The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 981

Chapter 981: 978 Lead the way Chapter 981: 978 Lead the way Shen Luo, upon hearing these words, had a thought, “This is indeed a problem.”

With his current strength, complemented by the Heavenly Book and the Exquisite Tower, he was able to contend with a Middle Stage Taiyi Cultivator and, at the very least, had no worries about preserving his life; however, if he encountered a master in the late stages of the Taiyi Realm, escaping would be problematic.

“Do you know of any way to bypass these guarding Demon Clan members and directly enter Purgatory?” Shen Luo stared at the Man in Blue Robes and asked.

“This…” The Man in Blue Robes hesitated.

“Speak,” Shen Luo said with a cold expression in his voice.

“To bypass the Demon Clan and directly enter Purgatory is not impossible,” the Man in Blue Robes said with a shiver, “but such a path is extremely perilous, comparable to confronting the demons head-on, or maybe… even worse than a straightforward assault.”

“Let's hear about these dangers,” Shen Luo's interest piqued, and he pressed for an answer.

“What you may not know, Honorable One, is that beyond the road at the end of the Styx River in the Underworld, there is a special place called 'Hell Maze.' If one can successfully traverse this maze, they will reach Purgatory. However, within the maze lurk numerous dangers, and to blindly barge in would surely lead to a dead end. Moreover, even if one managed to get through, they would arrive at the Eighteenth Layer of Purgatory, from which leaving again would be more difficult,” the Man in Blue Robes explained with a distressed look on his face.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo's brows knit together.

If what he said was true, this route might indeed be even less desirable than fighting one's way through from the Yellow Springs Road.

“By the way, which members of the Demon Clan currently guard the Underworld?” Shen Luo asked again.

“I do not know the exact number of people,” the Man in Blue Robes said, his voice getting softer, “but they are led by the Jiuming Demon Monarch, under whom are several Life and Birth Honored Ones, plus the Black Mountain Old Demon who had been previously defeated and fled…”

Shen Luo felt speechless. With such a force guarding the Underworld, breaking through by force was out of the question, and sneaking in discreetly seemed hardly possible.

In that case, was attempting the Hell Maze… a more likely opportunity?

“Is there a map of this Hell Maze?” Shen Luo asked with a frown.

“Honorable One, do you really intend to brave this maze?” the Man in Blue Robes exclaimed in surprise.

“Is there really a map?” Shen Luo immediately asked.

“There… there is one, but I do not possess it. It might be in the… the Heishan Old Demon's Cave,” the Man in Blue Robes hesitated to say.

“Where is his cave? Take me there,” Shen Luo demanded coldly.

“Honorable One, I…” The Man in Blue Robes looked bitter.

“Cut the chatter. Make yourself useful while you still can, or do not blame me if I unintentionally exterminate you.” The black light on Shen Luo's Six Chen Whip intensified as he threatened.

“No, no, no… My Lord, I'll take you, I'll take you right now,” the Man in Blue Robes begged for mercy.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo put away the Exquisite Tower that had been pressing down on the Man in Blue Robes and used the Six Chen Whip to lift his chin, picking him up from the ground.

“Do not play any tricks; you only have one chance,” Shen Luo said coldly.

“The Ghost House of the Black Mountain Old Demon is near Yellow Springs, not far from Naihe Bridge and Ghost Gate Pass. If the Honorable One goes there so rashly, it is very likely you will be discovered,” the Man in Blue Robes lamented cautiously.

“You need not worry about that. Just lead the way,” Shen Luo said.

Having said that, a faint light flickered over his body as he activated the Seventy-two Mystical Transformations, causing all traces of his Qi to vanish, and his figure began to turn ethereal. Ghostly Qi overflowed from him, and in an instant, he transformed into the spirit of a deceased soul.

Upon witnessing this, the man in blue robes rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Had he not seen Shen Luo undergo such a transformation with his own eyes, he would have found it extremely difficult to accept that the spirit before him was a result of his metamorphosis.

“What are you dazed about, lead the way,” Shen Luo chided in a low voice.

The man in blue robes trembled slightly, speaking with a hint of fear, “Celestial Immortal, with such a transformation art, why not just sneak in secretly yourself? Surely those of the Demon Clan might not even notice.”

Naturally, he did not wish to guide Shen Luo; regardless of whether they were discovered or not, there was a possibility that he could lose his life. The risk was just too great, and he would rather Shen Luo proceed on his own.

“Enough of your prattle, it's not hard for my transformation art to deceive a common Taiyi, but with the Nine Netherworlds… Hurry up and lead the way to get the map,” Shen Luo huffed coldly.

Although the Seventy-two Transformations were indeed powerful, Jiuming, as one of Chiyou's generals and a main proponent of Chiyou's revival, possessed both strength and status surpassing those of the common Twelve Distinguished Ones. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't have some special methods or Magical Treasures.

Rather than facing such a great risk, why not choose another path? Besides, as long as he got the map, wouldn't the difficulties of the Hell Maze be easily resolved?

“Fine, but I hope that on the way, the Celestial Immortal will pretend to be a spirit I am guiding. Please, make no other unusual moves to avoid being discovered by others,” the man in blue robes, resigned to his fate, warned.

Shen Luo suddenly remembered something and with a flicker of his body, he returned to his original form.

“Celestial Immortal, spare my life, spare my life…” The man in blue robes, thinking Shen Luo was having second thoughts, was instantly scared out of his wits.

“I almost forgot, there's still a hidden threat,” Shen Luo said as he glanced at him.

The next moment, Shen Luo's figure vanished on the spot, and shortly after, a thunderous boom could be heard from a hundred yards away.

The man in blue robes had initially thought to take the opportunity to flee but, after a brief consideration, he gave up the idea.

He looked in that direction and saw the Stone Corpse Ghost's body crushed under Shen Luo's foot, its last bit of divine soul ground into dust, sending a shiver down his spine.

“That stupid Stone Corpse Ghost didn't even run away and dared to watch from a distance… Well, its head was a stone to begin with, not at all smart,” the man in blue robes cursed under his breath, somewhat relieved he hadn't fled.

In an instant, Shen Luo was back at his side and quickly transformed his appearance, becoming a drifting soul once again.

The man in blue robes wiped the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead and hastened to lead the way at the front.

“Wait a moment,” Shen Luo suddenly said.

The man in blue robes tensed up and turned around to look.

Shen Luo casually took out a pitch-black Ghost Banner, gave it a shake, and black light surged forth as ghostly shadows emerged one by one, the very same spirits that had gathered at the Yellow River Crossing earlier.

These spirits materialized above the Styx River, mostly not water ghosts who would sink into the river; hence, like Shen Luo, they floated in the Void.

He whispered a few words to the man in blue robes, who nodded continuously.

Seeing Shen Luo hidden among the crowd of ghosts, the man in blue robes began to form a magic spell, beckoning in the Void. An invisible force like a breeze brushed past all the spirits.

The once disoriented spirits now had a faint glimmer in their eyes. Under the guidance of the man in blue robes, they drifted toward the lower current of the Styx River.