Chapter 293: Suppression
"How could this happen?"
"Hurry, we need to get out of here!"
"The exit is gone! My River of the Dead registry won't respond!"
The Wang family members who had followed Li Hao began to panic as they frantically tried to find a way out. Their fear wasn't just of death but of the disastrous impact that the loss of so many key figures could have on the Wang family.
The merging of two Rivers of the Dead was already a rare occurrence, and to stumble upon it by chance was nothing short of a nightmare!
"Uncle Zhendong, why aren't you leaving?" Wang Yongzhi asked after trying to summon his River of the Dead registry without success, looking to Wang Zhendong, the family's pillar of stability, for reassurance.
"I'll leave, but I want to observe the situation here a bit longer," Wang Zhendong replied, his brow furrowed. "This is a rare opportunity to study the merging of these Rivers, especially the Hell-level River of the Dead…"
As Wang Zhendong spoke, he continued, "If we leave now, by the time we try to re-enter, this place might already be completely merged with the Hell-level River of the Dead. Without the simple rules of this Netherworld-level River to protect us, we'd be plunged directly into Hell. Even I might not survive. This is a rare chance to get a close look at a Hell-level River of the Dead."
He then glanced at Wang Yongzhi, his gaze tinged with disapproval. "But you lot... you all rushed in here without a second thought."
Wang Yongzhi quickly understood his uncle's reasoning. With the two Rivers merging, they were still somewhat protected by the simpler rules of the Netherworld-level River, which was resisting the Hell-level River. Otherwise, they would have already been crushed under the weight of Hell's rules, which even a Dao Domain might not withstand.
"Uncle Zhendong, do you know how we can get out?" Wang Yongzhi asked, his previous confidence shaken by the dire situation. What was supposed to be a simple exercise had turned into a life-threatening ordeal, like being caught in a sudden, violent storm with no shelter.
Wang Zhendong saw the tension in their faces and snorted, "There's a way out. The path you used to enter has vanished, but there's still a way deeper in. You all have your tokens, right? I'll lead you there."
Upon hearing that there was still a way out, Wang Yongzhi relaxed a little, regaining his composure—at least outwardly.
"Yes, we have them," he said, nodding. The Wang family had long prepared for this Netherworld-level River of the Dead, and they all carried tokens that would ensure they could exit safely.
He turned to Li Hao. "Haotian Divine General, you've heard the situation. This place is about to become extremely dangerous. We need to leave as soon as possible."
Before Li Hao could respond, Wang Zhendong raised an eyebrow. "What did you call him?"
Until now, Wang Zhendong hadn't paid much attention to Li Hao, though he had noticed the young man's Dao Domain. There was only one such youth in all of Dayu—Haotian General from Liangzhou. Wang Zhendong had been sent here on a secret mission by the emperor, tasked with helping this general clear the Netherworld-level River of the Dead.
He understood why the emperor valued this young man so highly. After all, such talent was rare and enviable among the Divine General mansions. But there was a vast difference between a general and a divine general, and such titles were not to be confused.
The two younger members of the Wang family standing nearby were stunned, their eyes widening as they stared at Li Hao.
Wang Yongzhi, noticing his uncle's displeasure at their reckless intrusion, quickly sent him a message through spiritual transmission, explaining the situation.
"What?" Wang Zhendong's stern expression turned to one of shock as he processed Wang Yongzhi's words. He looked at Li Hao in disbelief.
Chong Er?
The one who dominated the Merit List, the one who had saved three provinces and opened the Merit Treasure Vault?
Wang Zhendong stared at the young face before him, struggling to reconcile the legendary figure with the person standing in front of him. But it quickly made sense—no wonder Wang Yongzhi and the others had rushed in here, eager to see if this Chong Er had any special methods for clearing the River of the Dead.
His anger toward them dissipated significantly. In their place, he might have done the same thing.
"So young and so accomplished..." Wang Zhendong sighed, his mood lifting slightly. He stood up and said, "Let's get you out of here first. This place is too dangerous."
As the others prepared to move, Li Hao's spiritual sense remained fixed on the inky black rift outside the town, noting how slowly it crept closer—like an ant crawling, but it moved relentlessly. By his calculations, the blackness would reach the town's outskirts in about ten hours.
Given the exponential nature of the River of the Dead's decay, the fusion might accelerate later on. Time was running out.
Li Hao turned to the Wang family members who were getting ready to leave and addressed Wang Zhendong, "Elder, do you have any leads or ideas on how to clear this River?"
"You still want to clear it?" Wang Zhendong's face tightened as he looked at Li Hao. "It's impossible now. There were ways before, but with the fusion and the interference from the Hell-level rules, it's become incredibly difficult."
"I'd like to try," Li Hao said earnestly. "But I'll send you all out first. I'll handle this alone."
He had come this far and couldn't bring himself to give up easily. He had to try, or he wouldn't be at peace.
The Wang family members were visibly shocked by Li Hao's determination. Was the old thief, after all, related to Li Hao somehow?
"Haotian Divine General, you're still young and have a bright future ahead. There's no need to risk it here," Wang Yongzhi advised gravely.
Li Hao met his gaze, then shook his head slightly. "This is different."
Wang Yongzhi opened his mouth to argue but fell silent, realizing that this was indeed a different matter. Personal success and helping others were not mutually exclusive, but most who had achieved greatness were reluctant to risk their lives again, preferring to stay away from the mire.
Wang Zhendong gave Li Hao a long, searching look, then glanced at the approaching black mist outside the town. He sighed, "Let's get them out first, then I'll help you find a way."
"Uncle Zhendong…" Wang Yongzhi began.
"Move, and don't waste time with sentimentality!" Wang Zhendong barked, already activating his Dao Domain to envelop the group. However, when his Dao Domain came into contact with Li Hao's, it met with considerable resistance, unable to extend over him.
Wang Zhendong was taken aback by the strength of Li Hao's Dao Domain. He had heard of Li Hao's feats, like the public execution of two demon kings in Qingzhou, but experiencing the young man's power firsthand was a different matter. He now fully understood why Li Hao's reputation was so well-earned.
Sensing that Li Hao was about to speak, Wang Zhendong quickly said, "Don't worry about burdening me. I'm also curious to study the strange aspects of this Hell-level River of the Dead."
Hell-level Rivers of the Dead were estimated to yield tens of thousands of merit points if destroyed, potentially millions if cleared. This was the Wang family's conjecture—unverified, but with a high probability.
However, Hell-level Rivers were so terrifying that they had all been classified as forbidden zones. The Dragon City River of the Dead was just a Youdu-level one, and it had forced the relinquishment of territory to avoid disaster. Hell-level Rivers, on the other hand, made entire regions within a thousand miles uninhabitable.
"Thank you," Li Hao said, seeing that further argument was unnecessary. He followed Wang Zhendong as they quickly moved to the far edge of the town.
Here, black mist roiled, already encroaching on the town's boundary.
"Quickly, get out now," Wang Zhendong urged.
The Wang family members knew they were now a liability, only adding to the danger by staying. They immediately retrieved the tokens for this Netherworld-level River of the Dead—small, black wooden plaques they had collected from the ancestral shrine within the River. For ordinary people, just reaching the shrine to collect these tokens would be perilous, with corrupted demon souls attacking any intruders. However, the Wang family had long since cleared out the dangers, leaving only the challenge of figuring out how to clear the River.
Wang Yongzhi handed Li Hao a plaque, then summoned his River of the Dead registry. Golden papers appeared in the air.
The golden light emitted from the papers seemed to pull at their bodies, some of it directed at the black wooden plaques. But then, to their shock, the plaques disintegrated into dust under the golden light.
"What?!"
Wang Zhendong's face darkened.
Not only Wang Yongzhi's, but all the other plaques also turned to powder upon contact with the light.
"This…" Wang Yongzhi and the others felt their pupils constrict, fear gripping their hearts.
"The merging Rivers have changed the rules—the tokens are different now!" Wang Zhendong's previously calm demeanor cracked as he realized the exit they had relied on had suddenly vanished.
Li Hao, startled by the tokens' failure, quickly summoned his own River of the Dead registry. His golden paper floated out.
When he glanced at the paper's instructions, he saw that the exit token was still labeled as the "Qingzhen Plaque." However, when he mentally traced its location, the golden light pointed into the dark mist outside the town.
Li Hao paused, confused. The token hadn't changed, but somehow, it had.
Wang Zhendong, also noticing this, looked at the black mist, his face turning ashen.
Wang Yongzhi and the others now understood the gravity of their situation. Where they had been calm before, now they trembled with fear. The exit was buried deep within the Hell-level River of the Dead—was their escape route truly gone?
"How could this happen…" someone muttered in despair, trying to suppress their growing panic.
Wang Yongzhi, his face pale, realized how badly he had miscalculated. What was supposed to be a routine visit had turned into a death trap. As the head of the family, this was his failure.
"You all stay here. I'll go and test it out," Wang Zhendong said in a low voice, his urgency now overriding all other concerns. He retracted his Dao Domain to cover only himself, his eyes sharpening. "It seems we're not too deep in yet. I'll see if my Dao Domain can withstand the Hell-level River of the Dead."
With that, he dashed toward the boundary where the town met the black mist.
As he approached the edge, the mist seemed to sense his presence. Tendrils of black energy extended toward him, wrapping around his body.
Wang Zhendong's vital energy surged as his Dao Domain contracted tightly around him, fortifying itself against the Hell-level River's rules.
He took a step forward, crossing into the edge of the black mist.
The surrounding darkness recoiled slightly as if pushed back by his presence, but then more of the black energy surged forward, wrapping around him like countless claws, tearing at his Dao Domain.
With a roar, Wang Zhendong unleashed his power, the rules within his Dao Domain clashing furiously with the Hell-level River's rules. But his Dao Domain was being compressed, shrinking tighter around him.
Suddenly, a spear-like tendril of black mist pierced toward his back. His Dao Domain was torn open, and the black mist flooded in. Wang Zhendong's body convulsed as veins bulged across his face.
His heart pounded with fear—this was the power of Hell's rules? Even a Dao Domain could only last a moment, less than two breaths' time. And this was just at the edge of the Hell-level River!
He tried to retreat, but the black energy seemed to anticipate his thoughts, tightening its grip on his limbs. Though his mind commanded his body to retreat, he found himself surging forward instead, drawn deeper into the mist.
The Netherworld-level River's rules had been absorbed into the Hell-level River, amplifying the chaos. The rules seemed to shift constantly, making any sense of direction meaningless.
Wang Zhendong's heart went cold. The Hell-level River didn't just have one rule; it had… many.
He hadn't even begun to understand them, and now they were changing in real-time. Rules from the Netherworld-level River he recognized, but they were mixed with others he didn't understand. He could only focus on the thought of moving forward, hoping to regain control.
But then, his body actually moved forward—not backward as he had expected. The rules had shifted again!
Wang Zhendong's heart sank further. The Hell-level River didn't just have multiple rules; it alternated them, constantly changing. This meant that within the Hell-level River, there was no way to predict the rules—only brute force could overcome them.
As he struggled with this realization, the black energy continued to seep into his body. Wang Zhendong could feel his strength and life force rapidly draining away.
He heard the desperate shouts of Wang Yongzhi and the others, but when he tried to turn his head, his body wouldn't move. The rules seemed to switch between reversing and not reversing at will.
Wang Zhendong felt as if the Hell-level River was alive, manipulating these rules against him.
Just as he was about to unleash his final trump card, a vast force surged from behind him.
The black energy around him retreated like ice melting in the sun, and the crushing forces on his body suddenly eased.
A strong hand grasped his arm.
Wang Zhendong turned his head to see layers of Dao Domains surrounding him, shielding his body.
One layer, two layers, three layers, four layers…
The Dao Domains stacked upon each other, radiating immense power. But the rules within them didn't touch him—they only protected him.
The black energy crashed against the outermost layer, trying to seep through, but it was held back.
Wang Zhendong counted—there were ten layers!
"Let's go."
Li Hao pulled him back toward the town, flinging him to safety. "I'll find the exit. Take care of them and wait for me."
With those words, Li Hao took a step forward, crossing over Wang Zhendong and plunging into the black mist.