Chapter 316: Soul's Return

The treasure ship left the creatures of Youdu far behind, accelerating to an unprecedented speed.

On deck, Ban Gongcuo and others scrambled to grab the railings to avoid being flung overboard. "Is that scamp Qin Mu steering the ship with the silver helmet?"

Ban Gongcuo looked at Qin Mu, but saw that Qin Mu was also holding onto the railing and wasn't wearing the silver helmet. Clearly, he wasn't the one steering the treasure ship.

Ban Gongcuo was slightly taken aback. If it wasn't Qin Mu, then who was steering this treasure ship?

Was there a terrifying entity hidden on board, or was the ship haunted?

Ever since they boarded this peculiar vessel, strange occurrences had been frequent. They hadn't even fully explored the ship, yet they had encountered numerous bizarre incidents, making them shudder with unease in retrospect.

The treasure ship sped through the world of Youdu, a realm of utter darkness, without sky or land. Traversing such vast darkness was truly terrifying.

After an unknown duration of travel, a sudden collision sent a jolt through the ship, almost throwing everyone off. Several soldiers and shamans, unable to hold on, were flung overboard. The moment they fell into the darkness outside the ship, their flesh dissolved, leaving behind piles of bones that clattered down.

"There's land below!" someone exclaimed.

Qin Mu looked down. The treasure ship had collided with a mountaintop, creating a large hole in it. This impact was what had flung the soldiers and shamans overboard.

The mountain rapidly receded, revealing vast stretches of land beneath it. However, strangely, these landmasses weren't connected; they appeared like individual islands floating in the darkness.

*Boom!*

Two massive landmasses collided, creating an incredibly violent scene. As the continental plates pressed against each other, thousands of large volcanoes simultaneously erupted on these lands. Magma, accompanied by rolling black smoke, shot two or three hundred miles into the sky, a truly magnificent sight.

Countless bolts of lightning flashed between the dense clouds and magma, tearing through the sky. Cooling rocks fell like rain, forming a terrifying downpour of stones. When large rocks struck, their destructive power was astonishing, resembling comets impacting, trailing long fiery tails.

The ground shook violently as a combination of magma rain, rock rain, and acid rain descended, creating an apocalyptic scene.

The treasure ship passed through the torrential downpour. The people on board immediately unleashed their vital qi, raising large shields to block the strange rain and prevent being crushed.

Suddenly, clattering sounds filled the air. This time, it wasn't magma rain but diamonds—fist-sized ones—raining down from the sky. These were products of intense lightning strikes, scattering across the entire ship.

The treasure ship tilted, sweeping all the accumulated lava and diamonds off its deck. It then navigated around a large volcano and headed into the distance.

Magma flowed everywhere on the volcano, resembling fiery dragons pouring from the crater down the mountain. Qin Mu quickly looked and was startled to see millions of people walking uphill amidst the world-shattering, apocalyptic scene.

These individuals walked silently, heads bowed, like zombies through the destructive landscape. Each step seemed incredibly difficult, yet they continued forward, drawn by an apparently fatal allure.

At the very front, many had already reached the volcano's crater and then, completely unaware, leaped into the volcano, immediately submerged by the towering currents of magma!

Besides this large volcano, there were thousands of other volcanoes on this landmass, and beyond this landmass, there were thousands more.

It was likely impossible to count how many people were struggling through this destruction, throwing themselves into the volcanoes!

"These aren't people; they're ghosts!"

Qin Mu's heart pounded. He realized these were the souls of the deceased, without physical bodies, and not all of them were human. There were also spirits of various exotic beasts, demon races, dragons, phoenixes, and even celestial demons.

The treasure ship maneuvered sideways between the volcanoes, past countless souls traversing the volcanic landscape.

Volcanoes erupted one after another, fiery red magma shooting skyward with deafening roars.

Ban Gongcuo's face was pale as he murmured tremulously, "Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs..."

Qin Mu was slightly puzzled, unsure what this fellow was talking about.

"What Yellow Springs?"

"They're descending into the Yellow Springs!"

Ban Gongcuo suddenly shrieked at the top of his lungs, "This is the world after we die! We're on Tu Bo's horns!"

Qin Mu shivered, finally understanding Ban Gongcuo's words. Their ship was traveling between Tu Bo's two horns. These landmasses weren't actual continents but cross-sections of Tu Bo's horns!

Tu Bo's Nine Covenants, where "Nine Covenants" refers to "Nine Bends," signifying that Tu Bo's horns curved like a river with nine distinct turns.

Tu Bo's two horns were also known as the Nine-Bend Yellow Springs, effectively two Yellow Springs.

Qin Mu's scalp tingled. "Yellow Springs" was indeed a fitting name, as the continuous volcanic eruptions illuminated layer after layer of land with molten lava, making them appear like vast yellow or red rivers from a distance.

But these two horns were simply too enormous!

Was this still a god?

"Heh heh, heh heh..."

Ban Gongcuo was clearly deeply traumatized. He now displayed a hint of madness, muttering, "This is the truth I once witnessed... I cannot die, absolutely not. Let whoever wants to die, die. I must live..."

The treasure ship finally passed through the landmasses and departed. Qin Mu looked back and could finally see the full extent of the two horns. Magma erupted from each landmass, connecting them, so that one landmass served as the sky for the one below it.

These countless interconnected landmasses formed nine twisted bends, resembling the Nine-Bend Yellow Springs from afar.

Innumerous deceased souls were drawn from countless worlds, arriving on these landmasses and leaping into the Yellow Springs.

Yet, this was merely the incredibly colossal horns of Tu Bo!

He looked downwards, and the horns extended an unknown length, plunging deep into the darkness, with no end in sight. Below the horns should be Tu Bo's head, rumored to be that of an ox, with these being his ox horns. But Qin Mu's vision was entirely insufficient to discern where his head actually was.

Qin Mu recoiled slightly, deciding firmly that a covenant with Tu Bo should never be signed carelessly. If such a covenant were to take effect, there would likely be no turning back.

His heart grew heavy, knowing that his father had still signed a covenant with Tu Bo.

Once signed, a covenant with Tu Bo was difficult to revoke.

The treasure ship sped up even more, arriving above another landmass. This was a world in collapse and decay, enveloped in darkness. Paper boats drifted from the darkness, carrying the souls of the deceased.

Many paper boats glided past the treasure ship, drifting towards the land of the Nine Covenants. The souls on board were ragged and worn, uniformly members of the Heavenly Demon race. However, unlike the ferocious Heavenly Demons Qin Mu had seen in the Great Ruins, these appeared burdened by sorrow, old age, sickness, and death.

Thousands of paper boats drifted by, indicating an extremely large number of deceased Heavenly Demons. Qin Mu frowned. Under normal circumstances, so many Heavenly Demons shouldn't have died; even in a large-scale war, such a simultaneous death toll would be impossible.

"Return, souls—"

A faint tremor emanated from the dark space-time. It was a demon god, crying out mournfully across worlds, chanting in the demonic tongue. Qin Mu looked in the direction of the sound, faintly discerning an eight-armed, four-headed demon god weeping loudly in the pitch-black starry sky. Separated by an entire world, the figure and sound were indistinct.

"It sounds like the crying of the Demon King of Dutian..."

He was slightly startled. The figure standing in another world, a world in ruin, resembled the Demon King of Dutian. His immense power meant that even the collapsing Dutian world could not completely suppress his presence or voice. He was calling out to the souls of his kin across the Dutian world, attempting to recall the spirits of his deceased tribesmen.

"Return, oh soul! Do not descend to this Youdu. Tu Bo's Nine Covenants, his horns sharp and distinct. With stout thighs and bloody thumbs, he fiercely pursues people. Three-eyed and tiger-headed, his body like an ox. These all devour humans. Return! Lest you bring disaster upon yourself. Return, oh soul! Enter the beautiful gate. The shaman priest beckons you, leading the way..."

As the treasure ship continued its journey, the Demon King of Dutian's demonic chanting gradually grew weaker, becoming indistinct, making it impossible to discern what he was wailing about. The treasure ship was already far from the collapsing Dutian world; it was precisely because the Dutian world was in ruins that so many Heavenly Demons were continuously perishing.

Qin Mu looked back at the countless paper boats drifting from the Dutian world into Youdu, a pang of sorrow in his heart. Perhaps this was the future awaiting their own world.

After a long time, they arrived at another landmass shrouded in darkness. Specks of divine light illuminated the gloom, creating a hazy glow, while some creatures of Youdu moved about in the shadows.

The treasure ship gradually slowed. The people on board could finally make out the source of the divine light: it emanated from idols in various villages, and some from ancient ruins.

They had arrived at the Great Ruins in the darkness.

Qin Mu's heart stirred. At night, after darkness fell, the Great Ruins actually bordered Youdu!

A portion of the Great Ruins overlapped with Youdu. For the beings within the Great Ruins, it was as if two worlds were superimposed. At night, Youdu creatures would become active, with the Youdu world dominating and suppressing the real world. However, by day, the real world would once again overshadow Youdu.

In the darkness, wherever light shone, that was the real world, and every speck of light was an entry point to reality.

This meant that if they entered a ruin or village protected by idols, they could leave Youdu and return to reality!

The treasure ship's journey to this point likely aimed to return them to the real world.

The treasure ship's speed dwindled, finally revealing its destination. Ahead, an ancient ruin radiated astonishing light, pushing back the darkness. Majestic, albeit dilapidated, palaces stood there, with only colossal divine statues still emitting light that pierced the gloom.

The treasure ship gradually came to a halt, hovering above the ruins. Below, many exotic beasts lay quietly within the ruins, alongside passing travelers. They coexisted peacefully, together seeking refuge from the encroaching darkness.

They all looked up, gazing with curiosity at the ship that had suddenly appeared.

Qin Mu called for the two white bats and the Dragon Qilin, then leaped from the ship. Ban Gongcuo, with his many followers, also jumped down.

"Great Venerable..." a shaman king said, looking at Qin Mu with flickering eyes, a questioning expression on his face.

Ban Gongcuo shook his head. "We are in the Great Ruins. Let's follow its rules and not cause any further complications."

Qin Mu looked up at the ship, his expression complex. The treasure ship slowly turned, changed direction, and finally sailed away from the ruins, disappearing into the darkness.

The person in the tree was likely steering the treasure ship back to Youdu, to search for Qin Mu's family.