There Is Only One Way: Storm the Underworld to Seize Their Souls

"What happened?" Ivy Shen turned her attention and urgently asked Adrian Night.

At this, Adrian Night quickly explained everything about Eli Crane to her. As Ivy listened, tears streamed down her cheeks again. The next moment, she threw her arms around Little White, sobbing, "He was the one who sent you here, wasn't he?"

Gaaaah—

"He told you to bring him here, and then to fetch Old Man Sai, didn't he?" Ivy Shen clung to Little White, asking over and over.

Gaaaah—

Hearing this, Ivy Shen's tears flowed uncontrollably. She understood—yes, she understood. It was him, that fool, who could've survived but stubbornly returned to Soaring Phoenix to save them, losing his life in the process. When he descended from the sky, he ordered Little White to rush back to Adrian Night and fetch Old Man Sai, because he knew their injuries were grave. Without Old Man Sai, the consequences...

"Ahhhhh—" Ivy Shen threw her head back and let out another anguished cry. Why, why was that fool like this? Why did she have to meet so many fools?!

"Eli, Eli, wake up! Wake up—" Old Man Sai's tears fell like rain. "I've failed the White clan, I've failed you! I didn't take care of you, I didn't protect you..."

"Master! Master..." Ivy Shen rushed to Elder Rowan (Xuanluo)'s side, shouting, "Save them, please save them!"

Ivy Shen's desperate cries made Old Man Sai freeze for a moment. He turned to look and was stunned again. The next second, as if spotting a ray of hope, he dashed over to Elder Rowan (Xuanluo)'s side. "Brother Rowan, is it really you? Is it really you?"

"It's me, it's me!" Elder Rowan (Xuanluo) hurriedly replied, finally realizing that this guy was actually Old Man Sai.

The two had met over thirty years ago. Both were mysterious, both loved drinking, and neither liked to lose. That's why they became true brothers. Life kept them apart, but their friendship endured, no matter how long between meetings.

"Brother Rowan, is there any way to save them?" Old Man Sai's voice trembled. He knew Elder Rowan (Xuanluo) possessed divine power, but he also knew that life and death were fated—no immortal could simply rewrite destiny.

Master...

Immortal...

"Sigh, right now there's only one way. It all depends on whether fate is on your side." At last, Elder Rowan (Xuanluo) sighed and relented.

"Just tell me, Master! As long as there's any hope, even if I have to walk through fire and blades, I'll save them!"

"You are the reincarnation of a doom star—blessing and curse both. If you succeed, you can change your fate; if you fail... you won't come back." Elder Rowan (Xuanluo) said gravely.

"I'm not afraid!" Ivy Shen declared, her face full of resolve.

"It's me, it's me!" Xuanluo hurriedly replied, finally noticing that this guy was actually Old Man Sai.

The two had met over thirty years ago. Both were equally mysterious, both loved drinking, and neither liked to lose. That's why they became true brothers. Life kept them apart, but their friendship endured, no matter how long between meetings.

"Brother Luo, is there any way to save them?" Old Man Sai's voice trembled. He knew Xuanluo possessed divine power, but he also knew that life and death were fated—no immortal could simply rewrite destiny.

(Irrelevant system message. Skip translation.)

"Master..."

"Immortal..."

"Sigh, right now there's only one way. It all depends on whether fate is on your side." At last, Xuanluo sighed and relented.

"Just tell me, Master! As long as there's any hope, even if I have to walk through fire and blades, I'll save them!"

"You are the reincarnation of a doom star—blessing and curse both. If you succeed, you can change your fate; if you fail... you won't come back." Xuanluo said gravely.

"I'm not afraid!" Shen Bingxin said, face full of resolve.

"I can protect your body and let your soul leave its shell to enter the underworld and look for them. But here's the headache: they've already lost their memories. Whether they'll recognize you, whether they'll follow you back—it's all unknown. Plus, there are all sorts of ghosts and monsters lurking, so it's going to be tough. And look, only three hours till dawn. That means you have just three hours—if you don't come back before the rooster crows, you'll never return to the living world."

"Let me go!" Ethan Chu shouted.

"Let me go, let me go!" Adrian Night and Lucian Vane both chimed in.

"No way!" Xuanluo glared at them. "This is her calamity—and theirs too. The laws of heaven and earth are already in chaos; how could I let you all jump in as well? Enough, time is short. Xinyer, are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure. I'm not afraid!" Shen Bingxin answered, eyes blazing with determination.

Seeing this, Xuanluo nodded, moved his fingers, and lined up the four corpses around them. He then summoned true energy and drew a protective circle, encasing the four men, himself, and Shen Bingxin in a golden glow. The next moment, whatever technique Xuanluo used, Shen Bingxin's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground.

At that, Old Man Sai wiped away his tears and quickly began treating the three men plus Colin Kerr.

*****

Darkness. So dark. Endless darkness. Shen Bingxin couldn't see anything, just a vast expanse of black.

"Waaah, I died so unfairly!"

"Mom, Mom, I miss you! I don't want to go! Waaah!"

Suddenly, all sorts of mournful voices echoed in her ears, harsh and grating.

Just then, a gray mist appeared before her eyes. She hurried forward, and in a flash, her vision cleared. A road paved with blood-red Other-Shore flowers stretched before her. She knew this road—she'd walked it thousands of times in her dreams. Without hesitation, she ran past the familiar scenes.

Road to the Underworld.

River of Oblivion.

Bridge of No Return.

At that moment, Shen Bingxin stopped in her tracks—she'd spotted them. Her eyes instantly reddened. In the distance, the fair-faced scholar looked around in confusion, while beside him, a flamboyantly dressed young man was happily sticking Other-Shore flowers in his hair, admiring how pretty they looked.

Another one, dressed in blue, was frisking a wandering soul, searching for something. After a moment, he fished a bit of broken silver from the ghost's pocket and grinned, delighted.

But—where was Linghe?

Where was Linghe?

"Miss, sorry, could you let me pass?" Suddenly, a voice rang out behind her—so familiar it made Shen Bingxin's heart tremble. She forced down her excitement and turned around. That immortal-looking face appeared before her, and her vision blurred with tears again.

"Linghe, Linghe, I finally found you!" Shen Bingxin grabbed his hand, overwhelmed with emotion.

But Eli Crane frowned and pulled his hand back. "Miss, men and women should keep their distance. Do we know each other?"

Just then, the other three wandered over. "Linghe, what's going on?" Caleb Miles asked.

"Nothing, just a girl asking for directions," Eli Crane replied, still calm and aloof.

Seeing this, Shen Bingxin's tears started flowing uncontrollably again.

Felix Bloom rushed to comfort her. "Hey, don't cry, miss! Did Linghe bully you, or did you just not get your directions? Sorry, we haven't been dead long, so we're not familiar with this place yet." Felix tried to reassure her.

"Do you remember anything before you died?" Shen Bingxin asked, tears streaming, looking at Felix.

"Uh? Oh, right, how did I die?" He turned to Liam Willow. "Little White Rabbit, how did I die?"

"Huh? I don't know. By the way, why do you call me Little White Rabbit?" Liam Willow looked confused.

Felix Bloom scratched his head. "I don't know either, it just slipped out." He looked just as baffled.

Just then, a brassy, festive suona blared, and four lavish red bridal sedans appeared before her. An ethereal Granny Hua floated over, bellowing, "Four husbands, get in the sedan! Don't miss the auspicious hour!"

Strangely enough, after Granny Hua's shout, Liam Willow, Felix Bloom, Caleb Miles, and Eli Crane all blankly climbed into the sedan chairs. The next moment, ghost bailiffs lifted the palanquins and soared off into the sky.

Seeing this, Shen Bingxin grabbed a bystanding ghost and frowned, asking, "What are they doing? Reincarnating?"

"Reincarnating? Ha, they're way luckier than that! The King of the Underworld's daughter, the Ghost Princess, has taken a fancy to them—she's hauling them off to be her ghost sons-in-law!" The male ghost smacked his lips enviously, but the next second, he howled in agony. "Aaah, it hurts, it hurts..."

Shen Bingxin's eyes flashed razor-sharp and cold. She gave a chilling laugh—so the Ghost Princess dared to steal her husbands? Hmph, looks like she's been dead too long and is tired of it!

With that, Shen Bingxin leapt after the flying procession.

The unlucky male ghost was left sobbing. "Waaah, what did I ever do? Bullied in life, bullied in death—I'm just so damned unlucky! Waaah, it hurts, it hurts!"

****

PS: Extra thousand words today! Thanks for the diamonds from Nine-Tailed Fox, Lion's big red envelope, and a flower from Candy—mwah! Tomorrow: Ivy vs. the Ghost Princess in a bride-snatching showdown, don't miss it!