Chapter 2173: Crossing the River?

The problem of his ferry not being able to accommodate so many people was no longer relevant; he would deal with this guy first.

Seeing the souls, who had just been a chaotic and agitated crowd, now lining up like obedient children, Zu An thought to himself, these guys truly feared power, not virtue.

The only downside was that he had just lost twenty points of merit, and he had no idea how the Underworld calculated such actions.

Fortunately, he had just ferried a boatload of souls, earning dozens of merit points. Moreover, those he had thrown into the River of Oblivion were villains, so eliminating them had come at little cost; otherwise, his current merit wouldn't have been enough to cover the deduction.

Once all the souls had lined up, Zu An began collecting the ferry fare.

At first, the souls were cooperative, each taking out a merit coin and handing it to him.

But after collecting from a few dozen, the souls further back immediately sensed something was amiss.

Given the intimidating display he had just put on, they didn't dare say much, and another few dozen souls paid their fare.

Zu An, however, didn't stop, continuing to collect from those further back.

When he had collected from a few hundred, everyone finally couldn't hold back. Someone quietly asked, "Aren't you going to take the ones in front across first?"

The previous display had indeed been intimidating. Although dissatisfaction was already brewing among them, they still asked very gently.

"Don't worry, since I've collected your fare, I'll naturally be responsible for taking you across," Zu An replied, continuing to collect.

"But..."

The horrific screams of those unlucky souls who had fallen into the River of Oblivion were still vivid in everyone's minds. Many souls opened their mouths, but ultimately didn't dare to say anything more.

Not until Zu An had collected thousands of merit coins did some bolder souls finally lose their patience: "You're just standing here collecting fares, but you haven't taken anyone across yet. Can you even manage to transport all of us?"

What a joke! With so many people, he couldn't transport them all even in three days and three nights, yet he kept collecting.

Although the recent events had scared them, they only had these few merit coins left. If this guy cheated them out of it, no one would be able to cross the river, and then they would suffer an existence worse than death. Rather than that, it was better to be brave and get a clear answer.

"Of course I can transport you all." Sensing the unrest among the spirits, Zu An knew that if things continued this way, these guys might revolt. So he declared loudly, "Everyone can rest assured, since I am collecting, I will definitely get you across today. This is the River of Oblivion, and the laws of the Underworld dictate that I cannot defraud you of your merit coins."

"Let the River of Oblivion bear witness! If I fail to transport you today, I will compensate you double your merit coins; otherwise, may my soul be eternally trapped in the River of Oblivion, never to find transcendence!"

Hearing him make such a grave vow, the souls were all stunned.

They knew that this was the Underworld, and right by the River of Oblivion, vows were absolutely binding.

Most of them had been villains in life, for whom swearing oaths was commonplace. No one took them seriously, and they often regretted them afterward.

However, after arriving in the Underworld and passing through the Karmic Mirror Platform, they realized how terribly wrong they had been.

Every broken vow was recorded, adding to their sins.

Moreover, swearing an oath in the Underworld was even more serious. The consequences didn't take long to materialize; retribution was immediate here.

Although they didn't believe he could really transport everyone in such a short time, he had sworn an oath. Wouldn't double the merit coins be sweet?

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if this guy couldn't afford to compensate them, watching a River of Oblivion ferryman sink eternally into the river would still be a rather pleasurable sight.

Many of the River of Oblivion ferrymen engaging in their "financial war" in the distance also heard the commotion. They scoffed inwardly, thinking, "Has this guy gone mad just to earn merit coins?"

In such a short time, with so many souls, let alone one person, even if all the ferrymen on the River of Oblivion worked together, there was no way they could transport everyone in a single day.

This guy was doomed to lose. Where would he get so many merit coins for compensation? It seemed he was destined to sink into the River of Oblivion.

He must have resorted to this desperate measure to win the competition, but unfortunately, he hadn't successfully transported any souls to the other side. These merit coins were only temporarily in his possession; they didn't truly belong to him, and naturally wouldn't count toward the selection data.

This newbie was simply ridiculous, trying to take such a crooked path.

Seeing the reactions of the other River of Oblivion ferrymen in the distance, Zu An thought to himself, if there were a "mockery meter," his would probably be off the charts by now.

He didn't delay, and continued collecting merit coins.

However, after he had collected from ten thousand souls, he finally couldn't collect any more.

Although he had made a grave vow, it was clear he couldn't transport so many souls. Everyone was unwilling to hand over the few remaining merit coins they had.

Although he had said he would double their compensation if he failed to transport them, it looked like he couldn't afford to pay it.

While watching a River of Oblivion ferryman sink into the river would be satisfying, the thought of losing even one merit coin was painful.

Zu An knew it was about time. He was actually growing a bit impatient with the slow pace of collecting merit coins this way. So he swept his gaze around and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, think carefully. If you pay now, it's one coin. If you decide to cross later, it will be double."

The souls averted their gazes, avoiding eye contact with him, but inwardly, they sneered. "This guy puts on a good act," they thought, "but only an idiot would fall for it now."

Seeing that no souls were willing to pay anymore, Zu An didn't rush. He walked directly to the riverbank and announced, "Those who have paid the fare, stand at the front. Those who haven't paid, stay further back."

At this, the first few souls couldn't help but gulp—though as spirits, they had no actual saliva, they still retained some instincts from life, having only recently died—"Sir," they said, "safety first! Let's not overload the boat and sink it."

Other souls also grew concerned. "That's right," they thought, "This guy has collected so many fares, he's sure to pack as many as possible onto one boat. It would be a joke if the boat sank."

Even if it didn't sink, it would definitely be crowded. Wouldn't that mean many would be pushed to the edge of the boat?

The water ghosts were grabbing everywhere, and some unlucky souls might get pulled in.

Just as the general dissatisfaction was about to erupt into a storm, Zu An said coldly, "Who said anything about getting on a boat?"

"Not on a boat, then on..." The souls were anxiously about to press him for an answer, when suddenly, they all froze, their eyes wide with disbelief, as if they had witnessed something incredible.

They saw the vast, turbulent waters of the River of Oblivion suddenly part to both sides, revealing a wide path. The surging river water on either side seemed held back by an invisible, transparent film.

"Is... is this the River of Oblivion?" The souls were completely dumbfounded. Although they hadn't been in the Underworld for long, they had heard countless legends about the River of Oblivion.

This was a great river where even a goose feather would sink. Only the River of Oblivion ferrymen's boats could float on it.

The River of Oblivion, Mount Yin, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation were the most sacred landmarks in the entire Underworld. How could such a formidable entity be suddenly split in two?

Many of these souls had been powerful individuals in life. To split a normal river with a single strike wouldn't have been difficult for them. But the River of Oblivion was no ordinary river!

"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and cross, don't waste time!" Zu An snorted coldly. It turned out he had just used the power of the Crown of the Sea God.

He had previously realized that the Crown of the Sea God had the ability to control oceans. While it referred to oceans, it generally included large rivers as well.

He tried it and found that the Crown of the Sea God alone couldn't achieve this extent, but he also had Lan Fu's ability to be close to water!

When the two abilities were combined, he could actually control the River of Oblivion!

This was the solution he had come up with. As for the flashy tricks like installment payments and loans he had used earlier, they were purely to mislead the other River of Oblivion ferrymen.

Only by doing so would they be too preoccupied to ferry these souls themselves, allowing him to quickly gather as many souls as possible on his side. Meanwhile, the other ferrymen on the other side were fiercely competing, and would be too busy to stop him in the short term.