Chapter 1284: Three Kings

After the white smoke completely dissipated, there was no longer any immortal-like old Taoist on the withered tree, only a hideous evil ghost with a shriveled body, dark blue-black all over, resembling an ape.

Its head was quite large, with a protruding forehead on which grew bone horns. Its eye sockets were deeply sunken, its nose bridge low, and its mouth protruded outward. If covered with fur, it would be indistinguishable from a monkey. Its upper body was bare, and its skin was covered with old scars.

But at this moment, the evil ghost appeared dispirited, with a dejected look, sighing repeatedly.

"Who exactly are you? And what is your relationship with that Blood Fiend?" Han Li asked in a deep voice.

"Alas, to be honest, I am one of the three prefect lords, the Ghost Witch King. I once guarded one region alongside the Blood Fiend King and the Nether King, commanding ten thousand ghosts. In the past, I was deceived by someone's instigation, fell for a scheme of sowing discord, and sealed the Blood Fiend King on the Bridge of Helplessness. Later, I fell out with the Nether King, and the instigator reaped the benefits, leaving me in this state," the evil ghost said with a long, deep sigh, speaking slowly.

After speaking, his gaze fell on Ti Hun again, still observing and scrutinizing.

"Ghost Witch King?" Han Li's pupils contracted slightly as he looked the other up and down, murmuring with some hesitation.

"Fellow Daoist, no need to be formal. Just call me Ghost Witch. Now without troops or generals, without power or influence, what kind of king am I?" Ghost Witch said with an awkward smile, speaking to himself.

"I'm not interested in your past stories. I only want to know two things now. First, why did you lead us here? Second, do you know the location of the Palace of Yama?" Han Li asked.

"I led you here because I knew you could save me from my predicament," Ghost Witch said, somewhat excited.

"Save you from your predicament? On what grounds? Before, out of a moment of kindness, we unsealed the Blood Fiend, and he chased us all the way here," Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"That Blood Fiend doesn't even have a head, how could he have a brain! How could I be like him? The reason I believe you can save me is, first, because of the Nether King, and second, because I am now only a remnant soul, posing no threat to you. You wouldn't be afraid of a mere remnant soul, would you?" Ghost Witch shouted loudly.

"Hey, you keep mentioning the Nether King. What does the Nether King have to do with this?" Jin Tong asked in confusion.

"It seems that among the three of us, the Nether King had the worst fate... Blood Fiend was sealed, I was nearly killed, but at least we still retain our memories. The Nether King, however, has already died and reincarnated," Ghost Witch said, his eyes dimly fixed on Ti Hun.

Ti Hun, seeing this, showed a trace of confusion in her eyes, looking at Jin Tong and then at Han Li.

"Are you saying she is the reincarnation of the Nether King?" Han Li asked.

"If not the reincarnation of the Nether King, how could she cultivate the path of the soul? How could she have such a unique soul aura? More importantly, how could she, upon arriving at this river sandbank, be attracted to the scattered soul sand beneath her feet? You may not know, but this scattered soul sand was originally left behind by the Nether King," Ghost Witch sighed and said.

"I am the Nether King?" Ti Hun still couldn't believe it, asking herself.

"If you still don't believe, try summoning the golden sand with your soul power and see how it reacts," Ghost Witch said.

Ti Hun, half-believing, slowly closed her eyes, spread her hands in front of her, and a layer of soul power rippled out from her body.

After a moment, the entire river sandbank began to shake violently. The golden sand buried in the bone powder, each grain, each particle, flew out on its own under the pull of an invisible force, coalescing in the high sky into a tens-of-zhang-long golden ribbon, fluttering up and down, drifting endlessly.

Ti Hun slowly opened her eyes, looking at the golden ribbon in the sky, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. The moment her mind stirred slightly, the golden ribbon turned in the air and flew down, circling affectionately around her.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Ghost Witch said, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

"Ti Hun, use the golden sand to wrap the roots of the withered tree," Han Li said coldly, unmoved.

Ti Hun never objected to Han Li's orders. Upon hearing this, she immediately complied.

"Oh dear, what are you doing? How can you turn against me like this?" Ghost Witch cried out in misery, wailing.

"Stop pretending. You had Ti Hun take the golden sand just to remove the restriction on you. If I'm not mistaken, three layers of seals were placed on you here: the golden sand is the first, the withered tree is the second, and that square box is the third. And your soul is sealed inside the square box, right?" Han Li snorted and said.

Ghost Witch's expression stiffened upon hearing this, then he calmed down, no longer having the blustering manner from before, and said:

"Young man, your eyes are truly sharp. Yes, the seals are indeed these three layers, and my soul is indeed in the soul-locking box. But I didn't lie to you. After the ravages of time, my soul is no longer complete. What remains is just a remnant soul unwilling to accept defeat, thirsting for revenge. I bear no hostility toward you."

"You believe she is the Nether King. How did you figure that out?" Han Li asked.

"Perhaps it is because I am now but a wisp of a remnant soul that I can feel it more deeply. In any case, everything I have said is true. This girl called Ti Hun is indeed the reincarnation of the Nether King. Back then, with the help of a troublemaker, she destroyed my physical body and sealed me here. Yet she herself did not end up well either—truly laughable." The Ghost Witch sneered.

Ti Hun had no memory of what he spoke of, so naturally she remained unmoved.

"I ask you to release me not only for revenge, but because I cannot bear to watch the Netherworld sink into chaos, dragging the Three Realms into turmoil along with it." The Ghost Witch's expression softened, and he sighed as he spoke.

"What do you mean by that?" Ti Hun asked.

"You have lost all your memories, but do you still recall the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk?" the Ghost Witch asked.

"Six Paths Reincarnation Disk?" Ti Hun murmured the words after him, but still could not recall anything.

Seeing her shake her head, the Ghost Witch said with some helplessness:

"The Six Paths Reincarnation Disk is one of the great treasures of the Netherworld, a divine artifact that can influence the fate of the six paths of reincarnation. That person back then sowed discord among us three, all for the sake of obtaining this object."

Upon hearing this, Ti Hun furrowed her brows slightly, seeming to take a bit more interest in his words.

"After that person eliminated us three one by one, he styled himself the Wheel-Turning King and took control of the Three Realms. However, he cared little for the myriad ghost forces, but instead recklessly activated the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, arbitrarily interfering with the reincarnation of souls, and used it to absorb the power of reincarnation for his cultivation. This act defies the fate of heaven and earth, truly a violation of the heavenly way. If this continues, not only the entire Netherworld, but even other realms will be affected and fall into chaos." The Ghost Witch continued.

"You have been sealed here for who knows how many millennia, yet why are you so well-informed about the affairs of the Netherworld?" Han Li frowned and asked.

"Fellow Daoist must have already guessed, right? The bleached bones on this sandbar, and the countless more skeletons sunk into the river—all of them are the nourishment I have attracted over these many years. Otherwise, under such a powerful prohibition, how could I have preserved even a remnant soul until now?" The Ghost Witch gave a bitter laugh and said.

"So it seems there are indeed many poor souls deceived by your words and met with a tragic end." Han Li smiled.

"I have struggled to hold on until now, and I am nearly at the end of my strength. Fortunately, you have brought the Nether King with you. I am saved, and the Netherworld is saved as well..." The Ghost Witch looked at Ti Hun with hope and said slowly.

"I have no memory of what you call past lives, reincarnation, or fate, nor am I interested." Ti Hun frowned and said upon hearing this.

To her, the identity of the Nether King was nothing but baseless nonsense. She had gained her sentience in the Spirit Realm, and the moments she had experienced with Han Li were the only reality.

"You have been washed clean by reincarnation and have no memories of your past life, so naturally you feel nothing for my words. But if you could retrieve your past-life memories, I don't believe you would still stand by and do nothing." The Ghost Witch said.

"Past-life memories can be retrieved?" Han Li asked in doubt.

"As long as we can reach the shores of the Yellow Spring Great Marsh and find the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, we can use this treasure to reflect past-life memories. Once you awaken those memories, you can use reincarnation secret arts to gain the cultivation experience of your past life, and your law power will surely advance greatly. At that time, I will go and persuade Xue Li, and the three of us will reconcile and form an alliance. We will surely defeat the Wheel-Turning King and reclaim the Three Realms of the Netherworld." The Ghost Witch grew more excited as he spoke, his eyes shining with brilliance.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Ti Hun's eyes, as if she was somewhat shaken.

"The Nether King's return, Xue Li's breaking of the seal, our reunion—don't you think it's too coincidental? This is the decree of reincarnation, fate bringing us together again in the unseen..." The Ghost Witch earnestly persuaded.

Hearing these words, Ti Hun looked hesitantly toward Han Li.

"Although I have no interest in the conflicts of the Netherworld, this Six Paths Reincarnation Disk seems worth a look. It wouldn't hurt to go and see it. But before that, we need to find the Palace of Yama first." Han Li nodded and said.

"Fellow Daoist wishes to go to the Palace of Yama? That is not difficult." The Ghost Witch spoke upon hearing this.

"You know of the Palace of Yama?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"I don't know how fast you travel. If fast, it's about half a month's journey from here; at the slowest... a month should be enough." The Ghost Witch pondered for a moment and said.

Han Li was delighted inside, but his expression remained unchanged, as if he were still hesitating.

"If Fellow Daoist agrees to take me to the Yellow Spring Great Marsh where the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk is located, and help me restore my strength, I can lead you to the Palace of Yama." Seeing this, the Ghost Witch added.

Upon hearing this, Han Li finally nodded and agreed.

"Since the alliance is formed, please help me undo the seal first, Fellow Daoist." The Ghost Witch said with a full smile.

"The Soul-Scattering Sand is easy to remove—Ti Hun can do it with a wave of her hand. But the two seals behind it are quite peculiar. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Ghost Witch knows how to break them?" Han Li asked.