Chapter 339: Chapter 339 : The Yellow Springs (2)

With a resolute heart, Zhang Fengxi plunged himself into the icy depths of the water. The shock of the cold was immediate, a searing sensation that pierced through his skin and into his very core. His muscles tensed, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and his breath came in short, gasps as his body struggled to adapt to the frigid temperature.

The water, a dark, inky abyss, felt like a thousand needles pricking at his skin. As he ventured deeper into the chilling depths, the temperature seemed to drop even further, the cold seeping into his bones and threatening to sap the very life from his body. It was a sensation that he all too well remembered from his time at Divine Dragontail Trench.

Back then, Xie Jianyu valiantly dove into the icy waters to rescue him. This time, it was his turn. He was going to do whatever it took to save him. To bring him back.

Despite his high level of cultivation, Zhang Fengxi’s body began to succumb to the immense pressure of the underwater realm. His lungs ached, his muscles burned, and the weight of the water threatened to crush his very spirit.

Just as doubt about the Goddess’ sincerity crept into his mind, a glimmer of light pierced through the oppressive darkness, a beacon of hope in the depths of despair.

With a surge of renewed determination, Zhang Fengxi kicked his powerful legs, propelling himself towards the elusive light. His arms sliced through the water with the grace of a seasoned swimmer, his heart pounding with a rhythm that echoed the frantic strokes.

Finally, he broke through the surface, gasping for air as if his lungs had never tasted the sweetness of oxygen.

The first breath of air filled his lungs like a symphony, a chorus of relief and exhilaration. He coughed and sputtered, his body adjusting to the sudden change in pressure.

With every stroke of his arms, he fought against the relentless pull of the sea. His muscles burned, his lungs ached, but he refused to give up. Finally, after swimming for half of eternity, his fingers brushed against the muddy bottom, and he dragged himself onto the shore.

Collapsing onto the sandy surface, he gasped for breath, his body trembling from the exertion.

Some distance away from him, someone was already waiting for his arrival.

[Welcome, General Zhang Fengxi, to the Underworld.]

Zhang Fengxi rolled to his stomach. He raised his head and removed the curtain of hair that blocked his view to look at the person who just spoke.

The Goddess of Fate and Destiny no longer spoke using Caihong as her medium.

She inhabited the form of a young girl, perhaps ten years old, with long, flowing white hair that cascaded down to her ankles. Her hair was meticulously braided, creating an illusion of height that belied her diminutive stature.

The pair of piercing blue eyes stared down at him.

[Nice to meet you,] she said with a cold voice that did not match her greetings. [You have to be the first person in all three realms who dares to blackmail a god.]

Zhang Fengxi dragged himself to his feet with a lot of effort.

"Happy to serve as the first one," he remarked with sarcasm.

The Goddess shook her head in disbelief.

Except for Zhang Fengxi, who had gained entry into the Underworld through the clandestine Spring of Lost Souls, the remaining souls arrived by way of solitary boats.

Each boat, carrying a single soul, bore a lantern attached to its bow. It served as a beacon illuminating their passage through the watery expanse towards the distant shore.

The boats arrived one by one to deliver their spectral passengers to the shore. They then moved backward to pick up more dead souls.

As if guided by an unseen force, the souls began their solemn procession toward the Kingdom of the Dead, a towering edifice that loomed ominously ahead. Its silhouette was stark and imposing, its obsidian walls casting long, ominous shadows that stretched across the desolate landscape.

The kingdom’s capital city, the Dark Capital, was a place of eternal twilight, where the sun never shone and the moon cast an eerie, perpetual glow. Its streets were deserted, its buildings shrouded in an aura of mystery and dread.

Despite the impenetrable darkness that shrouded the Dark Capital, the city hummed with an unseen vitality. It was a place where souls awaited their judgment after death. Unaware of their demise, they continued to lead their lives mirroring the patterns they had established in the mortal realm.

The echoes of earthly disparities reverberated even in this realm of the departed. Those who had been fortunate in life were also fortunate in death because their families regularly burned copious amounts of joss paper for their sake.

As a result, they enjoyed a semblance of luxury, residing in opulent mansions tended to by dutiful servants.

In stark contrast, those who had passed on without the comforting presence of family or the solace of wealth found themselves destitute, their ethereal forms relegated to the city’s desolate streets.

Zhang Fengxi’s eyes scanned the imposing mansions that lined the streets of the Dark Capital.

He was too consumed by sorrow to contemplate the ritual burning of joss paper for his beloved wife, but he knew that the Crown Prince, upon his passing, had been showered with this symbolic offering of wealth and comfort in the afterlife.

Xie Jianyu must be basking in the lap of luxury, residing in one of these opulent dwellings, pampered by servants and surrounded by all the trappings of earthly riches. Yet, despite his relentless search, Zhang Fengxi could not find his soulmate’s ethereal form among the throngs of prosperous souls that inhabited these grand abodes.

"Where is he?" Zhang Fengxi asked the Goddess of Fate and Destiny.

[You need to wait a while,] the Goddess said. [The seventh day is arriving soon. His soul is visiting the Heavenly Realm one last time before returning for good.]

Zhang Fengxi whipped his head toward the Goddess in shock.

"It was still the sixth day when I entered the Spring of Lost Souls!"

The Goddess shot him an unreadable look.

[The journey to the Yellow Springs spanned an entire day for a living person. You were oblivious to the passage of time, your consciousness dulled by the disorienting effects of the Spring of Lost Souls.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay