Chen Zhou stood at the bow of the boat, the black water droplet in his palm slowly rotating.
Yet, he could feel his consciousness sinking.
Looking down, he saw that he had already merged into the River of the Underworld from his ankles down.
The black currents wrapped around his calves—cold, deep, and boundless.
“Young Palace Master!” Taotie’s shout echoed from the distance. “Are you alright?”
Chen Zhou wanted to answer, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
The surrounding noise was fading away.
Taotie’s roars, Plague Rat’s curses, Wing-Fire Snake’s shrieks, and Nü Tu Fu’s sonic waves all grew faint and thin, gradually dissolving into the black mist rising from the water.
Then, he heard a sound.
Deep and long, it rose and fell with a slow, rhythmic cadence, like the breathing of a slumbering behemoth.
Chen Zhou looked in the direction of the sound.
Beneath the surface of the River of the Underworld lay absolute darkness, yet he could see two dim points of light slowly shifting in the deepest depths.
The distance between those two points of light was immense, but he recognized them nonetheless.
They were the eyes that had opened beneath the water earlier, now quietly gazing up at him through the endless dark.
Chen Zhou felt his body being cradled by a gentle force, pulling him down beneath the surface.
He did not struggle, nor did he panic. Instead, an indescribable sense of peace welled up within him.
“Interesting.”
“So it is you, the one He sent to me.”
Chen Zhou’s brow twitched slightly. “…Who?”
“It does not matter.”
“I have been here for a very, very long time. I have buried countless living beings and watched many souls sink to the bottom.”
“All living beings fear death, but you do not.”
“You stand here without a shred of fear.”
“Why is that?”
Chen Zhou tried to discern the source of the voice, but failed.
It seemed to come from everywhere.
“Why should I fear you?”
Chen Zhou spoke, his voice echoing briefly in the darkness before being swiftly swallowed up.
“You were summoned by me.”
“You are my power.”
The voice seemed to pause for a moment before letting out a low, rumbling chuckle.
“Interesting.”
“The last time I met someone this interesting... was the last time.”
Chen Zhou: “…”
Chen Zhou remained silent for a moment, deciding not to dwell on that odd remark.
“What are you?”
“Do you not already have the answer in your heart?”
Chen Zhou lowered his gaze, looking at the boundless darkness beneath his feet.
“Are you the River of the Underworld? The real one?”
“Close,” the voice said slowly, “but not entirely accurate.”
“The thing in your sea of consciousness is merely a shadow of mine, a brief stretch of road that thousands of departed souls pass through.”
“That is me, but it is not all of me.”
Chen Zhou did not reply, quietly waiting for the voice to continue.
“I am also other things. When you living beings label something, you always like to apply just a single tag.”
“But in truth, things are often many different concepts layered on top of one another.”
The voice continued, “The River of the Underworld is the destination of departed souls, the boundary between life and death, and the absolute foundation of the entire Underworld system.”
“The phantom you summoned can be thought of as a single finger I have extended. To use it merely to drown a few little bugs is a terrible waste.”
Chen Zhou thought about it and admitted honestly, “That is the strongest power I can currently muster.”
“I know.”
“I only say this because I saw how much effort it took for you to use that single finger.”
“The death qi inside you keeps pouring out. How much longer do you think you can hold on? The time it takes for a stick of incense to burn? Half that time?”
Chen Zhou did not deny it. “Not very long.”
“He was right. You truly are reckless, a complete freak.”
“He?” Chen Zhou caught the pronoun. “Who?”
“As I said, it does not matter.”
The River of the Underworld quickly changed the subject. “What do you think the Underworld is?”
“A place for the dead? A gloomy, sinister world? Or perhaps a dwelling for ghosts and monsters?”
Chen Zhou thought about it seriously and said, “It is the final destination of all things.”
An unfathomable glint flashed within those deep eyes.
“The final destination of all things… that is very close. But it is still incomplete.”
“The Underworld is the destination of all things, but it is also the origin of all things.”
“The things that die here will come alive elsewhere in the future.”
“The things that live here will eventually die, only to be reborn from here once more.”
“You are in me, and I am in you. Yin and Yang wind together to form a perfect circle; neither can exist without the other.”
The voice of the River of the Underworld softened slightly. “So when you stand upon the River of the Underworld, do you truly believe you are commanding me?”
“No. You are merely walking alongside me for a brief stretch of the journey. You walk your path of Yang, while I flow in my river of Yin. Our paths are different, but our direction is the same.”
Chen Zhou listened in silence.
“What did you want to do just now?” the River of the Underworld suddenly asked. “Did you want to use my waters to directly drown that white thing?”
Chen Zhou hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes.”
The River of the Underworld let out a soft laugh, yet the entire river vibrated along with it.
“When a child obtains a peerless divine weapon, their first instinct is always to treat it as a toy to smash people with.”
“It is understandable, of course. You are but a child who has acquired a power far beyond your years, with no knowledge of how to properly wield it.”
“But since He has brought you before me, I suppose I should teach you a thing or two, lest you squander such a magnificent treasure.”
A silhouette formed of water slowly drew closer to Chen Zhou, stopping three feet in front of him.
“Watch closely.”
The voice of the River of the Underworld grew deep and solemn.
The voice spoke in a low, measured tone, enunciating every single word. “Watch closely.”
“The Underworld is the beginning of all things, and the end of all things. The souls resting in the Yellow Springs—as long as they wish to reach the other shore—shall all become your strength.”
“Do you understand?”
As the words faded, Chen Zhou felt his consciousness suddenly surge upward.
The sound of rushing water whipped past his ears, the darkness receded in an instant, and light flooded back into his vision.
He snapped his eyes open and found himself still standing at the bow of the boat, with the waters of the River of the Underworld still churning beneath his feet.
Though the experience had felt incredibly long, only a split second had passed in the outside world.
But a wealth of new knowledge had been poured into his mind—so much so that he could not fully process it all at once.
While he was still digesting this information, a white arrow shot through the air from the rift in the sky.
The arrow was incredibly fast, accompanied by a sharp, whistling shriek as it flew straight toward Chen Zhou.
Ever since Taotie noticed something was off with Chen Zhou, he had abandoned his clash with Kui Mu Lang to stand guard by his side.
Seeing the arrow flying toward them, Taotie reacted instantly. His massive body shifted half a step to the side, preparing to use his own flesh and blood to shield Chen Zhou once again.
But the moment he moved, he froze in surprise.
The arrow was not aimed at Chen Zhou.
It grazed past Chen Zhou’s side by a mere three inches, generating a sharp gust of wind, before slamming directly into Shen Shui Yuan’s chest.
Thwack!
The arrow pierced straight through Shen Shui Yuan’s left breast.
White light erupted from the wound. White slime surged frantically in an attempt to repair the damage, but the destructive power imbued in the arrow was exceptionally violent, shredding and pushing the slime away layer by layer.
Rate on N.U.
