"Let's take the middle path."
After some deductions, Ye Yunfei made his decision and strode without hesitation onto the middle one of the smaller paths.
This small path was similar to the one he had taken before, paved with mossy cobblestones that were weathered and mottled, exuding an ancient aura of time. It seemed even more aged and timeworn than the stone path he had traversed earlier.
The only difference was that this stone path bore many fresh, clear footprints, indicating that someone had passed this way not long ago.
"Flight is impossible here now! We can only advance relying on physical strength!"
After walking along this stone path for a few moments, Ye Yunfei realized flight was completely impossible here, unlike the previous stone path which, though slow, had permitted it.
"The space here has been intentionally arranged with flight-restricting properties. This is undoubtedly the work of a Deity. So, unless absolutely necessary, we'd best not challenge the no-flight rule here," Hun Lao explained.
Just then, Ye Yunfei suddenly stopped. A strange scene had appeared before him—a vast stretch of starry sky.
Looking ahead into that expansive starry expanse, massive stars were scattered everywhere, each one gleaming with brilliant starlight, illuminating the scene so it was clear in every detail. Each colossal star rotated slowly, as if possessing vitality.
"Look! There seem to be living beings moving on those planets! Could this starry sky actually contain life? What's going on? Why does this Reincarnation Passage feel so different from the one in the main world of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm cried out in surprise.
"That's right, I think I see it too. There do seem to be beings moving on those planets. Master, it seems we've arrived at a living starry cosmos," Hu Miao said, appearing beside Ye Yunfei, her voice also filled with astonishment.
"No. This starry cosmos may appear to be a place full of life, but I sense a certain illusory quality about it," Ye Yunfei replied, currently focusing his perception on the starry expanse ahead. He was probing it continuously with both Soul Power energy and Heart Force energy.
Even as he spoke, Ye Yunfei kept striding forward, passing through the dazzling starry sky ahead.
Looking at the brilliant stars surrounding him one after another, Ye Yunfei probed meticulously with Soul Power and Heart Force, yet he consistently sensed an underlying illusionary aspect to his surroundings.
"You're right. I can feel it too. This starry sky around us seems very real when perceived with Soul Power, so I can't pinpoint anything specific, but I also feel something is off," Hun Lao nodded in agreement.
"Look! Over there! Someone seems to be fighting!"
At that moment, Hu Miao suddenly pointed at a distant colossal star and shouted.
Indeed, on that star, what appeared to be two groups of people were engaged in fierce combat. Their strength was considerable; there were even Demigods among them. The weakest present were still at least at the Golden Immortal realm.
On the landmass of that giant star, the battle seemed to be reaching its hottest stage. Both sides were throwing themselves recklessly at each other. Casualties seemed to fall almost every instant.
"Do you feel it? The cultivation techniques and secret arts they're using all seem unfamiliar to us. Even the energy they release seems different from the immortal energy we normally encounter," Hun Lao suddenly remarked to Ye Yunfei.
"Indeed. Even the magical treasures they wield differ from what we commonly use, and their method of using them seems unusual. There are also many races we've never seen before. This starry cosmos seems markedly different from the Chaotic Void Sea we inhabit," Ye Yunfei, who had been observing the intense battle on the giant star, nodded in agreement.
"Master, why don't we go down to one of these planets? That way we'll know for sure if these stars and the beings on them are real or false?" Hu Miao suggested, her curious gaze roaming over the dazzling starry sky surrounding the small path.
"Very well. Let's do some exploration," Ye Yunfei nodded, his own curiosity piqued. He cautiously stepped off the stone path and walked towards a nearby colossal star.
This star was quite large, rotating slowly within the starry expanse.
Even before getting close to it, Ye Yunfei could sense a rich, fundamental stellar energy emanating from the planet.
"The energy and natural laws emanating from this star are of a very high grade. Cultivation on it would greatly benefit a living being," Hun Lao remarked, sensing the star's aura.
Soon, Ye Yunfei reached the giant star, standing now in the starry space beside it.
"Alright, let's land on this planet and explore it thoroughly," Ye Yunfei said, letting out a light sigh. He then began his descent towards the surface of the star ahead.
This whole starry realm was steeped in strangeness, so Ye Yunfei was very careful, fully prepared to flee at the first sign of danger.
Hun Lao, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Huang Shang, and Hu Miao were also prepared to act at any moment.
But what happened next left Ye Yunfei stunned. Instead of landing on the planet's surface, his body passed through it as if through an illusory bubble, emerging on the other side into the starry expanse.
"Can't be! Is this planet illusory?!"
This outcome left everyone dumbfounded.
"Let's try again."
Ye Yunfei turned around and attempted to descend onto the planet's land once more, but the result was the same. His body passed through the planet again, appearing on the opposite side. This star was like a mere bubble of air—illusory, not real.
"Master, try a different planet," Hu Miao suggested.
"Alright."
Ye Yunfei turned towards another star and attempted to descend onto its continent.
Yet the outcome remained the same. Ye Yunfei's body passed through the star, emerging on the other side.
Ye Yunfei proceeded to try over a dozen different stars in succession, but each time the result was identical. All these stars were illusions, akin to air bubbles—resplendent and seemingly real, with apparent life activity upon them and brimming with a sense of vitality, yet completely false.
"So, everything we see before us appears to be an illusion, Hu Miao. Test it out. I suspect a highly sophisticated illusion formation has been set up here. This starry sky we see might itself be an illusion," Hun Lao said to Hu Miao.
"I can't sense any illusion formation here," Hu Miao replied, immediately employing her own illusion techniques to probe the dazzling starry sky in detail. After a while, she shook her head.
"There are two possibilities. First, this is an illusion formation, but it's so advanced that even you can't detect it. Second, this isn't an illusion but something else altogether.
Forget it, let's not dwell on it. This starry sky must have been arranged by a Deity. It's perfectly normal for methods at the Deity level to be beyond our comprehension," Hun Lao said after some thought.
"You're right, Hun Lao. Very well, let's ignore this place and press on," Ye Yunfei nodded.
This brilliant starry expanse was not only illusory but also carried a faint, exceedingly strange aura that hinted at potential danger. Ye Yunfei decided against further exploration and promptly returned to the stone path to continue forward.
Not long afterwards, Ye Yunfei traversed that brilliant starry expanse via the stone path, and the surrounding space began to revert to a bewildering, chaotic state.
As far as the eye could see, both time and space were extremely unstable. Mighty temporal-spatial tempests swept by periodically, inspiring trepidation.
"This Reincarnation Passage is just too bizarre! If we keep going like this, we'll have no idea where we'll end up," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm grumbled.
"We'll go wherever the path leads. In any case, we must press on," Ye Yunfei replied.
Su Qingluo had been missing for so long, and there had been no news at all until now. This place was somehow connected to her disappearance, and Ye Yunfei would never abandon exploring it.
And so, Ye Yunfei traveled another considerable distance along the stone path before suddenly stopping, a look of astonishment in his eyes as he gazed ahead.
For there, hovering beside the stone path ahead, Ye Yunfei saw a massive, ancient city.
The city floated in the space, emanating a hazy, chaotic aura. The city gates were open, and numerous people stood before them, peering inside.
After walking for so long, Ye Yunfei had finally encountered some of those who had entered earlier.
Ye Yunfei increased his pace, instantly arriving before the gates of the enormous city.
A Heavenly Immortal stood outside the gates, and the others also took note of Ye Yunfei.
"Young man, which faction are you from?" a middle-aged man asked, his tone relatively mild.
The entrance to this Reincarnation Passage outside had been jointly sealed by several major powers. Those who could enter were inevitably from such factions, and these powers generally didn't lightly provoke each other. Hence, the middle-aged man bore no ill will; it was merely a casual inquiry.
Ye Yunfei glanced at him but didn't reply.
This middle-aged man was merely a Initial Demigod.
"Youngsters these days really lack manners. Likely a core disciple from some superpower, born with arrogance. Such people often court trouble while roaming the world," the man said, his face darkening with displeasure at Ye Yunfei's dismissive attitude. He turned away, ignoring Ye Yunfei.
"Come on, let's go in. A city on the Samsara Road can't be ordinary. There might be precious treasures or inheritances inside," someone else declared at that moment.
Having observed the place for a while, they were finally resolved to enter.
"Afraid? People must have gone in before us. Let's go take a look! We came to this Reincarnation Passage to explore and seek treasure. What's the point if we're afraid of everything?" the man at the front shouted boldly. He then summoned his courage and charged into the city.
Seeing this, the others didn't want to be left behind and rushed through the city gates.
Ye Yunfei followed at the rear and entered as well.
"Finally caught up with that brat."
As soon as Ye Yunfei passed through the city gates, a voice rang out from the stone path far behind him.
It was Senior Fang from the Heavenly God Hall, bringing his group close behind.
"There's a city here? There might be resources and treasures inside. Let's hurry up and go take a look!"
Senior Fang, spotting the ancient city floating in the nebulous space, was clearly excited. With a wave of his hand, he sped forward.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunfei was already inside the city.
A sweeping glance revealed deathly silent, desolate streets lined with row upon row of various shops. Many shop signs hung out, swaying gently in the air. This was clearly an abandoned city. Voices could be heard echoing within the city walls, obviously from the people who had entered earlier to explore.
"Come on, let's see what resources or treasures this ancient city holds for us," someone said. Despite the desolate, lifeless appearance of the ancient city before them, a sense of anticipation grew.
Soon, those who had rushed in split into several groups, exploring different streets.
Ye Yunfei walked along a street steeped in absolute silence. This avenue was quite imposing, flanked on both sides by various shops and some rather opulent-looking wine houses.
"Alchemy Shop!"
Suddenly, Ye Yunfei noticed a shop by the street bearing those three words on its signboard. He walked in.
The door of this alchemy shop was open. Entering revealed a main hall. Both sides of the hall were lined with many display shelves. Some shelves held densely packed medicinal pill bottles, while others displayed all sorts of herbs.
"There really are some gains here."
Seeing the pill bottles and various herbs, a surprised Ye Yunfei immediately approached. But he soon realized that all the herbs on the shelves had completely decayed. The moment Ye Yunfei neared them, they began to crumble and turn to dust, scattering in the wind. In mere moments, all the herbs on the shelves in the hall had turned to powdery dust dancing in the air.
Ye Yunfei waved his sleeve, immediately opening the lids of over a dozen medicinal pill bottles on a nearby shelf. Indeed, they contained many pills. But to Ye Yunfei's disappointment, the pills inside these bottles had also turned to useless dust. Once the lids were opened, the contents also immediately disintegrated into ash.
"Is that so? How long has this shop existed? Even these herbs and pills have turned completely to dust," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in astonishment.
"This is supposed to be a Reincarnation Passage. How can there be a city inside? And so many shops! Does that mean living beings once inhabited this Reincarnation Passage? But according to legend, it should be a passageway for departed souls. How could there be living beings? What's going on? Is this not a Reincarnation Passage after all? Have we misunderstood?" Hun Lao mused curiously.
"No, it should be. I perceived it clearly from the outside. The aura of this passage's entrance matches precisely that of the Reincarnation Passage in the main world of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds," Ye Yunfei shook his head.
"Huh? There seems to be a technique jade slip over there."
At that moment, Ye Yunfei spotted a jade slip covered in dust lying on the shop's counter. The aura of a technique jade slip was generally distinct from other jade slips, making it easily recognizable.
Ye Yunfei approached the counter, flicked his sleeve to clear the dust, and then reached to take the jade slip.
However, before his hand could touch it, a burst of powerful formation energy erupted from the vicinity of the counter, pushing his hand away.
"Who would have expected a formation set up here too!"
Ye Yunfei was somewhat taken aback. He then channeled his Soul Force energy to study the formation enveloping the counter.
"This formation is quite advanced. I can't immediately grasp its underlying principles. Undoubtedly, it was placed here by a highly skilled formation master in ancient times. Pity it's endured ages too long; the formation's power is now almost depleted," Ye Yunfei deduced after some examination.
"The residual power is extremely weak. Finding its weakest point allows for brute-force dismantling," Ye Yunfei murmured to himself. He soon located that weak point and began continuously assaulting it with both fists.
Moments later, the formation on the counter was broken. Ye Yunfei then retrieved the technique jade slip.
"Thank goodness this jade slip survived and didn't turn to dust."
Seeing the jade slip in normal condition, Ye Yunfei sighed in relief. He knew it likely remained intact thanks to the protective formation guarding it from erosion by time's energy and laws.
Ye Yunfei then probed into the jade slip with his Soul Force, reading its contents.
"Alchemy insights!"
Ye Yunfei felt a stir of excitement. All the pills and herbs in this shop had turned to dust due to the passage of time, a testament to the immense age of the place. This technique jade slip, existing here for an equally vast span, contained knowledge left by ancient beings and was undoubtedly precious.
"Finding such a gain here is unexpected," Ye Yunfei nodded to himself.
Ye Yunfei swiftly searched the rest of the shop but found nothing else of use. He then left, proceeding further along the main street.
The entire avenue lay in deathly silence, utterly devoid of life force. A grayish mist drifted in the air, casting everything in a dim, seemingly half-slumbering light.
"This place has extremely strong Yin Qi," Huang Shang suddenly spoke up.
"This kind of environment is most beneficial for us ghost cultivators. But for other living beings, Yin Qi can erode both the physical body and the Soul Body. This gray mist is an amalgamation of various Yin Qi, ghostly energies, and other dark-type energies," Huang Shang added.
"Master, look ahead! Bones! There! More than one set!"
Hu Miao suddenly pointed further down the street and exclaimed.
Sure enough, lying on the path ahead were scattered white skeletal remains. The further he walked, the more skeletal remains appeared—not just human bones, but other species as well.
These bones were terribly decayed. Stepping on them caused immediate shattering into clouds of white ash. Even the sturdiest skulls crumbled to white powder upon the slightest touch. Clearly, they had been here for an incredibly long time.
As Ye Yunfei pressed on, the entire street eventually became carpeted with whitened skeletal remains of varying sizes—as far as the eye could see, a ghostly white expanse.
The sound of crunching, cracking bones was incessant underfoot, and a thick haze of white dust kicked up behind him.
Even more surprising to Ye Yunfei was the faint but palpable aura of a terrifying death energy pervading the street, attempting to invade his Sea of Consciousness and erode his Soul Body. The dense deathly aura assaulted his senses, making him feel as if he'd entered the Underworld Realm.
An ordinary person would likely shiver uncontrollably in such an environment, but Ye Yunfei's powerful Soul Body remained unaffected.
Ye Yunfei continued to check shops lining the street now and then, hoping to find something useful, but nothing of value turned up.
Everything within the shops had completely rotted away, turning to powder with the slightest touch.
Ye Yunfei even found a shop specializing in magical treasures. Numerous artifacts were arranged inside, but the moment a hand so much as touched them, they immediately crumbled to dust.
It wasn't just Ye Yunfei. Others exploring different streets inside the city were likely experiencing similar frustrations, judging by the frequent echoes of complaints and curses throughout the city's confines.
"Hehehe…"
Just then, a sinister-sounding, cold chuckle abruptly rang out inside the city.
Although not particularly loud, the chuckle had immense penetrating power. The moment it sounded, it clearly pierced into the Sea of Consciousness of every single person present. It felt as though someone was chuckling right next to their Soul Body.
Everyone was struck by primal fear upon hearing this strange, chilling sound.
Some of the weaker individuals felt as if their very Souls had frozen solid. They stood petrified, unable to regain composure for a long moment, cold sweat soaking their bodies.
"The realm of the departed welcomes not the living."
While all were privately alarmed, an extremely icy voice slowly rose from deep within the city.