Immortal of the Nine Realms-Chapter 963: The City of No Return

Qi Jian was a cultivator at the Dao Union Realm, so the aura he radiated caused the nearby wandering spirits to tremble in fear and avoid getting too close.

Accompanying Qi Jian were ten other cultivators, two of whom were at the Fusion Realm, while the rest were at the Soul Splitting Realm.

As the ruler of a sect, having such a procession was normal.

"Eh..."

Qin Feng and his sister immediately recognized Qi Jian when they saw him. Their eyes flashed with surprise, as they hadn't expected to run into the Sect Master of Azure Dao Manor while venturing into the Underworld.

While examining the empty, desolate Forgotten River, Fang Zhixue curiously said, "Brother, you once told me that in the Underworld, there's the Naihe Bridge, and once you cross it, you have to drink Meng Po's Soup, which makes you forget your past life's memories.

"Do we need to cross the Naihe Bridge this time? Do people walking the Yin path not need to drink Meng Po's soup?"

"Naihe Bridge..." Fang Chen smiled and shook his head. "You won't encounter the Naihe Bridge for now."

Having obtained Monarch Yan's Battle Armor, he now had the authority to summon the Naihe Bridge. Unfortunately, the Naihe Bridge was not exclusive to the Lesser Underworld.

Unlike the Lesser Underworld, which replicated the ancient Greater Underworld in various aspects, the Naihe Bridge was actually one of the most important checkpoints in the Reincarnation Division. Due to the loss of the Reincarnation Realm, they couldn't reset it, leading to the Naihe Bridge losing its former significance.

"First, the Yellow Springs, and now this river before us.... This should be the legendary Forgotten River, right?"

Li Daoye looked around with excitement, observing the scene before him. Suddenly, he saw several light boats emerging from the vast mist, and his expression shifted with a jolt.

"Master... are the Soul Guidance Envoys coming to receive us?" he asked.

Fang Chen smiled and explained to them the concept of the Underworld. Only then did the others understand. Indeed, they saw the owners of the light boats calling out names one by one, while the wandering souls on the shore responded and boarded the boats to leave.

At that moment, a larger boat approached and stopped in front of Qi Jian and his group. Someone aboard the boat greeted Qi Jian with a warm smile and was about to lead his group onto the boat when someone whispered a few words to him.

Qi Jian turned around. Upon spotting Fang Chen and his group, he stepped back. Immediately, his expression turned into one of warm enthusiasm. He quickly led his group to Fang Chen and clasped his fist with a smile. "Sword Leader Fang, I didn't expect to meet you here. It seems we have quite a bit of fate between us."

"Ah, it's Manor Lord Qi," Fang Chen responded, looking surprised. He returned the gesture with a bow. "Are you also here through the soul-crossing ritual?"

Manor Lord?

Li Daoye and the others were momentarily stunned, their expressions growing serious. The Manor Lord of the Azure Dao Manor was coincidentally named Qi, so it seemed that this person was indeed him. They hadn't expected to encounter such an important figure during their first journey into the Yin realm.

Qi Jian's eyes shifted, and he laughed heartily. "Yes, the ninth prince researched ancient Daoist techniques and discovered a method to carry out the soul-crossing ritual. However, there was a lack of some materials. A while ago, someone sold us some Soul Guiding Lanterns, so I bought a few and began testing."

His words were carefully crafted, indirectly informing Fang Chen that his method of the soul-crossing ritual came from the ninth prince, Ji Liang, rather than being passed down from the Azure Dao Manor.

Fang Chen replied, "I see. The minth prince has always been quite passionate about the Dao Sect. If there's a chance in the future, it would be good to have a proper exchange with him."

Curious, Qi Jian asked, "Sword Leader Fang, is this your first time doing the Soul Crossing Ritual? I noticed no one came to greet you?"

Fang Chen smiled and replied, "It took me some time to gather the necessary Soul Guiding Lanterns for the ritual. I intended to bring my disciples here to see the sights. If we can't cross the Forgotten River today, it's no problem; we'll just observe from here."

Qi Jian immediately laughed. "Since you've come all this way, it would be a waste not to cross the Forgotten River. Don't worry, I happen to know some friends in the Unreturning City. They came to receive me. I'll speak with them. We'll spend a little Yin Lifespan Coin and take you all along the way."

Everyone immediately felt excited. It seemed that Qi Jian was quite a warm-hearted person.

Pleased, Fang Chen replied, "That would be great. We're in your debt, Manor Lord Qi."

"Don't mention it. Please, follow me," Qi Jian said, leading everyone toward the light boat.

As he turned around, a shadow of a sinister smile flashed in his eyes.

Seeing Fang Chen and the others, one of the Yin Walkers who had come to greet Qi Jian furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Fellow Daoist Qi, are these your juniors?"

Fang Chen merely glanced at the newcomer and immediately recognized the Night Walker Battle Armor within him. "Unreturning City... Night Walker."

Qi Jian introduced, "Fellow Daoist Wang, this is Sword Leader Fang from a sword sect in the Mortal Realm. His swordsmanship is sublime."

A swordsman?

Wang Xuanqing nodded slightly, a faint look of disdain flashing in his eyes. He then waved his hand lightly, and several more light boats appeared over the Forgotten River. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Fang Zhixue and the others looked on with great curiosity, whispering among themselves. Learning that these boats had been formed using Yin Lifespan, they were secretly amazed.

Before they came, they had heard of Yin Lifespan in the Underworld, which was considered equivalent to the spirit stones of the Mortal Realm. It was one of the most valuable things in the Underworld. They hadn't expected the newcomers to be so generous, nor had they expected Qi Jian to have such influence in the Underworld.

Wang Xuanqing instructed, "Everyone, just row your boats yourselves, and remember to stay close to us."

As the light boats drifted farther away, the wandering souls on the shore became increasingly blurry. Suddenly, someone softly asked, "What would happen if these wandering souls didn't have anyone to row them across the Forgotten River?"

Not far away, Qi Jian laughed softly and said, "Young Brother, if they have no one to help guide them, they have only two choices. Either they return the way they came along the Yellow Springs Road, or they sink into the Forgotten River.

"The former makes it difficult to find the Yellow Springs entrance again once they leave the Underworld. They usually drift around the Mortal Realm until they exhaust their Yin Lifespan and die completely.

Qi Jian explained, "As for the latter, they'd endure endless torment every day, but they would have a glimmer of hope. Someone might remember them one day and come to bring them out."

Li Daoye grew curious at the sound of that. He wondered, "What if I just stay by the shore forever?"

Qi Jian smiled and answered, "Then you'll quickly exhaust your Yin Lifespan and die, turning to dust, with no chance of reincarnation."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at the surface of the Forgotten River. A thought crossed his mind, but it was quickly suppressed. He turned to Fang Chen with a cheerful smile and said no more.

Wang Xuanqing lightly waved his sleeve robe, and a wave of Yin energy enveloped the light boat. Then he said to Qi Jian, "It seems that this desolate land of yours has rediscovered the method to carry out the soul-crossing ritual.

"More and more cultivators are beginning to enter the Underworld. This might be an opportunity for you. You have quite a high status in the Mortal Realm, so you can recruit these Yin Walkers under your command. In the future, a portion of the Yin Lifespan they earn could be submitted to you."

"With these Yin Lifespan coins, the vacant position of the Day Walker General in the Unreturning City might not be out of your reach."

Qi Jian wants to vie for the Day Walker General position?

Wang Xuanqing's Yin energy naturally didn't stop Fang Chen from listening to them. Hearing this, Fang Chen almost laughed out loud.

The relationship between Qi Jian and this Night Walker didn't seem to be limited to a few encounters. The former was a Spirit Lord of the Spirit Blood Sect, but what about the latter?

Fang Chen felt that there might be an opportunity to uproot a few of the Spirit God Sect's spies lurking in the Underworld's political scene.