: The Unforgettable Path

The Underworld.

River of Forgetfulness Immortal City.

The River of Forgetfulness churned and roared ceaselessly beneath the city walls.

Pale black bones slowly grew from the riverbed over countless years, finally breaking the surface to form numerous spire towers.

River of Forgetfulness Immortal City was built upon these towering bone spires, constructed high above the river!

The City Lord's mansion of the River Lord stood atop the tallest bone spire.

Seated on his lordly throne, he placed a jade slip on the table.

The slip contained a report from the vanguard commander, stating that all troops were applying the Death Echo Salve on schedule, building momentum for the siege.

"Nearly a century has passed in a flash, and now we've reached the final stage..." The River Lord's gaze grew slightly distant.

Unconsciously, he stood and walked to the window, looking down upon the immortal city below.

This was the highest point in River of Forgetfulness Immortal City.

A yin wind brushed against the bones, carrying traces of rust and souls, stirring the River Lord's pale long hair.

Clad in black robes, tall and slender, he stood with hands behind his back, scanning the city before gazing into the distance.

His face was somewhat haggard, wrinkles spreading from the corners of his eyes and cheekbones.

His eyes were profoundly deep, like entrances to dark abysses. Upon closer inspection, countless tiny, twisted faces seemed to silently wail, laugh maniacally, and vanish within his pupils.

Innumerable scenes flickered in and out of existence, depicting partings, love, hatred, and complex emotions.

His lips were thin, cold, and hard, as if carved by a blade. Two deep nasolabial folds curved down from his nostrils, cutting into his tight-lipped mouth like heavy shackles, sealing away unspoken words.

The resentment of time, the weight of solitude, the weariness of seeking the Dao... all these emotions had etched these grooves into his face, harboring a will more ancient and stubborn than death itself.

River Lord had a clear understanding of the situation: "This time, to refine the Heavenly Ghost Skull, I initiated the Heavenly Ghost Transformation Sacrificial Rite."

"My old rivals and powerful neighbors have surely caught on by now."

"Even if they don't know what innate talent lies within the Heavenly Ghost Skull, they can infer its value to me from my grand actions!"

"So, they will undoubtedly intervene to thwart my path!"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a subordinate arrived with urgent news—

"Lord, unrest has broken out at Skeletal Frontier. The Spore Fungus Cult and the Rotten Corpse Marquis are in conflict, both mobilizing forces rapidly. The situation is deteriorating too quickly and requires immediate mediation."

"If not handled promptly, these two major forces may engage in severe conflict!"

The subordinate looked at River Lord with reverence and expectation.

But River Lord remained gazing out the window, thinking to himself: "So, the first to trouble me are you two."

The Spore Fungus Cult Leader and the Rotten Corpse Marquis had never gotten along, frequently clashing. As their territory, Skeletal Frontier, was under River Lord's jurisdiction, he often personally mediated their disputes.

Whoever was weaker, River Lord would subtly support.

Through his balancing strategy, Skeletal Frontier maintained a fragile equilibrium, with no single dominant local power.

Now, seeing that River Lord was preoccupied with refining the Heavenly Ghost Skull, the two sides tacitly mobilized their forces, aiming to eliminate each other and establish dominance in the region!

Even though River Lord saw through their schemes, he had to acknowledge that they had seized this rare opportunity.

This time, River Lord truly couldn't personally intervene to mediate!

"This is also an appropriate probe."

"Once they confirm I won't head to the frontier, their follow-up moves will emerge one after another."

River Lord had already anticipated the ensuing developments.

The Mortal World.

White Paper Immortal City.

The City Lord's doppelganger led Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi to the city's treasury.

"This is the Bone-Blade War Banner," the doppelganger first displayed a military standard.

The banner's pole was neither wood nor metal, but countless tiny, pale bone segments tightly joined. Its tip wasn't a spear point but a cluster of ghostly green flames.

The banner itself was thin and nearly transparent, as if made from the skin of the unjustly dead, cold and slick. It bore no图案, blank, only revealing the characters '青焦' (Qing Jiao) after Qing Chi refined it.

"These are the Crescent Moon Blade and the Sky-Splitting Spear," the doppelganger continued.

The Crescent Moon Blade was thin as a cicada's wing, its surface not smooth but covered in intricate, ice-crack-like patterns. Within the cracks, faint blue moonlight flowed and flickered.

The Sky-Splitting Spear's tip was made of layers of talisman paper tightly rolled, compressed, and bonded. Sharp at the point, its mid-section appeared fluffy, as if about to disintegrate.

When Ning Zhuo waved the spear, he heard a sound like tearing paper.

"These are all Black Blood Paper Horses."

The paper horses were tall and skeletal. Their frames were rolled from hard black paper, their "flesh" semi-transparent gray talisman paper so thin that the violently pulsating, head-sized ghostly green flames driving them were faintly visible within their chests.

Their eyes were two dots of deep,凝固 ink, empty and lifeless.

Finally, they reached the innermost part of the warehouse, where a small, palm-sized paper barracks stood.

The City Lord explained briefly: "This is a Ceremonial Military Camp, allowing cultivation armies to avoid the pain and hassle of setting up camp in the wild. Just deploy it, and a barracks will instantly rise on flat ground."

"Key is, this camp has an altar for offering sacrifices to various ghosts and deities, and for prayers."

"Of course, since we're on the defensive, we won't need this Ceremonial Military Camp."

But a gleam flashed deep in Ning Zhuo's eyes.

The City Lord's doppelganger gestured with her arm, drawing a semi-circle, and sighed: "As you see, these are all military artifacts."

"Once, our city tried many times to form a cultivation army."

"These artifacts were prepared specifically for that purpose."

"Who would have thought they'd finally be used this way."

The doppelganger looked at Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi.

She very much hoped this new army could serve White Paper Immortal City. But the Qing Jiao Army was already heavily infiltrated by the Myriad Phenomena Sect. Fortunately, the outcome wasn't too bad.

Because Ning Zhuo was Meng Yaoyin's son and hadn't yet joined the Myriad Phenomena Sect, he could be won over through this connection.

On the other hand, Qing Chi was a native ghost race member and quite supportive of White Paper Immortal City's rule.

Ning Zhuo remarked with feeling: "To be honest, I never expected the army formation to progress so rapidly. Now, we've already reached the stage of military artifacts."

"And with your sponsorship, City Lord, the Qing Jiao Army is essentially formed!"

City Lord's doppelganger: "No, this isn't free sponsorship; it's to be paid for. If possible, consider it a loan. In the future, White Paper Immortal City will also want to form a new army."

Qing Chi quickly said: "Lending them to us is already a huge help. I am deeply grateful!"

But Ning Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "Forming a new army in White Paper Immortal City might be difficult, right?"

The paper doppelganger snorted coldly: "If White Paper Immortal City alone had the say, a new army would have been formed long ago. Unfortunately, the Yin Tide Black Swamp is a buffer zone between two nations. No one wants to see military forces here!"

At this, the doppelganger looked up and sighed: "Though the Yin Tide Black Swamp is vast and sparsely populated with a unique environment, it's not beyond worldly affairs. There will always be various forces wary, suppressing, excluding, entangled and obstructing in all sorts of ways. Achieving anything significant is far too difficult."

Qing Chi fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Ning Zhuo consoled: "City Lord, such is the way of the world. It's not just White Paper Immortal City. Think about it, even cultivation nations like Liangzhu Country have to plan carefully, think three steps ahead. To accomplish anything major, they must resist interference from neighboring countries."

"Regardless of size or location, wherever there are cultivators, there is fierce competition. Isn't that right?"

In the Underworld.

River Lord also sighed to himself: "Even as a prefecture lord, accomplishing anything significant remains incredibly difficult."

Since the standoff between the Spore Fungus Cult and the Rotten Corpse Marquis, and River Lord's decision not to mediate, bad news had been reported to him one after another, awaiting his decision.

A powerful being named Shan Yan traveled throughout the Underworld, challenging the local strongest wherever he went.

He was nearly lured to the River of Forgetfulness Prefecture.

River Lord, having monitored this, immediately dispatched personnel to thwart the enemy's plot, directing Shan Yan elsewhere.

In the Dust Evil Cave, a Dust Crocodile of Deity Transformation level broke its seal, emerged from the Crocodile Lair, wreaking havoc and slaughtering villages.

After the incident, River of Forgetfulness Prefecture responded promptly, dispatching experts, but they returned defeated, some even ambushed by bandits en route, suffering heavy losses and failing midway.

After much deliberation, River Lord ordered the frontier army to be sent.

The frontier army successfully exterminated the Dust Crocodile but suffered significant losses, remaining in place to recuperate.

This meant the prefecture's border defense was weakened, exposing vulnerabilities to neighboring forces.

"Urgent report!" A subordinate rushed in, panicked yet oddly pleased.

"What is it?" River Lord was somewhat curious.

"My Lord, at White Tail Marsh, the cultivator you mentioned has appeared!" the subordinate hastily reported.

River Lord's expression momentarily恍惚.

"It's her..."

She was his former wife, whom he had truly loved and promised to share life's hardships with.

However, for the sake of subsequent cultivation techniques, he abandoned her and married the previous monarch's beloved daughter.

After usurping the throne, River Lord expanded his prefecture's territory threefold, found his ex-wife, and wanted to bring her back as queen.

But she, heartbroken and disillusioned with love, firmly refused.

She hid in White Tail Marsh, rarely venturing out.

River Lord had stationed personnel at the marsh's entrance year-round, wanting the first news of her appearance.

Each time, he would rush to meet her, enduring her coldness and rejection, yet he accepted it willingly.

Over time, the ice seemed to melt slightly.

Her attitude gradually softened, and once she asked him: "Will you abandon me again?"

"I rule a prefecture, honored as monarch; what could make me abandon you?" River Lord at that time didn't hesitate, gazing深情ly at her. "Come back, return to my side."

She showed hesitation but ultimately shook her head and vanished back into White Tail Marsh.

Memories of the past surfaced in River Lord's heart, only to be shattered by his sharp, sinister gaze.

"Someone must have instigated this, making my ex-wife appear at the marsh entrance now!"

"What a vicious move, aiming to disturb my Dao heart."

River Lord was certain that if he didn't go to meet her this time, she would be extremely disappointed, seeing his true nature clearly. Decades of effort would be wasted, possibly with no chance left at all!

River Lord gritted his teeth, a rare ferocity appearing on his face.

He clenched his fists, veins bulging.

He wanted to roar, to shout at the sky, but in the end, he didn't.

He released his fists, his expression turning cold again. Glancing at the reporting subordinate, he merely said faintly: "Dismissed."

The Mortal World.

White Paper Immortal City.

"All of you, dismissed." Ning Zhuo waved his hand.

"As you command, sir!" Peanut Ghost General and the others responded in unison, respectfully stepping back before turning to leave the hall.

Only Ning Zhuo and Wen Ruanyu remained in the hall.

Wen Ruanyu said: "These ghost generals weren't just checked by me; even the City Lord's true form personally investigated them thoroughly."

"They have no issues and can be trusted!"

Previously, River of Forgetfulness Prefecture had陆续 sent Golden Core level forces through traitors into White Paper Immortal City, causing much sabotage, with many captured alive.

When Zheng Shoumo was still around, he was primarily responsible for recruiting these Golden Core ghost generals.

His identity as a traitor was unknown even to these ghost generals.

The investigation results now showed that Zheng Shoumo had followed procedures, diligently recruiting surrenders without arranging any backdoors or traps.

"These ghost generals can indeed be used, but best deployed in city defense. Who knows how they'd react if we took them back to the Underworld!"

Ning Zhuo considered抽调 the Qing Jiao Army; these ghost generals, as valuable combat strength, could bolster city defense.

The big-headed youth looked at Wen Ruanyu: "Senior Wen, have you made any progress studying that sacrificial text?"

This was the main point of his meeting with Wen Ruanyu.

Wen Ruanyu replied: "You guessed right; this sacrificial text is indeed a Confucian method, a rite for sacrificing to Heaven!"

"Only, the subject of sacrifice isn't the Mortal World, but the Underworld."

"The text is incomplete and profound. I've only studied a bit, but I hope it helps you."

Ning Zhuo leaned towards Wen Ruanyu: "I'm all ears."

Wen Ruanyu explained further, then said: "To break this sacrificial rite is actually simple: find the central position and disrupt it using Confucian methods."

(End of )