Chapter 1531: Ro Hu Mystery

Volume 7: Roaming the Human Realm – Volume 9: The Myriad Races of the Spirit Realm

"The Roc Transformation Technique indeed originated from the Roc branch of the Winged Spirit Race. As for why I'm immune to the mist after transforming, I honestly don't know the reason. However, I've considered it on the way and have a rough theory, though I'm not sure if it holds any truth," Han Li replied thoughtfully when Yuan Yao asked this.

"Brother Han, please speak your mind. Why be so reserved with us?" Yan Li said with a smile, her bright eyes shimmering.

Han Li looked slightly embarrassed, then softened his tone and said, "Since both of you have cultivated in the Yin Netherworld of the Human Realm for so many years, I assume you must know some legends about this place."

"Brother Han, are you referring to the legends of the Underworld and the Rakshasa Beast?" Yuan Yao asked, her expression changing.

"Precisely. The Underworld is inherently an ethereal place; whether it truly exists is unprovable. However, I once personally witnessed a Rakshasa Beast in the Human Realm. Although I only saw a minuscule fraction of it, its appearance was strikingly similar to the ghostly mist," Han Li replied, his eyes flashing.

"Brother Han, are you saying the Human Realm's Yin Netherworld is truly formed from the body of a Rakshasa?" Yuan Yao gasped, her small mouth agape.

"While there's no other evidence, I believe there's at least a thirty to forty percent chance. True Spirit Rocs and Rakshasa are natural enemies. When I transform into a Roc, I can borrow a small amount of Roc power through the Roc's true blood. If the mist here is indeed related to the ghostly mist, then being able to exempt myself from its restrictions makes some sense," Han Li explained.

"Is this so-called River of Forgetfulness truly the body of a Rakshasa? But how do you explain the difference between these strange mists and those in the Human Realm?" Yan Li couldn't help but interject.

"If this River of Forgetfulness is truly inside a Rakshasa's body, then do you think this Rakshasa is the same one as the one in the Human Realm, Fellow Daoist Yan?" Han Li didn't answer directly, instead counter-questioning with a smile.

"Brother Han, you mean there are two different Rakshasa Beasts, one here and one in the Human Realm! If they are two different individuals, then a slight difference in the black mist is explainable. I've heard that Rakshasa are incredibly large, capable of swallowing the sun and moon, and can naturally form independent spaces within their bodies. The River of Forgetfulness is clearly much larger than the Yin Netherworld. This must be a Rakshasa Beast whose divine abilities and size are far greater than the one in the Human Realm," Yan Li said, her face slightly pale.

"I'm afraid it's more than that," Han Li said, shaking his head profoundly.

"Oh, Brother Han, do you have any other insights?" Yuan Yao asked curiously.

"The mist here is so stagnant; it's uncertain whether this Rakshasa Beast is even still alive. I've read some ancient texts that mention if a Rakshasa reaches the end of its lifespan, the space formed within its body won't collapse, but can persist eternally with all things."

"Brother Han, you mean this place is a space formed by the corpse of a dead Rakshasa Beast!" Yuan Yao was stunned.

"Haha, that's just my speculation. The exact situation is still unknown," Han Li chuckled, not elaborating further on the matter.

"I actually think Fellow Daoist Han's conjecture is very close to the truth. If so, most things can be clearly explained. It's precisely because this Rakshasa Beast has fallen that the Yin Nether energy formed within its body is far greater than that of the Human Realm's, leading to the creation of so many high-level ghostly entities. I just don't know if those Demon Kings are aware of this, or if they have mastered this knowledge. The only thing I don't understand is how to explain the spiritual energy and spirit veins here. In the Human Realm's Yin Netherworld, not a trace of spiritual energy can survive, and one cannot mobilize magic power while inside that space," Yan Li said, her eyes sparkling.

"Who knows about that! Perhaps when the great cultivators of the Mayfly race discovered this place, they manipulated the space here, or maybe the space formed within a Rakshasa Beast's body is naturally like this once it perishes. However, none of this has much to do with our current predicament, so there's no need to delve into it. My only interest now is whether these black mists can truly lead us out of the River of Forgetfulness. If it's the same existence as the Yin Netherworld, it must have a similar exit. This exit would be much safer than the spatial nodes I originally considered," Han Li said, his eyes radiating a sharp light.

"Brother Han makes a good point. Did you find anything unusual in the other strange mists previously?" Yan Li asked thoughtfully.

"No! Apart from restricting one's magic power and divine abilities, I didn't find anything particularly strange about the other black mists. Of course, I only searched a few nearby spots. Since these black mists are in this area, the exit should also be in this body of water. Should we go look for this exit immediately, or should we still follow the original plan and hide for a while longer?" Han Li asked, his voice softening.

"Since the exit might be nearby, we should spend some time looking for it. Perhaps we could find it in just a day or two. Wouldn't that be more secure than passively hiding?" Yan Li said without hesitation.

"Senior Sister makes sense. If we stick to the original plan and hide, it's possible that these Demon Kings might leave later, while the Mayfly race's reinforcements arrive earlier. In that case, our situation would be even worse," Yuan Yao hesitated for a moment, then agreed with Yan Li.

Upon hearing this, Han Li fell into silent contemplation.

Although both women spoke with great reason, he faintly sensed an inexplicable unease. This made him somewhat hesitant.

After repeatedly considering for a while, he slowly spoke: "We can stay here as you suggested and look for an exit, but we can only spend a maximum of two days. Once two days are up, we must immediately go into hiding. We should still be safe within these two days."

Han Li proposed a compromise.

Hearing Han Li's words, Yuan Yao and Yan Li exchanged glances, finding this to be a win-win solution. They nodded and agreed.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's explore the black mist below. Even if there are no exit clues, I'll first set up a foothold inside. If anything unexpected happens, we'll hide in there. The Roc's power can exempt one from the black mist's restrictions, and I have a way to temporarily make both of you fearless of this mist," Han Li said with a smile.

"Brother Han, do you truly have such a method?" Yuan Yao and Yan Li were delighted.

Han Li smiled slightly, and suddenly, with a thunderous sound from behind him, his dual wings appeared. Then, with a shake of his wings, their colors drastically changed. One turned shimmering cyan, while the other pulsed with five-colored light. Both wings were crystal clear and radiated brilliant light. Han Li had revealed the original form of his Wind-Thunder Wings, which he had always kept disguised as Roc wings.

The two women were astonished to see the true appearance of the Wind-Thunder Wings for the first time. At this moment, the spiritual wings not only drastically changed in appearance but also emitted an astonishing spiritual pressure, causing the two women's expressions to slightly change.

Just then, the cyan wing on Han Li's back merely flickered, and two shimmering cyan feathers shot out, vanishing in a flash before appearing and stopping in front of the two women.

"Fellow Daoists can try these two objects, condensed from the aura of the Roc. Perhaps they will have some miraculous effect!" Han Li said with a smile.

Yuan Yao and Yan Li exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat skeptical. However, Yan Li immediately grabbed the cyan feather in front of her with one hand and channeled her magic power into it. With a soft "bang," a shimmering cyan halo diffused outward, enveloping her.

"Oh, it seems there's truly some mystery to it. I'll try it first. If it doesn't work, Brother Han, please lend me a hand," Yan Li said with a flowery smile at Han Li.

"Haha, of course. I'll be right here to protect Fellow Daoist Yan!" Han Li said without hesitation. His body flickered, transforming back into a cyan Roc, and he flew into the black mist first.

Yan Li, shaking the cyan feather in her hand, released a brilliant cyan light all over her body, ready to shoot downwards.

"Senior Sister, be careful!" Yuan Yao couldn't help but admonish.

"Junior Sister, don't worry. With Brother Han taking care of things nearby, how could anything go wrong?" Yan Li replied with a smiling face, slowly descending under the shroud of cyan light.

Yuan Yao watched her figure without blinking. Han Li, in his Roc form, was already hovering at the edge of the black mist, quietly waiting for Yan Li to descend.

The cyan light finally merged into the black mist, and then Yan Li's joyful voice came from within: "It really works! Although a large portion of my spiritual power still cannot be mobilized, flying completely and activating general cultivation techniques and treasures are no problem at all."

"Hehe, that's excellent. Miss Yuan, you come down too. Let's examine this properly," Han Li's seemingly prepared voice came from within the cyan Roc.

High above, Yuan Yao heard their voices, breathed a sigh of relief, and, with a charming smile, assented, ready to wave the cyan feather in her hand and fly down as well.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred! The black mist, which had appeared unusually calm, suddenly began to inexplicably churn and surge. Then, an unknown hurricane roared out from below, and the vast expanse of black mist instantly transformed into a massive vortex, filled with the wails of ghosts and wolves.

Han Li, in his Roc form, was startled! Although the wind came so fiercely, and a powerful suction force emanated from below, it couldn't completely trap him. At most, it merely slowed his movements slightly. He violently shook his wings, flickering to Yan Li's side, grabbing her, and then with another movement of his cyan wings, he tried to escape the mutated ghostly mist.

But just then, thunderous roars suddenly erupted throughout the entire vortex, and countless streaks of ink-black lightning instantly appeared densely everywhere. Han Li's heart sank; this scene was frighteningly familiar. The black lightning appeared too swiftly for him to react, and his movements were not as nimble as usual due to the inexplicable immense force.

With a flash of black light in front of him, the cyan Roc and the grabbed Yan Li vanished without a trace within the vortex.

High in the sky, Yuan Yao witnessed all of this and was greatly horrified. Before she could form any thoughts, the black vortex suddenly scattered in all directions, sweeping outwards. Yuan Yao had no time to escape and was also swept in. Similarly, amidst the wild flashes of several black lightning bolts, she inexplicably disappeared.