Chapter 27: The Sea of Consciousness is Gone

Cheng Shan leaped into the Blackwater River, well aware of the potential consequences. However, once the soul-sealing gu was activated, there was no turning back. She even thought that if she didn’t confront the situation head-on, Han Luo might drag them both down with him. She needed nourishment, regardless of whether it was the Blackwater River or the White Water River.

Cheng Shan soon realized her naivety. The Blackwater River was not just black; it was the first time she encountered such an unfriendly water flow. The ghost generals and others had misunderstood Cheng Shan; she wasn’t the troublemaker—the Blackwater River was. The river behaved like an enraged steed, attempting to throw Cheng Shan out of the water. With no other choice, she had to confront the challenge and tame this unruly steed.

With Zidian in hand, the Scarlet Vast True Qi surged out, and the soul-sealing gu flower shone brightly, impossible to ignore. The Blackwater River roared in protest, and the sea of consciousness surged violently. Cheng Shan faced internal and external threats, and soon she felt exhausted. There was even a momentary illusion that her sea of consciousness was about to burst, with waves overwhelming her like a breached dam. Cheng Shan felt as if her soul and spirit were being washed away, unable to concentrate.

“Oh no, I’ve lost my sea of consciousness.” Cheng Shan had a fleeting thought in that moment.

However, her lower dantian was warming up, the circulation of true essence continued, and the brilliance of the soul-sealing gu flower intensified. Cheng Shan, unable to think clearly, instinctively released his true essence while sinking to the riverbed. She relied on intuition to explore the water veins, attacking along the way. Qi formed a large circulation under the water, as if the wild steed had been tamed.

Cheng Shan was unaware of the chaos unfolding on the surface of the river. She felt extraordinarily light underwater, and the situation suddenly fell into her control like a pie dropping from the sky.

Cheng Shan breathed a sigh of relief in this surreal perception of a missing sea of consciousness. She continued to explore, realizing that the dominating force of the soul-sealing gu flower was finally calming down, and she started ascending.

In mid-air, Yang Taizai and Hong Ying were facing off with a group of ghost soldiers. The soldiers had set up a net formation, restricting the movement of both humans and ghosts. The atmosphere was tense.

Cheng Shan emerged from the water, and the scene that greeted her was Yang Taizai and Hong Ying facing off with the ghost soldiers. Her melodic voice echoed above the Blackwater River as she exclaimed, “Old Yang, what’s going on?”

The clear sound of a young girl reverberated over the Blackwater River, capturing the attention of everyone present. The black strands of hair framed her face, highlighting her delicate features. Her forehead, adorned with a crystal-clear water lily, seemed frozen in a moment of ethereal beauty. However, the enchanting sight vanished in an instant, replaced by an extreme terror on everyone’s faces. One of the ghost soldiers holding the net even dropped his spiritual weapon, pointing at Cheng Shan, stuttering, “H-Han… Han…”

The ghost general and the son of the lord of demons, Qishi, were the first to recover. He shouted loudly, “Immediately capture Han Bushang’s remnants! Yan Ping, inform Ming Yan to reinforce the ghost army.” Didn’t they say that the ghost slaves of Han Boshang were extinct by the Ghost Emperor? How come, after two hundred years, there are still remnants here?

Cheng Shan, upon hearing this, raised her hand and touched her forehead, thinking, “What an unfortunate situation. Couldn’t I have just applied some makeup?” Helplessly, she cast her gaze towards Yang Taizai, wondering how to handle the situation.

Yang Taizai, upon hearing that he had changed from “Uncle Yang” to “Old Yang,” wore a wry smile. “You caused such a big trouble, and you still have the nerve to ask?” With a shout, he rushed out of the yet-to-be-formed encirclement, soared into the air, transformed into his sheep form, and descended like a meteor towards Cheng Shan. “Get on!”

Cheng Shan emerged from the water, creating a towering water column that crashed towards the ghost army. Without hesitation, Hong Ying transformed into a red light, broke through the encirclement, and chased after Yang Taizai. Yang Taizai caught the red light in his mouth, revealing that it was a sharp and long spear.

Yang Taizai used all his tricks to shake off the ghost army led by Qishi. The speed was so fast that Cheng Shan couldn’t see the surrounding environment clearly. She covered her mouth and shouted, “Where are we going?”

Yang Taizai was flying at full speed, unable to respond. Cheng Shan closed her eyes and tried to explore her sea of knowledge but found nothing. Unable to internally view, she could still move the true qi inside her body smoothly. Cheng Shan was puzzled and couldn’t help but think, “If my sea of knowledge is gone, what about the divine sense?”

After some thought, Cheng Shan tentatively called out in her mind, “Master?”

There was no response for a long time. Cheng Shan sighed inwardly and couldn’t help muttering to herself, “How can someone be perfectly fine if the sea of knowledge is gone?”

“The divine sense is still there, and your sea of knowledge must be there too,” Han Luo’s voice suddenly sounded, a bit hoarse and weak but with a hint of indifference, sounding much calmer than before.

“Haha,” Cheng Shan couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised. “You’re okay?”

Han Luo responded with a sound of agreement, remained silent for a while, and then said, “Where are you? Did I cause trouble for you again?”

Cheng Shan boldly declared, “No problem, just a minor matter.” She wondered how Yang Taizai would feel if he heard this.

The two seemed to forget the events that had just happened. Cheng Shan felt a bit annoyed and thought, “Master, my sea of knowledge is gone.”

Han Luo chuckled lightly. “You’ll find it sooner or later.”

Cheng Shan, naturally optimistic, no longer dwelled on it. Just as Yang Taizai stopped, he put down Hong Ying and sat down, panting heavily. Cheng Shan, thrown to the ground by him, opened her eyes and looked around. She found herself on a desolate hilltop, with a hard stone platform beneath her. In the faint phosphorescent light, a fence surrounded them, and beyond that, it was pitch black with nothing visible.

“Where is this?” Cheng Shan asked as she stood up.

Yang Taizai, back in human form but exhausted, and Hong Ying, back to his youthful appearance, replied, “This is an abandoned Mourning Platform. The exit opens during the Moonwatch, leading to the Thick Virtue Palace.”

“Oh,” Cheng Shan immediately remembered that to go to the Underworld Department, they needed to return to the Thick Virtue Palace to find the entrance. It seemed they would have to wait for the Moonwatch here.

Seeing that Yang Taizai hadn’t caught his breath for a long time, Cheng Shan teased mercilessly, “You should consider your image as a sheep, gasping like a bull.”

Yang Taizai pointed at Cheng Shan, unable to speak for a long time, thinking, “You dared to make trouble for me. I’ll settle the score with you!”

Yang Taizai sat down to catch his breath, and Hong Ying, with his back to Cheng Shan, looked into the darkness, lost in thought. Cheng Shan, bored, thought that even though she couldn’t sense her sea of knowledge, she could easily communicate with Han Luo if she wanted to talk to him. Feeling bold, she started to flirt with Han Luo. “Master, where are you?”

After a while, Han Luo’s casual voice sounded, “None of your business!”

“Haha!” Cheng Shan guessed right; he wouldn’t reveal the truth. She sat down leisurely and asked, “Master and disciple, what’s wrong with caring for each other?”

Han Luo snorted, seemingly unbothered, “At home.”

Cheng Shan chuckled. “Your home is quite special.”

After a moment of silence, as if he had guessed something, Han Luo’s voice sounded with a hint of surprise: “Are you in the Netherworld?”

Cheng Shan joyfully replied, “Yes, I am thinking of visiting your home. Are you welcoming?”

Han Luo was silent for a while and then said, “This heart is my home. This is my first stop in the Netherworld, returning to the starting point. It does feel like coming home. If you dare to come, I won’t mind hosting you.”

Author’s Note:

Who could have guessed what Cheng Shan’s true identity is? That’s right! She was originally a hydraulic engine and accidentally acquired Han Luo’s exclusive wind power. Thousands of years later, the two teamed up to establish a clean-energy power plant. (Don’t criticize my lame jokes.)