Encountering Jiang Ning in the Netherworld of the Departed

Li Weiyi pondered to himself, wondering if, with the current power of Zen Sea Observing Mist, he could reactivate the governor's official robes and seal. If he could...

The abilities of these two items are quite remarkable.

Especially that official robe, which seems to contain a dragon soul and even the ability to open spatial passages.

"The Netherworld of the Departed is undoubtedly extremely dangerous; we should not proceed any further!"

The deathly black sky ahead was too eerie. The Netherworld of the Departed had once swallowed more than two hundred prefectures of the Lingxiao Shengjing. The terrifying beings and undead giants within were far beyond what they could imagine now.

Li Weiyi asked, "Can your mother find us? Or would she really risk coming to find us?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Ling was displeased and said again, "My mother and I are related by blood. With her superb cultivation, of course she can find me by sensing me."

Li Weiyi said, "I don't mean to doubt her cultivation level. I just think that the depths of the Mang Mountain Range are dangerous, and your family has many children. You are the fourth child, right? Your mother is in charge of the Cangli Tribe's overall situation in Yaoguan City. Would she disregard the whole situation for the sake of one of her children?"

Li Ling wasn't very confident, and said, "Even if my mother doesn't come, my brother will definitely come."

"Alright, the view here is good, let's rest and recuperate for now, and wait for reinforcements to come and get us."

Li Weiyi sat cross-legged in meditation, but did not truly rest. He always felt a sense of urgency and crisis, so he used the Quenching Qi Art to refine the magical energy in his Qi Sea.

The ten springs gushed forth together, continuously generating spiritual energy.

At the same time, it ingests the Golden Spring water, which tempers and strengthens the bones.

His previous encounter with that Deformed Race Old Man at the third level of the Five Seas Realm made him realize that his biggest weakness was the purity of the magical energy within his body.

A first-tier Qi from the Five Seas would be instantly overwhelmed by a third-tier Qi.

Fortunately, the gap can be made up for by the advantage in combat troops.

However, using weapons like the Yellow Dragon Sword, the Evil Camel Bell, and the Black Iron Seal carelessly is like a child carrying gold through a bustling market—it will inevitably lead to serious problems sooner or later.

True confidence comes from strong self-cultivation.

For him now, the fastest way to increase his strength is through Qi tempering. When he was at the Ten Springs cultivation level, his combined magical Qi and immortal Qi were already comparable to the first level of the Five Seas.

After breaking through to the Five Seas Realm, the quality of the magical energy within his body was actually quite close to that of second-tier energy.

Li Ling glanced at him with a complicated expression. It wasn't what she had imagined. There was no storm of retribution after the truth was revealed, nor a life-or-death break after being deceived. He seemed to care, yet he also seemed not to care that much.

How should we proceed with this unexpected relationship?

Will they part ways after escaping the Mang Mountain Range, or will they maintain a warm and enduring friendship?

She didn't know where the future would lead; perhaps only after Zen Sea Observing Mist had a real talk with him would there be a result.

If Zen Sea Observing Mist really Yang Jia him, then wouldn't she have to call him master from now on? Li Ling's thoughts drifted in strange directions.

She slapped herself on the forehead, waking herself up.

"This place is dangerous; I can't be as carefree as him."

Li Ling released a point of psychic energy from between her eyebrows, which spread into the forest.

Each point of light is like an eye, allowing the Great Mind Master to see places invisible to the naked eye.

Half a day later.

A fleeting afterimage.

Chen Lian rushed up the cliff and landed at a spot with a wide view halfway up the mountain. He carefully observed his surroundings before his sharp eyes fell on the ground.

He appeared to be in his early twenties, capable and dashing, wearing Wind-Riding Boots, and possessed the cultivation level of the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas.

"Swish! Swish!"

Two Old Man, both at the third level of the Five Seas Realm and dressed in black Iron Cloth Battle Robe, flew up one after another and landed on either side of Chen Lian. Each of them held a broadsword nearly two meters long and was on guard against the surrounding mountains and forests.

After investigating, Chen Lian said, "They lingered here for a long time; they just left, and they were very alert. It's Li Ling; it's her aura. No wonder she can control the Zouwu."

One of the Old Man was Bear-like Deformed Humanoid Race with an unparalleled sense of smell.

He quickly detected a faint lingering scent in the air. His gaze swept down the mountain, along the vast, dense, dark forest, all the way to the towering mountains a hundred miles away. "What audacity! They've gone to the Netherworld of the Departed!"

Holding his Seven-Pronged Halberd, Chen Lian said, "The road back to Yaoguan City is blocked. War has broken out there, with powerful warriors fighting and armies clashing. We can only pursue them. If we can capture Li Ling, even if the Jiu Li Tribe experts catch up, I will have enough leverage."

Another Old Man, Monkey-like Deformed Humanoid Race, hesitated, "Is that woman really Cangli's sister? Some soldiers said she's exceptionally powerful; it was she who smashed through our army's Rune Mist Domain with just a seal."

"My judgment is correct. Let's go!"

Chen Lian, wearing Wind-Riding Boots, leaped off the cliff. Clouds of magical energy and a long river of swift wind appeared beneath his feet, and a flowing mist bridge appeared in the void. In a short while, he had chased after them for several miles.

It was Li Ling, with her telekinetic abilities, spotted Chen Lian and his group who were tracking them ahead of time, allowing her to escape with Li Weiyi.

Standing in the forest twenty miles away, the two turned back to look at the three figures in the open area halfway up the mountain.

Li Ling's pupils lit up with spiritual fire, forming a foot-long beam of light. "He is Chen Lian, the third-best young master of the Three Chen Palace, a top expert second only to Chen Wenwu and Chen Xun. He used to often follow my brother around, asking him for guidance on cultivation. He was very attentive. His elders even wanted him to marry me, but my father politely declined."

Li Weiyi asked, "Compared to that Old Man at the third level of the Five Seas Realm whom we killed earlier, who is stronger?"

Li Ling said, "At such an advanced age, he's only reached the third stage of the Five Seas Realm. It's highly likely that the Old Man has broken through from the Seven Springs to the Five Seas. But Chen Lian broke through from the Eight Springs to the Five Seas, and I heard he's already reached the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas in Immortal Burial Town. Their combat strength is incomparable. Strange, logically he should be in Immortal Burial Town right now... Wait for me..."

Li Ling and Zouwu chased after Li Weiyi, who was fleeing in a hurry.

Li Weiyi said, "It's been so long already. With your mother's cultivation level, she should have arrived long ago!"

Li Ling knew what he wanted to say, and quickly said, "She must have been tripped up. My mother loves me very much."

"What I mean is, the battle that broke out in the valley may have already had far-reaching consequences. Yaoguan City itself is a powder keg; the situation is tense, and our actions have ignited it, so naturally it has exploded completely," Li Weiyi said.

Li Ling didn't know what a powder keg was, but she understood what he meant. "That must be the case, so my mother and brother were just held back, not that they didn't care about my life or death."

"So fast!"

Li Weiyi glanced back and saw Chen Lian standing on the mist bridge. The pressure on him increased, and he increased his speed to the maximum.

The towering mountains on the horizon are getting closer and closer.

Most of the mountain range is barren, devoid of vegetation. Rows of hanging coffins and Stele Forest on the cliffs.

Countless heroes from that great battle thousands of years ago are buried here!

The closer you get, the more you can feel the grandeur of the mountains before you.

Li Weiyi originally intended to go to the Shanjun Taiqing Tomb to meet up with Yin Thirteen and Yao Yin, but now he couldn't stop at all. He leaped up and climbed up the steep cliff.

Regardless of what lies on the other side of the mountain, there is absolutely no possibility of stopping now.

Li Ling continuously released streaks of flame, like a leaping and swaying spider, her speed not much slower than Li Weiyi's.

An hour later, the two entered the snowy area at the top of the mountain.

The cold wind howled, like the roar of a vengeful ghost; if one did not use magical energy to stabilize their body, it could blow them away.

The chill in the wind felt like it could freeze blood and seep into flesh and bone, making even martial artists at the Five Seas Realm extremely uncomfortable.

The two had exhausted their magical and mental power. The snow beneath their feet was knee-deep, and their speed was getting slower and slower. They could only rely on Zouwu to transform into a giant beast and carry them forward.

The deathly black sky hung low, seemingly within reach, bringing with it an atmosphere of profound oppression.

On the back of the Zouwu, Li Ling curled up in Li Weiyi's arms, the two of them holding up the Ghost Flag to ward off the cold wind.

Her petite body trembled from the cold as she clung to the ghost lamp for warmth. "It seems Chen Lian has been left behind. Is he afraid to go to the Netherworld of the Departed?"

"I think it's because his Wind-Riding Boots consume a lot of magical energy, even four Qi Sea can't withstand it. He doesn't dare to catch up in a weakened state, for fear of being ambushed by us. We can instantly kill a martial artist at the third level of the Five Seas Realm, how could he underestimate us?" Li Weiyi analyzed.

After Li Weiyi killed Chen Song, he obtained a pair of mid-level magic artifacts, the Wind-Riding Boots, and learned about their characteristics.

Li Ling said, "How about... we ambush him here?"

Li Weiyi was surprised, not expecting her to be so bold. "Has Zen Sea Observing Mist recovered?"

"We...we are actually quite strong, and we also have Zouwu and Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors, so we have a chance of winning," Li Ling said.

Li Weiyi was not surprised that she could recognize the Phoenix Wing Moth Emperor, because the Zen Sea Observing Mist within her body had this ability.

"The risk is too great, it's not necessary, we haven't reached the point where we absolutely have to risk our lives."

Li Weiyi lifted a corner of the Ghost Flag, revealing a long trail of huge footprints on the snow-covered plain behind it, which would soon be smoothed over by the wind and snow.

They had reached the ridge, where strange rocks formed peaks, ancient Prayer Flag fluttered, and giant steles tens of meters high were engraved with characters from a thousand years ago. There were also bones and rusted armor embedded in the rocks, giving it an epic feel, telling the history to future generations who passed by.

"Woo!"

A well-organized army appeared out of nowhere in the snow, clad in heavy armor, wielding long spears, their faces deathly pale and lifeless, as they approached the Zouwu beast.

"It seems to be Departed Spirit Army..."

Li Ling was quite frightened and prepared to unleash a spiritual flame attack to drive it away.

Li Weiyi stopped her.

Sensing a certain aura emanating from the Zouwu beast's back, the ancient Departed Spirit Army quickly moved away and vanished into the wind.

"They must be the spirits of heroes from that great battle a thousand years ago. They've become ghosts and are still patrolling the mountain ridge. It's probably Master's aura that scared them away," Li Ling said.

We crossed the mountain ridge.

They entered the eternally dark Nether Realm World.

Standing on high ground, one can look out over the land that was once Yun Province.

The mountains were dark and gloomy, the land vast and desolate, and on the horizon, there was a region where blue flames gathered, like a ghostly city-state. A great river flowed below the mountains, reflecting a faint white shadow.

After leaving the snow-covered area at the top of the ridge, the chill dissipated, and Li Weiyi put away the Ghost Flag.

The air was still cold, completely different from its natural habitat, but it was bearable.

Holding the ghost lamp, Li Ling said, "We won't go down to the bottom of the mountain. We absolutely must not enter the Netherworld of the Departed. We'll head directly north along the mountain range, which will take us to Zhizhou, one of the Seven Prefectures of the Southern Territory. After passing Zhizhou, we'll reach Qiuzhou, one of the Ten Prefectures of the Central Plains."

Li Weiyi's ears twitched, and he looked up at the mountain ridge he had just passed, where the wind and snow were raging.

Amidst the howling cold wind, the sound of a flute, tinged with a low, mournful lament, grew increasingly clear.

"It's him! Hide quickly..."

Li Weiyi was familiar with the sound of the flute and was quite wary of it. So, he immediately activated the invisibility power of his Nightwalker's Robe and quickly crouched down.

The pyre in Li Ling's hand dimmed, and she knelt down beside him.

"Boom!"

On the snow-covered ridge of the mountain, two figures were engaged in a fierce duel, with the sounds of swords ringing out and Dragon Roar roaring at times.

The mountaintop kept exploding, causing avalanches, and the roaring sounds shattered the silence of the Netherworld of the Departed.

Li Weiyi stared intently, noticing the dazzling light feathers on Jiang Ning's back, and was surprised. "She's still chasing the Dragon Gate inheritor, fighting all the way from Immortal Burial Town to the Netherworld of the Departed?"

Beside them came Li Ling's icy voice. "The dignified Luantai Angel can't even defeat a mere Dragon Gate brat. It seems Lingxiao Palace has indeed fallen into serious decline."

Her tone of voice was completely different!

I feel much better today. I still have a little soreness and fatigue, but it doesn't affect my writing at all.

Please vote for me!