Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“It’s the Yin River of the Underworld!” Zhu Ming exclaimed. The Yin River of the Underworld had no form or figure, and was omnipresent. It did not affect the ghosts or ghost immortals in the Underworld, but it would swallow every other soul whole. “Please be careful, everyone. This Yin River is changing every second. Sorcery cannot detect it.”
When he finished speaking, he tossed a weird look at the lazy woman standing behind Yi Qing on the sword. “This Fellow Daoist… can see the Yin River?”
“Her eyes are different from ours!” Lonemoon gave an unexplainable look to Zhu Ming. One had to take time to get used to the cheat’s eyes. “Let’s hurry along. It’s so dark in here, we’ll never know what else is hidden!”
“We’re not far – it’s just ahead.” Zhu Ming pointed in front of them and they carried on flying.
Shen Ying, however, hesitated and looked around. Was it that dark in here? It was all golden to her, and even kind of blinding! Of course, apart from that black river that was floating in the mid-air.
——————
The group did not fly for long before they saw a house floating in the middle of nowhere. All around was thick Yin Qi. The cave was much smaller than Long Zhen’s palace on the Wu Qi Mountain. It stood as a lone house.
They did not know why the Yin Qi was so strong. For some reason, there were also fewer travelling souls around. It was so quiet that they could hear footsteps of the few people below.
“This is it.” They landed in front of the house. Zhu Ming seemed to be very familiar with the surroundings. He waved his hand and the door to the hall opened. He helped Mother Feng, who was still staring blankly into space, onto a seat in the hall.
The hall was empty. They could see every corner of it. Apart from fur chairs, there was nothing else.
“There is a little yard at the back. The two of you can go there and take a look,” Zhu Ming suggested.
“Yi Qing, go to the back and take a look. I’m going to set up an array to look for Shortie’s aura,” Lonemoon instructed.
Yi Qing nodded, turning around and walking out the back door of the hall. Lonemoon walked to the middle and released his divine perception. Immediately, the entire cave appeared in his perception. He activated his immortal Qi and began to set up an array.
As if wanting nothing further to do with them, Zhu Ming did not offer any help. Instead, he remained seated beside Mother Feng.
Shen Ying was the only one who had nothing to do. She sat down on another chair. Since she was bored, she pulled a fruit out and began to chew on it out of habit. Except, she retrieved it with a little too much strength, so that another fruit fell out. It rolled on the floor.
She bent over to pick it up, but a pair of pale hands that had no sign of any life picked it up before she could. Mother Feng, who had been sitting on the chair staring into space the entire time, stared at the fruit in her hands, then looked at Shen Ying. She reached out and handed the fruit to Shen Ying, grinning. “Heh heh…”
Shen Ying tilted her head and received the fruit. “Thank you.”
Mother Feng continued to stare at the fruit in Shen Ying’s hand with her bleeding eyes. Shen Ying heard the sound of blood dripping onto the floor and shivered.
She took a bite of her apple and said nothing.
After thinking for a second, she retrieved the greenest fruit from her storage bag and handed it over. “Do you want to eat it?”
Mother Feng hesitated and glanced at the fruit, then glanced back at her. She reached out and took the fruit. Mother Feng grinned even wider and then stuffed the entire fruit into her mouth.
The next moment, there was a plonk. The fruit dropped through her body and fell to the floor. Mother Feng, who had no physical body, looked dumbfounded.
“Hey, you dropped it!” Shen Ying picked the fruit up and handed it over again. “Here, I still have more.”
Mother Feng took it again and swallowed it whole. Again, there was a plonk as the fruit hit the floor.
Heh heh heh… She can’t eat it, can she!
Shen Ying seemed to be addicted to this game. She picked the fruit up and handed it over again.
The ghost immortal still regarded the fruit as some kind of treasure. She hurriedly took it and… dropped it on the floor again!
They kept repeating this process.
Zhu Ming, who watched the entire thing: “…”
She was doing this on purpose, right? She must be! He was still watching them!
“Master.” Yi Qing finally returned from the backyard and rushed toward her, shaking his head. “She’s not there!” The backyard was cleaner than the front – there was not a single chair in the yard. Apart from Yin Qi, there was nothing else in there.
Zhu Ming’s expression darkened. As long as they could not find the girl, Mother Feng would remain under suspicion. After pondering for a moment, he suggested, “Why not… I go along with you to look in the forest where the girl disappeared? I’m familiar with ghost immortals’ aura. Maybe I can get some clues?”
Lonemoon, who had been setting up the array, stopped. His expression was as dark as Zhu Ming’s. “Shortie is not here indeed.”
“Oh.” Shen Ying narrowed her eyes, but she did not respond to any of them. Instead, she kept the fruit, causing Mother Feng to reach for thin air. Suddenly, Shen Ying smiled. “I’m not giving it to you anymore. I gave you so many – why don’t you return one to me?”
Lonemoon: “…”
Yi Qing: “…”
Zhu Ming: “…”
Where’s her shame? She just gave Mother Feng the same fruit again and again. Was she bullying a ghost immortal for her lack of a physical body?
o(>_<)o
Mother Feng paused. It was obvious that she did not understand what Shen Ying had just said. Her bleeding eyes stared directly at the fruit in Shen Ying’s hand, yet she did not dare to reach out for it again.
Lonemoon pursed his lips. “Hey, are you almost…” He began to reprimand her.
Mother Feng pulled a rectangular sign out of nowhere and threw it at them. Then, she returned to staring at the fruit in Shen Ying’s hand.
“Master!” Yi Qing exclaimed.
Lonemoon re-focused his energy as well. He looked at the sign. “What is that?”
“Is it a token?” Zhu Ming looked confused as well. Why did Mother Feng possess something like that? What’s more, the token had some God Power in it.
“I think it’s an array formation!” Shen Ying answered. She finally gave the fruit to Mother Feng, who by now looked elated. Then, the fruit dropped on the floor.
Shen Ying did not help her to pick it up his time. She picked up the token instead and walked to the center of the hall. Then, she knelt down and pressed down on the ground. Suddenly, the entire cave it up with a red light. An array appeared in the hall.
The ground collapsed inward inch by inch, especially the flooring in the middle where the red light was the most blinding. After a few moments, the array twisted and another scene appeared underneath it. They could not see quite clearly into the scene.
“That is… the entrance to a mystic realm!” Zhu Ming exclaimed.
Lonemoon was shocked as he asked, “How did you know that there’s an array that can open a mystic realm here?”
“I can see it!” Shen Ying answered. There was golden light everywhere – only that part of the ground was black. There was also a rectangular image on it. Anybody would be able to tell that there was something suspicious there.
Lonemoon: “…”
They watched as the red entrance became bigger and bigger, until it filled the entire hall.
Lonemoon nodded at his two companions and gestured to them. “Go in!”
They mounted their swords and flew into the mystic realm. Zhu Ming tugged Mother Feng, who was still looking for the fruit, along with him and entered the mystic realm as well.
With a flash of red, they found themselves in a different space altogether.
