Liu Yue exchanged a sharp glance with his temporary allies. A silent consensus passed between them. He gave a curt nod, and Xiao Yifeng mirrored the gesture with a subtle dip of his chin.
In the next instant, the group moved as one, streaking toward the Bridge of Helplessness like bolts of lightning.
Su Miaoqing tensed, preparing to follow, but an iron grip clamped around her wrist. She looked back, startled, only to see Xiao Yifeng slowly shaking his head, his eyes calm and devoid of impulse.
He wasn’t the only one remaining behind. Mo Shuiyao stood motionless nearby, her gaze fixed intently on him. She had been observing him closely; since their arrival in this Immortal Abode, Xiao Yifeng had displayed an uncanny foresight, bordering on prophecy. If he wasn't moving, there was a trap. Mo Shuiyao, whose mind was as sharp as a razor, decided instantly to hedge her bets and stay put.
"Why isn't Fairy Mo joining them to storm the Bridge of Helplessness?" Xiao Yifeng asked, his voice smooth and polite, the perfect mask of 'Wuchen.'
"Is Fellow Daoist Wuchen not doing the same?" Mo Shuiyao replied, her lips curving into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sitting securely on the fishing platform, waiting for the turbulent waters to settle?"
Ahead of them, Liu Yue and the others slammed their feet onto the stone planks of the bridge. But before they could take a second step, reality warped. Meng Po appeared before them instantaneously, a ghost in the machine. She raised her ancient green lantern and swept it through the air.
Whoosh!
A majestic surge of emerald light erupted like a tidal wave. Liu Yue roared, his Golden Saber hacking down to cleave the energy. Beside him, Luo Yun plucked the strings of her zither, firing invisible blades of sonic qi to intercept the attack.
The others unleashed their divine abilities, a chaotic bloom of lights and spells. Yet, against that emerald wash, their attacks were as effective as eggs striking a rock. The green light remained unbroken, sweeping forward with the weight of a collapsing mountain.
Forced to abandon their advance, the group leaped backward, retreating in disarray to avoid the terrifying strike.
Meng Po stood at the bridgehead, the green lantern held high like a judgment. The Bridge of Helplessness trembled beneath her feet, and the dark waters of the River of Forgetfulness below began to boil.
ROAR!
With a thunderous splash, two gargantuan shapes erupted from the river, flanking the bridge. They were Bone Dragons—colossal serpentine constructs woven from thousands of human skeletons, dripping with the yellow slime of the underworld waters. Hollow eye sockets burned with soul-fire, and the aura radiating from them crushed down on the cultivators—both were unmistakably at the Nascent Soul realm.
As the dragons rose, Meng Po’s aura swelled. It was as if stepping onto the bridge had completed her; she was no longer just a guardian, but a limb of the underworld itself. An ancient, desolate pressure rolled off her, suffocating the air.
"If you will not drink the Soup of Oblivion, I cannot allow you to pass," Meng Po stated, her voice flat and echoing. "If you wish to force your way through, you must first ask if I agree."
Liu Yue and his group exchanged looks of despair. The two Bone Dragons alone were monstrosities they couldn't handle, let alone a Meng Po whose cultivation depth was an abyssal mystery.
The group stood frozen, caught between greed and death.
Suddenly, Meng Po’s expression twisted. Her serene mask shattered into fury.
"The audacity!"
She abandoned Liu Yue’s group, turning into a streak of green light and diving toward the shore—straight at Xiao Yifeng.
The others whipped their heads around.
While everyone’s attention had been fixed on the bridge, Xiao Yifeng had quietly walked up to the massive stone stele marking the entrance to the Bridge of Helplessness. His hand was pressed against the ancient rock.
Seeing Meng Po charging at him, Xiao Yifeng didn't flinch. He channeled his spiritual power, muscles bulging as he heaved upward. With a grinding tear of earth and stone, he uprooted the massive stele.
"Run!"
He grabbed Su Miaoqing and bolted in the opposite direction, the heavy stone tablet tucked under his arm like a toy.
Liu Yue and the others felt their blood boil with rage. They had been bait! Xiao Yifeng had used their assault to distract the guardian while he stole the true prize.
Seeing Meng Po vacate her post, Liu Yue tried to seize the opening and rush the bridge. But one of the Bone Dragons swiveled its massive skull, exhaling a torrent of yellow miasma—the breath of the Yellow Springs. Liu Yue was blasted back, coughing and retreating.
"Dammit! Follow him!" Wang Laoxie roared, his eyes greedy. "That brat knows the trick to crossing the River of Forgetfulness!"
Xiao Yifeng flew low to the ground, dragging a bewildered Su Miaoqing along. Right on their heels was Mo Shuiyao, her expression icy, and behind her, a furious Meng Po screamed for blood. Further back, the rest of the mob gave chase.
"What is that stone? Why did we steal it?" Su Miaoqing shouted over the wind.
Xiao Yifeng shoved the heavy stele into her hands. "This tablet is the key! Drip your blood on it immediately and imprint a portion of your Divine Sense into it! Quickly!"
Su Miaoqing didn't hesitate. She bit her fingertip, smeared the crimson blood onto the gray stone, and sank her mind into it.
Hum.
The stele pulsed with a crimson glow. Su Miaoqing felt a cold, phantom thread connect her soul to the stone. Instantly, a layer of yin energy—cold, silent, and dead—wrapped around her body. It was the exact same frequency as the energy of this Reincarnation Immortal Abode.
The crushing gravity that had weighed on her since they entered the dungeon vanished. It was as if the Abode now recognized her as one of its own.
"My Divine Sense..." she gasped. "I can project it again!"
Xiao Yifeng had already pulled out a second tablet—the 'River of Forgetfulness' stele he had acquired earlier—and performed the same blood-binding ritual. The chilling aura of the underworld cloaked him.
"Hold on tight!"
With the suppression lifted, Xiao Yifeng’s speed exploded. He accelerated violently, leaving a shockwave in his wake. In a blink, the gap between them and Mo Shuiyao widened into a chasm.
Mo Shuiyao’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. So that’s the trick.
"You think you can shake me off that easily?" She grit her silver teeth and performed a hand seal. A mist of blood rose from her skin as she activated a forbidden art, her speed surging to match theirs.
But no matter how fast they were, they were trespassers in a god’s domain.
Meng Po was faster. She became a beam of pure azure light, closing the distance with terrifying inevitability. Her hand reached out, claw-like, mere inches from Xiao Yifeng’s back.
Escape seemed impossible. Yet, Xiao Yifeng did not panic.
He spun mid-air, facing the oncoming deity. His hand dived into his robes and scattered a cloud of yellow paper slips.
"Behold! The Yellow Spring Ghost-Suppressing Talismans!" he bellowed, his voice thundering with absolute confidence.
Simultaneously, he flared his aura. But beneath his own spiritual power, he uncorked a bottle of pure nightmare. He allowed a sliver of the Immortal Slayer sword’s Killing Intent to leak out.
It was a coldness that predated the underworld—a sharp, divine will designed to butcher immortals and slaughter souls.
Meng Po froze. Every instinct in her spiritual body screamed in terror. It was the feeling of a prey animal encountering its apex predator. That aura... it can kill me.
She halted, flinching back defensively.
BOOM! POP! CRACKLE!
The "Ghost-Suppressing Talismans" detonated. They were... cheap firecrackers. Basic Foundation Establishment charms that created flashy sparks and smoke, utterly harmless to a being of her level.
It was a bluff. A majestic, high-stakes bluff.
But Xiao Yifeng didn't stay to watch her realization. In that split second of hesitation, he bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of Essence Blood onto his sword.
"Blood Escape!"
He couldn't risk drawing the actual Immortal Slayer sword; its presence would draw too much attention. Instead, he commanded the sword spirit to possess his current weapon, the Falling Rainbow. The blade turned a deep, ominous crimson.
Wrapped in a bloody haze, Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing dissolved into a blur of red light. Their speed defied logic, piercing the horizon and vanishing before Meng Po could blink.
"AAAAHHH!"
Meng Po’s scream of rage shook the barren wasteland. But she stopped abruptly at an invisible barrier. They had crossed the boundary of her territory. She glared into the distance, her chest heaving. That aura... that terrifying, soul-severing aura... it had made her hair stand on end. She didn't know it was the Immortal Slayer, but she knew she had narrowly avoided something dreadful.
...
Miles away, realizing they were out of the "aggro range," Xiao Yifeng finally exhaled.
He waved his hand, and a white light shot out. Roar!
The Ice Spirit Beast, Xiao Bing, materialized, instantly expanding into its massive combat form. Xiao Yifeng dragged Su Miaoqing onto the beast’s broad back.
"Go," he commanded weakly.
Xiao Bing growled low, struggling against the atmospheric pressure of the Immortal Abode, but its Demon Beast physique was robust. It tore forward, hovering just a foot off the ground, carrying them away at a steady clip.
Xiao Yifeng slumped slightly. Releasing Xiao Bing was a necessity; the Blood Escape technique had drained him severely. In this hostile environment, flying burned through spiritual energy like oil, and that burst of speed had nearly emptied his reserves.
Behind them, Mo Shuiyao was still in pursuit, though lagging. Seeing them mount a beast, she gritted her teeth in envy.
"Shameless!" she hissed. She was forced to burn her own qi to maintain the chase, while they rode in comfort. "When I get out of here, I’m buying a mount. The biggest one I can find!"
Fortunately for her, her movement technique was efficient. She wasn't as fast as Xiao Yifeng’s suicidal burst, but she possessed the stamina to keep their silhouette on the horizon.
After half an hour of travel, color began to return to Xiao Yifeng’s face.
"Yifeng, are you alright?" Su Miaoqing asked softly, her eyes filled with distress as she looked at his pale complexion. "Why did you burn your Essence Blood? That damages the foundation!"
"I’m fine," Xiao Yifeng shook his head, offering a reassuring smile. "It was only for a split second. The damage is negligible."
Su Miaoqing bit her lip, accepting the lie because she wanted to believe it. She looked at the desolate landscape ahead. "Where are we going?"
Xiao Yifeng pointed toward the dark, misty horizon upstream.
"Above the River of Forgetfulness lies a place called the Yellow Spring Crossing," he said, his voice regaining its calm, scholarly tone. "There, we will find the ferryman."