Chapter 2029 - Fortune and Disaster Go Hand in Hand

Deep within the City of the Lost, a purple full moon hovered over the peak of a towering mountain, casting dreamlike, ethereal radiance onto its slopes.

A towering, ancient, black divine palace stood on its peak, and a blood-red altar stood before the palace.

Three figures stood near the altar.

One was a child-sized dwarf in black robes. His features were similarly childlike, but his skin was deathly pale and translucent. He sat there, crouched on an enormous blood-red lotus. His eyes were as red as blood.

One was an old woman gripping a cane. She sat near the altar, her face completely covered in wrinkles. Her eyes were deep set and turbid, and a blood-red toad crouched on her shoulders.

The third was an elderly Daoist with a hideous face. His eyes blazed with blue-green flames as he stared into the distance.

The three of them were all among the Dao Protector Ghost Gods under Grandmother’s command. Moreover, they were the strongest of the three.

They were, respectively, Ghost God Sky Owl, Ghost Goddess Blood Toad, and Ghost God Golden Ape!

“Grandmother, the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Spiritual Desolation has already reached the foot of Purple Moon Mountain,” the childlike dwarf, Ghost God Sky Owl, said solemnly.

The Swordmaster of Spiritual Desolation, Li Fuyou!

A long, long time ago, this name had resounded throughout the God Domain. Li Fuyou had even struck terror into the hearts of gods!

The Ghost Gods had heard his name before even becoming gods. They’d also heard rumors that Li Fuyou had mastered the power of reincarnation and undergone rebirth to cultivate anew.

It was just that this had always been dismissed as a mere idle rumor. Few took it seriously.

Now, however, they finally dared say with certainty that the rumors were true!

The suspected reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Spiritual Desolation, Su Yi, had slain every enemy in his path and arrived at the foot of Purple Moon Mountain with unstoppable momentum.

Even the power of the Curse of the Ancient Gods was useless; the power of reincarnation countered and neutralized it completely!

This was unquestionably far too terrifying.

“Are you afraid?” An icy female voice suddenly resounded from within the blood-red altar.

Sky Owl, Blood Toad, and Golden Ape all lowered their heads, their expressions full of heartfelt awe.

“We aren’t afraid. We just aren’t sure what you plan to do, Grandmother,” explained Ghost God Sky Owl. “We cannot help but be confused.”

Su Yi had displayed heaven-defying, unstoppable power since he’d first entered the City of the lost. He’d destroyed even the Fog-Shrouded Street, and he’d defeated Chong Ming, Blood River, and the other Dao Protector Ghost Gods one after another.

The three of them had witnessed it all in full.

But Grandmother hadn’t intervened once in all this time. As her subordinates, they naturally found this strange.

The way they saw it, if Grandmother took action personally, she’d have no trouble taking down the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Spiritual Desolation. He was, after all, only in the Great Realm!

Long ago, when the ancient gods crossed the River of Epochs, there were rumors that without reincarnation, the River of Epochs would inevitably decline.” That icy female voice resounded from the altar once more. “Throughout the ages, the River of Epochs has indeed gradually dried up, and the power covering many of its forbidden zones has waned. That includes in the City of the Lost.”

The three Dao Protector Ghost Gods listened with rapt attention.

“I originally predicted that, within less than a thousand years, we’d be able to force our way out of the City of the Lost with little effort, freeing ourselves of the shackles of the curse.

“But... I could never, ever have anticipated that the power of reincarnation would one day return!”

Her voice was suddenly tinged with unwillingness. “Oh, the cruelties of fate! The return of reincarnation is sure to recreate the natural order of all worlds, and the River of Epoch is sure to transform. It’s even... likely to influence the gods’ situation!”

A series of gasps arose. The three Dao Protector Ghost Gods had long since known that the power of reincarnation was incomparably taboo. However, they hadn’t realized that this power could influence the natural order of all worlds, the entire River of Epochs, or the destiny of every deity in the God Domain!

“These things might happen, or they might not. Still, so long as the power of reincarnation exists, an unpredictable element remains,” that icy voice continued. “From our perspective, the reincarnator’s arrival in the City of the Lost is both fortunate and disastrous.”

The three Dao Protector Ghost Gods looked stunned.

Li Fuyou’s reincarnation has come. Is she saying that this is a crisis, but also an opportunity?

“I understand!” Ghost God Sky Owl slapped his thigh. “The power of reincarnation can counter the Curse of the Ancient Gods. It can easily undo the seal trapping us in the City of the Lost and restore our freedom!”

Ghost Goddess Blood Toad said excitedly, “That’s right! If we capture Li Fuyou’s reincarnation, we won’t even need to wait. We’ll be able to break out of the City of the Lost immediately!”

But Ghost God Golden Ape frowned and said softly, “But that’s on the precondition that we can capture Li Fuyou’s reincarnation, and he’s... not so easily dealt with!”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and heavy once more.

“Do you have a plan, Grandmother?” Ghost God Sky Owl couldn’t help but ask.

He’d only just asked this when the sound of fierce combat resounded from further down the mountain. The three Ghost Gods were instantly solemn. There was no doubt about it. Li Fuyou’s reincarnation had already begun his ascent!

“Sky Owl, go, and take the Endless Souls Pennant with you.” That icy female voice rang out. “He’s come here to save someone, so use the souls confined within the pennant to fight him.”

A black pennant shot out of the blood-red altar and landed in Ghost God Sky Owl’s hands.

“Blood Toad, bring the Seal of the Lost and support Sky Owl.”

“Yes, Grandmother!” Both ghost gods simultaneously nodded their ascent.

Sky Owl stepped off his blood-red lotus, took hold of the Endless Souls Pennant, and descended the slopes. The other, the decrepit, fragile-looking Ghost Goddess Blood Toad, took hold of a black seal and followed him.

Before long, the two of them had disappeared from view.

That icy female voice rang out once more. “Golden Ape, I trust you more than anyone else in the City of the Lost. No matter what else happens today, your only mission is to defend this place.”

“Understood!” The hideous old man gripped a bamboo slip and nodded.

......

At the foot of the mountain.

Sword qi crisscrossed, shaking both heaven and earth.

Su Yi led the way ahead, climbing the wide-open trail up the slopes and cutting through everything in his path.

The trail was covered in dark fog, and numerous Ghost Gods of all shapes and sizes charged out of it, including some as strong as Qiu Man and the Papercrafter. All of them grasped the power of the ancient curse, and all of them were ferocious and terrifying.

Moreover, they had no fear of death. They attacked Su Yi without the slightest reservations.

Unfortunately for them, their attempts were as futile as a mantis trying to block a chariot. Su Yi didn’t even need to use the Sword of the Nine Hells. The power of reincarnation alone was enough to suppress and seal them all, one after another!

But Ye Chunqiu couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. On the contrary, he was fraught with worry.

Su Yi forged ahead with unstoppable momentum, and he

seemed

invincible, but Ye Chunqiu could tell that Su Yi’s aura was weakening, and his face was increasingly pale. He was obviously forcing himself to go on!

“Ol’ Wang, rest for a bit. Let me take over,” said Ye Chunqiu. He’d tried to take the lead several times now to ease the pressure on Su Yi.

But to his frustration, there was no convincing Su Yi, nor could he beat him to the punch. Every time Ye Chunqiu tried to attack, Su Yi swooped in and crushed his opponent like they were made of rotten wood.

He’d fought his way to the halfway point of the mountain without once pausing to rest. Along the way, he’d defeated thirty-three Ghost Gods and almost three hundred of the Lost!

Now, Su Yi finally halted his assent.

He took out a jug of wine, drank with relish, and said, “Ol’ Ye, you’ve got to strike while the iron is hot. Too many pauses and you’ll only kill your own momentum. I’m sure you understand that. Had they surrounded us on our way up, we could never have gotten here so quickly.”

He then looked at Ye Chunqiu and smiled. “If it really comes down to a life-or-death struggle, I’ll create a path to survival for you even if it costs me my life.”

Ye Chunqiu’s heart sank.

Is Ol’ Wang preparing for the worst? Or is he already an arrow at the end of his flight? Otherwise, why would he say something so depressing?

“You came here to save me. How could I possibly abandon you?” Ye Chunqiu snorted coldly. “If we die, we’ll die together!”

Su Yi smiled, then patted Ye Chunqiu on the shoulder. “Relax. Life and death are not yet set in stone, and everything is up in the air. I can definitely lead you away from this place!”

Suddenly, he gazed up the slopes.

The childlike dwarf, Ghost God Sky Owl, and the decrepit old woman, Ghost Goddess Blood Toad, were approaching from afar.

“You’re here to save your friends, aren’t you? Grandmother says we can grant your request.” Ghost God Sky Owl raised the Endless Souls Pennant. “The souls of the Lost that Grandmother has suppressed over the years have all been sealed inside this pennant, including the people you’ve come here to save!”

Su Yi’s eyes flashed. “Who, specifically?”

Ye Chunqiu’s heart sank. How could he fail to realize that Grandmother was stalling for time? She just wanted to keep Su Yi here so she could contain him!

“You’ll know when you see them.” Ghost God Sky Owl grinned, then waved the Endless Souls Pennant.

Kaboom!

The pennant waved through the air, and the electric, blood-red power of the curse surged forth. In the blink of an eye, it manifested a whirlpool-like portal, as if opening the gates of purgatory.

Countless souls surged out of the entrance, desperate to be the first to escape. There was seemingly no end to them!

The souls were obviously all members of the Lost with no sense of self. They were completely enveloped in the power of the Curse of the Ancient Gods. Some were Ghost Gods like Gu Xingyi, while others were Great Realm experts.

There were over a thousand of them in total!

“Stand still!” Ghost God Sky Owl bellowed.

The Lost suddenly froze in midair, their eyes vacant. Then, they stood there like puppets, not budging in the slightest.

Ghost God Sky Owl said expressionlessly, “Where is Li Yong’an? Step forth!”

One of the Lost immediately stepped forward. He was a coldly handsome man, tall and thin with blood-red eyes. When the power of the curse wrapped around him, it transformed into sharp, forceful saber qi.

Li Yong’an.

Li Shuang had come here in search of him, for he was her father. He was a legendary demigod saber cultivator of the River of Epochs, and he was once a chief elder of the Celestial Purity Pavilion.

But now, Li Yong’an had lost all sense of himself. He was now just another of the Lost!

“Is this a threat?’ Su Yi put away his jug of wine.

“I wouldn’t call it that. You came all this way just to save your friends. We naturally can’t let you go to all that trouble for nothing,” Ghost God Sky Owl said with a smile. “All I ask is that you agree to a single condition. Do so, and I’ll—”

But before Ghost God Sky Owl could finish his sentence, a streak of sword qi exploded into being and descended upon him from on high!