"What?"
The Ox-Head was startled.
From the young man's words, it was clear he didn't primarily cultivate spiritual power.
And for his spiritual power to reach such a terrifying level without being his primary cultivation was simply inconceivable.
"Ox-Head, it seems this brat is harder to deal with than we imagined!"
"Nonsense, would he dare to force his way through the Ghost Gate without some skill?"
The Ox-Head widened its bovine eyes. "However, no matter how difficult he is to deal with, anyone who dares to cause trouble at the Ghost Gate can only meet death!"
"Earth Net Formation. Constrict!"
The Ox-Head let out a fierce roar, and the Earth Net Formation finally took shape. The black lines within the formation became denser and more solid, resembling lasers.
In an instant, this large net was cast down towards Chen Xiao!
"Hmph, brat, under the constricting force of the Earth Net, even a Nascent Soul realm cultivator would struggle to survive. Today, this official will ensure your soul is annihilated!"
The Ox-Head's eyes were filled with intense killing intent.
In its view, the situation was decided. This brat who dared to force his way through the Ghost Gate was doomed.
However, in the next second, its bovine eyes widened even further.
"This, how is this possible..."
Because under the constricting force of the Earth Net Formation, the brat was completely unharmed!
This was a joke. Chen Xiao's body had been tempered a thousand times by the Netherfire.
How could mere ghost qi harm him?
Swish, swish, swish, swish—
Chen Xiao, enduring the Earth Net Formation, wielded the Heaven-Slaying Sword and executed several sword flowers in succession.
Sword qi whistled out, and the surrounding ghost envoys let out wails of agony!
The Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged a glance and then, in unison, declared, "We are outmatched, retreat!"
They rapidly retreated towards the vortex in the magma. As long as they returned to the Underworld, their lives would be guaranteed.
Then, they would request King Yama to intervene and obliterate this brat.
Their plan was well-conceived, but unfortunately, Chen Xiao gave them no chance to execute it.
Behind them, two streaks of sword qi shot forward. The Ox-Head and Horse-Face were severed at the waist, splitting into four pieces, and fell into the churning magma.
Having fallen into the magma, Chen Xiao paid no further heed to their fate.
This was because the void vortex at the center of the magma was continuously shrinking.
The Gate of World Origin seemed to be closing soon!
Chen Xiao plunged into the vortex, advancing at full speed.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the vortex.
...
When Chen Xiao emerged from the vortex, a pass stood behind him, bearing three large characters: 'Ghost Gate Pass'.
Looking around, the sky in this world was blood-red, and the ground was a dim yellow... and before Chen Xiao stood two ghost envoys with bewildered expressions.
Chen Xiao's sudden appearance left them utterly confused.
"Who are you?"
After two to three seconds, one of the ghost envoys finally recovered, drew his saber, and pointed it at Chen Xiao, demanding.
Chen Xiao flicked his Heaven-Slaying Sword, and the two ghost envoys were decapitated. The other didn't even utter a word or manage to draw his saber.
"Is this the legendary Underworld?"
Chen Xiao closed his eyes and felt carefully.
Fortunately, within this intermediate world, his abilities were not restricted.
His strength surged, spiritual energy was abundant, and even his divine sense seemed to have become more acute in this space.
Chen Xiao recalled that the Horse-Face had mentioned that ghost cultivators primarily cultivated spiritual power. He wondered if it was related to this.
Without dwelling on these minor details, Chen Xiao left the Ghost Gate Pass to search for the River of Forgetfulness.
According to the instructions of King Lu Ling, another sacred relic was located at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness.
Outside the Ghost Gate Pass, a vast and wide road stretched endlessly. Beside the road stood a stone tablet inscribed with the three characters 'Yellow Springs Road'.
"Whoa, this is the legendary Yellow Springs Road!"
Chen Xiao felt a sense of novelty, as if he had stepped into a myth.
However, he knew this was not a myth, and the scene before him also differed from the legends.
In myths, after death, souls were escorted by ghost envoys along the Yellow Springs Road all the way to the Ghost City of Fengdu.
Then, the judges in the Hall of Yama would decide whether they would be reincarnated or cast into the eighteen levels of hell.
But the Yellow Springs Road before Chen Xiao was deserted. There were no ghost envoys, not even a single wandering soul.
There was only an empty, vast road, stretching to an unseen horizon.
Yet, Chen Xiao could only proceed along this road, as there was no other path available.
Furthermore, according to legends, the River of Forgetfulness lay at the end of the Yellow Springs Road.
A Naihe Bridge spanned the River of Forgetfulness, and crossing it led to the Ghost City of Fengdu.
He wondered if there truly was a Meng Po on the Naihe Bridge, if Meng Po really served Meng Po Soup, and if drinking that soup would truly make one forget all memories of their past life.
Chen Xiao's mind was filled with questions, but driven by curiosity, the answers were not crucial.
His primary concern was finding the River of Forgetfulness.
The journey was long, so Chen Xiao directly summoned his Heaven-Slaying Sword and flew forward.
Looking down from above, the sides of the Yellow Springs Road were densely forested.
However, the trees in those forests were all dead.
The branches were withered and bare, adding to the somber atmosphere.
And within those deadwood forests, occasional patches of black mist could be seen.
These black mists were of various shapes, precisely the Ghost Sources that Chen Xiao had encountered in the Hall of Punishing Gods.
However, these Ghost Sources were significantly weaker compared to the one Chen Xiao had seen in the Hall of Punishing Gods, and Chen Xiao had no interest in eliminating them.
Letting sleeping dogs lie, the road was wide, and each went their own way!
Along the way, apart from these Ghost Sources, Chen Xiao saw nothing else.
Even the scenery by the roadside was identical, as if it had been copied and pasted.
Chen Xiao began to suspect he had encountered a phantom barrier, endlessly looping on the same stretch of road.
However, Chen Xiao quickly dismissed this thought.
Because he gazed into the distance and saw a wide, long river.
The river water was swift, with rolling waves.
"That must be the River of Forgetfulness!"
Chen Xiao thought to himself, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
He channeled his spiritual energy, increasing the speed of the Heaven-Slaying Sword.
Whoosh—
Man and sword became one, transforming into a yellow streak of light, flying towards the direction of the River of Forgetfulness.
About ten minutes after spotting the River of Forgetfulness, Chen Xiao landed on its bank.
Upon closer inspection, the water of the River of Forgetfulness appeared even more turbulent.
The river surface was broad, with a distance of a thousand meters between the two banks.
The river water had a very peculiar color, neither truly yellow nor truly red.
Chen Xiao intended to use his divine sense to probe beneath the river surface, but the river water seemed to be protected by a barrier.
Even with Chen Xiao's current divine sense strength, he could not penetrate the area beneath the river surface.
Just then, a weak, aged voice suddenly came from not far away.
"Young man, the weather is hot. Come and have a cup of herbal tea from this old woman to cool down..."