After Yue Hua finished speaking, she moved her thoughts and left the Bridge of Helplessness.
Meng Po watched the spot where she had disappeared, shook her head helplessly, then transformed back into an aged elder, picked up a ladle, and began to stir the Meng Po soup.
With the help of White Bone Mountain, Zi Lingling and Ye Lingyuan quickly reached the end of the Yellow Springs.
At the end of the Yellow Springs was a river. If the Yellow Springs were composed of white bones, then this river was composed of souls.
"Ye Lingyuan, what do you think the ninth trial is asking us to do?"
Zi Lingling looked at the countless souls wailing in the river and couldn't help but frown.
Ye Lingyuan shook his head. The words "Forgetfulness River" flashed in his mind.
How to pass the ninth trial? What needed to be done in the ninth trial? He currently had no clue.
However, ever since entering the ninth trial, Ye Lingyuan had a strange feeling.
That feeling was a mixture of unfamiliarity and familiarity, and familiarity mixed with unfamiliarity.
What was going on?
Ye Lingyuan's brows furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.
"Ye Lingyuan, do you think that bridge might be the legendary Bridge of Helplessness?"
Zi Lingling looked at the bridge not far away and said in surprise.
The reason she identified it as the Bridge of Helplessness was because the ghosts on the bridge were queuing in an orderly fashion.
And at the other end of the bridge, an old woman was scooping soup with a ladle, handing it to the ghosts who crossed the bridge, and watching them drink it.
This scene was very much like the legendary scene on the Bridge of Helplessness.
Ye Lingyuan did not answer, as if he hadn't heard her.
"Ye Lingyuan?"
Zi Lingling called out again.
Ye Lingyuan still did not respond.
Zi Lingling finally realized something was wrong.
She turned her head and saw Ye Lingyuan staring blankly at the ghosts in the river.
He looked as if his soul had left his body.
Something was not right!
Zi Lingling quickly placed her hand on Ye Lingyuan's pulse.
A moment later, her face changed drastically.
Because Ye Lingyuan's soul was not in his body at all!
What was going on?
She did not believe that Ye Lingyuan would fully detach his divine consciousness without telling her.
And this was indeed the case.
As Ye Lingyuan was pondering where the sense of familiarity came from, a voice appeared in his mind.
"Master, you've finally returned. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The voice was very excited, with a hint of unspoken grievance.
"Who are you?"
Ye Lingyuan, who was deep in thought, became vigilant.
This voice could directly appear in his mind, and it was definitely not simple.
"Master, don't you remember me? I'm Xiao Ming!"
The voice clearly paused for a moment, then continued with a hint of grievance.
"Xiao Ming?"
Deep within Ye Lingyuan's mind, it was as if a great door had opened, and a grand seal slowly emerged.
The seal was entirely black, emitting a strange glow.
Above the seal, nine black dragons were intertwined, and at the top was a pitch-black bead.
Below the seal, two large characters were vaguely carved.
Strangely, although the characters were large enough, Ye Lingyuan could not see them clearly.
"Are you Xiao Ming?"
Ye Lingyuan asked the seal.
The seal moved as if nodding, and the voice sounded again.
"Master, I am merely a projection of Xiao Ming. The real Xiao Ming is beneath this Forgetfulness River, suppressing countless souls!"
Ye Lingyuan frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Now that Master has returned, please go to the bottom of the Forgetfulness River, retrieve Xiao Ming's true form, and once again take charge of the Underworld!"
The voice now carried a feeling of ambition.
"In charge of the Underworld?"
Ye Lingyuan was stunned. Could this be the secret of the ninth trial?
If this were the case, it meant that as long as he retrieved that seal, the ninth trial would be passed?
Although these were all Ye Lingyuan's guesses, he had a feeling that his guesses were not wrong.
"If that's the case, I shall go down and take a look!"
After Ye Lingyuan finished speaking, just as he was about to tell Zi Lingling, he heard the voice stop him: "Master, apart from souls, nothing else is allowed to approach the bottom of the Forgetfulness River, including your physical body."
"Furthermore, the King of Hell Seal involves great significance and is a forbidden area. Do not tell anyone. Anyone who knows besides you will suffer heavenly retribution."
Ye Lingyuan frowned.
King of Hell Seal? Forbidden? Heavenly retribution?
Forget it, I won't tell Ling'er for now.
If it were to attract heavenly retribution, it would not be worth the loss.
"Hmph! If you dare to deceive me, I will destroy your true form!"
"Xiao Ming would not dare to deceive Master! Please move your soul entirely within the range of Xiao Ming's projection. Xiao Ming will send you to the riverbed!"
The little figure in Ye Lingyuan's consciousness stood up, looking at Xiao Ming's projection, his mind racing.
Two breaths later, he slowly walked under the projection.
"Let's go!"
The projection of the King of Hell Seal rolled up Ye Lingyuan's divine consciousness, drilled out of his ear, and directly submerged into the Forgetfulness River.
At this moment, although Xiao Ming was merely a projection, he could isolate all traces of aura.
Therefore, Zi Lingling did not notice that Ye Lingyuan's soul had left his body.
Of course, Ye Lingyuan, whose aura was isolated, would not be attacked by the souls in the Forgetfulness River.
Wrapped by the projection of the King of Hell Seal, Ye Lingyuan descended.
Because there were no souls to disturb him, his speed was extremely fast.
The Forgetfulness River was not deep, only about a hundred meters, but it could not be probed with divine consciousness.
As soon as divine consciousness entered the water, it would be attacked by endless souls.
Below a hundred meters was a layer of mud, and some souls with deep sins were planted like seeds in this mud.
The black bead on the projection of the King of Hell Seal slowly lit up, and a strange fluctuation emanated from the bead.
Law?!
Ye Lingyuan was shocked.
He had already begun to comprehend the Law of Light, so he was quite familiar with the aura of laws.
The power of law emanating from the bead clearly carried a dense aura of death and darkness.
Therefore, this should be the Law of Death and the Law of Darkness.
The bead became brighter and brighter, and the auras of the Law of Death and the Law of Darkness grew stronger.
The mud was quickly parted, revealing a spherical light barrier.
Inside the light barrier, a grand seal was steadily suspended.
Ye Lingyuan's hands involuntarily touched the light barrier, but found that it did not impede him at all.
The voice of the King of Hell Seal sounded again.
"Projection returns, King of Hell Seal emerges!"
As the sound faded, Ye Lingyuan was already standing inside the light barrier.
A drop of blood flew from his fingertip and landed on the King of Hell Seal.
The King of Hell Seal shone brightly, and the two characters on it became very clear.
Although Ye Lingyuan did not recognize the script, he knew instinctively that the two characters were "King of Hell"!
Zi Lingling was contemplating where Ye Lingyuan's soul had gone when she saw a blinding light shoot out from the bottom of the river.