The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1453

Chapter 1453: Chapter 1449 Nameless Ghost City Chapter 1453: Chapter 1449 Nameless Ghost City “Fellow Daoist Ma Mian, rest assured, my purpose is not to bring them back to life, but only to inquire about some matters. Once the questions are answered, I will return, and I won't put you in a difficult position,” Shen Luo said.

“Brother Shen, please don't misunderstand. It's not that I'm unwilling to take you there, but as of yesterday, the souls of the deceased people of Chang'an, for some reason, did not enter the Underworld and were transferred to a place in the Netherworld called Nameless Ghost City. Many Yin Gods and disciples from Yama's Palace are currently searching there, but they have yet to find them,” Soul Hook Ma Mian explained.

“This is unexpected! If that's the case, could I trouble Fellow Daoist Ma Mian to take us there to look for those people's souls? I do have some skills in searching for individuals,” Shen Luo said, frowning slightly upon hearing this.

“The entire Underworld is extremely concerned about this matter. If Brother Shen is willing to help, I would be more than happy,” Soul Hook Ma Mian replied joyfully, flipping his hand to summon a Mourning Stick, chanting spells, and making a swipe through the void.

A vast expanse of Black Qi emerged out of nowhere, swirling rapidly around the Mourning Stick, and in the blink of an eye, a black vortex formed in the void.

“Now that all kinds of forces have gathered within Chang'an City, don't wander around. Just wait here for my return,” Shen Luo told Mi Su.

“Okay,” Mi Su obediently agreed.

Shen Luo ruffled Mi Su's head and then jumped into the black vortex with Soul Hook Ma Mian.

Black Qi surged around him, and his body plummeted downward. It took a while before he stabilized and finally arrived at a desolate plain in the Netherworld. In the distance, he could hear the sound of water waves, with oppressive Yin Qi around, seemingly near the Styx River.

“Brother Shen, follow me,” Soul Hook Ma Mian said, leading Shen Luo as they flew away towards the distance.

Everything around them rapidly receded, but this speed was far too slow in Shen Luo's eyes.

“The situation is urgent. Fellow Daoist Ma Mian, your escape technique is somewhat slow. Let me take the lead. You just guide the way,” Shen Luo said, sweeping his sleeve to emit a burst of golden light that enveloped them both, propelling them forward at several times their previous speed. They vanished in the distance in an instant.

In his heart, Soul Hook Ma Mian marveled at this speed. He had once traveled with a True Immortal Elder from Yama's Palace, and that person's speed was much slower than Shen Luo's.

“What realm has Shen Luo's strength reached? Could he have already reached the True Immortal Middle Stage? It hasn't been long. Tsk, it's truly unfathomable!” he thought to himself while maintaining a calm demeanor and continually guiding the way.

Half an hour later, the two arrived near a black forest.

This forest seemed boundless, with unusually tall trees everywhere. Giant trees that would take more than a dozen people to encircle were common, and their thick canopies and leaves covered the entire forest. Moreover, the trunks and foliage of these trees were pitch black, rendering the entire forest exceedingly dark and impenetrable.

The Yin Qi inside the forest was extraordinarily dense and somewhat peculiar, giving a viscous feeling. Divine Sense, when reaching into it, encountered significant resistance.

“The Nameless Ghost City lies deep within this dark forest, Friend Shen. Be cautious of this area,” Soul Hook Ma Mian warned. “The Yin Qi here is peculiar, impeding the spread of Divine Sense. Moreover, the Yin Beasts and other ghostly entities residing here are unlike those from other parts of the Underworld. They can hide within shadows and launch surprise attacks on others, making them difficult to detect.”

“Master, leave those Yin Beasts to me,” the voice of Ghost General Zhao Feiji came from the Qiankun Bag. “I have already refined the power of the Yin Beasts absorbed from the Black Abyss Mystical Cave, and I'm only a small step away from breaking through the bottleneck of becoming a True Immortal. I need a substantial amount of Yin Beast power to supplement my strength.”

Shen Luo raised his eyebrows and nodded upon hearing this.

“This place is so isolated. How could the souls of Chang'an people end up here?” he then said.

“It's quite strange indeed,” Soul Hook Ma Mian replied. “When the souls of the Chang'an people were being sent to the Underworld, the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk suddenly became chaotic, which led to their souls being diverted here.”

“The Six Paths Reincarnation Disk became chaotic?” Upon hearing this, Shen Luo suddenly recalled the incident involving the Jing River Dragon King all those years ago.

That year, the Jing River Dragon King had captured Emperor Tang's soul and brought it to the Underworld. A mysterious shadow in the Underworld had once harnessed the power of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk in conjunction with the Jing River Dragon King's spells. Now, with the Disk showing anomalies again, especially at such a coincidental moment, could it be that someone was meddling with the Disk again, colluding with the demons in Chang'an City?

His expression grew solemn. If his suspicions were correct, who could be interfering with the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk this time? Was it that same mysterious shadow from before, or someone else?

“Fellow Daoist Ma Mian, I was severely injured and fell into a deep sleep for over a hundred years many years ago. I'm almost ignorant about The Disaster of Demons. Were there many conflicts in the Yama's Palace during that time to fend off the disaster?” Shen Luo pondered for a moment before asking Soul Hook Ma Mian.

“Of course, Chiyou not only had immense strength himself but also had numerous demon soldiers and generals under his command. They attacked the territories of major powers across the Three Realms, aiming to annihilate them in one fell swoop. Our Underworld was also attacked. In order to fend off those demon forces, the Underworld Yin Gods and disciples of Yama's Palace suffered losses of at least thirty percent,” Soul Hook Ma Mian said somewhat mournfully. Many of his colleagues and friends had also perished in that great battle.

“I've heard that the Demon Clan is adept at manipulating human hearts and stirring up desires. Because of this ability, they've arranged many undercover agents within various powers. Did the Underworld have any such infiltrators back then?” Shen Luo continued to inquire.

“Undercover agents? I haven't heard of that,” Soul Hook Ma Mian thought for a moment and shook his head as he asked.

“It's nothing, just asking,” Shen Luo replied, feeling a sudden jolt in his heart, though he didn't show it on his face.

The Underworld didn't root out any undercover agents? That meant the mysterious figure from back then might still be lurking here, and the recent disturbances with the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk could very likely be their doing.

“Fellow Daoist Ma Mian, who has access to the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk?” he asked again.

“The Six Paths Reincarnation Disk? That item is kept within the Wheel of Reincarnation Department, a forbidden place in the Underworld, guarded year-round by Black and White Impermanence, who lead numerous Ghost Soldiers. Other than them, it's just the Wheel-turning King, who cultivates the Six Paths Reincarnation Secret and can control the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk. Apart from these individuals, even the Ten Halls Yan Wang cannot approach without sufficient reason… Do you suspect that this disturbance with the Disk was deliberately caused by someone?” Soul Hook Ma Mian explained halfway before suddenly realizing the implications in Shen Luo's question, then abruptly looked up.

“I do indeed suspect that,” Shen Luo praised Ma Mian's sharpness inwardly, paused, and then disclosed what he had witnessed years ago. “Do you still remember the incident when Jing River Dragon King captured Emperor Tang's soul? I was involved in that incident that day and saw with my own eyes the Jing River Dragon King standing with a mysterious figure. That shadow claimed to have manipulated the power of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk to assist Jing River Dragon King and Emperor Tang in exchanging the essence of their souls…”

Currently, he needed to track the whereabouts of the Chang'an people's souls and didn't have time to investigate the infiltrators hidden within Yama's Palace. Although Soul Hook Ma Mian wasn't very strong, his keen mind meant that perhaps he could uncover that person's identity.