Han Li swept his divine sense over the crimson city, and he rubbed his nose as he murmured to himself, "Ghost Gate … There's a bone-chilling aura everywhere in this place. Could it be that we've really arrived in the Netherworld?"
The entire city was quite large, but strangely enough, there wasn't even a shred of life in the slightest. Let alone a living person, there wasn't even a single living animal to be found.
It was as if there really was a ghost city behind this "Ghost Gate".
The Weeping Soul Beast didn't say anything as it looked past the city and stared intently at the air behind it.
Han Li followed the Weeping Soul Beast's gaze upon seeing this, and his heart stirred slightly.
There was a vast expanse of darkness in the air behind the crimson city, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was a large black cloud hovering in the air. It was quite eye-catching in this crimson space.
The black cloud slowly rotated as if it were a living creature, and there seemed to be something within it. However, the cloud contained an invisible power that prevented his divine sense from penetrating it.
Han Li paused momentarily before activating his Devil Eyes of the Ninth Hell and peering into the cloud.
Right at this moment, the black cloud abruptly tremored, and a burst of monstrous pressure abruptly erupted from within it. The nearby space trembled violently, and he was forced back to his senses.
Han Li felt a burst of sharp pain in his eyes, and two streams of blood flowed from the corners of his eyes. His body swayed slightly, but he immediately steadied himself.
"Master!" the Weeping Soul Beast exclaimed upon seeing this.
"I'm fine.
This black cloud is far too strange, so make sure you don't use any techniques to investigate it, "Han Li said with his eyes closed before slowly inhaling and exhaling.
Moments later, he opened his eyes again, and they had already returned to normal.
The Weeping Soul Beast glanced at the black cloud, then at the crimson city, and said, "This isn't a good place to be. Let's not go down there and leave as soon as possible."
"This crimson space is very stable, and it's not a place that we can leave just because we want to. Since we're already here, why don't we go down and have a look?" Han Li said before flying toward the crimson city.
The Weeping Soul Beast took one final glance at Han Li's calm demeanor before following closely behind him.
The two of them flew and landed in front of the city gate. The gate was not closed, but rather, it was wide open. Looking into the city through the gate, they saw a wide street that could accommodate more than ten horses running side by side. On both sides of the street were tall buildings, and the entrances of those buildings were also wide open.
However, the situation in the city was the same as when he had scanned it with his Divine Sense before. There really was not a single person, giving off a strange feeling of deathly stillness.
Weeping Soul's brows furrowed slightly, and she subconsciously moved closer to Han Li.
"Let's go. I want to know what kind of place this is," Han Li said as he stepped into the city.
As soon as he stepped through the "Gate of Hell", Han Li's body shivered for no reason, causing him to be a little surprised, but apart from that, he didn't notice anything wrong.
He glanced at the Weeping Soul Beast, who was following him, and the latter seemed to be completely fine.
With their speed, it didn't take long for them to stroll around the city. The city was fully equipped, and it was no different from an ordinary large city in the True Immortal Realm. There were tables, chairs, pots, and bowls in the residential buildings, and there were even some residents who had tea and food on their dining tables. However, there was not a single person in sight.
"How could this be …? Could it be that the people here have just been captured?" Han Li murmured.
At this moment, the two of them were standing in a residential room, and there was some tea on the table at the side.
At this moment, the Weeping Soul Beast seemed to have gradually calmed down, and it was looking around with a contemplative expression on its face as if it was considering something.
Suddenly, it took a few steps forward and picked up a cup of tea on the table. The tea within the cup was also faintly red in color.
"Ah!" A surprised and bewildered expression suddenly appeared on the Weeping Soul's face.
"What?
Did you notice something? "Han Li asked.
"I know!
Come with me, Master! "
The Weeping Soul Beast let loose a cry of enlightenment before dragging Han Li toward the outskirts of the city, and they quickly arrived near the crimson lake.
"What did you notice?
Why did you come to this lake? "Han Li asked.
"Don't ask so many questions, Master. Let's jump into the lake first," the Weeping Soul Beast said as it leaped into the lake and immersed itself in it, leaving only its head above the water.
Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly, but they quickly eased up.
Han Li didn't follow her into the lake. Instead, he released his divine sense and probed the blood red lake.
The lake was filled with a faint strand of Yin energy, but apart from that, there was nothing unusual about it.
A pleasantly surprised expression appeared on the Weeping Soul Beast's face, and it waved a hand to urge Han Li to come down.
Han Li pondered for a moment before leaping into the lake as well.
His brows suddenly furrowed tightly, and his features twisted slightly.
As soon as his body was immersed in the lake, he immediately felt excruciating pain all over his body. It was as if he was being cut by knives and burned by fire, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. It was as if a layer of mist had covered his eyes, and everything around him had become blurry and indistinct.
Han Li wouldn't have minded if it were just ordinary cuts and burns. However, the pain in his body seemed to be acting directly on his consciousness, and even with his strong will, he was struggling to endure it.
It was as if an invisible force had enveloped his entire body and was stripping something from his body and soul.
The Weeping Soul Beast hurriedly said, "Master, this lake is the Three Life Water, and it can cleanse your body of Yang energy. Just bear with it for a moment, and you'll be fine soon."
Han Li gritted his teeth and closed his eyes to endure the pain.
After a full 15 minutes, the pain in his body finally began to subside, and it soon disappeared completely. At this moment, he didn't feel anything strange about his body at all. Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort as he soaked in the lake.
Han Li let out a long breath and opened his eyes. He discovered that his vision had returned, and he was just about to stand up from the lake.
The Weeping Soul Beast suddenly grabbed Han Li with lightning speed, preventing him from leaving, and said in a low voice, "Wait a moment, Master. Take a look at the city first."
Han Li looked toward the blood-red city in front of him, and his eyes widened involuntarily.
There were two rows of crimson-armored guards standing in front of the originally spacious blood-red city.
Although these guards appeared to be humanoid, they had a single horn on their heads, long mouths, large ears, and long tongues that stuck out from time to time, as if they were panting dogs. Apart from their terrifying appearances, they were also a little comical.
Through the city gate, he saw that the originally empty city had become incomparably lively. People came and went, and it was a joyous occasion.
Not only that, but there were also figures appearing in the air above the lake from time to time. These figures were also clad in crimson-colored armor, and they were holding chains in their hands. They chained up the struggling figures and threw them into the lake.
As soon as these people entered the lake, they let out shrill screams, and green smoke rose from their bodies. It was as if they were being corroded by the lake water.
However, the green smoke on these people's bodies would dissipate after a short while, and their bodies would become semi-transparent. They would be chained up by the crimson-armored guards and brought to the city gates. They would be lined up in a line, and after going through the city entrance inspection, they would be allowed into the blood-red city.
The crimson-armored guards completely ignored Han Li and the Weeping Soul Beast in the lake. It was as if they couldn't see them.
Han Li looked at the scene in front of him in shock.
"These crimson-armored guards are all Soul Reapers from the Netherworld. They travel to various places in the World of True Immortals to collect the souls of those who have died. They wash away their Yang energy in the Three Lives Lake, and then bring them to the Netherworld," the Weeping Soul Beast said.
"That does seem to be the case … But Weeping Soul Beast, how do you know all this?" Han Li nodded, and then asked curiously.
The Weeping Soul Beast was silent for a moment, and then said, "When I just entered the Three Lives Lake and washed away the Yang energy in my body, for some reason, these memories suddenly appeared in my mind."
"Why do you have these memories in your mind?" Han Li was surprised to hear this.
The Weeping Soul Beast shook its head, and said blankly, "I'm not sure either. Perhaps it's because I'm a Xing Beast, and I'm innately connected to the Netherworld."
"That's possible." Han Li nodded.
Although there were still many things he didn't understand, he didn't plan to delve deeper into it. The strange scene in front of him was already unimaginable.
"I've always thought that the Netherworld was an illusory concept. I didn't expect it to actually exist … But why can't these Soul Reapers see us?" Han Li asked with a sigh.
"These Soul Reapers have a yin and yang relationship with us cultivators, so we can't see each other. Only those who have died or have their Yang energy washed away by the Three Lives Water can see each other.
As a precaution, I used a special secret technique to conceal our auras, so the Soul Reapers still can't see us.
However, I just thought of this technique, so I'm not sure how effective it will be, "the Weeping Soul Beast explained.
"I see."
Han Li nodded silently. After a moment of thought, he leaped out of the lake and flew toward the entrance of the city.
"Master, I told you I'm not sure." The Weeping Soul Beast panicked when it saw Han Li's actions, and hurriedly followed.
Fortunately, the Weeping Soul Beast's secret technique was more effective than it had expected, and no one noticed it.
There were only a few Soul Reapers guarding the city gate, and there were no detectable immortal artifacts. Naturally, they couldn't detect Han Li and the Weeping Soul Beast, and the two easily entered the city.
"Master, I told you I'm not sure, but you flew out all of a sudden. It's too risky," the Weeping Soul Beast complained.
"I believe that your secret technique will work, and if it doesn't, there's no point in continuing to hide in the lake," Han Li said with a faint smile.
The Weeping Soul Beast nodded, and asked, "What do you plan to do next, Master?"
"Follow these people and see how they deal with these souls." Han Li reached out and pointed at the Soul Reapers in the city.
At this time, the Soulbringers were escorting the souls and walking in one direction in the city. They lined up in a row and were very eye-catching. The originally lifeless street was now crowded with people. Many people stopped and looked into the distance, pointing at the Soulbringers and their party.
The two of them mingled in the surrounding crowd, following the Soul Reapers from afar, and soon arrived at the entrance of a tall building.
The Soul Reapers escorted one soul after another into the tall building, as if they were herding sheep into a pen.
Han Li and the Weeping Soul Beast exchanged a glance. After confirming that there was nothing unusual outside the building, they followed in.