Chapter 640: Crossing the Void with Severed Emotions upon the Empty Raft
Buddhist Doctor · Meng Yaoyin’s face turned solemn. “I am not joking with you, nor am I trying to make fun of you.”
“Little Sun, you have taken care of my son for many years. I hold boundless gratitude toward you.”
“This time, as you infiltrate the Immortal City, there is unseen protection upon you, as well as unexpected assistance.”
“On my side instead, the danger is extreme! I only regret that our forces are insufficient—the more troops, the better.”
Sun Lingtong frowned. “Could it be that the Gray Bone Elder will face a life-or-death crisis?”
Buddhist Doctor · Meng Yaoyin nodded slowly, her expression grave.
Sun Lingtong’s heart immediately sank. He could not help but think: “For Aunt to take it so seriously, perhaps the enemy at Water Burial Valley is even more terrifying than those within Forgetting River Immortal City!”
“After all, if the Prefect of the Forgetting River’s century-long scheme is truly destroyed this time, the Gray Bone Elder’s role and contribution will be absolutely immense.”
“Aunt received guidance from the Gray Bone Elder during her lifetime. The reason we were able to have two cultivation armies—without his planning, it would have been impossible.”
“If I were the Prefect of the Forgetting River, once I learned the truth, I would hate the Gray Bone Elder to the bone and eliminate him as swiftly as possible!”
“Aunt is also thinking of my safety, which is why she deliberately separated from me…”
“But how am I supposed to cross the Forgetting River and enter the Immortal City?”
Sun Lingtong stared at the vast river before him, feeling quite troubled.
Buddhist Doctor · Meng Yaoyin had already led the army onward once more. Before departing, she reached out and grasped at the air, pulling a wisp of aura from herself. It condensed into a faintly glowing sphere of light.
“This is my aura. It can conceal you and help you pass through the city gates.”
Sun Lingtong received it with both hands and looked up at her. She was already seated upon her war chariot, which gradually accelerated.
Watching the chariot’s departing figure, Sun Lingtong called out, “Aunt, how should I cross the river?”
Buddhist Doctor · Meng Yaoyin transmitted through spiritual sense: “Little Sun, it is not that I do not wish to continue guiding you.”
“It is just that my state is special. I am no longer a living being, nor am I a ghost or deity. This awakening, followed by continuous deductions, has already stirred fluctuations in fate. If I were to guide you too much further, it would not be beneficial. Simply follow the natural course.”
After these instructions, she led the paper effigy army away in a thunderous departure, carrying a heavy battle intent toward another battlefield.
Sun Lingtong, a lone child, was left behind.
He gazed at the boundless river surface, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
If this were his first time here, he might have attempted to use spells or theft techniques and learned the hard way.
But he had already been here once before with Luo Si. That experience had given him profound understanding and reverence toward the Forgetting River.
Luo Si was of the Nascent Soul level and had been appointed a great general to command the army in attacking White Paper Immortal City. His strength was naturally outstanding. Even so, he had only dared to sit upon the riverbank and fish along the shore, not daring to enter the water lightly.
“Wait, that’s not right. Not right!”
Sun Lingtong’s heart stirred as a realization struck him. “There are countless residents within Forgetting River Immortal City. It is impossible that all of them are great powers. They cannot possibly rely solely on themselves to cross the long Forgetting River.”
“With so many people, there must be a stable passage allowing easy access into the city. Perhaps some sort of teleportation array.”
With this thought, his spirits lifted.
He immediately began walking along the river, conducting his investigation.
Before long, passing through dense river mist, he spotted a ferry crossing.
“As expected, as expected! My guess was right.” Sun Lingtong felt invigorated, suppressing excitement while maintaining vigilance as he approached.
The ferry crossing was quite crude, and a group of cultivators had already gathered there, waiting.
To be cautious, Sun Lingtong observed from afar. Among those waiting were not only soul cultivators, but various ghostly beings as well. Their cultivation levels varied. The highest was Golden Core level, but only one such individual. A small number were at the Foundation Establishment stage. Slightly more were at the Qi Refining Stage. The majority, astonishingly, were mortals.
The guard in Sun Lingtong’s heart eased slightly.
He touched his face. Naturally, he appeared as an Underworld ghost cultivator. Confirming that his disguise techniques were still effective, he casually entered the ferry crossing.
His arrival did not draw attention at first. But as he wandered and looked about, more and more gazes fell upon him.
The ferry crossing was truly simple. Sun Lingtong could see everything at a glance and gained little information.
Eventually, his gaze fell upon the cultivators themselves. They had formed a queue voluntarily, standing in silence. He could not help but find their orderly behavior rather strange.
Standing near the front of the line, Sun Lingtong was still formulating probing words in his mind when the ghost cultivator closest to him suddenly spoke. “Young fellow, are you looking to join Forgetting River Immortal City?”
“Ah? Yes.” Sun Lingtong nodded.
The ghost cultivator grinned widely, revealing a warm smile. “Then queue ahead of me.”
Sun Lingtong was startled.
Before the words had even finished, other ghosts and soul cultivators began speaking one after another.
“Cut in front of me, in front of me!”
“Why should you let him cut in front of you? I’m ahead of you. Young fellow, come here.”
“Come, come, I’ll give you my spot.”
The waiting cultivators were extremely enthusiastic, exceedingly deferential.
Sun Lingtong was sharp by nature and immediately sensed something strange and eerie hidden beneath such excessive warmth.
Seeing his hesitation, the soul cultivators grew noisier, scrambling to win the chance to help him. Some ghosts even reddened their eyes, revealing vicious expressions before forcibly restraining themselves.
Sun Lingtong decisively distanced himself and walked to the end of the line.
Once he stood at the very back, the ghosts and soul cultivators all fell silent. Some snorted in dissatisfaction, while others glanced sideways at him, their malicious intentions barely concealed.
“Little ghost, you are not stupid. Standing at the back brings you nothing but benefits.”
An old man suddenly spoke. He stood directly before Sun Lingtong—previously last in line, now second to last.
Sun Lingtong looked over and saw that he was a human soul cultivator. He tried asking, “Elder, is there some reasoning behind this?”
The old man nodded. “They are trying to accumulate merit through acts of virtue, seizing every opportunity to do good.”
“But true virtue and what they are doing are naturally vastly different.”
“Like me—I am truly accumulating merit and performing good deeds with a sincere heart!”
The old man spoke openly, not concealing his words nor transmitting via spiritual sense.
Hearing this, many ghosts and soul cultivators erupted in anger, turning around with furious glares.
“Old man, stop babbling nonsense!”
“What are you? Daring to lecture your ghost grandfathers on doing good?”
“You look down on us? Hypocritical righteousness!”
The old man had aroused public fury, yet he chuckled and turned to smile at Sun Lingtong. “Watch carefully, little ghost.”
After saying this, he faced the crowd and glared back, shouting angrily, “What are you yelling for?! You bunch of fools—if you have the guts, come and hit this old man!”
“Rest assured, I am weak. My cultivation is poor, only at the Qi Refining Stage, no different from mortals.”
“You could kill me with a single punch. Come, come, strike my chest. I guarantee I’ll drop dead on the spot!”
Upon hearing this, the previously clamoring crowd immediately fell silent.
Sun Lingtong observed their expressions and immediately understood that they were thoroughly intimidated.
The old man’s “using weakness to overcome strength” made Sun Lingtong realize in that moment that even before entering Forgetting River Immortal City, he was already within some rule of the city.
“Could it be that Forgetting River Immortal City upholds respect for the elderly and kindness toward the young, accumulating merit through virtue?” he asked.
The old man nodded. “The rules of Forgetting River Immortal City are very strict. Soul cultivators, ghosts, and others seeking entry are all subjected to rigorous inspection.”
“The key points of inspection are whether one has sins, how many sins, whether one has merit, and how much merit.”
“The fewer the sins and the greater the merit, the easier it is to enter the Immortal City and obtain resident status.”
“And at this Severed Emotions Ferry Crossing, the rules must also be upheld. If you shout loudly, cut in line, and so forth, you may anger the Reflection of Yun Xiao and be denied boarding the Empty Return Raft.”
The more Sun Lingtong listened, the more questions he had. Unable to resist, he asked, “Wait, Elder. What is this Reflection of Yun Xiao? And what is the Empty Return Raft? Is it the ferry boat?”
The old man was surprised. “Little ghost, you want to enter Forgetting River Immortal City and don’t even know these two things?”
Sun Lingtong thought that his status as a newcomer had already been exposed, so he decisively shook his head. “I don’t.”
The old man sighed with genuine emotion. “Then it is your fortune to have met me.”
“Let me tell you.”
“All the ferry crossings and ferry boats upon the Forgetting River involve two senior sages.”
“They were Dao partners. The female cultivator was named Yue Yi, the male cultivator Yun Xiao.”
“They were once a perfect pair, harmonious as zither and harp, cultivating the Great Dao together. Their love was as deep as the sea, and they vowed to pursue immortality side by side.”
“Senior Yue Yi was gentle as moonlight, pure of heart, often performing good deeds. When a sudden catastrophe of a collapsing void realm struck, she sacrificed herself to sustain a formation and protect countless lives. Her fragrance faded and her jade perished; her soul fell into the Underworld.”
“Senior Yun Xiao was heartbroken beyond measure. His Dao heart nearly shattered. Without her upon the road to longevity, even ten thousand years of lifespan would be nothing but an eternal shackle of loneliness.”
“Ignoring the dissuasion of his fellow Daoists, he abandoned his path and, with his lone strength and solitary courage, forcefully opened the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Road, charging deep into the Underworld, breaking through several Underworld domains.”
“That journey was truly one of untold hardship, nine deaths and one life. He cut down evil ghosts that blocked his path, endured bone-eroding Yin Wind, trod across knife mountains and seas of fire within the desolate Underworld lands, disregarding the iron laws of the ghost race. Sustaining him was only that undying obsession in his heart—to find her and bring her back!”
“At last, after enduring calamities, following the faint familiar aura upon his Dao partner’s soul, he found this place—perhaps standing exactly where we stand today.”
“Here upon the banks of the Forgetting River that has spanned ages.”
“The waves roared skyward, fetid wind assaulted the face. Countless twisted souls struggled, sank, and wailed within the filthy river waters, their cries splitting the spirit. After being washed and purified by the Forgetting River, past memories were erased, intense emotions stripped away, until they were released, unburdened, rising to the surface.”
“Here, Senior Yun Xiao finally found Senior Yue Yi. Yet his joy and urgency drew no response from her.”
“She had soaked too long, washed away too much emotion and memory. When she saw Senior Yun Xiao, her brows furrowed slightly, as if making an effort to recall—but in the end, it was futile.”
“Senior Yun Xiao had found his Dao partner, yet this was the outcome. He tried to retrieve her lost emotions and memories, but they had dispersed into the immeasurable waters of the Forgetting River. Even he was powerless.”
“Carrying his numb Dao partner’s soul, he stood at the riverbank and struggled for seven days and seven nights. In the end, all his sacrifices, all his journeys, all his perseverance gradually turned into despair colder than the river waters themselves.”
“In despair, he was struck by ultimate grief and let out a sky-shaking howl. Within that howl, heedless of consequences, he unleashed all his strength.”
“His howl mingled with the roaring river waves. His entire cultivation and innate talent were deeply imprinted upon the banks of the Forgetting River, transforming into countless ferry crossings and ferry boats.”
“Each ferry crossing and ferry boat is identical in form—they are the Severed Emotions Ferry and the Empty Return Raft.”
Sun Lingtong listened in rapture, murmuring the two names softly, savoring them. Unlike before, he could now feel within them the sorrow, despair, and grief contained therein.
The old man continued, “Because Senior Yun Xiao was a righteous-path sage, whoever enters the Severed Emotions Ferry must abide by the rules.”
“Poor behavior—such as fighting, quarreling, or even loud clamor—may result in being expelled from the Severed Emotions Ferry. Worst of all, once expelled, one may never again step into it for life.”
“The Empty Return Raft has limited space, and each crossing selects only the top ten in performance.”
“The best performance here refers to one’s conduct within the Severed Emotions Ferry.”
“Only by boarding the Empty Return Raft can we reach Forgetting River Immortal City.”
Only then did Sun Lingtong fully understand the situation. Staring at the long queue before him, he thought, “So when they tried to let me cut in line earlier, they were setting me up while showing off themselves!”
He opened his mouth slightly, about to continue seeking advice, when suddenly a wisp of cloud qi manifested, condensing into the figure of a cultivator clad in wide-sleeved white robes, ethereal and floating. He faced away from the crowd, gazing at the flowing surface of the Forgetting River.
The Severed Emotions Ferry fell immediately silent.
The old man was the same, eyes wide, staring fixedly at the figure’s back.
Sun Lingtong also stared. Recalling the earlier explanation, he immediately guessed the truth. “Could this be the Reflection of Yun Xiao?”
The Reflection of Yun Xiao appeared only for a few breaths before mist rose all around, as though dense fog had emerged from the river surface.
Within the vast river fog, a ferry boat gradually drifted closer.
The ferry boat was also very simple and not spacious.
“No wonder the elder said earlier that only the top ten cultivators are chosen,” Sun Lingtong thought.
The Reflection of Yun Xiao beckoned toward the Empty Return Raft. The raft accelerated and docked at the ferry crossing.
The Reflection of Yun Xiao waved his sleeve.
In the next instant, the old man who had helped Sun Lingtong vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already upon the ferry boat—the first passenger aboard the Empty Return Raft!