"What is the origin of the Water Lord of the Wuhuan Tribe, and what is his cultivation level?"
At this moment, Ning Sihua, Qing Wan, and Jin Xiaochuan also approached.
Tao Qingshan noticed that Ning Sihua and the others were obviously allied with Su Yi, so he didn't dare to be disrespectful and respectfully said, "It is said that the Water Lord of the Wuhuan Tribe was a masterful figure who fell on the battlefield in his lifetime. After dying in battle, his lingering resentment and grudges were nourished by the filthy blood river underground, transforming him into a fierce and evil ghost."
"For nearly a hundred years, he has been entrenched in the Nine Turns City under the Da Cang River. His current cultivation is said to be comparable to that of a Triple Master."
"However, it is said that he is well-versed in some sinister secret arts and wields mysterious forbidden formation powers. Once you enter the Nine Turns City, even a Triple Master can only be at his mercy."
Originally, Ning Sihua was somewhat interested in how powerful the Water Lord of the Wuhuan Tribe was, but after hearing this, she immediately lost interest in knowing more.
"I dare to ask, Immortal Master, why have you come here?"
Tao Qingshan asked respectfully.
"Looking for someone."
Su Yi casually replied, "A few days ago, a passenger ship sank in this area, and there is someone on that ship who is important to me."
Tao Qingshan's heart trembled, and he was about to speak, but the thin, tall man who had been kneeling on the ground spoke first:
"Immortal Master, this must be the doing of the old Wuhuan ghost! Over the years, that old guy has capsized countless ships in this area, and who knows how many innocent people he has harmed!"
He was indignant and impassioned, and even changed the way he addressed the Water Lord of the Wuhuan Tribe.
Tao Qingshan also nodded quickly and said, "But rest assured, Immortal Master, although the Water Lord of the Wuhuan Tribe is cruel, he is cautious and deceitful in nature. He only dares to harm ordinary people."
"Lead us in when the time comes."
Su Yi made a decision and said, "Hmm, just treat us as your entourage."
He turned his head and looked at Jin Xiaochuan, saying, "You stay behind and find a safe place to wait."
Jin Xiaochuan nodded hurriedly in agreement.
"You can also get up."
Su Yi glanced at the thin, tall man kneeling on the ground.
The latter immediately breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully said, "Thank you, Immortal Master, thank you, Immortal Master!"
Taking the opportunity, Tao Qingshan said, "Immortal Master, this is Feng Yong from Luoya Mountain in Yonghe County. His true form is a thousand-year-old Golden Silk Vine. Through a fortuitous encounter, he absorbed the power of a mysterious spiritual spring, thereby gaining spiritual intelligence and awakening the ability to transform into human form..."
After listening, Su Yi couldn't help but take a closer look at the thin, tall man and said, "The Golden Silk Vine is only a fourth-grade spiritual creature, but it allowed you to have a fortuitous encounter and awaken spiritual intelligence. Not bad."
Ning Sihua added, "Friend, the Golden Silk Vine is an excellent material for refining spiritual armor. Especially if it has been aged for a thousand years, it is even rarer."
Feng Yong trembled all over, his face turning green with fright.
He may appear extraordinary and impressive, but in the eyes of true cultivators, he is nothing more than a spiritual material.
Su Yi smiled, "Once they awaken spiritual intelligence, they are no longer lifeless. It is inappropriate to regard them as mere materials."
Ning Sihua nodded in agreement, "You're absolutely right. However, if this guy were to meet with an unfortunate end in the future, I would be willing to help collect his remains."
Feng Yong initially breathed a sigh of relief, but upon hearing this, his head was filled with glowing green vines...
He looked at Ning Sihua with a deep sense of fear.
This woman... is too terrifying!
"Qing Wan, return to the Soul-Nurturing Gourd," Su Yi commanded.
"Okay."
Qing Wan transformed into a wisp of light and instantly disappeared into the Soul-Nurturing Gourd.
A rare and pure spirit like her, once appearing in the Nine Turns City filled with evil spirits, would undoubtedly cause unpredictable chaos.
Then, to the astonishment of everyone, Su Yi's aura quietly changed, emitting traces of demonic energy!
Tao Qingshan was moved and exclaimed, "Immortal Master, could it be that you are also..."
"No," Su Yi interrupted, "It's just a secret technique to alter one's own aura."
While Tao Qingshan let out a sigh of relief, he felt somewhat regretful in his heart. If the Immortal Master were a powerful demonic cultivator, that would have been great...
Ning Sihua was somewhat surprised and said, "Friend, your method is quite interesting."
"Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
"Well... I truly appreciate your teachings, friend."
Ning Sihua's beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation.
Su Yi immediately infused his spiritual power, and his lips emitted a mysterious and obscure sound.
Soon, Ning Sihua's expression changed as she suddenly felt a subtle shift in her aura, exuding a touch of eerie charm.
Feeling all of this, Ning Sihua's heart was far from calm, unlike her composed appearance.
This seemingly simple secret technique actually contained profound mystique, truly unimaginable!
"If I possessed such a technique, how could I bear to reveal it? But this guy doesn't seem to care and just teaches it casually..."
"Does this mean he possesses other unimaginable secret techniques and simply doesn't care about these? If that's the case, he is far more terrifying than I imagined..."
Ning Sihua murmured to herself.
Of course, Su Yi could never have imagined that such a small secret technique would provoke so many thoughts in Ning Sihua.
His current concern was the safety of Wen Lingxue.
"Let's go."
Without further delay, Su Yi decided to take action.
Immediately, led by Tao Qingshan and Feng Yong, they walked towards the vortex mist on the surface of the Da Cang River.
They seemed to be walking on water, but an invisible force rose from the surface, making them feel as if they were walking on level ground.
As they entered the vortex mist, their figures instantly descended.
But at the same time, a gentle force enveloped them, allowing their figures to descend steadily thousands of zhang below.
This was the power of the grand formation within this water region, connecting the water veins and mountain ranges, quite mysterious.
Soon, Su Yi and the others appeared in a gloomy expanse. The surroundings were bleak, and in the far distance, a towering city loomed, with the city walls burning with fierce emerald flames, casting a ghastly green hue over the land.
What an unpleasant color.
Su Yi frowned inwardly.
"If I hadn't come here myself, I wouldn't have imagined that there could be such a world beneath the Da Cang River," Ning Sihua exclaimed, surveying the surroundings.
At a glance, she realized that this world was actually the intersection of the Qianxuan Ridge's mountain range and the Da Cang River's water veins, filled with a gloomy and oppressive aura.
"This is the power of natural creation. The Water Sovereign Wuhuan was able to find this place and claim it for himself, which can be considered quite remarkable," Su Yi commented, his gaze fixed on the distant city where an overwhelming malevolent aura rose, shrouded in ghostly energy.
Then, he turned his gaze to Tao Qingshan beside him and said, "When the time comes, you will handle it and inquire about the person I am looking for."
Tao Qingshan quickly nodded in agreement.
The group proceeded directly towards the city.
On the city walls, three blood-stained characters were engraved:
Nine Turns City!
Guarding the city gates on both sides were numerous ghost soldiers shrouded in mist, writhing and rolling like smoke, with terrifying and hideous appearances.
The leader of the ghost soldiers saw Tao Qingshan and Feng Yong and immediately shouted, "The Ghost Mother Ridge Lord Tao and the Spiral Tooth Mountain Lord Feng have arrived—"
Inside the city gates, a pale-skinned woman in colorful attire swiftly emerged and greeted them, "I have seen the esteemed guests."
Tao Qingshan replied indifferently, "Lead us to the Cave Heaven Assembly."
"Yes."
The woman in colorful attire turned around and led the way.
Su Yi and his group followed behind her.
As soon as they entered the city, they saw that the densely packed buildings resembled giant coffins, with black walls and eaves.
On both sides of the streets, strings of white lanterns were hung, casting a shimmering green light.
Ghosts floated everywhere in the streets, including specters and apparitions, as well as vengeful and malevolent spirits seething with resentment. They were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Chirping and chattering sounds constantly filled the air, accompanied by cries, manic laughter, mournful wails, and sobbing...
It was as if they had entered the realm of the underworld.
If an ordinary warrior came here, they would likely be frightened out of their wits.
Su Yi and Ning Sihua, however, remained composed, though their brows furrowed slightly, showing some disgust and aversion towards this gloomy, chaotic, and decaying realm of ghosts.
Along the way, there were ghost vendors, with large iron pots boiling heads covered in decaying flesh and long hair.
There were children bouncing and playing, chasing and frolicking with bloody severed arms in their hands. Occasionally, they would pounce on each other, baring their fangs and biting their companions.
There were vendors selling blood-colored eyeballs, rotten organs, and various chunks of flesh.
There was an old woman sewing human skin, with shelves made of white bones behind her, filled with various garments made of human skin.
There were...
Those bloody and cruel scenes were unfolding everywhere in the city, just like the ordinary lives of those ghosts.
Suddenly, Su Yi noticed an old man with a bruised body, dressed in white paper clothes, sitting at a street stall, using an abacus to calculate.
It was called an abacus, but it was made up of snow-white arm bones and individual finger bones, with teeth serving as the counting beads.
"What are you calculating?" Ning Sihua also noticed this scene and asked, stamping her foot.
"Accounts," the old man replied without lifting his head.
"What kind of accounts?"
"The accounts of the living who died in Nine Turns City."
The old man said with a strange smile on his bruised face, "I've probably calculated it. In the past one hundred and thirty-nine years and eight months and nineteen days, at least one hundred and thirty thousand people have died in Nine Turns City. Among them, there are over thirty thousand women and children, over ten thousand infants, over fifty thousand men in their prime, and over forty thousand elderly..."
He rambled on like an accountant tallying the books, his eerie smile revealing a satisfaction that couldn't be expressed.
Hearing this, Ning Sihua furrowed her delicate eyebrows and couldn't help but glance at Su Yi beside her.
"If you find it displeasing, we can erase this place when we leave," Su Yi said calmly.
In his past life, he had witnessed such bloody purgatory-like events and had even ventured into the underworld, witnessing even more brutal and terrifying things.
However, even though he had seen it all, when he saw everything now, he couldn't help but feel an instinctive disgust.
The colorful-clothed female ghost leading the way turned around and said ominously, "This esteemed guest should be more careful with your words. If the Water Sovereign hears..."
Before she could finish speaking, Tao Qingshan snorted coldly, "You, a mere servant girl, dare to be so insolent in front of us. Believe me, if I were to kill you now, even Wuhuan, the old ghost, wouldn't dare to say anything?"
The colorful-clothed female ghost trembled all over and fell silent.
At this moment, a cold laughter suddenly sounded not far away:
"It hasn't been long since we last met, and Tao Qingshan, your attitude has become so arrogant. Do you really think that with the support of the Great Zhou Swallowing Sea King, you can act recklessly?"