Chapter 100 The Road to the Underworld: Shen Jiuxu was prepared for a fierce battle. ...

Shen Jiuxu remembers the Ghost Festival very clearly. He got up early and stayed with Jiang Yu. The two of them bought some rare storybooks from a roadside book stall. Unexpectedly, when they opened them, they found that they were written with the two of them as the main characters.

Because the story was so bizarre, the two of them spent the whole day reading it, and eventually fell asleep. Shen Jiuxu knew that Jiang Yu had never been out before, so how could he have been encountered by Zhou Qingnu on the road and even gone to save someone else?

This is simply unbelievable.

"Sect Master Shen, that's all I know. We all saw Young Master Jiang at the time. Could it be that Young Master Jiang is mistaken, and that he went out at the time, or..."

He stopped mid-sentence, and Shen Jiuxu nodded. "Thank you. I will find a way to get to the bottom of this."

"What are you thanking me for? If it weren't for your Shen Wuke's willingness to take in Dianxing back then, he would probably be just following me up the mountain every day to chop some firewood and pick some fruit. He certainly wouldn't be the pride of our family he is today."

Gao Ye looked at Dian Xing with admiration and pride in his eyes, and put his arm around his shoulder. "Sect Leader Shen, why don't you stay for lunch with us today? His aunt will be back soon. Try my cooking. Dian Xing hasn't eaten at home in a long time."

"Thank you for your hospitality, but I still have some things to take care of. If there's nothing much going on at the sect these next few days, Dianxing, please stay home and spend more time with them. Cultivation is important, but you can't overdo it."

Shen Jiuxu finished drinking the water in his cup, exchanged a few more words with the two people, and then left.

Since Gao Ye is so certain that he must have seen Jiang Yu, but Shen Jiuxu was absolutely certain that he and Jiang Yu did not separate on the day of the Ghost Festival, then where exactly did the problem lie?

On the night of the Ghost Festival, countless ghosts roam in the shadows.

Could it really be a ghost? But how could it be exactly the same as Jiang Yusheng's?

The most urgent task now is to find the body of Wu's son. Shen Jiuxu had seen a forbidden technique in Shen Wuke's library, in which a living being attaches to a corpse and uses cultivation to travel back to the past. However, the shortened lifespan of this method is secondary. As a divine tree, Shen Jiuxu is inherently immortal and does not care about this.

The important thing is that the cultivation level of those who use this method will be greatly damaged. The book at that time recorded that the first sect leader of Shen Wuke had his cultivation level return to its original state, close to nothing. Later, some people also dared to try it and their cultivation level dropped by half.

Moreover, there are many consequences of this method that are not recorded here, because many cultivators died early, and this method gradually became a forbidden technique.

But Shen Jiuxu can't care about that now.

But where exactly was that person's body hidden? Shen Jiuxu thought about it again and again but still didn't know. If those people were determined to frame Jiang Yu, they would definitely not let him have a good ending, so he was most likely already dead.

Only in this way can Jiang Yu be made to bear the burden of human lives.

Behind Shenwuke Mountain, beneath towering trees, stood a man dressed in black. Beside him lay a portrait he had obtained from the Wu family, spread out on a stone.

Shen Jiuxu set up a barrier to ensure that no one would disturb him at this time. He wasn't worried that Jiang Yu would come over. Jiang Yu hadn't slept all night, so when Shen Jiuxu left early, he added some calming incense to the stove so that Jiang Yu could sleep peacefully.

Are you sure you can find someone there?

A strange sound came from below. Shen Jiuxu hummed in response. At this moment, Xian Chen, whom he had placed on the ground, surprisingly reached a consensus with someone he used to be at odds with.

“Xian Chen, I need your help. The Nine Netherworlds forbid living beings from entering, and the road to the Yellow Springs is full of dead souls. Your sword is extremely cold and hard, making you the best choice to go with me.”

Hearing this, Xian Chen felt a little smug. The sword tip curled up and flew into Shen Jiuxu's hand. "Fine, if it weren't for the fact that you are my master's Daoist partner, I wouldn't have helped you."

Shen Jiuxu ignored its words. Seeing that the time was almost up, he sat cross-legged on the stone and said in a low voice, "Nine Netherworld beings, use them for me. Reincarnate your souls and open the talisman gate quickly."

Thick black mist suddenly billowed out from the sky, as if a door had been torn open in the middle of the lush and dense forest, and the distorted boundary was filled with spiritual energy.

Shen Jiuxu held Xian Chen's hand and slowly walked in.

The desolate and deserted Yellow Springs Road was covered with water. The icy water spread to Shen Jiuxu's calves, as if he were stepping into an abyss. Living beings are not adapted to the environment of the Netherworld. The bone-deep cold and the almost burning heat appeared on Shen Jiuxu at the same time.

A thin layer of ice formed on Xian Chen's sword.

As soon as all living beings entered the Netherworld, they revealed their true forms. Those tender flower buds sprouted from Shen Jiuxu's hair, but quickly succumbed to the cold and turned into a pool of black, withered branches and leaves.

As the water rose higher and higher, Shen Jiuxu finally saw a wooden boat with two oars on it. It was an unmanned boat, and even more so, a legendary ghost boat.

Legend has it that if any living being accidentally arrives in the Netherworld and then, by some twist of fate, boards this ship, countless ghosts underwater will swarm out the moment they smell the creature's scent and tear it to shreds.

Shen Jiuxu was prepared for a fierce battle. He had originally gone to the Netherworld to find the souls of the Wu family members. Those Yama Kings and judges would definitely not release them easily, so he could only fight until they were willing to hand them over.

He patted Xian Chen's sword hilt, which made a few "buzzing" sounds. Seeing that everything was ready, Shen Jiuxu drew his sword and cut off the flower branches above his head with one stroke. Then, he grabbed the edge of the boat with both hands, climbed up nimbly, and leaned against the stern, waiting quietly.

Sure enough, not long after, he heard a rustling sound. Suddenly, many splashes of water, large and small, surged up on the once calm surface, creating white waves.

The boat rocked and swayed, and many swollen hands reached into the boat, dripping water onto the wooden planks.

"It smells like a living person."

"It's a living being! Where did this living being come from? I've finally seen a living being! I haven't encountered anything like this in many days."

"You're the one who's always the most impatient."

"Let's divide it up and eat it later. Oh, there's a sword here too. It looks nice. Do you know how to use a sword?"

Those hands were probably used to doing this kind of thing, showing no fear whatsoever, and had even reached for the hilt of Xian Chen's sword.

Shen Jiuxu felt the sticky clothes clinging to his body, grasped Xian Chen and waved his hand. A flash of silver-white sword light appeared, casting a shadow on the dark river surface.

The ghosts were startled, splashing water as they retreated, wanting to observe for a moment. Only a few, which looked particularly large, seemed unafraid of death, or perhaps they had already died, and pressed closer.

Several arms tugged at Shen Jiuxu's clothes, sharp teeth biting at his exposed skin. They hadn't touched a living creature in a long time, and were attracted by the fresh, lively flesh and blood. With a reckless impulse, they all wanted to tear a piece of flesh off him.

Shen Jiuxu's spiritual power was restricted in the Nine Netherworld. He could feel pain coming from all parts of his body. The Xianchen Sword was itching to act. Seeing that people were being hurt, it rose up and with a few clangs, cut those ghosts in half at the waist.

The water was littered with severed limbs and a foul stench that permeated the area. Shen Jiuxu held his sword horizontally in front of him, and the ghosts dared not approach him.

Have you ever met Wu Er?

Seeing that the effect had been achieved, Shen Jiu asked the group of ghosts, "This name is too common. I think the chances of finding it are slim." He then took out the portrait again, "It looks like this."

Upon seeing the painting, the ghosts surged forward in droves, heads huddled together, one on the left and one on the right.

"Hey, old man, have you seen this before? You've been here for hundreds of years, is there anyone you haven't seen? Open your eyes wide and take a look."

"Take your hand away! My old eyes are failing me, I can't see clearly at all. Besides, I've seen thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people over the years. There are all sorts of people, how could I possibly recognize them?"

An old, white-haired water ghost tapped the head of the young scapegoat next to him. “Don’t talk nonsense. This man is obviously not an ordinary person. If I don’t find the person he wants to see, then I’ll have to die again. I’ve gotten used to a peaceful life and I really don’t remember.”

As Shen Jiuxu listened to their rambling without saying anything useful, he flicked his wrist, and Xian Chen was immediately placed across the old water ghost's neck. "Have you seen it before? Think carefully."

"This...this...don't worry, don't worry. I'm just trying to remember this better, young master. Do you remember when he came down?"

The old water ghost withdrew his hand from the scapegoat's head, stroked his beard, and a thoughtful look appeared on his wrinkled face. When he heard Shen Jiu mention "around the Ghost Festival," his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh, oh, oh, I... I think I have indeed seen it before. Now that you mention the Ghost Festival, I remember."

"Old man, I didn't expect you to actually remember! Tell us quickly, don't keep it from us." The scapegoat cheered from the side, jumping up and down. But after seeing Shen Jiuxu's cold eyes, he calmed down a bit and stuck his tongue around the neck of another hanged ghost, wrapping it tightly several times.

"I remember... he wasn't a ghost. It seems a deity led him here. That deity was dressed in green and was incredibly beautiful. I've never seen such a striking person in my entire life. He was like a newly sprouted bamboo on the mountain, emerald green and straight. His appearance and figure were outstanding in every way."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiuxu suddenly felt that the person he was talking about resembled Jiang Yu, and that he perfectly matched the young master Jiang in light blue clothes that Gao Ye had mentioned.

"The deity led him here, threw him onto this boat and left. You wouldn't believe it, I was so stunned that I didn't even notice when water splashed on me."

"You old man, you were already drowned, you were already wet, and then you got splashed all over. I suspect you might have splashed water on the god just to get a better look at him."

The old water ghost quickly denied it, "I would never do such a despicable thing. Later I remember that person went to the Nine Nether Palace and was handed over to the judge for trial. I don't know anything else. However, that person is very different from the portrait that you brought, young master. He has a particularly strong ghostly aura."

"Where did this newborn ghost get such a strong ghostly aura? I reckon he was probably killed by a ghost, or he's carrying something from another ghost, which is why he looks like this."

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Author's Note: I recently switched to a new department, so I've been very busy. I also have a few interviews to prepare for, so I apologize for the lack of timely updates. [Please][Please][Please]