"No need. Just stay here."
"We can't take you to meet our chief without permission."
"That works. I'll stay here and wait for you."
Chen Changan didn't know whether this Netherworld Holy Water really was Rootless Saint Origin Liquid. But since the Nether River Tribe valued it so highly, it had to be a fine treasure. Taking a drop to cultivate more wouldn't hurt.
Chen Changan didn't have to wait long. Before long, the aquatic tribe members from earlier appeared before him, bringing their chief with them.
"You want a drop of Netherworld Holy Water?" the chief asked.
"That's right."
"Fine. One drop won't make any difference. But we have a condition. If you agree and help us solve our problem, we'll give you the Netherworld Holy Water."
"Fine. What's the condition?"
"Help us get rid of the vengeful spirits in the Nether River."
Vengeful spirits?
There were vengeful spirits in the Nether River? And they were only spirits—couldn't the Nether River Tribe deal with them?
"How could there be vengeful spirits in the Nether River?"
"Could they be..."
"Those people from the Eternal Land who died here? Did they become vengeful spirits after they died?" Chen Changan asked, frowning.
"That's right. It's them."
"I have to say, the people of the Eternal Land may be nothing special, but they were certainly strong. Though we killed them, we didn't manage to kill them completely. They each retained a sliver of their souls, which slowly turned into vengeful spirits."
"These vengeful spirits hate our Nether River Tribe. And after absorbing the Nether River's deathly energy, they can hide in the river just as well as we can."
"Moreover, we of the tribe... can't inflict any substantial harm on them."
"For all these years, the vengeful spirits have attacked our people from