Chu Mo stood on the riverbank, gazing at the murky water.
"The Nether River?" he murmured, reading the two characters on the stele. His eyes flickered. "Quite a grand name."
There had been many Nether Rivers in the legends of his previous life, but without exception, they were boundaries between life and death, divides between yin and yang. Once the dead crossed the river, they entered the Netherworld, never again to have a chance to turn back.
That was a mighty power born of heaven and earth's workings, beyond anything human strength could attain.
Yet the river before him... though somewhat peculiar, was nowhere near that level. At the very least, he felt he could swim a lap in it and still climb out safely.
"What do you think of this river, fellow Daoist?"
Declining Fate approached and stood beside him. "When I first came here, I too found it rather remarkable."
"There's something to it, but not much."
Chu Mo answered calmly, then took a Dharma Coin from his sleeve and flicked it into the river.
The Dharma Coin landed on the water, and the murky current washed over it. In an instant, it dissolved into nothing. Even the aura attached to it vanished along with it, leaving not the slightest trace.
The river water that flowed past the Dharma Coin seemed to grow a little murkier. But the change was so minute as to be imperceptible, almost enough to make one think it was an illusion.
Chu Mo raised his brows slightly. "This river can dissolve all things?"
"More than that."
Declining Fate continued, "When I first discovered this river, its waters could wash away every trace. Whether an aura, a mark, or entangled karma, anything that fell into it would be washed utterly clean."
He paused and