Upon hearing this, Mu Qing smiled faintly and, with a casual flip of her hand, produced three thumb-sized, translucent crimson orbs that shimmered with light.
Meanwhile, Liu Zu swayed his shoulders, and with a flash of black light, two additional arms sprouted from his back. One of these new arms held a triangular black token, while the other gripped a blue shuttle-shaped treasure. His original arms formed a hand seal in front of him, and with a sharp *pfft*, a black beam shot from his mouth, striking the silver mist in an instant.
With a thunderous *boom*, the black beam—whatever formidable power it held—caused the silver mist to tremble violently upon contact, emitting a resonant hum. Seeing this, Mu Qing wasted no time and flicked her wrist, sending the three crimson orbs flying in a straight line. They transformed into three blood-red firebolts, exploding with earth-shaking force. The silver mist, struck by the three head-sized bursts of crimson flame, began to destabilize and collapse.
Silver mist, black light, and blood-red flames intertwined, shaking the entire passageway. Standing behind Mu Qing and Liu Zu, Han Li couldn’t help but frown.
Though he had survived spatial rifts and collapses multiple times—even passing through spatial nodes—that didn’t mean he had any real confidence in escaping such dangers unscathed. His past survivals had been sheer luck. Unless one reached the Mahayana stage or the level of a True Spirit, no one could afford to underestimate the perils of spatial anomalies.
At that moment, Liu Zu’s newly manifested arms moved simultaneously. The triangular token trembled, releasing countless crimson thunderbolts that rained down ahead, while the shuttle-shaped treasure emitted a hum and shot forth as a blue streak. Mu Qing, too, flicked her sleeves, unleashing countless green rays.
With these additional attacks, the silver mist was forced back, collapsing step by step. After being pushed back over ten zhang, it finally vanished completely with a deafening explosion.
The spatial barrier had been breached, revealing the entrance to another realm. Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he took in the scene beyond.
A faint white glow flickered outside, accompanied by a fierce gust of icy wind. Even with his protective spiritual light, Han Li shivered violently as the wind swept past him. The cold penetrated his defenses, seeping directly into his body. If not for the Five-Colored Cold Flame within him, he would have suffered greatly. Fortunately, the wind passed in an instant, and soon everything returned to normal.
Han Li exhaled softly.
Liu Zu stared at the opening, his eyes sharp. Without hesitation, he shot forward, his voice echoing from within his escaping light: “The passage is open! Summon the others and have them enter immediately. I’ll scout ahead!”
Before his words faded, Liu Zu had already vanished into the white light beyond the entrance.
Mu Qing frowned slightly but didn’t turn back as she ordered, “Jin Ling, summon Di Xue and Fellow Daoist Lan with their forces. I’ll take Fellow Daoist Han ahead.”
“Yes, Master!” The golden ape transformed into a golden streak, darting backward.
Han Li could only follow silently as Mu Qing led the way out.
Moments later, Han Li’s vision brightened as he emerged into another space. But the sight before him made his eyes gleam with astonishment.
Hundreds of zhang ahead, a vast expanse of milky-white water blocked their path. The water was murky, its depth unknown, stretching endlessly to either side. On its surface, fierce winds howled and swirled. Strangely, despite the violent gusts, the water remained mirror-smooth, without a single ripple, as if lifeless.
Liu Zu hovered not far from the water’s edge, silently gazing ahead.
“So this is the Netherworld River,” Han Li murmured, exhaling deeply.
“Indeed. To cross this river and reach the Netherworld Land it conceals, we’ll need your Divine Devilbane Lightning,” Mu Qing said calmly.
“This junior will do his utmost,” Han Li replied respectfully.
Mu Qing nodded but before she could say more, Liu Zu suddenly reached out toward the water’s surface. A massive black hand materialized, descending menacingly.
Yet, just as it neared within three or four zhang of the water, countless silver streaks shot upward with a *whoosh*. The black hand was instantly riddled with holes and vanished into the air.
“What was that?” Han Li asked, startled.
“A peculiar fish from the Netherworld River,” Mu Qing explained casually, finally turning to him. “They’re slender as needles and attack any living thing that approaches the surface tirelessly. They’re among the least dangerous threats here—any cultivator with decent cultivation can fend them off with protective spiritual light. The real danger lies in the river itself. The only trouble is, these fish swarm. Once they attack, they won’t stop unless every last one nearby is exterminated.”
Han Li nodded in understanding.
Just then, noise came from the passage behind them. Han Li turned to see two blood-robed figures riding atop purple-blood puppets, followed by the white-haired beauty leading eight shadowy figures, Yuan Yao, and Yan Li. Behind them surged an endless tide of demonic creatures, puppets, and ghostly soldiers.
In moments, the sky near the exit was densely packed with their forces.
“Brother Liu Zu, how is it? Have the river’s restrictions changed?” one blood-robed figure called out as he flew toward them atop his puppet.
“No, they’re exactly as they were when we last entered,” Liu Zu replied calmly, withdrawing his gaze from the water.
“Then breaking through will be just as arduous as before,” the blood-robed figure said grimly.
“Likely so. But this time, we’ve prepared extensively. The casualties won’t be as severe,” the white-haired beauty added confidently as she approached.
“Indeed. Our main task is to combine our efforts to dismantle the restrictions and part the river. Other dangers are negligible. Now, let’s prepare. Fellow Daoist Han, it’s time for you to unleash your lightning to disperse the demonic energy in the water. Once it’s cleared, parting the river will be trivial,” Liu Zu said, his gaze fixed emotionlessly on Han Li.
“Rest assured, Seniors. My lightning technique is well-practiced. I won’t hinder your plans,” Han Li said with a slight bow, his expression unreadable.
“Good. That’s all we need,” one blood-robed figure laughed heartily.
The white-haired beauty and others nodded in agreement.
At the four demon kings’ signal, high-ranking demons surged forward, retrieving strange artifacts and beginning to set up an array. The eight shadows and over a dozen metallic puppets gathered under the beauty and Di Xue’s direction, also making preparations.
Han Li hovered mid-air, flicking his sleeve to release eight small cyan flags. They circled him before forming a thunder-attribute array, crackling with arcs of green lightning, placing him at its center.
“Fellow Daoist Han, what’s this?” Jin Ling, who had returned to Han Li’s side, asked in surprise.
“Nothing major. Just a supplementary array I devised. It stabilizes my lightning technique and slightly amplifies its power,” Han Li said offhandedly.
After learning that his Divine Devilbane Lightning could backfire, Han Li had grown uneasy and sought countermeasures. This small array was his solution—a creation of his seclusion.
The flags, inscribed with thunder runes, could absorb and release lightning energy. Through this self-designed Eight-Gate Lightning Guidance Array, their effect was magnified severalfold. If the lightning rebelled during casting, the array would temporarily divert its force, sparing him harm.
Of course, whether this would work—or how well—remained untested, as he hadn’t yet faced backlash. But deploying the array eased his mind. His claim about amplification was merely a cover.
As expected, Jin Ling accepted his explanation without further question.
Mu Qing and the others glanced over but failed to discern the array’s intricacies. Its uniqueness lay in the flags’ thunder runes, a technique Han Li had painstakingly mastered. Even these mighty demon kings couldn’t instantly unravel its secrets.
The other demons, clearly well-drilled, completed a massive array spanning dozens of zhang in mere minutes. Composed of dozens of disparate artifacts—mostly black discs, but also rulers, rings, crystal spheres, and other oddities—it thrummed with unified power, its components indistinguishable in their merged aura.
At its center stood Liu Zu and Mu Qing side by side.
Nearby, the eight shadows lined up, each placing hands on the shoulders of the one ahead, forming a chain. The white-haired beauty stood at their forefront, calm and composed.
The blood-robed figures, meanwhile, had enlarged their purple-blood puppet to a hundredfold size. A dozen metallic puppets merged into a towering iron colossus wielding a gleaming great blade.
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