power saint to calculate your whereabouts. It's only a matter of time before they find this place."
"My worth is nothing compared to yours. If you go missing, the entire Liangyi Sect will be thrown into turmoil," Zhang Ruochen said. "How long do you think it will take for our rescuers to find this Middle Ages ruin?"
Shengshu Cainü frowned slightly. "Hard to say. It depends on how long it takes them to confirm we're missing. It's normal for cultivators to go into seclusion for months at a time. If it were any other time, it might take a year to fully confirm our disappearance."
"But with the Sword Discussion Conference approaching, you and I are both important figures. If we don't show up for ten days, they'll probably start getting anxious."
"I think this is actually quite good—a rare opportunity to temper my state of mind. If I can survive this tribulation, my spiritual power should be able to reach a higher level."
Zhang Ruochen returned the Evil-Repelling Ring to Shengshu Cainü.
Then, he took out the purple-black bell and placed it before her.
Shengshu Cainü was quite interested in the bell. She picked it up and began studying it.
Zhang Ruochen retreated to the stern of the boat, took out the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Vase, and held it in his palm. After a moment of contemplation, a resolute expression appeared in his eyes.
"Chi!"
A flame surged from his palm, enveloping the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Vase, and began refining Qi Hong's Half-Saint Light.
He couldn't just rely on the Liangyi Sect sending experts to rescue him. He had to find a way to save himself.
To save himself, he first had to strengthen his own cultivation.
The Half-Saint Light contained not only Qi Hong's Saint Soul but also all of his Saint Qi. If he could refine the Half-Saint Light, he could absorb the cultivation of a Half-Saint.
Zhang Ruochen believed he could definitely break through to the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon realm, or even the eighth.
By then, even if he encountered a weaker Half-Saint, he would dare to fight them head-on.
The Half-Saint Light in the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Vase continuously surged out, turning into strands of light that were absorbed into Zhang Ruochen's palms. From there, they flowed through the meridians in his arms and circulated throughout his body.
Gradually, a layer of white Saint Light appeared on Zhang Ruochen's body.