Chapter 263 The third most difficult thing: Where are her relatives?

"not enough."

Chu Xuanyi shook his head.

He stood up and walked to the desk, took out an ancient feng shui map from his sleeve, and slowly spread it out next to the jade book.

On that map, the direction of the mountains and rivers is completely different from the territory of the current Great Zhou.

"Your Highness, the 30% is based on the fact that you and Ajiu are connected by fate and will not get lost in the netherworld."

Chu Xuanyi's voice became extremely solemn. "But this method of entering the soul is extremely dangerous. Putting aside the countless soul-devouring evil spirits, the Netherworld Storm that is everywhere in the Netherworld alone is enough to tear apart any living soul. We can't gamble our lives with just one spell."

He pointed at the jade book, "I spent half my cultivation, but I was only able to unlock the first layer of the jade book's restrictions and see the soul-entering method. But I can sense that there are deeper things sealed behind this jade book. Perhaps, there is a way to increase the success rate, but I don't have the ability to open it anymore."

“So, we can only rely on external things.”

Chu Xuanyi stretched out his hand and tapped on the ancient feng shui map.

"We need three things to make this trip foolproof."

Xiao Yu's gaze followed his finger and fell on the picture, only to see three places on it were heavily circled.

"The first one."

Chu Xuanyi's finger fell on an icon of mountains in the northwest that had turned into ruins.

"You need something to 'protect your soul'."

"The heart of Mount Buzhou."

"Rumor has it that this stone is the sole remaining core of the ancient sacred mountain 'Buzhou Mountain', which supported the heavens and the earth, after its collapse. It has the miraculous power to stabilize the soul and suppress the inner demons. With this object protecting your spirit, you will be able to withstand the erosion of the Netherworld Storm."

Xiao Yu was stunned. "Buzhou Mountain? Isn't that something that only exists in mythology? Where can I find it?"

"It existed," Chu Xuanyi said in a deep voice, "According to the fragments of the classics in Tongtian Pavilion, the last place this divine stone appeared was the place where the family was wiped out overnight a hundred years ago."

He pressed his finger against the ruins icon.

"Shenji Pavilion."

Xiao Yu frowned slightly.

He had heard of Shenji Pavilion.

A hundred years ago, it was the foremost sect of mechanical engineering and weapon refining that dominated the martial arts world. It was said that its disciples could create ingenious objects that could reach the sky and the earth, and could even refine magical instruments that were comparable to divine weapons.

However, its destruction was too sudden and strange.

Overnight, thousands of people in the family, along with the entire mountain gate, were reduced to scorched earth, leaving no one alive.

For a hundred years, it has become an unsolved case in the underworld.

Unexpectedly, this 'Heart of Buzhou Mountain' is related to this disappeared sect.

"The second one."

Chu Xuanyi's finger moved eastward along the feng shui map and stopped at the endless blue sea in the east.

"You need something to 'open the way'."

"Tears of the Mermaid of the East China Sea."

"Mermaid?" Xiao Yu felt his worldview collapse. "Xuan Yi, are you sure you're reading the right book? You're not telling us a story, are you?"

"Your Highness once saw a mermaid on the coast of the East China Sea." Chu Xuanyi ignored him and looked at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu nodded.

That was many years ago, when he was ordered to wipe out the Japanese pirates in the East China Sea. By chance, he once caught a glimpse of the legendary mysterious creature with a human body and a fish tail, which was extremely beautiful, on an uninhabited desert island.

"The Netherworld isn't a physical entity. It's more like a reflection of the human world, a world between reality and nothingness," Chu Xuanyi explained. "It's impossible to enter using ordinary methods, and the Mermaid's Tears are a pure and unadulterated substance. Legend has it that they can reflect reality and dispel illusion. They are the key to breaking through the barrier between the two worlds."

His finger drew a circle around the area above the East China Sea.

"According to the clues, if we want to find the mermaids, we must first find that legendary mountain overseas."

"Penglai."

If the first Shenji Pavilion site is just difficult.

Then this second Penglai Fairy Island that only exists in the legend is already illusory.

When Xiao Yu heard this, his mouth opened wide and he didn't close it for a long time.

He thought Chu Xuanyi must be crazy.

This is not a plan to save people, it is clearly a treasure map full of mythological stories.

However, Xiao Yu's expression remained calm.

He listened quietly, without a trace of retreat in his deep eyes.

"What about the third thing?" he asked.

Chu Xuanyi's expression became more solemn than ever when he mentioned the third thing.

He withdrew his hand and was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"The third and most crucial thing is the 'return' item."

"Your Highness, your mission is to forcibly pull Ajiu's soul back from the Netherworld. This in itself is an act against heaven."

"The soul has been away from the body for too long, and has been contaminated by the aura of the netherworld. When it returns, it will easily lose its way and be unable to find its own body."

"Once she misses the opportunity to return, then she..."

Chu Xuanyi didn't say anything else, but the consequences were self-evident.

If the soul cannot return to its place, it will become a wandering ghost, wandering between heaven and earth, and eventually be wiped out by the laws of heaven and earth and completely dissipate.

That would be more cruel than killing her.

"So, we need a light."

"Soul-guiding lamp."

"This lamp can only be lit with the blood of Jiu's closest relative, who has the most direct blood connection with him."

"Only the light from this lamp can guide her home in the endless void."

"Let her find her body accurately the moment her soul returns."

The study fell into dead silence.

The first two items, 'The Heart of Buzhou Mountain' and 'Tears of the Mermaid of the East China Sea', sound as difficult as climbing to the sky, although one is hidden in a century-old ruin and the other is located in a legendary place.

But after all, there are traces to follow and a clear goal.

As long as you look for it, there is hope.

But this third thing...

Blood relatives?

But Jiu lost both his parents when he was young, and he is an orphan with no close relatives.

Where can an orphan find her blood relatives?

Compared with the first two conditions, this is a true... dead end.

Chu Xuanyi looked at Xiao Yu's face, which darkened instantly, and said in a deep voice, "This is also the most difficult point."

"but."

"We have no other choice."

"We can only take it one step at a time. We must first find the first two items. The Shenji Pavilion and Penglai Island are both extraordinary places. Perhaps in the process of searching for these two items, we can unexpectedly discover clues about Ah Jiu's other relatives."

"Your Majesty, we have no time to waste."