Chapter 992 – Disembark
Everyone was shocked but they immediately caught the key information in the ferryman's statement.
The first one to disembark?
What could that mean?
Aren't we all disembarking at the same destination?
The expression of the Human Race Saint who had been told to disembark changed rapidly.
The Ferryman of the Netherworld's boat had arrived at the banks of what seemed like a shoal. The black waters of the Heavenly River became shallower and rocks poked out from the river surface like black steel, but the largest rock was only about the size of a palm, just big enough to stand on. The shallow waters did not signify that they were close to shore either. When the surrounding black mist dissipated, they could clearly see that there was still some distance between the rocks scattered around the Heavenly River and the riverbank. Furthermore, that mysterious suppressing force was still present, which meant that no one was able to fly across the shallow waters of the Heavenly River. The only way to get to shore was to hop from rock to rock, and it would be dangerous.
The Ferryman of the Netherworld mercilessly chased him off the boat, so the Human Race Saint could only disembark in spite of his anger and fear. He stood atop a black rock and looked as though he was about to burst into tears as he attempted to make his way to shore by stepping on the rocks.
No one knew whether or not he would ultimately make it to shore alive.
Then, the boat continued to move forward, and thirty minutes later, Thousand Illusion Elder was also ejected from the boat.
Fortunately, the waters were shallower and it was closer to shore. Thousand Illusion Elder was in a much better predicament compared to the Human Race Saint from before.
Ye Qingyu finally understood what was going on.
The Ferryman of the Netherworld determined the order of which each passenger would disembark in accordance to the "ferry fare" they paid earlier. The first passenger to disembark paid the lowest "fare", and so became the earliest passenger to disembark in the most dangerous area. Thousand Illusion Elder came next after the Human Race Saint.
Thousand Illusion Elder felt like bursting into tears as he stared at the retreating boat.
He suddenly remembered how he had secretly mocked Ye Qingyu together with his companion, assuming that the young Human Race upstart was foolish for presenting such a valuable item just to stand out from the rest. In hindsight, that upstart had made the smartest choice and was now able to take a longer ride on the ferry compared to both of them. The journey would take about thirty minutes with the ferryman's boat, but if he were to hop across these black rocks to get to shore, it would take him an entire day. The shore seemed nearby but due to the mysterious suppressive force on the Heavenly River, Saints were no different than ordinary humans.
So many things could change in the span of a single day at the Reincarnation Hall of the Chaos Demon Emperor and precious opportunities could be snatched by someone else if he was delayed by a day.
This was not only about the matter of time.
The Heavenly River was fraught with dangers and it was exceedingly terrifying. If he was unlucky, he could even end up perishing here.
Damn it, I hope I don't run into Ye Qingyu again. Bad luck seems to befall me each time I mock him, Thousand Illusion Elder thought retrospectively.
The Ferryman of the Netherworld's boat continued to move forward.
As expected, the third person to disembark was Orchid Saintess.
The situation she faced was much better and a lot less dangerous than Thousand Illusion Elder's disembarkation point. The rocks poking out of the surface of the river were a lot larger than before and one could easily stand on them. The shore was only less than one hundred meters away, so if she hopped along these rocks, it would take her around half a day to reach the shore.
The fourth person to disembark was the Third Prince of the Mizar Race.
The silver shuttle that this frank prince handed over was indeed an ancient relic, but it was not exceptionally rare. He had only taken the item out to get the ferryman off his back, clearly not expecting this "ferry fare" to ultimately determine where he would disembark. Thus, this was as far as he could go on the boat.
Four Stars holy girl frowned and said, "Brother Yin Kaishan, I'll come with you."
Obviously, she did not want to be separated from Yin Kaishan in such a manner.
Before the Third Prince could say anything, the Ferryman of the Netherworld answered first.
Four Stars holy girl could not disembark the boat with Yin Kaishan.
Everyone was shocked by its answer.
What?
It's reasonable for a passenger to not be able to take a longer ride on the boat, but why wasn't a passenger allowed to disembark in advance?
This rule is too authoritarian.
Unfortunately, the Ferryman of the Netherworld, who looked like a scarecrow, would not elaborate further and its decision was firm. If she tried to disembark by force, the headless scarecrow would force her back up the boat. Four Stars holy girl made a small attempt but instantly triggered the abundant terrifying aura from the headless scarecrow. She only had to try to know that resistance was futile.
After the Third Prince of the Mizar Race disembarked, the boat continued on its way forward.
The expressions of those remaining on the boat were all grave and solemn.
Ye Qingyu looked at Hu Bugui and Little Nine and realized that they were about to be separated.
This was definitely not what he had been expecting. After all, Hu Bugui was not powerful enough. Even his Emperor qi tile might not be enough to keep him safe, but rather, it might even draw the attention of those who bore malicious intentions. This frightening environment was fraught with life-threatening dangers so he really was not comfortable with Hu Bugui disembarking alone.
Little Nine felt the same way.
It had never expected that there would be such a rule on the Ferryman of the Netherworld's boat.
Soon afterward, the small boat stopped once more.
The next person to disembark was the mysterious man in a black cloak.
Thirty minutes later, Four Stars holy girl also disembarked.
Ye Qingyu, Hu Bugui, and Little Nine were the only three passengers left on the boat.
Ye Qingyu attempted to interact with the Ferryman of the Netherworld and offered up several more drops of Chaotic Lightning Liquid in exchange for the three of them to disembark at the same time. However, the headless scarecrow rejected his suggestion by remaining silent and ignoring him, clearly not willing to engage with Ye Qingyu at all.
"What should we do?" Ye Qingyu became a little anxious.
Hu Bugui laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm guessing that I'll be the next person to disembark. If worst comes to worst, I'll find my own way around. Brother Ye Qingyu, you could wait up ahead for me by the riverbank and we'll still be able to meet again."
Ye Qingyu shook his head and said solemnly, "You're wrong, brother Hu Bugui. I doubt it will be that simple. The roads so far have been extremely mysterious and this 'ferry fare' rule is unlikely to be due to the ferryman's greed, but rather, it is a rule and a law. Think about it, why else would a Quasi-emperor covet such small treasures? So what could be the reason for establishing such a rule and law? There could only be one reason, which is to separate all the passengers on the Ferryman of the Netherworld's boat. Since this law is designed to separate us, our next paths will definitely not converge."
Hu Bugui was dumbfounded.
Little Nine had also realized that the situation was not looking great.
"If that's the case… then it would also be fate. Hehe, brother Ye Qingyu, don't worry about me. I've also been through all kinds of situations and have visited ancient ruins like this place many times. Anyway, I've still got lots of untested treasures to use," Hu Bugui said valiantly, comforting Ye Qingyu instead.
He understood Ye Qingyu's character and was worried that Ye Qingyu would brazenly attack the Ferryman of the Netherworld because of this issue. The consequences would be dire.
Ye Qingyu shook his head.
He refused to leave Hu Bugui alone and was already calculating his chances of winning if he attacked the ferryman.
The million-year-old soul, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said telepathically, "Don't worry about it. Let your friend disembark. I'll guarantee his safety."
"Huh?" Ye Qingyu was stunned. "You mean…"
"I've already merged with the Chaos Demon Heart, which allowed me to understand many of the secrets within this Reincarnation Hall, and I now possess the Chaos Demon power, which enables me to secretly control some of its formations. This is a small matter to me. All you'll have to do is let Hu Bugui leave and I can guarantee that not only will he remain safe, but he might also even come across some opportunities," the million-year-old soul said confidently.
Ye Qingyu was overjoyed.
After endless mountains and rivers that left doubt as to whether or not there was a pathway out, he suddenly encountered the shade of a willow, bright flowers, and a lovely village.
If the million-year-old soul's words were true, then Ye Qingyu could relax. As long as Hu Bugui's life was not in danger, everything else was secondary. After all, the headless scarecrow was truly a Quasi-emperor, so if he were to attack it, he was not at all confident he could lead Hu Bugui and Little Nine from the clutches of the ferryman.
He continued to secretly discuss this plan with the million-year-old soul, and after he received a second confirmation, he finally felt reassured.
Soon afterward, the boat stopped once more.
This time, it was Hu Bugui's turn to disembark.
"Brother Hu Bugui, please play it by ear and don't try forcing your way through each time. I managed to obtain confirmation from a senior that he would guarantee that you'd be able to walk out of this Reincarnation Hall unharmed," Ye Qingyu could not expound on this further so he could only drop a few hints.
"Haha, don't worry," Hu Bugui said with a laugh.
Silly Dog Little Nine was also a little worried and said, "Chief bandit, you must be careful. Don't die…"
Hu Bugui suddenly felt a little moved by its words.
However, he suddenly had an urge to jump back onto the boat to strangle Little Nine after it continued by saying, "If you were to die, it'd be such a waste of your exotic and precious treasures. Why don't you hand them to me first? I'll keep them safe for you."
Hu Bugui stood on a rock and gave Little Nine the finger.
The boat continued to move forward.
Thirty minutes later, Ye Qingyu was the next person to disembark.
He would never have thought that this was how they were ranked.
He assumed that he would have been the last person to disembark since he handed over a drop of Chaotic Lightning Liquid, which was an Emperor artifact from the Lightning Emperor himself and contained remnant Emperor's Will. Yet, it still could not compare to a strand of dog fur—the Ferryman of the Netherworld was implying that Little Nine would be the last to disembark. This showed that in its eyes, that strand of dog fur was more valuable than an Emperor artifact from the Lightning Emperor.
How could that be?
Before Ye Qingyu disembarked, he gave in to his curiosity and grabbed Silly Dog, then plucked a strand of dog fur from its neck. He would dig further into this in the future.
Silly Dog looked extremely pleased with itself as it sat on the boat.
This dog was not truly foolish, and by this time, it had also understood the value of its fur.
After it saw what happened to Four Stars holy girl earlier, Silly Dog did not insist on following Ye Qingyu since there was no way it could disembark. It said smugly, "Don't miss me too much. I'll make my way forward first and come back to rescue you after I've obtained the chance to become Emperor. Hahaha!"
Ye Qingyu stood on a black rock and was left completely speechless.
The boat started moving once more and soon disappeared over the horizon.
He did not even know when it happened, but it became misty again.
Ye Qingyu looked up and all he could see were the dense fog and demon qi that filled the sky.
This dense fog was completely different from the mist that he saw in other places. It looked both gray and black, and it was extremely dense and abundant, exuding an extremely mysterious aura and a strong oppressive force. It completely blocked out everything and left him unable to see his surroundings. One couldn't help but feel nervous and even a little frightened.
