Having made up his mind, the fallen lich stepped onto the bridge.
He walked on the lowest level of the Bridge of Helplessness, the steepest, most dangerous, and most difficult section of the bridge.
The foul-smelling river water that constantly flowed across the bridge irritated his soul, and the evil spirits, insects, and snakes that roamed the bridge brought him immense suffering.
Of course, that's not the most unbearable thing. What's truly unbearable is the incessant, painful whispers in my ears.
"Stop! Stop! Those who cannot cross this river, those who committed evil in their lives, will forever be condemned to the River of Helplessness! River of Helplessness, River of Helplessness, oh River of Helplessness~~~"
"Hahahaha! You actually dare to dream of crossing the Naihe Bridge at the very bottom? Take a look at how far you still have to go, and then look back at how far you've actually walked!"
"Have you ever had a true love? Don't you want to wait for her to spend the next life with you? The Bridge of Helplessness is a road of no return. Jump down. Only by suffering the torment of the River of Oblivion can you wait for your former love to enter the cycle of reincarnation together!"
"Naihe Bridge, Naihe River, let go of all your reluctance and go to sleep!"
"The Bridge of Helplessness, the journey is long, yet each step is like traveling three miles at a leisurely pace; the River of Oblivion, a thousand-year-old cessation, yet faces remain unrecognizable, leaving only helplessness..."
The cacophony around him caused a throbbing pain in the fallen lich's mind. The pain in his soul and the mental stimulation made his consciousness almost blurry. He couldn't even distinguish between the truth and falsehood in these words, nor could he see the direction he was heading.
If someone were following him at this moment, they would notice that his figure was swaying as he moved forward, and he almost fell into the Naihe River several times.
Fortunately, the demigod-level soul was always protecting him, which was his greatest advantage compared to ordinary souls. Often, powerful strength can change everything, just like the monkey in mythology who broke into the underworld and altered the Book of Life and Death.
The fallen lich walked forward in a daze, his subconscious mind able to sense the danger around him and the terror of falling into the River of Forgetfulness, though he didn't know the source of this terror and fear, nor did he want to try it.
As for turning back, he had considered it, and even thought about turning back not long after stepping onto the Naihe Bridge. However, whenever he had this thought, he felt that some great terror was about to descend, and even the waters of the Wangchuan River on both sides of the bridge became turbulent.
From that moment on, he knew there was no turning back on the Naihe Bridge. Even with his divine soul, he couldn't cope with the terror within. He could only keep his head down and keep moving forward.
"How much further is this bridge?" the man wondered absently. In his agonizing state, he couldn't even remember who he was, or why he had come here. He couldn't see the road ahead; he only knew to keep walking, and walking…
Finally, all the whispers in his ears disappeared, and there were no more ghosts, insects, or snakes tearing at his soul. After crossing the Naihe Bridge, he felt as if he had been transported to another world. He turned around and looked back. The foul-smelling river was still flowing turbulently, and there were still a large number of souls crossing the river or struggling on the three-tiered Naihe Bridge.
He also saw some souls that had accidentally fallen into the Naihe River, struggling and roaring in the water as if they were enduring immense pain. Unfortunately, even if they managed to grab onto the stone slabs of the Naihe Bridge, they still could not climb up, as if some kind of rule was restricting them.
"You're lucky, it's rare to see a ghost from the third level climb up!" At this moment, a pleasant voice suddenly rang in the fallen lich's ears. Turning his head, he saw a pavilion not far away, with a large pot set up outside the pavilion, and a beautiful young woman sitting next to it, brewing something.
"Are you talking to me?" The fallen lich pointed to himself and asked uncertainly.
Only then did he realize that there were quite a few people nearby, no, there were quite a few ghosts nearby, especially on the road leading inside, where a long queue had formed, as if they were all waiting for the soup that the woman was cooking in her pot.
However, they did not seem to be in a hurry. Some people would even sit in the pavilion, look into the distance, and then slowly drink the soup in their hands.
On the other side, there was another line, not too long, consisting of ghosts who had come down from the Naihe Bridge. The woman would usually give them a bowl of soup to drink first.
"Of course! You've been standing there for quite a while, haven't you come to your senses yet? Well, the lower Naihe Bridge is indeed a bit terrifying!" the woman chuckled, while waving the soup ladle in her hand. "Come on! All the ghosts who come to Fengdu must drink this bowl of soup. It's the rule of Fengdu City. You can also sit in the pavilion. This is the Wangxiang Pavilion, where you can see your hometown from your previous life."
"Fengdu City? Is that the name of this city? And this Wangxiang Pavilion? Where exactly is this place? And who am I?" The torment of the lower Naihe Bridge caused him to experience temporary amnesia.
As he spoke, he had already reached the Wangxiang Pavilion. Looking at the clear soup in the pot, he was somewhat puzzled as to what the other party was brewing.
"Don't rush, it's not your turn yet. Go sit in the pavilion, look back on your past life, and see your former hometown. After all, once you drink this bowl of Meng Po soup, you will have no more connection with your past life!" Meng Po smiled and pointed to the pavilion next to her as she saw the fallen lich approaching.
At this moment, there were many ghosts in the pavilion, their moods ranging from melancholy and weeping to sorrowful cries of reluctance... He was very curious about what kind of magical place this pavilion held.
Thinking of this, he nodded to the girl, thanked her, and stepped into the pavilion.
In an instant, he seemed to see the world change, all the scenery around him suddenly changed, and finally stopped in a dense forest.
"Where is this?" His pupils narrowed slightly, and he walked shakily toward a large tree. There, a treehouse hung high, with starlight emanating from it, accompanied by a familiar yet unknown nursery rhyme.
"Mother? Mother?" The thought flashed through his mind, and his body moved involuntarily to the side of the wooden house. Through the window, he saw a beautiful girl inside the wooden house coaxing him to sleep. He raised his hand to touch her, but found that everything around him had vanished in a flash.
When vision returned, the surrounding scenery had changed. Endless dark energy was devouring everything. An elven warrior was protecting an elven child as they ran forward, trying to escape this world shrouded in darkness. Unfortunately, as the darkness spread, they found themselves with nowhere to run.
"Noah, run! Run! Run! Our planet, even our entire plane, is about to be destroyed. Only by escaping can we have a chance to survive!" the elven warrior shouted, forcefully pushing the child forward before turning and charging into the massive army of dark creatures...
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