Ninth Prince

Shen Luo first activated the Spirit-Linking Demon-Commanding Art, summoning Lang Sheng to stand guard nearby. Only then did he sit cross-legged outside the Magic Formation and place the Cosmic Bag at its center.

He formed a hand seal and activated the Magic Formation. A surge of black light rose from within, slowly lifting the Cosmic Bag into the air as strands of black radiance seeped into it.

Dark ghostly light flickered around the Cosmic Bag, gradually forming a hazy black figure: the image of that ghost general.

"Thank you for lending me a hand." Shen Luo smiled faintly, rose, and stepped into the Magic Formation. He sat beneath the Cosmic Bag, and the ghost general's phantom happened to envelop him.

He slowly circulated the secret art of nurturing the spirit with ghosts. Strands of ghostly light emerged from the phantom and gathered toward the center of his brow.

Shen Luo's brows drew together, and a trace of pain appeared on his face. Yet he forcibly endured it, activated the Nameless Art, and once again attempted to break through the Soul Condensation Stage bottleneck.

In the blink of an eye, several months passed.

The New Year had already passed, yet the weather along the Yellow River grew colder by the day. Today, heavy snow began to fall.

Snowflakes danced above the vast river, shrouding heaven and earth in white until it was nearly impossible to tell where the river ended and the sky began.

Such weather was unsuitable for shipping or fishing, so not a single merchant vessel or fishing boat could be seen on the river.

Yet this very scenery was perfect for scholars and nobles who had no need to worry about making a living to admire the snow and enjoy the view.

A lavish pleasure boat, twenty or