Chapter 213 - 212: The Secret of the Nether River (Part 2)

In their lives, Cultivators could not escape at least two types of tribulations: Lifespan Decay and Fate Calamity. These two calamities were inescapable for any Cultivator. However, the Body Tribulation was not something all Cultivators had to face. If you didn’t cultivate a physique, you would never have to undergo a Body Tribulation!

Li Qiye’s minor tribulation for his Prison Suppressing Divine Body was imminent, but he continued to suppress it. Had it been anyone else, they would have undergone the Body Tribulation as soon as it arrived, because the earlier one faced it, the weaker it would be.

But Li Qiye refused. Having nurtured countless great figures, he had come to understand a certain truth: while undergoing the Body Tribulation early was less dangerous, it resulted in an incomplete purging of Body Evil. This would cause Body Evil to linger within the body, directly affecting the future achievement of Immortal Body Great Success!

Long before this, Li Qiye’s Body Tribulation had already shown signs of manifesting, yet it was still being suppressed by his physique. Even now, he kept it suppressed, because it was still a hair’s breadth away from being perfectly ripe.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM— Just as Li Qiye let out a long breath and withdrew his energy, the sky and earth suddenly began to shake. The entire Celestial Ancient City swayed as if struck by a massive earthquake.

At this moment, Li Qiye’s expression changed. With a flick of his finger and a quick calculation, his face fell! He immediately rushed outside.

By this time, many people had already rushed out. Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, who had been cultivating, darted out at once. Everyone looked up, gazing into the distance.

A strange phenomenon was occurring in the distant Ancient Sky Corpse Land on the horizon. Above it, a Celestial River descended from the heavens. The river was dark and spectral, and as it fell into the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, it seemed to transform the place into the Underworld. At that moment, mournful music began to sound from the corpse land. The waves of sorrowful tunes plunged all who heard them into a state of despondency and grief.

High above the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, at the very source of the Celestial River, one could see joss paper dancing in the air. There were Ancestors dressed in plain mourning clothes, wearing sackcloth and white filial piety garments, holding funeral banners. It was as if an Immortal King had passed away, as if a True God was being buried, with countless Ancestors seeing him off...

"The Nether River has finally appeared—" Seeing such a phenomenon, everyone’s expressions changed. Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but stare, moved by the scene. It was the first time the juniors had seen such a sight, and they were all entranced.

News of the Nether River’s appearance and the Netherworld Ship’s emergence had been circulating for nearly a year. All the sects in the world had come for the Netherworld Ship. Today, their long wait was finally over. The Nether River had appeared at last!

"Isn’t the Nether River rumored to be in the Underworld? Why is it descending from the sky!" Chen Baojiao asked Li Qiye, seeing the Nether River come down from the heavens.

At this moment, all the juniors looked to Li Qiye. If anyone could dispel their doubts, it could only be him.

Watching the Nether River descend from the sky, Li Qiye gently shook his head and said with a smile, "What you see isn’t necessarily real. What you hear isn’t necessarily true! What you are seeing might not be the Nether River truly descending from the sky. And what you’ve heard about the Underworld being underground might not be true either! Since time immemorial, how many people have traveled up the Nether River, seeking its source, wanting to enter the Underworld, but none have ever returned alive! The Underworld being underground... that is just a legend."

"Does the Underworld really exist in the world?" Nan Huairun couldn’t help but ask. In fact, it wasn’t just the juniors; even Shi Gandang and Tu Buyu were extremely curious.

There were too many legends in the world. As for whether there were ghosts or immortals, countless Cultivators had debated the topic without any conclusion. If ghosts truly existed in the world, then the legendary Underworld must exist as well. However, it seemed that throughout the ages, no one had ever seen the real Underworld.

Li Qiye didn’t answer Nan Huairun’s question. He simply gazed at the sky, at the end of the Nether River where countless Ancestors were carrying out a funeral procession. The vision seemed so blurry, yet in Li Qiye’s eyes, it was perfectly clear.

"The Ancestors’ funeral procession... who are they mourning?" In the end, Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but softly ask Li Qiye.

Gazing at the blurry vision in the sky, watching the countless Ancestors in mourning clothes holding funeral banners, their expressions so sorrowful, Li Qiye ultimately just let out a soft sigh and said, "No one knows. It has always been a mystery!"

At this very moment, everyone in Celestial Ancient City was watching this astonishing scene. Countless people were stirred with excitement, none more so than the Old Undyings who had been carried here in their coffins.

"The Nether River—it has finally appeared—" Seeing the Nether River descend from the sky, countless Old Undyings muttered to themselves in excitement.

In fact, at this very moment, pairs of eyes were opening all across the Ancient Sky Corpse Land. Whether it was in a Fengshui Treasure Land or an Earth Immortal Dragon Cave, pairs of eyes snapped open, each flashing with a terrifying, bloody light.

Within a Dragon Cave, the eyes of an invincible being became like a Sea of Blood, staring directly at the end of the Nether River as if trying to see through the phenomenon to the truth behind it!

The appearance of the Nether River was enough to excite both the living and the dead, and those who had died in the Ancient Sky Corpse Land were no exception! Being buried in a Fengshui Treasure Land or interred in a Dragon Cave offered a chance at resurrection and rebirth. However, this was only a possibility. Within the Dragon Caves and Fengshui Treasure Lands, countless people had been buried for millions of years, yet still failed to leave the Ancient Sky Corpse Land.

But the appearance of the Nether River was an opportunity for all the dead and all who were about to die. If one was buried in the right Netherworld Ship, they could, at the very least, gain several decades of Lifespan. At best, they could be reborn and live another life. By doing so, they could truly escape the Ancient Sky Corpse Land and walk the Human World once more!

Even the mindless Earth Corpses were looking at the phenomenon in the sky. Though they lacked intelligence, at this moment, they too sensed that the opportunity for rebirth had arrived.

Overnight, countless Earth Corpses crawled out of their hiding places and began to travel north, heading for the Nether River Crossing! Although the Earth Corpses had no intelligence, instinct drove them toward the Nether River Crossing!

Countless Earth Corpses headed for the Nether River Crossing, their Corpse Qi surging to the heavens in unending waves! This dense, sky-blotting Corpse Qi was so potent that if one was tainted by it, they would likely become an Earth Corpse themselves!

At this very moment, in the Fengshui Treasure Lands and Earth Immortal Dragon Caves, one invincible figure after another pushed open their Ancient Coffins, stood up, and gazed toward the crossing.

If anyone had been inside the Ancient Sky Corpse Land at that moment and witnessed this scene, they would have been absolutely horrified. The faint of heart would surely have fainted from fright.

At this moment, throughout the Ancient Sky Corpse Land—whether in deep valleys, on high peaks, or from within rivers—Ancient Coffins floated to the surface. One by one, those who were once dead lifted their own coffin lids, stood up, and gazed into the distance at the Nether River Crossing.

A situation like this was nothing short of a corpse uprising. Anyone who saw such a scene would give it a wide berth!

Within the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, atop a mountain peak that pierced the clouds, stood a peerless woman. In the moonlight, her figure was hazy and indistinct, but her unparalleled grace was still apparent! The woman opened her beautiful eyes and gazed at the Nether River Crossing, remaining silent for a long, long time.

On a sheer cliff, a Wooden Coffin was suspended high up. At this moment, the Wooden Coffin opened, and a middle-aged man climbed out. He too gazed at the Nether River Crossing. After an unknown amount of time, he finally let out a soft sigh and lay back down in his coffin.

At this time, within the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, some Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals began their journey toward the crossing. Many more Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals, however, lay back down in their coffins and once again sank beneath the ground.

Although rumors said that being buried in the right Netherworld Ship offered a chance at resurrection—at least several decades of Lifespan, and at most a complete rebirth to live another life—this chance was extremely slim. Legend had it that every time the Nether River appeared, more than ten thousand Netherworld Ships would sail forth. But throughout the ages, many believed that the chances of extending one’s life were very, very small. Some even speculated that there were no more than three Netherworld Ships capable of granting extended life and resurrection. All the other Netherworld Ships were death ships!

As for the Netherworld Ships that could grant a complete rebirth, they didn’t appear every time. Rumor had it that such a ship had appeared no more than three times since the beginning of time!

For both the living and the dead, being buried in a Netherworld Ship—if it was the wrong one, a death ship—meant becoming an Earth Corpse, an eternal Earth Corpse!

"Let’s move out! To the crossing!" Tonight was a sleepless night for the entire Celestial Ancient City. On this night, even the dead were excited. Overnight, countless Great Teaching Territories prepared to set out. Fully packed and ready, they carried coffins into the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, heading for the Nether River Crossing!

"Do we leave tomorrow?" With the Nether River out, Elder Chi Yun also hurried over to ask Li Qiye.

Li Qiye said with a smile, "Why the rush? Let’s not vie for the path with ghouls. Right now, all the Earth Corpses, Treasure Lords, and Earth Immortals are swarming over there. The Corpse Qi is surging to the heavens. Why go and get tainted by such foul energy? Let them go first. After the Corpse Qi disperses, we can have some peace and quiet."

"I’ve heard that many Great Ancient Sects are already planning to set off tomorrow. They hope to arrive at the crossing early to secure a good position, making it easier to snatch a Netherworld Ship when they emerge," Chi Yun said.

Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh. He said, "Once the Nether River appears, more than ten thousand Netherworld Ships will float out. At that time, it will be a vast, endless sea of them. No matter how good a position you secure, it won’t guarantee you can snatch a Lifeboat."

Speaking of which, Li Qiye glanced at Chi Yun and said, "If the War God Hall wants to go first, just let them. Elder Chi Yun, you don’t need to concern yourself with me. I will get to the crossing when the time comes."

In the end, Elder Chi Yun could only let out a soft sigh. He said nothing more. Li Qiye’s tendency to do things his own way was not something he could influence.

Sure enough, the next day Li Shuangyan brought a message to Li Qiye, saying, "The War God Hall has already entered the Ancient Sky Corpse Land. The elders have also followed them, carrying the coffin into the Ancient Sky Corpse Land. The elders and Elder Wang of the War God Hall asked me to ask when you plan to depart."

"No rush. We’ll go in a couple of days." Li Qiye shook his head and said, "The Netherworld Ships won’t float out for at least a few more days. Rushing to the crossing now just to squeeze in with all those dead people... it’s just asking for discomfort!"

Since Li Qiye said this, Li Shuangyan didn’t say anything more. And so, while many others set off for the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, only Li Qiye remained perfectly calm and unperturbed, continuing his cultivation without pause, pushing forward with his Dao Practice!