Traveling through the Underworld:
The two of them encountered several more cities along the way.
Wang Quan kept track of the time. When they had plenty to spare, he went in to expound on the Dao and temper his Dharma Power.
When time was tight, they leaped straight past.
Along the way, he changed how he described Su Mali's identity, calling her his human companion. The Underworld beings did not buy it, however, and no Underworld powerhouse gave her an identity token.
This infuriated Su Mali. "Just you wait! Once I die and fall into the Underworld, I'll teach them a proper lesson!"
"I'll show them this lady holds grudges too!"
Wang Quan chuckled. "The Underworld changes constantly. The chances of meeting them again are far too low."
Su Mali grumbled, but in the end, afraid of delaying their journey, she obediently slipped the rope around her hand. "You'd better stop treating me as human!"
"Let's pick up the pace!"
"All right!"
A dozen or so days later, they reached the first waypoint.
The waypoints here did not overlap with those in the Real World or the Second-Layer World. Neither of them knew where they would emerge if they left from here.
They exchanged a glance and stepped out of the Underworld.
In the next breath, heaven and earth changed, and they returned to the Real World.
Looking around, they found themselves atop a snowy mountain. As far as the eye could see, snow-covered mountains stretched endlessly.
They calculated their waypoint using the cardinal directions, the changing seasons, and other factors. Once they worked out the location it represented, both drew in a sharp breath.
Because:
Their current location was simply too far from where they had entered the Underworld.
So far that, if they transformed into streaks of Killing