novelraw Chapter 88 : The Nether River Descends from the Heavens
Chapter 88 : The Nether River Descends from the Heavens
Chapter 88: The Nether River Descends from the Heavens
The young girl walked to the doorway.
“Who is it?” The silver-haired girl’s voice was faint, as if she were a wife long awaiting her husband’s return.
“Open the door. It’s me, Third Royal Highness.”
Outside the door came Lu Changyuan’s voice—undeniably his, even carrying that familiar tone that seemed to say, ‘Even if floodwaters rise to the heavens, I remain unbothered.’
A trace of doubt flickered through Su Youwan’s red pupils. Lu Changyuan had gone out for less than an hour—how had he returned so soon?
Her fingertips paused briefly, but she still lifted the latch. The door pivoted with a soft creak.
A youth dressed in black stood at the entrance. His appearance was handsome enough to stir a maiden’s heart, and at that moment, his smile was as warm as spring sunlight.
“Why is Third Royal Highness looking at me with such an expression?”
It was indeed Lu Changyuan.
Su Youwan lowered her lashes. Her airy voice betrayed no emotion. “Why has Young Master Lu returned so soon?”
“Third Royal Highness enjoys answering with a question as well. I’ve been out for quite some time—it’s about time to return.” Lu Changyuan’s tone was gentle.
“Is that so?” Su Youwan lifted her gaze, her eyes seemingly brushing over him by chance. “I would say it hasn’t been long at all.”
Lu Changyuan nodded lightly, offering no argument.
Su Youwan stepped aside, her expression calm as still water. “Come in.”
The girl seemed to trust him completely.
Lu Changyuan entered the room with ease, walking leisurely as he spoke, “The Ghost Gate is about to open, Third Royal Highness. The spirits of the Nether Kingdom will soon pour forth.”
“Yes, I’ve read about it in the ancient texts.” Su Youwan’s soft reply carried an indifferent tone, distant and detached.
Rip!
At the instant her words fell, the air was sliced apart by the shriek of something sharp!
Following that piercing sound, sixteen streaks of silver light shot forth from Su Youwan’s sleeves like meteors chasing the moon, piercing precisely into Lu Changyuan’s body.
The silver needles were as fine as ox hair, yet carried the weight of a thousand pounds, pinning him firmly in place.
Lu Changyuan’s body froze abruptly. In his hand—no one knew when it had appeared—was a long bone blade, pale as death itself.
He twisted his neck with difficulty, the cracking sound of bone grating against bone echoing sharply. The flesh on his face peeled away like water-soaked paper; color drained, rotting into putrid slime that dripped to the ground. In moments, only a pale skeleton remained standing there.
“How did you… know?”
Su Youwan’s expression did not change. Her pale fingers flicked once more. Invisible threads wove through the air, tightening into a massive unseen net that enclosed the skeleton completely.
A series of sharp cracks rang out as the bones shattered, scattering into a neat pile of fragments.
Only then did the girl speak softly.
“The scent. His scent was much too pleasant.” She frowned slightly. “Besides, Young Master Lu would never be so polite as to knock on his own door.”
The silver-haired girl tugged at the near-invisible threads, stringing the fragments together. She pushed open the door and tossed the bones into the thick, unending fog outside.
Such trash had no place in her home.
On the endless street beyond, the mist writhed like a living thing, devouring light and sound alike.
Suddenly, Su Youwan raised her head.
Gu dong, gu dong.
A suona?
A drum?
From within the fog came a discordant melody—if it could be called that—shrill enough to set one’s teeth on edge.
A chill wind rose without warning, stirring the mist.
The Nether Kingdom was a city hidden between life and death. Everything here was but a phantom—houses without color, spirits without form.
Yet when that gust blew through—
Everything changed.
It was as though an unseen giant brush had been dipped in vivid colors, painting this illusory world anew.
Bit by bit, inch by inch, the contours of the once-shadowy buildings began to sharpen.
Whether the blue bricks or the old wooden doors, all were being drawn forth from nothingness, taking on the substance of reality.
When the Ghost Gate opened, the Nether Kingdom’s past returned with it. The dead seemed to regain living faces, and the ruined city struggled against the boundaries of life and death to stand once more in the mortal realm.
The music drew nearer, pounding against the heart like a drum, suffocatingly close.
Amid the milky-white fog, shadowy figures began to emerge.
Shrill wails of spirits echoed alongside the haunting rhythm.
At their head marched a Fourth Realm cultivator long dead. His eyes were empty, lifeless, and vast bone wings spread from his back—each beat of them brought a piercing shriek.
The winged man led the way.
Behind him marched rows of black-clad spirits clad in shattered armor. Their ranks were neat, their heavy, soundless steps exuding a killing intent so cold it almost took form.
At the very rear of that eerie procession, eight dark spirits carried a palanquin that swayed with every step. Within it, a figure flickered faintly in and out of view.
It was a golden skeleton, its entire body gleaming, and from its eye sockets burned a dreadful flame.
Su Youwan stared in disbelief.
This was her first time in the Nether Kingdom. Though she had read about the opening of the Ghost Gate in the ancient records, what she saw now was nothing like what had been written.
The texts described the Ghost Gate’s opening as a sacred ritual—a ceremony where countless spirits prayed devoutly for the Lord of the Nether’s return.
But now, when the Ghost Gate opened, what had returned—
Was a golden skeleton?
That golden skeleton sat proudly upon the palanquin, carried by spirits, its bearing haughty and regal—like a monarch.
In the Nether Kingdom, aside from the yet-unreturned Lord of the Nether, who else could command spirits so?
Su Youwan reacted swiftly. The moment the golden skeleton entered her sight, she joined her fingers like a sword. Countless hair-thin needles burst from her sleeves, cascading like a waterfall woven of moonlight.
Sixteen Bright Moon Flower Needles!
At the same time, behind her, the air began to twist and ripple, condensing into a vast, indistinct shadow.
That shadow was holy and awe-inspiring; upon closer look, it was a snow-white Thousand-Hand Guanyin.
“Bind!”
Su Youwan’s rosy lips parted slightly.
The golden skeleton in the mist turned its gaze toward her—just once.
Clang!
All the needles rebounded instantly.
Su Youwan’s body convulsed as if struck by a hammer. A terrifying force of backlash surged along the needles, slamming into her, sending her crashing backward into the house. The lotus crown upon her head was knocked askew and fell, her silver hair cascading like moonlight.
The golden skeleton did not look at her again, nor did it seem intent on finishing her off.
The silver-haired girl coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips and staining her chest crimson. The scarlet droplets against her pale skin were heartbreakingly beautiful.
Boom!!!
Like thunder splitting the heavens, the entire Nether Kingdom heard it.
The sky itself tore open, revealing a colossal rift. From the void beyond, something surged forth eagerly—
A river.
The Nether River!
The Ghost Gate had opened; the Nether River had appeared.
As the saying went: “The boundless Nether River descends from the heavens; spirits traverse the cycle of yin and yang, flowing through life and death.”
Yet now, someone was hiding within the Nether Kingdom, disguised as a spirit—
Smiling more joyously than the dead themselves.