"Didn't you say you had no treasures?
I don't want to waste any more time on you."
Ye Yunfei didn't stop, continuing to walk outward.
"Human, I'm telling the truth, I do have some treasures.
If you let me go, I can offer you a portion of them," the Reincarnation Ghost hurriedly said.
"Really?
Alright then, let's see if your treasures can impress me."
Ye Yunfei finally stopped.
"Looks like I'm going to bleed heavily this time," the Reincarnation Ghost thought to himself, hearing Ye Yunfei's words with a sense of foreboding.
"Human, follow the direction I tell you, and you'll reach the place where I've hidden my treasures," the Reincarnation Ghost said after a moment of hesitation, gritting his teeth.
"You better not try any tricks, or you'll regret it," Ye Yunfei warned.
"Everyone, be careful. This Reincarnation Ghost is not only powerful but also looks rather crafty.
The Reincarnation Path is unpredictable and treacherous. Be careful of this ghost using the path's dangers against us," Hun Lao warned everyone via a transmitted voice.
"Go forward, continue deeper into this Reincarnation Path," the Reincarnation Ghost instructed Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei turned around and walked deeper into the Reincarnation Path.
"Brother Ye, why are you coming back?
Did you have a change of heart and decide to stay and help me repair this path?" Qin Yuanyu had just been feeling disappointed watching Ye Yunfei's receding back, when suddenly he saw him turn and stride back. His joy was evident as he immediately went to greet him.
"Ahem...
Brother Qin, I intend to explore further ahead on this Reincarnation Path," Ye Yunfei said, feeling a bit of a headache coming on upon seeing Qin Yuanyu.
"Master, think of a way to shake off this guy. Otherwise, when we find the Reincarnation Ghost's treasures, he'll want a share!" Hu Miao told Ye Yunfei.
"Right! This fellow is sticking to us like a piece of adhesive plaster, so annoying! Figure out a way to ditch him!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also chimed in.
"No rush for now. We're not familiar with this Reincarnation Path. Let's use him as a guide first. We'll deal with him later depending on the situation," Ye Yunfei said, glancing at the two guardian statues standing by the small stone path nearby.
"That's great then, Brother Ye. Let's examine this Reincarnation Path first," Qin Yuanyu said, overjoyed, assuming Ye Yunfei had changed his mind and wanted to stay and help repair the path.
Thus, Ye Yunfei continued deeper along the Reincarnation Path as the ghost instructed. Qin Yuanyu walked beside him, constantly talking about matters related to the path. It turned out he had already been on this path for some time and was quite familiar with it.
Soon after, Ye Yunfei saw another two guardian statues standing on either side of the small stone path.
"Brother Ye, I've also done some preliminary repairs on these two guardian statues. Now they can already fulfill the duty of overseeing souls.
Whenever souls arrive here, they automatically awaken and maintain order.
Look at the two battle spears in their hands; they have a special restraining effect on all souls," Qin Yuanyu immediately said proudly to Ye Yunfei.
"Well done, Brother Qin. You've performed a service for the Reincarnation Lineage," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"You flatter me, Brother Ye.
This Reincarnation Path is in a semi-abandoned state, with many parts already ruined. Trying to fully restore it would be a colossal task.
Brother Ye, if you stay and help, it would be much easier for me," Qin Yuanyu replied.
As time passed, they encountered several more pairs of guardian statues standing beside the stone path. Because Qin Yuanyu was present, none of these statues reacted.
According to him, these guardian statues generally only react to souls.
"Brother Qin, several souls entered this Reincarnation Path earlier. Where are they now?" Ye Yunfei asked curiously, as he hadn't seen those souls along the way.
"Those souls should have already entered the Six-Path Reincarnation Cavern and embarked on their reincarnation by now.
Earlier, to help them proceed smoothly, I even led the way for them for a while," Qin Yuanyu answered.
"I see," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Boom...
Suddenly, a deep, rumbling sound of a river came from ahead.
A pitch-black river appeared in front, blocking their path. The water flowed slowly, producing an incredibly heavy, muffled sound.
"Look, that must be the Naihe Bridge," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
A stone bridge spanned the inky black river, connecting to the road ahead.
"Yes, a Reincarnation Path usually has the Naihe Bridge," Ye Yunfei nodded and walked forward.
"Brother Ye, this Lethe River seems to retain its normal function, able to cut off a soul's advance, ensuring they can only cross via the Naihe Bridge," Qin Yuanyu pointed at the pitch-black river ahead.
"Is the Lethe River's function specifically to block souls?" Ye Yunfei asked curiously.
"Ah, Brother Ye, don't you know? This is basic knowledge in our Reincarnation Lineage.
When souls reach the Lethe River, they can only cross via the Naihe Bridge. Moreover, they must drink Meng Po's Soup at the bridgehead to set foot on it; otherwise, they'll be repelled," Qin Yuanyu explained.
"Meng Po's Soup?" Ye Yunfei was startled and immediately looked towards the bridgehead.
There, placed at the bridgehead, he saw a bowl of clear soup. It was a very old sea bowl, its rim visibly chipped in several places. The bowl contained a little over half a bowl of crystal-clear soup, from which a faint, delicate fragrance could still be smelled from a distance.
"Is that... Soul Soup?" Ye Yunfei looked at the clear liquid in the bowl. It resembled Soul Soup, yet was slightly different.
Ye Yunfei walked to the Naihe Bridge head and stood before the sea bowl, examining the clear soup inside.
"Brother Ye, you also think this Meng Po's Soup isn't authentic, right?
There's no other way. I've tried summoning Meng Po's spirit back, but I've had no success so far.
The Naihe Bridge guarded by Meng Po is a crucial location on the Reincarnation Path. We must summon Meng Po back to guard it here; only then can this path become a true Reincarnation Path," Qin Yuanyu said, stepping forward when he saw Ye Yunfei examining the soup, assuming Ye Yunfei also recognized its inauthenticity.
"This soup isn't authentic? Summoning Meng Po's spirit?" Ye Yunfei found Qin Yuanyu's words curious. In truth, Ye Yunfei knew nothing about Meng Po's Soup; how could he possibly judge its authenticity? What surprised Ye Yunfei even more was that Qin Yuanyu intended to summon Meng Po's spirit.
"I suspect what he calls 'summoning her spirit' means trying to bring a clone or a soul imprint of Meng Po here. Every Reincarnation Path has a Naihe Bridge, which requires Meng Po's guardianship. How could Meng Po possibly guard so many bridges across the world? Therefore, the Meng Po guarding the bridge must be a clone, or perhaps even just a soul imprint," Hun Lao transmitted his thoughts to Ye Yunfei.
"That makes sense, Hun Lao.
It's also possible that 'Meng Po' isn't a specific being, but a title. Different beings can hold this position, so there could be many different Meng Po's in the world," Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and said.
"Hmm, that is also a possibility," Hun Lao nodded.
"Where exactly are your treasures hidden?" Ye Yunfei coldly asked the Reincarnation Ghost.
"Cross the Naihe Bridge and keep going. We're not there yet," the Reincarnation Ghost hurriedly replied.
"Brother Ye, have you noticed that the sequence of many positions on this Reincarnation Path has become disordered and reversed?
A normal Reincarnation Path should include key core locations like the Gate of Ghosts, the Yellow Spring Road, the Wangxiang Terrace, the Naihe Bridge, and the Six-Path Reincarnation Cavern.
But on this path, the Gate of Ghosts is missing, presumably destroyed. Meanwhile, the Yellow Spring Road and the Wangxiang Terrace are located *ahead* of the Naihe Bridge.
Normally, after souls enter the Reincarnation Path, they first pass the Yellow Spring Road and the Wangxiang Terrace, then reach the Naihe Bridge," Qin Yuanyu explained.
"Oh?
The Yellow Spring Road and Wangxiang Terrace are ahead of the bridge?" Ye Yunfei couldn't help but be surprised. He had entered several Reincarnation Paths before, and in each he had seen the Naihe Bridge and the Six-Path Reincarnation Cavern. However, the Gate of Ghosts, Yellow Spring Road, and Wangxiang Terrace Qin Yuanyu mentioned were things he had never seen and was hearing about for the first time.
"That's indeed the situation with this Reincarnation Path, Brother Ye. Come, let's go ahead and take a look. You'll understand soon," Qin Yuanyu said, then took the lead onto the Naihe Bridge.
As he stepped onto the bridge, a shining token suddenly appeared in his hand.
"Brother Ye, aside from souls, many places on this Reincarnation Path require an identification token; otherwise, one will be attacked.
For example, this Naihe Bridge doesn't allow living beings to pass without an identification token. This differs from those other abandoned reincarnation passages. So, Brother Ye must be careful," Qin Yuanyu cautioned.
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Qin."
Ye Yunfei immediately took out his own Reincarnation Token. With a resonant hum, he activated it. In the next moment, the token emitted a radiance that enveloped him. Ye Yunfei then walked onto the Naihe Bridge and, sure enough, felt no repulsion.
"Brother Ye, I plan to find a time to set up an altar here at the bridgehead to summon Meng Po's spirit, to see if I can bring her back to guard the Naihe Bridge. Without Meng Po, the soup will never be truly authentic," Qin Yuanyu said with a tone of great ambition, pointing at the bowl of clear soup.
"Brother Qin, you truly are someone meant for great undertakings," Ye Yunfei praised.
Soon, Ye Yunfei and Qin Yuanyu crossed the Naihe Bridge.
"Brother Ye, after crossing the Naihe Bridge, we're about to enter the Yellow Spring Road," Qin Yuanyu said to Ye Yunfei.
"Oh? We're reaching the Yellow Spring Road?" Ye Yunfei was somewhat curious.
"Yes. Normally, a Reincarnation Path would first lead to the Yellow Spring Road, then to the Lethe River. But this path's sequence is reversed. That's why I said fully repairing it would be a monumental task," Qin Yuanyu answered.
Soon, a rather deep, dim, and gloomy road paved with dark green flagstones appeared ahead. The flagstones paving the road looked weathered and time-worn, pitted and uneven. Looking forward, a faint, eerie cold light shimmered on their surface.
A ghostly, howling wind blew in, bringing waves of damp, decaying air.
"Brother Ye, we have arrived at the Yellow Spring Road," Qin Yuanyu said, pointing at a worn-out stone tablet by the roadside.
Though the tablet appeared tattered, the three large characters carved on it were still clear: Yellow Spring Road.
"Master, this road looks a bit eerie and terrifying. It's permeated with an ominous aura," Hu Miao couldn't help but say to Ye Yunfei as she looked at the dark, old flagstone road ahead.
"This is the Reincarnation Path, a channel for souls. For us living beings to trespass here, of course we'd sense an ominous aura. If there weren't one here, *that* would be abnormal," Hun Lao said with a laugh.
"Hun Lao is right. Don't be afraid.
Huang Shang cultivates ghost arts. We're used to being around him and have long grown accustomed to ominous auras. There's nothing to fear," Ye Yunfei said with a smile. Being a Divine King now, with his cultivation high and courage proportionate, he naturally had no fear of this Yellow Spring Road.
Ye Yunfei and Qin Yuanyu stepped onto the Yellow Spring Road and strode forward. Qin Yuanyu always held a token in his hand, which constantly emitted a dense, pure Reincarnation aura. Ye Yunfei also held his Reincarnation Token, keeping it activated. The token rippled with a circle of white light, enveloping him within its radiance. Inside this ring of light, Ye Yunfei felt all the aura of the Yellow Spring Road being repelled.
"Actually, with this Reincarnation Token Qingluo gave you, we have nothing to fear at all.
This is an ancient token of the Reincarnation Lineage; it can even suppress Reincarnation Ghosts," Hun Lao chuckled.
"Master, look! Those flowers are so strange, but they have a unique kind of beauty!" suddenly, Hu Miao exclaimed in surprise, pointing ahead.
Ahead, on either side of the flagstone road, two different colored flowers bloomed densely.
On the left side of the road, the flowers were crimson as flames, densely lining the path and stretching forward like a serpentine trail of blood, reminiscent of a scarlet dragon extending into the distance.
On the right side of the road, the flowers were pure white, exuding a faint, pure-white luster. Their shape resembled beautifully crafted palace lanterns. They clustered densely along the right side, resembling a pristine white dragon racing forward.
From a distance, the crimson dragon on the left and the white dragon on the right formed a striking contrast.
"So smelly!" Hu Miao cried, covering her nose.
"The stench seems to be coming from the red flowers on the left. It's a putrid smell that makes you want to vomit as soon as you smell it," Hu Miao complained, pointing at the scarlet flowers on the left.
"So fragrant!" Hu Miao suddenly cried out again.
"The fragrance is from the flowers on the right. It's a refreshing, intoxicating scent, so nice," Hu Miao exclaimed delightedly, pointing at the white flowers on the right.
"Brother Ye, the growth of these Other Shore Flowers is not bad. They likely retain a fairly complete functionality," Qin Yuanyu said to Ye Yunfei.
"So these are the legendary Other Shore Flowers.
These flowers are almost extinct in the outside world. Who knew there would be so many here," Huang Shang couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment upon hearing Qin Yuanyu's words.