They did not have to wait long, nor did any further mishaps occur.
A dozen or so days later, fluctuations from a plane node arose nearby. Chen Lin and the others located it, and once Nanmen Lingyue opened the node, they left at once.
They returned safely to the interior of the Soul-Severing Tower, then made their way back to Sanding City.
Nothing happened along the way.
Not long after returning to the mountain gate, they received shocking news: all the experts from the major factions who had entered the Upper Three Levels of the Netherworld had perished. Not a single one had emerged.
Chen Lin and his companions immediately became the center of attention.
Still, no one believed they could have done anything to those experts. Besides, those experts had not all gone to the Seventh Layer; some had gone to the Eighth Layer and the Ninth Layer.
Thus, people merely came to ask questions. Upon learning that the River of Forgetfulness had changed course, they all became doubtful and apprehensive.
Several more days passed, and Chen Lin received another piece of news.
During this opening of the Soul-Severing Tower, several True Realm experts had actually entered the Netherworld!
Such a thing was exceedingly rare.
Those whose cultivation had reached the True Realm already stood at the pinnacle of this world and had virtually no concerns about their lifespans. They had no reason to participate in such a dangerous undertaking.
There had to be a reason.
No one knew what these experts had been after, however. All anyone knew was that they had gone to the Ninth Layer. The River of Forgetfulness changing course had probably been their doing.
Among them was the Gu Family Patriarch, who had only recently achieved Ascension to the True Realm.
After the Gu