Cultivating Through The Game-Chapter 656 - 352: Island in the Nether River

On the boundless and ever-changing Nether River, a lone small boat drifted along with the currents.

Standing at the bow was Lu Yu, while the Ferryman stood at the stern, silently gazing across the vast river surface. The Ferryman occasionally paddled, and the small boat under their feet slowly moved on the Nether River.

The Nether River water is not the Water of the Moon.

Lu Yu had just attempted to use the eighth heaven technique to refine the Water of the Moon with the Power of the Moon, but it was ineffective.

This indicated that the Nether River water was not the Water of the Moon he sought, or perhaps the water here was not what he was meant to find.

"Zhao Tianjue surely wouldn't give me false information." Lu Yu contemplated, a new thought sprang to mind, "Could I have been searching in the wrong place?"

Splash, splash~ Sounds of water slapping the surface came from not far away. Lu Yu turned his head and saw a gray soul struggling in the Nether River.

The Ferryman paddled toward the struggling soul, seeing the small boat approaching, the soul desperately swam toward it.

After a short swim, upon seeing the Ferryman at the stern clad in a black cloak, the soul promptly turned and swam away, desperately trying to distance itself from the Ferryman's boat.

However, no matter how it struggled, it couldn't escape the boat.

The Ferryman unhurriedly paddled the boat, catching up with the fleeing soul, raised the oar in hand, and delivered a swift blow.

Instantly, the soul lost all strength and slowly sunk.

The Ferryman casually reached out in the air, the soul transformed into a light and flew into his palm. He struck the light into the lantern hanging at the stern, which glowed faintly.

Lu Yu curiously looked at the lantern, still able to see a miniature version of the soul weakly floating inside.

"Do you know about the Water of the Moon?" Lu Yu looked up at the Ferryman.

The Ferryman shook his head and said, "I don't know, this is the first I've heard of the Water of the Moon. Did you come to the Nether River for the Water of the Moon?"

Lu Yu nodded, "Yes."

The Ferryman said no more, steering the small boat across the Nether River. Upon seeing souls struggling in the water, he'd capture them into the lantern.

Sometimes, he would encounter souls aimlessly wandering on the water's surface, soulless souls were also the Ferryman's targets.

Through Lu Yu's observation, he found that those souls struggling in the water seemed to be evildoers in life, struggling to free themselves from the invisible sins of the Nether River.

Once successfully freed from sin, these souls could enter the Netherworld and live normal lives as the undead.

However, success was rare; so far, Lu Yu had only seen one soul break free from sin, successfully walking to the river's surface, then disappearing before him and the Ferryman.

After asking the Ferryman, Lu Yu learned they were striving to free themselves from sin.

Sin varies in degrees; all deceased beings have it, some have more, making it harder to break free, while others with less sin find it easier.

Those wandering aimlessly on the river's surface are the soulless undead, having died too many times.

They cannot leave the Nether River, doomed to wander until discovered by the Ferryman, who then sends them into reincarnation.

Unable to fly above the Nether River, Lu Yu had to stay aboard the Ferryman's boat. He once tried to dive into the river, but merely touching the water with his fingers caused his vitality to rapidly weaken.

If he dared dive into the Nether River, death was certain.

However, he discovered that the blackened bones of his right hand were unharmed by the Nether River water.

The Ferryman paused slightly when he noticed Lu Yu raising his right hand, his eyes revealing contemplation.

Lu Yu shook off the Nether River water from his right hand; the decayed flesh quickly fell away, blood threads crawled along the blackened bones, restoring the corroded flesh of his right hand.

The newly grown flesh emitted a faint golden glow, a closer look revealed dense spiritual patterns entwining the surface of the new cells.

Lu Yu had not achieved immortality; the restoration of his corroded right hand relied on consuming a large amount of his Spiritual Qi, actively encouraging cell division.

Restoring his right hand to normalcy would take considerable time.

Lu Yu hadn't noticed the attention his exposed blackened right hand bones had drawn from the Ferryman, who didn't speak, his expression hidden in the darkness of his cloak, enigmatic.

Whoosh, whoosh~ A strong wind arose over the Nether River, the Ferryman set down the paddle, took the lantern hanging at the stern, and walked toward the bow.

Seeing the Ferryman approach, Lu Yu stepped aside to give way.

The small boat, mysterious in its construction, remained stable even with both standing at the bow, showing no signs of capsizing.

Watching the Ferryman raise the lantern against the wind, Lu Yu carefully observed his surroundings.

The waves intensified, unsettling the tiny boat as it rocked with the waters.

Standing on the boat, Lu Yu felt as though his soul were on the brink of being blown from his body.

The Ferryman opened the lantern, the soul inside eagerly dashed out, swept away by the raging wind.

He overturned the lantern, pouring the remaining soulless souls into the wind, all carried away by the gust.

He hung the extinguished lantern from his waist, standing at the boat's bow, arms spread wide, embracing the wind's impact.

The souls-scattering wind, diminished in power after passing through his cloak, carried impurities from his soul's body, leaving only pure Soul Power.

The wind blew for a long time, sweeping away all souls from the river's surface. Lu Yu crouched in the middle of the boat, barely holding his soul steady within his body.

Swept away souls would be carried by the wind into reincarnation, maintaining the cycle despite the increasing number of dead choosing to remain in the Netherworld.

In reality, souls residing in the Netherworld are only a tiny fraction of countless deceased beings.

Otherwise, Lu Yu wouldn't witness an endless desolate Land of Mist.

The wall doesn't truly isolate the Netherworld; it merely encircles regions where undead lead normal lives, though this enclosed range is vast.

Thus, all undead perceive the black wall as a barrier, keeping the eerie dangers beyond in the Land of Mist.

The wind ceased, the Ferryman rehung the lantern at the stern and resumed paddling, visibly both excited and weary.

"Hoo~ I'll take you somewhere where you might find what you're looking for." The Ferryman said, gasping.

Lu Yu slowly rose, feeling dazed as if having suffered a concussion, barely comprehending the Ferryman's words.

The Ferryman didn't wait for Lu Yu's response, vigorously rowing to propel the boat swiftly across the Nether River.

After a long while, Lu Yu returned to his senses, looking at the rapidly advancing boat, curiously asking, "Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we arrive." The Ferryman said.

After traveling a long distance, an island appeared before Lu Yu, floating atop the Nether River.

As the boat entered the island's harbor, before the Ferryman had stopped it, a figure appeared beside the boat — a pure black skeleton. It was Lu Yu's first time encountering a living form in the Netherworld.

"Leave here." The black skeleton said coldly.

The Ferryman set down the paddle, "I've brought you a 'human,' he will surprise you."

The black skeleton turned to scrutinize Lu Yu, its gaze immediately caught by his yet-to-fully-recovered right hand.

In that instant, Lu Yu felt as if a glimmer sparked in its hollow eye sockets.