Chapter 1512: The Lost Jian Changsheng

At first, Da An had been puzzled. Since the most important half of the remnant soul for Bai Qi’s resurrection was in his hands, why risk entering the Underworld River? Now, he understood.

The Bai Qi currently in this body was merely a remnant soul. Even if he completed the "Soul Return," as an outsider trying to seize this body to achieve true resurrection, he would inevitably trigger a backlash from the original owner's soul.

Bai Qi wanted to use the power of the Underworld River to directly eliminate the original owner's soul first. That way, once he reclaimed the other half of the remnant soul from Da An, he could complete his rebirth without any risk!

The "Karma" of the Underworld River would certainly threaten Bai Qi himself, but Bai Qi’s willpower had been forged in blood and fire.

Even five hundred deaths might only be a tickle to Bai Qi, but for Jian Changsheng, it was enough to lose his soul in this vast Underworld River...

Bai Qi naturally did not answer his question.

As Jian Changsheng’s body delved deeper into the Underworld River, the surging tide of ghosts swirled like a tornado, completely enveloping him. There was no sign of life in any direction.

Ten deaths;

One hundred deaths;

Three hundred deaths;

Five hundred deaths...

In just ten seconds, the two souls wrapped within had simultaneously experienced five hundred deaths. This frequency was dozens of times higher than what Chen Ling had faced!

After the seven hundred and thirtieth death occurred, an illusory soul gradually drifted out of Jian Changsheng’s body, like a withered grass about to be uprooted in a storm—weak and desperate.

The tide of "Karma" rolled silently.

Jian Changsheng’s soul was completely washed out of his body by the torrent, like a duckweed on a rushing river, drifting along with countless other ghosts...

He was lost in the Underworld River.

The moment Jian Changsheng’s soul left his body, Bai Qi’s black eyes instantly regained their sharp glint. Towering killing intent erupted from beneath him, propelling his body to forcibly break out of the Underworld River!!

That useless soul had finally left; now, Bai Qi was the only new master of this body!

His goal had been achieved. From here on, every second spent in the Underworld River added another layer of danger.

However, the Ghost Path would not let him off so easily.

The Karma Bai Qi carried was simply too vast—thousands of times more than all the 6-series combined. If he had remained hidden, it might have been fine, but now that he had exposed himself, the killing trap the Ghost Path could trigger had reached earth-shattering proportions.

Crack—!!!

Thick bolts of lightning struck from the void, aiming precisely at the black-armored figure. If this strike landed, there would be no survivors below the level of a Demigod.

But the moment the lightning struck, Bai Qi lifted Da An, who had been reduced to a human trunk, and held him up as a shield!

He had a hostage!

No... it wasn't just a simple hostage. Da An’s chains were currently wrapped around Bai Qi’s remnant soul. No one knew if this strike would kill Da An first or break the chains first...

If the chains broke first, the remnant soul would fall into Bai Qi’s hands, and he could instantly complete the "Soul Return" and be reborn using Jian Changsheng’s body!

If Da An was killed first, the remnant soul would also be extinguished. But in the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury, one cannot erase ghosts—this is the rule of the Ghost Path...

Just as the Ghost Path certainly wanted to kill Chen Ling, it could only trigger Chen Ling’s own "Karma" to attempt it; that is the rule.

The Ghost Path certainly wanted to kill both the remnant soul and Da An to completely cut off the possibility of Bai Qi’s resurrection, but it could not do so, because it cannot erase the ghosts of the Ancient Treasury—this is also a rule...

The Ghost Path is the rule itself, not a conscious being. Envoys, as living beings, can to some extent ignore the rules, but the Ghost Path, as the rule itself, cannot.

And Bai Qi had calculated everything. He was using the rules of the Ghost Path to fight for a path to survival!

The impending lightning bolts bypassed Bai Qi and Da An, crashing into the Ghost City nearby and obliterating a large area into nothingness...

Above the ruins, a figure in opera robes flew past.

……

"Pain..."

"So much pain..."

"Who... am I?"

In the rushing Underworld River, a confused soul drifted along with the multitude of ghosts.

Only numbness remained in Jian Changsheng’s eyes—the trauma left on his consciousness after experiencing over seven hundred deaths in just over ten seconds... He had no idea what had happened, and having lived through the lives of hundreds of people, he had momentarily forgotten who he was.

He looked hollowly at the eternal darkness above, his mind filled only with deep confusion and void-like silence.

Although he remembered nothing, knew nothing... it seemed...

This was actually quite nice.

Lost in the Underworld River, it was as if he had been completely forgotten by time. Jian Changsheng didn't know how long he had drifted; it felt like ten seconds, and it felt like centuries.

Until,

A large red paper umbrella opened under the pitch-black sky.

Jian Changsheng felt as if he had been grabbed by an invisible giant hand and yanked out of the serene Underworld River. The red paper umbrella spun in the air and closed again. His soul, having soared into the air, traced an arc before landing silently on the other side of the river...

A figure in red-bottomed, black-patterned opera robes, holding the red paper umbrella in one hand, walked straight toward him.

Bright earrings swayed silently;

Chen Ling’s brow was as cold as frost.

"Spade, are you okay?" Chen Ling asked.

Only bewilderment remained in Jian Changsheng’s eyes. He looked at the person before him, feeling a sense of familiarity, but unable to recall who it was...

"Is your memory scrambled..." Chen Ling’s fingertips moved, and an invisible Heart Python climbed onto Jian Changsheng’s soul.

The Heart Python took a bite of the bewildered Jian Changsheng’s head.

Chew, chew, chew...

Ugh—

As the memories were spat back into Jian Changsheng’s mind, his hollow eyes finally began to clear. The memories influenced by the chaotic lives of others were systematically reorganized.

A few seconds later, Jian Changsheng’s eyes widened.

"HEART!!!!"

Jian Changsheng shouted anxiously, raising his hands to grab Chen Ling’s shoulders to say something, but the next second, his hands passed silently through Chen Ling...

Jian Changsheng stood frozen in place.

"You have no physical body now." Chen Ling said helplessly. "If I hadn't used my [Secret Eye] to find you in the dissipating torrent immediately, I’m afraid you would have truly remained in the Ghost Path Ancient Treasury forever..."

Jian Changsheng looked down at his own ethereal hands, then suddenly looked up at the sky where the lightning had struck...

He clenched his fists tight, gnashing his teeth as he spat out a name...

"BAI, QI!!"